Absolution

by BlackRoseRaven

Something New, Something Old

Chapter One: Something New, Something Old
~BlackRoseRaven

The Canterlot Magic Academy was silent: in the far research wing, there were still unicorns and other creatures skilled with enchantment and the arcane arts toiling endlessly away, but most of the building was quiet. Students were asleep in their rooms and dormitories, teachers had gone home or were resting up in their own residences, the few patrols of Royal Guards passed through the halls quickly. Depending on where they were stationed, some looked bored, others looked tense, others couldn't help but marvel over some of the architecture and arts they passed... but the patrols were mostly limited to keeping an eye on the archives and the exterior grounds. The more-interesting parts of the school had their own special security.

A patrol of three armored unicorns slowly made their way through the spacious lobby, one glancing curiously up at one of the third floor balconies high, high above in the dome-shaped room, pausing for a moment... but then simply shrugging and hurrying after his companions as they made their way through a set of doors at the far side of the lobby.

For a few moments, there was silence... and then a rope was thrown over the edge of the balcony before a stout figure half-fell over the edge of the landing, grabbing wildly at the rope with his black-furred hands before whimpering as he caught it and slid most of the way down. The wolfish creature came to a halt just above the floor, then released the rope and fell with a loud thud on his rump, holding up his hands in front of his muzzle and blowing on them as he complained: “We gonna get caught.”

“Only if you not shut mouth!” hissed his companion as he quickly descend the rope: he landed on heavy paws, baring his fangs as his large tusks gleamed in the dim light coming from the low-burning lanterns on the wall. “Get up, up!”

They were Nibelung: what most ponies simply called dwarves or 'wolf-pigs,' and these two were clearly down on their luck from the fact the whiny Nibelung was dressed only in rags of clothes, and the surly boss of the pair was wearing tattered leather armor and a patched battle-kilt. The leader hauled his companion forcefully to his feet by the scruff of his neck, making him yelp before the larger, brawnier, and bossier of the two slapped his hand hurriedly over the smaller thug's mouth. “Shut up, or we get caught!”

The smaller Nibelung mumbled, then his eyes roved upwards... and he stared for a moment, entranced, at the crystalline chandeliers that hung high above, held in place by heavy ropes on pulleys anchored here and there. They glittered with gemstones and enormous, curved sheets of crystalline glass to form beautiful patterns and swirls, with unlit lanterns in the center of each: in all likelihood, when lit, they would become beacons of patterned radiance. The thug pointed slowly at one of these... but his partner only slapped his hand hard, making him yelp again. “Stupid! No, we find better shinies! Or steal a Steely!”

“How we steal a Steely? Besides, they not really metal, they more... rock. Rockies.” reasoned the other dwarf... only to be smacked firmly by his companion once more, making him give another yelp of pain. “Boss!”

Boss only grumbled... and then looked up in horror as a set of double doors opened, a violet mare frowning as she strode inside and looked back and forth, calling : “Hello, is someone...”

Her eyes locked on the Nibelung thugs, who both stared at her for a few moments... and then Boss snarled and yanked a rusty dagger free from his belt, leaping forwards and brandishing it violently. “We take you hostage, pony! You try anything, I stab you good!”

For a few moments, there was silence... and then the violet mare simply looked at him flatly, gesturing at the twenty or so feet of space between them as she asked dryly: “Seriously? You do know this is a magic school, right? So why don't you just put that down and I'll let you leave instead of turning you over to the Royal Guards.”

Boss glowered as the subordinate thug slowly began to raise a hand... and then the larger, meaner Nibelung suddenly lunged to the side, swiping his rusty dagger down and cutting through a rope attached to a ring on the wall. It snapped loudly, and all three looked up as above, one of the chandeliers listed violently, swinging towards the other side of the room before the other supports gave out and sent it plummeting down.

It crashed down on top of the violet mare in an explosion of sheets of glass and crystalline fragments, chunks of framework and shards of broken glass sheeting flying in all directions, and the thug gaped as Boss gritted his teeth, before glaring when his partner pointed at the heap of debris and babbled: “Boss, what you do! You kill fancy-corn!”

“Fancy-corn got in way! Now we get out of way before more pony-pony show up!” snapped the Nibelung, grabbing his partner by the arm. But before he could drag him off, the pile of rubble shifted, and both dwarves looked with surprise at the debris as a groan floated up... and stranger still, it sounded more exasperated than it did pained.

The rubble shifted back and forth... and a moment later, churned as a ripple of magic ran through it before the heavy remains of the chandelier were forcibly thrown aside with another loud crash. Boss began to raise his knife with a snarl... but then he faltered as his partner paled and gaped as the pony stood up, her wings flapping once as she straightened and cracked her back, then looked down and muttered at the sight of her severed front leg: “Oh, great.”

