Chapter 1
“What are you doing hear Star Spire? Are you hear to destroy my life again?”
“Oh Zoë, we haven’t seen each other for five years now, and this is how you great an old friend. Where have your manors gone?”
“Your not my friend. You never were. You only wanted to use me for power.”
“Know that’s a lie. There was a time when we were friends. We were inseparable, but you. You was just a little to nosy.”
I stood there silent. The rain was leaking threw the holes in my roof. I looked at my surroundings for a way out, but there was none. The windows was boarded up, and Star Spire was blocking the only door. All I could do is stand there, and stall her. Didn’t know what good it would do, but maybe I’ll think of some way to escape.
“You still haven’t answered me Star. What are you doing hear?”
“I came hear to end this once, and for all. I came to stop you before you did something stupid. You could have just lived your banishment in peace, but your just, well, a little to nosy.”
“I don’t know what your talking about.” Lying to try to postpone the inevitable.
“Oh Zoë, You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
She knew of my plans. I was so close to having the proof I needed to put Star Spire behind bars, and to put me back in Canterlot. I just needed more time, But it looks like my time has ran out. I stood there looking at the mare who was wilding the most powerful weapon in Canterlot. Her rayal guard armor was covering her dark purple coat. her eye’s locked on mine. I should ended this years ago.
My stories not a long one to tell. I was born In the Los Pegasus hospital. My father was a unicorn and my mom a Pegasus. They had lived in Los Pegasus there who life, that is, until they had me. I was an alicorn witch is very uncommon. Alicorns are said to have an exceptionally large amount of magic power witch is why they make good princesses. Being an alicorn automatically gets you and your family a house in Canterlot, and royalty training from princess Celestia herself. that’s when I met Star Spire.
Star Spire’s father ,Caption Flint Shield, was caption of the royal guard at the time, and he put Star Spire in Magic defense class. In my training I had to take the same class myself. We both had our futures planed out for us. I was going to be a princess and she was going to take her dads place in the royal guard. I think that’s why we became friends. We both didn’t like the fact that we had no say in what we did in our life, and was a little rebellious because of it. We would play pranks on the grads, and we would sneak out at night to yell down the streets waking up every pony. Luna would always catch us, but she wouldn’t tell on us. She just sent us home. Star Spire was right, there was a time when we were inseparable. We remained friends up to our adult hood.
It wasn’t long till I was an official princess. Just a few more classes and my studies would be complete. I was working with Celestia on a devise that would help the royal guard protect the castle from strong forces of evil. This device amplified a unicorns magic and turned it into pure energy able to cut threw steel with ease. We simply called it the torch. Although the devise was complete, Celestia wanted to find a way to stop its power before she reviled it to the royal guard in case it would fall into the wrong hands. She thought me of a redirect spell that would do the trick, but it was difficult to perfect. The torch was suppose to be a secret between me, and the Celestia, but I told Star Spire all about it. I couldn’t help myself, she was my best friend. How could I have know at the time that she was going to betray me?
One day after I got done with my classes I went to get my notes from the room me, and Celestia stored the device. When I opened the door I saw Star Spire standing there with the torch in her hand. She looked at me. I just stood there confused, and shocked. She dashed at me, pushing me out of her way to the doors. I could have stopped her. I was strong than her and had more powerful magic, but I didn’t. I think I was to shocked , or just didn’t know what to hurt my friend. Down the hall she ran with the torch in her hoof. I finally came to my senses and chased after her, but she was long gone.
I thought about going To get Celestia that night, but I didn’t want to get Star Spire in trouble. I Wanted to stop Star myself, and spare my friend form the harsh punishment Celestia would surely give her. Also I didn’t know how to explain how Star knew about the torch. So I set off in the night looking for Star Spire, but she was no where to be found.
The next morning a guard woke me up. “Princess Celestia would like to see you!” he barked at me. My stomach dropped. I know exactly what this was about, but I didn’t know how bad it would turn out. I got out of bead and headed out of my room. More guards waited for me in the hallway. They escorted me to Celestia’s thrown room. As I walked in I saw Star Spire and her father staring at me. Celestia stood from her thrown and walked toured me.
“Where is the torch?” Celestia asked me with much anger in her voice.
I new I had to rat Star Spire out now. “Star Spire Stole it last night. I stopped to go get my notes from the room and…”
“ She’s a liar. She is just trying to cover for herself.” Star yelled out interrupting me.
“Settle down Star Spire. Zoë, Capitan Flint Shield saw you last night run away with the torch. Where were you going with it?” Celestia Asked me.
“I don’t have it! I told you that Star Spire stole it last night.” Celestia’s intimidation was getting to me. I was getting shaky.
“Your telling me That the caption of the royal guard would lie to me? Also if you saw Star Spire steeling the torch why did you stop her, or at least get me? And that raises another question, how would Star Spire even know about the torch? It was suppose to be a secrets between me, and you.”
