M o n s t e r

"How long has he been like this?" Princess Luna asked a guard that had just exited the interrogation room where the human knight resided.

The guard casted a glance back at the knight, who still remained sitting on the floor, his back to the wall, his shoulders hunched forward, his head resting on the peak of his knees. The guard took a few seconds to absorb the sight before releasing a soft sigh, glancing up at Luna's eight foot height with a small shrug.

"He's been like this since we first received him. He hasn't acted hostile, the only incident encountered was when my partner Flash tried to pry the human's armor off by force; resulting in Flash being manhandled like a foal's toy. The scary part is, the human didn't even appear to be trying, he just picked Flash up and started to play around with her, making her dance against her will, making her slap herself upside the head a few times; not enough to hurt her, just enough to annoy her. He released her shortly after she cried uncle, and hasn't spoken a word since then" the guard explained, causing Luna to perk a brow of interest as she examined the slouched form of the knight.

"What were the words he did speak when you got him to talk?" Luna asked, her rich diamond blue eyes never leaving the form of the knight.

"He asked for a milkshake" the guard deadpanned, earning a quizzical stare from Luna.

"Art thou serious?" Luna asked in a skeptical dialect.

"I'm always serious when speaking with you, your majesty" the guard replied, giving a courteous bow before returning to her posture.

"...and I'm assuming you didn't abide to his request?" Luna questioned, returning her rich gaze to the seemingly sulking knight leaning solemnly against the wall.

"Of course, we refused to meet his request and now...he's pouting" the guard replied, crossing her arms with a light sight.

"Great...just how old is this 'knight' character?" Luna asked, sighing out of annoyance.

"He doesn't know. He says he has been in that suit of armor since he woke up around four weeks ago in some dark underground room. He also says that the wounds from the arrows that were lodged into his back have been there since he woke up. Speaking of which, his armor has simultaneously regenerated over the punctures where the arrows once were, as if the armor were healing like flesh...we already had more than one mage examine his armor without much resistant from the human, and so far there have been no magical traces in regards to this regeneration...however," the knight began to explain, before casting a dexterous glance over at the sulking knight, then returned it to Luna who now met her gaze. "He has a strong magical aura, somewhere around yours and your sisters level, possibly even higher. The magic builds in power over time, the longer he doesn't use magic, the more plentiful it becomes...and judging on what our mages could decipher...this knight is thousands of years old...dating back to the dawn of the Human-Equine War..." the guard finished, causing Luna's eyes to widen slightly as she returned her gaze over to the knight.

"How is this possible...?" Luna thought aloud, her eyes narrowing. "His armor looks brand new, aside from a few obvious refurbishments...his armor should be nothing but rust yet..." Luna drifted off, mulling deeply to herself as she placed her fingertips against the specter glass, staring at the knight intently as he sat sulking near the corner of the room.

"I'm going in" Luna spoke, causing the guard to blink a few times.

"Are you sure, your majesty?" the guard spoke while Luna approached the door to the interrogation room. "He may be shorter than you, but his strength may possible rival your own" the guard bit her lip once Luna casted a glare back at her.

"Art thou implying that we are frail?" Luna inquired, perking a brow.

"No, your majesty" the guard sighed, lowering her head. "Just...be careful" the guard finished, earning a nod from Luna before she entered the interrogation room, closing and locking the door behind her.

"So you're this intimidating mysterious knight of human aspect?" Luna spoke with a condescending tone. "You don't look that tough to me" Luna added, earning only silence from the slouched knight as he stared blankly at the floor.

"Do not ignore a princess when she talks to you!" Luna hissed, walking over and hoisting the knight to his feet, gripping him by the collar of his armor.

The knight just stared nonchalantly up into Luna's rich diamond blue orbs, blackness residing behind the vent like visor of his helmet. Though the knight was four inches shorter than Luna's eight foot stature, his physique overpowered Luna's slim and curved frame. Luna was nowhere near scrawny, she wielded a suitable amount of healthy meat on her bones, and had a decent athletic built to accent her mystical form. However, the knight's frame was built like a colossal statue of solid steel; his arms were like columns of curved muscle, his legs healthy oak trees with a massive diameter. That could be just the armor making him appear so bulky, but even if that were the case; he would still have to be extremely powerful to maneuver around in that armor as easily as he does.