“P-P-P-P-P-P-Pony... not... pony!” The smaller Nibelung thug fell on his rear, grabbing at his muzzle and staring in horror as the violet mare sat back... and calmly reached down to pick her dismembered limb up, pressing joint to shoulder as her horn glowed dark purple. Where severed joint and shoulder met glowed with the same aura, then steamed violently as a tart, sharp smell filled the air... before the pony calmly rolled her reattached limb as if nothing had happened, absently brushing away a few strings of her torn turtleneck sweater.

She looked back up with a sigh and a forced smile, as the thug began gibbering while Boss stared at her disbelievingly, and then the violet mare leaned forwards and said calmly: “Please surrender now, okay? The Guards will be here any minute and I'd really prefer not to hurt you.”

“Hurt... you!” Boss shouted in a strangled voice, and then he yelled wildly and charged forwards, stabbing the knife downwards... and the violet mare didn't even bother to move or react, only making a face as the knife sank through her chest to the hilt. Then she glowered, her horn glowing before she blasted Boss backwards into a stunned heap, knocking him sprawling and prone before she sighed and reached up to jerk the knife free of the bloodless wound.

The other Nibelung was still babbling away, staring in horror at her before she shook her head and rolled her eyes, muttering: “Great. Why does this always happen to me? Uh... excuse me, but I'm not going to hurt you, okay?”

The dwarf stared at her as he fell silent under her almost-imploring gaze... and then he toppled backwards in a dead faint, and the violet winged unicorn groaned before wincing at the sound of approaching hooves. She hurriedly turned and scrambled back out the doors, not wanting to be caught like this: even after years of being... what she had become... she still wasn't used to the looks that other ponies gave her. Whether she did something good or bad, it didn't matter... they still saw her the same way, if they found out about her... particularity.

“Oh no, Twilight Sparkle's a Lich, she must eat babies and be rotting and... smelly.” Twilight mumbled, hurrying down the hall towards one of the exits into the garden outside the academy. “It's no wonder Luna was so weird if this is like what she went through every day...”

The violet mare quieted, then she lowered her head forwards as she hurried out the doors and into the safety, the comfort, of the darkness. The moon and stars were both hidden by a dark veil of clouds, but to Twilight's eyes, everything was as clear as day. In her sight, living ponies almost glowed, and she could see the things that roamed these long nights apart from ponies just as clearly... such as the Nightmare currently sitting curiously by a large fountain and studying her with interest.

Twilight smiled after a moment, turning her eyes towards this creature and approaching it slowly: they were darkly-ethereal creatures, looking almost as if they were ponies made of shifting shadow and smoke, and with glowing, sharp red eyes. Nightmares were somewhere between demon and living dead, feeding off emotions and living energy, capable of turning invisible and insubstantial at will, true servants of the night.

A long time ago now, they had made a pact with Luna to be saved, along with countless others, from their original Equestria... but that was a long story, that Twilight had trouble believing herself some days, even with everything she had seen... everything she had become. So instead, she only smiled, approaching it fearlessly, and it flickered in her sight as it became more tangible, leaning forwards and asking gently: “How may we serve you, Mistress Twilight?”

“Just... Twilight is fine. I'm no ruler of the night.” Twilight said awkwardly, laughing a little and looking embarrassed before she glanced down at herself... then grumbled and finally pulled her turtleneck off. She absently folded the ruined sweater up even as she put it aside on the fountain, then she rubbed slowly at what the thick cloth had been hiding: thick, heavy black stitching across her body that helped... hold her together, so to speak, and helped her heal, as she looked moodily at an open, gaping wound in her chest from where the knife had hit.

All around her shoulder joint, too, her coat hadn't sealed together: she could easily reattach her limbs, but they would look ugly until she managed to add stitching to seal the wounds and help herself heal at her slow, slow rate. Not that it ever looks pretty ever again...

She sighed quietly, then glanced up almost embarrassedly when the Nightmare said soothingly: “But it is the truth: while Mistress Luna and Master Scrivener are away, we bow our heads to you and to the Dawn Bringer. We must still honor our pact and promises, after all... but we will not lie. We all eagerly await the return of the Mistress of the Night...”

Twilight closed her eyes and nodded slowly, the Lich quietly rubbing at her stitched chest as she murmured softly: “Yeah. That I understand... and I agree with you, as well. Listen, I was going into the Academy to pick up some samples of demon blood, but... I guess instead I'll just go directly to the source. Can you ask Atrus or Hevatica to come by my room sometime tonight? They should both be in Subterra. It's not urgent or anything, I just need it to help with my... student's... training.”

“Your apprentice. Mistress Luna would be...” The Nightmare hesitated. “Proud that you took on a student. Although, with no disrespect... I and my sisters are not... the fondest... of...”

