Chapters Chapter 1: Awakening
Chapter 1
Awakening
In a groggy haze I begin to awake. My sight is greeted only with the blackness behind my eyelids. My body is completely numb, and it is impossible for me to move . It feels as if I was asleep underwater in an icy lake, and I am just now surfacing. The muffled sounds of voices bounce off my eardrums as I try to clear my head. One of the two voices was lower pitched and raspy, belonging to a boy I guess. The other wasn’t nearly as deep and had a soft melodic tone and was almost heard barely as a whisper.
Behind the voices there was a prominent ringing in my ear that I found very high pitched and obnoxious further increasing my splitting headache.
Noticing the pain that I didn’t feel a moment ago I force my eyes to open, and slowly but surely they oblige. I feel that I am lying on what feels like a hard cobblestone walkway. I am too weak to make any sound come from my lips so I twist my neck against the pain to look around. The talking stops, the ones involved in their conversation clearly noting my sudden movement.
My vision is very blurry and I am only able to see a few shapes. A bright blue sky and brilliant yellow sun loom overhead. the houses that lined the streets seemed very quaint and small. I now notice the four figures that were surrounding me; their shocked eyes were clearly visible due to the fact that their eyes took up the majority of their heads. The figures standing around me to my surprise were small and strangely colored, one being a light yellow and pink, another orange with blonde hair, and lastly a small figure that was purple and green.
I look down towards my feet to find the smallest white figure, no bigger than a rat, standing a few feet away poking at my hand. Now finding some feeling in my fingers, I wiggle and stretch each of my fingers. Apparently my appendages startled the creature, causing it to jump and bolt behind the yellow figure. Also frightened, my sudden movement forced the yellow and purple ones to flee.
But, unlike the other three, the orange one reels back and brings down a hard orange “fist” down on my nose and I black out once again after hearing the unsettling sound of breaking bone. But, before I go completely unconscious, I hear the soft “clip clop” of hooves and feel myself being pulled off the cold ground by a force that could not be felt, but only experienced. The last thing I remember is the metallic and salty taste of blood.
When I wake up again I find that I’m sitting upright and my headache was much dimmer than before. I am able to efficiently use all of my senses, but the room is much too dark for me to see anything but a dim light coming from an extremely small window in the wall. Outside the window I can see a stone wall with the soft glow of torchlight. The sound of the burning torch was the only source of sound except for a light breathing coming from the other side of the door.
The smell of fresh blood still lingered in the room. But, even without the strange smells, the air was thick and musky, making each breath seem labored. I look down and feel my hands are bound behind my back and my feet are tied together. I try to wiggle my way out of the tightly tied rope but I only am able to fall over and make a loud dull thud on the cold stone floor. Apparently someone outside was asleep because I hear a soft snort from the other side of the door and the soft sound of footfalls accompanied by the rustling of what I guess is chain mail or keys, followed by the opening and closing of a large metal door.
“Psst, hey, anypony there?”
It takes me a moment to find my voice but when I speak my words come out soft and hoarse.
“Yea where are you, or where am I would be a better question”
“Canterlot Dungeon” The voice replied in a hushed southern accent, a bit of sorrow in his voice. “I didn’t see you when you came in, must have dozed off. What’s your name feller?”
I was about to respond to the man in the next cell over, but the realization of what he said hits me.
“Wait waitwaitwaitwait. Dungeon?”
“Geez you’d think some pony would know a dungeon when he’s in one just with common sense, especially when this prison is the most ‘prestigious’ jail in all of Equestria.” My new friend answers with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “But you still havn’ answered my question feller, what do they call you?”
Since the jailor is out of the earshot i see no harm in formal introductions,
“I’m… I…” I stammer.
I search my memory for the answer to a question I should have been able to answer subconsciously.
“Spit it out friend,” the southerner demands. ”Doesn’ matter with the guard gone no pony can hear us now with the guard gone”
“I… I can’t remember.”
My friend’s voice rises to a heightened whisper.
“What! What pony doesn’t know his own name?”
“No, I should be asking you why the hell you keep saying ‘pony’”
My question came out angrily and a bit sarcastic towards the end, but his lingo has had me confused from the get go. The last time I checked I was anything but a four legged horse, but then I realized. He used the names of places I have never heard of: Equestria, Canterlot, places that I know for a fact was never shown on any atlas, map, or anything I had ever seen.
But then I think deeper and I realize something else, I have no idea where I’m from, or where I have seen a map or atlas. I have no idea where I live, where my family is. I start to panic. My eyes start darting around the room, and I begin thrashing about knocking over a small table in the room and accidently smashing it. I raised my voice to a shout.
“DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? WHERE IN GOD’S NAME AM I!?!?”
The question and my sudden unrest startled my neighbor as hear him jump to his feet. The loud clanging of chains echo off the walls of the hallway, surely alerting the guards if my thrashing about has not.
