Worth Less Than a Fly

by nightshade745

Chapter 22: Equestrian History 1.0

Chapter Title isn't lying...

---

The sun was less then an hour away from rising above the mountains, and the sky was a brilliant mix of colors. The blues and purples of night were mixing with the gold and oranges of the morning. The dance of beauty was made only more majestic by the actions of wildlife. The animals cared not for anything that had happened over the past few days. The damage to the castle was still fresh, yet squirrels ran from tree to tree and birds sang together in an untamed orchestra.

Shining Armor stood at the station as he patiently waited for Paradise. He had done as she asked and left his armor and uniform at home. His white coat reflected the sun nicely and his blue saddlebags matched his mane perfectly. Shining was only mildly offset by the lack of other ponies around. On a normal morning, the station at Canterlot would have been buzzing with ponies, griffins, and zebras going about their fashionable and expensive business. Shining wondered if they'd ever come back.

Shining jumped when he heard Paradise call him as she ran across the platform. She still had that one crystal earing that dangled and swung freely and her mane was still curled into two cones. She smiled so warmly and he had to admit that she looked good in this light. She had a jolly skip to her step, like before, and she was humming a merry tune to herself. She had saddlebags as well, but they actually looked like they had something in them.

"How are you this morning Mr. Armor?" she almost sang.

"Just a little nervous," he admitted.

"About your sister?" she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he quickly turned away from her.

"You sure you should just be abandoning your position like this?"

"I'm only a captain, not the captain. There are plenty of others in Canterlot who can easily take my place," he assured her.

"So what did you pack?" she changed the subject without missing a beat.

"Just some bits. I know Twilight gets grants from Celestia, but I still wouldn't feel right taking her money. What did you pack?" he eyed her bags.

"Just a few essentials. Like you I packed some bits, a blanket, and...a knife."

Shining raised an eyebrow, "a knife?"

"Its the tool of the trade Mr. Armor. I never go anywhere without one," she explained casually.

"That doesn't help my nerves at all."

"Hey, don't you go getting all edgy. We can't have your sister see you like that, it'll make her worry. You don't want that do you?" She tilted her head and gave him a goofy smile.

Shining gave a short chuckle, "yeah. If Twilight sees me scared, she'll have a panic attack."

"So, where's our ride?" Paradise quickly changed the subject again.

"The train should be here in a few minutes. You said you'd tell me about yourself on the way to Ponyville?"

"I did. What do you want to know?"

"Would it be okay to ask why you wear a single earing?" he pointed at the lone gem dangling from her ear.

"This? This was a gift from my grandmother. I'm ashamed to admit this, but I lost the other one." Paradise looked down sadly.

"I'm sorry," Shining knew it must have been hard, losing a family heirloom.

"It's okay!" Paradise perked up again. "As long as I have this one, I'll never forget her. Besides, she was a cheap old mare anyway."

"What?" Shining was confused.

"Yeah, this may look like a precious stone, but it's actually made of glass. It's worthless!" she chirped.

"Oh," was all Shining could get out.

Paradise began to laugh hysterically. "Are you always so serious Mr. Armor? You need to lighten up."

"I just don't see how that's funny. It was your grandmother's." Shining felt kind of like he was reasoning with her.

She scoffed, "an assassin can't afford to let such small tragedies weigh her down." Paradise looked off into the distance as she became quiet and lost her smile. "As a spy, you lose friends every day. Sometimes, in order to keep your cover, you have to be the very one that kills them."

Shining looked at her in surprise. Spies and assassins weren't used in war anymore. The griffins were the only ones engaged in war these days anyway, and they didn't believe in espionage. They saw it as cowardice. They believed that you should face your enemy head-on and fight with raw strength. As such, Shining didn't really understand the life of a spy. He hadn't really tried to think of himself in that situation, behind enemy lines and sneaking around. It was a totally different world from how he'd been trained.

"I'm sorry Paradise."

She looked at him and wiped away tears that had not formed. "Thanks. Looks like our train is here."

Sure enough, a distant whistle blew. Shining resolved not to ask her anymore questions. He didn't like to see a mare cry.

They waited a few minutes and were greeted by a ghost train. Other then the conductor, they found the various cars empty. Paradise appreciated the privacy and picked out their seats. Shining didn't argue with her and sat across from her in a booth in the first-class section. Paradise's look caught his attention as the train pulled away from the station.

