Twilight Sparkle always loved trying new spells. But this one has unforeseen consequences.
Twilight it's almost done with her task, but there's one last spell she haven't tried yet. A portal spell. After doing the spell, she is teleported to a new world, far more different than Equestria, called the Void. Creatures from different shapes and sizes chased her until, he found her.
In a normal day, Twilight would be helping her friends, but today was different. Princess Celestia sent her a letter along with a good amount of spells for her to try out, just to make sure they're safe to use. Some of the spells are really old, others seem kinda dangerous to use. But Twilight would never say "no" to a task such as this, specially from her mentor. Also, Spike wasn't there, he was helping Rarity at Canterlot, probably carrying her stuff or something like that. Basically she had the library to herself. Unfortunately, she had to cancel Twilight Time, for a good reason. On other hoof, the three little fillies didn't seem to mind, they still had the rest of the day to play.
The day was almost coming to an end, Twilight was exhausted, but she still had one more spell to try. Using her magic, she levitated the paper scroll in front of her eyes and unfolded. She raised an eyebrow. "A portal spell?"- she mumbled.
She never seem a portal spell, probably this spell was hidden within the Canterlot Library. Twilight smiled, this was a rare occasion. Perform a spell such as this would be very interesting for her, not to mention the curiosity. It's not everyday you can try rare spells. Twilight lit her horn, but her actions soon stopped by a growl. "Maybe I should a tiny pause before continuing."
When she returned from her pause, she was ready. Once again she lit her horn and focused on the spell. It was only a matter of seconds until a purple circle appeared on the wall. Twilight was surprised, the spell was working, but something was wrong. She felt her body moving towards the portal. She tried to close the portal, but she used a lot of her magic, she was weak and before she could about something, she was inside the portal.
Twilight slowly opened her eyes. She felt a spike of pain going from her horn. With caution, the alicorn got up, gently she placed the right hoof on her horn. "I won't be able use magic for now."- Twilight thought.
She was really exhausted, but something got her attention, her hoof. Her hoof was protect by what appear to be a dark purple bracelet. The bracelet had some strange words. She also noticed she was using a raiment , also purple. Her chest had a armor plate. Twilight was amazed. She turned her head around to discover she wasn't at her library or maybe on Equestria. The place she was stuck seemed to be a mountain. "I need to find a way to get out of here!"
The alicorn started descending, unaware of the danger behind her. Odd creatures were lurking with curiosity. The creatures got more closer to Twilight, they had enough waiting. Unfortunately for them, she already noticed, and in a blink of an eye, she was running away. The creatures let out a terrible growled and more of them appeared, chasing her. Several of the creatures were different from each other, some of them had more than two eyes. Other had more arms or legs. Only a few had wings.
Twilight wasn't in good conditions to run, being tired sure wasn't helping. Soon things got worse. A dead end. Twilight looked up, she could try to climb the rocks, but she was too tired and her magic was still very weak. While looking at the wall, she saw the shadows of her pursuers. Twilight was ready to fight at all costs. All of the sudden, she heard a huge growl. The creatures looked up and started to run away.
Twilight moved away from the wall, to glare at the strange figure. The figure seemed to be a pony, in this case a stallion, judging by his body. He had blue eyes. He descended and landed in front of Twilight. She wasn't sure, but he seemed different from the others. She sensed some magic emanating from him. He did had a horn. The rest of his body was covered by a black cape. "I'm not going to hurt you!"- he spoke. His voice was deep, but calm.
"I know." He turned around before continuing. "Please, follow me! This place is too dangerous for you." Twilight nodded, for some reason, she felt trust in his words.
After spending some time walking through the mountains, they finally came to a stop. Right in front of them, Twilight could notice what appeared to be a castle or a fortress. There was a deep pit surrounding the castle. The only thing that connected the castle and the other side was a bridge. The bridge was being guarded by four creatures using armor and weapons. Twilight took a quick glance at their armors, they showed to be very rough and heavy. The first two guards had swords. The others had spears and shields.
The stallion stepped forward, passing by the two guards, they bowed. He looked and motion Twilight to follow him. She trotted by the guards, they gave her a strange look, but said nothing. After entering the castle, they found themselves in room resembling to a throne room.
