9. Seris II

Seris

Old fool, He complained to himself, Always drinking and wasting time!

He would have enjoyed his morning, but with the business that needs tending to. A princess from Equestria, and two companions of hers came to their world not too long ago. They had wished to see the emperor, but given his uncle's hangover he told them to wait until morning, when his uncle is sober.

Unfortunately, it was past noon. He walked to his uncle's chambers, across a hallway with intricate murals depicting great battles along it. The end of the hall was the door to his uncle's bedroom. The door was as marble white as the floor tiles. He turned the knob all the way.

"At least he didn't lock it." He mumbled to himself.

As he opened the door, he smelt a very faint but pungent odor. The emperor's bedroom was a disaster; dressers were stained, shelves knocked over as well as its contents, and feathers all over the place. His uncle's bed itself looked destroyed. He found his uncle sleeping in said bed, but he was not alone.

He could have cried out: "Uncle!" or "Your highness!" and never even stir him. He saw a cup filled with water on the dresser, and went over to it. Grasping it, he then went over to his hungover uncle. He stopped at a decent length from his uncle, not being too close. Seris had then threw the water out from the cup.

As water drenched over the emperor, a sudden shock went over him. "AAAHHH!!!" His uncle cried furiously, "You blasted fool! I'll kill ya and rip your intest--" his sudden outburst awoke the other in his bed.

Underneath his helm, Seris made himself smirk a bit. His uncle stopped himself when he noticed his nephew. The emperor was not wearing his helm, his hair was a tangled mess, and his flat flabby face looked tired, his beard a similar tangled mess to his hair.

"By Anakim's name, Seris!" He shouted, "Have you no decency to knock?"

"Now would be a good time to put your helm back on." He had told him.

The other in his bed was a ronian woman. She looked older then he expected as she sat up, covers over her. He figured this would happen. His uncle had always been a fierce lover. The woman had a round slightly wrinkled face; her hair flowing blonde.

"What? What do you want me for?" The emperor asked drowsily.

Lord Seris only breathed deeply, and replied, "An alicorn princess has an appointment to make with you."

"Ali-Alicorn princess? What?"

He assumed he did not remember, "An alicorn princess entered the portal to Ronia. She awaits your council as we speak."

His uncle looked bewildered, "So, a pony is here?"

"Yes." He answered him not amused.

He uncovered himself from his covers briskly, "Well why didn't you tell me sooner?!" he shouted as he was rushing towards the door.

"But first," Lord Seris stopped him, "May I suggest not to go out without being properly dressed?"

His uncle looked down at himself, realizing how little he had on. "Oh, I see."

"And what of me, your highness?" The woman said, still in the bed.

"As for you," The emperor answered her, "Our business is finished."

"Yes, your majesty."

The woman got up from the covers. Seris had turned to his uncle. "Who is that?" he asked curiously.

The emperor seemed puzzled by what his nephew said, "Oh, um... I can't remember her name. Uh... anyway, why has Semyaza neglected to wake me?"

"Semyaza has tried to wake you, twice. He apparently was not suited to wake you from from your drunken slumber."

"Well... at least he knows better then to pour water over me! Who did this to my room?" His uncle added, noticing his messy room, "It was probably me I guess, I don't know."

Seris had known his uncle to be forgetful. As large of a ham as he was the other day, he does tend to forget things from time to time.

But he knew better then to challenge him... for now at least. "I'll send for the princess when you are ready."

When he arrived at the guest bedroom (also called the red and gold room), he noticed the purple alicorn and her companions waiting outside. The other ponies with her were a light blue coated pegasus, with a rainbow colored mane, and an odd looking pony with a grey-ish purple coat and blackish mane, with bat-like wings and cat-like eyes. The bat-like pony also had a sword sheathed on his back.

"Lord Seris," The alicorn said, "Is he awake?"

"As he will ever be." He replied sweetly, with a dash of inside humor.

"Finally!" The rainbow maned pegasus said impatiently, "Let's get this thing done!"

"He will be ready shortly. For the moment we shall wait. Since you know of my name, I would like to be better acquainted with the three of you."

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," The alicorn introduced herself and the others, "This is Rainbow Dash who is a good friend of mine."

"And one of the best!" The rainbow maned one bragged.

"Yes indeed," Twilight had then continued introducing, "And this is Blackblade A servant of Princess Luna."

"So I see," Seris was very intrigued, "And you are a princess I trust?"

"Yes, my lord." She answered him politely.

"Well your highness," He said to her cordially, "May you be welcome in the city of Nezend."

"I must admit," Seris heard a familiar voice, "Your latrines are rather an intriguing marvel, my lord!"

