Lord of Sins: Rebellion

by hyperion87

Chapters

Prelude: Era of Darkness
1: The Smell of Corpses
2: The Letter
3: A Dire Meeting

Prelude: Era of Darkness

Book One in the Lord of Sins Trilogy

Written by Fallen Astral

Assisted by Galatais

Now being co-written and edited with CrystalSeeker!

Prelude:

Era of Darkness

Green was never my favorite color. But, if I had to pick one, it would be blue, however cliche that might have sounded. Purple does come in at a close second, mainly because it is so similar to blue, but it retains a more mysterious aura to it. Rarely, however, do I get to experience these colors. More often, the colors I see are black.

This is often how I see life. A dark, murky black, one which envelopes the world in its mystery and darkness. More often, I see it as something else. Life is such a short, meaningless span of time, what with its joys and sorrows, pain and grief, sadness and hate, its life and death. Ponies come, and they go. Some go missing. Others might go hungry. Most care for only themselves, and not the problems of others.

Life is quite the catastrophic period of time, after all. However, it can still be seen as something much simpler than that. It’s the long and winding journey to your final demise. It’s the way things are meant to be. Everyone dies, whether their time is now or later. It’s the circle of life.

And that’s normally how I like to see things. Or, at least, how I try.

Here is a small fact: You are going to die. Despite all effort, no one lives forever.

Sorry to be such a spoiler. However, my advice to you is when the time comes, don’t panic. It doesn’t seem to help.

Does this worry you? I urge you - do not be afraid. I am nothing if not fair.

But I in all my truthfulness try to be cheerful about this whole topic. Although, most would find themselves hindered in their belief of me, no matter how I put it. It is true, however. I am never seen as the kind of person to be any kind of happy.

Please, you can trust me. I most definitely can be cheerful. Only, just don’t ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me.

Of course, an introduction. Somewhere from which to start. Where are my manners?

I could introduce myself traditionally, of course, but there is no need. You will know me well soon enough. Although, that depends on the diverse range of infinite variables. It however will suffice to say that the ending result will consistently be the same, no matter the reason or cause. At that moment, I will be standing over you, genially as possible.

You will be lying there (I rarely find ponies standing up). There could be a small discovery; a scream might radiate through the air. But the only sounds I will hear afterwards will be breathing. The noise of my own breathing, and the sound of my footsteps. But when? And why? All of these questions, each one easily answered; it’s only a matter of time. But what is time, really?

Time has been called many things. Some say it is a straight line - unchanging, unfaltered in its steady progression through the ages. Others will say it is like a circle - everything that has happened before will happen again like a giant, neverending loop that continues to spin for all of eternity.

It has even been referred to as a big ball of timey-whimey . . . stuff. While I do not profess to understand the last one, I do know what time really is.

Time is a river.

It has its beginnings, and it has its ends, though it is the events that occur between those two points that really matter. The water is a rolling mass of choices; they can either branch out and widen the river’s banks the more of them that are made, or it can narrow to a stream when there is no choice.

There are changes in the currents as well as the points where some of those choices will send the water in two different directions, only for the specific change to sort itself out on the far side of the obstruction in the river. With enough time, even these small changes will be worn down and will erode away by the unrelenting flow until one questions if any choice had ever even been made at all.

Then, there are the big choices, the ones that do not just change what dress or other form of attire you wore that day, or if you called in sick or not, or even if you decided to side with with one group or another in a war. There are choices that will alter the flow of time completely, causing the river to split and flow in a completely different direction.

Sometimes these choices will end the flow of time prematurely, dead-ending into a destination far short of what the original course was meant to be. Sometimes, however, this new river of time flows on just as long or longer than the main branch before reaching its end. Sometimes, it even rejoins the first timeline further along its path.

Splits like this do not happen often. They cannot, or time would be spread so thin that it would become more like an ocean than a river. But sometimes a choice is so drastic that time itself cannot help but to diverge, even when the choice is something as small as choosing love or choosing duty.

