• Published 4th Nov 2020
  • 6,064 Views, 558 Comments

The Emperor Preserves - Centurion Pike-Wall



"If a man dies that another should live, that man's spirit shall eat at the Emperor's table. B-but... what about me?"

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29~Not All's Well

Author's Note:

ImWperial Thought of the Day: A mind without purpose will wander in dark places.

Anton watched as the blasphemer and her menial left the farmstead, following her with an eye as he gathered up the dishes from the impromptu brunch. He placed the last of the plates on a wooden rack before passing it off to Applejack. "Thank's fer tha help, Aquila."

"No issue", Anton said, casting one final look in the direction of Twilight Sparkle before she disappeared over the hill leading towards town. As he turned to head back towards the house, he saw Big Mac was also looking in the same direction. "Something wrong?", he asked the large stallion.

Big Mac seemed to shake himself out of a daydream, looking at Anton with a nervous smile. "Uh, nope. No."

Anton looked back to the hill, then cast his gaze back at the stallion. Big Mac bore a surprisingly nervous expression, while the fur around his face was a bit of a darker shade of red compared to usual. Anton brushed it off.

"Well, that's all the stuff from brunch", Anton said, as if giving a report. "Most of the rest of the day is gonna be finishing up baking some of the stuff and moving the food into town for the brunch. With your relatives in town, that shouldn't take too long."

"Eeyup", Big Mac said.

Anton nodded, turning to head off and find Bright Macintosh, when he came face-to-face with the Heretic. An unnaturally large smile and blindingly pink features merely appeared as if from nothing, mere millimeters from his face. In an instant, his horn flared and his sword was drawn free from its scabbard. And, as always, she had bounced away to just out of sword distance by the time the blade had fully gotten out of its arc, leaving him slashing empty air.

"Hi Big Mac! Hi Aquila", she said, as if she hadn't just been attacked with a sword.

Applejack walked over, seemingly drawn by the sudden appearance of the Pink One. "Both of y'all. Haven't ah had ta explain this ta y'all enough? Aquila, don't attack Pinkie. Pinkie, don't sneak up on Aquila. It's basic as a bar of soap."

"Apologies, Applejack", Anton said, putting away his sword while continuing to shoot an evil eye at the new arrival.

Pinkie Pie said, "Sorry, AJ. But I'm just in a super duper hurry, and I had to get here as quickly as possible."

"What's in a hurry for?", Big Mac asked.

"There's a new pony in town!", Pinkie said. "And you know that means I have to throw her and her friend a patented "Welcome-to-Ponyville" surprise party!"

"I don't think that's how patents work", Anton said, taking a few steps away from her on pure instinct.

Ignoring his comment, Pinkie Pie said, "Unfortunately, Gummy is getting a scrub over at Fluttershy's, so I can't have him pass out invitations. I'm having to do it myself, so I really have to hurry." She spun around, sending a trio of light pink envelopes flying into his hoof, along with Applejacks and Big Macs. And, just as she had appeared by sorcery, she disappeared the same way.

Anton looked down at the envelope, which as usual had a few smears of glitter and sugar on the exterior. He turned it over, finding a few small bits of print on the exterior, though he didn't bother to read what it said. "And I think that's my cue to leave."

"Ya ain't comin' ta the party? Or the Summer Sun Celebration?", Applejack asked.

"Let's just say that being in close quarters with the Intellectual, the Witch, and, more than likely, your vain friend isn't on my list of priorities", Anton said. "We're... friends, Applejack. But I have my fracking limits."

+++++~+++++

Over ten hours had passed since he had finished bringing the food into Ponyville, and almost all of the ponies in town had either gathered in the town hall or the weird "Library" for the Pink One's party. Anton, however, had held true to his promise, and hadn't gone anywhere near the latter. With no reason to go to the former yet, he had wandered the mostly deserted streets of Ponyville.

He ran into only a few ponies, most of them ones he had no name for. They, however, had evidently heard of him, as they gave him a wide berth as he crossed paths with them. He tried to pay it no mind, but something about how they cast fearful looks at him made him feel... odd. Sad, maybe?

He ground to a halt, making a conscious effort to bite his tongue. He winced at the spike of pain, bringing his head down and swallowing the small amount of blood that oozed from his tongue. Why did he continue to feel any form of sympathy for these Xenos? What was wrong with him?

As he continued to stand there, head lowered as he sucked up the last of the blood, he heard a soft voice say, "Aquila?" Looking up, he saw Fluttershy and Rarity standing in front of him. The former fixed him with a look of concern, matched by the birds on her back and shoulders; the latter one of mere contempt that he returned.