“WHO AM I?!”
“Calm down now feller” my prison mate’s voice sounds incredibly terrified by my sudden outburst.
As he says this I hear the thundering sound of footsteps coming from the hallway and in a few moments the door to My cell flies open revealing three relatively short figures all wearing a gilded armor that gleamed in the darkness of the cell. All three of the creatures were relatively muscular, but the one in the middle was more so than the others. The two on the sides looked as if they were twins both with a dull orange skin and darker hair. The only difference between the two was that one had a small shadow protruding from his forehead, while the other had a pair of wings outstretched to his sides, increasing his physical presence. The one in the middle was an ebony black shadow with a large prominent scar and lightning blue hair, a stark contrast to the blackness of his body.
“WHO AM… AH!-“
My words were cut short by a sharp pain in my head. My vision began to blur and the ringing in my ear returned, but see the one of the figure’s forehead glow a vibrant blue. I shrank away from my attackers. The blue haired shadow in the middle looks over to the other figure with outstretched wings, and through gritted teeth I hear him whisper something.
“Sedate it”
The dark figure with outstretched wings simply nods in understanding. I quickly tried to squirm away but before I could get more than a few feet, the shadow of the creature is already on top of me, foot (or should I say hoof) on my chest. I am flattened to the ground staring up at the relatively low ceiling as a syringe with a deep purple liquid plunged into a vein on my neck. Next thing I knew I was slipping back into another dreamless sleep.
I slowly come back to my senses, emerging from darkness so cold that it seemed to last for ages. Dear god I hope the nightmare is over. My eyes open for a third time, staring up at a stone ceiling, but unlike the other instances I find myself lying under the bright light of a dull blue orb. To my dismay my dream has not ended.
I try to scream but an unseen force keeps my mouth shut. I try to reach up to my forehead to soothe my splitting headache, but my arms are bound down, stretched to my side. The wooden table I was lying on had shackles that kept me from getting up or moving about. I hear footsteps, or hoof steps, and soon the head of a horse slowly moves over and stares down at me.
I can see its small build and long eyelashes making it appear female. But what seems the strangest features were a dull tipped horn protruding from her forehead, and her strangely colored coat, mane, and tail. Her coat was a pure, immaculate white which proved to only to accent her long dark blue mane that wrapped around itself by her upper foreleg.
Her impossibly large eyes stare down upon me with curiosity, her blue irises penetrating into my soul. The horse… No… The features of her face to seemed much smaller than a normal horse, but I digress. This young mare looked as if she was incredibly curious, if not concerned. Still her presence in the room was quite frightening, especially her eyes that, behind the concerned look, seemed stern and was waiting for me to make the first move.
After a few moments in an intense and awkward staring contest that i didn't even know i was participating in, I win, and with a blink she looks down at me with a smile and laughs in a soft feminine tone. The giggle catches me off guard. I have never heard that sound come from a creature like her. Her beautifully large eyes soothe my panic and I feel my heart rate return to normal as I calm myself down. With a flash of blue from her horn, I feel the pressure keeping my mouth shut release itself.
With a gasp of relief i cracked my sore jaw so that it felt loose in my mouth.
“You must have many questions” The mare states. “But I have a few that I would like you to answer first.”
I remain silent for a moment. To hear her actually talk was astonishing, incredible even.
“You look like you want to say something. I know you can talk. Don’t worry, we’re all herbivores, none of us will bite, much.” With this she smirks at her own attempt at false intimidation.
I lift my head to get a look at her as she trotted over to a small wooden chair. The mare couldn't be much taller than four feet, and she seemed strangely calm. I wiggle my fingers to get some feeling back into them, but instead of shying away from them, the mare seemed even more curious and trotted back to investigate my hands.
“Why are you all so interested, or should I say afraid, of my hands? It’s like you've never seen anything like them.” I ask laughing a little.
“It’s because we have never seen a creature like you before.” The mare states never taking her eyes off my fingers. “Where are you from anyway?”
The questions I can’t answer flood my mind once again. Hell I can’t even remember my own name! What in god’s name happened that is making me go insane just by giving me more unanswered questions.
“I don’t know” I say more to myself than to her. “I can’t remember a damn thing!”
I slammed my fist down as hard as I could as I say this. The mare got her face out of the way quick enough to avoid my hand hitting her in the eye. My heart rate soared. I was angrier than anything else. I was pissed off that instead of getting answers, all I’ve been getting is more and more questions.
“So, how far back can you remember?” The white mare asks. She moves closer to my face and places a supposed comforting hoof on my shoulder. I barely know this mare, but her eyes soften my defenses. This calms my outrage some and I search my mind for the oldest memory I can think of.
