If it Pleases Her Majesty
Stumbling with weariness I walked into the city, continuing my wanderings in search of a home. Just someplace to stay for the night would be good about now, but as always I attracted curious or terrified stares. Guess I'll be stuck sleeping in the road again. The wind howled, driving ice and snow up from the ground around me. Oh not again, why won't she just leave me alone? I turned around to greet my old "friend".
"Hello Winter, what have I done now?" The ice blue alicorn swooped down in front of me, her gaze cold as the winds she commanded, I knew the soft smile she bore was false, she was always smiling when she told me off.
"Nameless creature of chaos, why have you come here tonight?" She seemed to be holding in a laugh. Now I was confused, normally she just started scolding me.
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean. I go where I will, I can't stop yet." I cocked an eyebrow and sat down to let my tired wings rest, they were after all entirely too small. Pathetic when compared to the demigod that stood before me.
"The daughters of Sky will be visiting this town tomorrow at dawn, a creature that specializes in causing problems, like yourself, has no business being at an important function." She was just toying with me now, batting at me like a cat with a ball of yarn, there was a point to her words but I couldn't see it yet. "There's an inn on the far side of town, I've already made you a reservation. Just tell them Winter sent you." Winter gave a flap of her frost laced wings and swooped up out of sight. I really did envy those wings. I sighed and slunk away, promising myself that tomorrow I would ruin her day.
...
The inn was, as I expected, one of the most run down building's I had ever seen. The entire building looked as if it had a limp, there were flecks of ice blue paint still left on the black wood walls, planks had curled up on themselves and the floor and ceiling alike had rather gaping holes. There was no need to tell anyone who sent me, the place was empty, but at least it was warm.
"Eh," I shrugged. "it's better than nothing." If anything this was a joke, I was a creature of chaos; it only stands to reason that I would enjoy places like this. And in a way I did, the curling of the planks and the patchwork paint-job made for a wonderfully abstract work of art, caught somewhere between pristine and decrepit. But both Sky and Earth dammit, it was cold outside and the holes in the ceiling were letting in a draft.
I got to work quickly and carefully weaving a protection ward on the ceiling, warming the cold air as it passed into the building. Soon I had a pleasant warm wind in place of the cutting draft. "I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't even a bed in here." I opened one of the doors leading to the rooms, to my surprise there was a bed in there, along with a plush blanket and a down feather pillow. Alright, either I'm hallucinating again or someone already lives here. I reached out and grabbed the pillow, careful not to puncture it with my untrimmed claws. It was soft, plush, and seemingly real, but the only test of whether something is real or not is if it can be destroyed and I didn't dare try with something this luxurious. It wasn't every day Winter actually did me a favor. I dove under the covers, immediately finding a comfy spot and fell asleep before I even realized it. It was like sleeping on a cloud.
...
"What the Buck!?" My eyes snapped open, to see a scruffy, dirty griffon standing over me with a board.
"No, no, wait!" It was too late, the griffon brought the board down on my head, jarring my teeth and sending my eyes spinning. I spring out of the bed. "Yoow! I'm sorry, seriously." I check to make sure my single fang is still there.
"Yeah right. And you weren't just sleeping in my bed." I heard him throw the board down. "Do you know how long it took me to molt all this, and then steal the fabric to make it?" I shrugged and looked out the window, it was dawn.
"What are you, nocturnal?" I turned to look at him as he snarled at me, he softened up a bit as he seemed to realize I really didn't mean any harm.
"Well, yeah. It's easier to nab stuff in the dark, snow make it a bit harder though. Reflects light from the moon, it never really gets dark anymore." I heard fanfare in the distance and grinned.
"I'm pretty sure I know where you can score today, no darkness involved."
"Yeah right, with Sky's daughters in town, you've got to be crazy. Get out of my house." He pointed to the still open door and I slunk out. Well that's one plan down the drain; I could always just show up, that's sure to get under her feathers.
I worked my wings into overdrive, pushing myself up onto the roof of a nearby house. Stupid stubs. I briefly wondered who these "Daughters of Sky" were, I've heard of them but never happened to be in the same place as them. I followed the sound of trumpets over the tops of the buildings, the sound made clear in the cold air. Snow crunched under my hoof and talons, the air nipped at my ears and fingers, say what I will about Winter, her creation was exhilarating. The sun shone trough the cloudless sky like a great eye, lidless and cold, as if in respect to Winter's time. I was getting close now, I could see the downtrodden snow of a procession, the trumpets were louder, but one trail confused me, there was a rut of melted snow, that was odd. I ran headfirst into a chimney as I observed this strange anomaly.
