What happens when a warrior doesn't have the desire for combat anymore? Do they just give up, or do they go to the death finding something better?
Orisian was a juggernaut. He could break through castle walls alone if you gave him the order. He could obliterate enemy ranks if it was required, and he could hold off thousands of enemy forces if it meant protecting his superiors. But even with his experience and strength, no one can save a kingdom that is past its glory days. So what happens when his world falls, and everything he fights for is gone?
Added the Romance tag. Honestly never expected to have that in this story.
The army's captain, Lord Ryelon was a strict man, lithe and agile, fearless, tactical, and loyal to the one true king, not some pathetic little rebels from the seas.
But these cowards didn't fight honorably. They attacked from a distance with weapons that spit metal, and charged when their opponents were wounded.
Orisian had taken many hits from them, and was currently wearing a significant number of bandages under his plate mail armor, but he still moved with an easy grace, despite his form being heavier than most.
He handed the scout's reports over to Lord Ryelon, and drew his great sword from the sheath on his back, expecting to go in ahead of the rest of the army.
The lord muttered something that resembled 'cowards', or 'dishonor'.
"Prepare for a retreat."
Orisian immediately sheathed his sword and gave out the command for full company movement, his voice rough and edgy, like that of the veteran he was.
"They want to fight like cowards, we'll show them there is no place for them in Remor."
Reigning in his horse, he turned around and started to make his way towards the back of his company, while Orisian stayed behind to make sure the whole army was ready.
They had made it look as if they had retreated fully. The cavalry going on a full speed gallop back to the nearby villages, but the footmen having difficulty escaping.
That was what it looked like anyway.
In truth, the cavalry fell back to the villages, while the common soldiers waited in hiding, ready to ambush their enemies. Orisian was at the forefront of the small battalion, sword drawn and ready for blood.
It wasn't long before the sound of footsteps could be heard. The cowards thinking they had won without a fight, had pressed forward, planning to raid the villages. As soon as they were close enough, Orisian gave the order, and the King's men charged forth with the valor of the Angels.
Their opponents were caught by surprise, and a good number of them fell before they could retaliate, but their guns made fighting back child's play, passing through shield, armor, flesh, and blood alike with a loud symphony of powder blasts.
Orisian was still a force to be feared, however, taking the hits and staining the grass Crimson. His greatsword, old and worn but still deadly, was a flash of red and white, spilling blood and bringing whatever bone that got in the way with it.
Understanding that being close to him meant death, his opponents ran and tried to stop his charge with a focused assault, but Orisian was a raging bull, spelling death on the battlefield. It was a good long while before the only screams of pain were that of his enemies.
His brothers were dead, and the cowards he didn't kill were fleeing as quick as their feet would carry them. Orisian let them run. His armor was weighing him down, and he had already lost more blood than was in him. As he sheathed his sword, he thought it was a good day to die in the defense of Remor. But his work wasn't over, and it wasn't time to rest, so he started moving back to the village the cavalry and Lord Ryelon had gone to defend, but didn't take more than 10 steps before fatigue set in, and his armor pulled him to the ground.
He woke up, naked and covered in dried blood, with the ground rocking slowly beneath him. He was chained, hand to hand, and foot to foot.
As he looked around, he saw he was in a small wooden room, with about six others, faces he recognized from the cavalry. And Lord Ryelon.
"My lord."
Lord Ryelon looked up at Orisian, and a sad smile spread across his face.
"My old friend."
Each and every one of them were bloody, bleeding, and naked. Not one bandage was on them, nor was there a scrap of clothing anywhere. These cowards had no chivalry. Orisian himself was plastered in dried blood, bones creaking with every movement, and had a deadly headache.
"What do you think, Orisian? Shall we accept our defeat, or will we toss away our beliefs in hopes of achieving vengeance?"
"It's not my choice, m'lord. But they deserve to be baptized in the blood of their kin for the dishonor they bring their family name."
"Aye, t'was exactly what I was thinking. Well then, it's agreed? We give them one last minute of hell?"
His question was greeted by loud shouts of agreement from his brothers, and they all lined up in front of Orisian, who used his own chains as leverage for freeing his brethren. A little rattling, and a loud chink when the chains broke was the only sound it made.
As soon as the last was free, Orisian broke down the wooden door that was held closed by a simple wooden bar. The four guards were quickly overwhelmed, keys looted, weapons taken, and clothing recovered from a nearby chest, and weapons from a nearby weapon rack. One of the cavalrymen unlocking Orisian's chains, and then handing him a weapon, which he refused. Taking his unlocked chains, he gave it a few swings, and found he could get a significant advantage with range and power.
Charging forward, the small group blitzkrieged the seemingly large ship, taking whatever weapons their enemies dropped and using them to their full extent. That being, firing once and hurling it at the closest opponent's face.
At least, when they got a weapon, they did. It was nearly impossible, seeing as how they were shot before they got close. Their only edge in combat were the guns they had looted from the first few guards, and the other weapons from the weapon rack.
Lord Ryelon was the first to fall, taking multiple shots and wetting the hard wood floor with Crimson. But this only served to strengthen the King's men, forcing them forward with unwavering resolve. Of the few cowards that dared attempt hand to hand combat with them, they were quickly outmatched and killed, even with their allies raining hellfire.
But that was only a few, and the majority of them held back, wasting ammunition in an attempt at giving the ship a new layer of paint.
Without his armor, Orisian was moving much faster than he normally would, but their bullets were still much faster, and his wounds were taking their toll. He was slowing down, and he was getting clumsy, slipping on his own blood, or someone else's, and even trying to dodge the bullets after they hit him.
Which meant eventually he had to go down, which he did. Hard. Landing on his face with a heavy thud, the gunfire stopped. The ship rang with howls and cheers of victory, if you could call it that. The ship was littered with more corpses than the brave seven.
Soon though, they remembered their previous mistake of letting Orisian live, and gathered up some chains and a cannonball, tied it to his chest, and threw him overboard, yelling something about a locker.
Orisian was still alive, but the saltwater was burning his wounds, and his vision was darkening. The fact that he was quickly being pulled down into the dark depths of the ocean wasn't helping. Soon enough, the last thing he saw was darkness, as he prepared to meet his Gods.
His wounds weren't burning anymore. In fact it was as if they were being cleansed. And it didn't seem like he was being dragged down anymore, rather, he had changed direction and was now being pulled upwards. As he broke the surface of the ocean, he coughed up a mixture of blood and water, and attempted to grab anything he could. He never liked swimming.
His chains restricted his arm movement, but with the cannonball being tied to his chest, it helped loosen the bonds, allowing him to, with a little work, easily remove the chains, letting the cannonball fall to the depths once more.
As he grabbed the edge of wherever he was grabbing, he pulled himself up and fell face first into the ground. He got up, letting the chains fall around him, and looked around. He found himself soaking wet, bleeding, and wearing clothes that didn't exactly fit him in a cavern shining with sparkling rock and strange flora. Looking back, he saw a pond in the shape of a perfect circle, tinted red with his blood.
The light coming from the entrance of the cave gave him the idea he was above water, and decided it would be a better idea to cover his wounds with whatever he could before he bagan exploring. In all the years he had been alive in Remor, he had never been on a boat for longer than a few minutes, or gone swimming. Especially, in the ocean. He preferred to remain on solid ground.
Sitting down, he took off the cloth shirt that he had gotten from the chest before, and tore off the sleeve, ringing it as dry as he could before tying it around his arm to stop the bleeding from a bullet. Drying the rest of his shirt, he tried tying it around his body, and when he succeeded, he leaned back, laid down, and tried to get some rest.
He woke up not feeling anything, but the moment he tried to move he felt everything. From the joy of still being alive to the pain of having his skin pierced in multiple places. Scratch that, not the joy of still being alive. The joy of still having the chance to defend Remor, and earn victory in the name of the true king.
He got up, and started to walk towards the cave entrance, but it was a slow and painful walk. The wounds already festering, and becoming infected, he had a hard time moving without feeling as if hellfire had replaced his blood. Which, he wouldn't be surprised if it had. He didn't expect to survive the fight, or the drowning, and it only made sense to be floating in water with a good extra hundred pounds weighing him down if the the devil had something to do with it. Or the Gods werent done with him. Or his sins had cursed him to an eternity of damnation, to watch, helpless, as Remor falls. the last thought troubled him deeply.
He made it half way to the entrance before he found he couldn't push forward. He felt drawn to something behind him. As he turned around, his eyes wandered to the pool, which now had a perfectly calm surface, and was cleansed of any evidence to suggest someone had been bleeding in it. Curious, he started moving towards it, ignoring the pain and wondering if the Gods are going to punish or praise him.
Standing over the pool and looking directly in, he saw only his reflection, but he still felt like this pool had meaning, other than being the door to his survival. As he looked closer, he saw shapes begin to form, not exactly recognizable features, but they were buildings, people, horses, and carts. He recognized it as Veritas, the town the King's castle was located. He had been there a good portion of his life, stationed as a watchman. He knew every inch of that place.
But the figures weren't going about the daily business of a market, or the run down part of the town. The majority of them were fighting, or crouching behind shields. He knew it was the cowards from the seas because they were using guns, but was soon ensured that it was what he thought, as distinguishing characteristics began to form, filling in every detail for the combatants, buildings, and everything else in the picture. It was Veritas, and they were fighting for the town. It was a terrible sight for him, his brethren being slaughtered as much as the citizens.
Righteous fury guiding him, he leaped up onto the ledge of the pool, and dived in.
Apparently, the Gods were punishing him, because the pool wasn't even an inch deep. He fell directly on his face, and made a small splash as the rest of his body landed. He got up, a bit stunned, and looked back into the pool, but it's water was disturbed, and when it returned to its normal, calm state, the vision was gone.
Orisian kneeled before the pool and sent a prayer for Remor, the citizens, and the King. He stayed like this for a long while before he heard a ringing coming from the pool, steadily increasing in volume. As he stepped back up to the pool he saw another figure, that of a woman, come into shape. As the features were added, he noticed that this wasn't a normal human, if not for the fact that her skin was a dark blue, she had wings, a horn, and flowing hair that copied the stars of the night.
He briefly thought that the Gods were playing tricks on him as he took a step back, but a darker thought played his emotions. He contemplated the possibility of demons. The thought that he had been torn off course from heaven, and thrown into hell. If this was hell however, it was nothing like the stories he had been told of. Mercenaries finding the door to the Underworld in a cave somewhere near the docks, peasants seeing a gateway opened in the night, or even trustworthy scholars claiming to have communicated with malevolent spirits. None of them were anything like what he saw before him, save for cavern.
He didn't know what to think. He didn't even have the knowledge required to panic, nor the calm required for rational thinking. His mind was filled with the thoughts of demons, Gods, and even hostile magic users from other parts of the world. But then he remembered the "locker" he heard about as he was tossed into the ocean. Maybe this was it.
After forcing himself out of the cave, he found that he was surrounded by a dark forest, filled with strange trees and plants, nothing like the small, green forests Remor had. He knew that he wasn't anywhere near his home, his king, or his kinsmen. But that reality only served to urge him forward. His return would be glorious, and songs would be sung of how he and those still loyal to the True King held off the cowards of the seas. He would make sure of it.
Pushing his way through brambles and thick bushes, he looked for an end to the trees, and upon finding none, he pushed himself even harder, loyal determination and the perseverance of a true Kingsman giving him the strength that led him to find a small door in the center of a tree.
Orisian stopped dead in his tracks, hoping he wasn't heard, but after a minute's thought, figured that the Gods wanted him to be seen, and approached the door. It took him a few minutes to do anything besides stand there, listening to whatever he could hear that was coming from inside the tree. But after hearing nothing, he decided to knock, three, loud times.
It only took a few seconds, but once the door was opened, he was greeted to a woman with her hair going straight down the middle of her head, ears pierced with large golden earrings, grey skin with darker grey - or light black - stripes across her visible form, with strange wooden carvings as clothing. Immense jewelry covered her arms, and even one ankle.
Her look of surprise quickly turned to one of concern, as she spoke in a voice as mystic as it was powerful.