“I was lying on a stone road” I begin telling my short story. “I woke up to what I thought were voices of others like me, but they must have looked a lot more like you, you all have fairly large eyes. I wiggled my fingers and I was greeted with a fist to the face.” I say this with a small scowl on my face. “Or should I say ‘hoof’”. The mare nods, confirming that she understands.
“You must have given those ponies quite a fright.” she says thinking to herself. “So, nothing prior to that? How you got here? Anything?”
I delve deeper into my mind, searching for an older memory, but I come up empty.
“I got nothing, sorry”
“You have no idea where you are, where you’re from, who you are, or even how you got here.” the mare states addressing me directly with a soft smile. “The spell around you tells that you are being completely truthful. You have nothing to be sorry about. But knowing this, we will have no way of finding out who you are by ourselves. When the guards brought you to me, you were unconscious. They told me you had an outburst of rage, but now I see it was more out of confusion than anger.”
The blue magic, that I decided must belong to the white mare, enveloped my bonds forcing them to release. I slowly sit upright and end up bumping my head against the ceiling that was much lower than it seemed when lying down.
"Damn” I say rubbing my forehead. The mare next to me tries to stifle a laugh, but ends up falling onto her back laughing uncontrollably. It takes her a few moments and a glance at my stern face for her to regain her composure. As she wipes away her tears from laughing so hard, I stand up to find that my knees are weak from being in one too many comas. My legs buckled underneath my weight and I slowly started to fall to the ground as I struggle to regain my balance. In a final attempt to catch myself I reach for the wall, but instead I end up tripping over my own feet. Before I hit the ground however, I land on something relatively soft and white.
“Celestia you are heavy” The mare exhales under my weight.
She leads me back over to the table where I was laying before and bucks me off her back.
“Thanks.”
The white unicorn mare blushes, her cheeks turning a bright pink. She looks away knowing that she probably looks ridiculous.
“Star Charmer” the mare whispers.
“Excuse me?
“My name is Star Charmer” the mare repeats, a bit more confidence in her tone now.
“Introductions seem a bit pointless don’t you think.” I say half smiling “You know, since I can’t remember anything, even my name.”
“True,” Star Charmer says “but if you would like I could call you…” she ponders different names for a moment, looking me over. She looks into my eyes. “How about Emerald?”
“Emerald?” I say questioningly with a tad bit of sarcasm.
“Hey!” she exclaims a bit flustered, “there are plenty worse names than that! Besides, you don’t belong here, and we have no idea what you’re talent’s are. Besides, the name suits your eyes." Star blushes when she says this, turning away slightly. Star Charmer, with a blue aura, conjurers up a mirror.
My reflection stares back at me like i would expect. Compared to the mare, my eyes were much smaller, and my skin was very pale without fur. But what caught me off guard were my iridescent green eyes. Their color imitated the way I pictured the sun shining off of a blade of thick grass on a hot summer day. The name seems strange to me, as do my eyes. It doesn't seem like a name I normally would have heard. But with names like “Star Charmer” what could you expect.
“Emerald…” I say to myself, a small smile on my face. Star charmer looks down at me with a smile.
“It’s truly a pleasure 'Em', we’ll see each other again soon.”
“Pet names already?” I say laughing a little at my imminent joke. “Shouldn’t you at least take me to dinner first?”
At this, star charmer giggles, and throws a pillow cloaked in her blue aura at me, hitting me lightly in the face with a soft poof.
“I know it’s not terribly comfortable sleeping on the table” Star Charmer says. “But that should help. For now, you should try and get some rest. Tomorrow, I’ll see about getting you a proper bed.”
“Before you go, where exactly am I?” I ask, trying to get comfortable.
With a smile trying to hide her sad eyes, Star Charmer simply replies…
“Somewhere safe”
Chapter 2: Confusion
Chapter 2: Confusion
It's been a few days since I first met Star Charmer. Two days, three, time within this stone cell seems to go by incredibly slow. The air in here is cool, dry, and very sterile. Much like a doctors office. Wait... what is a doctor? My memory hasn't improved much over the past few days of being left to nothing but my own thoughts. When I find myself having these inner monologues, I come across words that I know, but I don't know the meanings. Occasionally I think of why some things around me seem so strange. Like Star Charmer, her anatomy intrigues me drastically. But, one again, I digress.
Star Charmer has made her company a scarce commodity. As the only pony I really met so far, she is my only relief from isolation. She did bring me that cot and pillow she promised, but I only have seen her when she brought me meals. And even so, we didn't talk much. She only said things like "Here's your lunch." and the like. And she always looks at me with her huge sad night azure eyes behind a concealing smile.
Day after day, I sit on my cot thinking, dreaming, trying to re-live any of my past to give me any clue to who I used to be. But all I have had so far were night terrors of a never ending penetrating darkness. I can never escape from my mind, and being isolated alone in this room is definitely not helping.
