The Princesses puzzle over a strange mare with no memory and two large horns growing on her head. Meanwhile, a reclusive stallion haunted by his past realises that it has come to catch up with him.
After an abnormal magical discharge, a strange mare wakes up inside Canterlot Castle, with no memory of who she is or where she came from.
The Royal Princesses puzzle over this stranger, not because of her unknown origins, but because of the two large horns growing on the sides of her head.
In the Frozen wastes north of the Crystal Empire, lives a reclusive earth pony. Haunted by things done in the past, he seeks to hide away from civilisation. Sensing the arrival of the strange mare, he realises his past has come to catch up with him.
It was supposed to be a peaceful night - the Lunar Court rarely had anything more exciting than a crazy cat lady complaining about the pigeon population, or the eccentric noble petitioning for funds for his art gallery consisting mainly of oddly shaped noodles.
Princess Luna rubbed at her temples, trying to will the morning to come quicker. During the few blissful hours where she switched roles with her sister, she at least had little obligation to the courts.
The first sign things were about to go awry was the sudden magical surge reverberating through the castle. The second was a blood-curdling scream that chilled even the Princess of the Night’s blood.
Loud, sobbing screams started to echo through Canterlot Castle’s halls, the guards starting to shift uneasily.
“Captain, assembled your guardsponies,” Luna commanded, the Night Guard quickly flying off, as she descended from the throne. She turned to a servant. "The court is closed for the night, see to it that any nobles and petitioners are notified appropriately." Luna turned her head towards the remaining guards. "The rest of you, follow me."
The screams did not relent. Within minutes, Luna was striding, armed guards flanking either side of her, through the halls towards its source. A quiet flutter of alarm flared up in her chest, but she did not allow it to show on her stern expression. Whoever was generating such a bone-chillingly pained scream was coming from where the Crystal Mirror was once locked securely away. It had long since been moved to the Crystal Empire for better safekeeping.
Armoured guards filed into the chamber, Princess Luna following shortly behind them.
She raised an eyebrow, watching as they surrounded a form crumpled on the ground. A large, still-smoking scorch mark burned the ground underneath it.
The guards parted as Princess Luna made her way towards the crumpled form on the ground.
It was a young mare with a brick red coat. Her ashen grey eyes stared wildly around the room, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her mane was a pale green, matted and dishevelled. What alarmed Luna the most was the two, circular horns curling around the sides of her skull, just behind and underneath her ears.
Luna briefly thought she might be a goat, but the mare's equine build and non-cloven hooves ruled that out. Plus, her sheer size and build was stronger than most earth ponies Luna had seen in her long life. Despite her size, the young look on her face pegged her as being barely into adult-hood. But above all, she was most definitely equine.
The stranger shifted, unsteadily getting to her hooves. The guards tensed up, spears raised as they aimed towards her. The horned mare let out another agonising scream, gripping herself in a tight hug suddenly as she collapsed onto the ground. Luna winced internally, but she did not show it - it was not a Princess' place to show such emotions.
“Sister, what is going on?”
Princess Celestia walked in, a confused look on her face as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She still wore her sleeping robes, a shade darker than her alabaster coat.
Luna turned to her, giving a silencing look. Celestia stared, bleary eyed for a moment, before suddenly realising the tense look behind Luna's eyes. She nodded, moving to stand by her sister’s side.
The horned mare stood up again, legs wobbling under her weight. Her eyes darted around at the floor, looking at nothing in particular. A sickening dry heave forced its way from her throat as she collapsed onto the floor again. The white Princess visibly winced.
“Sister, do you sense it…?” Celestia whispered softly to Luna.
“It’s...I can feel something, sister. But I do not know what it is…” Luna closed her eyes momentarily, before turning to the nearest guard. “Quickly, summon the castle medical staff.”
With a nod, the guard hurried off.
The strange mare continued to heave, her stomach apparently trying to empty out contents that were not even there. A hoarse whisper finally escaped her lips. “Pain...burning so much pain.” Her words were frantic, bordering gibberish. “It burns make it stop.”
The castle’s on-duty doctor’s arrival was announced by a unicorn stallion almost pushing the royal sisters out of the way, several nursing staff tailing him. He bent down to examine the strange mare. “She’s burning up, but...there’s no sign of a fever or injury. She's clearly suffering from acute stress.” The doctor ushered over two of the nurses. “There’s nothing to do here except to put her into observation. Get a stretcher.”
The strange mare was shivering violently, but at least her screams were starting to die down. The two nurses quickly returned with the stretcher, but it took the combined strength of three of them to lift the mare onto it and to carry it out towards the medical ward.
Celestia gave a worried sigh, her expression matching her tone. “Luna...what is going on?”
“You felt the surge of magic, sister...and you can feel it still lingering in the air. I cannot place my hoof on it…”
“I’m talking about that poor mare,” Celestia said sternly.
“I will have two guardsponies assigned to her room - once she has had some rest and recovered we can ask her properly.”
Celestia shot her a disapproving look, causing the lunar Princess to shrink slightly under it. “Don’t you think that’s being a bit excessive?”
Luna let out a breath she didn’t realise she was holding. Her head dipped low as she turned to face Celestia. “I am sorry, sister...I have been a bit on edge ever since Tirek’s return.”
She repressed a shudder. Having your very magical essence sucked out of you…it left an emptiness that gnawed away at your very existence.
“We’ve all been on edge, Luna - even if Tirek’s return was many moons ago. But what I saw wasn’t a threat to Equestrian security - I saw a young mare that was in obvious pain.”
Luna’s eyes darted to the side, a well of shame building up inside of her. “I’m sorry I acted so callously. I will amend my ways.”
Two guards, one Solar and one Lunar, stood resolutely at attention outside a medical ward. Inside, a young mare was rocking back and forth on the bed, the blanket laying discarded by her side, still sobbing occasionally. She held an empty gaze at her hooves, staring at each one for a long while before alternating to the other. Her tears had tried long ago, her cheeks stained and matted from the dry tears.
Moonlight dimly filtered into the window, offering little comfort. She didn’t like the moon - it’s pale chill sent an uneasy wave of dread into her core.
Her flank was blank - or so she had heard a guard mention it in addition to something about a cutiemark. She shrugged off the knowledge - the word was strange to her.
“I’m not supposed to be here…” she murmured to herself.
She closed her eyes and shivered again. The sound of hoofsteps and two guards suddenly saluting made her open them and look up. Two beings, one as glorious and beautiful as the sun, the other as dark and mysterious as the moon, walked in, followed by several other ponies.
The strange mare shifted uneasily. Her mouth opened for a moment, before she decided to simply stay silent.
“Who are you, my little pony?” the white one said. There was obvious concern on her face as she bent down to better examine her.
“I...don’t know. Beyond waking up I do not have much memory.”
“What do you remember?” the dark one asked - her tone was much firmer and strict. The stranger shivered under her gaze.
“Pain and suffering.” Her reply was strained, the memory still fresh. “I remember unimaginable pain as my body was being burned away. And…” she hesitated, turning away. “I remember great sorrow. I left someone behind…”
The two alicorns turned to each other, sharing a look.The white one opened her mouth as if to speak, when a loud gurgling sound rumbled through the room.
The stranger looked down at her stomach. “I think I’m hungry,” she stated, surprised by the fact as much as the sisters were of her presence.
“You are unusually calm considering your situation,” the dark one said. “Do you not realise who you are speaking to?”
The strange mare looked up at the two - her ashen eyes straying between them analytically. “Judging by your larger stature - I believe you are magically enhanced or of a higher power compared to the others. In either case, I believe you are both in a position of power.”
The dark one blinked a few times indignantly, trying to sputter out a response.
“Forgive my sister - and forgive my manners,” the white one spoke. “I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria and raiser of the sun.” She gestured to her sister, a faint smile tugging on her lips. “And this is my sister, Princess Luna, who rules by my side and raises the moon at night.”
“Forgive my intrusions then, Princess.” The stranger bowed her head.