"What is it?"

"You want to know more about me, don't you?" she smiled playfully.

'She was crying barely 5 minutes ago and now she's already smiling again?' he thought. "What makes you say that?"

"You were shocked when I said I was involved in the fights against Discord and Sombra, why?"

"They're the most famous villains Equestria has ever known! And I don't know a lot about them," he confessed.

"What do they teach foals these days?" Paradise shook her head. "Alright, what do you want to know?"

"You're not going to tell me anything I ask, are you?" he arched an eyebrow in scepticism.

"The way I see it, any information pertaining to a war that happened a thousand years ago isn't going to cause any harm these days. So I'll tell you everything...that I know of course. So ask away!"

"Okay, uhm...how did the war start, where did Discord come from, and how did you get involved?"

"You don't know how the war started or why it started?" Shining shook his head. "Figures, Celestia wouldn't want anypony to know about the big mistake."

"What big mistake?" Shining was already devouring her every word...and she hadn't even started yet.

"Mr. Armor, this part of my story is before my time, so accuracy is questionable. I was told that a long time ago--even longer now--Equestria was ruled by a King and Queen. Under them were many exotic beings that served as their advisers. This king and queen had two daughters that you know well."

"Celestia and Luna," Shining hummed.

"Correct. It was only a few years after their births that the king and queen had a revelation. Mr. Armor, they realized that they were getting old and it was time to step down, but there was a huge obstacle in the way. Who was going to rule after them?"

"What about their daughters?"

"They were too young at the time, just in their teens. Alicorns age slower then normal ponies and therefore live longer, but they don't live forever. A good lifespan for an alicorn is a few thousand years. They had to put some other pony on the throne before their time came, and they feared it was soon. True, their daughters deserved the throne, but they weren't ready to run the largest and most powerful empire on Equus. Someone else would have to rule until they were trained and ready. Discord was one of the many candidates that were proposed."

Shining's jaw dropped. "They actually considered just giving that lunatic the throne?!"

"What do you mean considered, they did." Paradise took amusement at Shining's reaction.

"He didn't take over, they just gave it to him?" he asked in disbelief.

"Correct. The arrangement was simple, once Celestia and Luna were ready, he was to step down. But when the previous king and queen died, Discord had a revelation of his own. With them gone, he had no obligation to give up his new found power."

"What about Celestia and Luna?" Shining interrupted.

"Discord always had a weak heart. I don't think he's ever taken a life himself. He has no problem ordering another's death, but he refuses to kill anyone himself. Since nopony was going to hurt the princesses, even if ordered to, he banished them. And he forbid Celestia and Luna from ever returning to the land of their birth." She paused for a second, "so they left."

"Just like that?" Shining thought that was weird.

"They were too weak. Not many ponies really believed in them and they didn't have nearly as much experience as Discord in...well, anything. So they went to live with the griffins."

"Why would they go there?"

"War," Paradise answered simply.

For a moment, Shining didn't understand. Then the light-bulb went on. The griffins were quite knowledgeable when it came to hurting each other. Where better to go to learn how to fight? "Celestia and Luna were training."

"Exactly! For several decades they learned the arts of war. But before they came home, they went to Zebraca."

"What did they learn there?" Shining asked eagerly.

"They didn't really learn anything. They just stopped by to pick up a certain six elements."

Shining's eyes lit up. "The Elements of Harmony..."

"I don't know how they learned of there existence, but that's where Celestia and Luna got them. And I can tell you from experience now, their homecoming was amazing," Paradise grinned. "The swarm of ponies that signed up for the revolution was unbelievable. Discord found himself against an army of very unhappy ponies very quickly. In the absence of the true heirs, Discord had quite literally driven the kingdom into the ground. He was a power hungry psychopath, it was no wonder everypony wanted his head on a stick.

"I lived in the Crystal Empire when Celestia and Luna returned. My father didn't have a proper education so he had to get construction jobs that usually didn't pay well. I signed up for the revolution as a soldier. I will admit that I did it more for the money then I did the cause. The Crystal Empire was far enough north that Discord didn't really bother us much. But it took me only a week to have second thoughts." Paradise's joy had faded into a more serious demeanor.

