Chapter 3: Memories

Chapter 3: Relations

Outside the interrogation chamber, it was still as eerie as i left it a few moments prior to me meeting Princess Luna. The same darkness surrounded Star Charmer and I as we stood there on top of the cold stone floor. Although I doubt the temperature of the floor was a bother to Star. She had hooves after all.

The air on the other hand seemed heavier. The princesses words lay heavily on my mind, forcing any other thoughts from the spotlight. They want me in their world. A world where i don't belong. Yet, they want me to walk among their ponies as one of them. But, is it my place to just say "Go ahead, take away who I am,"? Then again, who am I. Luna's thoughts for the first time allowed another subject some attention. I still have no idea who i am. I stop myself from walking any farther.

"What's wrong Em?" Star asked.

I barely heard her.

Her large eyes stared up at me. I saw concern in them out of the corner of my eye, but i know she was trying to be firm. Most the guards down here vowed to serve Princess Celestia, Luna's alicorn sister. Very few of the guards ever regarded the princess of the night the same as the elder goddess horse.

After the questioning, Star and Luna did their best to inform me of the situation with the princess of the sun. She was kind and gentle to her subjects, but bitter and cruel to anyone who threatened the safety of her ponies. Luna told very abbreviated stories of her sister's rare moments of outrage and violence. The more the princess of the night talked, the more i found myself fearing what the sun princess would do if she were to be informed of my existence.

Would she strike me down, or simply look upon me with trepidation. For my sake i hope she chooses the latter. I feel that i will not go on unnoticed for long. Some of the guards already know i'm here, and may have already warned her highness of my presence.

"Em?"

It was star charmer again, but my mind was racing too fast for me and I hardly recognized her voice. The thoughts of everything that had happened to me within the past few days flashed through my mind. It was like i was watching an old film reel on a projector. My mind sidetracked for a moment as i tried to picture what a projector was.

Every time i was knocked unconscious (which was a few more times than i would like to admit), and every conversation with Star. Even flashes of those moments where I just sat in that cell, staring at a ceiling, a chair, a wall, the door.

"EM!"

This time i hear Star loud and clear, but it was too late.

As I walk next to Emerald, Em stares far into space. Those bright green eyes were vacant, as his mind was only occupied by thought.

"Whats wrong Em?"

Em doesn't even look at me in response. Something was clearly troubling him. He is probably just thinking about what the princess and I told him. It must have been a lot to take in. I take another look at him. His mouth is now agape as if he was in a stat of shock.

"Em?"

His eyes dart around rapidly. He's freaking out! I try to piece together a spell just in case something terrible happens. But something is going to happen.

"Em!"

But my warning is to late. A green flash of light illuminates the corridor for a split second as Emerald fell to the floor.

"Em!"

I move to stand over him. He is breathing, at least. It wasn't until now that i realized that my illumination spell has vanished. His eyes glow a faint green lighting the area around us.

"Oh Celestia... oh Luna."

No, nonononono, this is not good. I don't know many healing spells. Only small ones like making a bruise disappear. I can't call a guard, they would just go straight to Celestia. Luna is probably long gone by now as well.

"The scream came from this way!"

Celestia's guards no doubt. That left one option. There is no way i'm letting Em get found out like this. There is one spell that I've perfected. My horn flashes that familiar azure color as i feel the floor fall away.

As I sit up straight, my hair falls in front of my face. My hair was... wet. Wet and sticky. I reach up to touch my forehead and I feel a long gash across my forehead. I pull my hand away covered in blood.

Where am I? I ponder the thought for a second. I look through a blurred vision to find my self in a enclosed space. Glass windows, plastic and cloth surround me. Past those windows, flames lick at the sides of my prison, and beyond that just the dark shadow of night. I look forward to find a gap in the cloth to find that they were chairs. And in the chair. A... thing like me. Bleeding, slumped forward. Long blonde hair patched with crimson.

Panicked i lean around to look in the front seat. There directly in front of me was a creature that looked much like me. Same stature, same curly short dark brown hair. All except for the thick goatee, we are a mirror image of each other. Albeit he seems quite a bit taller than me.

I looked into his eyes. Misted over and cold. I sat back in my seat. Why... why them? Granted i didn't know who they were. But they... looked... important. I just sat there staring blankly ahead for a good amount of time.

Tears began rolling down my face. But, before I could recover a pair of hands grabbed my by the shoulders and pulled. The sudden contact came as a surprise but i couldn't resist. I let him drag me past the flames away from the confined space. The cold stone ground was wet and cold.

The thing this stranger pulled me from looked metal on the outside. It gleamed silver through the red fire. Wheels adorned  the sides, marking it as some sort of vehicle. Metal parts from the front of the vehicle littered the ground around  it.

