Humans in Equestria

Humans in Equestria

Chapter 8

Licking wounds

“Ouch!”, Jane exclaimed as her puppets magical strands snaked their way into her face. The injury that the strange stallion had inflicted on her was serious. Even her medically skilled pupped was unable to restore her eyeball, or regenerate her burnt skin completely. There would be scars on her face when it was finished. It angered her greatly to admit it, but she had been careless. In all the millenia in which she played her game, she had never been severely injured. The occasional scrape only served to heighten her excitement. This injury however.....

“I am sorry mistress, but it will only get worse if you don't hold still.”, her puppet said calmly, as its strands worked feverishly to heal her. Jane let out a long exhale to calm herself. Even though she didn't like it, but she had to try and hold still while her puppet worked.

“Say...”, she began, gaining her servants attention.

“Yes?”

“Did you feel the magic that stallion used? It felt almost exactly like yours.”

“Not almost, mistress. It was exactly the same magical aura. I have my theories, but I have nothing to prove or disprove them at this point.”, the Zeo puppet explained, never taking its eyes off of her slender body. Noticing this, a grin appeared on Janes face. Maybe she would have other uses for this puppet after all.....

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Luna paced around her study as several magical images reported the status of the investigations on her husbands foalnapping to her. There had been no progress whatsoever it seemed. “The order of justice” seemed not only to be well organized, but also to be well connected. Every lead they had found so far had led into a dead end, and the only source of ANY viable information was out cold right now, recovering from being beheaded.... Silk had told her that, even though Alicorns had a heightened recovery rate, Celestia would be out for two weeks at the very least.

The Princess of the night rubbed her temple with one of her hooves as she thought about her daughter. Ever since the incident Silk had been in her fathers hidden lab, tending to the pony body the foalnappers had left behind. It disturbed her greatly that they had only taken his soul, since in this state he would not be able to defend himself very effectively. To defend oneself, a physical body was required to channel the magic. A soul or “ghost” could rarely use more then basic telekinesis.

The problems piled up as time went on. Celestia would be more then displeased with her once she woke up. Discord was nowhere to be found, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony had been discovered slain in their quarters. Luna had went there to confirm that report personally, and had immediately thrown up at the sight of their bodies. The Element of honesty had been decapitated, and her body nailed to the wall over her bed. Her signature hat was missing. The most gruesome however, had been the execution of the element of generosity. Luna had found traces of lingering magic in her throat, which explained why no pony had heard her scream. Whoever did this, had silenced the mare before skinning and roasting her alive. From what she could deduct from her magical senses, the mare had been alive during the whole ordeal. Not only that, but her corpse had been partially eaten....

The midnight blue Alicorn didn't want to think of the horrors that had found Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie while they were sleeping in their beds in the palace. The body of Twilight Sparkle was missing entirely. Her bed looked as if it hadn't been used either. Luna just hoped that her sisters student was alright, and that they would find her somewhere, with her muzzle buried in a stack of books. She didn't want to think that, even though she had been nearby, these atrocities had happened without her noticing anything! The six mares had been under her protection while they were at the palace, and yet five of them had been tortured before death had found them...

With a sigh of resignation, Luna dispelled all the magical images around her and let herself fall onto one of the sofas. The remains of her husbands soul had been taken prisoner, her sister had almost been killed and her daughter was inconsolable about loosing her father once again... She put her head on her front legs, deciding to rest just a little. Luna had no real hope that sleep would find her, with everything that was going through her head. Yet she was fast asleep only seconds after her head made contact with her coat....

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Frank had reopened the “Golden Ciderbarrel” today, since he had decided that life had to go on. Even if he had lost his grandson, he would not come back, only because he sulked in the backroom of his bar. Peter, his son, had been more and more distant these past few weeks. Ever since Zeos death, Peter had tried to get his hands on Zeos belongings, but the Princesses had refused to hand them over. Understandably his son was furious about that, but Frank couldn't help to think that Peter wanted  to use his sons research to make a name for himself. An endeavor that he had never succeeded in while they had still been in their own world.

“You seem distracted. Is there anything I can help you with?”, a beautiful white Unicorn mare with a blonde mane and tail asked Frank, as a mug of strong Cider overflowed in his hands.

“Oh... ehm... I'm... I'm sorry... It's... a family matter. I don't think you can help me with it.”, Frank replied, setting the mug down and wiping his hands on the towel he wore around his neck.