A set of hoof steps breaks the silence. The sound of the huge metal door to my cell being unlocked bounces off every wall of my cell. Star Charmer opens the door bearing a completely straight face, definitely trying very hard not to show any emotion.
"Good evening" Star charmer says in a stern voice.
Her sudden harshness causes me to sit upright and stare at her with probably the stupidest look. "Good evening? Are we going to actually have a real conversation again?" Thinking I was being witty, I then put on my best sarcastic smirk. Star's expression only hardened further.
"Amusing, but now is not the time for antics"
Star is not being her usual self. She typically laughed, or at least giggled at my attempts at bad humor.
"You alright star?"
A short pause.
"Depends on your definition of 'all right'"
Now I'm concerned, not only is her face cold as stone, she is a totally different person. Or pony. God i'm confused as hell. Wait, what's hell, or God? I shake my head violently to rid my mind of these conflicting thoughts. Star notices but doesn't seem to care.
"Her highness wishes to see you personally." Star says as she levitates a single pair of shackles from behind the door and sends them to me. Not wanting to cause her any more stress for the fear she will beat the living shit out of me with her magic, I willingly outstretched my hands to be bound.
"Her highness? You ponies have royalty?"
"Naturally. Every functioning society has a governing body, and as you can see, we ponies are a very well functioning society."
Star sounds like she is reading from a script. But, her voice is remaining completely serious. I open my mouth to ask another stupid question, but one look at Star's face wipes away any questions I had off the list.
"We better quit the dilly dally and get a move on" Star says "Or else the Princess may use the 'royal wee'"
I am not looking for to finding out what the royal wee is.
Star lead me out of the room into a dark corridor, and once she closed the door to my cell, the darkness suddenly enveloped us in a void without sight. But with a flash of blue light, a bright orb floated out of Star's horn and illuminated the stone hallway ahead. With a encouraging nudge from her muzzle, we move forward into the darkness through the large metal door. Identical metal doors lined the damp. The air in the hallways was heavy and damp, unlike the dry and sterile air in my cell. The ominous darkness filled the hall with the exception of the area around us. My bare feet pounded softly against the cold stone floor, but Star's hooves made a loud clop sound that echoed for a good few seconds after every step. A few minutes of walking later and Star stops me with a hoof.
"We're almost to the meeting room." Star explains. Her tone was still quite worrying. "I know the guards wont let me enter, so you'll be going it alone. Remember, the princess doesn't take to sarcasm very well, but if you keep collected, and don't upset her, I may as well be taking you out to the hay-burger for lunch."
For the first time today, Star gives me a genuine smile, though it wasn't a whole hearted one. I know she was only trying to comfort my nerves. I don't know what the hay-burger was, but it was probably better than the prison food I've been eating. Star turned around to leave, and soon I was all alone, staring at a big metal door. And after a few seconds of trying to calm my stomach's butterflies I give up. Damn. Why am I so tense? I don't even know who exactly is waiting for me on the other side of this door. With a deep breath, I pushed open the door.
"Good of thee finally to treat us with you'r attendance. Took your time didn't thee?"
The door closed behind me. I couldn't see it close, for a bright white light shined throughout the whole room blinding me from seeing anything other than a small table and chair. The light solely emanated from the walls themselves. Not only that, but my eyes weren't adjusting either.
"Please, sit for us. I know you cannot see us, but we can see you perfectly. We have a few questions to ask thee."
The... thing, sitting across the table from Princess Luna was of nothing she has never seen before. One of bipedal stature, like a monkey or an ape. Even with the fleshy talons to match. But the hairless body. The seemingly glowing green eyes. What the buck is this creature? Star Charmer briefed the princess earlier of the condition of this thing she decided to call "Emerald".
Due to his eyes no doubt. The mare always had a things for eyes. It seemed that the princess' favorite mare in Canterlot always saw the night sky itself in the eyes of the ponies around her. That's probably why she takes such an interest in this so called "Em".
Despite the initial hesitation, the creature finally accepted the princesses invitation and sat down. Luna asked all the typical questions: Where are you from? When did you get here? Why are you here? What is your date of birth? What is your name? What are you? To each, Emerald only said he didn't remember, shook his head, and looked for the face of his interrogator. Thanks to the illusion facade spell cast on the walls of the interrogation chamber, the area between the the two acted as a one way mirror of sorts, making it impossible for the creature to see Luna, but the princess had a perfect view of the thing that sat across from her. The more she stared into those eyes, the more felt nagging her in the back of her mind. What was it about this creature that seemed so familiar?
"Star Charmer, dispel the illusion" Luna's booming voice echoed off the room several times, and by the third echo the light emanating from the walls dimmed. And, by tho look on Emerald's face, he could see her clearly.