The unicorn finally took off his black cape and gave it to a nearby guard. Her eyes shot wide open, taking a quick glance at the stallion. He was also purple, but more darker. He was bearing some kind of armor. That made her even more interested. Twilight, as usual, had a lot questions that needed some explaining, but what she really needed was a place to rest.
"I believe you must be very tired."- he spoke with his calm voice, she nodded. "Guard, please take our guest to my chamber! She needs to rest." The guard slauted and waited for Twilight to follow him. "When she awakes, bring her to me." The guard nodded.
"Don't worry, soon I'll answer your questions, now you need to rest."- he said with a smile. Twilight felt comfort on his words and that smile, seemed right.
Twilight let out a yamn, with a awkward smile, she spoke. "Heh, sorry. You're right, I really need to sleep."
"Indeed."- still with a smile.
With that said, Twilight started following the guard, until she remembered about something. "I almost forgot to introduce myself, I'm Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship."
He raised an eyebrow. "Princess you say?" He leaned forward. "Glad to meet you! I'm Azil, Guardian of the Void."
While Twilight slept in his bed, Azil decided to write two letters about the sudden situation. Unfortunately, the fortress only had one bedroom, so he stayed awake all night, of course for him that wasn't a problem, he enjoyed stargazing the Void sky at night. Somehow it seemed very different from he was used to see. After finishing the second letter, he placed the royal seal and called the guard, who was approaching him, waiting for orders. "Deliver this to the King at once!"- he ordered with a calm voice. The guard nodded and exited the room, closing the doors behind him.
This room was very special for him. He considered his little heaven from all the boring royal duties. Not to mention he had a good view to the Void kingdom. Occasionally, his eyes would drift towards outside, simply day-dreaming. Usually this room would have at least three guards, but this room didn't required such thing. Instead he used his own magic to guard this place. Due to recent events, the security was increased, the King itself provided more guards to prevent a second attempt. Basically every inch of the fortress was covered with guards or Azil's magic.
The first letter was still on table, but this one had his own symbol. He levitated the letter, in a blink of an eye, it disappeared.
Azil's eyes rested upon the bookshelf. He searched something to read, something he could clear his thoughts. Recently, things become more rough for him. That was only a small part of it, during his sleep he would have nightmares and wake up in the middle of the night sweating. When that happen, he decided go for a walk, trying to clear his mind. His eyes always rested on stars, seeking for guidance. Guidance like his mentor taught him.
So many books, yet he knew them all, from cover to back. He sighed, this maybe meant he needed to go the library. At least, that would help. Well, a little. By Azil's request, they added a library. At first that was a strange request, but they conceived. Probably the library was his second favourite place, the third one his royal chambers.
He was about to raise from his chair when someone knocked on the door. "Who is it?"- he inquired.
"It's me, Bastion, sir!"- a guard answered through the double doors. "The guest is awake." Bastion, that was his name, a guard with a great heart and very loyal. Before being designated to Guardian, Bastion by then followed Azil and protected him. Azil considered Bastion more than a guard, but a true friend, like his mentor. So he appointed Bastion to be his personal guard, which he gladly accepted. With a gesture of his hands, he opened the right door. The guard let the guest enter first, following her.
"Good morning Bastion and Twilight Sparkle."- he greeted them with his usual smile. Bastion nodded, before taking a quick at glance Azil. "Good morning your majesty."- he raised an eyebrow. "I trust you're awake all night? Again?" Azil told him many times he didn't needed to be formal, but Bastion carried his job with pride and honor. For the moment, Twilight was observing the room, until her eyes found a different person in the room.
"That's true, but for a good reason."- Azil stated looking at Twilight, by the expression on her face, he could see she was confused or amused. Or maybe both. "Could you bring us breakfast? I believe our guest must be hungry. Right?"
That question snapped Twilight from her thoughts. "I would love that." It had been a few hours since the last time she ate, fortunately Azil's bed was very comfortable. With that being said, she slept like a little filly.
