From Long Ago, Lies Still Sound Trueby The GunslingerChapters%i% Freedom%i% Discovery%i% Allies%i% Freedom1 Freedom From Long Ago Lies Still Ring True Freedom On the side of a jagged mountain sat a city known as Canterlot, home to the Solar and Lunar Princesses, rulers of the land. The two had a grand palace there, complete with ornate towers that touched the clouds, giant stained glass windows that show events from the past, and royal gardens that were trimmed to perfection. Within the gardens stood a place where nothing was what it seemed like. In a clearing stood twelve statues, each surrounded by a certain type of flower surrounding it for twelve hooves. Each statue depicted a great foe of the past, and to the common observer was just a simple statue, but to those attuned to the magical arts would notice that there was far more to these statues than most would notice with a single glance. If one touched one of these statues, they would hear a quiet voice in the back of their head, urging them to attack the princesses, or to act like whom the statue depicted. For the statues were not just stone and granite, but actually the beings they depicted trapped within stone. The statues normally didn't even notice each other, but two of them talked to each other constantly, chatting about anyone that came into the clearing, or whatever suited their fancy. That makes no sense at all! Why would I make sense? Touche. So, doing the fishstick is actually harder than 4D chess? Of course it is! The fishstick isn't something that require thought, it's something that requires large amounts of time. I mastered it when YOU first imprisoned me within the ground! Oh, is someone grumpy about a spot of chaos? You do know I was simply playing around there, Deceit. Did you really just call me by the name THEY gave me? I don't call you by your true name; You're still Discord to me....wait a second. ...What? Did you notice how most of the folks here have a name that starts with the letter 'd'? No, I didn't. What about it? Well, we have Demise, Destruction, Death, Dread, Defiance, Doubt, you, and me. It's almost as if they picked that letter to be the 'evil' letter. How did I not notice that long ago when they gave us all names? Because we were doing more important things like tricking the princesses, getting stuck in stone, and chatting about more important things, like how Sunbutt eats far too much cake. True, it goes all to her flanks. But let's not talk about that anymore, it's gotten boring! I don't like order either- Hey, is that a school trip? I bet it's filled with snobs. I doubt it. Some of them appear like farmers. Oh, how I loved messing with farmers the most! They always ended up doing the most chaotic things to fix what they believed to be the problem. Looks like they're fighting right in front of you... Does it truly matter? Damn it, I wish I could get out right now! This is a perfect chance! As do I. But shush, before I slap you. You can't. You're stuck in stone, remember? ...By Limbo, I hate it when you're right. Huh. I think your heart is glowing purple. Are you trying not to make sense, or are you serious? ...Do I look like I'm trying to not make sense? I don't know, I can't see anything! I had my eyes closed when I was sealed in stone. Sucks for you. ...I feel a crack. You feel a what? I CAN FEEL A CRACK! SWEET SWEET FREEDOM! Remember to free me. Oh, it's time for a big storm of CHAOS! DISCORD. *Free me.*** Discord jumps up, knocking most of the stone off him. He brushed the remaining stone fragments off him, then he glanced around the garden, before settling his eyes on a statue of a pony. He snapped his fingers and a burst of chaos magic turned the stone upon the statue to water, soaking the one within the statue. Deceit coughed a few times, then stretched a little. He was a lean stallion, with a slightly loose leather outfit on him, with pockets crisscrossing his chest. A pair of smokey gray wings were folded against his side, with a silver metal covering the outermost edge of his wing. A leather hood was over his head, preventing any from seeing the moonstone mask underneath, Simple boots of leather were upon his hooves, with a set of dark bracers upon his forelegs, and a set of sky blue glass anklets on his hind legs. "Ah...it feels so good to finally be free. It's better than the first time I ever cast an illusion....but I must ask Discord- do you have any clue why I'm surrounded by roses?" Asked Deceit, who glanced around him seeing blue roses in a circle around him. Discord floated over to him, with a grin upon his face. Discord was a Chimera. He had a horse's head, a eagle's talon and lion's paw for hands, a dragon's leg and a goat leg for his legs, and a draconic tail. Upon his head was a dear antler and a blue goat's horn. There was a single tooth hanging out of his mouth, and a white goatee upon his chin. "It is so nice to finally see you in the flesh- So shall we enact our plan?" Discord inquired, looking at Deceit for his answer. Deceit nodded, laughing a little. He then jokingly shooed Discord off, which caused him to vanish, leaving behind a rather large speaker. The speaker suddenly let out a single note loud enough to fling Deceit off his feet. "Damned chimera...now I have less time to get my part started." Deceit mumbled as his ears perked up, hearing the sounds of guards closing in upon the clearing. As Deceit hopped to his feet, disappearing into the gardens, he had a single thought Let's get this show on the road. %i% Discovery2 Discovery Discovery Three days ago in the peaceful little town of Ponyville, an escaped being from Canterlot, called Discord, invaded the rural village in a storm of chaos. Altering minds and bending reality, Discord conquered Ponyville within minutes. But thankfully, six