Praise the Sun!

Chapters

Prologue
Arrival
Discovery
Truth & Mentality
Praise the Princess!
The Darkening Sky
A Town Reckoning
Death Falls Upon Castle Walls

Prologue

PRAISE THE SUN!

In the Age of Ancients, the world was unformed, shrouded by fog. A land of grey crags, archtrees, and everlasting dragons. But then there was fire, and with fire came disparity. heat and cold, life and death, and of course... light and dark. Then, from the dark they came, and found the Souls of Lords within the flame.

With their power the once proud human race had been utterly annihilated. The land of Lordran is scorched and destroyed; It's former inhabitants either dead, or horribly demented. The once majestic and bountiful land ravaged by the demons that rose from the ashes of the cities crumpled walls. Solaire remembers the day they came, the day the whole world was devoured in the ensuing darkness. Through an unspeakable fate did Solaire survive the demon's initial taint. But he, like many others who still draw breath; who's souls have yet to be corrupted, are branded with the accursed darksign. Forever shall he be haunted by the death and decay of his world.

Through the endless darkness had Solaire contemplated the end. The defeated knight of Astora sat slumped upon the edge of a castle, the chasm below enticing to an insane man's final will. But to leap from this very spot to end it all, to what honor would he be left upon?

His insane thoughts would cease upon this moment, as the bright glow of an unknown force blinded his eyes within his bulky helmet. He raised his hand to cover it's ray; his once cold and damp armor suddenly became warm and pleasing to his sullen body.

Through a revelation of a higher hope, Solaire stood from his perch. A shimmer of hope wandered in his mind as he could only gaze at the awe-inspiring sky above him.

The sun, oh how it shines so brightly in the face of evil and terror. How it's gaze effects all the land in perpetual beauty. If only I could be so grossly transcendent.

Solaire quizzed in his thoughts. One man alone would surely go mad; but a companionship of fellows could only move forward. Solaire smiled from under his squared helmet, a new decree set within his heart.

"Thank thee, oh bountiful sun. My this quest be entitled to your glory. For freedom, for victory, for cooperation, for the warrior of the glorious sun!" He declared, unsheathing his sword and holding it at level with the sun.

Twas many months after the formation of the Warriors of Sunlight. The wandering souls of many lost men had relinquished themselves to Solaire and his cause, assisting all those who's soul faces the wrath of a demon's corruption. With every trial and tribulation, they inched a path slowly and steadily towards the root of all evil, the 'master' of the flame itself:

Gwyn, Lord of Cinder.

Solaire of Astora stood beyond the gate of the demi-god's lair. The bodies of the hollowed dark knights, that once served Lordran with an unquestionable faith, littered the floor. Behind him, the faintly orange glowing figures of men, that stood armed and ready. In the land of Kiln, it's features would distinguish a holy-man's views of Hell. Any normal man would shriek at the sheer terror of it's boundaries; but the Warriors of Sunlight were far beyond normality.

Solaire turned to his men and exclaimed to them:

"My fellows, we are at an end on this day. The very demon who had imprisoned ourselves within this cage of death is only a door-smashing away." He began pacing himself back and forth among the group of stalwart phantoms.

"Let thine never forget thy training, and let not the knights of dark overtake you... The sun continues to shine brightly upon ourselves, and the prowess of cooperation has led us to where no one man could of done alone." He took a moment to eye of a his soldiers, whom kept their gazes forward; just as they should be.

"Now..." Solaire paused, unsheathing his sword and raising it above himself. "May our last salute end in glory!"

The accompanying phantoms nodded, and raised their various weapons in salutations before setting off to the bronzed embroiled gates below them.

They stood at the gate, weapons in hand and shields hoisted forward. Inches from the source of the chaos, an eerie spark of energy jolted the hearts of the soldiers; An essence of power unknown to their mortal knowledge.

Solaire closed his eyes, and drew in a gust of breath. The shield in hand, emblazoned of the insignia of the sun itself, heaved forward with all of his might, breaking the locked grip of the gate, as a faint, orange glow illuminated the room ahead.

Solaire jerked his head forward, signaling their advance. One by one they stepped silently inside, unbeknownst to their surroundings.

The room was enclosed in darkness; in the middle of the room sat a single pyre of flames which danced in an unnatural fashion.

"How amusing." A soul-shattering voice bellowed from the darkness.

"The children of the pygmy have come to relinquish my power." He cackled.

The phantom soldiers remained unwavered at the insult. From the darkness stepped a giant of a man...

To be a creature of 7 feet tall, the ancient being approached us from the shadows. His skin had been rotted and simmered from his immortal decay. His body, adorned in the tattered wears of an ancient king, to which a disfigured crown sat upon his scarred face. Solaire could only stay transfixed at the weapon that the god clenched within his hand.

A longsword the size of himself that erupted into a cloud of flames, all to his impressiveness. He towered over the men and with a faint chuckle he continued:

"On this day I am merciful; Leave now and perhaps you shall only remain a hollowed soul for my ever-growing army."

Solaire clenched his teeth as the god spoke. His mere presence light a fire of ate within his heart that wished for him to simply fall under his own blade.

"Nay, Lord of Cinder! Our quest is mighty and righteous! On this day you shall fall under the light!" Solaire confidently boasted to the amused king, who exchanged a stare among the sun-emblazoned knight.

"Very well mortal, your fate.... is sealed." He declared, and with the prepared crack of his neck, he lunged.

To think that such a withered man could contain such speed was unexpected, to say the least. To a single phantoms own positioning was an unfortunate soul caught off-guard, to which his head lopped cleanly off from it's mantle.

Now is not the time to falter. There is no surrender! Solaire uttered to himself consistently, motioning his men to regroup upon himself.

Gwyn weaved endlessly in and about the group of tired soldiers, pausing for small bouts of moments to recover.

Solaire caught notice to his pattern and turned to his men to shout:

"My boys, aim for when he is weakest! Strike at the pause!" ordered Solaire to his withering forces.

Gwyn routinely weaved in with his sword, slicing at the shields wall the group had formed, with Solaire acting as their eyes. On expectation, Gwyn paused on his third strike.

"NOW!" Solaire screamed, clambering on the back of one of the phantoms to heave himself towards Gwyn. The group dispersed to thrust their weapons at the unmoving behemoth who held a smirk upon his withered face.

"Pathetic!" Gwyn shouted, while charging the thrust of his sword, motioning it backwards. Solaire's blade made an incision through Lord Gwyn's arm, which left Gwyn unaffected by the flesh wound. Gwyn threw his sword forward in the direction of the charge. Those unlucky enough to bear the burden of cumbersome armor were felt the full strength of the god's burning sword.

A phantom dropped and dissipated as the entirety of him was impaled and thrown back. The other received a gash that penetrated his armor as Gwyn's sword ripped through his fellow comrade, sending him to the floor in agony.

Solaire cursed at his odds; His small warband of brothers had been halved, twas only a few that still drew their swords. Without hesitation, Solaire sprinted to the edges of the room in preparation as the Warriors of Sunlight continued to fiercely battle the demi-god.

"O' spirit of god, maker of the sun, grant me strength to banish thine evil." he chanted to himself. He relinquished the sword from his hand, and from his satchel he pulled a strangely coated talisman, wrapped in cloth. A pressing light began to form over the talisman as Solaire guided it above himself. He stepped from the shadows to meet eyes with the battle-engaged demi-god, the small glow had now erupted into a strand of gleaming lightning, as if stolen from dark clouds above.

"GWYN, LORD OF CINDER, TO THE END WITH YOU!" Solaire shouted, who's act had attracted Gwyn's view. As the lightning bolt reached the peak of it's power, he released it; throwing it with every inch of might towards the old king.

Lord Gwyn halted his attack to brace for the incoming bolt of heavenly magic. His eyes began to glow with the ember flames of the pyre. Gwyn cackled madly as he uttered to knight:

"What a fool you are, Solaire of Astora..."

A burst of light... That is all that he could remember from the limited view of his helmet. He did not know if he had succeeded or failed with his final stroke of power. Solaire could not feel his body, almost as if he was but the air, and his body was the feather that carried lightly across the plains of nothingness.

O' by Solstice's light have I failed in my quest? Solaire's mind wandered. Had he finally met the warm touch of death upon the whiteness of the world around him? But where was 'here,' the void of space that he floated aimlessly about; A heaven not depicted by the priests and missionaries of his former world.

A beam of divine light cascaded from the void above him, showering Solaire in it's gaze. An unearthly force tugged at his soul; he was being dragged towards it's center. There was no resisting his ultimate fate, for an eternal existence in the pitch of whiteness did not appeal to him.

Solaire...

A voice rang in his mind, its gentle tone was of an angel's guise as it spoke abruptly to the contemplating soul.

My holy child...

Solaire slowly hovered closer and closer to it's source before reaching it's peak. He closed his eyes in anticipation as he felt his whole essence slowly drift out from where he began.

Find peace...

Arrival

ARRIVAL

Solaire breathed heavily, he had regained consciousness from his heavenly mirage. His armor was still firmly fashioned onto his body and dirt and grim caked his face from under his helmet. There was the faint sounds of the rustling wind and the chirping of birds. Puzzled, he sat up from his previous position of which he lay to observe his surroundings. He was no longer in the darkness of the Kiln, fighting alongside his brethren in the final battle. Now, he was sitting comfortably in an open field, surrounded by a lush landscape of grass that stretched into an oncoming forest.

Lordran was no stranger to the forest, it's integrity being home to the Darkroot Gardens that surrounded it. Yet the trees around Solaire were not the least bit threatening, and the wildlife did not attempt to wrap their deathly arms around his weakened body. Solaire then focused his eyes entirely on the magnificent sight beyond the trees; the sun. It seems that even in this unknown land, the sun shines upon himself even brighter and livelier than he had once remembered. A sudden thought crept into Solaire's mind:

"Do I still stand foot upon Lordran? Have I reached the sanctity of Heaven?"

The voice that accompanied him on the journey to this magnificent land has vanished, leaving himself with only his own hypothesis. Solaire attempted to work his appendages, hoping they were all still intact. Pleased, he carefully propped himself on a nearby tree branch and pushed himself to stand. His legs were sore and tired, but thankfully not broken or severed.

After several moments, Solaire relinquished his grip on the tree and stood unsupported, gliding himself to the center of the field.

"I'd be a fool to lower my guard even in such a serene land." Solaire told himself, objecting to his state of perpetual comfort as he stood, gazing at the sun's magnificence.

He reached for the sheath of his commonly placed sword, he only grasped air. Solaire whipped his view towards his lonely sheath, it's sword missing from it's normal rest.

"Damn" Solaire cursed, remembering his abandonment of the weapon during the battle. He slapped his helm in frustration.

A knight without his weapon is but a heavy rock to be thrown about. He would find himself useless if under siege by a stray demon or hollowed soul should he ever encounter one. However, anxious as he was to the truth, he ignored his survivalist consciousnesses as he ventured into the vast unknown forest.

Solaire instinctively guided himself through the dense forest, unaware of his present location. His only hope was to reach something or anything that pointed to more than just the grass and trees. He noted that the farther he traced himself into the forest, the darker it had become as the trees formed a barrier of shadows that blocked the magnificent sun above.

Pushing the light vegetation that blocked his view, he stopped to observe the object ahead of him. It was a large and mangled tree, but what was so odd about it's presence was that it was adorned with various tribal masks, and a door and window were built into it's base. Someone had garnered residence within this tree, much to his curiosity.

Solaire stepped cautiously towards the hut, careful of the rustling of his metal armor and the cracking of the twigs below his feet. He arched his head forward to glance through the misshapen circular window ahead. Inside, numerous tribal masks of various shapes and colors populated the walls of the hut. Vials and glasses of noticeable differences hung from various ropes and dangled all around the room. In the middle of the room sat a large iron cauldron sat unattended as a mysteriously green brew bubbled quietly inside. Solaire made careful observations to the hut, to be certain there was no one (or thing) inside.

An idea struck Solaire's thoughts: perhaps he could salvage some information for this lonely home that sat so distant within the forest. Cautiously, he stepped towards the entrance. He grasped the basic wooden handle of the door and gave it a light push, opening it's view to the inside. He turned momentarily and looked around, hoping no one had caught sight of him breaking into the lair, and advanced inside.

The inside reeked with the stench of the boiling brew; he coughed from it's strong scent, it reminded him of his travel to the Vinheim alchemists that he took to before the demons rose to overtake the land. He broke his concentration of the pungent smell and searched the room, catching his eye upon a small bookcase. He approached it and skimmed his eyes across the titles of the books that adorned their edges. He read one of them that was coated bright green.

"Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-Alls that are Simply Super."

Solaire rolled his eyes, what a strange title this is.

He continued to trace his eyes along the bookcase until he reached the one in particular he was searching for:

"Equestrian History"

"Equestria?" Solaire puzzled himself. "As in equine? Horses?"

He shook his head of the thought, perhaps this 'Equestria' is the land that he resides in currently. However, it poked at his hopes that this perpetual heaven he was sent to would be garnered by an unholy name. Solaire nodded his head as he brought the book out from its rest and held it under his arm.

Suddenly, the sounds of faint clopping could be heard outside the door. Solaire snapped his attention to the doorway, the sounds of clanging pots and the rustling of cloth signaled the creatures attempts at opening the entrance to the home. Solaire began to panic as he attempted to strum up a plan.

Perhaps I could charm my way free. No, 'tis a fools plan. Maybe.... maybe the enticement of threats will allow me passage? No Solaire, there is no mention to what creature could arise!