Bastion nodded and exited the room, closing the door. "Please, take a seat."- he gestured with his hand. "We have much to discuss." She nodded her head and took a seat in front of him. Twilight still had that expression in her face, but she remained calm. After all, visiting other worlds was interesting.
"Shall we start?" After getting a nod from her, he continued. "For starters, how did you get here?"
She took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, my mentor, Princess Celestia gave me a few spells to try out." Azil listened carefully, there was something in her voice he couldn't tell. "One of spells was a portal, let's just say things got out of control."- she finished with an embarrassing smile.
He leaned back on his chair, feeling the presence of someone approaching. "I see." Like he did before, using his hands he opened the door, letting the guard come inside with their breakfast. From the other side of the table, Twilight watched Azil's hand glowing with a bright light of yellow. Almost like Celestia. On the other hoof, Bastion's magic was a deep colour of purple. Oddly, neither Azil or Bastion possessed horns. Twilight was more intrigued and she wanted to knew more about them, but in due time.
Bastion placed the two trays on table, apparently they seemed to be made out of crystal with a dark shade of purple. "Thank you Bastion." He nodded while stepping away from the table.
"Anything else your majesty?" Azil thought for a while. "I guess that's all for now, you may leave." Bastion was about to leave to room before he spoke again. "You don't need to be so formal." The guard glanced at Azil, giving that look. "You'll do it anyways."- Azil thought with a smile. For a second brief second, Bastion's lips curled into a smile.
"Pancakes?"- Twilight muttered.
"If you don't like, I can order something else." She lifted her eyes meeting Azil's gaze, the colour of his eyes was still blue. Twilight's cheeks turned into a slight shade of red. "No, no, I'm fine with this."- she stated while waving her hooves.
After finishing their breakfast, they resumed to the questions. "You can ask me anything, if you so desire."
"Hm, y-your human, right?" That question sounded very unsure, maybe too personal. For her pleasure, he smiled.
"Indeed I'm, how do you know that?" After a good twenty minutes explaining how she went to the human world, she even told him she had faced enemies. They decided to go for a walk, stretch their legs. The curious alicorn looked at the sun, high above them. According to her books, the Void didn't have any source of light, just a empty dark space. This made her question, if they a had a sun, that meant they also had a moon, maybe someone was behind rising and lowering the moon. But how is that even possible?
Azil glanced at Twilight, he chuckled getting her attention. "Funny isn't?"
"What's funny?"
"You probably must be wondering why we have sun and moon."- he approached her. "Simply, rules of nature. You can't live without the sun or the moon." She was deep in her thoughts, that made sense, until she gasped. "Are you saying the books are wrong?"
"I'm afraid so." The princess's shoulders dropped slightly. Azil raised an eyebrow. "Want to see the library?"- he asked. Twilight smiled. "I bet she likes books as much as I do." Wandering through the fortress hallways, she noticed the huge amount of guards in the hallways and other divisions. The amount of guards remembered her about his brother wedding. "If you have a question, just ask!" He raised his hand. "I won't bite."
Twilight smiled, she indeed had a question, well maybe more than one. "Why is there so many guards? You're expecting something?"
Azil's smile fadded for a brief second. "Almost..."- he muttered, the alicorn heard him.
"What do you mean?" They still had a long way to reach the library, a small story would make the trip smaller. "All started with me becoming the Guardian, some of the Voidlings didn't like the decision, after all being the Guardian was only for them, not to mention it's the second highest position, of course the King in first place."- he paused to catch his breath.
"A few months back, the fortress was under siege by a group of rogue Voidlings, they eventually breach in, to bad for them that I'm really good with magic, also thanks to Bastion's leadership, we are able the defeat them." Azil looked at Twilight, in return she nodded. "Some of them got arrested, others ran away, fortunately no one suffered great casualties."
Twilight was starting to understand to whole situation. "The King fears they might tried again?"
He nodded, looking straight down the hallway. "They will."
Seconds later they entered the library and Twilight's reaction got Azil off guard, in a moment she was next to him, in the other she was gone. Azil's library was big, probably half the size the Crystal Empire Library. Twilight flew from one bookshelf to another. "Yes, she does!"- he thought with a grin.