young mares known as the Elements of Harmony managed to defeat the Spirit of Disharmony, even after he tried to manipulate them so they couldn't fight back against his reign. Yet the Elements overcame his horrid magic and stood together stronger than ever before, showing that even when everything is bleak, friendship is a beacon of light that will never abandon you. Discord was petrified and returned to Canterlot, where he will rest once more in the Royal Gardens under watch by the Royal Guard, to ensure he doesn't escape ever again. Details on page B-7 Dusty Scout folded his newspaper in half, as he shook his head in mild annoyance, causing coal colored locks of hair to settle over his eyes. He gently brushed his mane to the side, noting that his mane needed to be cut, then given a good brushing. He sighed a little, then gripped a coffee mug and took a much needed gulp of Arabian coffee. Dusty glanced around the diner he sat in, taking in the neon lights, the plush red cushions, the shining white tables, and a polished counter where stools lined up. A stallion stood behind the counter, polishing a few glasses and getting everything ready for the day. Dusty got up from his seat, and hobbled over to the stallion. "Hey, Joe! Could you get me one of those lettuce cut lunches you like to make every day?" The stallion, now called Joe, set the glass he was polishing down, and trotted through a back door, coming back out with a lettuce sandwich. He walked over to Dusty, placing it right in front of him. Joe raised an eyebrow at the pegasus in front of him "Do you want a soda with that, or are you good?" Dusty shook his head, raising his mug to allow Joe to see in it. Joe nodded, and went back to polishing a shot glass as Dusty begin to eat the sandwich he had just gotten. Other ponies filtered in and out of the small diner as Lock munched on his lunch, thinking through his next move of the day, trying to decide if he should check out that statue of Discord once more, since something had felt off about it. Dusty finished off the sandwich, and looked at Joe. He placed a couple of bits on the counter, enough to pay Joe and give him a little tip, then walked out of the diner. Dusty winced a bit at the sudden brightness of the sun, then blinked a few times. He glanced around at the cobblestone street, filled with posh nobles, simple merchants, and all those in-between. Dusty took off at a simple trot down the road, heading towards the castle gardens. Now Dusty was a dark brown pegasus, who wore a simple coat that helped keep out the cold out of he mountains, and had a messy coal colored mane. His pair of gunmetal grey eyes seemed to make any who dared to take more than a moment's glance into them dart their eyes away in fear of the stallion staring back. Ironically, if anyone he trusted stared into his eyes, his eyes would comfort them more than anything else. As Dusty walked down the road, he waved to the few he had met since his arrival at Canterlot, which he found to be a city filled with lies, where nopony could trust anything that wasn't completely safe, and even then the nobles could swoop down on you for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. The guards seemed to be easily bribed, and the current captain wasn't even truly loyal to who he served- he was loyal to his fiancee, the niece of the Princesses, but even then, he wasn't truly that loyal. There were rumors of many nights the captain had gone out for late night parties, and slept with half the mares that came, married or not. So, the short way to put this was that the entire city was simply a place where nopony could be trusted. The stallion finally arrived at the castle gardens, and looked at two guards standing on both sides of the Garden gate. Dusty waved at them, and they both produced spears which ended up pointing at him. "Hey, if you wanna poke me with those spears of yours, you should treat me to dinner first!" "...That was horrible, and you should feel like such." Dusty lowered his head in shame, and the guards pulled their spears away, allowing him entrance to the gardens. As he walked past the guards, he felt one of them slap his flank, causing him to glance over his shoulder, but only saw the guards still stock still. He sighed, and continued on, heading past the path of violets. He grabbed one as he passed, and chewed on it as he walked into the Maze of the Gardens, in which Discord was kept, in order to prevent him from finding his way out. Dusty frowned a little, since Discord had enchanted the maze while he was loose, but hopefully when the chaos god was sealed, his magic also stopped. Dusty finally arrived at the clearing, and took notice of Discord in the center with a panicked look on his face, which made him smirk a little. Discord must have been afraid at the last moment, and that was good, since the chimera being in shock made it less likely for him to decide to escape. So Dusty looked around the clearing, noting that there was eleven statues in the clearing, yet twelve circles of flowers. It was rather odd, almost as if...one of the statues here had escaped. Dusty hopped up, and sprinted over to the empty circle, and noticed that there was a slightly odd feeling that came whenever...chaos magic was used upon something. So Discord must have freed another foe trapped here, but why wouldn't he free all of them? Wouldn't that make more sense? Dusty stopped, then laughed as he realized he just asked if the chaos god would do something that made sense. Discord had thrived off not making sense, so why would he do otherwise? Dusty facehooved as he stopped laughing. He knew that he had to tell somepony that one of the statues was missing, but who could he tell without causing a mass panic? A noble? No, a noble would panic. A