“Yes, well, neither am I, really.” Twilight mumbled, and then she shook her head before glancing up towards the mighty castle of Canterlot in the distance, adding finally: “Speaking of which, I should be on my way. Antares and Prestige are probably arguing again, and I should stop them before things get out of hoof.”

“Of course, Mistress. I shall be on my way as well. Remember, we are here to serve.” The Nightmare bowed its head politely, and then it simply vanished completely, even Twilight's eyes unable to track it as it disappeared off to its duty. Likely heading to Subterra... and Twilight smiled faintly, shaking her head slowly as she thought about how much things had changed.

Once, Equestria had been a peaceful, happy nation, where Celestia ruled, had moved the sun and moon herself to bring day and night, and everything had been organized and under some kind of control. Until the darkness had come... until the Black Wolves had devoured their beloved Equestria, and brought Ragnarok to their world. Everyone had died... but it was thanks to Luna and Scrivener they'd been restored.

And now they were gone... it hurt Twilight to think about, as she closed her eyes. They had been special to her... she had dearly, deeply, direly loved them both. Luna, grinning, bold and courageous; Scrivener, sarcastic, cynical, but always there for her...

She sighed softly as she made her way across the grounds and down the path leading back to the castle, letting herself run on autopilot as her mind sorted through the countless stories, the long history, the emotions that still hurt even now. Almost ten years later and it still hurt to think about what had happened... how they had been attacked by the twisted and warped Clockwork World, remnants of which still existed even now, were still biding their time, waiting for orders that would never come from the Clockwork King...

At the end, Antares had been kidnapped to lure Luna and Scrivener in, and all they knew was that somehow, the Bifrost, the bridge between worlds, had been wrenched open, and Antares had come spilling out of it... alone. In all likelihood, it had been Gymbr's power that had opened the bridge... a being that had gone with Luna and Scrivener to their final confrontation, but who even now Twilight didn't know if she fully believed the truth of. A story, brought to life... seeking redemption for its role of villain. Or maybe... it just didn't want to be alone anymore...

Twilight shook her head out, closing her eyes before she spread her wings and flapped them hard, leaping upwards to propel herself into the air. She wasn't the best flier, but the journey was short: from near the base of Canterlot Castle, she ascended upwards, flying past the roof and into the forest of towers and spires as she guided herself carefully back and forth towards her personal quarters.

For a few moments, she felt lost: Canterlot's strange and beautiful architecture could be confusing, particularly on a dark night like tonight. But after a moment, her attention was drawn towards the sound of shouting voices, and she sighed tiredly as she flapped her wings, ascending a bit higher to land on a balcony facing out over the majestic city of Canterlot, which sprawled out along the side of the immense mountain below the castle.

Twilight grumbled under her breath as she walked through the open glass doors and into the brightly-lit den beyond, noting the books piled over the table, the couch, the armchair, and pretty much everything else. She winced at the sight of one that was sitting a little too close to the merrily-burning fireplace for comfort, horn glowing to pick this up with telekinesis and bring it over in front of her, ignoring the still-arguing voices for a moment before she called loudly: “Antares, Prestige!”

The arguing petered out as Twilight kept the book floating beside her, and a few moments later, there was the sound of hooves hurrying down the hall before both Antares and Prestige stumbled out, glaring at each other before looking at the Lich... and Antares' eyes widened in alarm as he asked hurriedly: “Are you okay, Twilight?”

“I'm fine, Antares...” Twilight smiled after a moment, shaking her head quickly... and then she winced as a large shard of loose glass fell out of her mane, tinkling to the ground. She cleared her throat at this as both ponies stared down at the piece of shrapnel, and the violet mare explained awkwardly: “A chandelier fell on me.”

Antares looked up with concern again on his glossy-black features, his rugged white mane almost floating around him as he asked worriedly: “Are you sure you're okay? You look a little downtrodden, Mom.”

Twilight smiled faintly at this, gazing at the young stallion for a moment: he looked so much like his father. Well, minus the scars... and the fact that he clearly had his mother's cyan-green eyes. He was a unicorn, with a tall, proud black horn, but he also possessed large, leathery wings that were furled loosely against his sides: a 'gift' from Nightmare Moon when he had just been a child. He could fly as well as any Pegasus, but the wings had all the same never quite adjusted to his body: if he flew for too long, pushed himself too hard, they would quickly begin to ache, and the pain often wouldn't go away for days.

And there were other strange things about him, too: he had sharp teeth, inherited from Nightmare Moon as well, and his messy mane and tail both had a faint shimmer to them, seemed to move even when there was no wind. His cutie mark was a constellation of nine stars, with lines of light between them forming a rose blossom; his talent had to do with acuity and understanding, making him seem like a mind-reader at times with how easily he could see into someone.