"Please, enter my home quickly friend, so that I may help your troubles come to an end."
Her friendliness and worry for his well being made him more than just a little suspicious, but he put his faith in the Gods and entered, no trace of fear, or thankfulness showing on his face.
She closed the door behind him and quickly moved to a boiling pot in the middle of the small room, which was adorned with very strange looking wooden carvings, many of them depicting human-like faces, but oddly distorted. As she gathered a few items from shelves lining one side of the wall and put them into the cauldron, it began to bubble over before she tossed in a few specks of a greenish dust, after which it began to calm down.
"A question I must ask you, how did you come by those many wounds?"
Orisian realized he had forgotten to effectively stop the bleeding, and cleanse the wounds. He looked down at himself, and found his makeshift bandages had been almost completely torn from his body, and among the bullet holes covering it, he had developed a legion of scratches.
He let out a long, weary sigh, before he answered.
"War."
The strange woman looked at him for a long while, before she replied with a cautious, but exploratory statement, that implied she had no idea of what went on around the world.
"A war in Equestria will not end with a pleased Celestia. A brutal conflict-"
"Equestria?"
Orisian had never heard of the place. No traveling merchant, scholar, or explorer had ever said anything about an 'Equestria'. But then again, they had never shared many stories that he was interested in listening to.
The woman looked at him like he was a newborn baby who had spoken its first words already.
"A strange question to use, for one who doesn't look confused. Another question i must ask, what strife has filled your past?"
Orisian was beginning to get annoyed at how she spoke in rhymes, but ignored it and tried to continue the conversation.
"A strange question to ask someone you just met."
The woman seemed amused at this, but before she could say anything, the cauldron began to steam. A lot. The room was filled with a warm mist as she retrieved a cup and some cloth from one of the shelves, filled the cup with the liquid and wetted the cloth before giving both to Orisian.
"A healing brew, made only for you."
Orisian looked at the liquid, which was a dark red color, before putting the cup to his lips, and drinking. It was a pleasant taste, the kind you'd expect from poisoned food. After he drank all of it, he looked at the cloth, and then back to the woman.
"A gentle application to your injuries, is like sitting under a healing tree."
After having said that, she went to a drawer by her bed, and retrieved a showl from it. Orisian watched her movements, which were smooth and fluid, the perfection of an elder, yet she didn't seem nearly as old as he was. He began rubbing the cloth along his arm, and immediately the warmth transferred from the cloth directly to his muscles, resulting in a relaxing feeling that instantly removed any pain he had from the wounds that ran across his arm. After all he had been through, this was the best feeling that had physically happened to him.
"I believe you need assistance from a clothes maker, from Ponyville I will bring a very skilled tailor."
He stopped her before she could make it to the door, asking for her name.
"Zecora is the information you seek, please do not be afraid to speak."
"Well then, there is one more question I want to ask, how far away is Remor, and which direction do I start moving?"
Zecora's blank face made Orisian's heart quicken, and her response made it stop.
"Of Remor I do not know, but I may know someone who can give hope."
"Ah. Then there's only a chance?"
"Have faith my friend, for there is only a chance at the end."
At the mention of faith, Orisian remembered he was a Kingsman, and his spirits went higher than the heavens. He let out a long, rough laugh. "Then faith it is! My thanks, friend, but I wish I didn't have to wait. Mind if I go with you?"
"The passing of time, only serves to finish the God's design."
After saying that, she looked him up and down, and after doing the same, he realized he was still in very bad shape, and let her get to the door.
Orisian had spent a good few minutes addressing his wounds with the cloth Zecora had given him, and afterwards tried to get some sleep right beside the door. It only seemed like a few minutes later, but it wasn't Zecora who woke him up, rather, it was voices that didn't rhyme whenever they spoke. Both were feminine, and he only heard footsteps when they were right by the door. He was quite surprised to see that they also had features that distinguished them from people in Remor.
One had completely purple hair with a horn coming out of the middle of her forehead. Her skin was a pale white, and she wore jewelry that would put the King's wife to shame. She also wore an expensive looking silk shirt with light blue pants that were obviously not made for a forest, already ripped in some places, but still containing tiny shining gems.
The other had purple skin, dark blue hair with a stripe of bright pink and light purple. She also had a horn coming from the middle of her forehead. She wore a casual shirt, the kind peasants from Remor would wear while they worked, and durable dark blue pants. Durable by the fact that there was not a scratch on them. Her horn glowed a bright purple, and a few books hovered around her with a light purple aura surrounding them, while she fingered through a book she held in her hands.
The 'fancier' one, whom Orisian thought must be royalty, stopped dead in her tracks and let out a slight gasp as she saw him. Her eyes were wide open and her jaw was hanging slightly agape as she looked him up and down. Her friend noticed and looked up from the book, her eyes also widening and jaw hanging open.
Orisian looked at them with growing suspicion, but remembered that all he was wearing were pants, and looked down at his body. He was still wet, either from coming from the pool, or the cloth Zecora had given. He was surprised to find that the bullet wounds he had received were completely gone, but his scars from previous battles were still showing. Along with the muscle, and impressive figure a lifetime of conflict brings.
Zecora only smiled, and coughed before moving back to the cauldron and stirring.
Zecora's interruption freed the two women from their trance, and the royal one spoke first, in a voice that made him think she exaggerated everything.
"I- I am Rarity. I was told you needed some... New clothes."
Her friend spoke next, in a voice that expressed superior intellect. She seemed to be a bit more controlled.
"I, am Twilight Sparkle. I was told you needed some assistance with geography?
"Maybe I should... Start... Measuring for your new clothes?"
'Rarity' took a measuring tape from one of the pockets on her pants, and made a gesture that implied he answer the question.
Looking around from Twilight to Rarity, and glancing at their horns, he answered in the affirmative. With his permission granted, Rarity moved to begin measuring a little sheepishly, while Twilight hovered multiple books open in front of her, pages moving to rest at the middle of each book.
"So, what did you want to know?"
Orisian's eyes were fixed on Rarity's horn as she moved behind him to do her 'measuring'. He figured that without his armor, both of their horns were sharp enough to impale him. Not completely moving his attention to Twilight, he asked her where he could find a way to Remor.
"Hmm... I've never heard of it..."
Flipping through pages of multiple books at a time, she moved the books she wasn't looking at into her field of view, putting the books she was done with closed behind her, and flipping through pages at a seemingly increasing rate.
Meanwhile, Rarity was getting a little touchy where she was measuring, running her hands lightly across his abdomen, rather than actually measuring. She seemed to regain control of herself soon enough, however, and quickly went back to doing what she originally had planned. Orisian was getting a bit annoyed, and still didn't trust anyone who had extra features.
"I can't seem to find anything named 'Remor'. Maybe I brought the wrong books."
Rarity jumped up from where she was measuring, and, a bit embarrassed, giggled.
"Well, I have the measurements I need to make you some new clothes. What would like to wear, darling?"
Orisian remembered how comfortable he was when he wore his armor to Lord Uwen's wedding. He thought back to how easy he could move when he was protected by armor. He remembered how unstoppable his charge was when he had his armor's weight behind him. In fact, all he could think about wearing was his armor, but seeing as she didn't look like a blacksmith, he settled for something a little lighter.
"Whatever she's wearing."
Rarity looked over at Twilight, who was rechecking books she had already been through, and looked a bit confused.
"You mean something light?"
"Aye."
"Well, what about a suit? I dare say, you would look... Very attractive in one."
Orisian thought of the lords he had seen in suits. Their movements were restricted, and they moved with a forced grace. He didn't know how they could put up with being royalty, but he respected them for it.
"No, I'd rather be able to move."
Rarity seemed a bit shocked by his answer, but decided against pushing forward.
"Twilight, when we get back to Ponyville, may I borrow those clothes?"
Twilight looked at Rarity as if she had forgotten what she could do.
"You can't just make some of your own?"
"Well darling, I'm more used to making dresses and suits. I need to do a little research on how to make more... Simple... Work."
Rarity looked at Orisian and gave a shy giggle. Twilight just answered in the affirmative.
"So... Uh, what's your name?"
He looked at Twilight for a long while before answering her.
"My name is Orisian, veteran of the True King's armies, and personal bodyguard to Lord Ryelon... failed personal bodyguard to Lord Ryelon."
"Oh darling, what happened?"
"I don't think you've earned that information. The last moments of a warrior are only to be shared with his brethren, and his family."
"Oh... Very well then."
"Are you sure Remor is the only name your kingdom goes by? Maybe it's listed as something else in one of these books."
"No, Remor is the most powerful kingdom in the east side of the sea. It borders on becoming an empire."
"East side of the seas? Are you sure? I know most of the geography on the north, east and west side of the seas. The south hasn't been a very big part of my studies. Actually, none of the directions were very important, but I had nothing else to study. I had already finished and surpassed most of the spells considered safe for a student my age. Actually, now that I think of it, I'm far past most of th-"
"Twilight, darling, don't you think you should be helping him find his home again?"
"Maybe it's on the south side. I never much paid attention to geography."
"Well, no offense, but it would be very helpful here."
"Aye, it would. I'll learn more about it when I get back to Remor, and finish liberating it from the maggots that infest it's lands."
"What do you mean?"
Orisian was about to answer her question, but Zecora cut in. Handing Orisian a cup of orange liquid, she spoke in the same, mystic rhyme she usually does.
"A drink to help set your spirit free, and find out what is your destiny."
Orisian took the cup, and remembering that the drink before had been extremely helpful, put his full faith into her concoction, drinking it all in a single gulp.
It didn't seem like anything happened. After a while he forgot where he was, until he saw the burning houses of Veritas, and remembered that it was under attack. Immediately he drew his sword. Or not. He couldn't find it. In fact he realized he wasn't even wearing his armor. He was wearing nothing but pants, and was still wet from something. He was confused, but still a Kingsman, so he went to one of the corpses and looted it for weapons, and armor. Or not. He couldn't touch it. His hand went right through it. Fearing that he was being punished, he sprinted in the direction to the King's castle, only to find corpses of his kinsmen and a few pirates scattering the castle grounds and steps.
Upon entering the actual castle, he found corpses of nobles scattered throughout. Not just the men, but the women too. But that wasn't the thing that gave him hell. It was his King.
His King was a young one, having just inherited the throne from his dying father at age 21. Orisian had been with him from the minute he could walk, and only left when he was old enough to give commands. He had a lot of memories, but they were all pushed aside by the fact that he had failed his duty to protect the king. The great warriors of the past and the old King himself must be looking down on Orisian with hate.
It was too much for him to take, and he dropped to his knees, praying forgiveness.
He was still praying when he was interrupted by the others. Moving his hands away from his face, he looked around from Twilight to Rarity to Zecora. Remembering that it was Zecora who saved him, and the other two were trying to help him, he took it as incense the Gods were trying to give. He would redeem himself by giving his life to those who earned it. Or would he? The loss of his King left him confused, and utterly destroyed. His will was gone, and his mind was sure to follow. Were the Gods truly trying to help him to redemption? Or was it his curse to live with freaks, harboring the knowledge that he failed the crown? He saw their mouths moving, but heard nothing. He saw them reach out to grab him, but felt nothing. He was so tired.
So.. Very...
Tired.
Maybe it was the sound of bubbling that woke him up, or the sound of a faint hymn, like that of a lullaby. But lifting himself up, he found out that it was neither. He was in Acora, the Hero's Fields. Or Suthor, the Obsidian Realm. He couldn't tell which, and he didn't want to know. He knew he failed. He felt failure. But if he was in Suthor, he would have a chance to redeem himself. The churches never spoke of redemption in the Lost World, but he was a Kingsman. And the Gods would be damned if he didn't make it to the Hero's Table.
"Awake so soon? Yours is a mind as tough as stone."
Looking over, he saw Zecora stirring her cauldron. His expression must have written his confusion on the wall behind him, for Zecora smiled and, filling yet another cup with clear liquid, walked over and gave it to him. He felt like he was lifting an entire castle when he tried to drink the 'water'. Zecora helped him, and helped him realize he wasn't dead yet.