guard? No, they would just call him a liar and throw him into jail. Pony Joe? He wouldn't even care that much... The princesses? Yes, they would work! Dusty sprinted out of the maze, bolting past the gardens, and using one of the guards as a springboard as he took off into the sky. ~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~ Dusty arrived at the castle a few minutes later, landing on landing pad for the pegasi couriers. He knew that this could get him into serious trouble, but Equestria came first, right? As he ran past the guards stationed in the halls, they all jumped and began to chase after him, since a pegasus flying at high speed through a castle was never a good sign. When Dusty finally got to where th Princesses kept court, he landed on the door, knocking it open, then springing over to the two Princesses, who watched him with shock. Dusty let out a breath, then noticed the whole room had gone silent from his dramatic entry. He trotted right in front of the Princesses and bowed his head, knowing that he would most likely get beaten down after this, since the reckless idea he had to just charge into the throne room of the Princesses was a bad one, since they were guarded by the..entire...royal..guard. Oops? "Uhh...I'm sorry about my knocking, but there's a bit of an issue in the gardens...with you know...the clearing Discord's in? One of the statues is missing and there's a lot of chaos magic around the spot..So I thought y'all might want to know.... because I figured that Discord was...you know.... only one of the villains you'd sealed in stone over the years... " Dusty stuttered out, trying to keep the embarrassment on his face hidden. The two Princesses looked at him for a few seconds, then Luna laughed a little. The Solar Princess stepped down to him to say one thing "Discord couldn't move one of those statues even if he used every last ounce of hi-" The Princess was cut off as an explosion knocked her off her hooves, and launching Luna from her throne. Sitting in the Solar throne was a pony in full leather, looking rather amused. "So, Discord can't break a statue open? Shame, I thought you were smarter than that, Princess. You should know by now that making sense to stop Discord, doesn't work. I mean, he's the damned god of chaos! Sense has this habit of simply going out the window!" said the hooded foe, who laughed a bit at the scene in front of him. He hopped off the throne, and looked all around at the stunned faces in the room. He laughed once more, even as he heard the sound of magic priming. "Thou shall not get away from here, Deceit!" And with that, Luna launched a blast of telekinetic force at Deceit, who simply swatted it back at her. She couldn't jump back fast enough in time, and the blast launched her back into the wall. A second later, Deceit waved his hoof, making all of the guards and nobles within the room disappear. "Luna, oh Luna. Are you still angry at me for walking out after that one night of passion we had? Honestly, you were one of the worst lovers I've had, and trust me when I say that I've had some very bad ones. Like a cactus. I mean, Sunbutt most likely isn't able to even get up right now. Kinda sad, don't you think?" Deceit flicked his hood back, and his mask faded away to show them all his smirk. He trotted right up to Celestia, who was laying on top of Dusty. He crouched down next to her face, and smirked a little. "Besides, isn't this colt here a little young for you? But I'm willing to bet he loves this entire thing, with him being right and having his precious princess being on top? What stallion wouldn't wish for that! And Luna? Don't ever try to sneak on me again." Deceit twirled around, throwing a bolt of arcane energy into Luna's chest, who had removed herself from the wall, then tried to sneak up on him in order to capture him. Luna screamed as the bolt overloaded her systems, then Celestia's eyes widened. "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY SISTER! THOU SHALL PAY FOR THY DEEDS!" Celestia screamed as she reverted to the old tongue. She got to her feet, and jumped at Deceit, using her magic to turn her into a force to be reckoned with. At this, Deceit smirked a little and waved at Dusty. "Kid? Make sure these two-" Deceit gestures to the Princesses, then Celestia passes through him. "don't do anything stupid, like attacking illusions of me, since it won't exactly help contain me again, will it?" And with that, Deceit disappeared, and Celestia was slowly got up from where she landed. She picked up Luna with her magic, and trotted over to the door. "My little pony, come with us. We have work ahead of us, and We think t- you will be a key piece in this game that Deceit is beginning to play..." Dusty nodded, and followed after Celestia, only voicing a single thought. "If he was able to take out Luna in a single hit...then how will anypony be able to bring him down...?" %i% Allies3 Allies Allies Dusty Scout looked over the edge of the gilded chariot, jaw dropping in awe at the sight below. As the chariot passed over glistening lakes, lush forests, and peaceful fields, Dusty whistled softly, taking in the sights of the land. He gazed towards the two chariots in front of him, each carrying one of the Princesses. While he stared, he took glimpses of the unicorn in the chariot with him, finding her more than a bit cute. As he opened his mouth to ask her a question, she cut him off. "No, I don't want to be your marefriend, nor do I want a quick romp, so don't ask." Dusty blinked a few times, staring at the unicorn for a few seconds. She raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to reply. Dusty's head snapped forwards as he heard the pegasi pulling them snicker as they tried to hold their laughter in, but they didn't