After the two of them had a good dinner, basically a few sandwiches, they decided it was time to rest. Twilight and Azil stood in his bedroom. "I hope you enjoyed today's events."
She simply nodded before replying. "I did."
"Good, it's my time to leave. Good night Twilight Sparkle." He was about to leave when she spoke again. "You can stay, the bed is quite big."- she said with a slight blush. That was very true, at least two people could fit in, or in this case, a human and a pony.
"You sure about that?" Again, she nodded. "Alright." With a snap from his fingers, his armour was gone, now he was bearing normal clothes. She climbed to his bed after taking off the armour she also had, giving Azil enough space to enter. "I hate that armour." His eyes drifted toward the armour stand. "It's too heavy."
Twilight giggled, Shining did mention something about his armour too. He laided his back on the bed. "C-Can I lay my head on your chest?"- the princess inquired while her cheeks still continued red.
"If that makes you more comfortable, sure!" He had to admit, that was very comfortable, just the body heat was an amazing sensation. It's been a long time since the last time he slept with someone. Carefully, he place his right hand on Twilight's mane, gently caressing her. She cooed, sleepiness was overwhelming, she closed her eyes while she felt Azil's hand stroking her mane, she mumbled. "Good night Azil."
Azil smiled, this was new to him, but he could care less. "Good night Twilight."- he said before kissing the tip of her horn and closed his eyes.
It was still midnight and the guards walked, back and forward, keeping a close eye on any detail, in fact, Bastion was on patrol and coordinating the patrols. He often recalled Azil to get some sleep, but the one who needed some rest was him. Once in a while, he would take some naps. Twilight was still sleeping, however Azil was struggling against his nightmares, obviously he was losing. After a few seconds, he was starting to move, almost trying to run away from something. Those movements woke up Twilight, slowly she openned her eyes. She glanced at Azil, the expression on his face made her worry. He told her about having nightmares, she wanted to help him, but how? She simply couldn't dream walk like Princess Luna, but she could wake him.
That's what she did, carefully she poked him in his chest, after some attempts, she finally managed to wake him. "Having nightmares again?"- she asked slowly.
Azil opened his eyes, some tears of sweat running down his face. "Yes, I'm sorry if I woke you." He ran his hand across his face. "It's been difficult to get a proper night sleep."
"Princess Luna could help you, if she was here. She can get into our dreams and help facing them."
"That sounds difficult. Does her sister help her?" Twilight shook her head.
"Only Princess Luna can do that." Azil got out of his bed, he grabbed his armour. "Going outside?"- Twilight asked, which Azil nodded.
"You can stay if you want." But Twilight also left his bed, quickly following him.
"You need help and it's still very early." The princess looked at the moon, calculating the time in her head.
The cool night breeze relaxed Azil's sudden awake. Twilight trotted next to him, glancing at the night sky. Apparently, both Equestria and the Void shared a lot in common. After walking a couple of minutes in the courtyard, they entered what appeared to be a small garden. Several plants are spread all over the place. One thing was certain, none of them was good at planting, that's for sure. In the middle of the garden, was a stone bench. Azil gestured for the purple mare to sit down first. "He's very kind."- Twilight thought.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" She looked at him, then followed his gaze. The stars shone brightly. "Looking at the stars and moon brings me peace." Twilight knew well that feeling, when she got frustrated because of something she would gaze at the stars, seeking an answer.
Azil took a quick glance at the alicorn. "We are almost the same. Almost." He powered his magic, in blink of an eye, he transformed back into a pony, this time he looked different.
She almost jumped from her seat when she noticed someone else next to her, but after a brief look she calmed down. There was a pony next to her, his coat was white while his mane was a deep purple. He also had a horn and his eyes are... "blue"
"Azil? Is that you?" The stallion in question nodded. "Why?"
"Just to make you feel better, that's all." He smiled at her. "I know it's lonely when you don't have someone you know for next to you." Words of honesty. Azil, in her mind was a good gentlecolt, or in this case, a human. Even if this was exciting for her, she knew her friends and family were worried about her, especially a certain princess.
He noticed the expression on her face, for many times he also thought about that, but this time he was determined to help her. Azil nudged Twilight, which she looked at him. "Don't worry, everything is going to be fine."- his smile never faded, giving her the confidence she needed.