A second larger, but similar vehicle that was black in color was positioned to the front of the place I came from. Although it seems much less damaged than the silver one, it was clearly abandoned.

A few more seconds past before i was able to look up at the thing that pulled me from the wreck. The creature seemed feminine. Her long dark blue hair seemed to flow in the wind and her body was just a shadow in the night. But with a blink, she was gone.

BOOM!

An explosion shook the ground as I was sent backwards a few feet. The bright red light lit up the area around me. Metal parts and shards of glass were sent in all directions, causing me to duck and cover my head. After the sound of metal hitting stone ceased, and the glass stopped flying, i took another look at the wreckage. But instead of the two vehicles, in its place was a large ball of billowing smoke, and red flames.

After a few sloppy teleports i allow myself to take a break. Even when i have mastered teleportation spells, it is still taxing to do so many consecutive jumps in one go. Especially when i have to take another with me.

Thinking of Em makes me look to him, eyes were still open. I cant even see the whites of his eyes behind the eerie green glow that is coming from them. At first, I thought his eyes were beautiful. Those iridescent green irises that looked so intense whether or not he was laughing or just staring off in space.

We are easily a few miles away  from canterlot castle. The fortress on the other hand looked as if it was still looming on its perch on the mountainside. The tall white towers still stood out even in the darkness, piercing the night sky. Somewhere in there, the biggest threat to Em's life is sleeping away her worries while we sit out here fearing the worst. The guards will no doubt inform Celestia about Em at this rate.

I look in each of the cardinal directions thinking of all the potential places where we could hold up until we had a plan. The towns to the south are out of the question. The farther away from the elements of harmony the better. The Princess' lap dogs need to be kept away from Em at all costs.

Although, ever since his eyes started glowing, i have been having second thoughts about him. I had insured princess Luna that Em was harmless. Now I am not so sure. Either way, there is no turning back now. Helping a prisoner escape is treason in the eyes of royalty. Maybe not so much to Luna, but to Celestia, helping Em might just be the last thing I do.

The sun is starting to go down, and the moon is already starting to rise as well. With the eyes of both the royal princesses on me, I can't make any more mistakes. Both for my sake, and Emerald's.

"Approach child."

A loud yet soothing voice echoed throughout the darkness I am standing in. A sea of darkness that sends my mind into a frenzy. Visions created by pure imagination swirl about me. Against my better judgement, I take a step forward. Then another. Then I take a third with my hind leg.

Wait... Hind leg? I only have two!

"I said, come here."

A light suddenly illuminates the area around me. Large crystals made up the walls an array of unnatural greens, reds, blues, and yellows. The crystals lined a hallway that stretched out down to the opening of a door. Made of pure ebony it seems. I walk, or limp towards the large ebony doors.

"That's right..." The voice says a third time, almost using a seductive tone.

As I walk down the hall, the doors seem to grow larger and larger, almost to an impossibly large scale. The door is enveloped in a green glow. And as the door opens, everything fades to black.

"You've already gone through so much" a deep booming voice echoed through the darkness. "You don't feel love... I'm starving..."

In my plush sleeping chamber, I often just think. Two times a day I walk out to the balcony. Once in the morning as i raise the sun, and once at night when I must bring it back down to make way for Luna's night.

Ever since Luna's return, it has been a lot easier and a lot less stressful without having to spend all day and night watching over every mare, colt, foal, and filly in Equestria. Now with Luna around, she can watch over the night while i can rest for the next day.

As today was not an unusual day in any sense, just some paperwork concerning the state of some of the neighboring nations such as Saddle Arabia and the likes. Most of the nations have kept to themselves, secluding themselves in their own corners of the world.

But as i sit here on my plush bed, another matter creeps it's way into my mind. Luna... Even though all traces of nightmare moon left her after her second run in with the elements of harmony, Luna even now, seems hesitant to come anywhere near me. She even goes as far as to hide away withing the castle while the sun is up. She rarely sees sunlight anymore.

I lay my head down on the pillow, the long and boring day left me tired. I close my eyes and let the first rays of the moon lull me to sleep. But, even through the pillow and my dulled senses, I can still hear the thundering of hooves rushing towards my door.

Bang!!!

"Princess Celestia!"

I bolt upright looking towards the door. A stallion, dressed in royal guard golden barding barges in and bows deeply.

"Pardon my intrusion princess, but it's an emergency!"

My tone, how ever light it would have been, goes serious.

"What's the matter?"

The stallion stands tall, a look of worry in his eyes.

"A prisoner has escaped your highness,,,"