succeed. The unicorn smirked at Dusty, as he slowly looked back at her. She then begin to giggle a little at the confused look on his face. Dusty grinned after a little while, and swatted the mare upon the nose with his wing. "Give me a chance at least! I haven't even said anything, yet you've already dismissed me. I can tell you're not married, due to how you don't carry a ring, nor do you have a special somepony, due to the fact that you're not against cuddling me for warmth." Dusty gave the mare a sly smile, then went back to staring over the edge of the chariot as the unicorn's face flushed, and the pegasi drivers laughed a bit more. The unicorn stuck her nose up in the nose, trying to look offended as possible. Dusty shook his head, and looked back at her. He stuck his hoof towards her. "I''m Dusty Scout, but you can just call me Dusty." The unicorn dropped the act, and shook his hoof. "I'm Star Charmer, but I'm more commonly known as Star. Nice to meet you, Dusty." Dusty nodded, and shook her hoof in return. He then looked over the edge of the chariot, to notice they were descending towards a village hidden within the forest they were above. Star looked over the other side of the chariot, noting the village underneath. As the chariots landed, a small crowd had gathered to look at the chariots, and those that rode them, curious if they were nobles or some sort of hero. A group of six wandered forwards from the crowd, looking at the Princesses with amusement. "So, what trouble brings you here, your Highness?" Asked one, a pegasus. The Lunar Princess looked at the group, and sighed softly as her sister kept her face impassive. "We have cometh to ask for thy assistance in an issue most grave. One of the Twelve has escaped, and we believed thou would be our best choice to assist us." Luna stated, and the group of six saluted her. One gestured for the Princesses to follow, and the six walked onto the cobblestone streets. Dusty scanned the village, taking as much in as he could. The thatch roofs, the birch walls, the lights strewn everywhere, and the calling of birds from the forest made him think of the place as a sanctuary, where one would have peace within nature, instead of the neon lights that were so popular now. One of the six dropped back to walk next to Dusty, noticing how he was looking at the city in awe. Dusty looked at the pony, noting the dark brown coat and the green mane, making it seem as if she was a tree, not a pony. "Welcome to the township of Hollow Shades, where anypony is welcome, no matter what they look like, what they have done, or what forms of magic they practice. I would be Nezera, nice to meet you...?" She trailed off, waiting for Dusty to give his name. "I'm Dusty Scout, but you can call me Dusty. The Princesses dragged me and her guards here, after I discovered that a pony named Deceit had escaped, and attacked the Princesses directly after I told them about it." said Dusty as he glanced behind him, only to see Star as she suddenly pushed herself in between the two. "So, Dusty, mind introducing me to your new marefriend?" Star smirked as Dusty flushed, trying to think of a witty reply. Nezera raised an eyebrow at the unicorn, then shook her head. "As I told your friend, I am Nezera. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to consult with the others." And with that, Nezera walked back to the other five ponies who had greeted the princess. Star leaned in close to Dusty, whispering "She's kinda up-tight, don't you think?" "Shush, Star..." Dusty swatted her on the nose, then trotted on as she stared at him for a second in amusement, then followed after. ~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~ While the six greeters and the Princesses had gone into the town hall to discuss the issue about Deceit, Star had gone to the local market to check out the wares, which left Dusty all by himself. He trotted around the town, thinking about what Deceit had done back at the throne room. He'd heard tales about Deceit, but it always said that he was a trickster who worked in the shadows, not some stage-pony who robbed all others of their time in the spotlight. So why would he just appear in the middle of the throne room and attack the Royal Sisters...? It didn't make any sense at all for somepony like him to do such, just making a total U-turn in how he worked. No matter how he looked at it, Dusty couldn't figure out why doing that would even cross Deceit's mind. As he walked on, he stopped by the market, buying a green apple to eat. He took a bite out of it, scrunching up his face as the sour taste invaded his mouth. As he stood there, twitching a bit at the aftertaste, a guard approached him. "A newcomer? Did you arrive with the Princesses, or are you moving in?" The guard questioned him, with a serious tone in her voice. Dusty glanced at her for a few seconds, before responding "I'm here with the Princesses. But I've heard a few things about this place...." The guard tightened up as Dusty spoke. She glared at him "And what might that be? Because you better watch your tongue before you make any accusations about our town." The guard all but growled out, as if daring him to say anything unkind about the town. Dusty waved his hoof in front of his face as a worried look overtook him "No no no, I heard that a pony named Deceit came from this place- I was just merely curious about him! I didn't mean to imply anything about your home!" Dusty all but shouted as he backed up, then tripped over a small rock. This caused him to fall over onto his back, and the guard raised an eyebrow at him, amused. "You wish to know of old ponytales? Well, if I should tell you anything about the such, maybe we should visit the museum so you can get a better picture of his story..." And with that, the guard began to drag Dusty off into the town.