Then Prestige huffed, and Antares shot her a sour look as the verdant green mare rose her head and stated in her obnoxious, overconfident voice: “Don't be such a child, Antares. Miss Sparkle is a Lich, which you should know by now cannot be destroyed by physical battery. Rather, in order to effectively combat a Lich, one must use magic that damages and affects the spiritual and vital essence of an organic or directly attack and destroy its phylactery. To her, physical wounds are meaningless.”

“Actually, they're very annoying.” Twilight said moodily, rubbing slowly at her damaged shoulder before she sighed and flicked her horn, making the book of magic theory float in front of her. “Is this yours? Because it was just about in the fire, and I've told you both again and again to please try and keep this place neat... you both have your own rooms that you can mess up all you want but these are my quarters, and my books.”

Prestige dropped her head a bit, looking sour beneath her coiffed silver mane: lines of gray and white ran through both it and her cut-short tail, matching her proud, metallic-colored eyes almost perfectly... except for the flaw of red in one eye. A single little oddity that worked to describe Prestige Luster very well, Twilight thought, as the green mare finally mumbled a grumpy apology.

She wore no adornments apart from a simple aqua-blue scarf around her neck... but Prestige Luster's stance and mannerisms told the entire world that she had grown up as an aristocrat in an elitist society. Specifically, Prestige was from Silver Hoof: a village in far northern Equestria, and part of a band of cities that had never entirely made it out of the old traditions, where unicorns ruled and the earth ponies were nothing but slaves.

Prestige was not just a unicorn, however: her father was the mayor of Silver Hoof, and her mother worked as the second-in-command for the far north's ruling baroness, Caitiff Caprice. She had lived a life of wonderful luxury while even other 'noble unicorns' often lived in dilapidated homes and squalor... and with how self-centered she was, she had become used to seeing the impoverished and suffering and dismissing them from her mind while enjoying her wealth and power.

Her cutie mark was an image of three interlocked swirls of red, blue, and white: her special talent was magic, and specifically controlling and weaving different elements together. After her talent had been discovered, she had been privately tutored by the very best that money could buy... until finally, Caprice had pulled some strings for her parents, and after incessantly badgering Celestia, Prestige Luster had been sent to Twilight Sparkle to train under her as a personal apprentice.

Twilight still wasn't entirely sure why Celestia had not only agreed to this, but furthermore instructed her to watch over Prestige as a student. Yet all the same, she did her best not to question it, not because she saw Celestia as a mentor in some ways still... but because Celestia was her friend, and deserved a little trust. Even though, all the same, Twilight Sparkle did sometimes wish that Prestige had gotten lost on the way to Ponyville and the Lich could continue to simply train and work with Antares as both her son and her student.

Antares looked awkwardly up at Twilight as the violet mare's eyes roved to him, but she smiled after a moment, and he relaxed: he and Prestige were as different as they could possibly be. Antares was optimistic, put effort into everything he did, and worked hard to be nice to everyone around him and to always make the right decision. Not that he didn't have his flaws, of course, but they were again opposites to Prestige: while Prestige was nasty to most ponies and felt she was superior, Antares had a bit of an inferiority complex and was often scared of ever hurting anypony's feelings. But he had a lot to live up to, in his parents' shadow... even if Twilight knew that if anything, his parents had felt Antares was already purer of heart and soul than either of them had ever been.

Then the violet mare shook herself out before she finally glanced up and asked: “So what were you two arguing about this time? You could probably hear it all the way across the castle.”

“Slave hoofs.” Prestige said moodily, and Antares glared at her as he ground his teeth together, Twilight looking sourly at Prestige as well, but the unicorn mare only huffed and tossed her silver mane. “Well, it's what they are, isn't it? I know we've discussed this before but-”

“Prestige, stop.” Twilight said tiredly, shaking her head and glancing apprehensively towards Antares, but the glossy-black stallion was calming himself, little by little. His father, after all, had been an earth pony... and Scrivener had grown up in North Neigh, next door to Silver Hoof, and lived as a slave in a kennel behind his father's shop for most of his childhood. 'Slave hoof' was one of the few terms that could get usually calm and friendly Antares riled up and angry. “Look, I'm not going to debate this with you again. Whatever you believe, fine. Believe it all you want... but try and at least remember that this is not the north. Ponies here are equal, no matter whether they're earth pony, Pegasus, or unicorn.”

“Foolishness.” Prestige mumbled, and then she sighed loudly and dramatically before asking grumpily: “And this place is simply revolting. Canterlot is nothing like I was promised, it's merely another big city with too many ponies, and I am tired of being talked down to by insolent shorn-wings and slave-hoofs. Ponyville is even worse but at least there I can recline in the library or hide away in your quaint little cottage.”