His thoughts continued as the door slowly creaked open. In the doorway the creature stood on all fours, humming an unfamiliar tune, unaware of Solaire's appearance at the back of the room as it placed a paper bag. full of produce, upon the floor. Blissfully, it looked up, continuing to hum until it's gaze met Solaire's iron-clad body.

It's carefree humming stopped immediately as it revealed a look of confused terror as it continued to stare intently at Solaire.

"To hell with it!" shouted Solaire, his position exposed. With no less hesitation, Solaire charged towards the nearby window of the hut, using his body to smash cleanly through. Luckily, the window was large enough to fit his cumbersome body past as he hit the ground with a large thud as he scrambled to recover. The copy of Equestrian History remained firmly locked in his arms as he attempted to clammer himself back up.

Inside, he could hear the creature approaching the scene, attempting to uphold it's view upon the man whom had abruptly crashed through it's own window to freedom. He pulled himself up from off the ground and made a mad dash deeper into the forest in an unknown direction.

Solaire leaned up against a nearby tree, gasping for air; Sprinting in chain and plated armor was no easy feat. He looked back towards his path he had previously rampaged through, there was no one following. It also struck him that he placed himself deep within the forest, his previous tracking of his position lost after the mad scramble away. Solaire sighed, the situation grew dimmer with each mistake.

Leaning up against the tree, he suddenly felt it's bark began to move ever so slightly. Solaire gasped in surprise as two flimsy pairs of bark appendages wrapped around his stomach. He cursed and pushed himself free of it's grasp. The tree had an face that was seemingly carved into it, bearing an demonic expression.

"This is no heaven..." Solaire objected, backing slightly out of reach of the demonic tree's grasp.

"JUST WHERE AM I FOR SOLSTICE SAKE?!" he yelled out into the sky, which echoed momentarily around the forest.

Solaire froze; behind him he heard a unwelcoming growl that grew louder as it approached. Slowly he turned to meet the source of it's emanation.

A behemoth of a creature stood before him upright. It's body composed of the appearance of numerous animal's body parts that Solaire could recognize:

The monstrosity had the body of a lion, that growled confidently. the tail of a scorpion, that arched forward behind it's back. And a pair of wings, that of which I could only doubt it could achieve flight with.

It's eyes were dead-set upon Solaire's figure; it licked it's chops in anticipation. Solaire gulped, fearing the monsters intentions weren't to make a friend.

At this moment in time Solaire regretted himself highly for dropping his one and only sword in an eager dash for victory. He now had placed himself in a position of weakness, exposed to the large monstrosity that stood up, eager to pounce. Solaire shook free his frozen state and searched frantically for a weapon of choice. The only solid object that sat in sight was a slightly large rock, to which Solaire slowly reached down to pick up as the monster paid notice to his movements.

Successful, he held the rock up to his chest, and assumed his own battle position. He was not about to become some odd monstrosities dinner. The creature growled in contempt, eager for the challenge Solaire has placed. With Solaire's single step forward, the creature charged.

Solaire dodged the creatures initial lunge forward, striking it's back with the rock in hand. It shrugged off his blunt attacked and sweeped it's tail towards Solaire's direction. In anticipation, Solaire blocked the blow with his arms, and jabbed once more with the rock, circling the beast as it attempted to lock Solaire's location with his eyes.

It roared in annoyance and unsheathed it's wings, smacking Solaire's helmet with enough force to leave him staggering momentarily. It turned in his direction, eyes locked for the kill. Solaire maintained his original position, the slightly bloodied rock remained firmly in his grasp.

The beast arched it's arm back to swipe with it's mighty claws; Solaire attempted to dodge but to no avail. The arm of the beast struck Solaire's right shoulder, to which his adorned cloth tabard ripped at the seams. Solaire grunted in pain, the beast has managed to make an incision straight through his chain-mail.

Before Solaire could recover from the blow, the monster swept once more towards Solaire's head. The full impact of the blow sent Solaire spiraling to the ground; his vision becoming blurry. The monster's powerful swipe had crafted a significant dent upon Solaire's helmet which in turn kinetically collided with Solaire's head.

Solaire struggled with himself, attempting to regain control of his failing eyesight.

It was unavoidable, Solaire could not fight the oncoming concussion that succeeded himself into a momentary slumber. In that moment the monster would deal its death blow upon his unconscious self. Solaire, devoid of any more energy, laid back upon the ground.

Before his eyes came to a close the shadow of another stood above his view, a quadruped figure that halted it's movement beyond.

Discovery

DISCOVERY

Solaire slowly waded into consciousness, his groggy vision shifting as he attempted to control his contracted illness. His head rang with the constant pain of a recently inflicted blow as he laid silently upon the forest floor. Strangely, his helmet had been removed and his blood-stained face was exposed to the light.

Solaire ceased his internal quarrel as his ears detected the voice of an unknown soul. When there was one, there was another, and then another... Solaire was in the midst of a set of beings under an on-going conversation above his motionless body. As his wits began to clear from his blurry episode, he could identify the distinction in their voices:

They spoke with a womanly pitch, the definite touch of feminism in their wording. One spoke with a delicate and soft tone, almost hesitant to continue speaking. The other, spoke in a demanding, but questionative manner that pressed on the discussion with her constant prodding. Finally, the last of the group boasted with a raspy, almost masculine tone that assisted in the argument, seemingly eager for action.

Solaire groaned and began shifting his head to its sides, the pain slowly building up in his skull. The once heated conversation grew silent as Solaire could sense the watchful eyes of the figures. Solaire strengthened himself to focus his eyesight, revealing the close observance of the creatures above him.

They were not human, that is to say the least. However, they bared a friendly look about them, almost angelic in their light shades of various colors as the sun beyond shone to their backs, creating a dramatic shadow upon them. Their eyes filled the largest space upon their faces, it being the most noticeable appearance from closer inspection. These creatures bared a striking resemblance to a knight's own partner, killed off long ago from the demon's emergence.

The realization suddenly hit him; Equestria, horses, the quadruped figures.... he was in a land of pastel ponies! Solaire scoffed over his distaste on the situation. To trudge the whole of his lifetime ravaging demons and monsters alike, only to be 'captured' by these innocent looking ponies?

Solaire would of laughed if it didn't intensely pain his sides. The 'ponies' gave off multiple reactions in utter silence as Solaire attempted to upheld a word of question towards them.

"Who.... are... you?" Solaire worked out, his mouth parched dry from the previous encounter. The figures gasped and exchanged looks towards each other, then quickly focusing back upon him.

the lavender colored 'pony' cleared her throat and stepped forward hesitantly, and then raised herself to speak. She spoke slowly to him, almost like a child; "I. Am. Twi-light Spar-kle." she pointed to herself with one of her hooves. She then pointed towards him. "Who. Are. You?"

Solaire rolled his eyes at her long pauses and over-expressive movements. He lifted his arm and prodded himself in the chest with his thumb, playing along.

"I am Solaire.... of Astora." he calmly replied.

The group once again exchanged quick glances, Solaire was unnerved at the uncertainty. It was obvious to him that they do not intend harm upon him, but the slow build-up of an awkward conversation irked him highly. He decided to take the initiative:

"Did... Did you fight that beast?" Solaire questioned, his nearest recollection concerning the approach of the hoofed figure that Solaire had witnessed stand headstrong towards the incoming beast. Surely these creatures couldn't of defeated such a hideous monstrosity!

The two 'ponies' of the group eyed their one friend for a response. Her body language promoted a shy and timid attitude, as the yellow and pink-haired being shifted her gaze to the floor.

She replied in a whisper: "Well um... no. I-I am... really good with animals..."

Solaire showed his confusion. "That...that was no animal! How did you fend it off?" He queried once more.

She whimpered at the response, but worked her courage to reply. "I... told him to go away"

Solaire's eye twitched, unable to comprehend how such a noticeably weaker creature intimidated it enough to just 'go away.' Suddenly, a quick shot of pain erupted and spread along his side to which he grunted in pain.

The once incomprehensibly shy pony sprung to attention after his bout of pain and questioned him confidently.

"Oh my are you hurt? What's wrong? I can help!" she reared in close, unaware of her uncomfortably close position, scanning his strange figure, searching for the source of his pain.

Solaire was no fool, his condition was grave. Seeing how this forest almost murdered him, it would be an unwise move to deny help from this seemingly friendly creature.

He replied with an urgency in his voice. "My hip, I think it's fractured... I'm wearing this armor over my body-" he tapped the iron-plated torso with his knuckles, signifying it's defense.

"Bleeding... under... I-I have a concussion..." He etched out from his pained tongue.

The yellow pony took no time to question. Her gaze snapped towards the oddly colored 'rainbow' maned pony that hovered impatiently above the ground.

Solaire made a mental note: Flying ponies... no, Pegasus.

"Rainbow Dash, it is too heavy for us to carry. Go get Applejack and bring back a cart to put it on!" She instructed the intrigued light blue pegasus.

Rainbow Dash responded with glee; "Finally! Something to do rather then staring at this thing!"

Solaire shot a look at the pony, an unintended feud had begun between them as she grinned and took to the sky, leaving his view at a shockingly rapid pace.

The once nervous pony met Solaire almost eye-to-eye, she brought about looks of genuine worry as she continued to observe him closely, searching for any further signs of harm.

The lavender pony known as Twilight, that had remained silent throughout the recent event, brought herself to attention, quizzing Solaire eagerly.

"So... Solaire is it?" she carefully worded his foreign name. "What are you exactly?"

Solaire looked intently at the confused creature. Is it possible that these ponies have never seen a 'human' before?

He sighed and replied in a raspy tone, his throat impeccably dry. "I... am a hu-man." he worded to her, pointing to himself. "Male... to be exact."

Twilight's mane pushed back to reveal a protruding horn, something Solaire had misslooked.

Solaire made his second mental note: Magical ponies.... Unicorns.

her horn began to glow a moderate violet as Solaire witnessed a small notebook levitate magically in front of her face. Solaire had witnessed such a feat from the scholars at the Vinheim Dragon School practicing such magical arts. He beared a vague look of impress as she scribbled text with an also levitating quill.

Solaire grunted at the sudden reaction of pain. The yellow pony shot backwards in alarm.

"Oh I'm so sorry! I was just looking! I didn't mean-" Solaire cut her off with a hand raise; Twilight took note of his dragon-like appendage.

"It's... okay." He replied, attempting to soothe her fears. He returned to his original position upon the grass, lying back as his 'rescue' echoed the sounds of advance from the unknown reaches of the forest.

Through the rifts in the trees the sun shone wonderfully bright as it penetrated the darkness of the forest. Solaire closed his eyes for a brief moment, overlooking his pained head and side. He enveloped the warming touch of the sunlight as he reminisced his own experiences.

The battle, Lord Gwyn, the Warriors of Sunlight. What became of them? What becomes of me? Do I stand behind the foundations of reality, or within a realm of my own innocence? O' my beautiful sun, how you stay unchanging in a world that I see so strange... Guide me a safe passage.

Solaire became weary from his own thoughts; pain transcending into non-existence as he laid quietly, the yellow pony attempting to work herself around his iron plating to no avail.

Solaire took notice of the figures fading into appearance from the forest's shadows as a new face pushed a fairly large cart from behind.

Twilight continued to closely observe his behavior as he took focus. Every movement, every reaction, everything! To her own recollection, nopony had ever seen something so monstrous, yet, so elegant and wondrous. His figure, at first glance, told her inner-self to run away, yet her own imagination and the light encouragement from her veterinarian friend to closely observe this 'beast'.

A new letter to Celestia perhaps? Twilight thought to herself, placing the quill to her chin in contemplation. She shook her head and scribbled a new note into her enclosed notebook.

"Ah Rainbow Dash..." questioned an unfamiliar voice. Solaire could not identify her tone of speech, almost to the point to which he could not understand her confusion. "Just what in tarnations am ah lookin' at?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged at the question; Twilight intervened from within her notebook, "HE is called a hewman, atleast that's what he told me."

The strangely spoken orange pony scratched her head with her hoof. "He? Ya tellin' me that it- ah mean he talked to ya?! Ah dunno about y'all, but he doesn't look like any animal that ah have ever seen."

"I KNOW! Exciting isn't it? Us, discovering a brand new species?!" Twilight squeed in delight.

Solaire arched his head up from his rest, waving his hand slightly to signify himself. The yellow pony intervened from her careful nursing:

"Applejack, we need to bring him back to the cottage, he's hurt..." She said, putting a hoof to his chest.

Applejack... how would I expect any stranger a name here... Solaire thought, rolling his eyes.

"Well shucks! Ya should of just said so, c'mon now, let's get him up here!" She waved to Rainbow Dash, who stretched her front legs at the request.

Carefully, they pitched in to loading Solaire unto the cart, Solaire weakened the burden by shifting his weight to assist them. He barely fit the space of the small cart as his legs hung from the edge; he didn't mind. He felt drowsy from the strange chain of events: The meeting of the unusual race of sentient ponies, the encounter with the multi-bodied beast, and the confusion of his own arrival.

Solaire knew little over the encumbrance of a concussion, he had witnessed it often, but few lived through it as their own pitiful weakness left them exposed to the hallowed. Sleep, he proposed, was necessary. He slowly began to drift, his complete trust in the sanctity of his new hosts as they began to hoist him off to a realm unknown.

Before his eventual trip, Solaire stopped Applejack, who had taken charge of the cart (being remarkably strong), from proceeding. He took his gaze to the warm-hearted pony who had saved him from the beast, and given care and watch over his person.