"What happened?" Shining wasn't as eager now that the story was getting personal for Paradise.

"Death started happening. News of the first casualties of the struggle for a free Equestria started coming in. Ponies were giving their lives for the struggle. Mr. Armor, I realized how selfish and stupid I had been. I didn't feel like I should be a part of something so big, but at the same time I couldn't help but feel the need to keep going. I was little and began to think I should contribute, but only by a small amount. I spoke with Celestia herself and asked her to put me somewhere else. She suggested being a spy.

"Poor Celestia thought I wouldn't face a lot of hardships if I was just standing around listening to the enemy. I don't blame her, she opened the door to a very exciting life." Paradise shook her head and rid herself of the fond memories that were collecting in her head so she could continue. "Discord's army was run similarly to Celestia's, in that there were many powerful generals. Discord's generals did everything they could to hold his Equestria together during the war. One of those generals was named Sombra."

"Sombra worked for Discord?!" Shining's eye neared popped out of his head.

"After Discord was sealed away, Sombra fled to the Crystal Empire, which had still been under Discord's rule. Celestia and Luna chased him with an army intent on toppling his throne as well. I was sent into the empire to find Sombra and eliminate him, but that never happened." Paradise looked down in shame.

"You did your best," Shining tried to comfort her.

"I can't blame myself if I did my best I guess." She looked out the window. "That's just an overview of course. If you want me to go back and reiterate certain details, I could..."

"I think it'll take me a while to digest all that," he told her sympathetically.

She smiled warmly at him again. "It was my pleasure to share. Should you ever want to know more, I'd be happy to talk."

Shining sighed. "That's okay. You've got quite a story Paradise. Maybe you should write a book."

"Maybe. We still have a long train ride ahead of us. What do you want to talk about now?"

"I haven't told you anything about me," he offered. "Although it won't be nearly as interesting as yours."

"Why don't you tell me a little about your sister first. She sounds like a smart mare if she's Celestia's personal student. I don't remember Celestia doing anything like that when I was around."

"She is a pretty smart unicorn, but lately, she's had a thing for getting into trouble," Shining began.

*****

"Uh, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

Twilight ran past her again as she paced in the form of a gallop. Once reaching the other side of the room, she turned around quickly and galloped to the other side of the room. Then the whole thing would start all over again. Fluttershy was trying to ask Twilight what was wrong while Spike sat on the couch with the wolf just observing. The wolf, that everypony had decided to call Wolfy, was watching Twilight run back and forth too. He seemed slightly amused by it.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy tried again.

"This is bad, really bad. What should we do?" Twilight mumbled to herself as she paced at high speed.

"Twilight?"

"We're all in danger and the Princess can't get ahold of us...maybe-"

"Twilight!" Spike spoke up.

"Is her letter her?!" Twilight jumped towards him.

"Uh, no. Are you going to be alright?"

"Yes.......no. What are we going to do? That wolf is a public menace that only Celestia will be able to do anything about." She looked over at him fearfully. "He has somehow blocked Celestia from communicating with us," she accused.

"How?" Spike protested. "You said it yourself, he can't use magic at the moment."

"Most of his magic is sealed off, but he can still perform a basic telepathy spell." Spike had a point though. Jamming Celestia's letters would take power, something Wolfy had very little of right now. He couldn't have been responsible.

"I don't know a lot about magic, but that doesn't sound like a very powerful spell," Fluttershy reasoned.

"It isn't," Twilight quickly replied.

"So it's not him. That means you just need to relax," Spike tried.

She gave him a cold look, then sighed. She plopped down into a sitting position as her mind got to work. "Why would Celestia take so long to reply?" she thought aloud.

"Maybe she forgot," Spike proposed.

"Maybe she sent the letter to the wrong pony," Fluttershy whispered.

There came a sudden three knocks at Fluttershy's door. Twilight raced out of the room and charged to the door. She couldn't believe it, Celestia did come herself!

Twilight almost ripped the door off it's hinges and was greeted by the last pony she expected to see...

"Twilly! It's great to see you again!" Shining Armor declared as he seized her in a tight bear hug. She was too shocked to speak. "How come you didn't visit me when you were in Canterlot?"