“There is nothing to forgive - I understand the confusion you must be suffering from right now,” Princess Celestia said. “But I believe that further questions can wait.” She nodded to one of the guards, who quickly set off. “We should get you appropriate living quarters and - at the very least - something to eat.”
The stranger frowned at Celestia, suspicion trying to worm its way to the forefront of her thoughts. She quickly beat it down, instead allowing herself to smile.
~~~~
Somewhere, on the outskirts of of the Crystal Empire and buried deep in the Frozen North, a reclusive earth pony stallion woke up. He shuffled out of his sparse bed, walking out of his meagre hut into the raging blizzards. He did not shiver or or pay any mind the cold whipping at his tan-coloured coat. His eyes narrowed as he stared off into the distance.
“I know that feeling…” he whispered to himself, before shaking his head. “I hope it’s not what I think it is…” He turned back and went inside. There was no denying it - he knew exactly what it was, and did not like the consequences it was going to bring.
He emitted a low growl, clenching his teeth. “Goddamit.”
Half-shut blinds filtered the incoming sunlight into a warm and pleasant aura in the room. Several candles burned low, nearly spent. A golden glow flared up and lit a fresh, waiting candle. Scrolls and tomes lay abandoned everywhere, some depicting ancient diagrams and drawings, others holding even older text.
A mint-green unicorn furrowed her brow as she gently set down one tome, closing it, before moving onto the next. A loud thudding against her door abruptly pulled her out of her entranced state.
Her golden eyes went wide, searching around for the sudden intruder to her concentration. A visible sigh of relief was released as she saw a beige-cream earth pony with a dark blue and rose pink mane enter.
“Oh, hey Bon-Bon. It’s just you.”
The other mare snorted indignantly. “What do you mean it’s just me?” Her eyes narrowed as she saw the near-chaotic state of the room and the low burning candles. “Lyra...have you been up all night?”
Lyra emitted a soft whinny of surprise as she glanced at the window. “Oh, shucks. I guess I did.” She smiled apologetically noticing Bon-Bon’s stern expression. “Uh - sorry? Won’t do it again?”
Bon-Bon sighed irritably, before moving to Lyra’s side. “Dear, please...these late nights aren’t doing you any good.” She nuzzled the other mare.
“I’m sorry, Bonnie...But - I know it’s out there. I know I can find it.”
The earth-pony pulled away slightly, one eyebrow raised as she shot a warning look. “Is this about the Anthropology studies again?”
“What? No! I told you already, that was just a phase!” Lyra exclaimed. She shuffled around the desk before her magic pulled out an older book from under a pile of scrolls. “This, here.”
She pointed to a rather intricate diagram. It depicted a small spherical object, thousands upon thousands of tiny gears built into it. At the heart of the drawing was a tiny crystal, a forgotten language labelling the entire drawing.
“What is it?” Bon-Bon asked.
“I think it’s called a Lösen Sphere. It’s supposed to be very powerful, and only one was known to exist. I’m trying to find out more on it.”
Their conversation was interrupted by another loud knocking on the door. Lyra’s study was a separate building from the two’s main house. The isolated nature allowed her to study in peace without disturbing Bon-Bon.
“Urgent delivery for Lyra Heartstrings!” a young colt’s voice called out. Jumping to her hooves, Lyra wrenched the door open with her magic as she bore down on the mailpony with a manic grin.
“Yes?” she said, looking at the young pegasus. Tired rings were under his eyes, two small saddlebags with a few letters stuffed into them strapped to his back.
“Priority-class mail from the Crystal Empire, ma’am,” the mailpony said stoutly, pulling out a small letter from the bag. “If you’ll excuse me, ma’am, I have a few others to get to.”
Lyra thanked the pegasus before turning and going back into her study. Her magic ripped open the sealed envelope and pulled the letter out, her eyes darting back and forth reading it.
“What does it say, Lyra?” Bon-Bon asked, feeling an uneasy sense of dread build up.
The maniac grin slowly returned to Lyra’s face. “Guess what?” she quipped cheerfully. “You-know-who is coming for a visit!”
~~~~
The stranger observed herself in a large, body-sized mirror. The two horns grew from just behind her temples and curled backwards behind her ears before coming forward again into a somewhat pointed tip. She opened her jaw, examining her teeth and jaw line, before firmly snapping it shut and turning to examine her build.
She was very large. Lean muscles rippled underneath her hide and a fleeting thought told her she could probably take on quite a few of the guards posted at her door.
The room was very spartan - nothing but the bare essentials needed for living. A single dresser was pressed against one wall and a bed built for one against the opposite. She suspected this room was not meant for guests, but rather staff.
The emptiness and lack of emotion the room gave off made the stranger smile. The bare utility of the room drew out the errant thoughts in her mind, leaving peace and devotion behind.
Devotion to what she wasn't sure yet. She knew her memories were there, fleeting around in the back of her mind. No matter how deeply she thought, even with the peace the spartan room gave her, they evaded her.
She sat on the bed, the springs complaining loudly under her weight. It was most assuredly built for a pony of smaller build.
The door clicked open, and the stranger straightened her spine without realising it.
“Forgive my intrusion,” Princess Luna said as she strode into the room. Two guards followed her in, keeping a watchful eye on the stranger.
“It is of no worry,” the mare replied, getting off her seat and offering a slight bow.
“The doctors have said that, all things considered, you have made a remarkable recovery,” Luna said. “Although, I believe you were already of peak physical form when you appeared.”
The stranger nodded. “Princess, I have one small issue. A request, maybe.”
If Luna was thinking anything she made no show of it; her expression was stoic as she gave a measuring gaze to the mare. “Yes? What is it?”
“I believe, in time, my memories will return. But, until then, I need…” She turned away, looking at the mirror looking herself over again. She turned back to Luna, raising her head tall and proudly. “I need a name, Princess.”
Luna’s eyebrow raised slowly as she considered her request. “I am sad to admit that I am not qualified to assist you in such a matter. Normally, under pony society, names reflect upon a pony’s natural talent.”
The stranger took a moment to measure Luna’s words. Her eyes looked around the room and at the other three ponies occupying it. Taking a deep breath, she spoke in a calm and measured tone. “I assume that one’s ‘Cutiemark’ somehow reflects on this talent?”
A surprised alarm flashed behind Princess Luna’s eyes. “That is an astute observation,” she said, her voice equally as calm and measured. “May I enquire on how, despite your apparent lack of memories, you made this observation?”
The strange mare tilted her head slightly, busy recalling all the memories from earlier. “A guard made comment that I lack such a Cutiemark.” She pointed towards Luna’s flank. “And, judging by your name, the fact that you raise the moon at night, and the symbols on your rump, my conclusion came fairly quickly.”
Princess Luna continued to study the strange pony. Under normal circumstances, she would have the pony severely reprimanded for referring to the Royal Derrière so brazenly, but these were hardly normal circumstances. Her expression remained stoic and the stranger was aware the the Princess was silently judging her.
“You are far more observant than I had initially judged you for.”
“You still judged me to be dangerous, Princess.”
Luna nodded. There was no use in trying to hide or lie to the stranger. “That is correct.”
The mare shook her head. “I do not expect you to relent on your security. I am a very clear threat, even if I have no intentions to cause harm.”
Luna hid her surprise and worry behind a calm mask. She revelled in the shallow victory in that she was at least partly correct - the mare was dangerous, but it was quickly overshadowed by the realisation that she wasn't dangerous for the reasons she initially believed.
The Princess took a few, long minutes before finally speaking again. “You say you wish to have a name. Tell me: of all the thoughts and memories you still possess, are there any that are prevalent? Any that occupy your thoughts the most?”
The mare tilted her head in the opposite direction as she remained silent for a good thirty seconds. “Devotion. To an idea or cause. I wish - I - ,” she began to hesitate as a frown appeared on her face. “I once wished, or wanted...no - I wish to be devoted to a cause. To an ideal. No…”
Confusion was dawning on her face as she became deeply lost in thought. Luna waited patiently - Celestia was right in one thing at least: the poor mare was suffering.