"You..." he pointed to her; her gaze met the floor. "What is your name? I must know..." He asked.

The pony looked up from her shy avoidance, and met with his eyes.

"Fluttershy." she answered, a slight blush stretching over her cheeks.

"Fluttershy." he repeated back to himself in agreement.

"A lovely name..."

Truth & Mentality

TRUTH & MENTALITY

The solstice of the sun glared at the Earth in it's magnificence. Solaire could only stand in silence, a witness to a crumbling world, yet beauty not as lost as he had once believed. He could of spent days only standing and watching; contemplating each and every moment spent among the tarnished land of Lordran.

A new, unfamiliar face bore his way down the crumbling stairs to his view. Solaire couldn't find the strength to unsheathe his sword at the possible threat of danger; his final moments would be to the own victory of another. For him, an existence in the kingdom of the sun would fare as his final desire.

Nay, instead this figure lowered itself in question; A fellow survivor of an unjust fate, no doubt. Solaire's only truth to survival in these one great lands is companionship; cooperation. Solaire turned himself to meet the sunken face and rusted armor of the unkindled soul that placed his hand firmly upon his sword in caution.

A proposition... That's what it comes down to. To fight one in the same, to escape the land of torment and pain. Solaire offers his hand in a mutual friendship.

In this world, Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value. Rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.

Headaches. Unbearable headaches. They wracked his head daily with their stinging pulse. Solaire laid upon a particularly comfy 'couch', something that fared like an elongated throne to his own recollection. Drifting in and out of his sleepy conscious, Fluttershy, with assistance, had managed to removed most of Solaire's chest plating. Twilight, grossly engaged, scribbled furiously upon her now overflowing notebook.

Rainbow Dash, who had proved herself to be a mare with excessive hubris, sat familiarly bored, with an hoof stretched across the table. The abnormally strong pony who had primarily assisted in lifting his encumbered body, hesitantly returned to her own residence, taken a vow of silence by the three ponies that persuaded her.

The newly befriended Fluttershy took no hesitation in hustling herself to an opposite room to Solaire's choice of stay. All around Solaire's presence accompanied tens of small animals and creatures that scuttled about and eyed Solaire uncomfortably. One in particular, a snow white hare, glared unfriendly towards him; Solaire sensed bouts of hostility between that one.

Fluttershy reemerged from her previous location, carrying a tray of bandages and what appeared to be a strange, discolored liquid.

"Here, drink this... You'll feel better I promise." She cooed, nudging the glassed liquid towards him.

Solaire was hesitant; this concoction looked less like a drink and more like an alchemists brew. He shot a worried look to Fluttershy, attempting to ensure it's safety.

"Go on." She pressed him, waving her hoof forward in confidence.

Solaire gulped in preparation and took the brew down with one stroke. He cringed; it tasted terrible! Fluttershy giggled at his reaction, and unraveled the various packs of bandages that she had previously brought out.

"W-water... please?" Solaire begged, attempting to relieve the awful aftertaste of the previous medicine.

"Oh! I'll get some!" Twilight responded, gently floating her notebook onto a table, and trotting into the kitchen.

Solaire propped himself up upon the couch, wrapping his arm around the back of it's frame. Fluttershy rested herself beside him and began carefully places various bandages and gauzes on the scratches and cuts he had received.

Fluttershy perked an ear as she worked to the faint whispers that eluded from Solaire's lips as his gaze met the panes of the nearby window. It was incomprehensible to her own vocabulary, yet she felt compelled to question him:

"Um... If you don't mind me asking-" she hesitated; Solaire ceased his preachings to receive her own query.

"-What is that your humming to yourself?" She asked, shrinking down slightly upon hoping she did not offend the foreign entity. Solaire replied with a grin, breaking his view from the shining light beyond the living room.

"A prayer of sorts. A rite of safety you could say." He returned his view to the light.

Fluttershy tilted her head curiously at the response.

"Here's your water Solaire!" Twilight exclaimed abruptly behind Fluttershy, to which Fluttershy recoiled and bounded forwards with a yelp.

"Ah.. Gratias tibi ago." Solaire thanked, observing Twilight's innate ability to levitate the glass cup in front of him. Carefully grabbing the exterior of the cup, Twilight's enveloping magic over it faded as the she intently watched the movement of his hand.

"The thought fades over me-" He began, raising the glass to his mouth.

"-That I might be absolutely insane. That my body has passes within the Kiln and my soul resides within this eternal... imagination." He took a small sip, taking notice of Twilight's unenthusiastic expression.

"You don't think we're real?" Twilight asked.

"Perhaps you are. But this- this world is unreal, unimaginable... Not even of my taint would I of envisioned this." Solaire calmly expressed, placing his hand upon his forehead within his somber state.

Twilight took a moment to ponder his own words, recollecting everything she had experienced.

"Your not from Equestria, are you Solaire?" She stated, seeking an end to her own hypothesis.

Solaire traced his view across the room: The three ponies that sat, gazing intently at him. One whom sat extraordinarily bored, who's attention shifted to the recent query. The one who worked tirelessly to restore his health, whom debt he has no bounds to. But the one that stood in question, who stared with violet eyes into his own; seeked a truth that Solaire feared would morph their own perceptions on how they saw this strangely kind-hearted collection of iron and flesh.

Solaire, in his seemingly internal damnation upon Lordran, has beared a silent witness to every atrocity within the boundaries of the human mind. One's own survival deemed that these acts must be preformed by the survivalist himself. If Solaire's own heart wasn't unnaturally strong; If his will was met among any others...

...His soul would wonder the darkness of hell forevermore.

"My world is that unlike any nightmare a sane man could conjure; As if this world is my retribution for my attempts at an end." He hung his head in resentment.

Fluttershy sat silently next to the somber figure, her every wish to revitalize his spirits were left with a nervous apprehension.

"Solaire-" Twilight replied, touches of concern skimmed her voice.

"No... Please. I have cast my own shadow upon myself. How rude am I to leave this conversation on such a wretched note." Solaire brought his once doubt-stricken face to meet her own. A gentle smile graced his lips.

"Do you know why I kept going; To brace myself against the endless nightmares?" Solaire questioned unambiguously.

"-It's because of my unbridled love of my god... of my sun." He motioned his arm to the skies beyond the paned window.

"The Warriors of Sunlight... we were called." He shifted himself comfortably upon the couch as he began.

"A collection of soldiers, of peasants, of kings. Brought together not by own sociable likeness; but to our faith to a higher truth, to justice and holiness." Solaire explained, closing his hand into a fist as he spoke.

Rainbow Dash gathered herself to rest next to Twilight as his war-time story led; intrigued by every new reach of battle and adventure.

"...Many sought to close this bond; To break our spirits and bear our weaknesses to the dark. But the sun, however beautiful it rests upon the heavens, is incapable of darkness; As are we. In my quest, in the quest of others, I have committed acts I can only assume you would evict as monstrous. You Creatures- no, ponies, granted a passion of friendliness, would accept such a being as I without question?" Solaire guilelessly asked.

Twilight Sparkle met with a smile.

"It's our own jobs to spread friendliness and unity, Solaire. While we may not seem like much, we ourselves bear some of Equestria's most potent magic. Whatever world you come is something nopony could imagine.

Even somepony as.... frightening looking as you has their own passion to them; Something we can't bear to ignore."

Solaire worked his legs, mustering his strength to resist his illnesses. With a burst of strength, he pushed his arms from the couch and worked to stand. To his own surprise, the concussion once stricken to his head had withered to a slight headache as he stood without fault.

"I have no reason to deny your hospitality; nor deny you my own strength." He gently bowed to the group as he spoke.

Fluttershy noted his own resilience to his wounds. Nopony could of recovered from his current condition as he had done. Regardless, her delight in rehabilitating his strength complimented herself with a wide grin.

"Princess Celestia would be delighted to hear about you Solaire." Twilight eagerly pronounced, clasping her hooves together.

"-If... That's OK with you?" She asked.

"Princess... Celestia?" Solaire replied curiously; Repeating his own meaning of Celestia unto his mind.

"Oh my, I'm sorry; I only assumed you skimmed through the book you erm... stole." Twilight pointed out.

Solaire rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. He had remembered making a spectacle of an escape after grasping the copy of Equestrian History not so long after being discovered by, what he can safely assume was another pony in it's home.

Perhaps he will have to show his own apologies to the being during his stay here.

"Why... It's hard to explain without telling you all about pony history but..." Twilight coughed, clearing her throat. She began:

"In the beginning there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. Celestia, being one of the sisters, has been around longer than anypony could remember. At one point, a conflict arose between Celestia and her sister, Luna. A terrible fight and the sensation of evil that was produced from her sister had forced herself to banish Luna from Equestria up until recently...

"She is unlike anypony alive. While there are Earth ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns (like me), Princess Celestia bears the power of all three of our races. She does not only hold power because she has always been royalty, but because she is essentially the strongest being in Equestria."

Solaire placed his hand upon his chin, comprehending this new power unknown from his limited views of this world.

"So you. How do you know the Princess, whom hold dominion over your world?" He asked.

"Well..." Twilight prepared:

"I was taken in by Celestia herself as her protege. Back when I was a filly, I proved myself worthy over my erm... extraordinary hold of magic." Twilight explained, avoiding the details of her destructive bouts of energy that blew a hole within the castle's tower.

"So your a scholar of sorts? An heir to her highness?" He queried.

"In a sense, yes. But Celestia has been ruling for eons. Nopony could imagine her stepping down for anypony, much less ME." Twilight complied, objecting the possibility.

Solaire could not resist in remembrance of his own Princess; his own 'deity'. Gwynevere, daughter to the wretchedness that is Lord Gwyn, and the bearer of the sun's light. His faith never faltered in her quest; that his own entity was offered to her defense. But that was until an awful secret breached the minds of her followers.

An adventurer, and lone undead with extraordinary might; dared to desecrate the tomb of the Old Lord Gwyn, to which the omnipresent son of Gwyn, Gwyndolin, lied within to forever protect his image. With the undead's own magnificent strength, he had cast his blade into the heart of the unfortunate son, and with it the false image of a long-since vanquished princess faded; The sun of Anor Londo, was no more.

A groan erupted from the spectrum-colored pony whom at this point, had remained mysteriously quiet.

"Gee Solaire, your beginning to act like more of an egghead than Twilight! I mean... no offense, but snoooore!" Rainbow Dash motioned her arms in annoyance.

"Since nopony needs me, I'm going down to Pinkie Pie's place for some brunch." Rainbow Dash stood, flexing her wings in preparation for her departure.

"C'ya!" She waved, pushing herself off the ground and out the door in a burst of speed.

Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash, only to return her gaze to Solaire, remembering the previous conversation.

"Pinkie Pie?" Solaire asked.

"I'll explain later..." Twilight said, slapping her hoof forwards onto her face.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today has been more eventful than any this past week. I apologize for the lack of a Friendship Report this time around, I have something better.

Fluttershy found a strange creature today: It had been injured by the ever-present Manticore that resided in the Everfree Forest. She being the animal enthusiast that she is, managed to fend the Manticore from harming it any further. On first glance, the creature was a mass of strange metal, almost like the kinds put into our railroad trains.

It was more than just metal though: It was a strange hairless creature that encased it's own body in what I can assume was armor. The only thing to describe it more closely is that it has the basic structure of a dragon-kin, only it has no tail, no horns, no wings, and no protruding snout. I would of assumed it was some monster that was conjured during Discord's escape, being as strange as it is. But to our own surprise it's not a monster in the slightest. Solaire is it's name... and it can talk.

He, a male from what we found out, is possibly more intellectual than most ponies I know. But he himself claims he is not from here, but from some barbaric and dangerous world. He refuses to give me explicit details of his own land.

Princess, I implore you to seek an audience with this creature... this 'hew-man' (his race) as he is not only one of exceptional intellect, but of a strange entity of power not even I can recollect.

~Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Praise the Princess!

PRAISE THE PRINCESS!

"… Finally, I have found it, I have!…" Solaire uttered, creeping amongst the bloodied floor, dragging his limbs as he paced. The decrepit twigs of a long-dead tree littered the ground as strange, porcupine-like creatures hopped endlessly around him.

"… My very own sun… I am the sun!…" Solaire congratulated to himself silently. His face was shadowed over the unknown illumination of the hellish mask that overtook his face.

"…I've done it… I have…" He continued to mutter.

"… Yes, I did it… I did!…"

A figure slowly stepped down from the stairs above. The insanity that was Solaire repeated to himself as he limped. A horrible realization struck the undead's mind as he regrettably reached for his sheathe that draped around his rotting armor.

Solaire could no longer see for his vision was blinded; blinded by the ever-lasting gleam of the false light. His only actions driven to protect his own burden. Blindly, he slugged his own weapon to his shoulder.

He was lost; aimless in his mission, and forgotten in his existence.

The sounds of an unsheathed blade echoed the hall as the footsteps of the figure stepped ever so closer...

Fluttershy awoke to a pleasantly warm morning. The harmonic sounds of a bird's choir sung outside her window as she stretched herself from her groggy awakening.

Her daily morning routine revolved over the care of her animals, yet her guests were to no exception. Fluttershy trotted from her bedroom and into the living room where Solaire had comforted himself upon the couch. A quilt, far too small for his body, was draped over him as he shifted in a restless sleep.

Bouts of twists and turns accompanied the small murmurs of unconscious talking. It was unknown to Fluttershy if he had awakened as he lay curled sideways upon the couch. She pondered for a moment, raising a hoof to her chin.