"To travel to another place without moving, is no easy task for a young human."
"Young? I'm older than you are woman."
"But your mind is not. Not even able to put together a single thought."
"What are you talking about?"
"A belief that you are dead, has been pushed into your head, no?"
"Maybe. But it's gone now."
Orisian was feeling a little less drowsy after having drank the liquid, but he still felt like he had an extra thousand pounds weighing down his limbs, which made it extremely difficult to lay back down.
"A vision of your home, it was not as you'd hoped?"
Orisian only grunted in response, and Zecora frowned, but otherwise made no move to continue the conversation. Moving back to her cauldron, she put in a few other ingredients and went back to stirring.
Orisian, for the first time, felt embarrassed. He was a Kingsman, only to show emotion to brethren, and family. And rarely to either. So his next question was a bit forced.
"What you gave me... What was it?"
"A brew for an eagle's view. Properties of the spirit, allow for a magical experience."
"So... It wasn't real?"
He looked over at her, hoping for some relief, but he saw only sadness and a shake of the head.
"What you saw was a vision of truth, only formed for the mind's youth."
He had a feeling that it was his mind's youth, but didn't pay attention to it. He did fail, and he didn't die. The worst part was he wasn't even in Remor anymore. But, the fact was, he had been brought in, healed, and shown what happened to his King. A truth that hurt, even killed his honor, but it was an act that called for a debt. And a Kingsman always repays his debts.
He forced himself up, every movement screaming flame. He had a debt to pay for being shown the truth. And he would damn himself if he failed this time. The Gods wouldn't need to worry.
"Well, Zecora. What do you need done? I am yours to command. For now."
Zecora looked confused at first, but quickly recovered, smiling as if she had no care in the world. She went back to stirring her cauldron.
"You've shown me a truth I didn't wish to see. But I am grateful for it. I will serve you until that debt is repaid."
Zecora slightly turned her head and looked at him, but soon went back to stirring. Orisian thought that meant she had no need of him now, and slowly and very painfully, went back to laying in the bed.
His eyes were closed, and he was drifting off to sleep, but the sound of Zecora's voice woke him up. It was a soothing voice, and he found himself drifting back to sleep before she finished the sentence.
"A debt to me is owed. But I will give this to the moon's very own."
He was looking at himself, after the slaughter at Azmar. He was in his armor, and it was raining, but the water was tinted red. He was watching himself look out over the battlefield, in armor wet with blood and rain. His sword was standing up from the ground just beside him.
He had no idea what was going on, because this battle happened years ago, and he was seeing himself from the past. He was beginning to think the drinks had some side effects, but his thoughts were interrupted by a voice that proclaimed caring authority.
"Thou hast nothing to fear. We are in thine dream."
Looking to his right, Orisian saw the woman he first saw in the pool he crawled out of. She stood with a posture like that of the lords from his world, and spoke with more honor, if it were possible.
"What do you mean?"
She looked him in the eyes before answering.
"The dreamscape. I am Princess Luna, guardian of dreams, and the night. I saw thine uneasiness. I am here to help thee conquer it."
She spoke as if she was telling a story about Knights of old, as if she were forming a story just now. She spoke with glory.
"And how can you help me?"
"I am here to help thee understand thine dreams. To help thee command them. To help thee explore them."
"And you can do that how?"
"Perhaps it would be simpler if I could show thee."
With that, she closed her eyes, her horn began to glow a dark blue, and everything around them began to warp. Twisting into something before the battle. It made Orisian a little sick in the stomach after he saw that even what he was standing on wasn't stable anymore. When it did stop, he saw himself, Lord Ryelon, and a fellow kinsman standing around a table, in a military tent. Large, open, and filled with weapons and armor. Lord Ryelon let out a barking laugh before turning around and moving right through Orisian.
"Get in formation boys, we're spilling blood for the King tonight!"
Orisian felt nothing as he was passed. Not a movement of air, nor the coldness a peasant claims to feel after being touched by a ghost. His former self, and the other commander followed quickly behind him, and Orisian hurriedly moved out of the way before they could touch him. He stood there for a moment before collecting himself and following them out.
Outside the tent, the troops were already in line, and it was starting to rain. Lord Ryelon mounted his horse, and Orisian drew his sword. The commander moved to the back of the company, already giving orders. Orisian knew the cavalry would go in first, because he remembered this day perfectly. It was the only day any Kingsman had been defeated.
The charge had started, and the thunder of over a hundred horses drowned out every other sound. When the cavalry hit the wall of enemies, there was a satisfying sound of screams as they were cut down, but Orisian was waiting for the dreaded moment that he knew was coming. Soon enough, it was there. Horses fell, and the screams of his kinsmen filled the air. Lord Ryelon ordered Orisian and the footman to charge, and they did. He watched as they crossed the field, a large portion of them already dead from the crossbows their opponents were using.
Orisian himself remembers taking multiple hits before he got anywhere near them, but also remembered they were very weak in close combat. Orisian felt hate rising in his chest, and adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Upon noticing his anger, Luna spoke up.
"A sad day then?"
"Filthy maggots, the lot of them."
Returning her attention to the battle, both of them saw how easily the King's enemies were overwhelmed when they were too close to shoot. Orisian himself was leaving a river of blood, carving a pathway through enemy forces. They both saw more enemies coming in on horseback, firing at both their allies and opponents.
During the middle of this, Luna decided it was a good time to speak.
"This battle reminds me of a time long past, of when I had conflicts between parts of myself. In the end, it caused me to have conflict between my sister and I. Of which, the battles were long, and bloody."
The battle below had taken a turn for the worst, Orisian's side taking massive casualties, and barely returning the damage.
"I look back at those battles now, and regret everything about them."
Orisian could hear the screams of combat.
"Not only did they cause suffering for those that fought and died, but they caused suffering for those that survived, those that watched, and those that ran."
Orisian's side was slaughtered, and even he was faultering. Lord Ryelon ordered the final charge.
"It took me over one-thousand years to realize that it wasn't worth it."
By now, Lord Ryelon had entered the fight, and was giving a slight edge over the enemy cavalry.
"And even now, after all of it is far behind me, I still regret my actions."
Ryelon's assisstance was something, but almost nothing compared to the range their opponents had.
"Those that fought for me. Those that fought against me."
Ryelon had been hit multiple times, and was hanging off his horse limply.
"I regret everything I did during those dark days."
Orisian had found his way to Lord Ryelon, and had sent the horse off away from the battle.
"In the end, it all meant nothing."
Orisian was being circled by them, and had no chance of retaliating to the attacks they gave.
"When I look back on it, I suppose I did it to get some kind of foolish revenge on my sister."
Orisian was on the ground now, seemingly dead. The enemies left him there.
"I hope you do not seek what I did."
Orisian remembered waking up after that, the rain coming down hard. It was an unholy rain, colored red with the blood of his kinsmen.
"No. We defeated them soon after this battle. But the heroes who fell here will always be remembered."
When Orisian tried to move, he found it wasn't at all difficult, but Zecora soon stopped him. She was applying the healing whatever she had given him before she left for town.
"Anything I should know of? That happened while I was asleep?"
"A new journey you will take. To Canterlot's castle gates."
"And I assume your accompanying me?"
Zecora only smiled as she continued to apply the cloth to his forehead.
"Are you going to answer that question?"
Zecora shook Her head as she began to hum a tune that brought sleep once again to the forefront of his mind. He pushed the thought away, however, and began to think of this Canterlot he was going to, wondering if he could find a blacksmith, and wondering how much it would cost for him to use the forge. He pushed that thought away as well, seeing as making his own armor would take time that he wasn't sure he had. He moved on to thinking of what weapons cost here, and seeing as how it was already so much different from Remor, wondered what kind of strange weapons it had.
After a moment of thinking, he asked her when he would start repaying his debt.
"A transfer of debts is soon to come, for I am giving you to a familiar one."
"What are you talking about?"
"In Canterlot you will see, the princess of the lunar armies."
"You mean you know what happened in my dream? The woman I saw?"
Zecora smiled just as calmy as usual, and offered him a hand. Taking it and pulling himself up, he found that sitting was much more nauseating than lying down. Zecora went to a bag in the corner to retrieve something, while Orisian simply sat there with his head in his hands.
Coming back to him, she gave him a strange fruit, it's shape oval, but it's features distorted.
"A soothing fruit to he-"
Not wanting to cause offense, but wanting to speed up the conversation, he asked the next question with as much politeness as he could.
"Can you just answer the question normally?"
Zecora seemed amused, and stood there for a short moment, looking directly at him. Orisian began to think he had offended her, but she spoke up just before he was about to apologize.
"It has been so long since I did not speak in rhyme, I have to think about it. Forgive me if I seem ignorant, but I am not used to speaking like this. The fruit has natural qualities that enhance the mind of those that eat it. It is not permanent, but it will last long enough to help you get over any headaches you have, and avoid any mistakes that might offend others due to your mental exhaustion."
"Ah. And I assume it is like an apple?"
Zecora seemed very amused at this, as she let out a short chuckle.
"No, it is like a coconut. You must break it open."
"A coconut?"
"Yes. Allow me to show you."
Orisian gave her the fruit, and she dropped it. It landed with a thud, and a quiet but noticeable cracking sound. She picked it up, and pulled it apart, both parts having an inside like that of an orange. She gave him one side, and asked if she could use the other side for herself, to help with the 'normal speaking'.
Orisian answered in affirmative as he took a tentative bite to the inside. It wasn't chewy, but it was dry. However, as soon as he had it in his mouth, it seemed to turn to liquid, Covering his tongue with a bitter taste. Zecora smiled at the look on his face as he tried to keep from spitting it out, as she herself bit into it, seeming to enjoy the taste the strange fruit had.
Orisian swallowed what was left of it, and asked how much he has to eat to get the effects they were looking for, and Zecora answered that he had eaten enough.
"While we wait for the desired enhancements, are there any questions you wish to ask?"
"Are you familiar with the weapons and armor of this land? How much they cost and what they're called?"
Zecora seemed to think for a moment before answering, and when she did answer she didn't seem sure of herself. A first for her.
"In my homeland, we used what was given to us by the elders, items of great power passed down from generation to generation. But here, the only things I have seen in my travels were spears and swords. I am sorry I cannot be more helpful."
"Nothing to be sorry for my friend, I'll find out soon enough. So, about Canterlot. What is it like?"
"I am afraid I cannot answer you, as I have never been there."
"But you're coming with me, yes?"
"You will be accompanied by Twilight. She will show you the way to Canterlot, and to the ranks of the lunar armies."
"And I'm going to assume that I can enlist?"
"Yes. They are led by Princess Luna, the one you saw in your dreams."
"I'm still not sure I trust anyone different from me. Horns and wings and the like."
"Judgement based on sight often leaves an undeveloped mind."
Zecora seemed to be oblivious to the fact that she rhymed, and so was Orisian. He was thinking about this 'Luna', and if she had the honor necessary to lead a Kingsman. Of course, if Zecora was going to give him to her, he wouldn't have much choice in the matter, but he would once the debt was repaid. Maybe that would be long enough for him to assess her worth.
After around a 30 minute talk centered around things Zecora knew about in this land, twilight arrived with clothes that fit him perfectly, not too tight fitting, or too loose. After telling him that her search for Remor on the south, east, west, north, and after a bit of prodding from Orisian, every other place on the map turned up nothing of interest, she asked him if he was ready. Orisian wasn't sure, but Zecora answered for him.
"Be sure to remember what you've learned, and predict what you will learn. I will expect a much more refined mind when we meet again."
And with that, Orisian and Twilight began the walk to Ponyville.
After they were a few minutes into the forest, Orisian decided that his traveling companion might know a bit more about the weapons here, and decided to ask her.
"Oh... Well, I really don't know. Combat was never a big part of my studying. I actually only know one harmful spell. Umm... I do know that the Canterlot Royal Gaurds mainly use spears. My brother, the captain, actually trains with other weapons, like swords, shields and even bows. But, I don't really know much about it because we haven't seen each other in a while. As for how much they cost? I have no idea. I'd say the guard gets them for free, but that seems kind of obvious."