“I’m sorry, Princess...the memories are there. I remember...wanting to protect something. To guard. To be a shield. I - I wanted to protect...something. But it got left behind.” Her eyes looked up at the Lunar Princess, a tear tracking down her cheek. “Why am I crying?”
The hint of a smile touch Princess Luna’s lips. “You wish to be a Devoted Shield to protect something you care about.” She took a step towards the sitting mare, reaching down with her horn and touching her lightly on the head. A light spark of magic arched on Luna’s horn. “I think you've found a name for yourself already.”
The mare blinked a few times, eyes widening in surprise.
“If you so wish, from henceforth you will be referred to as Devoted Shield.”
The Palace Gardens were always beautiful this time in the morning. They had been designed to allow just the perfect amount of sunlight into the main patio, trees trimmed and maintained to provide adequate shade at all times.
There was a small time window between Celestia’s wake-up cup of tea and Luna’s cake-before-bed that the two Royal Sisters always liked to share. It was their ‘sister-time’, as Celestia had dubbed it.
“Sister, I cannot help but feel we are misjudging Devoted Shield.”
Princess Celestia looked up from her teacup, an eyebrow raised. “Devoted Shield?”
“The horned mare.” Luna jabbed the pastry fork back into the rather hefty wedge of cake. “Sister, remind me who invented chocolate? They deserve a royal commendation.”
Princess Celestia suppressed a giggle. “Chocolate was discovered by explorers some six centuries ago. It wasn’t till a few decades afterwards they thought to sweeten it.” Celestia set down her tea mug onto its saucer, levelling a questioning gaze at Luna. “I see you’ve also taken quite an interested in this ‘Devoted Shield’ Luna. Considering you saw fit to name her.”
Luna gave an indignant huff, turning her head away. “She requested a name - after some careful thought we decided one for her.”
Celestia gave a knowing smile, her magic levitating the teacup back up to her lips as she drew in a dainty sip. “It seems the only pony who’s misjudged her is you, dear sister.”
“She is dangerous, Tia. She was able to make an astute observation with very little information regarding pony’s cutiemarks.”
“Being able to deduce something as fundamental as a pony’s biology warrants having a minimum of two guards assigned around the clock?”
Celestia’s question hung in the air like a knife ready to come down. Princess Luna closed her eyes, rubbing at her temples. “You felt the magic. It was abnormal - I have never encountered any such force.”
Celestia didn’t move at all, the teacup still hovering close to her muzzle. “We have the best scholars and scientists studying...Devoted’s entry point. I’m sure we will have an answer soon.”
“The magic still lingers around her,” Luna sighed, gazing out into the gardens. “We need to be careful. I have a feeling she is far more than she seems.”
There was the soft clink of the teacup setting down on its saucer again. “Luna, please. You’re worrying too much. Give it a few days - our best ponies are working on finding out where she came from.” Celestia shifted, standing up from her seat. Her wings spread out and shuffled slightly before folding back inwards. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare for the Day Court.”
She leaned forward, planting a light and sisterly kiss on the dark alicorn’s muzzle. Luna recoiled slightly from embarrassment, her dark coat hiding the blush.
“And you, dear sister, need to get some sleep,” Celestia finished. “Give it a few days. Everything will be fine, I’m sure of it.”
Luna looked down at the remainder of her slice of chocolate cake. She pushed it away with her hoof before standing up herself and leaving towards her bed chambers. Celestia was right - a little sleep would help clear her mind.
~~~~
“Name?”
“Adrias Kalte.”
“Occupation?”
“Self-Employed.”
“Coming from?”
“Crystal Empire.”
“Destination?”
“Ponyville.”
The rather grumpy-looking stallion behind the ticket-counter looked up from the paperwork in front of him, shooting an unimpressed look. “You don’t look much like a griffon, what not with a name like that.”
A fairly lean-built earth pony stallion with a dark tan coat and ice-blue eyes stared back, just as unimpressed. “I have a griffon name. It’s not unheard of.”
The customs pony nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Sure, whatever.” He pressed down on a stamp, a green ‘granted’ sign being inked onto the paperwork. “You’re good to go - just stay out of trouble.”
“About time…”
Adrias boarded onto the train, pushing past the small horde of other ponies also trying to get on. He had only a single saddlebag’s worth of possessions - there was very little to his name. He prefered it that way. Fumbling around in the bag, he pulled out a small book and a quill. “Of all the damn things…” he grunted, taking the quill in his teeth and jotting down into the book.
‘I’m surprised they haven’t monetised unicorn teleportation yet,’ he thought idly to himself. Train rides were a boring and long-winded form of transport. The only real advantage to it was its ability to mass-transport ponies on the cheap.
He grunted, folding away his book into the saddlebag. A lot of the other travellers were Crystal Ponies - most likely exploring the world after their recent return into existence. Those poor souls - missing a thousand years of history must have been a crushing culture shock.
‘Much like it was for me,’ he thought bitterly. He shrugged off the thought. ‘I adapted - so will they.’
The stallion reached back into his saddlebag, pulling out a different book. He flipped open to a bookmark, heaving a content sigh as he leaned back in his seat.
~~~~
“Absolutely not!”
Lyra collapsed to her knees, offering a praying motion to the incensed earth pony. “Aww, c’mon Bon-Bon! Please?”
“No, Lyra!” Bon-Bon asserted heatedly. “I will not let that uncivilised brute in this house again!”
“But Bon-Bon! it’s been so long since we saw him!” Lyra begged, now clinging to the earth pony’s legs.
“The last time we let him inside our house it was demolished. I’m not taking that risk again!”
“That’s because of reasons out of anypony's control! And at least he personally helped to build us a new one!”
Bon-Bon didn’t reply, just raising her snout indignantly. Lyra crawled and wormed her way in front of the mare. Her eyes grew wide as she pouted her lower lip, giving it the slightest of trembles and unleashing the best puppy-dog eyes she could muster.
“Pleeeaase Bon-Bon! He single-hoofedly carved all the ice sculptures at the wedding! He even managed to help with the planning!”
Lyra could see the angry façade start to crack. The gears worked in her head, having to come up with a final decision. Eventually, Bon-Bon rolled her eyes, giving a sigh clearly showing her lack of enthusiasm. “Okay, fine. But no adventures or dangerous activities! I don’t want anypony going out there and getting hurt, okay?”
Lyra was on her hooves instantly, bouncing around the room. “Oh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou Bonnie!” She grabbed the earth pony in a powerful hug before planting a loud and wet smooch on her cheek. Lyra bolted out of the room before she could even see the slight blush forming on Bon-Bon’s cheeks.
Lyra bounced out towards her study - there was so much to get ready; so many books and ideas she wanted to ask Adrias. He was a wealth of knowledge and cynicism that Lyra had often relied on in the past.
“Hmm...I wonder if he’ll know anything about that Lösen Sphere thing?”
The night was Luna’s domain - and by extension so were the dreams of all who slept. The dreams of strangers were no exception to that rule.
Entering the dreamscape of ponies was like meeting with an old friend - the simple introductions and that warm feeling of familiarity as you shared old and new memories alike. Traversing the dreamscape was much akin to reliving those old memories.
But the strange emptiness that surrounded Luna sent a deep worry to her core. There were no memories or experiences to share here - not even the subconscious held anything to dream about. Devoted Shield's mind was an empty expanse of sheer nothingness. Soaring across her mind, Luna found absolutely nothing - she couldn’t even find the pony who’s mind she was exploring.
There were ways around those who didn’t dream. Closing her eyes, Luna reached further into her own dreamscape and pulled out a scene. A simple moon-lit forest, one of Luna’s favourite scapes. Opening them again, she looked around to survey her creation: dim shafts of light filtered through the canopy high above her head, dried twigs and leaves crunching under her hooves as the forest extended for as far as the eye could see.