The purple alicorn leaned on Azil. For a few seconds, his cheeks turned into a slight red blush. Calling upon his magic again, he laid a wing over Twilight's back. She looked to her right. "I didn't noticed you had wings."
Azil smiled. "Well, I don't." The alicorn gave him a puzzled look. "It's a simple transformation spell. It takes a while to learn the basics."
"Do you have a book about that?"- she asked with a very excited tone.
The white stallion scratch his chin. "I think I still have it. Curious to learn more?" In reply, she nodded her head eagerly.
"Sir!" A voice called behind them. Both turned their heads around glancing the guard, in this case, Bastion.
"Ah, good eyes I see you!" Azil gave him a smile, he only nodded.
"Having troubles sleeping again your majesty?" His shoulders fell slightly. "I'm affraid so, but I have a friend to help me." He looked at Twilight, seeing a smile on her muzzle. "Maybe more than a friend." Bastion nodded once more. "I'm glad to hear that your majesty, have a good night." With that said, he resume to his patrolling.
The guardian chuckled, Twilight tilted her head to the left. "What's so funny?"
"His formalities. I don't deserve that." Twilight was about to say something, instead she let out a yawn.
"Looks like some princess needs her sleep, don't you agree?" She only nodded as they rose from the stone bench and made their inside the fortress. Along the way, Azil saluted some of the patrolling guards. When they arrived to his bedroom, Twilight was the first one to get on the bed, letting out another un-princess like yawn, which made Azil smile even more. Still using his pony form he jumped into the bed, giving Twilight enought space for both of them. "Aren't you changing back your human form?"
"I must admit, being a pony with wings and a horn it's actually funny." Azil folded his right wing around Twilight, in return her cheeks turned more red than before. "Also quite useful." Slowly, they pushed themselves closer to each other. The warmth of their bodies was making easier to fall asleep.
"He's so warm and smart." Twilight.
"She's so warm and beautiful." Azil.
Twilight had her eyes closed, while Azil was gazing at her, almost in a dream state. Gently, he approached the tip of her horn, he swear he felt his cheeks very hot, wit a soft touch, he kissed her horn. In response, Twilight fell deeper into his embrace.
"Good night Twilight."
"Good night Azil." Both, Guardian and Princess, fell asleep in each other's embrace.
Azil opened his eyes due to the sun light coming from the windows. The events from last night was still in his mind. A soft knocking on the door was heard, if he knew any better was probably Bastion, ready to wake him and deliver his breakfast. He gazed down, noticing that the purple princess was still sleeping in his embrace. She looked so peaceful while sleeping. Another knock was heard, a little stronger this time. Someone was getting impatient. Only when he tried to get out of bed he noticed that he had hooves instead of his hands. To be honest, changing into a pony wasn't the worst of his transformations, especially on royal meetings with other nations. At least this change was...kinda funny.
Slowly he got out of his bed, trying not to wake Twilight. He summoned a large pillow, almost large as him and replaced the empty spot. He waited for any sign of movement from her, but seeing she was still deep is sleep, he used the spell to change to his human form and proceed to open the door. Bastion was on the other side, when the door opened. He bowed to Azil, who closed the door behind him. "Good morning Bastion, did you had a good night of sleep?" - he inquired.
"Actually, I did." - he answered, surprising Azil. "I took a few hours to sleep." Azil shook his head with a smile. A few hours, according to him, was two hours, but at least he would get some rest. "I assume my breakfast is prepared, right?" Bastion nodded. "Also, don't forget for the Princess."
"It's also prepared, Your Highness." Azil scratched his chin, he tried to remember if he had any affairs for today. Upon seeing this, Bastion levitated a folded letter to him. "Your affairs for today."
"Ah, thank you." He gave another smile and went to grab the letter when the door suddenly opened. Twilight rubbed her eyes, trying to shake the sleep. "Good morning, Princess Twilight." Azil and Bastion bowed. The purple alicorn gave them an awkward smile.
"Good morning to you too, now could you please...you know? Stand up?"