"And, the lunar armies are a part of the Royal Gaurd, yes?"
"Oh, I never really thought about them. I guess they are, but only for Princess Luna. Did Zecora tell you about them?"
"Aye, she did. Not much however."
"Well, I do know that they go through a much more umm... Intense training than the Celestial Gaurd , but that doesn't mean they're better. I mean, they might be better combatants, but they focus more on strength rather than tactics, and I've never seen them treat outsiders with respect. But they follow orders perfectly, and I guess you can't argue with the results. They were a big help when the changelings attacked Canterlot. Most of the Celestial Gaurd were overwhelmed."
"Ah. And what are these changelings?"
"We don't have much knowledge about them, but they are constant enemies. They gain power by feeding off of others. It's really hard to find one, because they can change whatever form they want, so long as they have enough strength."
"Feed off of others? You mean their cannibals?"
"No, they feed off of love. They can use magic to cloud your mind, but they usually don't need to do that. They just, change into someone that looks like they need help, and feed off of what they get. Evil, don't you think?"
Orisian was about to agree, but remembered what Zecora said. Taking her advice, he told Twilight he would need more information than what she gave him before he judged them.
"But, they're evil! They feed off of love, tell me anything that's worse than that."
She looked at him with a glare that pronounced 'checkmate', and Orisian calmy gave an answer learned from many years of experience.
"Slaughter."
"...what?"
"Slaughter. You said the Celestial Gaurd were overwhelmed when they attacked. They could have just as easily killed any citizens they found, but I assume they didn't?"
"Well, no casualties were reported. That I saw anyway."
"No casualties? Then they didn't kill the guards?"
"Well, no. But that doesn't mea-"
Orisian cut her off with a deadset glare that could silence the wind in a tornado. His voice was quiet, and intimidating.
"A soldier is forged in the trials of survival. Sparing your enemies means endangering your own. If you have the honor to do that, then there is no hope that evil corrupts your mind."
"But they would have used them as slaves! If we had lost, then they would have been nothing but a food source!"
"You said they aren't cannibals, and that they feed off of love. How would they harvest the food source?"
"They would use spells to make you love them! It wouldn't be free will."
Orisian's face had softened slightly, but he still didn't look convinced.
"I assume they can't eat anything else to survive then?"
"Well, like I said, we don't have very much information on them, so I don't know."
"Then we can only safely assume that they are doing what they are for their own survival."
"But, they could just work alongside us. Instead they choose to fight for it."
"Then they have a warrior's heart. Maybe misled, but it is still honorable."
"Honorable? Can you even name one thing about that that is honorable?"
"They are willing to fight for what they need. Weaker hearts would have given up."
"Or looked for a different, better way."
Orisian simply smiled at that, and continued walking.
Once they got to Ponyville, it was a quick 20 minute's ride to Canterlot. The carriage they took was slow, but comfortable. Not exactly Orisian's preferences, but he gave no sign. Curious about how someone could feed off of love, Orisian decided to explore that question.
"Well, again, I don't know. I would think that they just kind of... Absorbed it. I really don't know enough to tell you."
They had already stopped before she finished speaking, and two guards in gold colored plate mail armor decorated with the image of a burning sun greeted them. Orisian noticed they were both holding spears parallel to themselves, and one of them had a horn.
"Just follow them. I have to go find spike."
"Spike?"
"Yeah, I left him here to look for more maps in the Canterlot library."
"Ah."
Twilight hurried off in the opposite direction while Orisian turned to the two guards. One of them spoke, his voice surprisingly childish for a soldier.
"You Orisian?"
"Aye, I am."
"This way please."
He spoke with boredom and half hearted enthusiasm. Orisian already disliked this place. You would never see a Kingsman speak like that to anyone. But, Orisian followed, and soon found himself and the two guards in a large open room adorned with stained glass paintings depicting the apparent history of the world he was in. Farther down, there was a large, gilded throne, of which was currently empty. Again, the soldier spoke with the enthusiasm of an old man playing spin the bottle with other old men.
"Please wait here, the princesses will arrive shortly."
The two left Orisian completely alone, leaving to do whatever they were doing before. He didn't think they were much in the way of combat, but again remembered Zecora's advice.
After a good few minutes waiting, someone with purple colored plate mail armor emblazoned with a burning sun came to greet him. He spoke with a lively and friendly tone, rushing up to shake Orisian's hand.
"Hello! You must be Orisian. I've seen that the princesses are very excited to meet you. Please, follow me."
Quick, and straight to the point. Exactly the kind of interaction Orisian liked when it came to strangers. Following him, he was led out into a garden with normal looking trees, plants, and even some animals. Birds and rabbits mostly, but still animals he knew of. In the middle of the garden were two women, one appearing to be Princess Luna, and the other, appearing slightly taller, was literally white in skin color, with multicolored hair, going from blue to green, light purple and bright pink. She also had a horn and wings. They were both talking, but stopped once Orisian approached them.
Before they had a chance to say anything, Orisian asked them if they were royalty, and upon hearing they were immediately kneeled. It didn't matter if he was stuck in his own personal hell, he was still a Kingsman, and would act as such. Upon hearing that wasn't needed, he stood up.
"Hello. I am Princess Celestia, and I believe you have already met my sister. Twilight told me about you, and I must say, I'm very interested as to what happened to you."
"I'm not, Princess. I'd just like to get back to Remor, if I can."
"Remor? I don't believe I've heard of it."
"No one here has. But, before I go back, I owe a debt to someone. And that someone decided to send me here."
Looking from one to the other, he told them everything beginning from coming through a pool, to walking through a forest, and meeting Zecora. Finally, settling his gaze on Luna, he told them of how Zecora decided to give him to the Princess of dreams.
"Well then, I suppose I should leave you two for now. You will know where to find me, sister."
Celestia began to walk back to the castle with the guard who showed him the way here. Luna, however, was looking at Orisian. Her face showed a critical appraisal of his features, and before long, she turned and began to walk to the castle as well.
"Follow me. I wish to see what thou art capable of.
Orisian and Luna were at the training grounds standing in front of a 10 foot tall stone wall, with one cleft every three feet. The head trainer for the lunar recruits, which had black hair, and a grayish look to his skin was dragging a very thick metal harness behind him as he came towards them.
"Alright. Put this on whelp."
He seemed to have trouble pushing it towards Orisian as he stepped forward to take it.
"Let's see if you can climb with a thousand pounds weighing you down maggot."
Orisian grabbed the object with both hands and lifted it with no visual strain on his face. Putting it on, and moving towards the wall, he began to climb, effortlessly, if not slowly, while the trainer looked on with surprise. Luna herself seemed impressed.
Once he made it to the top, the trainer instructed him to jump down, which he did. He landed, dropping to one knee and standing, still with no apparent effort.
"let's see you run with that. Follow me."
Orisian, Luna and the trainer moved on to a track that was filled with a multitude of obstacles, containing hurdles, 15 foot walls, rope swings and ditches with barbed wire you crawl through.
"The best time we have is 14.2 seconds. Beat it, or you do it again."
Assuming that there were no specific things he had to do besides best whatever was in his way, he went to the beginning of the track and began. The first thing he had to overcome were the hurdles, which were easy enough. All it took was timing and power, and he avoided them, lifting himself only a few inches above each one and then being pulled down by the weight he was carrying.
Next came the walls, which had almost nothing to hold on to. The only way he could climb this was if he got enough momentum and kept running up, but with the harness that would be impossible. But, he was a Kingsman, and impossible odds were what he favored. Doing exactly what was expected, his feet made it about 1/5 of the way before he stopped and had to grab on to something. But, there was nothing to grab onto, and he started to fall. Pushing off, he managed to land on his feet.
Meanwhile, the trainer was laughing, and Luna seemed amused. Orisian backed up and kept trying, which only caused the laughter to increase. This went on for a good few minutes. The laughing had ceased a while ago, and the two observers were looking on with mixed reactions. Luna was extremely impressed, and the trainer was beginning to get annoyed.
"Alright maggot, enough. You've wasted too much of my time."
Orisian stopped, only slightly breathing heavily, and made his way back to the two.
"Don't tell me you didn't know what you were supposed to do there. It should have been obvious."
"No, it wasn't."
"Really? Well then, that explains why your so fuckin tough. You're as stupid as a newborn animal. There was a switch about four feet up. If you would have pressed it, you would have gotten a few helping hands."
"It's not so much a switch as it is a magic infused slate. It's design is that of hiding the ledges on the wall to trick you into thinking you need to waste more energy than you actually do on trying to run your way up."
By the sound of this new voice, the trainer showed very obvious disdain, while Luna turned to meet the new spectator.
She was a very attractive woman, mostly because she was the first female Orisian had seen wearing armor. He didn't know why, but he found that very appealing. She had dark red hair with light orange skin, and wonderfully violet eyes. She was wearing the armor a celestial soldier would wear. Luna seemed pleased to see her.
"Greetings Morning Pen. I haven't seen thee for some time."
"Yeah, I was finishing the blueprints for some of Canterlot's new buildings. It's great to see you again princess."
Turning her attention to the trainer, she gained a playful smirk.
"It's nice to see you too, Nightly."
"I'd kindly ask you to not call me by your nicknames", 'Nightly' was talking through clenched teeth.
"Oh, right. You're self-conscious about being friends with others. Forgot about that. Sorry."
She had a smile on her face and was talking like she was trying to tempt him, but Luna paid no attention to it and changed the subject.
"So, why art thou here? Art my sister's projects finished?"
"Not yet. And probably not for a while, seeing as how she wants them to be perfect, and they're all prototypes. I actually came here to see how my other design was doing. Is it still intact? No replacements have been needed have they?"
"No, thine's training course is durable and lasting. 'Tis quite impressive to see it in use."
"Yes it is. It's also quite impressive your friend has so much stamina."
Turning her attention to Orisian, and looking him up and down, she let a mischievous smile spread across her face.
"I wouldn't worry about not getting it on the first try. Most recruits just go around it."
"Ahem. Most celestial recruits."
"Yes, there have been no reported lunar recruits doing that, but the numbers of the Celestial Armies still far outnumber that of the Lunar Armies. So yes, it's still most recruits. But I guess we should introduce ourselves. Knowing him, he didn't tell you his name. I'm Morning Pen, lead architect for both the celestial and lunar projects, and a reserve soldier. He is Night Force, lead trainer for recruits of the Lunar Army, and sometimes even the celestial. Of course, he doesn't show it, but I know he's got a crush on our princess here."
At the last sentence, Night Force became exaggeratedly defiant, and Luna calmly stated that Orisian should try the course again.
"A word of advice, You actually need to apply a little more force to the area. Most magic users get it pretty quickly, but our flyers and earthlies have some trouble."
"He is not from our world. We will be attempting to help him return."
Pen looked at Luna with a curious image while Orisian made his way back to the beginning of the course.
This time was much like the first, the hurdles proving no challenge, but when he was coming up to the wall he tried looking for where he was supposed to touch. He was already climbing the wall before he found it however, and he just lashed out, hoping he hit in the correct spot.
Apparently he did, because immediately, small ledges came out of the wall, which he grabbed onto and used momentum to help himself up the first eight feet, and powerhoused his way past the rest.
Next up were the swings, which wouldn't be intimidating if it weren't for the fact that he still had the harness on. However, he remembered that this course was 'durable', and has yet to need replacements. That didn't do much to help him stop thinking the ropes would fail, but either way he was still going full speed towards them.
They held, and they were simple enough to do, an easy combination of momentum and an accuracy of where he was swinging, as well as precision on when to let go.
The final obstacle was the most time consuming, the barbed wire being enough to open more than a few scratches, but with the weight he was carrying and the fact he had to crawl through it was more than enough to assure that he was going to spend more than 10 seconds there. He did what he could though, and it took much longer than he would have liked. When he made it to the end, he stood up and rang the bell that signaled he finished.
Luna was watching him come back with a respectful smile, Pen was applauding him, and Night was standing there with an arrogant smirk plastering his face.