Perhaps something peaceful like this could draw the horned mare out from her subconscious.
Her twisted her ears around, allowing her near-omnipresence to detect any other strangers. A slight shuffling brought a smile to the alicorn; she was here.
Slipping into a pocket of shadow, Luna stepped out from behind a tree.
“Hello, Devoted,” she greeted, walking up to the pony lying in the foliage. The horned mare picked her head up, turning it to look at Luna. The princess frowned slightly - Devoted's image shimmered lightly, and her left horn was broken off half-way up.
“I didn’t know I could dream,” she said, a mask of confusion on her face.
Luna bent down and nuzzled her slightly. “All things can dream, little one. Even those as lost and empty as yourself.”
Devoted brought herself unsteadily to her hooves, offering a slight bow to Luna before speaking. “Why did you come here, Princess?”
Luna tapped a hoof to her chin for a moment, pondering the best answer. “I came seeking a way to help you - I wish to know your mind better so I can better restore your lost memories.”
“You saw nothing but emptiness.”
“I saw what your mind wanted me to see,” Luna countered. “I could not find you in the first expanse - so I had to draw you out.”
Devoted remained silent, her ashen eyes just staring blankly at Luna.
“Why did you hide from me, Devoted Shield?” Luna asked gently, taking a seat next to the pony.
She hung her head low, her body starting to shiver. “There is far too much pain,” she whispered meekly. “I remember nothing but burning and pain.”
“Show me, and perhaps I can help you with it.”
Devoted Shield closed her eyes, her image shimmering again before the forest faded around them. They were back in the empty expanse. “Princess, I - I’m sorry…” she breathed before allowing the expanse to fade once again.
~~~~
Luna awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in her bed. She drew in deep, sobbing breaths as an unfamiliar wetness trailed down her cheeks. She touched her muzzle, wiping the tears and staring at the wetness on her hoof.
‘So much pain,’ she thought. ‘So much...’
Devoted Shield had a mind like iron - but the sheer agony her memories had vomited forth was enough to violently force the Lunar Princess out of the dreamscape.
Out of her dreamscape.
It was...impossible - unfathomable. The terrible burning loss that Devoted was suffering. A fire brighter than any sun had licked at the mare’s very soul. A divine fury and anger had dismantled and destroyed her essence piece by piece.
She didn’t even bother notifying her personal guard or even getting out of her sleeping-dress. Arcane magic enveloped her as she cast a short-range teleportation spell, planting her directly in the middle of the throne room.
“Oh, good-morning Luna,” Celestia greeted warmly, unable to hide the surprise in her voice. “To what do I owe the pleasant surprise?”
“Balefire,” Luna blurted out, ignoring the confused looks of the guards and nobles around her.
Celestia’s eyes widened, before she motioned to her guards and the nobles. “Will you please excuse us? I need to have word with my sister.”
A few whispers simmered around the room as the nobles murmured to each other. The steely glare Celestia shot them quickly brought in a hushed silence. Beckoning for Luna to follow, the two went into one of side chambers directly off of the main court.
A quick silencing spell enveloped the room as soon as the door clicked shut, Celestia turning to face her sister. The calm mask she wore earlier fell off completely, concern and shock now etched into her features.
“What did you say, Luna?” Celestia asked, her voice mirroring her face.
“Devoted Shield was burned with Balefire,” Luna said.
“Are you certain?” Celestia asked. “Balefire was banned -,”
“Almost two thousand years ago, I know,” Luna interrupted. “I am certain, sister.”
The white alicorn began to nervously pace around the room. “But...how? How is she even alive - how is there even a soul left to inhabit her body?”
“I do not know, Tia,” Luna breathed. “I delved into her dreams - asked her to share what memories she had with me.” She shivered. “The unrelenting agony - that lingering magic around her?”
Celestia nodded grimly, her pacing coming to a stop. “Lingering remnants of the Balefire.”
“Sister, I worry that there may be no longer be any memories left for her to recover…”
Silence filled the room as the two sisters began to ponder their own thoughts. Luna closed her eyes and repressed another shiver as the memory from the dreamscape resurfaced.
“Sister, there is another thing…”
Celestia looked up at Luna.
“I was able to sense the being that did this to her - I could not make out who or what it was, but it burned her with a fierce determination and pure hatred. I haven’t felt that much hatred since…” she trailed off. “Since one thousand years ago.”
Celestia’s eyes went wide before she quickly moved in and pulled Luna into a powerful hug with her wings. “Luna, I thought we discussed that it wasn’t your fault.”
“I know, Tia…But such hatred…”
“Then we must safeguard her so that whatever did this doesn’t come to finish the job.”
Luna nodded, before returning the hug and nuzzling her sister back.
“We will get to the bottom of this, Luna. I promise.”
~~~~
“Funny, you don’t look much like a griffon.”
Adrias gritted his teeth before grinding out a reply. “No - that’s just my name because I didn’t grow up around these parts. Okay?”
The Ponyville customs officer stamped the paperwork before giving it back to Adrias. “Alright, it looks clear to me. Proceed.”
The earth-pony let out an irritated groan. “I’m actually getting sick and tired of this - why on earth is there such a heightened increase in security everywhere?”
The pegasus on the other side of the window gave him a deadpan look. “Have you been living under a rock? With the recent events involving Tirek national security has been increased. Now, if you’ll please move along, you’re holding up the line.”
Adrias shot a cold glare at the ponies behind him before shuffling out of the way. The train platform here wasn’t nearly as busy as the one in the Crystal Empire but there were still more ponies around than he felt comfortable with.
“Huh - I have been out of it for a while,” he muttered to himself as he exited the train station. Near the edge of Ponyville, towards the Everfree forest, was what he could only describe as a giant crystal-tree-castle. It looked awfully tacky compare to the rustic charm the rest of the town gave off.
He shrugged before heading out towards the residential district. Ponyville was always such a quiet town in between repeated dragon attacks, rampant Ursa Minors, parasprite infestations and the incessant antics of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Scratch that - Ponyville would be a quiet town if it weren’t for all of those.
How did the residents ever get through the day without having a panic attack from something not happening? Disaster was as common as the common cold here.
Adrias shooed the thoughts away from his mind - he had more important things to worry about. The dilemma of the common pony was not one of them.
He made his way to a moderate house painted cream with a charcoal grey cross gabled roof, a smaller building with raw brickface and thatch roofing built next to it. A small vegetable garden lay planted in one corner of the property with a few smaller rock-gardens littered around it. The entrance path branched off, one to the main house and the other to the study on the side. All in all it was quite charming, and in a different life Adrias would have liked to live on a property like this one.
Adrias trotted up to the door of the main house, lifting his hoof to knock before hesitating. He sighed, resolving himself to get it over and done with.
Lore-Mage Imaginative Spark bent down and sniffed at the scorch-mark a few times before a bright orange aura gripped a shaft of chalk, scribbling a few corrections to the arcane runes lining the chamber. A soft cloud of magic kept the sea-green unicorn afloat, his blazing-orange eyes scanning for any other defects.
Running a hoof through his ruddy brown mane, he muttered a few incantations before scribbling a few extra runes on the North side of the magic circle. A quick flare of magic and Imaginative floated upwards as he surveyed his work.
It was impressive work, he thought to himself. It had taken the better part of three days researching the runes and then another eight hours clearing the room and inscribing arcane runs into it. Two guards were posted outside under his strict orders not to let a single soul inside.
“Arright - let’s just focus here…” he said to himself, his horn lighting up.
Princess Celestia had requested him personally to investigate the magical properties of Devoted Shield’s appearance. He had all but leapt at the opportunity - it was finally his chance to prove he wasn’t completely incompetent after all!
Imaginative’s magic faltered for a second at his own self-doubt, before he steeled his concentration and it flared brightly again.
No - no naysayers this time. It was his life's work to study the history and nature of magic and all things arcane. He had studied in intimate detail practically any form of magic - from arcane runes to Glyphic, to even the mysterious Bell-Magic from the goats of Southern Zebrafrica. Nopony understood the magics of the world better than him.