I was silent. Tiers was forming in the corner of my eyes. I don’t think the truth would save me know. Star Spire had her dad helping her. Why would Celestia take my word over the caption of the royal guards.
“I’ll ask you one more time. Where is the torch!” Celetia’s voice was firm. Her eyes locked in on me. I burst to tears.
“I don’t know, I don’t have it. You got to believe me Star Spire has it.” I cried out, but I knew it was no go. I had no evidence to back me up, and Celestia had all right to assume I did it. I just hoped for mercy, but I know Celestia is not known for mercy.
“Well if you wont tell me where the torch is I will have no choice but to banish you from Equestia. If you return you will be executed.” I had never herd Celestia so mad in my life, but I understood. She had her hole kingdom to protect, and the torch being missing meant the kingdom could be in danger. Little did she know that getting rid of me wasn’t the way to go.
“Guards take her away. Search all across the kingdom for the torch, I want it found. Go, go, go!” Celestia ordered.
A few guards approached me, and threw me to the ground. One guard started tying my hooves together while another one put a bag over my head. The last sight I saw was Star Spire smiling as I struggled. Celestia cast a spell to temporarily stop me from being able to use my horn for magic. The guard threw me in the back of a carriage and took me far from the castle. The ride took forever. All I could think about the whole way there is how I could have prevented this. Now I’m banished… lost… forsaken.
Several Hours latter the carriage stopped. Two guards grabbed me and threw me to the ground. They untied me and took the bag of my head. I looked around. I was in a large field. The tall grass stretched to the horizon. There were few trees around, but the land was mostly empty. I wasn’t sour where I was, but I knew I wasn’t in Equestria anymore.
“Their’s a town just south of hear. Maybe they will let you stay there for a while.” a guard growled at me as he pointed in the direction of the town. “Don’t think about coming bake to Equestria, all the guards will be watching for you.”
Off the guards went. I watched the direction they flew so that I might find the way back to Equestria. Despite the guards warning I didn’t plan on staying at this place long. I wanted my named cleaned, and I wouldn’t mind getting some revenge on Star Spire. Before I went anywhere though I needed a plane. She wasn’t going to steel the torch for no reason. Finding that reason would surly be a start. I headed to town the guards pointed me too to get some rest. It has been a long day.
It was a few months of being banished before I traveled bake to Equestria. I found an abandon town in the Heysead Swamp to settle in. The town had a few rundown houses, an old bank, and a large church. A small tribe of zebras occupied most of the houses, but let me stay at the church. Although the zebras, and I got along we didn’t communicate much. Occasionally they asked for my assistance if they had use for my magic, and in exchange they would give me food. Most of the time though we would keep distance from each other. The church was far from good shape when I moved in. the roof had holes, the windows were boarded up, and the floors were warped. I’m surprised its still standing today. Anyways it wasn’t much, but it’s the best I could do.
Now that I’m back in Equestria I could start getting proof of my innocence. I remembered Star Spire talking about getting her weapons forged from a black smith in Mainhatton. She said he was a friend of hers and that he probably needed the money having no ties with the royal guard. That would be a perfect place for Star Spire to replicate the torch if she wanted to. It wasn’t much of a start, but it was a start never the less. So I headed to Mainhatton.
It was hard to sneak around being an alicorn. You kind of stick out like a swore hoof without hiding either your horn, or your wings. It was to worm to were a jacket so hiding my wings was out, so I put on a cowboy hat to hide my horn. I walked into Mainhatton avoiding eye contact with everybody witch was hard because Mainhatton was a big city. Two guards appeared behind me walking in a fast pass. So started walking faster avoiding looking behind me. They started to run. I started to panic.
“Hold it there!” One of the guards yelled. I dropped to the ground and put my hoofs over my head. There was no since fighting. Even if I escaped the guards, if word reached Celestia that I came bake to Equestria she would find me no mater how far I run. So I surrendered. The guards ran past me “stop thief!” the guards yelled as they ran for a colt sprinting down the street with a purse in his mouth. That was a close on.
Not long after searching I found the blacksmiths shop. I walked in, and looked around seeing if there was any emendate signs of Star Spire bringing the torch hear. Nothing out of the ordinary though, just some lockets, weapons, and tools layer around the shop.
“Anything I could help you with” the black smith asked me. That’s when I saw it behind the counter. Metal cut buy the torch exactly like Celestia and mine‘s test. Star Spire was hear, butI couldn’t just directly ask the smith if she was hear. He would probably recognize me, and call the guards on me if I did that. I had to get him out of the shop so I could snoop around.
“Yes, I locked myself out of my apartment, and was hoping you could get me back in.”
“Ah yes, Witch apartment is it?”
“It’s The one in the complex down town. Room number 12.” I hope there’s apartments down town.
“On main street?” he stared at me intensely. Like he knew I was lying. My face started to sweet.
“Yes.” I answered in a small voice.
“Well okay that will be five bits please, and I’ll just fallow you to your apartment.”
I handed him five bits. “Well, you see, I still have some shopping to do while I’m In the aria could you just go, and I‘ll meat you there in a bit?”
