In Youth Eternal - Origins

Chapter 8: Betrayal Part 1

Just below the horizon, she could see it.

Princess Celestia could see the city of Stalliongrad off in the distance. The city, from her point of view, was rapidly growing larger each moment as she drew closer to it.

At her velocity, Princess Celestia had taken no more than an hour, if even that, to arrive at her destination. Her sleek alicron body allowed her superior flight speed to any pegasus. At her altitude, nopony was likely to spot her, especially given that the sun was roughly midway through its daily course.

‘I will try not to make a scene,’ she thought, as her speeding form finally passed over the city limits, now looming high above the city itself. ‘My business is with Crimson, and Crimson alone.’

Her ever watching eyes scanned the city below, seeing the streets bustle with the small dots that were ponies, all going about their daily business. In the center of town was the very same capitol building she witnessed from Star Streak’s mission, complete with dome on the top, with a spire of some sort protruding from it.

‘I won’t bother wasting anytime. I’ll go to it, find Crimson, force him to talk, dispose of him if I have to, and leave,’ her thoughts claimed, reciting a simplified version of her plan.  The alicorn briefly shut her eyes, picturing the conference room she had seen through Star Streak. ‘Yes, this spot will do.’ Her horn produced a burst of golden magic energy, teleporting her form to the new location.

Finding herself inside the very same conference room where the spy had perished, Princess Celestia saw it to be devoid of any pony life at present.  Even Star Streak’s corpse had since been disposed of, and the area cleaned up.

‘So far, so good. The area is clear,’ she observed. Indeed, it would be better for everypony to avoid unnecessary fights and casualties. Although, should it come to that, Celestia could handle just about anything they would have to throw her way. Deep down, she knew that.

‘Now to find Crimson.’ Princess Celestia closed her eyes and allowed magic to flow through her horn, using some type of sensing spell. Suddenly, the alicorn could sense all of the ponies within the building. The floor she was presently on, the 3rd floor, had very few ponies at the moment. The lower two floors bustled with many more government officials.

However, one location caught her attention. A single, lone pony, above her? Princess Celestia found that to be curious and out of place. Then she felt a very familiar magic pulse as the pony she detected activated his magic for some reason.

‘That magic signature... It belongs to... Crimson!’ Celestia’s thoughts claimed. ‘Yes... I’ve found you.’ With locating his position out of the way, Princess Celestia prepared a teleportation spell to travel directly into the same room as Crimson.

Nothing happened. Princess Celestia gritted her teeth together, her horn flowing with magic once more, she tried again, but to avail.

‘Oh, I see. An anti-teleportation field around his room,’ she realized, narrowing her eyes. ‘Clever. But, that won’t stop me’

The alicorn glanced directly up at the ceiling, allowing her horn to light up with its golden shroud. Part of the surface of the ceiling was encased in the same magic aura. With that, Princess Celestia bent her legs before pushing off, flapping her wings slowly at the same time.

Her form calmly ascended to the section of the ceiling that her magic was affecting, passing right on through as if there was no ceiling. Within moments, her head, followed by the rest of her body, poked up through the floor of the room above. Once her whole body was through, her horn deactivated, allowing the alicorn to stand on solid ground.

The room’s shape seemed to match that of a dome. The floor was fitted with a crimson red carpet. There were a number of bookshelves that lined the walls in a few spots, filled with many books and tomes. Facing the wall in one location was an oak desk, with various papers, documents, and other assorted items were well organized. Directly across was a bed with an oak bed frame, with a nightstand next to it. The pillowcases and bed sheets also appeared to be crimson red in color. Hanging from the ceiling above was a chandelier, which lighted the room adequately.

On that very bed of crimson red, was none other than Crimson himself, relaxed on top of it with a book in front of him. Wrapped around his torso was a bandage, used to cover his wound, mostly to stop his bleeding from making a mess. The sinister stallion directed his attention away from his book by turning his head to face Princess Celestia. The alicorn looked back at him with a scowl forming upon her features. Crimson’s stoic expression turned to an unsettling, yet calm smirk. One which sends a chill down the spine of anypony not used to it.

“Oh my. Why, hello Princess Celestia,” Crimson greeted, his calm eyes staring into the alicorn’s soul. “It has been a very long time.” The unicorn stallion activated his crimson red magic to close the book he was reading. “So, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?” he inquired.

“I want answers,” said Princess Celestia, pointing a hoof at the crimson red stallion. “How is that you are still alive after all this time?” she hissed, demanding information from him.

A soft chuckled passed Crimson’s lips. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” he mocked, maintaining his unsettling, creepy demeanor. Princess Celestia was unmoved by it, however, as her expression changed not.

“Yes, as a matter of fact. I would,” she retorted angrily. Crimson arched a brow at this, although his onverconfident grin never subsided.