“Okay, now...a little spark.”
A bright blue shard of energy flung outwards from his horn, arcing towards a key rune near the edge of the room. A tiny zap later and the ignition rune began to glow softly. Several more bolts shot outwards, igniting a total of six more runes.
“Start.”
All seven runes began to glow brightly, before rapidly spreading outwards. A slow grin formed of the unicorn’s face as admiration built up inside his chest. ‘It’s working!’
Soon the entire chamber was awash in a bright arcane glow as the energies thrummed in the air. A spell-circle materialised above the scorch mark, slowly twisting in the spot. The spell had combined virtually every aspect of magic schooling he had come across - it was needed to try and trace the roots of whatever magic had sent Devoted here.
He floated down towards the spell-circle, whipping out a large blank scroll and levitating it carefully towards the centre. Inserting it into a waiting spell-rune, the entire spell matrices exploded outwards in a shower of red and purple energy, before being sucked inwards.
“Yes...yes!” he cried out as the entire room went dark, the scroll falling to the ground with a soft rustle. Energy crackled around it, smoke rising as writing burnt itself into the paper. The grin widened as all the lingering magic died down, leaving nothing but the grinning unicorn and the spell-marked scroll.
Snatching it up in his magic, Imaginative cancelled his levitation. “Now, let’s see where you came from,” he said, pulling the scroll open.
A large diagram had inked itself onto the parchment depicting several levels of reality. Lines glowed faintly, representing traces of arcane energy that had lingered in the room moments before.
Imaginative was very proud of this spell - he had written it himself; a method to trace even the faintest of spellcasting or magic to its origins. His proof of concept was to trace a lamp Discord had decided to re-arrange in an image of himself.
He shuddered, trying to repress the memory. The Chaos God wasn’t happy somepony found out his hiding spot underneath Celestia’s bed-chamber. Imaginative Spark didn't really remember much after than other than a pink pony forcing him to promise secrecy.
Imaginative Spark closed his eyes briefly, before refocusing on the task at hoof. Opening them, he studied the markings.
“But...this is astounding...this is unheard of!” he exclaimed. His eyes traced along the fragments of the strange mare’s existence. The problem was that they fell outwards towards an nondescript disc.
Each level of reality had its own plane - Tartarus, the Heavens and the world they resided in. But his spell had revealed a fourth, unknown plane; part completely separate reality far outside the world they lived in now.
“I have to tell the Princesses at once!” he yelled, rolling up the scroll and bolting out of the door. “She’s from a different world!”
~~~~
Tea was such a nice drink. It soothed the soul and kept bad thoughts at bay. The therapeutic waiting involved while the leaves steeped inside the steaming water gave room for thoughts of control and warmth. Generations of culture, tradition and farming all boiled down and reduced to a single mug of flavour and aroma. Great minds and even greater nations negotiated while sharing the drink and even those as quiet as a mouse enjoyed the soothing feelings it brought.
Coffee didn’t afford that same calmness. Like a blunt-force trauma, it usually slammed the consciousness awake - and brought the mind out kicking and screaming like a newborn refusing to leave the mother’s womb. The same great minds spent sleepless nights in manic-induced caffeine hazes as the greatest discoveries were brought forth by the bitter drink, and during trying times it kicked the mind into a gear of elevated understanding in order to brave through them.
There was a reason Adrias preferred coffee.
Bon-Bon sat at the table opposite to him. The cup of tea was almost untouched in its saucer as her blue eyes levelled a judgemental stare at him. Any normal pony would have flinched at the cold glare that Bon-Bon gave.
Unluckily for most, he wasn’t a normal pony.
Taking a deep drink from his own mug, Adrias return the glare with his own icy blue-white eyes. They betrayed no emotions or thoughts, who unlike Bon-Bon’s showed a deep and simmering hate like a passionate furnace fuelled on misgivings and misunderstandings.
“So, we meet again,” Adrias said steadily.
Bon-Bon nodded. “So it seems.”
A dread silence seeped into the room. Lyra sat between the two, an uneasy look on her face. She didn’t dare speak, terrified of provoking a reaction from either of the two ponies.
“You know it wasn’t my fault.”
“What?” Bon-Bon leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. “My house burning down, changelings kidnapping Lyra, or the dragon almost eating me?”
Adrias paused for a long time, before taking a swig from the mug. “Okay, that last one is my fault,” he admitted with a shrug. He looked down at the mug, giving a deeply concerned frown. “My coffee’s empty.”
Lyra butted in with a large, false grin. “I’ll get you a refill!” she chimed, her voice several levels too high.
A twitch developed on Bon-Bon’s temple but Adrias could see the sheer level of restraint the other earth-pony was exercising. Somewhere in his heart, he was sure he held a soft-spot for the endless crap she put up with - especially with Lyra’s eccentric nature.
Speaking of which, the mint-green unicorn waltzed in, a refill of coffee held aloft in her magic. “Here’s your coffee, Adrias!”
He nodded, taking another swig of the brown liquid. “Thank you, Lyra. Not often I get coffee - trying to get water to boil when the weather is below zero is a little hard.” He stole a glance at Bon-Bon - her steely gaze did not waiver. Damn; his change in topic didn’t work to dissuade the mare.
Adrias sighed, pushing the mug to the side. Bon-Bon’s eyebrow raised, her patience evidently reaching its end. “Are you ready to explain why you’re here, Adrias?” she asked, the tone in her voice firm and dagger-like.
He nodded, before wiping away an itch on his face. “Bon-Bon, I’m sorry - I really am - for what I’m about to say,” he began. His face was a calm, expressionless void but deep inside the earth-pony a storm of doubt and worry raged on. He turned to the unicorn. “Lyra, do you remember how I said that there was absolutely zero chance of anything following me through when I was booted into Equestria?”
Lyra nodded. “Uh-huh, you said that your reality and our reality were effectively sealed off from each other. Why?”
Adrias idly noted the wide-eyed expression of shock and sheer utter terror overcoming Bon-Bon’s face before he even started to speak. “Well, it turns out I was wrong.”
Lyra stared at him for a few seconds. Adrias swore he heard the gears turning inside her head and could pin-point the exact moment the lightbulb went off as her mouth broken into a toothy grin. “You mean - ,” she began.
“I mean that something else has followed me through. I don’t know who or what it is but I can promise you now it is in no way a good thing.”
Bon-Bon almost lunged forward, suddenly nose-to-nose with Adrias. “Of course it’s not a good thing, nothing good ever follows you!”
The stallion gave off a soft growl, a deep frown contorting his face. “I remind you that I like my personal space.”
Bon-Bon didn’t relent, a furious look on her face. Lyra gave a sheepish smile as she pulled her away. “Easy now, Bonnie,” she said uneasily, settling Bon-Bon into her seat. “Let’s hear him out, okay? I’m sure he’s come to us for a reason.”
The earth-pony mare settled down, before reaching and taking her teacup into her hooves, sipping on it lightly.
Adrias nodded. “Lyra’s right. The only reason I’ve come to you is because…” Adrias hesitated. He hated to admit it - for all his life he’d lived alone and the other two were well aware of what he used to be - but that was a different lifetime. “I came to you because you two are the only ponies I can trust. I mean that - honest to truth, I have no-one else to turn to right now.”
Bon-Bon levelled an unknown stare at him. The anger left her face slowly as she set the teacup down again. “Well, when you put it like that…” she said softly. “But how are we supposed to help?”
Adrias got up out of his chair. He walked and stood by the window, staring out at the streets of Ponyville. In a way he envied them - their lives were so simple and worry free. He found it tragic that his thoughts had come to such things; envying the common pony. Heaving a flat sigh, he turned back to the two. “It’s...complicated. I know how this entity arrived, and it wasn’t pretty.” He closed his eyes and shuddered - the memory of a white fire flashing in his mind briefly - before opening them again. “I need to find him or her - because if two of us have come through, then we need to prepare for more.”