I couldn't really quite distinguish what I was looking at. Or should I say who. After the earth shaking, bellowing yell from the interrogator, I find myself sitting face to face with one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. From seeing Star Charmer for a couple days, the overall shock from the whole pony thing has worn off. Why did it seem so unnerving to me in the first place? .
The pony that was speaking to me moments ago was a midnight blue, with the most magnificent mane and tail that looked like a fluid mosaic of the night sky. It's large wings were neatly folded, and it's horn was sitting neatly behind a black crown with the crescent moon embedded in the metal. The pegasus, unicorn hybrid also wore a matching black neck piece that sat neatly on her chest, also with the crescent moon. When she spoke again I could fully appreciate her soft and soothing voice.
"Well, I must say that I am surprised none the less. You seem to come from another world, but with none of the memories from your past. Yet, you seem to not be completely sure yourself if you have the answers or not."
Finding the perfect opportunity to speak out with something other than a shake of the head, I snag the chance.
"To be honest with you your highness-"
"Please, call me Luna, or princess Luna. I typically only accept those formal greetings from my subjects." the princess said with a hint of annoyance in her voice
With a stiff nod and a gulp, I continue my interjection.
"Luna... To be completely honest with you, I have no idea what the answers are to any of the questions you asked me."
The princess just simply looks to the white floor in defeat and sighs.
"I have no idea why your here, what you are, and above all what to do with you. We could just agree to keep you locked up down here forever."
At this, the princess looks up and gives me a sly smirk upon seeing my shocked look of disapproval.
"On the other hand... that would be immoral, animal cruelty is a crime in Equestria." The princess sat this point is staring off into space scratching her chin with the tip of her hoof. "I'll cut you a deal." The princess turned back to me placing her hooves on the table. The sudden movement caused me to scoot back in my seat.
"You will be free to go in a few days time.
At this my eyes lit up. I probably was wearing the stupidest grin on my face. I didn't try to hide it.
"But.."
Say goodbye to that smile.
"My sister surprisingly is still oblivious to your arrival, She has a difficulty sensing anomalies under the moon, so she does not know you are here. And other than the ponies who first found you, the guards, Star Charmer, and I, nopony knows of your existence. I suggest we try to keep it that way."
Now I truly don't understand.
"How are we going to do that?" I inquire.
"Some of us ponies can use magic you know. With me being an alicorn, and Star Charmer over there being a unicorn..."
Luna looks past me to the door. I turn around to see Star Charmer's head peeking through the door. Noticing she has been caught her eyes open wide and light red blushes appear under her white coat. Knowing she cant leave Luna's sight after being discovered eavesdropping, she slowly worked her way into the room.
Luna continues. "We can certainly think of some way to disguise you."
"Disguise... As what? One of you? A pony of all things? You can't be serious!"
"It may be the only way" Star Charmer interjects. "You don't want to stay down here just waiting for your memories to come floating in through the door! I am down here constantly, but I can at least leave to see sunlight. Staying down here will drive you mad!"
Star is right. I can't stay here.
"Why cant I just leave like I am?" I am just speaking my mind at this point. Trying to find any excuse to not go through with this. In my agitation, I fiddled with the shackles on my wrists causing my wrists to burn with irritation.
At this Luna facehoofed.
"You remember how the ponies who discovered you that morning reacted. We cannot let panic spread any further. And plus, rumors spread fast. Soon enough my sister would discover your existence. Tia is not so keen to openly welcome intruders into her realm. She would banish YOU to the moon in a heart beat."
Luna upon saying this went silent, staring into the distance as if reliving a terrible moment in her past.
Star Charmer sees this and places an encouraging hoof on my shoulder.
"I know it is a lot for you to take in Em, but you need to think this through. Take all the time you need, but you alone need to make the decision to stay here, or go with the plan. And remember" Star looked at me with a small grin as I looked into her eyes. "I'll be here for you every step of the way."
"Make thy decision quickly" Luna's continued after regaining her composure and returning to her formal speech patterns. "For the offer will be taken back if thee goes mad in this place. Don't make the irrational choice."
Chapter 3: Dreaming of a Princess
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,,,"
Chapter 4: Second Thoughts
Chapter 4: Runaways
Chapter 4: Runaways
"Glad to see you're awake."
Star's voice sounds hoarse and very tired through the haze of waking up. As I sit up, the grass I was laying on lost it's comfort, and just made me feel itchy all over. Wait... Grass! The shock wakes me up almost instantaneously.
"How long have I been out this time? And where the hell are we?" I say, matching Star Charmer's tone.
"Oh, I'd say you've been out cold for about half a day. The sun is already starting to rise. As for where we are, the forest to the west of Canterlot." Star did sound quite irritated
I breathe in the first breath of fresh air that I have had in days. Not going to lie, it feels great to be... Outside! I forget Star's cranky attitude for a moment while I take it all in. I frantically look around at the trees around me. The bark was a dark brown with the occasional growth of moss dangling from the branches. The canopy overhead was a vibrant green that reflects the light of the golden sunrise.