The idea struck Fluttershy to serve Solaire his very own meal, courtesy of herself.

"I wonder if he'll like salads?" Fluttershy uttered to herself as she stepped into the kitchen. Humming silently to herself, she begun to prepare a dish. Opening the pantry, she pulled a large bowl out from it and placed it on the table. She arched herself to grab the small bag of vegetables she had previously picked, that rested upon the nearby kitchen table.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling yell filled the cottage, followed by a large crashing sound upon the floor. Fluttershy jumped in surprise and equal fear, dropping the bag; it's contents falling out and rolling among the floor. Fluttershy rushed into the living room to where Solaire once rested. Animals, previous soundly asleep, panicked and hustled about the room.

Near the couch, upon the ground sat Solaire. He clutched his chest, breathing incredibly hard as he attempted to regain his composure in the presence of the now frightened Fluttershy.

"Solaire! W-What happened?!" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

Solaire slowed the pacing in his breaths and worked a reply.

"I-I... It was, nothing. J-Just a dream." He reassured her as she drew close to him, attempting to comfort him.

"I dearly apologize, Miss Fluttershy." He spoke, hints of embarrassment in his voice.

"Oh, It's alright Solaire. I thought something horrible happened to you- or that you were hurt!" She interjected.

He observed the ensuing chaos he caused, watching various animals scurry about. His distracted looks away from Fluttershy prompted her to recollect her furred friends from their mobilized fear. Solaire picked himself off from the floor and sat in the middle of the couch, an arm bent, holding his forehead in contemplation.

Succeeding in hushing the anxious crowd, Fluttershy turned back to Solaire's attention.

"Well um, I WAS going to make you a salad. If you um, eat that kind of stuff?" She offered.

"A salad?" Solaire asked.

"Yes. It's something special I like to put together ever now and then for Angel and other guests. It's just a collection of uh... plant-made food. It's delicious I promise!" Fluttershy tried to explain, unknown if Solaire's own vocabulary or world contains something such as vegetables.

"It... sounds wonderful, thank you." He nodded, understood of the meal in mind. Since his limited time spent here, he had ignored the call of hunger. But now, since mentioned, his stomach rumbled irritably.

Fluttershy smiled, clasping her hooves together as he retreated back into the kitchen, salvaging the assorted fruits and vegetables that lay amongst the floor.

Quiet as he sat, a familiar snow-white hare gave him yet another increasingly agitated look.

To what resentment does beseech him?

Solaire stood in the gaze of his own figure, staring into his own eyes as he looked into the mirror. His eyes were sunken deeply, his body was frail, yet strong in faith. To anyone foreign of his land, he would appear sickly; but to him, he appeared more than satisfactory as a former resident of Lordran.

Brandishing his armor once more, he scrubbed the age old stains from the dented plates. Blood, dirt, and more blood were encrusted within it's exterior as he worked to conjure it presentable in public. Almost as if he were a knight, attending a glorious ceremony, he worked to impress the residents; should he bear his face.

A room away, Solaire could hear the faint knocking of the door. Fluttershy, who has previously made him a wonderful dish, trotting to the door and opening it. Fluttershy gasped as the unexpected sat at her door. Solaire stopped the scrubbing of his armor as he leaned towards to door to better listen.

"Where is the monster?" An unknown figure asked.

"W-What monster?" Fluttershy responded nervously.

"You know what we mean, Ma'am." A second figure answered harshly.

"Oh, him. H-He's not here... a-and he's not a monster either! He's a hew-man, and he wouldn't do anything bad to anyone!" She replied confidently.

Sounds of scuffling and clopping about signaled that the figures were observing the home, no doubt searching for him. Solaire concluded that escape would be pointless. What is the point, should he anger his new hosts? Cautiously, he strapped the chest piece to his armor back upon his torso, and stepped out from his hiding spot.

"By Celestia!" The figure shouted, jumping back in shock as the large figure emerged from the back room. The second figure quickly ran to his side, observing Solaire with nervous content.

They were ponies, alike to Fluttershy and the others, only they appeared to be the male species of her race. Broad shoulders and toned bodies, accompanied by their deepened voice, proved positive. They were both white, and upon their body was armor similar to that of Roman paintings. A haired, centurion helmet, accompanied by steel plating that wrapped appropriately around the backs of them.

Fluttershy jumped in front of Solaire, leaning back against him with her front hooves outstretched.

"Please don't arrest Solaire, he isn't mean at all! He hasn't done anything!" She attempted to convince them anxiously. Solaire pushed Fluttershy to the side of him, nodding in reassurance.

"I trust, you we're expecting me here?" Solaire asked the stationary stallions as they cautiously looked. The first of the two shook his head, breaking his statuesque stance. He cleared his throat and spoke:

"Apologies er... hew-man, we did not expect you to be so frightening." He replied genuinely.

"Why are you here?" Solaire questioned.

"Allow me to introduce myself--" The first exclaimed.

"-I am Aegis; A royal guard to her majesty, Princess Celestia." He explained.

Solaire rose an eyebrow at the response. He recalled his previous teaching from Twilight Sparkle, protege to royalty.

"To what what honor am I graced with her highness's royal guards. Have I committed a wrong-doing?" Solaire asked.

"No, not at all. In fact it could be quite the opposite." Aegis told him, lowering his posture as he reached into a satchel that was draped along his back. pulling out of the pack with his teeth was an envelope, encrusted with a golden seal bearing the figure of a slender pony. Aegis approached Solaire, stretching his neck forward to bring him the letter.

Carefully, Solaire took the letter from the stallions grasp as he unfolded it from it's bound seal. He held the letter up, squinting as he attempted to read the lettering. Solaire rubbed his eyes, the letter was unconformable to himself as the lettering was shaped in a form Solaire had no recollection of.

Solaire let out an awkward chuckle as he held the letter back up.

"I uh... I can't read this." He claimed.

To the side of Aegis, the second guard attempted to hold back a laugh, instead releasing a Pssh.. as Aegis bumped the guard in the shoulder, bringing him back to attention. Fluttershy carefully snatched the letter from Solaire's hand.

"It's okay, I'll read it." She finalized, pushing the letter to her face to begin reading:

"Dear Solaire,

It seems you have left quite an impression upon my pupil. She won't stop talking about her experiences of being in your presence and listening to every tale you've told. From what I have heard, you show quite more of intelligence than the average "monster" of the Everfree Forest, which proves even more true if you may even read this letter. If my own student, whom I trust so highly, can hold you in high regards, then I see no reason to why I should not meet you myself. Therefore, I ask for an audience with you up above in my home of Canterlot Castle. You are not obligated to come, but while you are staying in Equestria, it would be wise that I introduce you to everypony before you wind up hurting somepony or yourself.

P.S. Ignore the guards behavior, they can be such downers.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia"

Aegis rolled his eyes, as Solaire pondered to himself for a moment: An audience with the princess herself? Have they no sense of security in this world that a stranger such as myself could be introduced to the highest of person?

Aegis coughed intentionally, breaking Solaire's train of thought.

"We're here to... escort you to the castle, should you accept." He exclaimed.

He turned his gaze to Fluttershy, who's expression had changed into a light grin. Looking to Solaire, she said:

"Oh my, Princess Celestia is only one of the kindest ponies in Equestria. Solaire, I would agree in going to meet her." She attempted to persuade him. Under the phase of encouragement, Solaire shook his head in agreement.

"Very well, I suppose it would prove beneficial to myself to show." Solaire shrugged.

"Excellent, if you do not mind, we shall accompany you upon our own chariot." Aegis responded, turning himself back towards the entrance of the door.

Fluttershy hung her head slightly as Solaire would be leaving to the castle alone.

"-OH, I almost forgot!" Aegis stopped.

"Miss Fluttershy, Princess Celestia urged that you should come as well." He finished.

Fluttershy yelped in joy as she paced herself to meet Solaire as he walked towards the door. Outside, Solaire was intrigued at the thought of riding all the way to the castle, to which Fluttershy pointed out in the distance, high above Ponyville upon a mountainside.

The two guards quickly fastened themselves to the front of the chariot, awaiting Solaire and Fluttershy's admittance upon the vehicle. Reluctantly, Solaire stepped aboard, to which the guards grunted uncomfortably, yet continued to stand stable.

"Are we ready for lift-off?" Aegis grunted, glancing back at the two.

"Ready for whaAUAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Solaire yelled, as the guards quickly unsheathed their wings and took into the air in a gust of speed.

Fluttershy attempted to hold Solaire straight as he stumbled slightly upon be taken to the sky.

"A-Are we... FLYING?" Solaire exclaimed. Fluttershy giggled at the large knight's reaction as they soared higher off the Ponyville floor.

"Of course we are, you haven't flown before have you?" Fluttershy asked.

"If I ever did, it would of been through the claws of an enormous dragon!" Solaire joked as he relished the sight and feeling of the open air.

The unprecedented sensation of flying overtook Solaire as he engrossed himself in the rush of air that swept through his face and armor, and the gorgeous view of the Equestrian countryside as the left the town's borders. Fluttershy smiled, reading the different expressions upon Solaire's face as they continued across the sky.

The flight to Canterlot Castle was much shorter than Solaire had anticipated, lasting only a mere twenty minutes till they touched the floor of the royal docking bay. Around him sat numerously different chariots, bearing their own markings upon them. In the docking bay, nearly all the guards that accompanied the different station turned their focus to the arrival of the strange biped that entered their sight.

Gasping, the two stallions unhinged themselves from the chariot, sitting momentarily to regain their strength.

"I would be lying- if I said you were- not heavy, hew-man." Aegis mocked under short breathes.

Concerning faces accompanied the nearby guards as they observed Solaire's every move.

"Calm your fears men. Official princess business!" Aegis called out. Reluctantly, the guards began to slowly return back to their normal tasks as Solaire's escorts rose back from their exhaustion.

"This way please." Aegis motioned towards the large barricades that were the emblazoned, reinforced doors to the interior of the castle. Clambering his way out of the chariot, legs slightly shaken from the experience, he followed the guards as they continued through.

Inside, Solaire took note of the exquisite statues of various ponies and the lovely adorned walls and interior deigns. A fain remembrance to the cathedral to which he spent the majority of his childhood upon, adorned with the very same gold tints and ornamented windows. As quickly as they had began their journey into the seemingly endless castle, had they noticed a certain lavender pony off the the distance, resting casually upon a bench, reading a beige colored book.

As they approached, Twilight slowly glanced up as a shadow overtook her view of her readings. Surprised, she hastily closed the book and jumped up to greet him.

"Solaire! I began to think you weren't going to show up!" She exclaimed happily.

"Yes well, I suppose after the Princess star pupil goes boasting about me, I'm somewhat obligated to attend." Solaire joked as he stopped to talk.

Twilight blushed slightly, taking notice to the guards annoyance to conversation.

"All the rest of the girls are already inside the throne room with Princess Celestia. They are so excited to meet you!" She informed them, sending a small wave at Fluttershy, to which she returned.

Continuing through a long stretch of the hallway, Twilight accompanied them as they made their way to one of the largest set of doors in the castle. As beautifully decorated as the rest of the building, the guards positioned in and all around the gate stood in attention as Solaire approached, almost treating him as if he was a foreign dignitary.

A rather short, yet well built stallion walked up to Solaire; His armor tinted blue with four chevrons across his helmet.

"Solaire of Astora, I presume?" The stallion asked.

"Yes?" Solaire replied.

"Princess Celestia and the Elements of Harmony are awaiting you." He bowed, motioning his hoof to open the gates to the room. Hastily, the surrounding guards worked to push the doors of the entrance open, revealing the beautifully designed room of the princess herself.

"Good! Your finally here! Twilight feared you would be absent." A surprisingly mature and angelic female's voice called out.

Emerging into Solaire's view, he became awestruck at the sight. A pony, extraordinarily taller than any that he had previously seen, who's mane flowed in a brilliant mono-chromatic state, her jewelry gleaming in transcendent beauty as she stood.

Working under his own habits, Solaire lowered himself to his knees in appraisal.

"An honor to finally meet you, your highness; I would not abandon an order from thee." He replied to the princess, who beared an amused look upon her face.

"Please, Solaire. You do not need to act so regal in front of me, I am accustomed to normal conversation." She assured him, to which Solaire rose himself from his knees in unexpectedness.

"All apologies, your high- I mean, Celestia." He caught himself as he responded.

Princess Celestia chuckled.

"Now, before we decided to go into a lengthy conversation, how about you meet the rest of Twilight's lovely friends?" She beckoned, motioning to corner where her friends sat anxiously, one of which Solaire feared was about to burst out of her seat as she struggled to remain quiet.

Suddenly, the questionable pink pony shot herself up from her chair and into the direction of Solaire.

"HELLO THERE SOLLY! I'M PINKIE PIE! I CAN CALL YOU SOLLY CAN'T I? BECAUSETHATSWHATALLNEWANDGOODFRIENDSDO-" The pony was interrupted with an foreleg around her mouth. The orange pony he had met previously, Applejack, laughed embarrassingly as she held her through the muffled speech of the pony.

"Sorry 'bout that now. Pinkie Pie here can be quite the er... energetic one." Applejack exclaimed.

Rainbow Dash floated gently overhead of them, squinting at Solaire.

"Hey." Rainbow Dash called as Solaire's attention drifted to her.

"Hey?" Solaire replied, curious at her short introduction.

"Rainbow darling, if your jealous of Solaire you can just come out and say it." a particularly feminine voice teased.