“Is that so? Well... I am a good listener. Sometimes it helps to talk about ones worries.”, the mare said, giving him a charming smile. Frank sighed, and waved over to one of the Ponies he had hired to help out, to signal him that he would take a break. The stallion nodded that he understood, and continued to tend to the customers.

“As you might know, my grandson has been killed recently. My granddaughter has locked herself in her room in the palace and my son rarely ever comes home these days because of that. The Princesses have refused to hand over my grandsons belongings, telling us that some of them might be potentially dangerous...”, he started, and the mare nodded reassuringly.

“I know that you are the grandfather of Prince Zeo. But I can also understand the Princesses. As far as I was able to learn, the Prince has done some high level research in terms of magic. Being a researcher myself, I know that sometimes you get a dangerous result from your experiments.”, she tried to reassure Frank, who nodded his understanding. Even he had figured out as much.

“However... My son is furious with the Princesses because of this, and...”, Frank began to cry, unable to keep his sorrow at bay any longer. The mare put a comforting hoof on his shoulder over the counter and started to stroke it gently.

“Shhh... It's OK. I am sure it will all turn out alright. The Princesses will review your grandsons belongings, and will surely give you the ones that are not dangerous to you or anypony. It is Equestrian law that the rest is to be sealed away forever, and the law must be served. Don't hold a grudge against them for this, for I know they only have your own safety in mind. You are family for them after all.”, the mare cooed, comforting the hurting man before her. After a few minutes, Frank composed himself enough to speak again.

“I... I have told you more then I wanted to already, and I don't even know your name....”, he stammered between sobs.

“My name is Justica.”, she said with a smile, gesturing for her Cutiemark which depicted a judges hammer.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Luna opened her eyes, surprised to find herself in a wide open field of blue roses, instead of her study. In the middle of the field stood a tree, under which a white Alicorn mare sat. Her red hair swayed in the mild breeze, while her blue eyes seemed to pierce Luna. Even from this distance, Luna could see the frown on the mares face. She was not pleased about something, and the Princess of the night had the vague idea that it had something to do with herself.

Deciding that it was no use to make the mare wait, Luna trotted towards her. Only a minute later, she stood before the mare, who watched up at her intensly.

“I am very disappointed with you Luna.”, the mare finally spoke, shaking her head slightly.

“How can you be disappointed with me? I don't even know you!”, she tried to defend herself.

“You are a mere caretaker in Equestria, doing so because I decided that you were fit for the job. Apparently I was wrong... One of many mistakes I made it seems....”, she spoke, letting her head droop a bit.

“Who are you?”, Luna demanded. She didn't know this Alicorn, but her words made her angry. She was the Princess of the night, not just a mere “caretaker”. She had EARNED that title by defeating Discord and many others with Celestia.

The mare looked up again, meeting her eye.

“I am Faust, the creator of your world. I also assisted in creating many others.”, Faust replied without any emotion.

“Creator of my world? What are you then? Where is this place, and why do you insult me by saying I was a mere caretaker?”, Luna was fuming by this point. She didn't appreciate that she had been brought to this place without her consent.

“I am one of many divine beings. We are, or so I would like to think, the complete opposite to Discord. We wield the power of creation, rather then that of destruction. We create life, rather then death. Many of us have created their own worlds, yet we are forbidden to enter them. That is why some of us have chosen caretakers that wield a part of our power, to ensure that our worlds are safe. When you and your sister defeated Loki, or Discord as you may call him, I decided that you two would do fine as the caretakers of the world that I created. You two did fine for some time, but then you got attacked. I had to do something to protect you, yet I could not enter your world to do so myself. That is why I asked one of my friends to help. Jehova, as his name is, came up with a wonderful plan. When you tried to teleport out of danger, he interfered with your magic. He redirected it, to grab one of his creations instead of teleporting you and drag it to Equestria. That was when Zeo came into your life. That was my first mistake. A human should have never been allowed into the world I created, yet I could not change what I had agreed to.”, Faust elaborated.

Luna was stunned at this revelation. At the same time, she was angry. Zeo had been the best thing that had ever happened to her. How could this mare dare to say that it was a mistake to bring him to her?