"Well, that was pretty fast, and impressive, but uh... Unlfortunately for you, I forgot the stopwatch. So you're going to have to go again."
"Unfortunately for you, I was counting. He took about twenty seconds.
"Well then, I guess he still has to do it again. Didn't beat 14 seconds."
Luna interrupted whatever argument Pen was about to give with a new idea.
"I would rather see thee in combat. Let us move to the sparring grounds."
He was up against three of the 'finest' lunar and celestial soldiers, 6 that were called in frequently to spar with new recruits. Two of them were wielding a wooden sword and shield, three were using a normal staff, and one was holding a wooden greatsword. Orisian had been given nothing, and was instructed to avoid being hit.
They weren't surrounding him, and he could tell they weren't veterans of actual combat based on how they stood together. The swordsman stood alone, while the other two groups stood by their own. If they wanted to maximize their effectiveness, they would have had one guardsman protecting the lone unit, allowing him to come in when the time was right and unleash a devastating blow. But, they didn't, which means that this would be easy.
The twins charged first, shields raised. Orisian didn't know if taking them head on would count as getting hit with the shield, so instead of risking it, he sidestepped and grabbed one by the collar of his armor and flung him into the three that had begun to disperse. All three managed to get out of the way quick enough, but one had nowhere to go but forwards or backwards, and the obvious choice meant just a little more distance between him and Orisian.
Upon hearing the sound of a weapon slicing through air, Orisian ducked and was just quick enough to grab his opponent's arm mid swing, forcing it down and bringing his own free arm up and slamming into his enemy's face. The force caused his head to jerk back as Orisian threw him at the swordsman, who had already closed half the distance to Orisian.
The new opponent had too much momentum to move out of the way, and instead decided to push his obstacle to the side, which slowed him down enough for Orisian to tackle him, taking him to the ground and leaving his sword useless. Orisian grabbed his opponent's head with both hands and gave him a skull crushing headbutt before pushing off and getting ready for the rest of the fight.
Two of the staff users had reached him and the swordsman, and if Orisian hadn't moved when he did, he would have been hit by both of them. Their mirrored attack caused their weapons to cross, and taking them both and pulling, Orisian knocked the duo off balance, forcing each of them towards him. Picking them up by the throat, he slammed them on their backs, leaving them half paralyzed and disoriented.
The remaining staff user and guardsman, who had now recovered, stood side by side. Both had uncertain looks on their faces, and, yes, both were wearing celestial armor. So the armies of the sun were less of combatants than the armies of the moon. Orisian decided the best course of action would be to gain a weapon of his own. Taking a few steps back while keeping his eyes locked on his two remaining foes, he stepped over the unconscious body of the first guardsman, and retrieved his sword. Stepping back towards them, he allowed them the first move.
The guardsman threw his sword at Orisian while the staff user threw his weapon at him. The sword was deftly deflected, and the staff was caught. A desperate move in their part, one of them was disarmed and the other only had a shield. This should have been more difficult. It didn't feel like Orisian was proving anything.
Orisian decided that he had too many weapons, and chose to throw the sword, which was easily blocked by a shield. His follow up attack, however, was devastating, the staff slamming into the guardsman's face and putting him on the ground. Keeping his momentum, Orisian made a 360 spin, aiming for the remaining combatant's face, but at the last minute, bringing the staff to the ground. His opponent ducked, and the staff brought his feet into the air. With nothing keeping him upright, the poor boy landed heavily on his shoulder, with Orisian's staff being brought down hard.
With the only man still able to stand being Orisian, the fight was over.
Night Force was looking on with a wavering smirk, while Morning Pen was clapping and cheering. Luna was calling for a doctor.
"Yeah, well... You're lucky you weren't against me runt. Very lucky."
"Aye. Maybe you would be the one out of all the other million to best me."
"Whatever he is, he sure as hell ain't coming close to beating you! You were a one man army, man!"
"While thee was nowhere near being a one man army, thine fighting skills are unbested."
"What the fuck ever. If you don't need me anymore princess, I've got work to do."
"Then thou best try to do thine job correctly, and efficiently."
With his presence excused, Night Force went off in the direction of the barracks.
"I guess I'd better get back to checking on my projects. I'll see you later princess. And you too... Uh..."
"Orisian. Farewell, my friend."
"Great! I look forward to testing your skills for myself. Bye."
Pen began to walk off in the direction of the training yard while Orisian looked to Luna asking a question.
"Surely she's joking? I had thought she just wore the armor to signifiy herself as a commanding figure for the building of the city. Surely she isn't truly a soldier?"
"What does thou mean?"
"She is a woman. Women do not fight."
"Perhaps that was true in thee's world, but here, it does not matter who, or what thee are. So long as thou art willing and able, brave and loyal, then thee can prove thyself in any way."
"Then it is going to be a hard world to get used to."
"Then let me give thee a history lesson. Follow me."
Orisian looked back at Morning Pen before following Luna to the castle. This was a strange world.
"So... Where to begin. I suppose I should start with something more recent. Let me tell thee of Nightmare Moon. A millennium ago was the end of a conflict. I have already told thee of it. My sister and I were arguing. I believed that a certain form of power could be controlled and used for the better, while my sister deemed it too dangerous. I believed that it was needed in order to maintain the little control we had over the panicked populace of Equestria. I was arrogant, and hotheaded then. I acted too harshly. The result was much more disastrous than the chaos we faced before. Hundreds of thousands perished, and even more suffered. In the end, my sister used the elements of harmony to defeat me, and, looking back... I'm glad she did."
"Rulers make mistakes, Princess. It's nothing to be ashamed of."
"I am not ashamed of my mistake. I am ashamed of my actions. It was not a mistake, for I had intentionally chosen to do it. If I had not, my people would not have suffered. My sister's people wouldn't have suffered. And neither my sister, nor I, would have spent a thousand years alone."
"Maybe it wasn't a mistake, but it is something you regret. Either way, you learned from it. Which means it wasn't all bad."
"But it could have been so much better. But I digress. When I returned from my banishment, I still believed that my actions were just. But the fact that my sister had made this into a flourishing world was proof enough that I was wrong. In fact, she had even found the conduits for the elements of harmony. They were the ones who defeated me when I returned. It was a lucky thing she was merciful."
"Well... What was this power that put that kind of thinking into your mind?"
"Discord. A master of chaos. It is strange, of all the time he ruled Equestria, he didn't once try to directly harm anyone. But he plunged the land into a twisted form of reality."
"I suppose then, that he was defeated as well?"
"Yes he was. But that was before my foolishness. I would wish to avoid speaking of him, however, and get into teaching you of changelings."
"Twilight spoke to me of them. They feed off of love, yes?"
"Aye, they do. Once a gentle process, now one of violence."
Luna adopted a look that made her seem as though she were thinking of something that was long gone.
"Changelings. A sad race. Once great allies and friends of our kind, now hated enemies."
"What happened princess?"
"Queen Chrysallis took over. Changelings once farmed by our sides, Fought by our sides, And more importantly, lived by our sides. They gave us companionship, labor, and defense when we needed it. The queen then was old and weak, but wise and compassionate. Chrysallis is still young, and she has a much more... Vicious... Outlook on how our two races should coexist. And whatever she thinks, her changelings think similar."
"So whatever she thinks, they think too? Or whatever she thinks, then they do it? Or what-"
"Changelings exist in a hive mind. With the queen being the center, whatever she thinks, they think 'similar'. Not exactly alike, they still have their own personalities, but it is just enough to affect what their beliefs are. I do not know exactly how a new queen is chosen, but once they are, the changelings become a reflection of that queen. Much like a pool, it has the same image, but it is different by ripples. I only wish Chrysalis knew how much easier it would be for both of our kind to live in peace. I do not know if she cares for her changelings, but I do know that my sister and I wish no harm upon them. They would not suffer of hunger if we lived side by side. We would both prosper."
"I assume you've tried reasoning with her?"
"We have. She never let us get close to her."
"Then maybe it would be better to just kill her."
"As I've said, she never let us get close to her. If we forcibly tried to do that, it would involve killing thousands of changelings, not to count our own. And if we succeeded, how long until a new queen is chosen, and after all they've been through against us, how will the new queen feel? There is no chance of winning them back with force."
"I see. Then maybe I could help."
"I do not think they would allow anyone but changelings to see their queen now. But I appreciate thy eagerness to help."
As I've said Princess, my blade is yours."
Luna smiled at that, forgetting the bleak talk they just had, and moving on to the next subject.
"But thine blade is missing. Perhaps we should change that, yes? It seems Morning Pen has taken a liking to thee. Go and see if she can help thee find a weapon."
Orisian seemed a bit hopeful when he asked "And armor too?"
"Aye. I am interested in your proficiency with armor. We shall have to hold another round of sparring, yes?"
He had found Morning Pen in the training grounds, still inspecting her projects. After telling her that Luna wanted him to have some equipment and that she wanted her to be the one that helped him get it, Pen beamed and told him she would gladly help him once she was finished.
It only took a few more minutes before they were on their way to the blacksmith, and Pen was talking about her recent work. From new forms of spears, swords, shields, and even armor, to new buildings, roads, and vehicles. The weapons were apparently much more wicked than normal, and could pass through armor as easily as it could pass through air. The armor was apparently extremely light, but still as tough as Orisian's old plate mail. The buildings and vehicles were made to be as convenient as well as protective during war times.
Soon enough, they had made it to a forge with an old man hammering on a heated piece of metal. It looked like it would come out to be a fine sword. The man himself was blue in skin color, with white hair. He didn't seem to notice them when they entered.
Pen waited until he stopped working on his project before she spoke up.
"Hey."
It didn't seem like she was interested in talking to him very much. Either way, when he heard her, he looked towards them and growled.
"The 'ell do you want?"
"I just came here to help Orisian get some gear. You don't think he won't like any of it, do you?"
"Bah. If he knows what craftsmanship is, he'll appreciate my work."
The blacksmith stared at Orisian for a while, a deadset glare that Orisian returned with calm patience.
"Boy's got nerve, I'll give 'im that. So, you want weapons eh? Let's see what I have."
"Actually, he'd like weapons and armor."
"Very well. Armor's in the back, weapons are in the next room. You'd be stupid if ya can't find 'em."
Orisian moved towards the only door in the forge and passed through it. Almost immediately, he was greeted with his favorite scent. Polished steel, and sharpened blades. He had forgotten what true bliss was.
Moving along the lines of armor, he went from leather, to chain mail, to plate mail. Taking off a helmet that covered his head, but left his face free to look, he tried it on, and found it almost fit perfectly. It was just a small little bump that completely ruined it for him. Putting the helmet on a nearby table, he began to study the various breastplates he could see. None of them would fit him, either being too big or too small, but most of the gloves and boots he saw should be perfect. He would have to ask about the chausses and shoulder plates, but other than that, he would be fine.
As he was told, he moved to the next room that was blocked only by a corner wall, and found a magnificent display of weaponry. Ranging from shortswords to battle axes, bows to throwing weapons, flails to things that heavily resembled battering rams. He was in heaven. The weapons he saw here were in better condition than any new weapons he had seen in Remor, and even bordered on looking as well maintained as his own greatsword.
Moving down the lines, he examined each and every weapon, remembering back to the time when he had trained with them. Eventually, he stopped in front of a perfectly made greatsword, that was as long as he was tall. Taking it from its stand, he weighed it in one hand, and found that it was extremely well balanced. The blade itself was as sharp as it could get, and when Orisian tried to bend it, found it was as sturdy as his armor.
Moving back to the armor room and putting the sword on the table with his gloves and boots, he moved back towards the forge. Once he was back, he found that Morning Pen seemed a little irritated, and the blacksmith was laughing under his breath.
"I've found what I want. But, I do have some questions."
"Then let's go get it boy, I dont 'ave all day."
Making their way towards the table, the blacksmith had taken a measuring tape from somewhere and was measuring Orisian.
"Ya sure that's all you want?"
"I was wondering if you made shouldergaurds, and where I can find any chausses."
Shouldergaurds come with the armor, and cost extra. Chausses too."
"Then I believe I have everything I need. But this helmet isn't a perfect fit."