"JEALOUS? Of him? What for?!" Rainbow Dash asked, insulted.

"Oh shh, now, I'm only joking." The voice replied.

Approaching Solaire trotted a white haired pony with a magnificent indigo mane that curled around her eye line.

"I am Rarity good sir, it's so nice to meet a new friend of Twilights." she introduced, curtsying as she spoke.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Rarity." Solaire replied, bowing in return. Apart from Twilight and her other friends, this one in particular responded positively to gentlemen-like gestures and a regal tone.

"I must say, that... ensemble that you are wearing is quite beautiful, but it looks so heavy does it not?" She observed.

"Ah, not at all! But you must understand why I wear such armor, much like the guards of this castle--" He explained.

"--A one of a kind, crafted by a longtime friend of my father, blessed by the sun itself." He smiled warmly back at the white mare.

Rarity nodded her head in intrigue, paying close attention towards the the emblazoned symbol of the faced sun that stretched across the entirety of his chest.

Princess Celestia cleared her throat in interruption, who had been watching silently from upon the hill of her throne.

"Now, now. I'm sure we all have many more questions for Solaire, but I'm afraid I must speak to him in private."

The ponies groaned, eager to continue in conversation towards the being.

"Ah- Twilight, you can stay." Celestia interjected. Twilight smiled widely as she hurried to her satchel to remove her notebook from inside it.

"We'll see each other soon, Solaire." Fluttershy reassured from his side.

"But of course." Solaire confirmed, continuing to smile.

Slowly the party of five moved themselves outside the doors of the room as they closed behind them. Celestia sat back down upon her throne and took in a breath; Twilight joined her, sitting increasingly closer to her.

"Now, let's begin some explanations, shall we?" Celestia proceeded, the once playful look in her returned to a contempt and serious face.

"What would you like to know?" Solaire asked.

"Let's start off easy. What are you?" She started.

"I am a knight; a position of rank. But a human to be more exact." He answered.

"Are you from Equestria, Solaire?" Princess Celestia questioned.

Solaire took a moment to think, summing up this thoughts:

"That, I am unsure of. By an, unlucky stroke of fate, I have been moved from my accustomed land into one I have never witnessed; likewise towards me in your case."

"--It could be possible that these two places have never met before." Twilight added, attempting to solve his confusion.

"Possibly--" Solaire pointed. "--But everything here is... different in one way or another. I can't quite put my finger on it."

Celestia pondered his alien knowledge of the land, genuine in confusion.

"It is something to ponder further. Then so tell me, where are you originally from?" Celestia rephrased.

"Lordran, the once great nation that.... befallen an unjust fate ." Solaire paused, bringing himself to a somber tone at the remembrance.

"An unjust fate?" Celestia repeated. "By to what do you mean?"

Solaire sighed, the eventual conversation could not be left unanswered.

"I do believe we are world's apart in terms of peace, your highness. Of my land; of Lordran, death and chaos has roamed free within our borders for a decade." Solaire gulped.

"In my land there is no peace, nothing equal to the tranquility and cleanliness of your kingdom. To fight and die is an everyday occurrence to me."

Celestia sat silent, taking in his disturbing information. He is deeper than she had originally thought. But how can a creature who is forced through bloodlust continue to stay dignified?

"I-I see... Very few times in my life am I left baffled. Yet if what you tell me is true, I truly pity your life, yet at the same time, congratulate you on your freedom from it." Celestia exclaimed, glancing at the engrossed Twilight, whom continued to scribble data upon her noted paper.

Solaire rose his sight to meet hers, a unexpected sense of security washed over him as he connected with her own.

"My duty... Is not yet fulfilled." Solaire murmured.

"--And what is your duty?" Asked Celestia.

"...." He argued with himself briefly in silence.

"To kill Gwyn, Lord of Cinder, the true cause of pain and suffering." He boldly announced.

Silence once again overtook the room. Celestia sat back, staring intently upon the empty sheath that rested upon Solaire's waist.

"So you are a soldier of a war. As much faith as my pupil has placed in you, trust is... unassured." She concluded.

...

"It cannot be avoided, Solaire. Your background is... disturbing and highly concerning at most. How is there truth that you will not suddenly go berserk and hurt my ponies?" She summarized, asking seriously.

"It is by my divine faith that I uphold my standards, to forever stay a gentlemen; to forever fight for the good of the light, so that we do not descend into darkness." Solaire said, tilting his head upwards in hubris.

"Sometimes, it takes more than someponies word, Solaire." She responded, doubtful of his pledge.

"Princess Celestia..." Twilight spoke silently, attempting to garner her attention.

"Please, give Solaire a chance. I have seen him when he was at his weakest, I watched him recover. When he could of easily overpowered us, he did not. If... you permit it, please... let him stay among us; atleast until we can figure out how he got here?" She reasoned with the princess, who's irate expression turned to thought.

"I will... Think about it." Celestia concluded. Twilight smiled, setting her notebook gently down to lightly embrace the princess.

"In the meantime--" Celestia started, grinning from Twilight's excitement.

"--You will stay a night or two in one of the castle's suites. Our conversation isn't over." She finished.

Solaire nodded, grateful of the Princess' leniency over the matter. Suddenly, the door to the throne room was pulled open, leaving Aegis and the other guard to return back to Solaire's sides.

"I'm sure you do not mind if these two escort to your room for the day?" Celestia asked rhetorically.

"I suppose not." Solaire answered.

Turning towards the door to walk out, Solaire stopped abruptly.

"A final question Princess--" Solaire called out.

"Yes?"

"The tattoo upon your flank, of the sun. What does it mean?" He asked, continuing his slow pace to the door.

"The answer is simple really--" Celestia smiled. The doors of the room began to close as Solaire awaited her reply.

"I raise and fall the sun every day."

Solaire's eyes widened in responded bewilderment as the doors to the throne room closed, and all was silent once more.

The Darkening Sky

Darkness Uprising

It is with a heavy heart that Celestia would accept such a risk in spite of her apprentice's plea. The encounter with the metal man only partly opened to the truth. On one hoof, there is no comparison to the amount of knowledge this being could hold. Doors left locked to ponykind suddenly opened with the awakening of the strange one. The boundaries of time and space broken by new discoveries of new or ancient races that inhabited the land or the vast unknown above and beyond.

But alas, with every good, there is bad. Of all this time, Solaire could be playing in the ultimate scheme against Equestria. His natural charm and charisma overshadow his upbringing into her dominion, which could easily fool the unwary. While he posess no physical weapon to speak; his true power has yet to be revealed. How thankful to thee that an eon of over-analysis kept her stationary in rule for the better part of her life.

A sudden thought crept into her mind as she pondered: Where there is one, there are others. To every existence, there is co-existence.

Celestia sighed, placing a hoof upon her cheek as she leaned against the desk of her library. Peering through the door observed a curious Luna, who had only been informed minutes ago of her encounter with the creature.

"Tia?" Luna finally whispered, creeping through the library door.

"May I ask thee a question? Or art thou busy?" She asked, careful to not annoy nor anger the elder.

"Go ahead, Luna, I shall always have time for you." Celestia answered half-heartily.

Pleased, Luna levitated a pillow next to her sister and sat.

"How did it go? Thine encounter with the beast?" She questioned eagerly.

"Yes, Solaire of Astora. He's... nice, to say the least." Celestia thought.

"Thee could speaketh Equestrian?" Pondered Luna, humorously envisioning a monstrous creature whom spoke with the accent of a typical Canterlot snob.

"Quite fluently in fact, which only has me wondering further..." Celestia recalled, shifting her gaze to the opened window beside them. In the near distance, she could see the castle's large tower, which beared the guest suites. Inside, Solaire would rest within, possibly plotting her own demise.

"What worries thee, Tia?" The concerned Luna questioned.

"This Solaire, however polite and grateful he seemed, could be a potential threat to all of Equestria." Celestia motioned with her hoof.

"Luna, I ask a favor of you--" Celestia said, turning her view to the concerned sibling.

"--Watch over Solaire, in secrecy, of course. Observe every motion he makes, and every sentence he speaks."

Luna shook her head in compliance. A part of her would relish in the chance to finally take action among Equestria once more, and to see and take note of a supposed 'new breed' of animal. Yet, the other half would recoil at the thought of further deception and eavesdropping; much accredited to her past Nightmare Moon persona.

"Consider it fulfilled, sister." Luna reluctantly agreed, re-emerging to stand, placing the pillow back in it's former position. Her sister's silence ordered the completion of their conversation, to which Luna made her way to the door, closing it ever so carefully.

"Ah Luna, still so young." Celestia remarked to herself, chuckling.

"By the sun..." Solaire exclaimed, stationary as he observed the interior of his temporary place of stay. As gorgeous as the exterior of the suite was, the inside was simply stunning to the usual slumber amongst the decrepit ruins of Lordran and his recent night at the small, earthen cottage far below.

"I assume everything accustomed to your liking, sir?" The nearby guard asked to the baffled knight in front of him.

"Y-Yes, of course! Thank you." Solaire responded, taking further steps inside, brushing the covers of the king-sized bed with his hand.

"Then I must depart; Good day." The guard said with a short salute, before turning back and closing the door behind him.

Click.

Solaire twisted around, catching ear of the noise. He walked to the door, grasping the handle of it. Cautiously, he gave it a light tug; It would not budge.

"T-They locked me inside!" Solaire thought to himself, particularly offended. Although he wished to not to be forced into confinement, he would rather their seemingly kind hospitality over ripping the door from it's hinges and trying for a daring escape.

Nearby, a small circular window sat; a perfect view for peering to the stairs of his new prison. Solaire crept up to it, arching his head sideways to gain an accurate view of outside the door. Two guards stood in attendance, physically different from the usual guards he had encountered on the way there.

While the normal guards were adorned in golden armor with a blue tint, these two were dressed in an even more exquisite lavender steel layer with a silver tint that wrapped around the chestplate and helmet; not to mention they appeared tougher and angrier than their counterparts.

It was clear to say Celestia was taking extra precautions that he remains safe. No, rather the castle remains safe from him.

Sighing, Solaire dragged himself back to the bed, setting down a small satchel that contained whatever fragments of his belongings that traveled with him. Lifting the straps out of place and opening it, he lifted out from it his great helm, gleaming brightly as it contacted with the rays of the sun.

He held it in his lap, staring at it as he rubbed his thumb across the exterior of the face as he thought. Wherever he was, for whatever outcome, he was in for an interesting ride.

In the magnificent gardens that surrounded the castle, a group of five mares sat, casually chatting and theorizing about their latest encounter; each one of them voicing their inputs and thoughts with a carefree intent.

Twilight re-emerged from the castle door, slowly trotting towards the group. Her face beared mixed emotions of nervousness and intrigue. Turning the corner around a particularly large hedge, she was immediately bombarded by the group of excited ponies, who had awaited her return.

"What happened Twilight? Did you talk about the super-duper party I was going to throw them? Oooh Solly will be so happy!" Pinkie Pie said gleefully.

"Yea... So in all seriousness Twi, just what in the hay did you and the princess talk to him about?" Applejack queried. The group inched closer to listen.

"Well-" Twilight began, "We talked about simple things: where he's from, how he got here." She tried to explain, intentionally leaving out the more, frightening details.

"And?" The group asked simultaneously.

"He's a knight; A uh... guard of his land, from Lordran." She exclaimed nervously.

"Lordran? I've never heard of that place. Is it near Manehatten?" Rainbow Dash questioned, guessing to the best of her geographical knowledge.

"That's the thing. We don't know if Solaire is even from our world." She exclaimed, throwing her forelegs to the sky dramatically. The mares began chatting amongst themselves in confusion, before being stopped by Twilight's interjection.

"But-" She began, "-It's all the more reason to distrust him. We know nothing about him other than what he has told us; and even that could be lies." A hush fell over the crowd. Each of them pondering her words carefully. Behind the group, a timid voice emerged:

"You can't possibly think that, I-I mean not after the way he's acted so far. You've heard the genuine sadness in his voice!" Fluttershy argued, stepping forward with an angered disposition.

Twilight recoiled slightly, surprised by Fluttershy's sudden defense for the man.

"I know, I know. That is exactly why I've been trying to persuade Solaire to um... stay at my place." A gasp was heard as the now smiling face of Pinkie Pie bounced to the head of the group.

"That. Is. PERFECT! It'll be the best moment to throw Solaire the most super-awesome-amazing welcoming party!" Pinkie Pie cheered, throwing random bits of confetti above her head.

"Hold on Pinkie, I haven't quite... convinced her yet." She intervened, as Pinkie Pie's expression slightly dimmed.

"Right now Celestia is having him stay at the royal suite; You know, the same one you stayed at." Twilight said, pointing to Rarity.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go meet him!" Pinkie Pie called eagerly.

"NO!" Twilight snapped, holding Pinkie by the tail with her magic, preventing her from bouncing off.

"I-I mean, the princess told me directly that no one can see him right now." She explained.

"Aww... but Twiiiiiiliiiiiight!" Pinkie Pie moaned.

"No buts." Twilight ordered, letting go of her tail as she slunk to the ground.

"Listen, I'm sure Princess Celestia will agree some time. Let's just go back to Ponyville and wait for an answer. All right?" Twilight said, attempting to settle an agreement with them. Reluctantly they all shook their heads in unison, understanding the patience in such an unusual matter.

As quickly as they stayed, the ponies began their departure back to Ponyville.

The time is half-past eight, as the sun had dimmed beforehand, bringing forth the darkness of the night sky. A lone pony trotted down the desolate corridors of the Ponyville square. Most ponies at this time of the night have long been asleep; but that is where this pony could find an odd tranquility within the night.