%i% Freedom1 Freedom From Long Ago Lies Still Ring True Freedom On the side of a jagged mountain sat a city known as Canterlot, home to the Solar and Lunar Princesses, rulers of the land. The two had a grand palace there, complete with ornate towers that touched the clouds, giant stained glass windows that show events from the past, and royal gardens that were trimmed to perfection. Within the gardens stood a place where nothing was what it seemed like. In a clearing stood twelve statues, each surrounded by a certain type of flower surrounding it for twelve hooves. Each statue depicted a great foe of the past, and to the common observer was just a simple statue, but to those attuned to the magical arts would notice that there was far more to these statues than most would notice with a single glance. If one touched one of these statues, they would hear a quiet voice in the back of their head, urging them to attack the princesses, or to act like whom the statue depicted. For the statues were not just stone and granite, but actually the beings they depicted trapped within stone. The statues normally didn't even notice each other, but two of them talked to each other constantly, chatting about anyone that came into the clearing, or whatever suited their fancy. That makes no sense at all! Why would I make sense? Touche. So, doing the fishstick is actually harder than 4D chess? Of course it is! The fishstick isn't something that require thought, it's something that requires large amounts of time. I mastered it when YOU first imprisoned me within the ground! Oh, is someone grumpy about a spot of chaos? You do know I was simply playing around there, Deceit. Did you really just call me by the name THEY gave me? I don't call you by your true name; You're still Discord to me....wait a second. ...What? Did you notice how most of the folks here have a name that starts with the letter 'd'? No, I didn't. What about it? Well, we have Demise, Destruction, Death, Dread, Defiance, Doubt, you, and me. It's almost as if they picked that letter to be the 'evil' letter. How did I not notice that long ago when they gave us all names? Because we were doing more important things like tricking the princesses, getting stuck in stone, and chatting about more important things, like how Sunbutt eats far too much cake. True, it goes all to her flanks. But let's not talk about that anymore, it's gotten boring! I don't like order either- Hey, is that a school trip? I bet it's filled with snobs. I doubt it. Some of them appear like farmers. Oh, how I loved messing with farmers the most! They always ended up doing the most chaotic things to fix what they believed to be the problem. Looks like they're fighting right in front of you... Does it truly matter? Damn it, I wish I could get out right now! This is a perfect chance! As do I. But shush, before I slap you. You can't. You're stuck in stone, remember? ...By Limbo, I hate it when you're right. Huh. I think your heart is glowing purple. Are you trying not to make sense, or are you serious? ...Do I look like I'm trying to not make sense? I don't know, I can't see anything! I had my eyes closed when I was sealed in stone. Sucks for you. ...I feel a crack. You feel a what? I CAN FEEL A CRACK! SWEET SWEET FREEDOM! Remember to free me. Oh, it's time for a big storm of CHAOS! DISCORD. *Free me.*** Discord jumps up, knocking most of the stone off him. He brushed the remaining stone fragments off him, then he glanced around the garden, before settling his eyes on a statue of a pony. He snapped his fingers and a burst of chaos magic turned the stone upon the statue to water, soaking the one within the statue. Deceit coughed a few times, then stretched a little. He was a lean stallion, with a slightly loose leather outfit on him, with pockets crisscrossing his chest. A pair of smokey gray wings were folded against his side, with a silver metal covering the outermost edge of his wing. A leather hood was over his head, preventing any from seeing the moonstone mask underneath, Simple boots of leather were upon his hooves, with a set of dark bracers upon his forelegs, and a set of sky blue glass anklets on his hind legs. "Ah...it feels so good to finally be free. It's better than the first time I ever cast an illusion....but I must ask Discord- do you have any clue why I'm surrounded by roses?" Asked Deceit, who glanced around him seeing blue roses in a circle around him. Discord floated over to him, with a grin upon his face. Discord was a Chimera. He had a horse's head, a eagle's talon and lion's paw for hands, a dragon's leg and a goat leg for his legs, and a draconic tail. Upon his head was a dear antler and a blue goat's horn. There was a single tooth hanging out of his mouth, and a white goatee upon his chin. "It is so nice to finally see you in the flesh- So shall we enact our plan?" Discord inquired, looking at Deceit for his answer. Deceit nodded, laughing a little. He then jokingly shooed Discord off, which caused him to vanish, leaving behind a rather large speaker. The speaker suddenly let out a single note loud enough to fling Deceit off his feet. "Damned chimera...now I have less time to get my part started." Deceit mumbled as his ears perked up, hearing the sounds of guards closing in upon the clearing. As Deceit hopped to his feet, disappearing into the gardens, he had a single thought Let's get this show on the road.