"And what's wrong with it?"
It's got a bump in the back of the neck I don't like."
"Let me see that bloody thing!"
The blacksmith took the helmet and put it into place on Orisian's head. After making a few adjustments, the bump disappeared, and Orisian felt it fit perfectly.
"There. Ya know how to put it on now?"
"Aye, I believe so."
"Then don't bother me again about it. Anything else?"
"No."
"Alright. Who am I charging?"
"You'll be charging Princess Luna. She's the one that wanted him to get some equipment."
"Alright then. Now, if you're not goin to buy anything else, get your stuff and get out."
"One more thing, I would like to know your name."
"The 'ell for boy?"
"I believe it common curtesy to thank someone by their name when they sell quality goods to me."
"Emerald Dagger. Changed it from some lousy little goody-two-shoes name me parents gave me. Changed it when I made my first blade. It was perfect, not a flaw on it."
"Your first blade? You had no practice before that?"
"Not an ounce. Been making the best weapons in this world ever since."
"Impressive."
"Can we just go? I've still got a lot to do, man."
"I apologize. Farewell, Dagger."
"Right."
Orisian was following Pen to her house, where she said he could keep his stuff and stay until he got his own place.
"I hate that guy. He never knows what he's talking about."
"What do you mean?"
"He wouldn't shut up about how someone like me will never make it in a world like this. Filthy old bastard."
"He offended you? Tell me, what is it like to be so weak that words hurt you."
He said it as encouragement, not to offend her, and she didn't seem to take any.
"Well, I guess it depends on who the words are coming from. What would you feel like if your king rejected the very thought of your existence?"
"I would fight to change his opinion. 'Tis what a Kingsman does. Having more enemies makes us stronger, for we conquer them, and make them ours. We conquer our opponents. We conquer our dreams, our hopes, and our fears. If one of us should die, we only fight harder for the glory of the fallen, and the King."
"Then maybe you should consider conquering him. For me?"
She said the last sentence with an innocent looking smile, and a small pout sent his way.
"If you are asking me sincerely, then I will do it."
Pen's innocent look quickly changed to one of surprise.
"Really? Wow, um... I was just joking. But if you'd really do that for me, I might have to repay you."
"As I said, if you are asking sincerely, I will do it. I need no payment."
"Then thanks. Yeah, if you would, that would be wonderful."
"You said that it matters who the words are coming from. Did you respect him in the past?"
"No, he just... Well, he saved my life. And then he just, stopped acting like he cared. I guess I should thank him more, but I really can't get how he just stopped liking me."
"Perhaps it is something you didn't do. Like i said, I would fight to change his opinion."
"Yeah, maybe so. Thanks. But I still want you to kick his ass for me, ok?"
They were sitting in Pen's living room. It was a nice cozy little place, filled with a table, a few chairs, a couch, and a strange boxlike object with glass covering the majority of the front of it directly across.
"It's just a tv, it doesn't bite. It's actually pretty cool, check it out."
Pen took a small object from the table and pressed a button on it, which made the tv buzz, and light up. In a few seconds, somebody with light green hair, and pale yellow skin came into view, and was talking about the recent changeling invasion of Canterlot.
"Oh, yeah... Forgot to change that."
Pen clicked the object again, and the screen went to black, before quickly returning to color, this time sporting the image of an outlandish looking cat that walked on two legs like a human, and was patiently waiting outside a hole in a wall.
"I changed it to the news to see what I could find out about the attack on Canterlot. Didn't actually learn anything because I got bored of watching it."
"And what is this?"
"It's a... Cartoon. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't watch it all the time, I just like some of the things that happen in it."
"And what was the other thing?"
"It was the news. I don't really like watching it. Too boring."
"Really? You have the ability to know what is going on around the world, and yet you choose to watch something else?"
"Well, like I said, it's too boring for me."
"But this is unrealistic."
"That's what makes it funny. Just watch."
"I'd really rather not."
"Fine. But I will make you watch it sooner or later."
Pen clicked the object again, and the tv went black.
"Come on, I'll show you where you can put your stuff."
Orisian followed Pen through a door that led into a medium sized bedroom, with a bed large enough for two and a pet, a large closet, and a small bedside table with a lamp on it.
"Just put your armor in the closet, and we can get you some new clothes later. Right now, just get yourself settled in."
"Many thanks, but I won't be sleeping in here will I?"
"What, you scared I'll bite you while you sleep? Where else would you stay?"
"In any room besides you. It's not that I don't like you, it's just we are not family. It would be unheard of for us to sleep in the same room under these casual circumstances."
"Maybe unheard of where your from, but not here. Come on, there's nothing wrong with it."
"I would still prefer to sleep in a different room."
"Well, it's your loss... And mine. I guess you can sleep on the couch, but that's not nearly as comfortable, or warm, as the bed."
"Thank you. I'll take the couch."
"Alright."
Pen looked a little crestfallen, but seemed to brighten up a little as Orisian put the few pieces of armor he had in the closet.
"Alright, well now that that's done, I've still got work to do. Go ahead and watch tv if you want, or go out and work for some extra money. Don't worry about going back to Luna, she'll send someone for you if she wants you."
"And uh... How do you use the tv?"
"You want it on the news?"
"Aye."
"Alright."
Following Pen back to the living room, he watched her pick up the small object again, and turn the tv on. Once it was in full color, she clicked it again, and it went back to the man he had first seen, who was now talking about changelings, and if you have any kind of information on one or more of them, you should immediately go to the nearest guard and tell them everything you know. Orisian began to wonder if that was truly the best idea. After all, from what he had seen, the guard wasn't exactly a formidable fighting force.
"So, if you want to change the channel, just click any button you see. You'll find it out soon enough, but I've really got to go. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Farewell."
Pen smiled at Orisian before turning and moving to exit the house. Orisian returned his attention to the tv as he heard her shut the door. The man on tv was talking about a puppy now, that had just been born with a missing eye.
"What?"
Orisian was confused at how it could have gone from something that could be dangerous for the entirety of a world, to a deformed dog.
Before he could think any more on the subject, there was a knock on the door, and Orisian moved to answer it. When he opened it, he was greeted by a lunar guard, telling him that Princess Luna would like him to help train some new recruits.
"Will I need armor?"
"Not unless you expect to be fighting for your life. Let's go."
Orisian followed him, closing the door behind him. He noticed that this guard walked with pride, and discipline. Much better than the celestial guard he had seen.
Orisian was standing in front of about 30 new lunar recruits, and 10 celestial recruits that were deemed worthy of being trained by a Kingsman. At least, that was how Orisian saw it. He, along with Luna, was looking at each of them, the lunar recruits standing at perfect attention, while half of the rest were slacking. He also noticed that a good portion of the recruits were female, which offset him a bit. But, Orisian figured the majority would be thrilled to fight for the Princess, and only some of them might not exactly like his speech. Either way, this was how they started training in Remor, and this was how he was going to do it.
"So... You boys and girls think you have what it takes to fight for the Princess? Haha... You will. If you have the willpower, then you will be strong enough to bring honor and glory to the name you fight for. For those of you that don't have the guts to put yourself on death's door each and every day... Then leave."
Orisian waited a while after saying that, and when no one left, he continued.
"Good. Then that means you are all brothers and sisters in arms now. What you have is far more than any citizen could ever hope to achieve. Not only do you have each other, but you have the ability to earn the respect of the Princess. To earn glory, and honor in the name of this kingdom. The ability to fight for the Princess, is not a duty. It is a privilege. It is not something that will weigh you down. It is something that will push you to new heights. With it, you will pass whatever heaven exists, and find something better. But that comes later. Now you train. You soldiers will train until your legs give. Until your muscles tear, and until your body screams. And then you will fight. You will fight your weakness, and drive it out of your body. You will conquer yourself, and then you will train more. And again, you will fight. You will do this every day, until there is nothing but strength in you. And then, you will perfect that strength. You will fight each other, and hone your skills. You will prove that nothing will stand in your way, and you will bring honor to your name. To your family. And in turn, that will bring honor to everything you care for. What you have now, is purpose. I trust you all know what to do."
At the end of his speech, most of the recruits began cheering, while the rest were smiling. After this went on a while, Orisian interrupted it.
"What the hell are you all waiting for? I want to see you all training!"
The recruits quickly dispersed, moving to go to the training grounds and immediately beginning. They went at their full strength, and would quickly wear themselves out, but that would stop a few weeks in. They would begin to get used to it.
"Thine speech was impressive. Thou has inspired them. I have never seen any recruits training so hard on their own."
"Get used to it Princess. This is what we did as Kingsmen. When we had free time, we spent it training."
"Then thine kingdom must be strong."
"It was invincible."
"Was? Has thou grown weak?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe we didnt grow strong enough."
"Hmm... Mayhaps, then, thou would like to test thine skills against mine?"
"I'm still troubled by women being in the military. I do not think I would enjoy fighting one."
"Then perhaps I should not make it a request."
"Very well, Princess. Where shall we fight?"
"On the sparring grounds. Take thine weapon of choice from the training rack, and bring me a greatsword."
"Very well, Princess."
They both made their way to the sparring grounds, and Orisian moved to the weapons rack while Luna waited in a square that marked where two or more would be fighting. Orisian picked two wooden greatswords from the rack and went back to Luna, handing her one, and adopting the common warrior stance for two handed swords. His blade coming up on his side, perfectly parallel with his body. Luna did the same.
Orisian watched her. She made no move. It even seemed as if she weren't breathing. Her posture was flawless, footing was perfect, and she herself emanated a distracting beauty. Orisian lunged forward, swinging his sword over his head and slamming it down with as much force as he could muster. Luna brought her sword up in a slashing strike that Orisian had trouble avoiding, even as it clashed with his wooden blade and rendered his attack useless. Orisian jumped back and leaped forward again, this time doing a 360 cutting blow that Luna easily blocked and tossed aside, continuing with her momentum to also do a 360 attack.
Orisian had enough momentum to dodge the attack, going under her sword and ramming into her with his shoulder, knocking her off balance. His next attack was a feint, going over her head to be brought back and slammed into her stomach, but she recovered too quickly and saw it for what it was, easily blocking it, and grabbing Orisian by his shirt, knocked him off his feet with a powerful headbutt.
Orisian fell flat on his back, but used the little momentum he had to roll back onto his feet. Orisian stared at her as she re-entered her perfect combat stance. Orisian was impressed, if not for the fact that even he didn't have that kind of mastery over his favorite weapon. He decided it was time to go on the defensive.
After a solid ten seconds of staring at each other, Luna jumped forward, her sword high in the air coming down with surprising distance. Orisian brought his sword up to block it, and found that she really did know what she was doing. Her strike completely broke through his defense, putting the perfect amount of force on a weak spot Orisian didn't know he had.
Her sword slammed into his face, knocking his head down, but Orisian jumped back, his grip a little loose on his weapon. She came in for another attack, and Orisian dodged it, barely making it away from her perfect execution.
Before she had finished her swing, Orisian forced himself forward, slamming his body into hers and knocking her down. She rolled gracefully back to her feet, and immediately charging forward, leaving Orisian no time to ready himself.
Deciding that it would be much safer to test his speed against hers, he attacked as well, pushing his blade point first towards her. She easily sidestepped and continued her attack, leaving him defenseless. Her sword slammed into the side of his skull, sending him to the ground.
Orisian now had a headache and couldn't see straight, but he pushed himself up, almost falling down before he realized his sword was still on the ground. Kneeling down to pick it up, he kept his eyes centered on her. Once he was steadily on his feet again, she charged, knocking his weak block to the side with her sword and ramming into him with her shoulder, following up with a powerful strike to the side of his head, that put him on the ground and kept him there.
Orisian woke up with a few bandages going around his head. More than enough to suggest it had hurt at some point in time, but he had forgotten exactly how he got them. He even wondered if it was all just a dream, but was soon reminded that it was reality when a doctor who had pale white skin and greyish hair, stepped in from his blind side and began to talk.
"Heh. Not so tough, are ya kid? Don't worry. You're tougher than the rest. A fractured skull would keep most people out for a few days. Only kept you down for a good thirty minutes. Congrats."