Floating silently just above the dirt floor, the pegasus' black coat blended seamlessly within the background of the off-roads. He wasn't particularly sure on this night where exactly he would go; a simple a walk would appease him for today. Turning the corner around Quills and Sofas, he stopped suddenly.

An unusual, almost deathly chill ran throughout his spine. He brushed his silvery blue hair back as he wondered. Suddenly however, his ears caught the faint sounds of the wind that whistled increasingly louder until there was nothing more. Only an inch away, something brought vision to his eye; He gulped.

A large, circular hole opened up upon the ground and from it, a red-outlined figure began to materialize, growing larger and larger as it formed. The pegasus could not find the courage to move as the unfolded itself until it stood upright; a bipedal stance. The features of his body were darkened; hardly visible in the night sky, yet curved inwards and out to what appeared to be a strange metal.

"What in Celestia?!" He called out. the figure dashed forward with at unprecedented speed, unsheathing a menacingly sharp weapon as he pointed it in the pegasus' direction. Realizing he was now in danger, the pegasus attempted to kick himself back up off the ground and to the sky, unreachable by the being. However his skills in flight were met to no avail, as the fear crippled his fast actions, leaving him open to the beings blade. murder the obvious intent, he would be partly grateful that he was served a quick death as the sharpened edge of the sword tore through the pony seamlessly.

Crashing to the the ground from the small bout of space the pegasus covered, the figure approached the now deceased pony. He knelt over the pegasus' corpse, observing its latest kill. His hand began to glow a defining red as he struck the ponies chest, re-emerging with a round, and glistening white orb. The figure rotated it in it's hand momentarily, before closing his hand into a grasp and the orb being absorbed in the process.

The creature stood up, gaze intent upon his surroundings. He stepped forward, bringing to view the town hall and it's surrounding infrastructure. The figure scoffed; his goal was clear.

Failure is not an option

A Town Reckoning

The forecast of the day was indifferent to the usual Ponyville weather. Friendly clouds graced the blue sky as the tender warmth of the sun washed over the town. A slight breeze could be felt, only adding to the joyous and thankful days that the pegasi could conjure.

Davenport, the proud owner of Quills and Sofas and one of the very few ponies in Equestria who bore two cutie marks, pleasantly sighed as he stepped out of his shop. In the distance, a large bullock cart advanced towards the shop. It was incredibly large and likewise piloted by two burly-looking pegasi as Davenport smiled lightly at their arrival.

The cart gently scraped across the ground as they came to a stop. One of the pegasi removed the yoke that carried the craft and stepped up to the earth pony with a clipboard in hand.

"You's Davenport I takes it?" The pegasi slurred as he flipped through assorted papers.

"The one and only." He boasted, pointing towards himself. "Is this what I think it is?" Davenport asked in anticipation.

"Let's see uh... Yous ordered the threes deluxe upholstered couches?" He confirmed, reading slowly from the order report.

"Yes! Finally!" Davenport cheered.

He nodded, tossing the clipboard back as the accompanied partner unholstered his neck from the cart as he moved to open the back of the large compartment. Davenport's eyes remained closed and a wide grin worked across his face as he attempted to surprise himself from the long-awaited addition to his shop.

Clunk! Bang!

Sounds of the sofa's colliding with the ground as they recklessly unloaded them from the cart.

"H-Hey! Be careful with those!" Davenport yelled as he urged himself to see.

He opened his eyes as the pegasi we're already inserting themselves back in control of the cart. To the left of it sat the three textile-based sofas that were left hastily stacked, but thankfully unharmed.

"Aren't you going to help me carry these inside?" Davenport angrily pleaded to the two.

"Nopes." The first smugly replied, grinning as they took off to their next route.

Davenport clenched his teeth and grunted as they flew farther away.

"Good for nothing Pegasi Delivery!" He shook his hoof as he grumpily trotted back into the shop to retrieve his moving equipment.

The early sun of Equestria slowly grew higher in the sky as the early morning soon turned to midday. Davenport wiped his head from the sweat that he had worked up from dragging the three fairly large couches down to storage. Now, he sat with a bundle of plastic and stamps that he had tore from the packages.

He sighed, his various trash cans were all filled to the brim as he rolled his eyes. With owning a store comes the grueling labor of keeping it tidy. Annoyed, he began to collect the cans together as he figured of dumping them in his conveniently owned dumpster.

With bundles of assorted trashbags tied to his back and held in mouth, he pushed the door to the back open and stepped out. Immediately he felt something off as he sniffed the air. It was a putrid stench, he noted, as he figured somepony had dumped some more rancid food into his trash disposal.

The smell only grew stronger as he approached it, however, when he arched his head towards the metal construct and noticed it weaken, he turned his gaze beyond it. He arched his head around as something large silently laid across the rocky floor of the alleyway, adorned with buzzing flies. Davenport curiously dropped his bags as he walked around the dumpster to see.

His once tan fur had turned pale and his before calm expression had shot agape as he stood in absolute terror over the sight behold to him.

A loud and horrifying scream filled the air of the quiet day.

Solaire awoke from the bed, startled. He grasped his chest as his heart began to calm. Something was wrong, so very, dearly wrong. He scurried to the pile of armor that rested near the bedside. Quickly, he rummaged through it till he grasped a rather heavy bag that bore a faint glow from within.

His fears called to him as he pulled the glow from out of the pouch. It was a beautifully decorated glass amulet, however the once gracious transcendent glow of the glass had been malformed into a maelstrom of darkened red and black.

"By the sun NO! Not here!" He shouted, bringing attention to from the guards stationary on the outside of the door.

"What's going on in there?" A voice questioned from outside the suite.

"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" He returned. Sounds of readjusting armor had confirmed that the soldier had merely brushed off his past worries, returning to his post.

He exhaustively sat back, continuing to gaze upon the darkened amulet with a face of worry. The sign was familiar to him, and all so terrible for every time it had arose. Evidence proves that only evil befalls the darkening colors of the forsaken amulet as it swirled menacingly.

His eyes brought himself to view beyond the window. Gripping the amulet tightly in his palm, he urged himself to act once more. Even against his morals of trust and honor, his promise to the Princess would go unfulfilled.

A crowd had arisen in and around the large shop. Royal guards lined in unison stood, preventing anypony from seeing beyond. Varying looks of intrigue and confusion marked their faces as they adjusted to peer beyond the line.

"Sir! S-Sir!" called out a small colt as he pushed his way through the legs of standing ponies. He met his gaze with one of the stationary guards as he adjusted a small notebook in front of his face.

"Mind commenting on the situation here?" He asked, seeking for a response. The guard remained silent as he refused to break his gaze into the unknown.

"Just a phrase? O-One word? Anything?" He worked, trying to pull a quote from him. He frowned as stillness held the guard. Disappointed, his ears lowered as he backed into the crowd.

A familiar chariot grew into view as it's beautifully adorned exterior gleamed across the sky. The crowd of ponies all pointed and chanted of the arrival of the princess. If she herself were involved in this strange event, then of what importance has transpired here?

The detachment of escorting guard ponies dropped the chariot to a graceful stop as the regal princess herself sat, her divine presence affecting all who gazed upon her arrival.

"Out of the way, all of you! Royalty coming through! Make some room!" The leading guard of the chariot bellowed as he eyed nearby ponies, prompting them to step back.

Princess Celestia bared a stern look as she stepped out from the vehicle. Her view remained forward as she approached the barricade of soldiers, ignoring the remarks and concerns the townsfolk cried out. A path had formed allowing her easy entry past the guards, who quickly adjusted themselves for her entrance.

Past the wall were various ponies, many of which were forensics and detectives. Near the back entrance to Quills and Sofas, a particularly traumatized Davenport sat with shaky hooves as two guard ponies relentlessly questioned him.

Carefully escorted by her personal guards, she trotted closer towards the center of the alley, where a small group remained still, observing the ground that was unseen to her view. Many ponies momentarily bowed as she passed however she paid no heed as her full attention was connected with the event that had formed all from behind the dumpster that blocked her view.

Celestia stopped as the source of the commotion was finally shown. Yellow markers had been placed in various locations where there were signs of dried blood. It was all assorted around a large, basic white tarp that was placed over something that only made Celestia cringe in thought.

"T-This is what I think it is, isn't it Aegis?" Celestia worriedly asked the grim-looking companion.

"It is indeed, Princess." He sighed. "Never would of thought I would be alive to see somepony go out like this." He expressed, throwing out his hooves.

Next to the tarp sat a gray earth pony whom held a magnifying glass close to his eye, observing the stains upon the ground as he whispered silently to himself.

"Detective Vigilance?" Celestia questioned the focused pony. He broke his murmuring as he glanced upwards, momentarily surprised as the princess herself had called out to him.

He clambered to his hooves as he replied: "Y-Yes princess Celestia?"

"It is grim subject to discuss, but I would rather I learn about this 'incident'." She motioned, bringing herself closer to the scene.

"It's unlike anything I've ever seen in all my years, Princess. I'd like to show you.... I-If your ready that is?" He cautiously asked as he began to grip the edge of the tarp.

The princess shot him a reassuring glance as he nervously sat, confirming his action.

With a gulp, the earth pony quickly slung the tarp off of the object, revealing the bloodied and decaying corpse of the fallen pegasus. Celestia winced, backing slightly as her recent expectations were left far behind.

"Yes... well." Vigilance began, pointing towards the neckline of the pony.

"It's hard to say exactly what caused this but... It's a cut, a BIG cut. R-Right across... here!" He motioned his hooves along the blood-splattered body of the pegasus.

"I would usually be skeptical princess, but only something like a knife or a garden tool could do something like this." He noted to the observant Celestia. "I've never seen anything environmental make any incision quite like it."

"You don't honestly believe that-" Celestia retorted, before pausing abruptly.

"I'd love not to but-" he paused.

"-but I do believe we're dealing with a murder here." He spoke as his head drooped slightly.

"It makes no sense." Celestia spoke. "Nopony in this town would ever be capable..." She worked as she thought intently in her head.

Solaire.... could it be?

The thought graced her mind as she shook her head.

Nay, how can I assume such things? The being has yet to show hostility yet... I-I feel as if he is connected in some way.

She turned to face Aegis, who sat as a silent witness to the detective's nervous ramblings.

"Where is my student and her friends as of now?" Celestia curiously asked as he stood in attention.

"I believe The Elements are still on route back to Ponyville through the Canterlot train, your highness." He responded.

"Send order to that train immediately! I want them back beyond the borders of the castle by night's end." She commanded.

Nodding, he saluted as he jogged away, seeking a nearby messenger. Celestia glanced back towards the corpse; Her thoughts were clouded with proposed deceit and deep sadness for the loss of one of her own subjects, the ponies she had sworn herself to protect.

She gritted her teeth and she suddenly spoke from within her thoughts:

"Luna." She called out.

It seemed as if she was only speaking to herself before a voice suddenly responded from the void of silence.

"Yes, sister?"

"Where is our guest as it is?" Celestia questioned.

"As he should be, my sister. What troubles thee?" Luna questioned, unaware of the recent event.

"A terrible storm is forming. I have a sickening feeling of our new 'friend'." Celestia answered.

"Fear not, I continue to monitor thee as you requested. He shall not escape MY gaze." She reassured the worried princess.

She nodded as her contact was broken by the vocal interruption of her bodyguard.

"Ah- I apologize your highness but I have made off with the orders." He pronounced as the noticeably irritated princess turned in preparation to leave.

"Princess, if you don't mind me asking-" He began.

"Yes?"

"-The being... Solaire; He's connected to this somehow isn't he?" He asked curiously. Princess Celestia only met her gaze with his own, silent as he merely gave him a grim stare before turning back again.

"Detective Vigilance, I thank you for your excellent work." She called out to the jittery stallion, who saluted weakly.

"Every thanks, your highness!" He responded. Celestia bore a weak smile as she returned her view to the beyond. Departing towards her chariot, Celestia stopped momentarily, taking notice of the sudden jolt of unknown energy the bounced from within her mind before resuming her walk once again.

The laws of the Covenants were slowly whittling away from within the presence of this new world. Sacrilege cast upon the rites of the assassins of dark. The thought never graced the mind of a murderer, who's only focus was that upon it's next catch.

There was no other will commanded by the devilish creature other than to crush the sun under his metal boots. As the blooded armor shuffled from it's movement, the being's sword scrapped across the dirt floor as it snarled in anticipation. Steady in pace, it finally halted for beyond were the edges of a great peak.

beknownst to his gaze, the outlining shadow of Canterlot Castle towered over his figure as he lifted his sword to his shoulder. A strange, yet alluring essence called to him from within.

With a stalwart expression the figure stepped from the ledge and trotted forth once again, seeking the true calling of his ultimate purpose.

Death Falls Upon Castle Walls

The gorgeous scenery of the Equestrian mountainside spanned through the view of the train window as Twilight sat back in her seat. Her attention was constantly being directed by the conversations from inside the cart and to the novel that levitated gently in front of her.

In Twilight's mind however, questions alluded her about the mysterious human that lurked from within the illustrious walls of the castle. Grateful of her mentor's lenience towards him, Celestia had reassured her that he would stay within the safety and comfort that the castle could provide. Behind these claims however, Twilight could sense the hostility between the Princess and the knight. She knew it was not for his safety, but for the safety of everypony else.

