Subject #7

Chapter 4

When Things Get Interesting

June 9, A.C. 1014

Theseus and Fluttershy stood on the edge of a cliff, looking out in awe over the surprisingly lively Wither City. It seemed that despite the stories, Wither City had not, in fact, withered away. The late afternoon sun shone down over the buildings, causing them to shine with the reflections of tiny imperfections. The majority of the city was abandoned, but there were still maybe a hundred or so ponies living within its walls. A large castle rose majestically from the center, poking up into the sky. A single happy tear streaked down Theseus's face.

"Are you okay?" said Fluttershy.

"Yeah," he replied, wiping his face with one hoof. "It's just... I can't believe it's still here." They stood admiring the city for a moment. Then they began to make their way carefully down the side of the mountain.

"Theseus! Aah!" Theseus whipped his head around to see Fluttershy tumbling down the mountain. He could only watch in horror as she tipped over a cliff... and did not fall. Out of nowhere, she was scooped up by two armored pegasi, one clad in gold and the other in silver.

"Fluttershy!" he yelled. The pegasi stopped in midair and Fluttershy separated herself from them with a blush. After some careful climbing, they came to a flat outcropping where the strangers landed with Fluttershy. Theseus gave Fluttershy a hug, once again triggering her desire for invisibility.

"You're a pegasus," he said, letting go of her. "Why did you need saving?"

"My... my wings lock up when I get scared," she said quietly. "And I'm not a very good flyer anyway." Theseus turned to the strange pegasi.

"And who are you?" he asked.

"We are members of the Royal Army," said the one in the gold-colored armor. He sported an orange coat and a flowing red mane poking out from beneath his helmet. "And you are trespassing on the land of Wither City. You are not welcome here." Theseus floated out the Encyclopædia to tell them what he read, but before he could speak, the soldiers both gasped and knelt in front of him.

"We are so sorry, Your Majesty," said the gold one. "We did not know."

"Um, arise?" Theseus said uncertainly. The one in silver lifted himself off the ground.

"You are the Lost Prince Theseus!" he said in amazement. "All but a few citizens believed that you had perished!"

"Well," Theseus said, "not exactly." He thought about all the times he wished that he had done just that, and decided that he was thankful he hadn't.

"Come," said the silver-clad stallion, turning toward the city. "Let us take you to the palace. I will carry you." He crouched down to allow Theseus access to his back.

"Uh, thanks," Theseus said, feeling uncomfortable, "but I think I'd rather walk."

"But Your Majesty, you are obviously injured." Theseus glanced at his bandage.

"Oh, this? It was just a scratch. I'll be fine." The soldier looked skeptical, but did not press the matter further. Fluttershy and Theseus started stepping carefully down the rocks, the soldiers gliding above them.

"What are your names?" asked Theseus. The one in gold spoke first.

"I am General Fire Wind, and this is my long-time lieutenant, Razor. We are two of only a few soldiers left; after the war, most left for other places." Theseus's ears perked up.

"War? What war?"

"The war against the outer tribes for resources. They felt that we were encroaching on their territory, and they were willing to fight for it." His voice was clearly tinged with mourning. "They killed many of our soldiers, as well as innocent citizens."

"What happened to them?" asked Theseus.

"We are not entirely sure," said Fire Wind. "They have not bothered us in years. Maybe they moved to another area. They are nomadic by nature, after all."

"What happened to the citizens? This place almost looks abandoned."

"Just like the soldiers, most of the citizens left after the war. Wither City was once a bustling, lively place. Once King Rune disappeared and his advisor Crystal Lake claimed the throne, the citizens lost faith in the power of their city."

The ponies managed to reach the base of the mountain without any mishaps. Razor landed next to a gravel path and began to walk toward the center of the city. Fire Wind flew high over the buildings, stating that he would announce Theseus's arrival.

"Follow me, Your Majesty," said Razor. Theseus and Fluttershy followed the stallion through the city, past shops and houses, many of which were empty and rather run-down. After much walking, they reached the entrance of the castle. It had a stereotypical moat and ornate drawbridge, decorated all over with diamonds, emeralds, and especially sapphire. There were also a variety of small gems speckled in the stone of the castle itself. The drawbridge lowered slowly, revealing a Great Hall with a throne at the end, and several soldiers played a fanfare on saddle-mounted trumpets.

"All rise for the great Prince Theseus!" All the soldiers in the Great Hall stood at attention, each holding their left hoof to their foreheads. The majority were wearing silver, but a select few had gold. A light blue male unicorn with a sparkling flowing mane sat on the throne at the end of the hall, enjoying a wide selection of food from the table beside him. He had a small monkey sitting on his shoulder chewing on an almond, and his mane, coat, and tail all sparkled like a waterfall. Theseus cleared his throat.

"Uh, at ease!" They all placed their hooves on the floor in perfect sync, causing a slight vibration that made Theseus more than a little nervous. If he was a tribepony, he definitely would not want to cross these ponies!

"Ah, welcome!" said the unicorn happily, coming down off his throne, forcing the monkey to jump off onto the head of the throne. "The Prince Theseus; I never thought I would live to see this day! I was almost afraid that we would never find a proper heir!"