Lyra cocked her head quizzically. “Well, what else could come through?” Adrias shot her a warning look. “I mean - look at you. You’re not half-bad.”
“There are beings that have devoted their entire existence to hunting me down. If they’ve followed me through, then they will burn and destroy anything in their path to take me down.”
A silence chilled the air. Adrias could only offer a sullen look as he took his seat again. Lyra pulled in another chair, joining him. “Bummer,” she said.
A chair scraping cut through the silence. Two sets of eyes fell on Bon-Bon as she stood up, whisking her teacup and Adrias’ coffee mug to the kitchen. “I suppose that settles it, then,” she said. “I’ll get the bags packed.”
Lyra’s face lit up as her posture straightened. “You mean…?” she asked hopefully.
“Yes, Lyra. I do mean.” Bon-Bon gave a tired smile to the unicorn. “Looks like we’re going on another adventure.”
The soft rattle and rhythmic ‘clinking’ of locomotive’s wheels against the tracks brought an odd, sleepy sensation - like the soothing lullaby of a mother. Lyra Heartstrings lay snoozing softly, nuzzled firmly against Bon-Bon who kept an alert air about her.
Across the booth, Adrias kept a similar air about him. It was in his nature to be alert - so much so he had paid the extra bits for a private compartment.
“So, why Canterlot?” Bon-Bon asked, slicing through the silence.
“As a part of...what I am, I can feel the presence of other similar entities,” Adrias began. He looked out the window, making note of the large castle-in-a-mountain in the distance. “Something arrived the other night - violently. I’m surprised the magic surge wasn’t felt by unicorns across Equestria.”
“I certainly didn’t feel anything,” Bon-Bon said. She ran a hoof through Lyra’s mane, and the unicorn shivered slightly before smiling in her sleep. “And Lyra didn’t mention any strange magic.”
“This was a foreign magic. A type only my kind would be familiar with - not something I’d expect your average unicorn to know.” He tapped at his chin for a moment, a ponderous look coming over his face. “Come to think of it - I haven’t sensed a magic like that for a very long time.”
Bon-Bon continued her loving caressing of Lyra, her eyes still locked onto Adrias. “So I assume that whatever you felt is in Canterlot.”
Adrias continued to gaze out the window, towards the castle. “Not just in Canterlot,” he said, raising a hoof and pointing towards the tall spires. “But in the main Castle itself.”
The earth pony mare raised an eyebrow at him, give a brief snort. “And you expect us to just waltz into there?”
He didn’t reply, remaining silent for a long while. He had many options available to him - sneak in, full-frontal assault, or even bribery if it came to it. All of them were options he seriously considered - but only one made total sense to him.
“I’m going to surrender myself to the Royal Sisters.”
Bon-Bon’s eyes bugged out as they grew wide as saucers, her body suddenly becoming stiff. “What?!”
This seemed to startle Lyra, who woke with a loud start. ‘What happened? Are changelings attacking again?” she asked, bewildered and looking around.
Bon-Bon was on her hooves, nose-to-nose again with Adrias. “Do you have any idea what they’ll do to you in there?”
“Oh, hey!” Lyra quipped in, “I’ve got half a story here, mind filling me in?”
Adrias tilted his head towards the unicorn. “I was just explaining to Bon-Bon that whatever entity arrived in Equestria is currently sitting bang smack inside Canterlot Castle, and my plan is to surrender myself to the Princesses.”
Lyra’s eyes also went wide. “Oh, I see how that can be a bad thing,” she said, nodding in agreement with Bon-Bon. “I mean, you’re not exactly normal or anything. I mean, if I were a Princess or a scientist, I’d probably strap you...to a table...and...disect…” the mare’s speech trailed off, two sets of eyes now glaring at her heatedly. She blushed a deep crimson as her brain finally caught up to what her mouth was saying.
“You’re not making my point any easier, Lyra,” Adrias said blankly.
“Your point is,” Bon-Bon began heatedly, not budging an inch from his face, “is to simply give yourself in after trying so hard trying not to get caught in the first place?”
Adrias’ flat expression didn’t falter. He briefly considered pushing the mare away, but decided against giving her any fuel to attack him with. Bon-Bon was as volatile as Lyra was excitable. How the two managed to maintain a stable relationship was beyond him.
“Bon-Bon, there is still much about me that you don’t understand.” Adrias bowed his head. To some it would’ve seemed as a sign of submission; to the two ponies in front of him, they knew it as a sign of sorrow. “You two...opened my eyes to a different way of life. I’m not here to hide any more.”
Lyra and Bon-Bon looked at each other nervously before back at Adrias as Bon-Bon backed away from him. His face still didn’t change expression, but the tone in his voice was dead serious.
“There is a very clearly a present threat to Equestria and as a consequence, to my only two friends at the moment. I’m not going to let anything happened to anyone.”
Bon-Bon sat next to Lyra. “It took you a few years, but you finally admitted it,” she said, her usual sarcasm gone from her voice. “The fact that you have the stallionhood to admit you needed our help is the reason I agreed in the first place, Adrias.”
A smile faintly touched at his lips. “Thank you, Bon-Bon.”
Lyra looked around at the two, feeling thoroughly confused at the situation. “Hey, things are getting a little too sappy for me,” she said, shifting out of her seat. “This is supposed to be an adventure!” she added, breaking into a wide smile. “Let’s act like it!”
The weight of a lifetime of sin weighed heavily on Adrias’ shoulders, but he still found the strength inside him to smile.
~~~~~
Leaflet Locket leaned against the corner of the passenger car. Several ponies - mostly nobles and rich-looking ponies - sat in the several seats lined by the windows. A griffon stood in the opposite corner, wearing a large overcoat. The two shared a look and nodded at each other.
The pegasus glanced around. One security guard - easy peasy. He wore a similar coat - as did his companions spread across the train cars. His wings tested a weight hidden underneath the overcoat, checking the mechanisms were loaded and ready to go.
With a slight grin he gave a final nod to the griffon.
Taking quick strides, he took flight before bringing the back of his hoof down on the back of the security guard’s skull, knocking him out with a quiet ‘oof’. Tossing a quick-strike firework from the window, it shot outwards before giving a loud bang - signalling the rest of his crew to begin work.
“Alright, everypony this is a robbery!” he bellowed, pulling a hefty crossbow from under his overcoat. A mare screamed but was quickly hushed by Tenor, his griffon partner-in-crime. He, too, sported an equally as deadly crossbow, bolt loaded and ready to fire.
He would’ve liked to say he didn’t enjoy his line of work - but the truth was he enjoyed every moment of it. The Canterlot snobs had too much money, anyways, and they deserved to have their purses...lightened a little.
“Now, the rules are simple!” he called out, aiming the bow around ponies cowering behind their seats. “We’re here for your money not your lives. My good friend is going to hold out a bag, and we would appreciate any donations you could afford us.”
There was always an adrenaline rush - that powerful thrill in committing the act.
“You won’t get away with this!”
A furious grin spread over Leaflet’s muzzle as he bore down on the offending pony rapidly. “What was that, sunshine?” he said, the point of his crossbow bolt pressing against the cowering earth-pony’s nose.
“N - nothing…” he whimpered.
“Thought so,” Leaflet spat, before turning his attention to the rest of the passengers. “See? Bravery will likely get an arrow between your eyes - so sit tight and cough up!”
A manic grin overcame the pegasus as the various ponies frantically dumped their valuables into the large duffle bag held open by Tenor. There was one thing he loved more than the thrill of the hunt. It wasn’t the fact that he might get caught, or lose limb or life. No...it was the money. The sheer sum of everything he stole that fuelled his addiction.
“Hey, boss, all the front trams are accounted for,” A voice said at the front of the passenger car. Leaflet nodded at him.
“Good, get a few crew so we can sweep the private passenger cars.”