“Well now, isn’t that curious? But you see, I cannot tell you,” he replied. “It was a secret that I came across during my travels over 200 years ago. But I have no intention of divulging that information to you.”

“Then I will make you an offer you can’t refuse,” the alicorn claimed. Crimson arched a brow again, listening intently. “I will pardon your attempt to assassinate me as long as you reveal the secrets to me.”

Crimson’s brow returned to its normal state as he let out another chuckle. “And if I refuse?” he spoke in a calm, yet mocking tone.

“Then you will regret it...” Celestia growled, narrowing her eyes. The alicorn was dead serious. And yet, Crimson’s smug appearance never dropped, acting as if he were in full control of the situation.

“Hm. I would like to see you try, Princess Celestia,” he retorted, hoisting himself into a standing position on his bed. He stepped down off of his bed and onto the floor to face Princess Celestia, should she decide to attack. “Although,” he continued, staring at Celestia. “I doubt you have it in you.”

“Raaah!” the alicorn yelled, picking up off of the floor and pinning him against the wall with her magic. The stallion had slammed against one of his book cases, shrouded in Celestia’s golden aura. Within the blink of an eye, she was upon him, with her horn not even an inch from his neck.

“I demand that you tell me!” she ordered, starting to lose her temper. She was breathing faster and much more intently than normal, given her angered state.

Crimson remained silent for a moment in thought. Although, his overconfident and unsettling demeanor never ceased, even though he was at the disadvantage.

“Tisk tisk, Princess Celestia. You could not kill me even if you tried,” he boasted. Suddenly, his horn lit up, shrouded in crimson light.

The next thing she knew, the alicorn felt a small ring, a jewel, of some sort slip itself onto her horn. ‘An Inhibitor!?’ her inner thoughts shouted, recognizing the device immediately. Celestia’s magic deactivated, with Crimson falling to the floor, landing safely on his hind legs as he leaned back into the book case for balance.

Princess Celestia stumbled back before collapsing onto her stomach with a thud, her legs and hooves spread out along the ground. It seemed as if all of her strength had been sapped. She could barely keep her head up to see Crimson.

Crimson watched with utter satisfaction as the regal alicorn before him lay, weak and helpless. “You’re familiar with the Inhibitor, aren’t you? It is a device which artificially suppresses the magic of a unicorn, all while sapping them of their strength!” he said, with much more enthusiasm than anything he had stated previously.

The stallion pushed off the bookcase, allowing him to return to a normal standing position. He triumphantly trotted over to the incapacitated Princess, only to place a hoof under her chin, lifting her head to make proper eye contact.

“You see, Princess Celestia, I’m afraid that one of us is going to have to die today,” said Crimson, with a hint of harshness to his tone. He then took a moment to admire her features, before he let out a sinister chuckle.

“Hm hm hm hm... And yet,” he began, forcing her head to move to one side, then to the other, further admiring the alicorn’s beauty. His smug smirk suddenly peaked into a wide, malicious grin, causing Princess Celestia’s eyes to widen in fright. “It would be such a shame, to let such beauty go to waste!” Crimson let go of her head, letting it carelessly hit the floor.

The stallion very slowly trotted around Princess Celestia, running a hoof a down her back before it met her flank. The regal alircorn let out a gasp at the implication, causing her eyes to snap shut. Crimson quickly arrived at the back side of Princess Celestia, caressing her flank with a hoof, rubbing it with a circular motion.

Crimson then made his way back around to Celestia’s front side, once more running a hoof along her sleek body, admiring the Princess’ soft, regal white fur.

He stopped just short of being directly in front of Princess Celestia. A wide, malicious smile still present on his visage, Crimson lowered her head, placing his mouth inches from Celestia’s ear.

“Before you perish, I shall have my way with you, savoring every euphoric moment of it,” he whispered, with a perverted enthusiasm. Princess Celestia gasped as her eyes shot wide open. Crimson raised his head back to level, almost cackling out loud. His once unsettlingly calm demeanor became increasingly deranged as time went on.

“You won’t get away with this, you monster!” Celestia spat, seemingly unable to raise her head or move her limbs. Crimson said nothing in reply, only letting out a sinister, deranged laugh that sent chills down the alicorn’s spine.

With that, the stallion circled back around to Celestia’s back side, gently caressing her soft flank with his hooves. “You won’t enjoy this, my little pony,” he sadistically mocked, as began to lower his head, his mouth agape in order to run his tongue along Celestia’s lady parts.

It was then that a white colored hoof, adorned with gold, struck him the side of his jaw, dislocating it on contact. Simultaneously, the stallion’s neck snapped at least a full 90 degrees as he flew backwards, careening into a bookcase. The shelf that Crimson hit shattered before he flailed onto the floor.