"Milkshake..." the knight spoke calmly, his voice a metallic echo beneath the confines of his helmet's visor.

"...pardon?" Luna quizzed, tilting her head in confusion.

"Milkshake...or no talk" the knight replied, shifting the face of his helmet away from Luna, crossing his arms in a non-verbal harrumph.

"What...you...why you little...!!" Luna grumbled, her expression changing between confused, anger, and disbelief.

"..." the knight remained silent, simply answering her with a parallel shift of his cross-armed pout.

"...what flavor?" Luna asked, earning the knight's attention.

"Butterscotch almond, blended with walnut, topped with sugar-cream....three of them" the knight replied, his tone sounding like a child being lured out of a pout.

"Why three?" Luna asked, but only grumbled when the knight shifted his visor away from her direction once more. "Never mind..." Luna sighed with annoyance, before slowly treading out of the room with an annoyed glare plastered across her face.

"Your majesty...?" the guard from before asked with concern; she stiffened up once Luna's glare was casted over at her.

"Three butterscotch almond milkshakes, blended with walnut, topped with sugar-cream...now" Luna demanded rather coldly.

"Yes ma'm!" the guard replied stiffly, quickly darting out of the room to retrieve Luna's order.

Celestia entered through the door after the guard had left. She casted a warm greeting smile at Luna, a soft chuckle escaped her lips once she observed Luna's annoyed scowl. Celestia stood a hefty nine feet three inches, casting a minor shadow over Luna as she approached with a mirthful gaze. Luna let out an exhale, waving nonchalantly over at her sister while taking a seat in one of the provided chairs and posturing herself before the specter glass that allowed her to observe the knight without him being able to observe her.

"How goes the interrogation?" Celestia asked, taking a seat next to Luna, casting a small smile at her distraught sister.

"Annoying" Luna deadpanned, glaring at the knight through the spectral glass. "He's acting like a foal" Luna added, huffing softly before rubbing her forehead in frustration.

"How so?" Celestia inquired with an amused chuckle, gazing in on the knight who had settled down on a chair at the interrogation table, swirling his index finger around in circles out of boredom.

"He refused to speak if I didn't get him a milkshake, well...milkshakes...he asked for three of them..." Luna spoke tiredly, rubbing her temples with annoyance.

"And I assume the guard who was rushing as if her life depended on it out of this room earlier is on her way to retrieve those milkshakes?" Celestia asked, earning a distraught nod of annoyance from her sister.

"Well, I must say, he is the least hostile human we've encountered before. So that's a plus, isn't it?" Celestia spoke as she shifted her gaze from the seemingly bored knight over to her sister.

"I guess so...but it appears that his hostility was replaced with utter stubbornness..." Luna replied, earning a small giggle from Celestia.

The guard from earlier returned with the milkshakes that Luna had requested, breathing heavily as she carefully held the three large glasses of butterscotch milkshakes accented with the requested edible accessories. She marched over, presenting them to Luna with a stiff expression, saluting Luna once the alicorn of the night accepted the tray of milkshakes.

"You are excused" Luna spoke, receiving a nod from the guard before she exited the room.

"You're so tense" Celestia spoke softly, giving Luna teasing elbow nudge.

"No I'm not!" Luna huffed, casting Celestia a glare before entering the interrogation room with Celestia close behind her.

"Here's your stupid milkshakes" Luna grumbled, setting them down on the table before the knight.

The knight examined the three shakes closely, rubbing the chin region of his helmet before he grasped one of them with his gloved palm, his gauntlet shining in the luminescence of the light hanging above them. He set the shake down in front of himself, then he grasped the other two milkshakes individually with his hands and placed them both in front of the two alicorn sisters, who now appeared completely befuddled.

"What is this supposed to be?" Luna inquired sternly, glancing at the milkshake the knight placed before her before returning her gaze to him.

"You're too tense, relax a bit" the knight replied, earning an audible chuckle from Celestia, as well as a smirk filled with mirth from the alicorn of the sun to direct towards the befuddled alicorn of night.

"I like him" Celestia noted aloud, causing Luna to groan in annoyance and face palm.

"Silence sister" Luna hissed, Celestia only giggled and pursed her lips with mirth.

"I like you too, milady" the knight spoke, standing up to bow softly with courtesy before sitting back down. Celestia blushed and smiled with bright mirth as she stood and curtsied in response. Luna glared daggers at the two.