Seris turned to where he heard the voice, recognizing it to be the spy Kapral. He still wore his dark helm and light armor, and black hooded mantled cloak.

*Gasping*

When he turned to the ponies, there faces were shocked. He did not expect to see the spy so soon.

"So, Lord Seris, are all Nezend latrines like this?" Kapral had then noticed the three ponies.

Princess Twilight's horn glew with magic aura; her face filled with anger. The other ponies looked angry as well. The bat-like pony pulled his long sword from its sheath, levitating it somehow.

"Oh, bloody hell."

*Fires blast*

With quick feet, He witnessed Kapral barely dodging the blast of magic. As they were about to attack him again, Seris made an effort to stop them.

"Wait! Don't attack him!" He urged them.

"He's a sabrathanian!" Rainbow Dash shouted fiercely.

"No! He's not a sabrathanian, he's a friend."

The aura from Twilight's horn dimmed a bit. "What?" Her face clearly showed confusion.

"This... This is Kapral." He introduced the spy, "He is an agent of the emperor. He infiltrated the largest sabrathanian base in Ronia. He gathered important information for us about how they got into your world. Needless to say, he is invaluable."

He noticed Twilight's horn aura dim completely, as if she is reassured.

"But..." She still seemed confused, "I still don't understand. He looks a lot like the sabrathanians we saw from the fair awhile back. He does not have wings like you do."

"Thanks for reminding me," Kapral had said sarcastically, "I had not realized I had two important appendages to fly with!"

"Forgive him," Seris said apologetically, "He can indeed be tactless sure, but he does mean well." I think. He had then added in his head.

"I don't know," Rainbow Dash said skeptically, "He looks pretty shifty to me."

"I can understand that," He admitted, "But really, he is our ally in this matter. Besides, he is the least of our and your concern. The emperor will likely tell you more about it."

"About what?" Blackblade asked nervously.

*Door opening*

When he had heard a door open he knew immediately who it was...

"Emperor Mendrion!" Kapral had greeted humorously, "You look like you might have had quite a rough night, eh?"

His uncle chuckled a little. Seris had noticed his uncle was a little exhausted; His gait was slow and unsteady. He had worn his regal golden armor from before. He could not help but glance at his uncle's wings. Feathers were falling off.

"So," The emperor said at last, "This is the alicorn princess you told me of?" He turned to Kapral.

"Yes your highness," Kapral replied, "This is her. This is the alicorn I have told you about. The one who had killed a sabrathanian, and taken another hostage."

"You mean, Adoranz or whatever?" Rainbow Dash commented.

"Yes."

The emperor's eyes drooped a bit, but then blinked wide open. "Quite an impressive feat for a pony, to have successfully killed a sabrathanian!" He complemented the alicorn boldly, "And a princess at that! Hah! You ponies have more guts and stones than I dare think! What is your name, oh valiant princess?"

"Twilight Sparkle, your majesty." She said with courtesy.

"Twilight Sparkle. A name that shall be honored for the ages! Come. We shall continue our conversation in my throne room."

He saw Twilight's eyes brighten up. "Yes your majesty!"

Seris was very thankful the throne room was devoid of anybody, other than a few guards and themselves. The marble throne's glossy finish shone brightly from the sunlight. His uncle--less as tired--walked up the steps to the throne. He plopped down on it rather uncomfortably.

"Now before we begin," The emperor started, "I wan't you to know that I, Mendrion Emperor of Nezend, am well aware of the troubles with the sabrathanians in Equestria."

"Y-You are?" Twilight seemed almost relieved, "Well that's good."

"In a sense. They're still a problem, but a small one in comparison to an even bigger one!"

"What do mean?" Twilight seemed curious as well as worried.

"Those cultists are not the only ones to enter Equestria."

"WWHHAAT?!!" Twilight and Rainbow Dash exclaimed in unison.

"Yes," His uncle continued, "An enemy of ours since the dawn of time, has found a way into your world like the sabrathanians! The mountain warriors of Kaerndal, or kaerndallans as we've called them."

"They're worse than the sabrathanians?" Twilight looked genuinely worried.

"At this moment in time, I believe so. It is possible those savages would tear a pony to shreds!"

"Perhaps they're not unkind?" The bat-like pony Blackblade said nervously, "Surely this could all just be a big misunderstanding? Maybe they're not looking to kill ponies."

"How DAFT of you to think that!!!" The emperor's voice boomed furiously, "They've slain my son in battle, pillaged my lands of its food and wealth, and tried to claim my empire for their own for decades!!! They would no doubt have no issue conquering all of Equestria, that's to be sure!"

He noticed the bat-like pony cringed and cowered a little. He had backed up a bit after hearing that. He could have sworn he heard something under his breath, but shrugged it off.