She stared at him for a few seconds. "What are you doing here Shining?"

He scoffed, "is that any way to greet your older brother when he came all this way to make sure you were safe?"

Paradise appeared next to Shining. "You must be Mrs. Sparkle! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Paradise's huge smile and friendly hoof shake threw Twilight's confused mind for another cycle.

"Who are you?"

"Of course," Paradise frowned. "Even a well educated pony doesn't know who I am!" she whined.

"This is Paradise, she's with me," Shining explained.

"What do you mean 'with you'?" Twilight tilted her head.

Paradise answered for him, "we were both sent to protect you. Didn't Celestia's letter say there'd be two of us?"

"I haven't gotten any reply from Celestia," Twilight was approaching panic mode again.

Shining saw the fear on Twilight's face. "Celestia must have forgotten to send it then. Oh well, at least we're here!" He hoped his relaxed attitude would rub off on Twilight.

Paradise eyed him seriously before putting her smile back on and turning to Twilight. "Nothing to worry about Mrs. Sparkle, we can fill you in on what the letter--can we come in?" she asked suddenly. Shining was already inside, but she was standing in the doorway still.

"Yes. Now what did Celestia want to tell me?" Twilight demanded from her brother. "And who is she?" she pointed at Paradise as she walked in.

"My name is Paradise. Me and Shining Armor have been ordered by the Princess herself to keep watch of the wolf while you conduct your research."

"Research?"

Shining began to explain, "Celestia wants your help. She wants to restore peace to Equestria, and to do that she needs to be able to communicate with him. Celestia is asking you Twilight, to be the one she trusts with this task."

Twilight felt like her brother had just fallen out of the sky and dumped a huge burden on her shoulders. "But he's a wolf, and he tried to destroy Canterlot."

"You trample a dozen ant hills a day, and they don't go waging war against you, do they?" Paradise asked.

Twilight and Shining stared at her for a moment. "Okay," Shining answered simply.

"Oh, I can already tell you two are related. You're both so serious about this whole situation. You need to get a massage or tell a few jokes." She started walking around the cottage. "Or get a quite hobby."

"Paradise, can you be serious for right now at least?" Shining ordered her. He immediately softened his voice as he addressed Twilight. "I know your scared of him, I am too. But we have extremely good reason to believe that as long as we are helping it get better, it's not going to do anything violent towards us or anypony else. And if it does, me and Paradise are here to protect you."

Twilight looked over at Paradise. Paradise stood off to the side and eyed her back. "Can't Celestia find somepony else to do this. I would bet there are plenty of scientists in Canterlot who would jump at this chance," Twilight almost pleaded.

Paradise mumbled something before she spoke up. "Twilight, Celestia isn't forcing you to do anything. She is only requesting that you help her bring Equestria out of the cloud of fear and paranoia that has engulfed it. Have you seen the way everypony in town is on alert and watches the shadows? This is not how it should be. Are you going to be the selfish filly that gives into her fears and lets others suffer? Or are you going to be the big smart brave mare that Celestia sees in you?"

Shining was actually intimidated by how dark Paradise had looked and sounded when she started. Twilight took it pretty personally. She took a step back and felt a wave of shame wash over her. "I didn't mean to...I didn't realize." She thought for another second. "Can you really guarantee we'll be safe around him?"

Paradise's beamed with confidence. "Don't insult me my dear. I could keep that wolf under control myself! With Shining here to back me up? Well, I'm probably going to have to do most of the work still."

"Hey!" Shining protested.

Twilight giggled sadly at Paradise's joke. "I always did want to learn another language," she offered shyly.

"And that's only the beginning!" Paradise took a step towards her. "You also get to observe an unknown species!" Paradise was trying to get Twilight's curiosity flowing. It worked mostly.

Twilight looked at the door to the next room where the wolf waited. All the questions she had and all the mysterious she had wondered were now just waiting for her. Celestia wanted her to find the answers to all of them. There was still a twinge of doubt at the back of her mind though. "Where should I begin?"

"How about you start by introducing me to Fluttershy? I think I'll like her." Paradise glanced around the cottage briefly.

"Oh!" Twilight suddenly remembered that Fluttershy and Spike were still with the wolf. "There in here!" Twilight made her way to the next room.