“Ya that’s fine” he said as he grabbed my bits, and headed out the door.
I had to act fast. I jumped behind the counter, and shuffled threw his file cabinet. There it was blueprints to the torch that the blacksmith drew out. Attached to the blueprints was a note from Star Spire. The front door of the shop started to open. I stuffed the blueprints, and the note under my hat, and jumped out from behind the counter. It was the black smith.
“O your still hear? I just forgot my tools.” he said to me.
“Thant wont be necessary I found my key, think you ser” I ran out of the shop.
“Wait don’t you want your bits back?” The black smith yelled out to me as I running, but I didn’t mind loosing some change. I just wanted to get out of site of ponies all together.
I arrived at home safely with the blueprints, and the note. The blueprints had the blacksmiths shop’s logo on it. This was perfect. I looked at the note. It didn’t say much Just to recreate the torch, and not to tell anybody about it. On the back of the note there was addresses ranging all over Equestria. I didn’t know why they were there, but they worth checking out. Although The note, blueprints was good proof I wanted more if I was going to risk approaching Celestia.
I spent the next fore years searching each address on the back of the note. They were all residential houses from a variety of unicorns. Some of them I have herd Stare Sparkle mention before, they were friend of hers. I found notes written to each unicorn about Star Spires plans. She was going to overthrow Celestia and take over Equestria, and each on of these unicorns was going to receive there own torch to help her. This was no longer about getting my named cleared, it was about saving Equestria for Star Spire. I took all notes I found of Star Spire linking her to the torch, and kept them all in a suitcase under my bed. I almost had everything I needed to prove of Star Spires Plans when she showed up. So hear I am, with a Mare staring my down, the torch equipped to her horn.
“Where are the blueprints, the notes, everything. Where are you hiding them?” Star Spire’s voice was getting a little harsh know. I don’t think I could stall much longer. I needed a plane.
“I already sent them Celestia’s way, She’s probably looking for you know.” I lied hopping she would buy it, but she didn’t. she’s no fool.
“If you don’t tell me than I’ll just have to rip this church apart until I find it, But first I’ll deal with you.”
I chose my word carefully “Go buck yourself.”
The torch glowed, and a beam of energy came my way. I tried to evade it with a counter spell witch kind of worked, but caused a small explosion. The impact of the explosion sent me threw a wall on the side of the church. I tried opening my wings before I fell to the ground, but I was to late. I hit the ground hard. I looked up and saw the Star Spire looking at me from the hole I left in the wall. The torch started to glow again, and the beam of energy came at me. I rolled out of the way, and hoped onto my legs barley avoiding the beam. I ran to the other side of the church out of star’s sight.
“Get back hear” Star Spire yelled as she jumped out of the hole onto the ground. While I she was looking for me I flew on top of the church roof. Star circled the church looking for my as I prepared myself to pounce. I jump from the church, and swore down at Star tackling her knocking the torch off her horn. The torch sends a beam of energy at the church ripping a hole in it, and catching it on fire.
“The notes!” I yelled turning to the church. Star spire kicked down while I was distracted, and made a run for the torch. She reequipped the horn, and turned to me.
“This ends now!” she said horn pointed strait at me. She shot a beam at me. Desperate, I used the redirection spell Celestia thought me. It only worked if you did it at just the right time. You have to do the spell right when the other spell hits your horn. It was my only chance.
The redirection spell worked, and the beam flung back to Star Spire. Her eyes widened as the beam of energy sliced threw her armor and into her side. I ran up to her. She was still alive, but her wounds were really sever. The beam sliced threw some vital organs. She wasn’t going to make it.
“How did you do that” Star Spire questioned coughing. “I should have had you.”
“It was a redirect spell. I’m just as surprised as you that it worked.”
“Well looks like my time Is up.” She took off the torch, and handed it to me. “I’m sorry about all of this. I really enjoyed our friendship. I just saw an opportunity for power that I couldn’t pass up. Hear take this.” It was a letter “hopefully this helps you.” She rolled her head over. Here body became limp, and she was dead.
I looked at the church. It was consumed buy the fire. There was no saving the proof I had now. The rain, and the sky was clearing now reviling the stars. I thought about the hole ordeal, and how it all ended. The last five years of my life down the drain. I guess it wasn’t all bad. I had a nice home, although it was burnt down I’m sour there’s another house in town I could stay at. I wasn’t fond of becoming a princess anyways, and Celestia. How dare she judge me so harsh. Not trusting me after all these years. Maybe being banished was the best thing to happen to me. Oh ya, the letter Star Spire handed me. I opened it up, and It read…
If your reading this Zoë then I‘m dead. Give this note to Celestia I’ll explain this hole thing to her, and give you your life bake. If my life ended there is no point in keeping you from yours. Your friend, Star Spire
The rest of the note explain Stars Spire’s plan to take over the kingdom in grate detail. It had Star Spires stamp of approval on it witch was enough to clear my name. I guess being a princess wont be so bad.