"So what'll we do to stop them?" It was Rainbow Dash who asked.

The emperor stood up from his marble throne, sunlight reflecting of his golden armor. "Well, my friends of Equestria, I have just the right answer: We declar--"

"Your highness!" A high thin voice called out.

Seris knew it was Semyaza, "Lord Semyaza? Is something amiss?"

"No, It is good news."

This got his uncle's attention. "What news do you bring with you? And be quick about it!"

"Y-Y-Yes y-your majesty." Semyaza had stuttered, but then reported clearly, "The scouts have reported seeing tracks heading out of the desert of Casah."

"Really?" The emperor was keen to listen, "So they are alive?"

"Huh?" The three ponies said altogether.

"But sadly not all clouds have a silver lining, sire."

"What do you mean?" He was not happy to hear that.

"They have reported discovering tracks heading north; out of the desert, but towards the mountains."

His uncle's eyes flared with fury, "They're heading towards the border! They'll be killed for sure! Where is Eldellus?!"

They had heard the door slam open. Seris realized it was (coincidentally) Lord Commander Eldellus and four other knights. One of them was the female knight he saw before; the one he denies to be Hayliel.

"Your highness!"

"If you're here to tell of the ponies progress," The emperor started frustrated, "I already know!"

"What ponies?!" Rainbow Dash asked. Her question went unanswered.

"Um..." The Lord Commander seemed puzzled for a moment, "Actually, There had been a mishap with the portal yesterday. From what I've been told the knights discovered a vortex high above the clouds. That vortex should have been emitted from the device. The trajectory from our side of the portal was off miles into the sky."

"Device?" Rainbow Dash asked, "What device?"

"A mirror like device," Seris told her, "I'm not sure what the portal from here to Equestria looks like in your world, but it looks like a silver mirror to us."

"That might explain why we were up so high when we entered." Twilight speculated to herself. "The portal to Ronia looks like a golden mirror.

Seris had not expected the portal to switch an exit point. "Is it possible the device had been tampered with?"

"Possibly," The Lord Commander answered, unsure, "We cannot tell for sure, but it is likely someone messed with it."

"I'm confused." Rainbow Dash commented.

"Silence!!!" The emperor bellowed. "There is too much being said! One story at a time! Commander!"

"Yes your highness?"

The emperor breathed in deep to let go of his frustration. "I want you and ten of your best knights to fly to the borders, find the thirteen ponies and bring them here."

"Understood, your majesty." The Lord Commander left them with the four knights following behind.

The female knight looked back, but said nothing. They had already left by the time the doors shut. He still denies her to be Hayliel.

"Well that was a relief." Kapral commented sardonically, "I'd thought they'd never leave."

He then noticed Twilight looking suspiciously at the spy, "Did you have anything to with this?"

"What?"

"The portal?" Twilight demanded, "Did you mess with the portal?"

"I had nothing to do with it!" Kapral defended.

"Anyway!" The emperor interrupted and turned to Twilight, "I apologize if your job as ambassador seemed fruitless; given we were aware of the situation."

"There's no need to apologize, really." Twilight shrugged, "I'm just worried of what Princess Celestia will make of this."

"I see." The emperor then sat back down on his marble throne. "Especially when peace is not an option here. You must tell Princess Celestia to find their current location in Equestria, and wipe them out. Most likely, there won't be many of them."

"I will do as you ask, Emperor Mendrion of Nezend." Twilight concluded.

"And just how do you expect to get back?" Kapral reminded them, "With the portal acting up, I don't think it would be possible for you three to return."

"Oh..." He noticed Twilight seemed to have forgotten this, "Right... Can it be fixed?"

"Given it has not been used in years," Seris told them, "I don't believe there is anyone around who knows a way to fix it."

"So that's it then?!" Rainbow Dash complained, "Were gonna be stuck here forever?!"

He noticed Twilight must have been thinking of something. "What if I tried to use my magic on it? Could that work?"

They all looked at Twilight curiously. "I'm not sure if that would work," Seris told them, "But I suppose it is worth a try."

The emperor stood up from the marble throne again, "Nephew, show them the device."

"Yes uncle."

The silver mirror used to be located near the gates of Nezend. But that was thousands of years ago. After the two princesses sealed the way to Ronia, emperor Anakim ordered his men to hide the mirror away in a system of catacombs, just below the marble throne.

The catacombs were forged when the tower was built ages ago. Throughout that time, those passageways started to gather gather dust because they were rarely used. Seris had seen the entrance to them once, when he was only a child playing with his long forgotten friends.

Just going to the entrance brought those nostalgic memories to mind. Before they had entered he lit a torch, for the catacombs were surrounded by complete darkness. For a long while the only sounds were their foot and hoofsteps.