"Hold on a second, we're out? That means the... Sun goddess, or whatever the hell she is following us!" Panicked, I raise my voice to just below a shout. This is bad. Very very bad. There is no way the ruler of a nation would be completely oblivious to an escapee from her own prison.
"Oh trust me, she's after us all right," Star's voice suddenly takes on a dark tone. "She probably has her guards searching for us right this minute."
Worried more than ever, I ask the only thing on my mind. "Then... What are we supposed to do?"
"We move forward. The farther from canterlot the better" At this, Star looks sadly at the silhouette of a castle that still loomed over the forest. I follow her gaze. The castle gleams in the sunlight. The castle was a sight to behold itself. The architecture seemed impossible, tall immaculate towers sat precariously on the cliff face of a mountain with virtually nothing to hold it up. However, with a blink the image suddenly shifted.
The sky itself seemed to tint red with this different sight. The stone looked gray from falling ash and dust. Multiple buildings were either collapsed or are burning to the ground. Many of the walls had holes in them, and another portion of the fortress fell away all together.
"But..." Star Charmers uneasy voice broke the horrific vision. With a blink, the beautiful city returned and the sky went back to be it's usual light blue.
"But what?" I responded, shaking my head slightly in an attempt to adjust to the familiar surroundings again.
Star turns back to me, a strange look of curiosity and worry on her face. "What happened while you were out Em?"
I haven't forgotten what happened in those dreams. They were so lucid it was frightening to watch. I could smell the billowing smoke. Hear the crackling of the flames. And, the scariest thing of all, I felt the pain of seeing those corpses. A hollow and unbearable sadness. It was terrifying. However, Star needn't know about that. I'm on thin ice as is.
"No- Nothing. Nothing happened," I stammered.
The look on Star's face said it all. That ice just shattered, and here comes the freezing water underneath. "You hesitated there Emerald. Tell me truthfully, what happened?" At least Star is fully awake now, a cold stare boring deep into my being.
Star's face is unchanging, and looked as hard as stone. She is suspicious of me. But, then again, why shouldn't she be?
"Star... I'm fine. I-"
"But I'm not!" Star raises her voice to a booming shout. Her pupils and irises shrink, leaving an intense look on her face. The sudden change in volume forces me to flinch a bit at the sudden outburst. Her hooves fly up in frustration. "You've been unconscious for almost half a day, and I am left to teleport, not just myself, but you as well, all the way here! And to top it all off, your eyes were glowing the entire time you were out!."
"Wait, my eyes were glowing?" Now i'm just as confused as Star. Glowing eyes? Was that even possible?
"Oh you didn't know!? I swear to Celestia that If I don't get some answers, I'm gonna-" As if realizing what she said, Star's hoof covers her mouth in an instant. "Em, we gotta move. Quickly! And stay quiet!"
With a foreleg, Star helps me to my feet and I sprint behind her. Being a horse running in a full gallop it quickly becomes hard for me to keep up. In fear, I find a new source of energy that allowed me to catch up. Breathing heavily, I force my legs to move so fast that my muscles began to burn in pain. For a few second's we just ran. But, star suddenly stops behind a bush, and motions for me to do the same.
As I duck behind the bush, a bright flash of light illuminates the trees around us. We remain silent as we try to make ourselves as small as possible behind the relatively small bush. Star is able to hide much more effectively while my body was slightly too large for the shrubbery.
A few seconds pass that feel more like minutes when I finally risk taking a peek. I poke my head out from behind the bush just enough to see the clearing where Star and I just were. Standing in the middle of the clearing was a large, immaculately white horse wearing a golden jeweled collar. The horse's mane was a pale rainbow that seemed to flow in a non existent breeze.
And with another blink, the large equine was gone, replaced by a shadow with a smoky green mane replacing the pastel rainbow of colors. The forest was lit ablaze, logs burning laying across the ground. I snap myself back to reality shaking my head to return to some form of normality.
After a few more moments of gawking, I turn back, hiding myself from the princess's view.
"So that was her? Was that Celes-?"
Star's hoof landed squarely on my lips, preventing me from finishing the name.
We sat there behind the bush for a while as the ruler of Equestria loomed just a few yards away. The hoofsteps were almost silent for the alicorn was incredibly light on her hooves. The air was filled only with the sound of the wind rustling the canopy overhead and the distant crowing of a rooster. Even as the we sat here, the sun sat un-moving in the sky. It simply loomed there, as if it was just waiting. The tension hung in the air like a thick invisible fog.
A loud stomp of the hoof and a second flash of gold light signaled the sun goddess's departure.
"Don't ever say her name! Got me?" Star's face grew worried as she looked over the bush searching for her ruler's presence.
"Why not, It's just a name."