“How can you look at other ponies and think they're inferior to you, just because of the way they look, because... they don't have wings, or a horn?” Antares burst out, shaking his head violently as he glared across at Prestige. “How can you not see that... maybe that's what makes earth ponies better than us unicorns or Pegasi, because they have to live their entire lives without the handicap of magic, or... or being able to fly!”

“Your soapbox ceased to amuse me years ago, Antares, and I'm so very tired of pointing out what a hypocrite you are.” Prestige said dourly, and then she sniffed loudly before tilting her head up. “I'm only saying what I know we're all thinking. 'Thank the powers that be I wasn't born a slave hoof.'”

Antares growled at her, and Twilight grimaced before she hurriedly stepped forwards, saying sharply: “Prestige, go back to your quarters, that's enough. Antares, go sit down for a minute. You know she's just trying to goad you on.”

Antares mumbled but nodded with a sigh, and Prestige Luster groaned, but then turned towards the door leading out of the quarters. “Fine, fine. I'll see you tomorrow, teacher.”

“And make sure you have that essay complete.” Twilight said sourly, and Prestige mumbled but nodded as she pushed through the door and headed down the steps beyond. For a moment, the violet mare looked towards her... and then she sighed softly, turning her eyes to Antares as she murmured quietly: “It always stuns me how you two are almost the exact same age, but you're so smart and Prestige is so... blind.”

The young stallion glanced awkwardly up from where he had taken a seat beside the couch, and then he sighed and lowered his head, murmuring: “Yeah, I guess, Twilight. But... you're right. I get drawn into her arguments and I get mad and... I guess that's my mom coming out, huh? My... blood mother, I mean. Not you, Mom, you're smarter than that.”

Twilight smiled faintly at this, then she quietly walked up beside him and gently reached up, wrapping a foreleg around his shoulders. Antares smiled a little at this, and then he closed his eyes and dropped his head against her shoulder as she turned her eyes towards him, then quietly kissed his forehead in silent thanks. He would never know what it meant to her, that he thought of her the way he did... and even more, that he was never repulsed by her touch. Most ponies, even ponies who had known her for years, after all, tended to get tense or twitch away on instinct from her undead body... but Antares never did.

Then he opened his eyes, looking towards her with quiet concern as he asked hesitantly: “I know it's dumb but... but are you okay, really?”

“It's not dumb, I appreciate it. But yeah, I'm fine. I only lost a foreleg, but I got it back on before it could start to decay or anything.” Twilight smiled a bit and shook her head slowly, then she sighed softly and looked up towards the open doors, murmuring: “I still remember when I was alive. You were less than half my size instead of almost as big as me, and Luna and Scrivener... well, every day I work to treat you as good as they did.”

Antares smiled, not saying anything as he nodded a little, and Twilight glanced up for a moment before she said finally: “I think we'll only be a few more days in Canterlot before we head back to Ponyville, so make sure you make the best of your time here. Try and spend some time in the Magic Academy, and don't be shy about asking Celestia to help out. I know she'd be more than glad to, Antares. She adores you, and... we can always make time for you, always.”

“I know, Twilight. And I really do appreciate it, I just... you and Aunt Tia are both already so good to me. I don't want to abuse that at all.” Antares said softly, shaking his head with a small smile. “And besides. You have Prestige to worry about and try to stop from getting lynched, and Aunt Tia's the baroness and the head of the Royal Council. And I know we're in Canterlot on business, and even anxious as I am, even as much as I want to find my parents, that... that can't overrule everything in my life.”

Antares sighed a little, looking down as he reached a hoof up to toy quietly at the necklace he wore: an onyx star that glowed faintly with its own inner light. Twilight watched him softly as the young stallion murmuring: “As much as I want it to, of course, but... me and Scarlet have had lots of talks about that. Taking time, being patient, accepting help from my friends... not letting this consume my life. But I think I'm almost ready, too... I know I'm young, but... soon, really soon, I think, I'm... I'm gonna start looking for Mom and Dad. I know they gotta be out there somewhere, and I know my best bet to finding them is getting to Clockwork World, and finding out what happened.”

Twilight nodded slowly, studying the stallion quietly before she said softly: “You're so different from your parents, Antares... but so much the same, too. You have that same determined streak both Luna and Scrivy did...” She smiled a bit when Antares gave her a look that was almost imploring. “I'm sorry. I mean... that they do. I... I honestly do want to believe they're out there, even if...”

Twilight reached up, silently stroking over the stitching on her body... and then Antares gave a faint smile to the violet mare, shaking his head and saying softly: “It doesn't matter what you are, Mom. Lich or unicorn or anything else, you know that... they always cared about you, more than almost anything else. They aren't going to be revolted by you.”