"Excuse me?" said Theseus. The unicorn chuckled, meeting Theseus and Fluttershy several feet from the throne.

"Oh, my most sincere apologies; I haven't introduced myself. I am Crystal Lake, former Royal Advisor to your father, King Rune, and current acting King of Wither City." Theseus was amazed. They knew him here. They even treated him like a king. Well, of course they did; he was one! But before he could bask in the glow of their admiration, he first needed some questions answered. He turned his attention back to Crystal Lake.

"I'd like to hear about my father," he said. Crystal Lake smiled.

"Of course, but later. First, we must find you accommodations. I am currently occupying the Royal Suite, until you take the throne, of course, but I think-"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," said Theseus quickly. "Take the throne?"

"Well, of course," he said with a frown. "You are the royal heir. You must claim your birthright." Theseus looked around nervously.

"I'm not sure I want to..."

"But you must!" said the Advisor. Without warning, Fluttershy spoke up.

"He doesn't want to!" she said, still quietly, but much louder than she normally spoke. "You shouldn't force him to do something he doesn't want to do!" Both the stallions were awestruck, Theseus even more so. She suddenly looked embarrassed and hid inside her mane, but did not immediately apologize like she normally did. Theseus put it off for later thought. He turned to the Advisor.

"Could you find us a room?" he asked. Crystal Lake smiled.

"Of course," he said, walking to Theseus's left. "This way, please."

Theseus was feeling confused. Also a little hungry, but mostly confused. About his feelings surrounding Fluttershy, but also the location of something. No matter where he went, he could never seem to find the cafeteria. After being led to his and Fluttershy's suite, with their escort making a point of leaving them alone, he had decided to explore the castle and maybe get a bite to eat. He had found soldiers' quarters, a library (where he found magic books galore and learned a couple of spells), an observatory, even a royal blacksmith, but no cafeteria. I thought there were supposed to be rooms filled with crates, he thought. He finally decided to give up and went up a flight of stairs back to the floor with his suite. According to the basic sense-of-direction spell he had learned, he thought he should be on the opposite side of the castle from the suite. Oh, well. No problem taking the long way round.

As he rounded a corner, he saw another door, this one with decorative gold plating on its face, similar to his own suite. Curious, he walked up to the edge of the doorway. A soldier trotted past, saw Theseus, and greeted him.

"Hello, Your Highness," he said. "Exploring the castle?" Theseus was still not quite comfortable with the title of Highness, Majesty, or King, but took it in stride.

"What's behind this door?" he asked.

"That's being used for storage at the moment, Your Majesty, but it can be vacated if you wish."

"No, that's okay, I was just curious." He stared at the door intently. There was something about it, something about the trimming... He turned to ask the stallion where the food was, but he had already left, and it would take forever to track him down. He decided to enter the room; maybe one of the crates had an apple or two.

He pushed the door open with his magic and was greeted by a strong, musty smell. This room had clearly not been disturbed in some time. He looked around at the boxes. Wait. There were no boxes. It appeared to be a young filly's bedroom, with a bed against the left wall covered by gorgeous pink tresses, and star charts and drawings covering the other walls. A small desk with a telescope sat in the far right corner under a shuttered window.

"What is this?" Theseus asked the air.

"This was the bedroom of Princess Starfall," the air answered. Theseus briefly thought the air had a very gruff voice, then turned to see a gold armored pony in the doorway. The black stripes on the stallion's coat were beginning to gray slightly, but when he removed his helmet, he revealed a solid jet-black mane that had clearly lost none of its sheen.

"Who are you?" asked Theseus. He stared at the amazing stripes on the stallion's body, wondering how he got them. The pony spoke slowly, as if not to disturb the air of the room.

"My name is Zane," he said, "and I would appreciate restraint on your part when viewing my body coloring."

"I'm sorry," said Theseus, shaking his head and forcing himself to look at the stranger's face. "I've just never seen a pony with those markings before."

"I'm not a pony," he said, chuckling. "You've obviously never seen a zebra before."

"Everyone seems to think I get out more than I do," Theseus said, giving an annoyed frown.

"That's okay," said Zane, "the only thing you hurt is my pride." Theseus wondered why he was not moving.

"Why are you standing there?" he asked. "Are you afraid of dust or something?" Zane suddenly looked severely uncomfortable, and started speaking uncertainly.

"No, that's not it, I-I just... I don't want to... disturb it. I have a... healthy respect for this room." Theseus decided to pity the zebra and walked out of the room into the hallway. He sat on his haunches next to him.

"You said that this was the Princess's bedroom?" he asked curiously.

"Yes," said Zane, staring longingly into the room, slowly closing the door with one hoof. He turned to Theseus. "This was the bedroom of Princess Starfall, daughter of King Rune and heir to the throne of the city-state of Wither City."

"But that's impossible!" said Theseus. "I'm the heir!" An understanding look came over Zane's face.

"You must be Theseus," he said. "I remember when you were born. Your parents loved you so much. Of course, it was more than likely compensation for the loss of Starfall."

"Wait, are you saying..."

"Yes, Theseus. Starfall was your sister."