“My second mistake was, that I did not interfere when an organization called “The order of justice” formed in the ruins of Canterlot. I am disappointed with you for another reason however. You, as my assigned caretaker, should have Equestrias best interest in mind at all times. Yet you waste resources to find your husbands fragmented soul, even though your world is at the brink of destruction. I had hoped that Zeo could beat that demon, but he let her escape... You should direct all your efforts to defend Equestria, not look for a single man. The order is about to pass judgment on him anyway. There is nothing you can do. Accept it, and move on. You have a task to accomplish.”, Faust urged.

“LIKE HAY I WILL!”, Luna finally burst out. “Zeo was only able to repel that woman, because he was fused with Celestias soul at the time. Had he fought her alone, with his soul incomplete, he would have been defeated! The same goes for any of us! DISCORD HIMSELF is scared of her. Celestia is in a healing coma, and Cadence does not answer any of my letters! There are only two Alicorns present to fight that woman, and we both have close to nothing in terms of real fighting experience. Our best chance to defeat Discords daughter, is to get Zeo back! Together we can surely win, so your argument is invalid!”, Luna screamed, panting heavily once she finished. Faust seemed unfazed by her outburst.

“Is that so? Are you sure you don't just want him back because you love him?”, the Alicorn in front of Luna asked flatly.

“I love him, so what? That doesn't change the facts!”

Faust sighed and shook her head.

“Do as you wish, you stubborn foal. But remember, this is your final chance. You have screwed up several times in the past, and I was close to revert you back to a mere Pegasus. If you fail this time, I might do just that... If you are alive to receive any kind of punishment that is.”, Faust said, eying Lunas defiant expression curiously.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lyra was going through countless scrolls with one of her teachers from the academy. Zecora had gladly offered her help to look into the method by which the Prince had been foalnapped. The Zebra was very knowledgeable, but even she had no idea what “the order of justice” had used to trap the Princes soul. A brown crystal....

After hours of silent research, Zecora put a scroll over the one that Lyra had been reading. The Unicorn looked up into the Zebras face, which wore a grim expression.

“Read this text, and decide what to do next. If we don't move faster, the Princes soul awaits disaster.”, she said, tapping her hoof on the scroll. Lyra began to read, her eyes widening in horror with each sentence she read....

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zeo opened his eyes. Ever since he had been pulled out of his body, against his will, this was the first time he was awake. He looked around, trying to take in his surroundings, but there was nothing but blackness. Trying to move his body proved to be impossible as well. Zeo looked down on himself, seeing his human body shimmer in a faint purple light. It was semi transparent, and therefor his suspicions were confirmed. This was only his spiritual body. His memories of death had not been a dream. Suddenly a low light began to cut through the darkness, and to illuminate the faint outlines of several Ponies. He couldn't see their faces, due to the low intensity of the light and the robes they wore. Yet their faces were all directed at him.

The room seemed to be an auditorium of some sort, with a podium in the middle of the stands. On it stood a Pony that wore a silvery robe, instead of a black one like the others. Zeo couldn't see its face, but the mask it used to hide it.

“Zeomak Seline Salchar. You are charged with the following crimes.”, the Pony said in a female voice that was vaguely familiar to him. The mare started to rattle of a list of his “crimes”, while the other Ponies in the room nodded their agreement. When she was finished, Zeo snorted.

“You charge me with murder of … over ten thousand Ponies, am I right? Well isn't that a blast. If that were true, I'd be the most successful murderer in all of history.”

“Quiet. The charges are not up to discussion. We have witness reports from Ponies who lived at the time. They all point you out as the culprit.”, the mare with the golden mask hissed.

“Witness reports? No doubt from that nag Platinums followers! She was a damn racist and...”, Zeo started his rant but was suddenly silenced.

“QUIET! We will not tolerate any insults to our founders families name.”, the mare cut him off, raising her head proudly. Just now Zeo saw that her mask had a horn on it's forehead. Either this mare was a Unicorn, or it was just a decoration on the mask. He couldn't tell from this distance.

“Your sentence...”, one of the other Ponies began, “... will be soul shattering. You have hereby been sentenced by the order of justices high court. The core of your soul will be destroyed slowly, using the same vile magic you used in your experiments. Your memories will remain in the soul projector gem, so that your knowledge shall not be lost. We, the order of justice, recognize your exploits in medical magic, and will deliver the gem, containing your memories, to your wife once the sentence has been carried out. We are no monsters after all....”, the stallion explained dryly.