Orisian sighed, and fell back onto the gurney.
"Hey, don't worry about getting your ass kicked. The Princess wanted me to tell you it was a good fight."
The week after Orisian fought Luna passed fairly quickly, with Orisian watching over the chosen recruits and learning a few new tricks from the memories he had of the fight.
Morning Pen had come by to inform him that his armor was ready, and after he ensured the recruits were exhausting themselves, asked Pen to keep an eye on them and made his way to the blacksmith.
It wasn't long before he heard a hammer pounding on metal, and the blissful heat that emenated from a forge warmed his body. Stepping into the blacksmith's work area, he waited until Emerald Dagger was finished before he spoke up.
"I hear my armor is ready."
"In the back, got yer name on it. Just don't touch anythin else."
Moving through the rooms he had been in before, he went to where he expected the back was, and found a gleaming plate metal breastplate emblazoned with a full moon with perfectly crafted shoulder guards. Beside it, there were heavy looking plate chausses. Directly in front of them was a sign that read 'Orisian'.
Orisian's eyes glazed over at the beauty of it. Quickly moving toward his new equipment, he tried them on, and found that the chausses were a perfect fit, while the breastplate needed a little positioning. He had to admit however, the shoulder guards seemed to balance off the breastplate, which has made it only a little worse than his old plate mail.
Making his way out back to the forge, he found Emerald Dagger hammering on another blade. Deciding it would be better to challenge him when they were equally armed and armored, he began his way back to Pen's house.
After putting his armor up in Pen's closet and putting on some new clothes, he went back to the forge to find Emerald Dagger still hammering on a blade. This one, however seemed much longer. Once he was finished, Orisian decided to speak.
"Excuse me, but I have been asked to best you in honorable combat. I would request that you accept, or decline, and cease treating Morning Pen as an outcast."
"The 'ell kinda language are you speaking?"
"I would like to duel you."
Emerald Dagger stared at Orisian for a long moment, a blank expression on his face.
"I suppose there'll be terms?"
"Aye. If I am victorious, then you will start treating Morning Pen with respect. If you win, then I will help you around the forge whenever I have free time."
"Does it look like I need help boy?"
"No, but it doesn't look like you don't need help."
"Very well then. What weapons we usin?"
"Whatever you choose. I will use my hands."
"Ha Ha! Ya stupid boy? I'll kill ya before ya even know the duels begun."
"Then I guess you have nothing to fear."
"So it would seem. Alright, then I'll use a blade. A short one, to give ya a chance."
"A dagger?"
"Aye, boy. A dagger."
They were both positioned in a small closed in space that closely resembled an empty closet in the back of Emerald's shop. Emerald Dagger was holding a perfectly made dagger, with embedded crystals in it's blade, behind him. His feet were constantly moving, and his eyes were locked on Orisian.
"The crystals have magic in 'em. Ya better back down."
"That is not an option. No amount of 'magic', or anything else will make me retreat now."
"Then I'm going to make you run. Yer pathetic sense of 'honor' will be proven false.
Orisian looked at him for a short time, rage flashing on his face.
"You insult a Kingsman here, boy. To do that is to ask the executioner to use the dull blade."
"Aye. And while the executioner is using a dull blade, I'm using a sharpened one. I'm tellin ya this for your own safety; yer not gonna survive this."
"Then so be it. The challenged are always the first to strike."
"Bad choice boy."
Orisian was in a defensive stance, his fists raised, but not too much that it blocks his view. Still, he barely saw any movement before he felt a burning sensation in his arms, steadily growing in intensity.
"Yer move boy."
That was all Orisian needed. Launching his fist forward in a feint, striking the air just in front of his opponent's face, he got an image of how fast Emerald Dagger really was. Not exceptionally quick, but still faster than anyone else he's seen here, save for the princess. Striking with his other arm, he got a solid hit on his opponent's lower chest, and the sound of cracking ribs filled his ears.
Emerald Dagger let out a growl of rage and tried to strike, but Orisian had already tackled him, forcing him against the wall. With his speed useless, Dagger didn't have much of a chance at trying to overpower Orisian, which was made obvious when Orisian began pummeling him, the sound of ribs breaking over and over.
Once Orisian was sure his enemy was in too much pain to fight back, he pushed himself off and struck his opponent's jaw, the sound of more bone breaking filling the small space they were fighting in. Grabbing his opponent by his shirt, he slammed Dagger against the wall, and grabbing his opponent's head, slammed his skull against the wall. A sickening crack made its way to Orisian's ears.
Not wanting to kill Emerald Dagger, he figured it was time to end this. Grabbing Dagger's arms, Orisian put one foot on his opponent's back, and began the process of mutilating his opponent. He was deliberately slow, letting the sound of bone being dislocated and pulled apart echo through the small room. After a while of this, Emerald Dagger gave up.
"Goddamnit boy, I yield!"
Releasing his hold on his opponent, Orisian watched as Emerald Dagger's arms went limp, and he himself fell against the wall. Emerald Dagger seemed to be a bit out of breath when he spoke.
"Fuckin 'ell boy, jus kill me why don't ya? Fine. I'll give the evil lass the respect she deserves. But, I reckon ya also want to know why I treated her as such. Don't ya?"
"I'm not interested in your conflict, and she didn't ask me to find out."
"Too fuckin bad. I'm telling ya... Anyway."
"Then hurry."
"Right. Ya know what changelings are, don't ya?"
"Aye."
"Well, she's one of em. Found out when she wanted some metal for one o her... 'Projects'. Our dear Princess Luna was speakin to her. Saw her change with my own eyes. Think she was tryin ta persuade the dear princess to give Night Force a chance at love. Haha. Bit ironic, isn't it?"
"So she is a changeling. She isn't hostile. What does it matter?"
"Bah. I'm not lettin a bloody changeling feed off a me. I'll be dead before that happens."
"But she said you saved her life. Surely she owes you a debt?"
"I wouldn't trust a changeling. Probably wanted ta get... Luna lovin Night Force fer her own plans. Listen boy, I'll stop treating her like the dirty changeling she is. But I'm not gonna start treatin her nice."
"That is better than nothing I suppose. Very well then. Do you need help getting to a doctor?"
"Fuck off. You've done enough. I will give you one last word of advice though. Watch yer back around her. Hell, I don't even know if it is a her."
Orisian had made his way back to the training grounds, but his arms had begun to feel like his own blood was rebelling against him. It felt like something was blocking the flow of his blood, and like hellfire was coursing through him. But it only felt like that where there were 3 short, shallow scratches. Three on both arms, perfectly mirroring eachother. And both giving a perfect description of hell.
He found Morning Pen still watching over the recruits, and writing down something on a piece of paper.
"I'm back. How has the training gone?"
"Oh. Umm... I don't know. I honestly have no idea what you would say is good or bad, but they've all been going at it like this since you left."
"Good. You can leave now. And Emerald Dagger will cease treating you with disrespect."
"AWESOME! Does that mean you actually fought him? And won?"
"Aye."
"Really? You don't look like you have any wounds."
"Actually, I recieved some minor wounds on my arms, but they're nothing."
"Actually, they might be something. Let me see them."
Orisian raised his arms to give her a good view of the scratches, and she ran her hands gently along the wounds, which caused the pain to be magnified.
"You should really get Luna to help you with those."
"They are nothing."
"No, they burn. And they're going to stop the blood flow in your arms. I know, because he used that dagger to save me. He told me that those gems in the blade were extremely rare, and usually had a magical quality to them, even without any unicorn doing anything to them. No one knows how they're magic, but he found a way harness it without causing damage to the user."
"I see. Very well, I'll see if I can find Princess Luna. I'd be grateful if you would continue to watch over the recruits."
"Of course. Take all the time you need, I'm actually getting some information out of this."
"I would also ask to speak with you in private when I get back."
"Okay... What for?"
"I found out why Emerald Dagger stopped liking you."
"Really? It's not bad is it?"
"Not... Necessarily, no."
"Then why in private?"
"I have some questions I would like to ask."
"Oh... Okay then. Well, see you when?"
"When I am finished with getting these wounds inspected. Farewell, until then."
"Right. Bye."
Orisian had found his way back to the main throne room, and saw Princess Celestia speaking with a few others. One earth, one unicorn, and one pegasus. He decided it would be best to wait until they were finished, but made his way towards them when Celestia noticed him, and called him over.
Giving a short bow before he spoke, he noticed the others were looking at him with growing suspicion. Orisian nodded to Princess Celestia as he began speaking.
"Princess Celestia. I would like to speak with Princess Luna."
"I apologize, but Princess Luna sleeps during the day. Twilight is currently in the Canterlot library, if you wish to speak with her."
"Has she made any progress on finding Remor?"
"I apologize, but I do not believe so."
"Ah.
"But, she could always make a breakthrough. She is a very bright student."
"Very well. Where is the library?"
"A guard may take you. Just ask one."
"Many thanks, princess."
"If I may ask you, what did you wish to see Luna for?"
"Morning Pen deemed it necessary that I get some minor wounds looked at."
"May I see them?"
Orisian raised his arms to show Celestia, and upon seeing them she asked a guard over and told him to give her three guests whatever food and drink they wanted. After they were gone, she told Orisian to follow her and they made their way out to the training grounds, and into a doctor's tent set up there. Inside were a few recruits who had either gotten broken bones, sprains, or torn muscles during their training, all of which got up and stood at attention when they saw the princess enter. The doctor was currently out.
Celestia moved to a table set up, and started organizing a few bottles and instruments. She picked out a container labeled "soothing ointment", and moved back to Orisian, asking him to raise his arms. He complied, stating he still thought that they were insignificant.
Celestia's horn began to glow as she applied the ointment, and Orisian's arms immediately began to feel normal again.
After a few seconds of this, she stopped, and went back to the table, exchanging her current container for a bottle labeled "liquid bandages". Moving back to Orisian, she gave him the bottle.
"Apply this to the scratches each day for three weeks. Come back here and get more if you run out."
"Thank you princess, but what is all this for?"
"I'm assuming you got these wounds from Emerald Dagger, yes?"
"Aye."
"His dagger has gems embedding in it's blade. I'm sure no one knows how he has done it, but he has harnessed those gems and used them as a powerful advantage. They cause the blade to burn whatever it touches, often fatal to living beings if left untreated correctly, and scorching inanimate things to turn black. Along with that, the gems give significant advantages to the user."
"And what are those advantages?"
Celestia had begun to walk out of the tent and back to the castle, with Orisian in tow.
"Well, you may have noticed he was faster than you would have thought. The gems increase the user's speed. It has its disadvantage, however. The gems emenate the speed in an aura, so any body part farther away isn't as effected as much. You probably noticed that, yes?"
"Aye, I did."
Orisian remembered how quick Dagger had struck him, and then how slow he was when he tried to dodge Orisian's feint.
"Well, apart from that, they also increase the user's eyesight and reaction speed. I doubt anyone knows how, as we've only figured out the good parts of the gems when Emerald Dagger mastered them."
"I see. And now there are more studying them, I assume?"
"Well, no. They are still dangerous to the touch, and a unicorn's magic can be horribly affected by the gem's own magic, so we don't have a way to study them."
"Ah."
"Well, I've wasted enough of your time. I've got to get back to my guests, and no doubt you have things you need to do as well."
"Farewell for now then, princess."
Celestia continued to walk towards the castle, while Orisian turned and headed back for Morning Pen.
Orisian had taken over watching the recruits while Pen continued taking notes. It would be a while before he could leave, at least another few hours, but she seemed content to linger a little too close to him and write just a few, seemingly unimportant things.
Once the recruits had physically exhausted themselves, and were literally too tired to go to the castle's cafeteria, Orisian deemed it time to leave, and they set off for Pen's house.
It wasn't long before they got there, and upon entering, Morning Pen went into the kitchen to get them something to drink, and Orisian stood near a chair with his hands clasped behind him.
Once Morning Pen came back, and gave him a full glass of lemonade, he began speaking.
"Thank you. The reason Emerald Dagger began to despise you is a bit surprising for me."