%i% Discovery2 Discovery Discovery Three days ago in the peaceful little town of Ponyville, an escaped being from Canterlot, called Discord, invaded the rural village in a storm of chaos. Altering minds and bending reality, Discord conquered Ponyville within minutes. But thankfully, six young mares known as the Elements of Harmony managed to defeat the Spirit of Disharmony, even after he tried to manipulate them so they couldn't fight back against his reign. Yet the Elements overcame his horrid magic and stood together stronger than ever before, showing that even when everything is bleak, friendship is a beacon of light that will never abandon you. Discord was petrified and returned to Canterlot, where he will rest once more in the Royal Gardens under watch by the Royal Guard, to ensure he doesn't escape ever again. Details on page B-7 Dusty Scout folded his newspaper in half, as he shook his head in mild annoyance, causing coal colored locks of hair to settle over his eyes. He gently brushed his mane to the side, noting that his mane needed to be cut, then given a good brushing. He sighed a little, then gripped a coffee mug and took a much needed gulp of Arabian coffee. Dusty glanced around the diner he sat in, taking in the neon lights, the plush red cushions, the shining white tables, and a polished counter where stools lined up. A stallion stood behind the counter, polishing a few glasses and getting everything ready for the day. Dusty got up from his seat, and hobbled over to the stallion. "Hey, Joe! Could you get me one of those lettuce cut lunches you like to make every day?" The stallion, now called Joe, set the glass he was polishing down, and trotted through a back door, coming back out with a lettuce sandwich. He walked over to Dusty, placing it right in front of him. Joe raised an eyebrow at the pegasus in front of him "Do you want a soda with that, or are you good?" Dusty shook his head, raising his mug to allow Joe to see in it. Joe nodded, and went back to polishing a shot glass as Dusty begin to eat the sandwich he had just gotten. Other ponies filtered in and out of the small diner as Lock munched on his lunch, thinking through his next move of the day, trying to decide if he should check out that statue of Discord once more, since something had felt off about it. Dusty finished off the sandwich, and looked at Joe. He placed a couple of bits on the counter, enough to pay Joe and give him a little tip, then walked out of the diner. Dusty winced a bit at the sudden brightness of the sun, then blinked a few times. He glanced around at the cobblestone street, filled with posh nobles, simple merchants, and all those in-between. Dusty took off at a simple trot down the road, heading towards the castle gardens. Now Dusty was a dark brown pegasus, who wore a simple coat that helped keep out the cold out of he mountains, and had a messy coal colored mane. His pair of gunmetal grey eyes seemed to make any who dared to take more than a moment's glance into them dart their eyes away in fear of the stallion staring back. Ironically, if anyone he trusted stared into his eyes, his eyes would comfort them more than anything else. As Dusty walked down the road, he waved to the few he had met since his arrival at Canterlot, which he found to be a city filled with lies, where nopony could trust anything that wasn't completely safe, and even then the nobles could swoop down on you for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. The guards seemed to be easily bribed, and the current captain wasn't even truly loyal to who he served- he was loyal to his fiancee, the niece of the Princesses, but even then, he wasn't truly that loyal. There were rumors of many nights the captain had gone out for late night parties, and slept with half the mares that came, married or not. So, the short way to put this was that the entire city was simply a place where nopony could be trusted. The stallion finally arrived at the castle gardens, and looked at two guards standing on both sides of the Garden gate. Dusty waved at them, and they both produced spears which ended up pointing at him. "Hey, if you wanna poke me with those spears of yours, you should treat me to dinner first!" "...That was horrible, and you should feel like such." Dusty lowered his head in shame, and the guards pulled their spears away, allowing him entrance to the gardens. As he walked past the guards, he felt one of them slap his flank, causing him to glance over his shoulder, but only saw the guards still stock still. He sighed, and continued on, heading past the path of violets. He grabbed one as he passed, and chewed on it as he walked into the Maze of the Gardens, in which Discord was kept, in order to prevent him from finding his way out. Dusty frowned a little, since Discord had enchanted the maze while he was loose, but hopefully when the chaos god was sealed, his magic also stopped. Dusty finally arrived at the clearing, and took notice of Discord in the center with a panicked look on his face, which made him smirk a little. Discord must have been afraid at the last moment, and that was good, since the chimera being in shock made it less likely for him to decide to escape. So Dusty looked around the clearing, noting that there was eleven statues in the clearing, yet twelve circles of flowers. It was rather odd, almost as if...one of the statues here had escaped. Dusty hopped up, and sprinted over to the empty circle, and noticed that there was a slightly odd feeling that came whenever...chaos magic was used upon something. So Discord must have freed another foe trapped here, but why wouldn't he free all of them? Wouldn't that make more sense? Dusty stopped, then laughed as he realized he just asked if the chaos god would do something that made sense. Discord had thrived off not making sense, so why would he do otherwise? Dusty facehooved as he stopped laughing. He knew that he had to tell somepony that one of the statues was missing, but who could he tell without causing a mass panic? A noble? No, a noble would panic. A guard? No, they would just call him a liar and