"Well, since you're awake, I guess we can have breakfast together." Twilight nodded, having breakfast sounded a good idea. Azil turned to his fellow guard. "Lead the way Bastion."
It took a couple of minutes to get to his personal office from his bedroom, meanwhile Twilight observed the castle surroundings and their servants, mostly guards. Much like Canterlot castle, the guards appeared to guarding important places, mainly balconies and some windows. On their way to his office, several guards saluted him and the princess. Bastion informed every guard they had a princess in the fortress, which required even more proper manners from everyone.
Their breakfast was already set on the table. Azil and Twilight took their seats in front of each other. Bastion closed the doors, leaving them alone. His presence wasn't needed for the moment. Twilight looked at her breakfast, two flower sandwiches with...orange juice? "We have many things from places, like oranges." - he said with a smile. "Apparently, the king likes oranges. A lot." Twilight giggled and started eating. The sandwich was amazing, it tasted so good. "I knew you would like it."
Azil kept eating his pancakes, until the remember about the letter. He opened the letter, hoping he wouldn't have to deal with a lot of stuff, he just wanted to spend some time with Twilight.
"Let's see..." - he mutered.
"What's that?" - Twilight asked, taking another bite.
"It's my affairs for today." His eyes wandered throught the letter. "Paper work and training with the guards. Seems fairly small." He thought to himself. Although, I can delay the paper work. Again. I hate paper work... He let out a sigh, returning back to the subject of eating.
The two of them ate in a awkward silence, until he thought about something.
"Twilight," The pony in question glanced at him. She sure had some beautiful eyes. Don't get distracted Azil. "I was wondering, since I got mostly the day off, would you like to see the library again? I'm sure you haven't seen everything."
"Of course I would like." Twilight almost yelled then blushed at her sudden outburst, Azil giggled. "Sorry."
The Guardian and Princess spent most of the day inside the library. Azil spent the last two hours explaining the history of The Void, which wasn't an easy task. From what she knew, The Void was much older then Equestria, they had thousands and thousands of years recorded on books and scrolls, the latter some of them being missing for years. Azil also told her about his adventures with his master. Some hilarious and some very dangerous. Bastion knocked on the door and poked his head behind it.
"Training session?" Bastion nodded. "Do you want to see me training with the guards?"
"Why not? I saw my brother training too."
"Then let's go." - said Azil.
They arrived at the fortress's courtyard. Several guards waited for the leader to commence their training. The training was pretty simple, Azil would pick four or five guards and fight against them. Meanwhile, those guards would elaborate a tactic to win, or try. So far Azil never lost one. After that part of the training was done, Bastion would continue from there. Azil watched the line of guards eager to test their fighting skills. Every voidling was different, which sometimes proved to be a challenge. "I pick, you two" - he pronounced while looking at guards. "and you two. The rest step back." Twilight and Bastion watched from a safe distance. "You know the rules, but I shall said it again, you can choose any weapon or spell at your disposal. Try to create a tactic to defeat me."
The four guards gathered around and debated. Once they finished their tactic, two of them went to grab some weapons and returned. Azil realized they were prepared. "You may start!" The four guards nodded to each other and assumed their positions. They made a square shape around Azil. Basic tactic, surround your opponent. Giving them a quick glance, he noticed one of the guards had a spear, while the other had a bow. "Interesting." - he mutered. The bow wasn't a weapon that many knew how to use, only a few knew how to master it. The rest of the guards would probably use magic.
Without warning the guard shot two quick arrows at Azil. Seeing the incoming attack, he summoned a shield. The arrows simply shattered against it. He kept shooting arrows at him, while the guard with the spear charged at him with an amazing speed. Azil could stand his ground if wasn't for the fact his shield was getting weaker not only from the arrows, but also from the other guards shooting lightning bolts. He always used weaker spells when was training sessions, some spells could prove to be very dangerous. With a quick move he barely dodged the spear, Twilight gasped, the spear was inches from hitting him.
"Don't worry Your Highness, he knows what he's doing." - Bastion said, trying to calm the princess. Truth to be told, he did knew, occasionally he would get small wounds, like cuts, nothing to serious.