"Uh-huh. So, what was it?"
Pen sat down, followed by Orisian as he wondered how he should phrase his thoughts.
"You are aware of changelings, yes?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, he said that you were a changeling. He told me that he saw you change with his own eyes."
"Really? Don't tell me you believe him."
"I just find it interesting that you are enlisted as a solar soldier, and Princess Luna seems to enjoy your company. I find it a bit enlightening to know that she also wishes changelings had never been an enemy to the people here."
Morning Pen was getting a bit nervous, and her voice began to break.
"Uh... interesting coincidence, right?"
"You are a terrible liar."
"Oh shit... Your not going to tell anybody are you?"
"Even if I were going to tell someone, they would probably not believe me. Besides, Princess Luna likes you, and I am currently bound to her."
"So you're not going to tell anyone? Oh my god, thank you!"
Jumping up and rushing over to him, she threw her arms around him, spilling her drink and nearly crushing the life out him.
It was a while later, after Orisian and Morning Pen had been talking about seemingly unimportant things, an awkward silence falling over the two. The subject of changelings had almost been forgotten.
Morning Pen had adopted a somewhat sad look bordering on curious.
"So... You are a veteran warrior huh?"
"Aye. A veteran of the King's armies. But, I may become a veteran once more, to a new army."
"So uh... How easy is it to die?"
Orisian let out a heavy sigh before pausing a long moment in thought.
"A question I have asked myself a thousand times. But, I've found that it's a pointless question. The only thing that matters in battle, is how easy it is to kill. And it becomes much easier if you have something to kill for."
"Oh... Well, how many innocent people have you killed?"
"None."
"Really? Princess Luna told me that Celestia said you were from an empire. You had to get there somehow right? So how many nations that weren't against you did you attack?"
"Hundreds. But we gave them a choice. The ones that chose wrong, we conquered."
"Which means you attacked innocent people. I may not know much about war, but I do know that it steals your innocence."
"Maybe it does, but a more correct answer would be that you give war your innocence."
"So... How many innocent people did you kill?"
"None."
"You're kidding me, right? That's impossible."
"No, it's not. Those that went against us knew what they were doing when they took up arms."
"But they were just defending their homes. You can't possibly think that they would have just given up do you? If you were attacked, what would you have done?"
"First off, I would have fought. Secondly, they weren't defending their homes. They were defending the land's lords, and rulers' homes. Tell me, when we bring prosperity, good trade, new crops, animals, and people to help farm, harvest, and protect the lands, whereas, before the lords were having feasts every day while their people were starving and dying of plague and pestilence, can you truly say we were in the wrong?"
"But you can't tell me every nation you attacked was like that."
"Maybe not, but either way, we helped the people we conquered. We should be thanked. And we were. The new citizens of the true empire of Remor gave the King their allegiance, and he gave them hope. More than hope, in fact. He gave them a far better life."
"But, how can you possibly say you were right to attack a peaceful nation?"
"Our ways of doing things may not be the most... Clean way of doing them, but you do not argue with results. And the people learned that. Whatever you say to try and bring any kind of shame to the King, they would counter you. And Kingsmen stand strong alone, but we stand invincible together. We helped each other, and we prospered. When we attacked a nation that wouldn't cooperate, we were just adding to the family the true way."
"Well, maybe that worked. Maybe it didn't."
"When I was last there, it was still working. And it had been working for hundreds of years."
"Well... Maybe that will work with the changelings, yeah?"
"Maybe."
Morning Pen looked down in thought, but quickly looked back up as she began smiling.
"Follow me. I have something I want to show you."
She began moving in the direction of her room, with Orisian following.
Orisian was watching over a specific group of recruits, his mind focused on what had happened between him and Morning Pen last night. He was slightly ashamed of what he had done, but a different part of him was welcoming his actions. He briefly remembered Emerald Dagger's advice not to trust her, but pushed it away as he saw Luna walking towards him, not exactly seeming pleased.
"Orisian."
The way she said his name snapped his full attention on her, and knowing that he was in trouble, kneeled to give her a better vantage point for whatever physical punishment she was about to deliver.
"Get up, Orisian. Thou has a lot of explaining to do."
Doing as he was told, Orisian stood and kept his head looking straight forward, back straight, like any soldier standing at attention. His mind was blank, ready to receive any question thrown at him, and answer in the most descriptive, clear, and honest way possible.
Luna stared at him for a long while before moving past him and looking at the recruits under his command. Picking out a single group of three Lunar trainees, she watched every move they made, noting how normal training regimens would have never gotten such perfectly honed soldiers. Each one had an expertise over their weapon of choice, a kind of mastery one can only get with years of combat experience. Luna also noted that out of the three recruits, all of them had bandages, and there was a crutch nearby.
"Explain this group Orisian. Why is there an instrument for the crippled nearby?"
Orisian immediately turned around, following her gaze back to the group of trainees he was originally watching. Taking in all he was looking at, he prepared the most scholarly answer an uneducated warrior could give.
"They are currently going through weapon excercises. They are watching each other, absorbing any information they can, so when they are faced with an opponent of the same variety - weapons, armor, build, experience - they may have an idea of what attacks to use, where any weaknesses might be, and what kind of initiative they have. I believe the crutch is for the one on the right. He shattered his ankle three days ago, as well as cracked his thigh bone. I don't believe he takes the medicine prescribed to him by the doctor, otherwise his mind wouldn't be completely on his task at hand."
"Shattered ankle? He doesn't look as if he is wounded."
"Neither would a Kingsman, Princess. The training regimen I set them on has left them all with the ability to ignore pain. Muscle tearing, broken bones, open wounds, nothing will cripple them. Nothing but blood loss and death, that is. I have even seen most of them fit to starve. Only three recruits here have had lunch in the past seven days, and none have had water for at least twenty-four hours."
"And this isn't fatal to any of them?"
"I have only starved those who can survive, Princess. I would never think of ending a warrior's glory before it starts."
Luna turned her gaze to other trainees, all of which were far past the expectations for recruits, even for the Lunar Armies. Needless to say, she was very impressed, but Orisian's deserved praise would have to wait. Turning back to him, she asked her next question with a steel blade.
"Why did thou injure Emerald Dagger so?"
"Morning Pen had requested that I challenge him on her behalf. I chose to use my fists, and he chose to use a dagger. We were fighting in an enclosed space, and strength was the main factor for victory."
Luna returned her attention to the three Lunar recruits, her eye moving to the one who supposedly had a shattered ankle. His movements weren't forced, or shaky like they should be if he had such a crippling injury. Luna was about to ask another question before Orisian spoke.
"You have excellent recruits, Princess. The three who aren't starving are all Celestial, and there are a few of yours here who are close to equaling a Kingsman. The one with the shattered ankle is especially promising, he has been here almost 24/7 since I began training these soldiers, and he has yet to quit without nearly dying from exhaustion. Hehe, he reminds me of myself in my youth. He seems completely devoted to you. He continues to request duels from me, even with his injury, and I have no doubt that he redoubled his efforts when he saw you were watching. I'm sure he will make you proud."
"What is his name? I would like to meet him soon."
"Lunar Fury, I believe. His skills with an axe are phenomenal, and he prefers to wield two at once. I have seen him take on four other Lunar recruits, and win. Just yesterday, if I remember correctly. He disarmed them with a veteran's proficiency, and gave them more than a few bruises to take home, along with a broken bone or two."
"Is that so? Perhaps, then, thou should duel him."
"I'm waiting for your blessing, and for his ankle to heal. The doctor forbid him from training, and said he would make a full recovery in about a month and a half, but while he is still training... I'm not sure it will heal. And I don't think he cares."
"Thou has my blessing to duel him, Orisian, so long as I am notified of when the duel will take place. I will also see what I can do about speeding the healing process of his injury. However, that is not why I am here. Do you know who Emerald Dagger was?"
"He is a blacksmith, a very good one. His products are all works of art, and I suppose he made more than just a few for your armies?"
"Not only mine, but my sister's as well. With his injuries, that border on being fatal, he is no longer able to produce, repair, or teach recruits how to maintain their equipment. The doctors tell us they have no idea when he will recover, if he ever will. This presents an obvious problem, one I hope you know how to fix."
"I know how to make weapons and armor, Princess. Although, I am not a skilled blacksmith. I am not proficient in taking the measurements of buyers, and I have more skill in maintaining and repairing equipment than I do of making. I will do my best to take over for Emerald Dagger, if that is what you wish, but I cannot promise quality work."
"Thou need not worry. We have already replaced Emerald Dagger. The problem I was referring to, was that some have heard of what thee did. Nobles who have no trust, patience, or empathy for one such as thineself. They demand a punishment, and I have decided what that punishment is."
"By your command, Princess."
"Thine punishment will be a change of scenery. For three days, and three nights, thee and myself will retreat to an old Lunar training field, where you will be broken."
Orisian looked at Luna with the face a soldier should have: perfectly calm, with no emotion. Although, in his head, Orisian was practically screaming with delight. Three whole days and nights to test his mettle against what the princess of the Lunar Armies could throw at him. He wondered if she knew this was exciting for him, or if she actually thought of this as a punishment, and when he raised the question, Luna smiled, and told him to meet her here at midnight.
Orisian was slightly disoriented, and was very sick. He was currently trying to keep himself from retching after Luna had teleported them from the training grounds, to a large, flat, and empty field that more resembled a mountain than a field. More than half of the ground was stone, and the rest was sand.
"If thou is uneasy from a simple teleportation spell, then thy magic resistance might prove fatal. For the next three days and nights, I must cast seven spells on you. One, is to ensure that thou does not fall asleep."
Orisian was still struggling to keep his lunch, but he heard every word she said. He thought back to his first days training to become a Kingsman, how he thought he was going to die, how his body refused to listen to him. He would be feeling that all over again, and with the bad parts come the good. Overcoming the magic that will be effecting his body will be glorious, and he looks forward to whatever misery it could bring.
"Two, is to restrain thine muscles. Thou will not be as strong, and fatigue will come much more quickly."
Sounds as though he will be young again.
"Three, is to cloud thine mind. Thou will not understand where thee is, and survival instincts will take over. Four, is to lower thine heart rate. Thou will be slower, and everything will be painful. Five, is to remove the thought of hunger and thirst. This is to offset anything that may come from thine instincts being thine only thoughts. Six, is to enhance thine nerves. Everything thee will feel shall be magnified. Seven, is by far the most powerful. It is a spell I haven't used for over a thousand years, far before Nightmare Moon had come into existence. This spell, is meant to bring thine nightmares to life, for only thee."
Luna's horn began to glow as she finished the last sentence, and Orisian began to lose sight of any brightness as everything faded to black.
Orisian awoke with no memory of where he was, what he had been doing, or why he hurt in every place. What he did know, was that Luna was standing over him, a slight smile on her face as he quickly got up and stood at attention.
"Thou wasn't killed during thine punishment."
Orisian began thinking of what she meant, before he remembered that she was supposed to be breaking him as punishment for injuring Emerald Dagger as bad as he did.
"Thine resistance to magic rose far faster than any would have thought."
"I apologize Princess, but I am confused as to what happened."
"The three days and nights are up, Orisian. Thou has been punished. How does it feel?"
"Painful, although I don't remember the punishment."
"Does thou remember the spells I had to cast on thee before thine punishment?"
"I don't believe so, Princess."
"One was a mind clouding spell. Thou shouldn't remember anything from thine punishment, lest thine mind be as unyielding as steel."
"But... If I don't remember anything from the punishment, was I not punished?"
"It is unimportant to me if thou remembers thine punishment. There were those who wished thee Ill, and they have received what they desire."
"But, Princess, I-"
"If thou are asked of this, then thee will respond that thou were put through hell, and did not enjoy it. Correct?"
"Yes, Princess."
"Good. Now, I believe thou still has recruits to train, and Morning Pen has gotten fairly worried for thine well-being."
Luna had the slightest smile as she winked at Orisian, and her horn began to glow. A few moments later, Orisian realized they were back at the training grounds, and it was midnight. If he knew any better, he might have thought they never left.