"Ow..." My hold on the roof started slipping. "Nonononononono!" I clawed at the shingles in an attempt to keep my balance but alas momentum makes it harder to recover when one veers off course. I fell from the roof into a tangle of ropes holding flags for the procession, I tore trough them like so much paper, they made a similar sound as well, the feeling in my gut that came hand in hand with rapid descent made me feel like I was about to lose the meager dinner I had managed to get my claws on. The flags blocked my vision, so landing came with a surprising amount of pain, luckily the snow broke my fall a little. Actually that was kinda fun, I'd have to make a habit of jumping from buildings. I chuckled a little, pulling the ropes off my face.
Cold is what greeted me, painful cold, brought on by the very angry demigod of ice. She was glaring death at me, I could feel ice forming over my body. I looked around at the crowd and the musical instruments. "This is the parade, isn't it?" I tried to make myself as small as possible but found that I was up to my neck in solid ice. Suddenly I felt warmth and heard a soft chuckling, it was a sound like the cooing of a dove. I turned my head to look at its source, what I saw was pure beauty. Her mane held the colors of the rainbow, it waved on some unknown wind, her coat the white of heat, her eyes a perfect shade of purple. She was adorned by crown of gold with a single amethyst in it's center, a golden yoke of similar design and she wore golden horseshoes that came up past her ankles; I was transfixed.
"Why hello there; Winter, who is this creature that has encouraged such wrath from you?" She spoke softly, a good natured voice filled with warmth and care, a welcome change from the frigidity of Winter's jeers. The alicorn in question lifted her gaze from me to address the warm one.
"Celestia, I'm sorry, this nameless creature is the scion of Chaos." Winter's voice dripped with frigid wrath.
"Celestia." I breathed, even her name was beauty personified. I looked at the ground at Celestia's feet, the snow had melted, I had found the source of the rut. Winter kicked me, snapping me back to reality.
"That's Princess to you, creature." I looked back at Winter, not quite brave enough to glare.
"I'm sorry," I spoke sarcastically, "my head's a little scrambled from falling off a building. Which is ridiculously fun by the way, you should try it." I grinned, the thought of the mistress of ice actually having fun was a silly one.
"Sister, what's the problem, a smaller, meeker voice called out from behind Celestia.
"Nothing Luna, we've just run into an entertaining little snag." I snapped to attention for a moment, I'd never been considered entertaining before, nuisance, plague, irritant, annoyance, these were the words ponies had decided to call me. Someone else actually taking enjoyment from my antics was a new one. A smaller, dark blue counterpart walked out from behind Celestia; Luna was a full head and neck shorter than Celestia, her mane was like someone had taken a cut out of the night sky, it also blew in the same ethereal wind as her sister's, her garb matched that of Celestia's only in an almost black shade of blue, with crescent moons in place of crystals, where her sister was beautiful Luna was adorable in the way a foal was. I couldn't resist letting out a small sound.
"Daww." Luna chuckled.
"Why not let him go Lady Winter?" Celestia placed a hoof on my icy prison, it started to melt slightly. Winter glared at me one last time.
"If it pleases her majesty." Winter growled, Luna looked from her sister to Winter, as if trying to decide who to side with. A look of inspiration passed through Luna's eyes.
"Sister, the court jester position has been empty for the past few days, this creature entertains you but it seems to infuriate Winter. Perhaps we could take it off her hooves." Celestia smiled a bit wider. Winter released me from my frozen tomb, she seemed to like the idea.
"What say you Child of Chaos?" Celestia looked straight at me, I found myself lost in her eyes, I could not find my voice so I simply nodded.
Verse of the Beginning, Verse of the End
"Long ago in time gone by, six children were born of Earth and Sky.
From Sky were born two daughters fair, descending from on high.
Each steady as the sun and moon, as to each was their boon.
To her firstborn Sky equitted the sun, a gift of power and beauty matched by none.
To her secondborn Sky gave the moon, its phases to control the watery dunes.
From Earth two daughters and sons, each to represent a set of months.
To her firstborn Earth gave ice and wind from the north, as tools to show her wintery mirth.
To her second Earth gifted the shades of gold and brown, the cools that come from autumn's sounds.
To her third Earth bequethed the heat soft and strong, bringing the heights of summer wherever he descides to belong.
And to the last Earth equitted the rains and blooms, to live in springs embrace where she would choose.
The daughters of Sky chose to rule, as they had been gifted Sky's orderly zeel.
The children of earth chose to roam, spreading their gifts across the land they called home.
Together they brought order and peace, from Earth the order of nature, from Sky order of the creature.
"But where there is order there must be chaos, another creature was born of emptyness.
A creature who only existed to seek, and what is chaos but a need to complete.
Destruction is what this creature would bring, for only the verse of end can it sing.
But in its quest to be complete it would not choose to destroy, it refused to view the world as a toy.
Instead of seeking where to end it sought where to begin.
I found my beginning with the eldest of Sky, as our story begins in time gone by."