Crimson struggled onto his hooves, hacking up blood, followed by a strained, painful inhale of air. He growled in pain as he hoisted himself onto his hind legs, leaning on the bookcase. His forelegs reached up to his head, giving a quick twist to snap his neck properly into place, followed by performing the same feat on his jaw. He then slumped down noticeably, a look of horror on his face.

"Abandon your arrogance, Crimson!!!" Celestia bellowed angirly, already standing on all four hooves. Her brow furrowed, eyes narrowed, a livid scowl place itself on Princess Celestia’s visage, effectively staring daggers directly at Crimson.

Everything had been going his way, up until the point. Standing before him was a perfectly fine Princess Celestia, with himself cornered against a bookcase. She could do anything to him at this point. For the first time in 200 years, Crimson felt intense fear twisting his heart.

“What!? H-How in the world did you-"

“Since when were you under the impression that your pathetic inhibitor could suppress my power!?” Celestia hissed loudly, interrupting the frightened stallion. Crimson actually winced, turning his head to avert his gaze. Princess Celestia’s undeniable control of the situation made Crimson feel utterly powerless.

 “The moment I recognized that as an Inhibitor, I decided to play along in order to lure you into a false sense of security,” Princess Celestia began, her voice carrying undeniable authority. “Then, I would crush that security, in order to show you something the hard way” she spat, stomping a hoof into the floor. A sudden surge of golden magic rushed through her horn, shattering the Inhibitor ring like glass.

As Princess Celestia began to slowly trot towards him, Crimson attempted to frantically scramble backwards, finding himself already against the bookcase, unable to retreat any further. “You foal, you always thought that you had utter control over every situation, with your little schemes and silver tongue. And yet, here you are, cornered. Your little plan has failed with no back up, and you lose your composure!” the alicorn growled, continuing her monologue.

Princess Celestia’s livid gaze loomed over Crimson once she came to a stop a mere couple hooves away. “And, I told you what would happen if you refused my offer. It’s too late to change that, especially after what you just tried to pull on me!” the alicorn yelled, shoving her face into his in anger, causing Crimson to slump down to the floor, trembling in terror.

The Goddess of the Sun slammed a hoof into his underside, knocking the air out of him in a painful gasp while his body was pinned to the floor. “First, I will take the information I want by force,” she asserted, lowering her head and placing the tip of her horn on Crimson’s head.

The tip lit up with a spark of golden light, causing Crimson’s eyes to widen into a trance-like state. Princess Celestia used her magic to force her way into his memories, searching for the knowledge she so desired. Fortunately, it took mere moments to find what she searched for. With that, the regal alicorn forcefully extracted Crimson’s memories and knowledge of obtained immortality, and implanted them into her own mind.

After raising her head, the scowl upon her features shifted into a satisfied grin. Princess Celestia gave a glance down at the cowering stallion under her hoof. “Now, about you...” she muttered.

“What... What are you going to do with me!?” Crimson cried, his fearful eyes looking up at the intimidating alicorn.

Princess Celestia let out a sinister snicker. “I think I know just what to do about you,” she replied, narrowing her eyes as her smirk morphed into a stern scowl.

With that, magic rushed through her horn, encasing the two in a golden flash of light.

*     *     *

Princess Celestia finished stomping on the now flattened mound of dirt in a large grassy field several miles outside of Stalliongrad. She averted her gaze from the out of place patch of dirt to a crimson colored unicorn horn, which lacked its stallion master.

Her horn activated, shrouding the severed unicorn horn in a golden aura. The aura compressed itself around the crimson red horn for a moment, causing it to shatter into hundreds of small fragments. “Good riddance,” she murmured to herself, shifting her gaze back to the patch of soil before leaning closer to it.

“I hope you enjoy the rest of your life down there, Crimson,” Princess Celestia said, prompting muffled screams from below the ground.

She gave it no heed however, merely turning away leaping into the air. Her wings flapped furiously, allowing her sleek form to take flight into the sky above. A satisfied smirk adorned her features as the alicorn sped off towards her home castle. ‘This is wonderful! I have finally attained the knowledge I so desperately sought!’ he mind bellowed in a fit of joy. However, she soon snapped out of her joy when she noticed something amiss.

Although it was still day, everything was darker than it should be. Princess Celestia gave a glance towards her Sun, noticing something odd.

A dark object, round in shape, was blocking the large golden orb that blessed the land with light. Although it was not completely blocked, it still diminished the amount of light in the world ver noticeably.

As the while alicorn soared through the air, she began thinking to herself, coming only to the same conclusion. ‘There is only one other celestial body in the sky. Then, that has to be Luna’s moon...’ she concluded. ‘But, why did she eclipse my Sun?’ she pondered. ‘I must hurry back to the castle to make sure everything is alright!’

With that in mind, the Goddess of the Sun picked up her speed, cutting through the sky like a hot knife through butter towards her home with one final thought.

‘I suspect this does not bode well...’