She shook her head as she looked to the day ahead of her. Setting the book down upon it's pages, Twilight stretched as her vision began to drift into a peaceful slumber. However, a strange assortment of crimson gleams shone faintly as it shot across the sky and over the horizon of the hill that the train has began to climb, breaking Twilight's drowsiness.

"Did anypony else see that?" Twilight questioned openly.

"See what silly?" Pinkie Pie replied as she poked her head from over the seat in front of her.

"Um... Nothing, sorry." Twilight said frowning as Pinkie Pie shrugged, returning to her previous position.

A sudden lurch of the train caught everyponies' attention as their speech turned to silence.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Rainbow Dash curiously yelled out.

"W-Why did the train stop?" Fluttershy chimed in as she looked around worriedly.

"Uhh... Ya'll, we got some company." Applejack stated as her focus was upon her window opposite to Twilight's.

A small huddle had quickly formed around the window as Twilight pushed her head through to see.

She nervously gulped as she watched a small patrol of guards positioned right outside the entrance to the train cart. One of which that was emblazoned with a varied insignia from the others argued calmly with the conductor of the train as two of the guards began their entrance into their section.

"Excuse me, ladies. But we bring word from Princess Celestia." One of them spoke as they approached the group who had remained awkwardly plastered to the window. Twilight quickly readjusted herself, stepping forward to greet the two.

"Why? What happened? Does Princess Celestia need us?!" Twilight attempted to conclude before being silenced by the guard's hoof as he held it up.

"She has ordered an immediate turn-around. The Elements of Harmony are to continue to the nearest checkpoint and return back to Canterlot Castle until further notice." The guards pony stated authoritatively.

"What?! What's going on?" She nervously replied, coming face-to-face with the stern guardscolt.

"I'm sorry madame, I'm not at the position to say." He snarled, pushing her back lightly with a hoof.

"Ah but what about the farm? Big Macintosh is going to be mighty sore If Ah don't make it back today." Applejack complained as she folded her forelegs.

"A-And what about my animals? T-They tend to get angry if I don't feed them." Fluttershy added, poking her out from over the seats in front of her.

"Yes, yes, and what about my shop?! Dresses don't sell themselves you know!" Rarity pointed out to him, as the group of ponies simultaneously began chattering and bickering towards the agitated stallion.

The guards pony rubbed his face with his hoof, stomping an armored hoof to the floor as he worked to control the situation.

"Your going to have to take this up with the Princess herself, but until then you are ORDERED to return." He angrily shouted, hushing the crowd almost immediately.

The guard coughed awkwardly as he recomposed himself.

"Well... I apologize. Have a nice ride back, ladies." The guard bowed before turning with his partner out of the cart. Twilight grinded her teeth, managing to hold back her annoyance and confusion about the sudden order. The strange silence of the cart was suddenly broken into discussion:

"Y-You think Discord might be free again?" Fluttershy questioned, whimpering from the thought.

"Or, OR, maybe there's... Zoooombie ponies!" Rainbow Dash said, throwing her forlegs forward in a mock impression jokingly as Fluttershy sunk back even more into her seat.

"Oh, Ohh! Maybe there's going to be a party after all and Celestia wants it to be a SURPRISE!" Pinkie Pie ecstatically stated, jumping out from her seat and into the air.

The train lurched once more as it worked it's way out of it's stationary position. Outside, the guards remained diligent as they soared slightly above it. A slight detour would deter them back towards the castle and safely accomplish through an escort.

Taking notice to the silent Twilight as she stared out the window towards the accompanying guards, Rarity queried,

"Eh... Twilight, darling? What do you think could have Celestia so alarmed?" calling attention towards the anxious looking mare in the corner of her seat.

"Honestly, I-I have no idea." She admittedly replied.

"Ya'll don't think this is about Solaire, do ya?" Applejack loudly inferred, striking a glare from the sunken Fluttershy.

"W-What! Of course not!" Fluttershy retorted in his defense, jumping from her seat to engage in the conversation.

"How do you know? We've barely even known the guy! For all we know he could be some sort of evil monster!" Rainbow Dash interjected as she eyed her.

"No! Never! N-Not by the way I've seen him. He just looked so... innocent and alone, like a lost puppy." Fluttershy desperately tried to convince them. Applejack eyed Fluttershy suspiciously, unphased by her words.

"It's a legitimate concern, Fluttershy." Twilight interjected, trotting towards the group.

"-There's no telling if Solaire has been deceiving us the whole time."

Rarity placed a hoof around Fluttershy's back to comfort her as the defensive mare's vision returned to the floor, contemplating about her newest, and possibly dangerous, friend.

"Hey wake up, you idiot." An enormous armored figure ordered, smacking an unconscious stallion back into reality with a light jab of his hoof.

"Hmph! Ah, S-sorry!" The stallion replied in embarrassment, pushing his displaced helmet correctly back upon his head.

"Be lucky I'm not the Captain. He'd have your flank shipped out of here in an instant if he found you napping." The other large revealed guards pony informed him as he turned to continue his route.

"...You coming?" He impatiently asked the disheveled and slightly groggy stallion who was slumped about a small weapons case.

"Y-yeah." He replied in a yawn, slowly standing and approaching the similar guards pony who grinned smugly.

Their patrol was in the silence of the approaching night as the sun began to slowly dip, and the shadows of the massive castle became larger, overcoming the gardens a marble exterior of the palace. Occasional nods and gestures towards other patrolling guards were shared as often as they crossed one another. The steel of their hoof boots clanked and scrapped across the outer flooring as they continued towards their set destination: the Royal Gardens. In the vast silence of the dawning day, the faint bustling and commerce of the local town outside the gates of the castle could be heard, helping the break the awkwardly quiet guard routes along with the occasional light sniffles and coughs of the guards ponies. The light scrapping of their boots quickly turned to a faint rubbing and crunch upon the now earthen ground of the garden that they treaded upon.

A warm smile secretly crept upon the face of the larger stallion as he became enveloped in the magnificent nature of the marble statues, perfectly squared shrubbery, and beautiful vegetation that grew. Lush plants of every kind graced his view, some of which he had never witnessed, yet equally as beautiful as the ones he had very rarely had seen before. The statues, a memoir of Equestria's past, emblazoned with the greatest of heroes and villains of older generations. The shrubbery, however bland it may of appeared, was fashioned to perfection, creating an opaque wall of green that twisted and turned, or sharply ended, breaking off into the familiar labyrinth. His pace began to slow as he observed his surroundings, sharing small glances towards his partner in an effort to shield his astonishment, whom eyed him as soon as he looked.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The smaller guards pony whispered silently towards the other, whose grin he had quickly removed as he snapped towards the smaller guard's attention, who paced alongside him remarkably slowly.

"Uh... Yeah, beautiful." He replied in a monotone expression, causing the other to chuckle lightly at his inability to lie. The large stallion only glared angrily at the other, before having the shoulder of his armor plating lightly pushed jokingly. Nodding forwards, the smaller guard's pony increased his pace, causing his partner to quickly follow behind.

As their droll patrol continued, a very familiar statue bore into view as they worked around the bend of a section of the garden. The fallen God of Chaos, whom stance remained of equal freight and surprise as the day he was re-imprisoned. As they stepped past however, an eerie, unearthly chill swept across the garden, causing the two to shiver. They shared a momentarily glance with one another, unsure about the sudden cold front that had moved into the relatively warm dawn.

Suddenly, An abrupt muffled scream broke the quiescence of the dawn and caused the two to flinch in surprise, immediately being drawn to the source which emanated from the edges of the garden's labyrinth. A faint red glow shone from above the thick shrubs as the two galloped in alarm towards it; the guards ponies excited at the change of their monotonous duties.

Upon sharply turning the corner of the labyrinth shrubbery, the sight momentarily froze them in their tracks. A large, heavily armored bipedal figure knelt with it's back towards the two guards ponies as the first eyed the strange, massive corroded blade that laid upon the ground adjacent to it. Their presence remained undetected as they shared a glance amongst one another, attempting to silently anticipate their next move to each other.

"Y-You.... C-Creature! U-Up off the ground!" The first guards pony nervously shouted towards the frightening behemoth, whom suddenly raised it's head in alarm towards the sudden order. A haunting whisper of a growl could be heard as the hooded and armored figure worked to stand, facing towards them as he slowly turned his head to observe them. With one of his appendages he grasped the shaft of his massive blade and used it as a crutch to stand. It scrapped irritatingly along the ground as the tip struggled to keep balance. An abnormal, saturated red glow emanated from around the outline of the being, causing the two to take a step back in intimidation.

The smaller guards pony suddenly began to hyperventilate as the sight from beyond the armored figure could now be seen. From behind it, lay a corpse of what he could only make out as fellow Royal Guard, as his coat and armor were clearly recognizable, yet drenched with crimson blood. The once polished white armor of the guard was now stained and darkened, and his horn that once held his helmet in place had been snapped off, causing the helmet to sag over his left eye. It was apparent of any life that was once contained had been extinguished by the beast in front of him, which continued to breathe in growls.

"S-Surrender yourself, monster! Stop! Remain still! D-Do not advance!" The stallion barked hopelessly attempting to threaten it, yet it's gaze was transfixed upon the two as he slowly made a large step towards them, dragging his weapon upon the tiled ground of the garden.

"This i-is your final warning!" He yelled in vain as the creature continued forward at a steady pace. The guards pony grunted in agitation as he roughly smacked his frozen partners helmet, assuming a defensive stance. His forehead arched towards the being, horn pointed in a likewise direction. His partner anxiously followed his example, yet he was visibly shaken and his form was weak as a result.

The large guard's eyes squinted close and he clenched his teeth in preparation. His horn began to glow a magnificent cyan as the slight headache of magic caused him to grunt. A sudden blindness of light accompanied the large 'pop' of arcane magic that zipped through the chilled air and struck the figure directly into his plated chest. The creature snarled in reaction, and staggered slightly back as he worked to absorb the blow.

The guard grinned at his accomplishment as he looked to observe his enemy in its supposed pain. However his smile quickly diminished as the figure shrugged off the surge of his attack, advancing once again upon him. His eyes quickly shot to his partner, who stood as a statue, that continued to breathe irregularly.

"You idiot! FIRE!"

The biped's sudden sprint however, caught the distracted stallion off guard, causing him to break from his defensive position. In an attempt to make distance with the being, the large guards pony urged concentration to his horn once more, which started to illuminate and sputter under excitement.

His opponent had anticipated it however, and in a forward leap, had tackled the guard's pony. The stallion attempted to wriggle and punch his way free from the heavy body of his enemy. As he met the gaze of the creature however, his eyes began to widen in fear, and his mouth began to quiver. The monstrous glow of it's opaque eyes shone through the corroded and grate helmet visor, which seemed to stare deep into the mind and soul of it's victim.

In a desperate last stand, the large pony arched his horn to the sky, grunting and pressing all of his energy to his head. The light that began to shine quickly grew into a brazier of intensity, driving a powerful sensation all throughout his body. The creature snarled angrily, advancing a hand towards the pony's forehead. However, he was interrupted, as the developing spectrum of blue light had released, causing the darkened creature to jerk his head away as the light shot far and wide into the sky, cultivating into a brilliant vertical display.

With his subtlety threatened, The creature hastily moved the gauntlet of his hand and grasped the base of the guard's horn, and with a frightening growl and burst of strength, snapped the horn completely off. The light that had shone brightly throughout the castle exterior, began to fade and whither, taken once again the encroaching darkness.

The stallion laid with his mouth aghast in sudden shock from the excoriating pain that erupted from his forehead. A sound...a sound like bone breaking. It was strange. The stallion didn't feel a whole lot...just a quick zap. His mind stopped, his legs locked, his lungs froze.

Nothing wanted to work. Nothing wanted to move forward after experiencing what happened... it was like his body was trying to move time back to before this horrendous injury.

Away from the burning now cascading from his forehead and down through his body. The burning that caused his stomach to flip, his heart to stop, his lungs to burst...to make he himself wish for nothing but a swift death.

Anything to escape this pain... this horrific reality. The creature slowly lowered it's head to meet the stallions ear as he screamed uncontrollably, writhing about from under his grasp.

"No longer." A haunting and distorted voice whispered into the gasping stallion's left ear.

The blade of the dark warrior, that remained in it's opposite hand, jabbed through the opening under the belly of the guard's armor, ripping through skin and tearing at his insides. A sight of weakness overcame the guard, whose body slowly and steadily came to a stand still; his eyes fading into darkness as his last vision of the world was to the sky.

All the while, his partner remained stalwart in fear. Ignoring ever preservation to save his fellow guard or abide by his training. A trembling shell, unworthy of the seal that marked his helmet or breastplate. He stared pitifully towards his dead compatriot. A crimson red began to slowly drain from under the silenced pony, that further stained the already disheveled armor of the murderous knight.

The creature rose from the motionless body of the fallen guard, it's head cocked to face the frightened pony. The horrified guard began to back-pace slowly, bumping into nearby stonework and crushing plants. Almost as if you could intercept a grin from under it's guise, a taunting yell erupted from the dark being, sending the honorless gladium into a full panic, throwing his encumbered body around and sprinting as he gasped for air, heading in the direction of the enormous palace that rose beyond the garden.

Solaire paced himself across the room as he held the amulet firmly within his palm. He was restricted from leaving yet with this sign he knew he could not be bound here. In formulation of a plan, Solaire glanced around the suite for anything of use. A small room branched off from the bedroom as he curiously approached it, tying the twine of the amulet to his belt as advanced. Inside, there were a multitude of strange marble-like structures. One of which appeared to be an intricate tub with a metal appendage protruding from the nearby wall. The other object being an oddly shaped chair in which a lid secured the middle.