"It's not just a name!" Star Charmer snapped back. "That name is tabooed. Whenever somepony, or somebody as the case may be, says her name, she can easily pinpoint the rough location of the thing that said her name!"
The concept simply baffled me. "Um... What?"
With a hoof against her forehead Star looks up at me, trying to think of the best way to describe what she meant. "Magic" she finally replied in a flat tone.
"Works for me" I say, with a rather sarcastic shrug.
"Just whatever you do," Star continued with a foreboding undertone, "Do not say Her name." A special emphasis on the word 'Her'. "With your escape, she will send projections of her being to investigate almost every mention of her name. Did I mention she's paranoid?" Star turned away to sit on a rock near the bush we were hiding behind. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and let out a stressed sigh. I decided to move to lean against a nearby tree. The moss on the trunk was still wet from the morning dew making me feel rather uncomfortable. Both of us just lingered there for a few in complete silence. The only sound was the leaves gently rustling in the soft wind accompanied by the occasional chirping bird. As we sat there, the sun continued to rise, looming in the distance. I broke the silence.
"So," I said, a sigh of relief blended in with my normal voice, "what do we do again exactly?"
"Like I said earlier," Star said softly, pointing a hoof, "we move forward."
"Where are we going exactly?"
Star took a moment to ponder the question, but seemed to not be able to think of anything. "I have no idea" she replied. "As far away from that foal-of-a-nag as possible.
The mare's choice of words took me slightly off guard. One would think that the citizen of a monarchy would have some respect for his or her ruler. But I guess not all leaders turn out to be a good one. Still, apart from recent circumstances, Star only spoke fondly of the princess of the sun. I could confront her about that now, but what good would it do? I'll wait for when we are in a more safe location.
Star slides off the rock and turns to me. Her smile, even if it was a bit forced, seemed to pull me forward. I push off of the tree I was leaning against to stand next to her. I walk past, slightly scratching Star's ear as I walk past. Looking over my shoulder, I shoot the mare a smirk. I caught a glimpse of her expression before I turned back. She seemed to be caught between a look of complete shock shown in her eyes, and a content happiness from the grin on her face. Her eyes open wide in realization. With a shake of her head, she trots to catch up with me. I sneak another glance to find Star smirking, eyes forward, a hint of a blush underneath her white coat.
We walked though the forest with no dirt path underneath our feet and hooves respectively. The tension lifted slightly knowing that we just avoided being found out so easily. This close encounter was a glimmer of hope that allowed us some peace of mind, but it also left a lingering uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. This wasn't the last time I will come this close to the alicorn princess, not by a long shot.
The near catastrophe that Star Charmer's slip-up created was one unexpected surprise that she didn't need. She spent the whole night fretting about the night patrols that she didn't get a minute of sleep. Now that she and Emerald are safe, Star started to feel the drowsiness come back on. She barely felt Em brush her ear though the haze that started to cloud her mind. To keep Em from worrying, she plastered a sleepy grin on her face. It wasn't a forced smile, but the lack of sleep started to take it's toll. She strolled lazily along side her taller, bipedal companion.
The sun continued to rise as the day went on, and the city of canterlot grew smaller as they continued to put more distance between themselves and the mountain.They continued to walk underneath the canopy of thick green oak and spruce branches, but as time passed, Star's steps got progressively more unstable. She swayed with each hoof-fall. The sounds of the forest began to turn into murmurs and muddled noises. A slight misstep sent the white mare tumbling to the side into something, knocking it over. Star and the other object tumbled to the ground.
"Star?"
The sound of her own name, on top of the sensation of falling, woke the unicorn right up. Looking around, she noticed that her and Emerald were both lying down on the grass. Em looked both startled and confused.
"Star? Are you okay?" Emerald sat up to get a better look at his friend.
Even though Star Charmer was startled awake by the fall, she only half heard him. Her eyes were already starting to close, but she still was able to nod to try to discourage Em from fretting over her. That didn't stop him from fretting.
Through slits in her eyelids, she could still see Em's face full of worry. She had a few moments to think of a few things before she drifted off into unconsciousness. She did find it weird that Emerald had trusted her so easily. Her of all ponies. Their entire race besides her and Luna have treated her new friend as the enemy of Equestria. He has been beaten, imprisoned, and tortured in his own mind by his lack of memories. Yet despite all that, Emerald seemed to feel comfortable around Star Charmer. It was a perplexing thought how he was able to trust a pony when he has only been in their world for a little over a week.
In the last moment's of consciousness, Star Charmer got an idea. She drifted off into a nice quiet sleep, and her smile grew wider.
How that pony can fall asleep so quickly baffles me. Star Charmer, after only two hours of walking, is now lying in the grass snoring as loudly as a bear in hibernation. Do bears even snore? I have not the slightest clue, but i digress.