throw him into jail. Pony Joe? He wouldn't even care that much... The princesses? Yes, they would work! Dusty sprinted out of the maze, bolting past the gardens, and using one of the guards as a springboard as he took off into the sky. ~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~ Dusty arrived at the castle a few minutes later, landing on landing pad for the pegasi couriers. He knew that this could get him into serious trouble, but Equestria came first, right? As he ran past the guards stationed in the halls, they all jumped and began to chase after him, since a pegasus flying at high speed through a castle was never a good sign. When Dusty finally got to where th Princesses kept court, he landed on the door, knocking it open, then springing over to the two Princesses, who watched him with shock. Dusty let out a breath, then noticed the whole room had gone silent from his dramatic entry. He trotted right in front of the Princesses and bowed his head, knowing that he would most likely get beaten down after this, since the reckless idea he had to just charge into the throne room of the Princesses was a bad one, since they were guarded by the..entire...royal..guard. Oops? "Uhh...I'm sorry about my knocking, but there's a bit of an issue in the gardens...with you know...the clearing Discord's in? One of the statues is missing and there's a lot of chaos magic around the spot..So I thought y'all might want to know.... because I figured that Discord was...you know.... only one of the villains you'd sealed in stone over the years... " Dusty stuttered out, trying to keep the embarrassment on his face hidden. The two Princesses looked at him for a few seconds, then Luna laughed a little. The Solar Princess stepped down to him to say one thing "Discord couldn't move one of those statues even if he used every last ounce of hi-" The Princess was cut off as an explosion knocked her off her hooves, and launching Luna from her throne. Sitting in the Solar throne was a pony in full leather, looking rather amused. "So, Discord can't break a statue open? Shame, I thought you were smarter than that, Princess. You should know by now that making sense to stop Discord, doesn't work. I mean, he's the damned god of chaos! Sense has this habit of simply going out the window!" said the hooded foe, who laughed a bit at the scene in front of him. He hopped off the throne, and looked all around at the stunned faces in the room. He laughed once more, even as he heard the sound of magic priming. "Thou shall not get away from here, Deceit!" And with that, Luna launched a blast of telekinetic force at Deceit, who simply swatted it back at her. She couldn't jump back fast enough in time, and the blast launched her back into the wall. A second later, Deceit waved his hoof, making all of the guards and nobles within the room disappear. "Luna, oh Luna. Are you still angry at me for walking out after that one night of passion we had? Honestly, you were one of the worst lovers I've had, and trust me when I say that I've had some very bad ones. Like a cactus. I mean, Sunbutt most likely isn't able to even get up right now. Kinda sad, don't you think?" Deceit flicked his hood back, and his mask faded away to show them all his smirk. He trotted right up to Celestia, who was laying on top of Dusty. He crouched down next to her face, and smirked a little. "Besides, isn't this colt here a little young for you? But I'm willing to bet he loves this entire thing, with him being right and having his precious princess being on top? What stallion wouldn't wish for that! And Luna? Don't ever try to sneak on me again." Deceit twirled around, throwing a bolt of arcane energy into Luna's chest, who had removed herself from the wall, then tried to sneak up on him in order to capture him. Luna screamed as the bolt overloaded her systems, then Celestia's eyes widened. "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY SISTER! THOU SHALL PAY FOR THY DEEDS!" Celestia screamed as she reverted to the old tongue. She got to her feet, and jumped at Deceit, using her magic to turn her into a force to be reckoned with. At this, Deceit smirked a little and waved at Dusty. "Kid? Make sure these two-" Deceit gestures to the Princesses, then Celestia passes through him. "don't do anything stupid, like attacking illusions of me, since it won't exactly help contain me again, will it?" And with that, Deceit disappeared, and Celestia was slowly got up from where she landed. She picked up Luna with her magic, and trotted over to the door. "My little pony, come with us. We have work ahead of us, and We think t- you will be a key piece in this game that Deceit is beginning to play..." Dusty nodded, and followed after Celestia, only voicing a single thought. "If he was able to take out Luna in a single hit...then how will anypony be able to bring him down...?"
%i% Allies3 Allies Allies Dusty Scout looked over the edge of the gilded chariot, jaw dropping in awe at the sight below. As the chariot passed over glistening lakes, lush forests, and peaceful fields, Dusty whistled softly, taking in the sights of the land. He gazed towards the two chariots in front of him, each carrying one of the Princesses. While he stared, he took glimpses of the unicorn in the chariot with him, finding her more than a bit cute. As he opened his mouth to ask her a question, she cut him off. "No, I don't want to be your marefriend, nor do I want a quick romp, so don't ask." Dusty blinked a few times, staring at the unicorn for a few seconds. She raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to reply. Dusty's head snapped forwards as he heard the pegasi pulling them snicker as they tried to hold their laughter in, but they didn't succeed. The unicorn smirked at Dusty, as he slowly