Before Shining could follow, Paradise stopped him. "Please tell me you're troubled by this too."

"You mean by Celestia's letter not arriving? Yeah, somethings definitely wrong," he answered grimly.

"Stay alert, but don't let Twilight know."

"She's my sister, I know how to distract her and keep her calm," Shining asserted.

***************************************************************************

The darkness concealed his form entirely. Only two large, round, bright, purple orbs marked where his eyes were. The spheres floated six feet above the dark green rotting stone floor. The room was like a chapel, but the alter was completely black. There was a definite line where the light stopped and the shadows began, as though light itself was being devoured. The rest of the room was illuminated by eerie torches embedded in cracked columns. A single changeling-like creature was bowed on the floor just before the darkness.

Laid across the floor just outside the darkness were several papers. One was a newspaper clipping, three were maps, there was a few charts and graphs, and some test results. Somepony had done quite a bit of research and compiled it here. The changeling that was laying on the floor had seen many days. He had a bright purple mane and tail, his eyes were a dull pink, and his wings were old and tattered. His horn was a short blade-like appendage...and then there was his legs.

Unlike Chrysalis's children that had holes in their legs, or Firethorn's kids that were covered in thorns, his legs appeared to be made of stone. It was like he was wearing some kind of armor that was made of a dark onyx rock and completely encased all four limbs. Intricate designs and glyphs riddled the shin-guards that were attached to his body. At the top of the guards, where his normal fur coat began, was a glowing ring of black magic. The glow was faint and you wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it.

"How up-to-date are these reports," a dark otherworldly voice spoke from the shadowy alter.

"They were gathered yesterday at exactly 3:26 pm local time, at Canterlot Castle," the changeling spoke humbly and quietly.

The glowing eyes rolled over the papers again. "What are Chrysalis, Firethorn, and Milkweed doing about this?"

"Chrysalis and Firethorn are using the attack at Canterlot to gather large sums of love energy. They are manipulating the fears and unstable nature of the citizens to bolster their supplies. Meanwhile, Milkweed is avoiding letting his hive do the same."

"What of the Crystal Changeling Queen?"

"Queen Paradise has just reemerged from hiding. She seeks to return to Celestia's side."

"Is Celestia still unaware of her true identity?"

"It would seem so."

The one of darkness thought for a moment. Was it really right to say her "true" identity? Paradise had never deceived Celestia about who she was, as far as he knew. Paradise just didn't let Celestia know she was a changeling.

"Where is Blank during all this?" the dark one moved on.

"He has begun manipulating the situation for his own...enterainment," the servant cringed at his own words.

"That fool plays games at a time like this?" there was mild irritation in the voice. "How are Celestia and Luna treating the situation?"

"Neither of them are aware of the true implications of this scenario."

"How did you come to this conclusion?" The glowing eyes pierced through the dusty air and saw right through the changeling and his armored legs.

"Neither of them have acted appropriately. If they were aware, they would have taken immediate and drastic action."

The creature in the darkness nodded in agreement, even though only his eyes could be seen moving. Celestia and Luna would never ignore something this important if they knew about it. "Have these energy readings decreased since they were recorded?" One of the graphs depicted an unknown energy that had remained at a constant low level for over a thousand years. According to the graph, the energy spiked way off the charts not even a week ago!

"If it has, it's not by enough for us to detect."

There was a pause, "very well. Send word to Blank, I must speak with him. I need him to arrange this meeting." The glowing eyes fell on a page from Chrysalis requesting a Changeling Gathering. "I also must see him about a personal matter," the glowing eyes glanced at a newspaper clipping that mentioned the attack at Canterlot.

The changeling servant rose humbly and refused to make eye contact with his master. He turned and left quickly and quietly. The stone-like armor on his legs and hooves made no sound as they glided across the floor.

Author's Note:

The next Act has begun! The Dark One begins to make his move, Paradise and Shining are in position, a monster is on its way, and this comedy burst won't last long...

Comments

[nightshade745]

2448354
Oh that is cool. I made a Majora's mask reference without realizing it...

[Ravings1]

"Story has been canceled"

FAHCK!
Damn it, I liked this story.

[Chitin Buttocks]

I think I might give this a read even though it's been cancelled.

Edit: This was a good read, such a shame it was cancelled.