“I... I do know, it's just... hard sometimes, Antares. I think you understand a little.” Twilight smiled a bit, glancing over at the stallion: after all, with his leathery wings and sharp teeth, he had more than once been mistaken for a demon. And outside of Ponyville, even the demons that worked alongside Equestria weren't as readily or eagerly accepted. “Our minds and hearts... both like to play tricks on us, don't they?”

“Yeah. Yeah, they do.” Antares agreed quietly, and he looked ahead, towards the open doors leading out onto the balcony before he asked finally: “Have you seen Allonym around?”

“The weird Draconequus? I've only caught glimpses of him... has he been hanging around here?” Twilight asked curiously, tilting her head, and Antares nodded a few times with a bit of a smile. “Usually he only talks to you, though, tries to avoid the rest of us...”

“He says he's getting excited, that a new story is about to start. One he might even play a role in...” Antares shook his head and laughed a little. “I can never make much sense of what he's saying, though, he's worse than Discombobulation. More manic, too... but I always get the sense that beneath it all he's up to something. Good or bad, I don't know, but I guess I half-trust him by now... he's... he's a lot of the reason why I really believe that Mom and Dad are out there.”

The Lich couldn't help but give Antares an amused look, tilting her head towards him and asking mildly: “Even though he also basically confessed to trapping Luna and Scrivener both in some kind of insane dreamworld to study them in their last few moments of life, and now he won't just tell you the way to Clockwork World?”

“I believe him when he says he doesn't know the way... he just jumps around until he eventually gets where he wants to go.” Antares shook his head after a moment, giving a small smile. “Besides, he also... promised to help. I don't think he'd help me if he wanted to stop me or had some evil plan up his sleeve... but... I know I can be naïve. I know that... there's a lot more to adventuring and exploration and battle than just physical matters, and I need to learn to use my talents better, read people deeper.”

Twilight soothingly rubbed a hoof along Antares' back, and he lowered his head a bit, murmuring softly: “I know I'm no warrior like Mom, or even Dad was. Or like you are, Twilight... I know you don't think of yourself as a fighter first and foremost, but all the same... you're amazing. Lich or not, you're still a hero to Ponyville, and I think even around Canterlot... even though I know ponies don't treat you too nicely all the time, either, and you gotta keep your nature... hidden, a lot.”

“Yeah.” Twilight closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly as she murmured softly: “It's hard, Antares, I can admit that freely. I mean, I'll always have Ponyville, and I can't imagine what life would be like for me... or... you know, existence, since I'm not exactly alive... without that place, and my friends who are all there. Good friends, friends I'm blessed with... and family, like you and Scarlet Sage.” Twilight turned and gave him a quick hug, and the young stallion smiled, closing his eyes and reaching a hoof up to squeeze one of her forelegs silently in gratitude. “And even Celestia, too. But I still don't always find it... easy.

“Still, we have each other, and... I'm glad for that. I never really saw myself as a parent, even when I was taking care of Spike...” Twilight laughed a little at this, shaking her head slowly and smiling faintly. “He was like my little brother. That's... what I always told myself, anyway, but then when he moved out, the way I felt...”

She quieted, then laughed again and shook her head, straightening and murmuring: “Now I'm just rambling though, Antares, I'm sorry. You're just... easy to talk to, and get things off my chest with. I trust you, and I... I don't really know how to be your mother, even after ten years of trying. And I think even with our age difference and everything, I'm still your friend first.”

“Mom and Dad would have liked that.” Antares said softly, glancing over at the Lich and giving a small smile, nodding a little before he closed his eyes and bowed his head forwards. “And I trust you, too. I feel that's true, because... I feel relaxed with you, and I can see you really mean it. I just... want to make sure I grow up and make you proud, and... that I'm able to bring my parents back. For all of us.”

Twilight Sparkle only smiled softly at this, nodding slowly, and she and the young stallion both turned their eyes ahead, gazing silently out into the night sky beyond the open doors, watching as clouds rolled by and the faint glimmers of the stars above shone through here and there.

Straw Crown was not happy: it was two in the morning, the Royal Guards had all but rousted him out of his bed, and all he wanted to do was go back to his home in Canterlot and sleep off the hangover he'd gotten from looking a little too deep into the whiskey bottle last night. But then again, he'd thought he'd have a day off, for once...

“Horses of Heaven, is this even in our jurisdiction?” asked the old, graying unicorn tiredly, dressed in a rumpled, ugly black suit as he frowned at the distance, noting the walls of some village close enough to be seen even under the shroud of night. “It looks like there's a town less than a mile away...”

“It doesn't matter. We found it on the thoroughfare in open land. Therefore it was reported to Canterlot, therefore it is treated as the barony's problem, not Ponyville's.” retorted a soldier, and Crown glared over at him before he grumbled as he noted he was wearing the heavy-duty purple armor of a Captain of the Guard, not the standard soldier. Not someone worth picking a fight with, in other words.