He made his way towards the back of the car - through here onwards it would be a cakewalk. Individual compartments with nopony to see or hear anything going on. Making his way to the first compartment, Tenor behind him ready to knock down the adjacent door.
Leaflet pounded heavily against the door. “Room service,” he grunted. Shuffling was briefly heard before the door slid open, revealing a mint-green unicorn with a broad smile on her face. It quickly descended into a look of horror as she saw Leaflet’s crossbow aiming into the room.
There were three occupants - the unicorn, a beige-cream earth pony mare and a dark-tan stallion with straw-coloured hair and an icepick for a cutiemark.
“Alright, rules are simple. You’re going to cough up any valuables you have and then we can move on our merry way with nopony getting hurt.” Silence filled the room as the two mares nervously glanced between him and the stallion. “Well? We’re not getting any younger here! Get a move on!” he yelled, holding up the weapon threateningly.
The tan stallion spoke up. “Listen, buddy, I’ve had a really bad day so far - and it’s only going to get worse later on,” he said in a tired voice. “So why don’t you do us all a favour and close up that door behind you and go about your business because I really don’t give a sh -,”
Leaflet cut him off viciously, jabbing the tip of his crossbow against his snout. “Listen up, sunshine,” he spat through gritted teeth. Uncontrollable rage boiled up inside of him at the sheer audacity the stallion had. “Nopony gets to talk back to me like that - got it? Now - empty your bags and cough up any bits before I skewer you through the eyeballs.”
The earth-pony continued to level a steady glare at him. Leaflet stole a glance towards the two mares - the unicorn had a manic grin of excitement on her face, the earth-pony a look of sheer abject terror as she hugged the other tightly.
“What did I say?” he demanded, pressing the point a little firmer before giving an involuntary shiver. A snowflake floated past his vision . “Hey...is it getting cold in here?”
~~~~~
The Day Court always had its fair share of loons - but thankfully for the most part it was always fairly predictable. The political game of chess Princess Celestia was constantly playing with the nobility of Canterlot was, in a way, a fun game. What wasn’t fun was the fact that she always had to keep such a serious tone and expression in front of the ponyfolk. Thankfully, this was only a bi-weekly occurance - where certain nobles who had filtered through the red-tape and filing system were able to directly petition her for something.
She relished the thought of just...being normal for once, of laughing at the nervous expressions as she counter-played a snobbish unicorn’s words against himself. That was a fun twenty-seven minutes.
The court was concluded for the morning - and as one of the regents of Equestria, there was always a bountiful amount of paperwork that needed to be done. She almost missed the olden days, simpler days where they didn’t need to worry more than what seeds to plant for the next crops.
But now, it was always a political game of favours and back-stabbing. She hated it. Every word had to be measured and considered, lest it was turned viciously against you - but Celestia had played this game for centuries and she knew every turn and trick in the book.
The door burst open unceremoniously, causing the alicorn to look up at alarm from her desk. The captain of the royal guard stood at attention, saluting firmly to the Princess.
“At ease, captain,” Princess Celestia said warmly, a soft smile spreading on her lips.
“Forgive the intrusion, Princess, but a situation requires your immediate attention.”
The eyebrow raised again. “Yes?”
“There was a train robbery earlier, Princess.” His voice was frantic, bordering panicked.
“Oh my - I trust nopony was hurt?” Celestia said, before adding, “Although, I’m sure the guardsponies are more than capable of managing the situation.”
The guard, ever stoic, did not betray his firm stance - but the worry and fear behind his eyes and voice did exactly that instead. “The robbery is not the situation, Princess. The thugs responsible are already in custody. They were personally delivered by a -,” his voice froze for a moment as he closed his eyes and gulped. “A monster of sorts delivered them to the local police station before marching to the front gates of the Castle. It - he is demanding to see you personally.”
Celestia’s expression stiffened as she gave a single nod towards her personal assistant, who nodded back before speeding off in a galop. “Have you been able to subdue this ‘monster’?”
“All attempts to apprehend him have failed. The very air around him is - It’s frozen. Out guards cannot get close enough without succumbing to the sudden cold as they approach.”
“Is it magical in nature?”
“We presume so, Princess.” The captain’s voice wavered slightly as he continued. “Any attempts to neutralise the magic have failed. He is demanding to see you personally, but says he will not cause harm.”
Celestia rose from her seat, walking towards the main doors. “Follow me, captain. I have already sent for reinforcements.”
The guardspony saluted before taking his place to the left of Celestia in a steady march. “We already have all available reserves trying to subdue him, Princess.”
Celestia glanced to her left and right - several ponies of all three tribes adorned in thick gleaming armour had flocked around her. Full-faced helmets protected them, the pegasi with custom-fitted plating around their wings and the unicorns with unique rune-stones to augment their magic.
The Paragon Guard - Celestia’s most elite and loyal guards. She knew each of them and their families personally - ponies who would lay down their lives for her without a moments hesitation.
She hated the mere fact that their existence was needed - but some threats beyond Equestria’s borders and some powers would jump at any opportunity to undermine or overthrow the alicorn; the Paragon Guard were her shield against them.
The Paragon Mage-Casters' horns ignited in a brilliant white glow, the runestones thrumming with magic as a near-invisible shield shimmered into existence around the alicorn. Several Paragon Flight-Masters hovered above, wing-blades at the ready as the Earth-Grinders took up formation in front of her.
The formation of elite soldiers, escorting their Princess, rounded towards the main entrance hall of Canterlot Castle. Celestia could hear the commotion from a while away. Guards shouted orders and the clanging of spears and armour rung through the halls.
Celestia let out a small gasp at the scene - which was nothing short of a warzone. Ponies lay strewn everywhere, medics having set up emergency triage stands. Guardsponies gathered around a single, dark-tan stallion. Tentatively, they would approach him only to be rebuffed by a sudden wall of ice erupting from the ground. Celestia could feel the heat being leached out of the air around the strange stallion.
“What is going on here?” Princess Celestia demanded, her voice a loud crack of thunder in the air. The Royal Canterlot Tone brought an immediate hushed silence in the halls.
The earth-pony stallion looked up, an impassive frown on his face as he tilted his head. Icicles hung from his features but he gave no sign of feeling any effects from the cold.
“Ah, Princess,” he said, before bowing.
The shield shimmered slightly, the Mage-Casters adding an extra layer of strength.
“Why have you sought to cause such a disruption?” Celestia asked, her voice a lot softer this time but still holding a steely edge to it.
“Honestly, Princess?” he began, his voice taking a sheepish edge to it. “It’s a very long story. But, the short version is…” He bowed down again, laying out his front hooves against the floor in front of him. The icy tundra around him faded as the icicles disappeared. “I’ve come to offer my unconditional surrender.”
Celestia paced outside the prison block’s entrance. The Paragon Guard were still present and on full alert. Princess Luna stared at the burly guards uneasily. She had only become aware of their presence many months after her return, unnerved that their sole existence was created because of her initial transformation into Nightmare Moon over a thousand years ago.
“I believe it to be a trap, sister,” Luna said. She wore her full battle armament - interlocking plates that was very reminiscent of her warlike days before Nightmare Moon. “Why else would he march directly into Canterlot?”
Celestia stopped her pacing, turning to her sister. “I understand your concern, Luna, but I assure you I am well protected.”
The Princess of the Night simply shook her head, letting out a worried sigh. “His magic is unnatural - he calls upon the elements yet he lacks a horn to summon magic with. I do not trust this situation in the slightest.”
A large unicorn stallion, outfitted in heavy armour exited the main prison block, saluting to the Princesses. “We’ve fully secured and locked-down the prisoner’s cell. It is thaumaturgically sealed and the prisoner is fully secured.”
“Thank you, Swift Bulwark,” Celestia said, moving into the prison block. A part of her was nervous, not knowing what to expect - but centuries of experience allowed her to show none of this. This...stranger had caused a lot of damage to her little ponies - but she knew better than to feel anger or resentment.
Two Paragon Guards led her towards one of the deepest cells inside the castle’s prison block. The entire section was always empty - it was simply a relic from older, darker times. Luna followed Celestia in.