"Anyways, back to the matter at hand" the knight began, positioning his stray through the vents of his visor, taking an audible sip of his sweet and creamy delicacy, his body language showing complete bliss from the single slurp of the sugary beverage. "I'm sure you two are wondering who I am," the knight spoke, earning a nod from the two alicorn princesses. "well then let me just say I would too" the knight spoke with a soft exhale, the two alicorn sisters glanced at each other in confusion before returning their befuddled gazes in the knight's direction.

"So, the reports were correct; you do indeed have amnesia" Celestia spoke softly, scratching her chin softly in thought.

"Aye, that's true...the only thing I know really is English and how to speak it"  The knight spoke with a slightly bashful tone, sounding embarrassed over his predicament.

"Do you remember how you came around?" Luna asked, her index finger swirling around a series of hair strands from her ethereal mane.

"I was awoken...by the cry of children" the knight responded, causing the two alicorn princesses to widen their eyes.

"You mean those foals you were found carrying along with the wounded guardsmen?" Luna inquired, earning a nod of acknowledgement form the knight.

"Aye" the knight replied, gazing up at the two alicorn mares before him.

"Would you mind explaining what happened?"

"Aye..." the knight exhaled, crossing his arms as he leaned back.

"I can't remember much before everything occurred, I can only remember being awaken by the distressed cries of children--or in your case: foals." The knight began, as the two alicorn sisters leaned in with interest. "I recall a somber ambiance, dawning my ears in the wake of recovering my encounter with dormancy. I was in this wide open space deep underground, based on the skeletal remains architecture: I could tell I was in a catacomb. The skeletons were what appeared to be equine, homo-sapient, and the occasional reptilian skeletal remains stacked here and there, though the walls and columns were mostly composed of what appeared to be human." The knight explained, Celestia's face suddenly faded to that of a contemplating and horrified expression. Luna glanced over at her sister with a quizzical perk of her brow.

"Sister?" Luna inquired, her diamond blue hues showing concern for her sister.

"I-It's nothing, I'll discuss it with you later sister. Please," Celestia shifted her gaze to the knight. "Go on"

The knight nodded in response.

"I had began to wonder throughout these halls, trying to find my way out of this...this chamber of death. I felt that all hope was lost when suddenly...that's when I heard it....the cries of young ones" the knight continued, shifting his gaze at the table surface as he recalled his memories.

[Flashback]

There bellowed a trio of shrill screams that pierced through the soil and into the walls of the catacomb. My heart thrusted against the cage of my chest in an attempt to burst free and rush to the aid of these poor souls--children from the sound of it. I quickly grasped the large serrated blade that I had found contained within a sheath resting on my hip, tearing it from its containment and wielding it firmly within my metallic grasp.

There it was again!

The shrill cries of children!

And from the sound of it, they were on the surface, outside this dark and treacherous grotto.

What could I do, I had to hurry and find an exit or else those children will meet their supposed gruesome fate, but where was this exit that I desired, that I required to find? I couldn't waste time looking for it, I had to act fast. I ran quickly to the closest source of their screams, standing right below these children now as I stared dexterously at the ceiling of this crypt of aged death. I focused my vision on the sinister cackles coming from across the position of the children. I couldn't make out what was being spoke, but all I could decipher was that there were a group of people planning on harming those children. My anger got the best of me, and what I did now was considerably wreckless, but strangely sufficient.

I let out an angry roar, shaking the walls of the skeletal framed corridors I wandered. With an upward thrust I cut through the ceiling armored by ancient remains, I cracked through it rather easily, shattering the integrity of the ceiling, causing it to cave in. I heard a series of surprised yelps as I bursted from beneath the ground. I had quite luckily been positioned between the children--or should I say 'foals', and what appeared to be a group of seven people similar to me: humans. They were much more shorter than I though, perhaps five foot nine each, though most of them made up with their armor and muscle mass.

"What the fuck is that thing!?" one of them cried out, rudely pointing at me with his puny little butter knife of a sword.

"I don't know!" another one barked, getting into a fighting stance; the others followed in example and prepared for a battle.