Dodging the spear, Azil grabbed the guard by his arms and threw him backwards. He did a flip in middle air landing on his back, everyone could hear the sound of metal hitting the ground, even Twilight. Azil was aware he got exposed, so started running towards the guard with the bow. Using his magic, he summoned a small shields, serving as protection against the incoming arrows. The Guardian had to admit, he wasn't bad with that bow. One of the guards nodded and used a shield to also protect him. Meanwhile, the other guard shot a magical sphere at Azil. If that sphere hits Azil, he would get stunned for a few seconds, depending how strong the spell as. He had to act fast. Those guards would be an issue.
With a quick teleportation spell, he was gone. The guards looked in every direction, even above them, but nothing. Azil was nowhere to be seen. Twilight was impressed, he really was good with magic. "Here comes the best part." - she heard Bastion.
From nowhere, one of the guards went flying, his face hitting with the ground. The guard next to him turned around to see nothing. "He's using an invisibility spell, be careful!" - he shouted at his fellow guards. Azil watched as the guards formed a triangle, their backs against each other and smiled. He summoned a mini tornado, sending the guards flying once more. He took this chance to end the fight and ran towards the failling guards. With another quick spell, he gained wings and flew.
"Wow!" - that's was the only thing Twilight could say. The guard with the bow saw his approach and shot another arrow, but Azil grabbed the arrow and delivered a powerful kick, he grunted in pain. The guards with wings got him in middle air. Azil turned to face the remaining force. He summoned small crystal shards and aimed at the guards. That spell was very basic and seemed almost for young voidlings, but was one of his first spells he learned, the crystal shards could paralyze their opponent, without causing any sort pain. This spell was mostly used by prison guards. Before the guards could react, their bodies refused to respond. At this rate, they would collide against the floor, but Azil carefully levitated them to safety.
Once they were safely secured, he snapped his fingers, breaking the spell. The guards applauded. Azil bowed to the four guards, they did the same, except for one guard, he had a hand on his back. Azil dismissed his bow and send him to take some rest.
"Most impressive young one." - a voice called out. Everyone in the courtyard turned their heads and almost immediately bowed, even Azil. The princess raised an eyebrow. Bastion noticed this and spoke to her. "You should bow, it's rude if you don't." Reluctantly, she did that.
"Alright, you can stop now, especially you Azil." He turned to greet Bastion. "How are you Bastion?"
"I'm fine, Your Highness." Azil approached the small group. "They are waiting for you Bastion." The guard bowed one last before resuming the training session. "You came more early than I thought, Master." "Master? Do you mean..." - she thought to herself while glancing at him. He almost seemed to have the same size as Azil. He gave him a sincere smile. "Let's just say I got a ride." - He turned to his right side. "Is she the princess you wrote in the letter?" Azil nodded with a smile of his own.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle, this is my Master, Vox."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Princess Twilight." - Vox proclaimed with a bow.
The three nobles made their way through the castle halls. "Equestria, you say? Not sure if I been there yet." - said Vox.
"You should go for a quick visit, I'm sure Princess Celestia wouldn't mind." He smiled. "Maybe one day." They continued down the hallway, chatting until Azil remembered about something. "I'm going to check if your room is ready, I'll meet up later." And with that, he was gone. Vox and Twilight continued until they reached the study room and sat down. Shortly after a guard gave them tea and some food. Twlight informed him how she end up there. "And that's how I end up here." - she finished before more tea. "This tea is really good by the way."
"Thank you, it's not from this world, I bought with me after a visit. Fortunately, it can be plant here." - he took a small sip. "As for your little problem, it is indeed interesting, in a way the spell should'a worked fine, but something interfered it. It can be fixed, it just may take some time though."
"How much time you think?"
The elder mage thought for a while. "Well, it depends, it would be much easier to create the spell with an object from your world which I assume you don't have it right now," - Twilight shook her head in response. "in that case I'm sorry to inform it might take a few days due to being quite the complicated spell."
That answer didn't quite pleased Twilight, she couldn't that long, what they noticed she was gone? Or maybe they thought she was kidnapped by some new crazy vilain? Or maybe...maybe?
"Princess, you alright?"