But she just completely passed out in the middle of the day, she must have been up all night. That might explain Star's rather irritable mood earlier. Then again i should have noticed the bags underneath her eyes before she passed out. Not to mention that she didn't talk for a long while. We were walking for at least a good three hours in silence, but I was too distracted by the wildlife to notice the white unicorn's sleepiness. The sun still floated high through the blue, cloudless sky.
"Now is a good of a time as any to take a bit of a break," I say to myself.
I take a seat against a nearby tree, my feet red and raw from walking barefoot along the forest floor. The city of canterlot was now a speck on it's mountainside perch. Star and I made great time, even though we haven't come across another pony in hours. Then again I have only seen a handful of the equines, let alone get the opportunity to observe them clearly. The only two I really have met are Star Charmer and Princess Luna. Everypony else besides the sun princess has either been veiled by a disoriented haze or simply cloaked in darkness.
As if the simple thought of the princess was enough to bring bad fortune, a shadow blotted out the sun as a winged animal, too large to be a bird, flew above the canopy. Between the leaves, I could see the golden shine of the gilded armor the creature was wearing. 'Pegasus guard' I thought to myself. I grabbed Star Charmer's hooves, pulling her closer to the base of the tree where we would be less visible to the scout. There were sure to be another to follow. No one in their right mind would send out one lone scout.
Sure enough, withing the next thirty seconds a second shadow flew overhead. But, unlike the first, the soldier horse in gold armor touched down in a clearing not too far behind the tree I was leaning against, the air was sucked out of my lungs. The unicorn in my lap continued to snore, unaware of the threat a few yards away, continued to snore. Nervously, I begin raking my fingers gently through the sleeping Star Charmer's mane. To my surprise, I found that this gesture made her stop snoring. She adjusted herself into a more comfortable position, a peaceful grin on her muzzle. I would have thought that the mare to be cute if it wasn't for the guard padding the ground in the clearing behind us.
Having a pony similar to those who trapped me within the walls of Canterlot's dungeon within earshot got my heart beating as if I ran a good three miles in a flat out sprint. Emotions of everything from anger to fear began flowing though my mind. I am finding it hard to keep myself from tackling the miniature horse to the ground, but truthfully it would probably end with me having a few broken ribs. Even though the ponies are small in size, being only slightly taller than one meter, that one blow from a single hoof to the face a few days back still gave me a slight shiver down my spine.
The sound of hoof steps upon the forest floor grew louder as they got closer to the tree.
"Hey, Valor," a rather rough voice shouted from above the trees. The hooves stopped a few feet behind my tree "Quit your lazing about, we still got a lot of ground to cover!"
"Cant a guy rest his wings for a moment?" The stallion behind the tree had a lower voice than the other scout's, but it was a lot smoother. "We've been flying all day so far."
A low whooshing sound that I can only assume comes from the flapping of wings signaled that the guard took off again, leaving Star and I alone underneath the tree. I let out a sigh of relief. It seems like it has been forever since the last time I took a breath. My heart still beating, I did not dare to move. I decide to wait a few more minutes and just let my nerves try to settle. But, while I wait, my mind filled in the lack of movement with thoughts of my time in Equestria.
My welcome committee was everything but friendly. Within my first few days in Equestria, I have had my nose broken, been placed in a jail cell, and subjected to more comatose stasis' that I probably will have a pretty severe case of brain damage. That would explain the lack of memories. But, still the ponies of Equestria do not seem like the most accepting group of equines out there.
That taken into account, how was it that I was able to accept Star Charmer as easily as I did. Even I don't have a clear answer to that one. She just seemed, different from the others. She laughed, smiled, and had a sense of humor. The thing that really gets me is that she never looked at me with fear. I guess that is why I took to her with such ease.
Everypony I have met was afraid of me, and that is not something I want. I have no idea who I am, but I do know that whatever they think I might do to harm them is not necessarily north on my moral compass. I don't think I'm one to purposelessly harm anything or anyone. Yet they treat me like I'm a murderer on the loose in a big city. They look at me, and they either run or fight. Not the greatest feeling in the world.
Looking down at the mare fast asleep in my lap, completely trusting me. Knowing fully well that she would eventually be put in this kind of position, she never left my side. Even though she is risking everything trying to keep me safe, she refuses to leave me alone or turn me in.
Her smile said it all, and I couldn't keep myself from chuckling slightly. I stand up picking up the unconscious mare. I placed most of her weight on my neck, and I draped her hooves and head over my shoulders. The sudden motion caused her to stir slightly, and she murmured in her sleep. Nothing I could understand, but it was kinda adorable.
I carry her on my shoulders, continuing in the direction we have been going ever since we left Canterlot. And, I couldn't be happier to have a friend in a world where everyone thinks I will leave a trail of fire in my footprints. Yet everywhere I go, flames and decay seem to conjour up in my wake