Solaire scratched his helmet at their existence, but quickly dismissed them as a certain thing caught his eye, throwing the velvet curtain of the elegant tub aside.

A window, by the the gods another window!

Solaire graced the surrounding air in thanks of his good fortune as he approached it. Observing from the moderately sized, and unwatched side view, he smiled excitingly as the location of the winding staircase could be seen, being directly under the vicinity of his location. Eagerly he clambered his body further over the tub and pushed his hand to the window in search of a lock or to simply push it open.

Damn.

The concurred window in itself wasn't designed to open. Solaire stepped back momentarily before glancing over his shoulder. A plan had soon graced his mind as he walked out from the room and back towards the bed.

I need just enough.

Pulling the comforter and the following sheets out from off the bed, he held them in his arms as he frowned; It was not enough for what he needed. Frantically, Solaire searched in and around the bed. Surely there would be a prodigal of luxory, accompanying the elegance of the suite. A lightbulb clicked in his head as he lowered himself to the floor, coming down with a slight crash. The draped bed in front of him held just enough room under it in storage. Aha! There under the bed, as predicted, sat a hefty supply of extra covering for his use. Solaire grinned stupidly, recalling old techniques as he began promptly knotting the sheets together, stretching them out to their full lengths and wrapping them tightly amongst each other.

"Done." He whispered quietly to himself, holding the lengthy silk rope in his hands. He took no time to congratulate himself as he scrambled silently towards the front window of the bedroom. He nodded confidently as he noted the guards stalwart location, standing in attention almost as if a lifelike statue. Carefully creeping back into the bathroom and stepping anxiously over the tub once more, he glanced alertly back in direction of the main door to the suite, closing the wooden bathroom door behind him readily. Standing strangely in the tub of the bathroom, facing the large, glass window, he engulfed a deep breath, swiftly raising his elbow and smashing into the glass of the window.

He winced slightly at the crashing noise of breaking glass, hoping he had not alerted the guards. He turned his head towards the front door in expectancy of a break-in. However, to his dismay there was none. Confident, he quickly unraveled the makeshift rope from his arm and tied it firmly to the leg of the marble tub.

Throwing the rope through the smashed window, he took a final look at the amulet, which continued to rest upon his belt presently. The swirl of aggressive dark red confirming his actions as he grasped his helmet from up off the floor from where he had previously set it. The familiar rugged iron helmet once again graced his face, placing it alacritously back upon his head. The musty and rank smell of an over-used bit of armor remained ignored by the knight as he stood prepped with his arms hanging slightly from the broken window pane.

With no further notion, he started pushing his encumbered body through the window, and cautiously began descending down the rope. His eyes constantly drifting to either side of the staircase as he anticipated his discovery by one of the guards. The makeshift rope remained steadfast, although sounds of light tearing and the struggle of force upon the fabric could be heard. However, this unshaped his dedication as he continued to scale downwards.

With the signal of land beneath the edge of his boot, he quickly dropped himself from the remainder of the rope, causing a mild 'thunk' of metal and pavement, which made him cringe and direct his eyes towards the suite. Successful, he grinned as he carefully stepped down the stairs, observing each encumbered step he took, and made his way towards the entrance to the residence hallways of the castle.

As he crept closer to the door, he extended his arms in an attempt to lightly shove the door open. However, he quickly made an important discovery about his exit. It too was locked, for his hopes of an easy exit had been thwarted by a guardsman's predictable expectation of security.

A swear was whispered under his breath as he continued to fool himself of a linear escape. Hastily, Solaire scanned the surroundings of the castle for an alternative, quickly pressing his vision to the balcony on his far left. The stairs, unfortunately, were just that: stairs.

The long climb to the illustrious suite was achieved by a slightly winding staircase without a single guard railing for prevention, should some clumsy soul lose his balance, they would swiftly meet their demise. All that gave him entrance to the balcony however, was a small ledge that traced below the castle windows; just large enough for the boots of a fair-sized human.

Solaire attempted to grasp at the marble walls, successfully keeping a minimal balance upon the ledge. He was uneasy and frankly a little frightened by lethal falls, yet he urged himself to take the first side-step. His armor rustled and his boots scrapped audibly as Solaire continued, trying to the best of his ability to muffle the noise with smaller movements.

Inching closer and closer, the balcony was barely in reaching distance of him. Encouraged, he hastily began shuffling, extending his right arm to grasp the railing. In a split moment, he directed his sight through the window, and immediately froze.

Inside, a crowd of guards stood silent, looking directly at him. Soldiers whom were partially undressed or completely, stood, frozen. Some, whom were in the process of undoing their armor or rustling through equipment had paused where they were, staring dumbfounded. A group of stallions in particular were gathered around a table, with cards positioned in their hooves.

Solaire held his breath; there was no mistaking he had been discovered. His eyes were shielded in shadow, but inside he was constantly snapping towards the ledge in which his arm was still hanging, motionless. In a quick burst, Solaire took an enormous step which placed him at the edge of the balcony. The guards, who were once stationary, immediately took action, jumping from their previous positions and slapping on any armor that was currently in hoof, before trampling towards the exit of their quarters.

Whipping his arms tightly around the railing, he successfully climbed his encumbered body over the side and onto solid ground. Unable to congratulate himself on the success, he bounded towards the two paned doors of the unknown room. Regardless if the doors also remained locked, he was determined to escape, even willing to smash his weight into the glass. To his delight however, the doors were in fact, unlocked as he scrambled to grasp the handle and charge inside.

Managing to sling the styled doorknob of the door down, he clumsily flew onto the carpeted floor of the room, pushed by his momentum.

"Agh! My word! Who DARES disturbs me while I'm freshening u-"

Solaire quickly scrambled up of the ground and adjusted his disheveled helmet. In front of him, a horrifying monster stood before him, bearing a terrifying expression. W-Wait...

Solaire sighed. Standing before him, holding a shocked look upon his face, was a white coated stallion with a layer of strange goo on his face, that blocked his appearance like a mask. He was covered in what seemed to be velvet silk, that was draped hastily over him.

"M-M-M-Monster!" The stallion screamed, throwing himself back and tripping on the frame of his bed, sending him sailing onto the elegant king-sized mattress.

Ignoring the frightened pony, Solaire headed for the door and swung it ajar. As he stepped out however, the guards whom he had alerted had already descended towards him and came bounding down the hallway, shouting orders and indescribable threats towards the exhausted knight.

He was cornered. Frantically he searched for an escape; another room, a hidden entrance, a second hallway, anything! Quickly stepping back into the room amongst the panicked stallion, he continued to search for an exit. The room that resided near the bed proved useless, full of the same stonework of strangely shaped structures.

"It's all over! Surrender!" A defining voice shouted through the inaudible mess of ponies. Stepping out from the room adjacent to the bedroom, Solaire noticed a tall but slim guard that stood in front of the horde of menacing stallions. However, his armor was drastically different from his compatriots. Instead of the usual golden embroiled plating that was worn, his armor was a light lavender, whilst a defined maize trimmed around his breastplate and centurion helmet.

In a moment of careless adrenaline, Solaire rushed in the direction of the lying stallion, who hopelessly tried to scuttle away off of his bed. Slinging himself upon the stallion, he held him by the neck, pressing him to his chest as he held him upwards, remaining cautious in not harming him.

"U-Unhand me you brute!" The stallion shouted frantically.

The surrounding guards prepared themselves to pounce upon the knight and his hostage, before being restrained by the leading guards pony.

"Listen now, let's not do anything we're going to regret here." He tried to persuade, cautiously stepping towards the two.

Solaire sweated from under his cumbersome helmet. He had blatantly defied his own morals, even going so far as to hold an innocent hostage. He had dug a hole far into darkness, and fought his ego angrily as he attempted to strategize his next move.

"Y-You... Must listen to me." Solaire worked out in heavy breaths, slightly masked under iron.

"I wish... No harm upon anyone. T-There is something terrible brewing amongst this world-" He attempted to explain to the group of cautious guards that stood, reading to attack

"Something beyond your power or control, it's-"

"ENOUGH!" A feminine, yet frighteningly booming voice shouted from seemingly every direction around him. In the space between the guards and Solaire, a strange, black mist began collecting, before forming brilliant white stars amidst the dark swirl. From the mist, a blinding flash of light erupted. Solaire's eyes shut in reaction of the flash, and upon opening them, the surprisingly tall figure of a jet black pony stood in observance of him.

Solaire gasped. What struck him odd about this new figure was a striking similarity to a certain princess he had plead to, while her coat and mane were drastically different, she bore the same elongated horn and magnificent wings that he had already witnessed. Her expression however, terrified him. A mixture of rage and annoyance painted her face as she stared directly through his thick helmet and into his eyes.

"Princess Luna!" The lavender guard exclaimed. Bending one fore-hoof, the guard knelt respectfully behind the enraged princess. Solaire gulped uncomfortably.

"I had thine doubts about these rumors, Solaire. But now I can see clearly!" She exclaimed, her voice seemingly blowing him back a few inches.

"You must understa-" Solaire replied in his defense, before being interrupted by the princess once more.

"Silence! I will hear NOTHING from thee!" She roared, stomping a hoof to the floor, silencing the entire room and even the squirming stallion who now stared fearfully towards the princess.

"Now. Unhand Prince Blueblood IMMEDIATELY." She commanded. Solaire clenched his teeth in guilt. A PRINCE? Had his immorality corrupted him? Solaire gulped, fearing the expense of his honorless actions.

"Of course. Please, I don't wish for conflict." He anxiously replied, before loosening his gripe on Blueblood. The stallion quickly pushed himself from Solaire and towards the princess, falling to his plot and grasping around her leg.

"T-This fiend has v-violated me! D-Deal with this... THING, auntie!" Blueblood screamed childishly, beckoning the stalwart princess, who briefly glanced at the whimpering pony.

"A lie! There was no 'violating'." Solaire exclaimed. His outburst prompted a dagger-like stare, before turning her gaze to the stationary group of guards ponies.

"Shining Armor, please place our... guest under arrest." She commanded the lavender armored pony, who responded with a nod.

"At you wish, Princess Lun-" Shining Armor paused. A vibrant and brilliant blue light illuminated the entire room from the paned doors they stood beside. From outside, a column of blinding light had exploded, shining from beyond the gardens below, that stretched all the way into the sky and past the darkening clouds.

"W-What was that?" The princess asked in surprise, looking towards Shining. An expression of terror graced his face as he continued to stare towards the pillar of light that engulfed the darkness.

"A beacon. A-A guard's beacon-" He muttered, raising sudden alarm within the group of guards, painting different expressions of surprise and terror.

"-A -A spell I designed. I-It's a last resort in case a guard's life was...." He paused, visibly shaken of his knowledge.

"We have to get to the source. NOW." Shining Armor commanded, ignoring the hierarchy of the princess and turning to head out the door.

The princesses, immensely confused, looked in alarm at the usual cool-headed Captain as he pushed past the crowded door.

"Princess-" Solaire started, drawing the attention of the Luna whom returned with an angered look.

"I beckon, allow me to prove my innocence! Whatever is causing this-"

"Whatever causes this, knight, is in coincidence of your arrival!" She accused, pointing a hoof at him.

"Please, your highness." Solaire beckoned, raising him arms and reaching for his helmet. Her attention drifted towards the guards whom had, for the most part, filed out from the room and out of the hallway in attendance of their Captain. A few guards remained in service of the princess, who stood prepared in defense. Slowly removing his helmet, Luna watched in bewilderment as the being removed what she now realized, was a helmet. From under it however, was a pale face, scarred and withered. His hair was unkempt and matted with dirt, and patches of baldness and irregularities admitted his weathered self.

"Oh.. my." Princess Luna whispered, flabbergasted as her once scornful expression swept into pity.

Solaire bent on one knee, lowering himself to meet her legs. He matched his eyes with the ground in respect, holding his helmet to his side.

"Holy princess, I am a man of unfortunate situation. But my goals are clear, and my vision is of the light. You must believe my plea. For the dependance of my life, and my honor, rests on my commitment to this... new world."

"I-I..." The princess stuttered, suddenly becoming flustered at his dramatics.

"Solaire." she called to him softly.

"Yes, your highness?"

"Thine sister does not trust thee. Even I, should not trust thee. Yet, I know of these words you speak. I have heard this sincerity once before..." She comforted, stepping closer towards the knight, who's eyes continued to stay locked to the ground.

"I Believe thee, Solaire." She admitted, causing Solaire to widen his eyes in surprise, lifting his head to meet hers.

"Rise, soldier." She commanded.

Solaire rose from his knee, standing upright in attention, a tone of seriousness painted on his weathered face.

"Now, isn't there a problem that needs fixing?" She questioned him figuratively, cracking a small grin.

"Of course, your highness." He exclaimed, lifting his beaten helmet to grace his head once more. The guards positioned inside the door saluted respectfully towards Solaire, before tracing behind the advancing Princess Luna who kept her eyes immersed on the traces of immaculate light that dwindled and sat upon the dark clouds above.

As Solaire began to follow, he suddenly stopped. From his belt, he had tied the twine of the amulet that swung lightly in movement. In one hand, he grasped the amulet, turning it so it's face could be seen. What was once a raspy, red swirl had transformed into a maelstrom of colliding shades of red. An ominous glow emanated from within it's core, causing Solaire to shudder at it's corruption.

Wasting no less time, Solaire quickly hastened his pace behind the retreating royalty.