Twilight snapped from her panicked moment and gave a nervous giggle.
"Sorry about that..."
"It's alright young one, I'm sure you're thinking about your loved ones back home. I know the feeling too well." Vox finished his tea and smiled. "I'll try to act fast, meanwhile do enjoy the stay here, I'm sure Azil wouldn't mind showing you around this wonderful place." With that he winked at Twilight, and a faint blush appeared across her face.
A knock on the door was heard, followed by Azil opening it. "I'm sorry for the delay, I had to take care of some...things." He shot a knowing glance at his master.
"Twilight, wouldn't you mind giving us a moment to talk? It's been a while since last time." - Vox asked with a kind smile.
"Of course, take your time, I'll just go to the library." Azil coughed, getting their attention. "Bastion is outside to escort and help you, if needed. This may take some time."
Before leaving the room, Twilight gave them a smile and closed the door. After making sure they were gone, the guardian sat down. He poured some tea into the cup and took a small sip. "It's them again?" - his mentor asked, which Azil nodded. "They sure are persistent."
"Unfortunately, yes they are, though it's been a while they haven't stirred. I may know why."
"Princess Twilight?" He nodded. "I'm sure they felt her magic, after all when I found her, she was being chased. I felt the magical surge, so did they."
"Got any ideas how to solve this?" Azil gazed at the window, this was a rather delicate situation, he had to be very cautious. That's one reason why he ordered Bastion to keep an eye on her. "I already increased the security around perimeter and the king knows about this. For now, I'll stay close to Twilight to make sure nothing happens."
"Just don't get too close." He laughed a bit.
"I-I...I didn't mean like that!" - he said with a small blush. His mentor laughed before going back for more tea. "You know I can't..."
"I know young apprentice, but let's forget about all this and discuss other things, like your magical trainings."
Meanwhile, in one of the many hallways, Bastion led Twilight to the library, in a very awkward silence. She knew something was off, not because the amount of guards she passed along the way. She was very sure they increased more, but why? Were they expecting problems? Also, the way Bastion looked everywhere was a clear sign that something was off compared to yesterday. "Is everything alright Bastion?" She had to ask, even if she knew the answer. The guard looked at her and smiled.
"Yes princess, no need to worry."
Yesterday at Azil's office "Your majesty, I have an urgent report for you." - informed Bastion.
"What is it?"
"We have received some reports about movements deep in the forest."
"Animals?" - he inquired. Bastion shook his head. He just sighed, already knowing the exact answer. "It's them again?"
"Indeed sir, what's your orders?" Azil summoned a feather, ink and paper. "Increase the security around the perimeter and send some invisible voidlings to the forest. If they're there, we will know."
"Is that all, your majesty?" He started writing a letter. "Yes, that is all, I'll inform you later if needed." The guard saluted and took his leave. "Actually, keep an eye on Twilight for me, will you?"
"Of course."
Twilight's eyes scanned almost every book within the library. Some of them she could actually read but others seemed gibberish to her, probably void language or knowledge gathered from other worlds. One thing she had to ask later is how many different species of void creatures was there. Perhaps one of these books contained that information. Twilight was glad that Azil's master had agree to help her with the teleportation spell. Vox seemed to be kind and gentle, it reminded her of Princess Celestia in a way. Granted he did warn about taking some time, the alicorn just wished she could somehow let them know she was alright.
"She doesn't seem like much royalty."
"Something tells me she doesn't like using her title very often." - guessed Azil. Vox rubbed his grey beard, humming slightly. "That also reminds me, she's not wearing any clothes. How odd."
"Should I arrange some?" - inquired Azil, trying not to think too much about it.
"Please do, it may help defuse some future issues that can happen." Azil nodded, his master wasn't wrong, not to mention that Twilight was already purple, with some clothing it would easily do the trick. That's what he hoped so.
Later that day
"Clothes for me?" - asked the princess.
"Yes, it's tradition to wear these besides the fabric is very comfortable and the armor pieces are very light. Now Twilight, if you don't mind I got some much delayed paperwork to deal with." - the guardian gave her a bow, before leaving the room. Twilight glanced at it, at least the colour combined with her fur.