There were at least twenty Royal Guards tromping all over the area, although they'd at least had sense to mark off the area around the dead body. Spheres of light floated here and there in the air, lighting it clearly, and he could see several enormous freight wagons in the distance, the coroner frowning before he asked finally: “What were you doing out here, anyway?”

“Returning from a late night supply run to Ponyville on her majesty's orders.” the Captain replied calmly, becoming more professional and less hostile as he continued: “We would not have spotted the body amongst the scrub, except for the fact that I had Pegasus patrols scanning the fields. We've been having bandit problems... I didn't expect we'd find one of these things, though.”

Crown nodded slowly as he carefully made his way forwards, horn glowing and opening the satchel at his side even as he frowned in distaste at the sight of the body, muttering: “This is the fourth or fifth I've had the... dubious pleasure of dealing with. If Ponyville is the closest town we'll need to move the body to the morgue there for further examination...”

The Captain of the Guard grunted, but Crown only shook his head, saying sourly: “Don't think I like it any more than you do. But apparently Ponyville was also the site of the worst attacks during the war with Decretum, all those years ago... then again, I don't know more than rumors myself.”

The coroner turned his attention back to the body as he carefully ducked under the ropes marking off the area, and he approached the body: it didn't look like there had been a struggle of any kind, but it was very clearly dead, and already reeked of decay. Despite the visible rot, it didn't look as abnormal as some of the so-called 'Clockwork Ponies' did, but it was still enough to make him shudder and mutter: “Sickening. Abominations, all of them.”

Metal plates lined its half-rotted body, and it had some kind of tubing that had fallen loose here and there from it. There had been some kind of glass tube over its back, but this had been shattered by some tremendous force, and the goop inside had leaked out all around the creature like blood. Yet strangest of all, even as the unicorn carefully looked back and forth, he couldn't see any signs of battery or combat. Except for that broken tube...

He frowned thoughtfully as a notepad floated out of his satchel, along with a pencil, beginning to rapidly jot down notes as he asked meditatively: “Captain, is this the state you found the body in?”

“We haven't touched a thing... frankly, I think my troops and I both were too afraid to. It looks diseased.” The Captain of the Guard made a disgusted face, shaking his head slowly. “Do you think someone else was here before us? How did it die?”

“One thing at a time...” The coroner leaned down, reaching out hesitantly and touching the side of the glass tube, and then he nodded hesitantly. “Yes, this was smashed... likely postmortem, from the lack of any sign of struggle or even movement. This body has been settling here, dead, for quite some time. Something was taken out of it...”

He shook his head slowly, then sighed as he looked over his shoulder into his satchel and muttered: “Wonderful. I forgot my gloves... well, it doesn't matter.”

All the same, he hesitated for a moment before reaching forwards, carefully grasping either side of the Clockwork Pony's head as the Captain of the Guard grimaced and leaned towards him, asking apprehensively: “Are you sure you should be touching that thing?”

“It looks like it died of natural causes... besides, it's been dead for quite some time now. If a disease rampaged through its body, by now it's likely broken down itself, from the state of decay... besides, anything particularly virulent would have already infected your soldiers or possibly even reached Ponyville.” the coroner muttered, leaning down, beginning to carefully move the Clockwork Pony's head to the side to try and get a better look at some of the tubing... and he cursed in shock, falling backwards and scrambling away when the corpses' whole head snapped off, hitting the ground before collapsing into brittle pieces of half-petrified flesh and metal.

The coroner breathed hard in and out, staring at the hollow neck of the creature as the Captain of the Guard gritted his teeth, then asked sharply: “And what the hell was that?”

“Decomposition is... is much more advanced than I thought...” The coroner shook his head, then he sighed and reached up to wipe sweat off his forehead, absently pressing his hoof to one eye before cursing under his breath as he felt something wet on it. He drew his hoof quickly back, then grimaced at the sight of the dark goo on it before he shook his head tiredly, feeling another throb of pain from his hangover. “Alright, there's nothing I can do here, the corpse is going to fall apart if I try to run any exams. Get... get your troops to put it on a stretcher, and carry it carefully back to Ponyville. I'll examine it there tomorrow. I'm going to hitch a ride with your convoy back to Canterlot so I can get some sleep.”

“Are you sure about this? Don't we have to examine that thing immediately?” asked the Captain of the Guard pessimistically, and the coroner shot him a sour look, even as his horn glowed to pick up his dropped notebook and shove it back in his pack.

