The Throne of Lions

"Baron Typhon, how are you?" An Apple guard asked, nodding at the baron as he patrolled the streets of Wayrest, a small farming town in the south. The stallion's orange and brown armor gleamed in the warm sunlight.

"Very well, mother asked me to investigate some ruins to the east." He said, smiling in return as he trotted away. Typhon was the son of Lady Blossomforth of the Green Vale, a flourishing kingdom nestled on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. Reports of Weepers, undead beings brought back by powerful dark magics, had been delivered from the area surrounding Wayrest.

Typhon fixed his polished silver short sword, sheathing it. He wore the gold, green, and orange highlighted armor of House Blossom, a white cape flowing behind him. His frosty blue mane and tail clung to his maroon coat. His pet dire wolf, Cannabis, ran along him, tongue hanging out.

They arrived at the ancient fort not long after. Most of the walls of Fort Fellglow were either crumbled stone or moss covered. He withdrew his blade from its scabbard, a light spell in his other hoof. "Lets go Cannabis." The wolf barked, following her master into the dank ruins.

Concentrating, he raised his hoof, a small ball of light flying into the air, illuminating the room, nothing but some dusty tomes and a few benches in this room. He moved on, searching through every room, placing bits or gear into his pack.

As he was about to enter a large set of double doors, Cannabis' ears perked up. Low groaning could be heard from the other side of the door, and the creaking of ancient bones, Weepers. He nodded to Cannabis, before shoving the door open.

The Weepers were grotesque beings. Rotted flesh covered only by rusted pieces of armor or burial rags. Their weapons were dull and worn over the centuries. An eerie green glow was all that remained in their empty eye sockets.

"Shelloth Grez Hok!" The apparent leader ordered in Ancient Equish, as his comrades advanced on Typhon. Swirling his blade, he cleaved the right Weepers' head off, its body crumpiling into dust, its voice said one thing, "Hellio Van." Its friend growled, raising its axe in anger.

Typhon barely managed to sidestep the downward swing, the Weeper trying to pull her axe out of the ground, tugging at it with whatever magic the long dead Unicorn possessed. Taking the initiative, Typhon drove his blade through the undead's chest, it crumbled into dust before it hit the ground, he smirked at the last remaining one.

While the first two had been a zebra and a Unicorn, this last one was a Minotaur, and a faint red tint could be seen in the eye socket, a grey fluid poured out of the sockets like tears, hence the nickname Weepers, that fluid was embalming fluid.

Noticing a hanging battering ram, and a pressure plate of some kind by his hoof, an idea formed in his head, alongside mental calculations. Once the zombie stepped forward far enough, Typhon pressed a hoof to the pad, and ducked.

He smirked as he noticed a look of surprise come on the things face. One second it was standing over him, the next a large wooden beam smashed it into the wall, crushing it. Dusting himself of, Typhon continued on.

---House Sparkle Training Grounds----

THWACK! The arrow hit to the right of the center. THWACK! This arrow hit the edge of the straw, another inch and it would hit the stone wall.

"Urgh, why can't I hit the target?!" Spike groaned, his shoulders sagging. A hoof was placed on his shoulder.

"Ha, it's all in the arm holding the string, Prince Spike." Crop Duster, a young Earth Pony' the guard trainer, said, smiling. He patted Spike's back, "Try once more."

"If you say so Master Duster." Spike said, taking in a deep breath. Taking a deep breath, he shut one eye, pulling back the string. He steadied his aim, aiming at the center of the straw target, at the red paper pasted to the center. He pulled the string back and-

THWACK! An arrow lodged itself into the center, tearing a hole into the paper, but it wasn't Spike's. The two turned around to find a giggiling black Alicorn filly, Princess Nyx. "Got you Spike." She laughed as Spike playfully chased after her.

It had been several months since she had regained her memories as Nightmare Moon, but was regressed into a filly once more by Luna while she was dreaming. Now, she could enioy life and have fun.

"Well, it looks like they're having fun." Spell Nexus, court Magister of House Sparkle and one of Twilight's advisors said, chuckling as he stood next to Lady Sparkle on a long platform overlooking the training grounds.

Twilight smiled slightly, opening her mouth to speak, but, just then, a messenger, her clothes torn galloped into the room, a message in her mouth.

"Lady Sparkle, Lady Sparkle!" The filly knelt, panting, but looked up when she felt a hoof touch her shoulder.

"Hold you breath child, and rise, I'm not holding court now, so you may dismiss the formalities. And, please, you may just call me Twilight." Twilight said, smiling as the cold winds blew her cloak here and there. "Now, what message do you have for me?"

The filly, Midnight Flare, took in a deep breath, before hoofing the message over. "Baron Typhon's disappeared. His page sent word he was going to check on some kinda haunted burrow to the east of his family's lands. His squire was sent to investigate, but only found his sword embedded in a wall. His family's asked for the aid of the other Great Houses. There were Weeper corpses littering the room. Do you believe he could have become one of....them? Or one of their Thralls?"

Twilight rubbed his chin with a hoof, before turning a nearby guard, "Knight-Commander Flash Sentry, ready a small force of soldiers, I have to get my armor ready."

Flash cocked an eyebrow, "But, milady why-" But he was shushed by Spell Nexus.

"Typhon is a close friend of my brother, and his House is a relative of House Apple, whose current Lady is my friend and one of the Elements of Harmony, for the sake of peace, we must find him." Twilight said, trotting to her bedchambers, her cloak trailing behind.