looked back at her. She then begin to giggle a little at the confused look on his face. Dusty grinned after a little while, and swatted the mare upon the nose with his wing. "Give me a chance at least! I haven't even said anything, yet you've already dismissed me. I can tell you're not married, due to how you don't carry a ring, nor do you have a special somepony, due to the fact that you're not against cuddling me for warmth." Dusty gave the mare a sly smile, then went back to staring over the edge of the chariot as the unicorn's face flushed, and the pegasi drivers laughed a bit more. The unicorn stuck her nose up in the nose, trying to look offended as possible. Dusty shook his head, and looked back at her. He stuck his hoof towards her. "I''m Dusty Scout, but you can just call me Dusty." The unicorn dropped the act, and shook his hoof. "I'm Star Charmer, but I'm more commonly known as Star. Nice to meet you, Dusty." Dusty nodded, and shook her hoof in return. He then looked over the edge of the chariot, to notice they were descending towards a village hidden within the forest they were above. Star looked over the other side of the chariot, noting the village underneath. As the chariots landed, a small crowd had gathered to look at the chariots, and those that rode them, curious if they were nobles or some sort of hero. A group of six wandered forwards from the crowd, looking at the Princesses with amusement. "So, what trouble brings you here, your Highness?" Asked one, a pegasus. The Lunar Princess looked at the group, and sighed softly as her sister kept her face impassive. "We have cometh to ask for thy assistance in an issue most grave. One of the Twelve has escaped, and we believed thou would be our best choice to assist us." Luna stated, and the group of six saluted her. One gestured for the Princesses to follow, and the six walked onto the cobblestone streets. Dusty scanned the village, taking as much in as he could. The thatch roofs, the birch walls, the lights strewn everywhere, and the calling of birds from the forest made him think of the place as a sanctuary, where one would have peace within nature, instead of the neon lights that were so popular now. One of the six dropped back to walk next to Dusty, noticing how he was looking at the city in awe. Dusty looked at the pony, noting the dark brown coat and the green mane, making it seem as if she was a tree, not a pony. "Welcome to the township of Hollow Shades, where anypony is welcome, no matter what they look like, what they have done, or what forms of magic they practice. I would be Nezera, nice to meet you...?" She trailed off, waiting for Dusty to give his name. "I'm Dusty Scout, but you can call me Dusty. The Princesses dragged me and her guards here, after I discovered that a pony named Deceit had escaped, and attacked the Princesses directly after I told them about it." said Dusty as he glanced behind him, only to see Star as she suddenly pushed herself in between the two. "So, Dusty, mind introducing me to your new marefriend?" Star smirked as Dusty flushed, trying to think of a witty reply. Nezera raised an eyebrow at the unicorn, then shook her head. "As I told your friend, I am Nezera. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to consult with the others." And with that, Nezera walked back to the other five ponies who had greeted the princess. Star leaned in close to Dusty, whispering "She's kinda up-tight, don't you think?" "Shush, Star..." Dusty swatted her on the nose, then trotted on as she stared at him for a second in amusement, then followed after. ~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~ While the six greeters and the Princesses had gone into the town hall to discuss the issue about Deceit, Star had gone to the local market to check out the wares, which left Dusty all by himself. He trotted around the town, thinking about what Deceit had done back at the throne room. He'd heard tales about Deceit, but it always said that he was a trickster who worked in the shadows, not some stage-pony who robbed all others of their time in the spotlight. So why would he just appear in the middle of the throne room and attack the Royal Sisters...? It didn't make any sense at all for somepony like him to do such, just making a total U-turn in how he worked. No matter how he looked at it, Dusty couldn't figure out why doing that would even cross Deceit's mind. As he walked on, he stopped by the market, buying a green apple to eat. He took a bite out of it, scrunching up his face as the sour taste invaded his mouth. As he stood there, twitching a bit at the aftertaste, a guard approached him. "A newcomer? Did you arrive with the Princesses, or are you moving in?" The guard questioned him, with a serious tone in her voice. Dusty glanced at her for a few seconds, before responding "I'm here with the Princesses. But I've heard a few things about this place...." The guard tightened up as Dusty spoke. She glared at him "And what might that be? Because you better watch your tongue before you make any accusations about our town." The guard all but growled out, as if daring him to say anything unkind about the town. Dusty waved his hoof in front of his face as a worried look overtook him "No no no, I heard that a pony named Deceit came from this place- I was just merely curious about him! I didn't mean to imply anything about your home!" Dusty all but shouted as he backed up, then tripped over a small rock. This caused him to fall over onto his back, and the guard raised an eyebrow at him, amused. "You wish to know of old ponytales? Well, if I should tell you anything about the such, maybe we should visit the museum so you can get a better picture of his story..." And with that, the guard began to drag Dusty off into the town.