I took a glance back at the cowering foals, their eyes filled with shock and panic. They were scuffed up, a few cuts and bruises here and there, those cowardly bastards dare strike innocent children? They are defenseless against those dressed for battle, no real man of any species would call themselves strong after striking a child. I turned my gaze towards them, the interior of my helmet suddenly turned a bright crimson red as the cowards backed up slowly, their eyes wide with fear.

"ATTACK!!" one of them bellowed, rushing forward as he struck his mace against the bulk of my torso armored by my chest plate. His weapon bounced off me like rubber, redirecting it towards him, caving his face inward with a sickening blood saturated crunch. He fell to the ground, dying a vain fool's death.

The others cried out in rage, charging forward to avenge their fallen comrade while I continuously swatted them away like mere insects. I didn't know what was going on with my armor, all I know is that I can feel things like the material surface of my suit of armor is my flesh. I could feel each attack they thrusted at me, but they were feeble and painless, merely annoying rather than damaging. I felt a stinging sensation run through the back of my head, one of the heathens had launched an arrow into the exposed area at the back of my head. I shrugged it off, most of my adrenaline forcing away the annoying infirmity the arrow's strike.I grasped one of the feeble weapons these cowards wielded and chucked it into the throat of the offender who shot that arrow into the back of my head.

One by one I slaughtered them all, pummeling them into the ground. I almost felt bad, my superiority compared to theirs just made it seem like they were defenseless. As I crushed the life out of the last of those cowardly weaklings, I turned my attention towards the foals once more who now stared at me with a mixture of awe and horror. I tried to cast an assuring smile at these disgruntled young ones, only to succumb to the reality that my face was hidden by the vented visor of my helmet. I sheathed my menacing sword, figuring that was one of the features of my being that scared the ever living daylights out of them. I then knelt down, waving at them softly, my body language becoming docile and gentle.

"W-Who are you?" the alabaster foal ask, the one with a unicorn horn protruding from their forehead.

"...I don't know" I answered them honestly, figuring lying about my identity was rather redundant.

"What are you?" the middle one, a foal with wings protruding from her back, her orange fur coat matted with sweat and grime.

I took a glance over at the fallen enemies behind me, staring at them blankly. I wasn't too sure, but I had a feeling in my gut telling me that I was one of them, that I was human, like a memory I can't slight recall in detail. I returned my gaze to the foal, her expression saying she already pieced it together from my glance back at the bodies of those sinister cowards.

"Y-You're human?" the final one asked, the one on the far right. She had burgundy red hair, accented with a bow of a brighter red hue. She gazed up at me with slight fear, as well as the other two.

"I...think so" I replied, giving them an honest answer once more.

"We need to go...before more of those...cowards...arrive" I spoke as I let out a groan, the adrenaline of battle leaving me as the pain I inherited began to seep in.

"But what about them?"  the unicorn foal asked, pointing over at the four bodies that could become recognizable as four equine guards, all around seven or so feet of height. They were sprawled on the ground, wounded, and near death. I gave the foals a quick nod as I rushed over, hoisting them all onto my right shoulder while I hefted the surprised foals into the comfort of my left arm...

"..and soon after that, I had arrived at the front gates of your establishment. And now I'm here" the knight finished, as the two alicorn sisters stared at him with surprise and sheer awe at the knight's tale. Both Celestia and Luna's milkshakes have been drained empty, their faces filled with interest. Celestia seemed a bit off, her gaze never left the knight's, her expression was emotionless but her eyes said it all; she had a look of longing, of sadness, and hope. Luna noticed this, and slowly stood, shifting her gaze to the knight.

"Pardon us, we must discuss something" Luna spoke, grasping the attention of Celestia as Luna pulled Celestia out of the room by a gentle grasp of her shoulder. Once outside, Luna dismissed a few guards that were in the room, leaving Celestia and Luna to themselves.

"What's wrong sister?" Celestia asked, biting her lip softly.

"Don't give me that, you know what's wrong. What is with that look you give him, you look at him as if he is a long lost relative!" Luna spoke, staring at Celestia with confusion.

"...Luna," Celestia began, inhaling deeply before she quickly snapped her fingers, casting a spell of silence so that no one else outside the room could hear her. "I...I have reasons to believe that...that the knight in there is him" Celestia spoke, causing Luna to tilt her head in confusion.

"Who?" Luna asked, as Celestia inhaled deeply before releasing a calm exhale.

"...Elias"