"I am fine", Anton said. "Merely scourging myself of a passing thought."

"Indeed", Rarity said.

Fluttershy backed away, hiding behind her mane. "Oh... ok."

"Well, we're off to set up for the Celebration", Rarity said. "You might as well come. Ponies are starting to come into the Town Hall, so I suppose you should too."

The two trotted off, leaving Anton once again alone. He watched as they disappeared around a corner, before deftly spitting on the paved stone street. His saliva was mixed with dark blood, which he thought a somewhat apt metaphor. The pure blood of humanity, tainted and contaminated with impure elements. And yet, it flowed all the same, coalescing together as opposed to separating. He walked away, even as the mixture soaked between the cracks, still collected together.

The town hall was, indeed, already packed full of ponies. Earth Ponies and Unicorns gathered around on the floor, while some of the Pegasi either sat among the rafters or hovered in place. He could easily pick out those he was familiar with, including Applejack, whom he gravitated towards. "Hey sugarcube", Applejack said as he pushed through the crowd to reach her. "Glad you could make it."

"I suppose I feel the same", Anton said, turning his attention to the covered stage where this "Princess Celestia" was supposed to appear. "How soon until she shows?"

Before she could reply, a strange, reverberating chorus sounded out, drawing everyone out of their own conversations. Fluttershy had arranged her birds along a wooden post, which now gave out a sweet, high-pitched noise. As it died down, the local official stepped onto a small stage and cleared her throat. "Fillies and Gentlecolts", she said. "As Mayor of Ponyville, it is my pleasure to announce the beginning of the summer sun celebration.

The crowd cheered, quieting down as the Mayor waved her hoof. Up on a higher position, Rarity came out onto the stage, a rope next to her. "In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!", the Mayor continued, as excitement among the crowd grew. "And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria... Princess Celestia!"

As she finished, Rarity yanked on the cord, pulling back the curtains. A spotlight shifted to the gap between them, revealing... Nothing.

In an instant, panicked whispering and chatting erupted among the crowd, replacing the excitement from moments earlier. "Stay calm, everypony. There must be a reasonable explanation", the Mayor said in a vain attempt to calm the citizenry.

"Wha' in tarnation", Applejack muttered.

Anton opened his mouth to speak, only to shut it as he heard a loud gasp erupt from Pinkie Pie. Almost in unison, the rest of the crowd did the same, drawing Anton's attention upward.

At the highest section of the balcony, a swirling black mist began to emerge. It glistened like stars upon a puddle, shifting and lashing out in all directions. It began to bubble up into a large form, before dissipating in a single burst.

In its place stood a tall, almost completely black figure. Blue "armor" clung to its chest, while a form-fitting helmet covered most of its head. There was a purple, splotchy spot on her back, which bore a mark of a simple crescent moon. Piercing blue eyes gazed on the crowd with an imperious air, narrow black slits patrolling with practiced ease. Most striking of all, however, was the presence of both wings and a horn, something Anton had never seen, even among the highly variable Xenos.

"Oh, my beloved subjects", the creature said in a cruel, feminine voice. "It's been so long since I've seen your precious, sun-loving faces."

"What did you do with our Princess!?", Rainbow Dash bellowed, trying to fly towards the creature. Only Applejack held her back, gripping her tail in her mouth.

The beast chuckled, another cruel sound. "Why? Am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?"

The Pink One chose this moment to speak up, calling out, "Ooh, ooh, more guessing games! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about... Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty-" She likely wouldn't continued to prattle on, had Applejack not had the sense to slam a cupcake into her mouth, silencing her at least temporarily.

"Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?", the Creature said, impatience growing in its voice. "Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?"

"I did", a new voice said. All eyes, including Anton's, turned to Twilight, with a nervous-looking Spike sitting on her back. "And I know who you are. You're the mare in the moon-Nightmare Moon!"

Anton looked back at the creature, now dubbed Nightmare Moon. He had heard stories about it; mostly a few "Spooky" stories from Big Mac or Applejack when they came to his compound. An evil being, imprisoned on their moon and who hunted the souls of the innocent. It didn't strike him as a beast of Chaos; it didn't look like anything within the Imperial Primer, at the least. Though, given the lack of this species within it, perhaps this was merely their way of showing corruption. "I swear to remain steadfast and true in my loyalty", Anton said, slowly extracting his laspistol from its holser. "And may the darkness claim my soul if I prove unworthy."