"Excuse me, Lord Seris?" He heard Twilight break the silence.

"Yes? What is it?" He tried to be calm. Navigating in torchlight for him was not easy.

"Back there... What did the emperor mean by 'other ponies' exactly?"

"Kapral had told us a few days ago, that thirteen ponies escaped from the largest sabrathanian fortress. The same one I mentioned to you before."

"Why is he interested?" Twilight had then asked him.

"Because one of them obliterated every sabrathanian in the base. Kapral was the sole survivor of this encounter."

"Do you know the pony who did it?" Rainbow Dash had then asked.

"I don't remember her name... but Kapral most likely remembers."

"Indeed I do," Kapral replied confidently, "She is a unicorn mare. Mane of red and gold, light amber coat, cyan eyes. Her name is--"

"Sunset Shimmer?!!" Twilight exclaimed loudly.

"Shh..." He shushed her. "Yes, that was her name."

"But-but-but, how?" She objected, "She's in a different world from Equestria!"

"Yes, I know." Kapral had answered her, "A world much different from yours. I was the one who captured her."

The three ponies shot a suspicious glance at him.

"Not that I wanted to." He said defensively, "Master Shozad--the leader of that sabrathanian base--asked of me to complete this task. I actually feel genuinely sorry for her, and the other twelve still out there. As well as the many ponies I've watched burn. Oh how I loathed it so much!"

Seris continued moving forward; nothing was said after that. The corridors became narrower, the walls around them covered in mold and mildew. The floor beneath them had become rather damp as if there had been water that leaked somewhere. He felt the sense of satisfaction when they had finally reached their destination...

"There it is..." He told them, "The Silver Mirror."

He had never seen the mirror before, until now. A tall rectangular mirror with a glossy silver frame. The frame had engraved carvings along it, depicting an ancient language no longer used by the ronians of this day in age. He saw his reflection, as well as the rest of them.

This truly is a grand marvel! He thought amazed, No wonder they called it one of Ronia's greatest wonders.

"Pardon me for asking, Kapral," Twilight spoke, "But do you know anything about a sphere like mechanism, with legs and shoots a beam of light?"

Looking back, he saw that the spy seemed stumped for a moment. Seris honestly did not know what she was talking about. The spy's eyes had then got bigger, realizing something.

"Oh..." Kapral began, "That was a Beacon Orb, a device created by clandestine forces within the Nezend military."

"What?" Seris was notably unaware of this, "How do you know anything about Nezend military technology?"

"Many years ago, several sabrathanians broke into a research facility to find reasonable weapons to use. Jagged daggers and simple magic traps weren't enough for them anymore."

"Were you one of them?" Rainbow Dash asked, skeptical.

"Hahaha," He laughed sarcastically. "you're too hilarious."

"Alright, that's enough!" Seris scolded them. He then turned to Twilight, "Now then Princess Twilight, see what you can do."

The alicorn princess stepped forth. He saw she had taken a deep breath and then concentrated. Her horn had glowed a red-ish pinkish color. She struggled with something, but he didn't know what. Considering he had never seen ponies before in his life, he knew little about them. But then he saw something that caught his eye:

*Chains rattling*

"By Maker's hand!" He exclaimed, "Magic... chains?"

He gazed at the glowing chains in awe as they retract; and even a glowing lock in its center spun in place, and vanished. They were not even there a moment ago. He had never seen enchanted chains in all his life.

"Wow!" He heard Twilight say, "It worked! I can't believe it worked!"

"Sweet!" Rainbow Dash commented, "We're goin' home!"

As the ponies cheered for a moment, Kapral just stood wide-eyed in wonder. "Well... I did not expect that." He said surprised, "There's definitely more to ponies than I anticipate."

The mirror's glass had glowed a bright gold; a small vortex within its center. The three ponies came over to the mirror. As they were about to leave, Seris felt to remind them.

"Now go, Princess Twilight, tell Celestia of the kaerndallans!" He told Twilight, "You must warn all of Equestria if you have to!"

"Yes milord!"

One by one they entered. The glowing glass rippled like water around them. The bat pony however, lingered a while longer. He went to enter, but turned back as is to say something, but continued.

"I feared this would happen." The bat pony muttered to himself. And he entered the mirror.

Now it was only the two of them: him and Kapral. They had continued their way down the corridors of the catacombs. The light from the torch burned brightly against the walls as they walked. Kapral came up to him.

"What do you think he men't by that?" Seris asked him, "When he said that he 'feared this would happen'?"

"I think I might know the answer." Kapral said unsure, "But I'm pretty sure it's a speculation you probably don't want to hear."