“Yes, I'm very sure. I've been doing my job for twenty-five years. How long have you been doing yours?” he asked waspishly, and that finally shut the Captain of the Guard up before the coroner sighed and made his way towards the freight wagons, feeling his headache give another throb. “The Ponyville hospital has a serviceable morgue. Make sure your soldiers tell them it's restricted access, otherwise we'll end up dealing with medical students and unpleasant characters like Kilby Kwolek.”

“Right.” the Captain of the Guard muttered, but the coroner wasn't paying attention anymore. Instead, Crown found his way towards one of the freight wagons and let himself into the back, finding a place to sit down between the strapped-down crates and rubbing slowly at his face as he sighed tiredly. His hangover was getting worse... or maybe by now it was a stress headache. He was too old for these long late nights, after all, and all the years he'd spent doing this were catching up to him.

It was a long, uncomfortable ride back to Canterlot, and Crown shivered as they let himself out of the freight car downtown, so he wouldn't have too far to walk, at least. He slowly paced through the streets, looking nervously back and forth before his eyes locked on the sight of several Nightmares pacing through the street, staring around with fascination. He hurried into an alley to bypass them, muttering to himself: “Horses of Heaven, this is why I hate nights most of all...”

By now, it was well-known that dark creatures roamed Canterlot in the deep of night... some were even brazen enough to do it during the early evening, when ponies were still walking around. And for some reason, Baroness Celestia allowed them to: she had even announced that she had made some sort of treaty with them several years ago, and they were to be treated and respected as equal citizens.

“Nonsense.” Crown mumbled, hurrying down the ally and turning down another street... but he was halted shortly by a fit of coughing, stumbling up against the side of a building as he hacked and wheezed. Then he shook his head with a shiver, grasping at his face and breathing hard... but after a few moments, the fit of whatever it had been passed, and he smiled weakly, muttering: “And here I thought I could handle my alcohol better...”

He shook his head slowly, then rubbed quietly at his face before walking quickly onwards, breathing a little heavily through his mouth. Thankfully, he made it home without further event, heading up to his apartment.

His wife was still asleep, at least, and Crown felt envious of her, sleeping comfortably in bed. Instead of heading to sleep himself, he decided to have a quick shower, hopefully wash away the worst of his soreness and that dirty feeling that had been left behind from the corpse of the Clockwork Pony.

The shower was quick, but it did make him feel a lot better: afterwards, he crawled into bed, dropped his face in a pillow, and went almost immediately into a deep, heavy slumber. But in the depths of his sleep, he dreamed, dreams that he would only vaguely remember come the morning, dreams that made him toss and turn for most of the night. Of a glowing gemstone, and electricity, and pumping poisons: of fire rampaging through his veins, and of something hungry and evil that had been locked away beginning to raise its head, beginning to come back to its senses. Of the broken corpse of a Clockwork Pony, laying in ruin in the morgue, the body dead... but oh, most certainly there was something inside that broken hulk that was still alive, still hungry, and gaining sentience...

When morning came, Crown sat slowly up and rubbed at his face tiredly, then he groaned in disgust as he sniffled loudly and blinked puffy, achy eyes. All the drinking he'd done last night had likely combined with the cold autumn air and given him a headcold. He grumbled under his breath as he carefully slipped to the edge of the bed, cursed his wife for being perfectly healthy and still asleep, and half-flopped to his hooves, smacking his lips loudly as he mumbled: “Well, I'll send a letter to Ponyville and tell the attendants at the morgue to start the exam without me. I'll head over late tonight or tomorrow to review their findings, that should be fine.”

Crown nodded to himself thoughtfully, looking down... and then he sneezed loudly before groaning and cursing his luck, rubbing at his puffy eyes tiredly. It was going to be a long day.

Comments

[Nutter795]

It begins! You can stop thanking me for the faves on my user-page now I'll get spammed by em otherwise
Defiantly interested, your too damn good at writing.

[Lelouch Vi Britania]

Off to an intriguing start! I cannot wait to see what happens next, bit knowing your stories, it'll be amazing!

[Narcosis]

I'd forgotten how early this started
Screw you

And I had also forgotten just how horrible Prestige was
With your characters, you either hate them, love them, or they're just redshirts

[Koekelbag]

He would never know what it meant to her, that he thought of her way he did...

Thought of her the way she did, I believe.

Would you... ehrm... like me to continue pointing out these tiny things?

[BlackRoseRaven]

5495404

If you feel up to it, then certainly. I really appreciate the help in polishing the stories up.

[QueenChrysalis84]

The young stallion glanced awkwardly up from where he had taken a seat beside the couch, and then he sighed and lowered his head, murmuring: “Yeah, I guess, Twilight. But... you're right. I get drawn into her arguments and I get mad and... I guess that's my mom coming out, huh? My... blood mother, I mean. Not you, Mom, you're smarter than that.”

He just called Luna dumb