The tan earth-pony was waiting in a large cell. An impassive look was on his face. Large, thick chains were locked around his legs and to his neck, anchoring him to the walls. Arcane runes actively glowed on the walls of his cell, fuelled by the Paragon Mage-Casters outside.
“Good afternoon, Princess,” the pony greeted. “I apologise for the damage I caused earlier. I assure you, I inflicted nothing permanent and it is good to see that your Royal Guard are as alert as they are.”
Princess Celestia’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. Luna had drawn herself to her full height, acting as imposing and dangerous as possible.
“My guards tell me you refuse to tell them your name,” Celestia said.
“You wouldn’t have found any records of it anywhere,” the stallion said.
“Are you implying that you are a non-citizen?”
“I’m implying that legally, I do not exist.” There was a hint of irritation on his voice.
Luna snorted impatiently, glowering at him. “Do not take that tone with your Princess, whelp!”
Celestia extended a wing and touched her sister along her withers. “Calm down, Luna. I’m sure there’s a reason for all of this.” She turned to the stallion. “Might I have your name?”
He heaved an irritated sigh, rolling his eyes. “Adrias Kalte,” he said, sounding irritated at the mere mention of it.
“Hmm - it’s not often I hear a pony with a name like that,” Celestia said. “Ancient Eastern Griffonic.”
“It’s a griffon name, yes. But my choice in names is not why I’m here.” He leaned forward as far as the thick chains allowed, affixing a gaze at Celestia. It was only then that the alicorn truly noticed his eyes, ice-blue in appearance but hiding so much more. “Three floors up, fifteen feet to the right there is a visitor. He or she radiates a strange energy that you cannot identify although I suspect you can only identify it as an ‘odd feeling’”
Luna took a step towards him, eyes narrowing threateningly. “What do you know of her?”
Adrias turned, eyebrows raised. “Oh, it’s a she? I know enough about what she is that she needs to be locked up with your most powerful warding spells.”
Celestia shook her head. “No, I will not do that to our guest - especially when such fears are unfounded.”
Adrias grunted angrily, kicking his hoof on the ground lightly. “I figured as much…” he sighed. “How about I explain to you how I can use magic? Even without a horn?”
Celestia withheld her response for a while. There was clearly more to this pony, but there was something about his eyes that set off a warning deep at the back of her mind. Once upon a time, an old friend had eyes like that. Old...tired. Waiting to die.
“How old are you, Adrias?” Celestia asked slowly. There was a shift in his stance, the frustrated look on his face fading rapidly.
“This body is, by my estimates, no older than twenty years.”
“That is a very clever way to dodge the actual meaning to my question,” Celestia said. “But you, your soul. How old are you exactly?”
Adrias closed his eyes, a sad smile touching his lips. He tilted his head upwards, apparently in thought. “Old enough.”
A hint of annoyance flared up inside of Celestia, but she knew better than to pry into something that had was apparently personal and private. “You said you were going to explain your magic?”
The sadness disappeared rapidly from his face, but it lingered still in his eyes, old memories resurfacing. “Everything I’m about to say will sound ridiculous. But at this stage, it is the only truth that makes sense."
He took a deep breath, pausing for a few moments, before letting it out.
“I am from a different world,” he continued. Celestia raised an eyebrow, while Luna held a stoic expression. “From a different dimension and timeline completely unrelated to this one. How I got here, I don’t know. I died in my previous life and awoke again in this body four years ago, before Nightmare Moon’s return. I wasn’t always a pony but something very alien to this world. Don’t ask me what it was because whatever conversion process is involved it has muddled my memories of what I used to be.”
He paused for a bit, tilting his head thoughtfully as he gazed absently past the Royal Sisters. Luna began to walk around the prison cell, carefully observing the stallion. “There’s much more that you’re not telling us.”
“I’m not a pony, not by any normal definition. Tell me, are you familiar with ‘demons’ and ‘devils’?”
There was a slight shimmering as a protective shield was thrown around Celestia and Luna by the Paragon. Celestia tensed for a moment, eyes narrowing. The term ‘demon’ was often thrown around by the ignorant and the scared.
“Demons are beings of chaos and evil, often their purpose is to cause destruction and suffering,” Celestia replied in a measured tone. “Devils are higher-class beings, still evil and still dedicated to the suffering of others - but their evil is more directed than that of a demon.”
Adrias gave a flat smile. “Good, it makes the next part easier. You see, in my previous life, I was what was called a ‘Devil-Child’.”
“The child of a devil?” Luna said indignantly. “That hardly makes sense - devils are not born and there has never been a ‘child’. They are created in the deepest fires of Tartarus.”
“And you are correct, Princess Luna.” He wave a hoof dismissively at her, or at least as much as the thick chains allowed. “Devils dislike the fires and suffering around them. They seek an escape at all times.”
A twisted smile crept over his face, a dark ember burning behind his eyes. The tired look was gone now, replaced by a vile malice. “The mortal world is so tender and fresh, virginial in its uncorrupted state. Young souls teeming with ideas and hope all ripe to be cut and crushed down so mercilessly.”
Luna stiffened. “You speak with experience.”
The dark ember fluttered out, the old and tired look returning to his eyes. “I speak with the experience of a thousands souls haunting my dreams every night.”
Celestia let out a soft gasp as she noticed her breath misting up in front of her.
“A Devil-Child is a mortal soul imbued with the powers and essence of devils and demons. We are an anchor point for them to enter. A engine of chaos and destruction with the sole purpose of giving into the evil whispers that sing us to sleep every night.”
Ice was forming in the chamber. Luna already had a spell charging at her horn. “How are you…? All magic has been cut off from you!”
Adrias let out a dark chuckle. “This ‘magic’ -," he spat the word as if it left a vile taste on his tongue, " - is a taint running deeply through my soul. An Ice-Demon once sought to shackle me to his will and desires.”
The ice melted rapidly, before reforming into a single statue of a pony in front of Adrias. Its features were completely flawless, each groove and detail beautiful far beyond what a normal pony could ever carve by hoof or even with magic.
“I have made his will mine now, and his desires no longer influence me.”
The Paragon Guard flooded the chamber. Celestia glanced at them and shook her head. “At ease. He is not a direct threat.”
“Your Highness, you must be evacuated at once. The shield spells -,” one of the burly unicorns began but was cut off.
“Would not have helped regardless,” she finished his sentence. “If he wished to dispose of me, he could have done so easily by now.”
The guards shifted uneasily, but did not remove their dagger-like glare at Adrias. He tilted his head up, offering a pleasant smile.
Luna spoke firmly, her stance not relaxing. “Are you implying that our guest is a ‘Devil-Child’ as you call it?”
The stallion shook his head. “No, I’m saying that she’s a demon. A creature of darkness.”
The two princesses shared an uneasy look. Celestia knew there was something odd about Devoted but a demon? She was well-mannered and calm, but most of all Celestia could find no malicious intent in the horned-mare. A realisation slammed into her. Adrias had no obvious malicious intent, but that didn’t change the fact that he was dangerous. Much like Devoted Shield was.
“Finally seeing my point, Princess?”
Celestia didn’t say anything for a long while. Leaving her sister to stew in her own thoughts, Luna took a step towards Adrias. “How do you recognise her, then? For what she is?”
“I recognise the energies running through her soul, however what I’m most curious is how she arrived.” The stallion shivered for a moment, closing his eyes and he shook his head. “All I know is it was a violent arrival. Not...not unlike my own.” He shivered again. “I was in the Crystal Empire at the time and even there I felt the surge.”
“What are you suggesting we do, Adrias?” Celestia said. At least she knew a lot more about the situation than she did earlier that day, but there were still far too many unanswered questions.
“I want to see her. I need to confirm with my own eyes why she’s here.”
Celestia shot a look at Luna, who wore an uneasy look on her face. The solar princess nodded before turning back to Adrias. “We can arrange that.”