That choice was presented to one stallion at a point in his life. He had served for years, his duties unquestioned, and even found love in whom he served after many shared trials and tribulations. He had friends who would willingly die for him and whom he would die for as well, people who would follow him no matter his choice.

This time, fate offered him a cruel and unrelenting choice: to save the lands he was sworn to protect from a nightmare eternal, he needed to betray his love. His other choice was to let the world fall to the darkness so that he may remain at her side.

You are likely familiar with the first choice. Jer’rahd Kaisur, a stallion who represented unquestioned loyalty, sided with the goddess of the sun, Princess Celestia, to defeat the goddess of the moon, Princess Luna. Princess Luna had turned into the creature of darkness by a lust for power and supposed jealousy towards the Princess of the Sun. She was sealed away and her love and his friends followed her to imprisonment.

That is where the river splits. This is where the river of time diverged.

All of this was before my time, however. In my age, a curse has gripped the world and created tensions in places where none existed before. At the same time, the stars in the night sky are fading out, vanishing into nothing. Many believe there is a connection; many see it as the end of all things. I have been studying for years to try and find the answers, to try and find the cause for this.

The darkness is closing in, and I fear there is little left in this world that will be able to stop it. And already, the darkness has begun to claim the land, to seize it under the curse of the black night. This was the first moment I knew that time was running out. The world is headed for disaster.

As I’ve been alluding to, my one saving grace is distraction. It keeps me sane. It helps me cope, considering the length of time I’ve been performing this job. The trouble is, who could ever replace me? Who could step in while I take a break in your stock-standard resort-style vacation destination, whether it be tropical or of the ski trip variety?

The answer, of course, is nobody, which has prompted me to make a conscious, deliberate decision - to make distraction my vacation. Needless to say, I vacation in increments. In colors.

Still, it’s possible that you might be asking, why does he even need a vacation? What does he need distraction from?

Which brings me to my next point in our lengthy discussion. It’s the leftover ponies. The survivors.

They’re the ones I can’t stand to look at, although on many occasions I still fail. I deliberately seek out the colors to keep my mind off them, but now and then, I witness the ones who are left behind, crumbling among the jigsaw puzzle of realization, despair, and surprise. They have punctured hearts. They have beaten lungs.

And that brings me to the subject of the day. Whether it be today, or tomorrow, whatever the hour and color may be. It’s the story of one of these survivors - an expert at being left behind to die alone.

It’s more of a simple story about, among other things: an army for good, a bit of time travel, a small prophecy, some stupendous sounds of silence, a bit of dying, and the Lord of Sins. But before I can tell you about that particular story, you must learn of what had come before.

And so I shall tell you of it. Our story begins a few years before the beginning of this particularly tragic tale, in a world that may at first seem unfamiliar to most, but is actually very similar in many different ways. This story, however, is much more tragic than most would wish to care.

It all started many moons ago, just after the banishment of Princess Luna. It started with fire, and the smell of corpses.

1: The Smell of Corpses

Part One:

Era of Darkness

Chapter One:

The Smell of Corpses

Fire.

The smell of smoke filled the air along with the fogged clouds of choking, black ash of burning trees. There were shouts, followed by the crashing of steel. The whoosh of igniting flames only grew louder, and the fires burned higher. Late in the night, something crashed and brought the shower of glass, then came the blossoming roar of a gaseous explosion.

The tickles of magic accompanied each of these sounds, and so too did the screaming and panic. Figures ran in the darkness of shadows, black and purple monsters of iron and death. Some of them ran on limbs of metal and flew on wings of steel. They passed silent judgement on any and all that they saw.

Others in flowing cloaks strode through the blossoming flames as if they were the masters of the flame. The fires swirled around them, parted at their passing, and burned alive all those they wished to die. The thud of the monsters feet on the ash coated soil and rubble was stilled only when they found another victim to burn.

A great splintering crack filled the air suddenly, and one of the homes of an older district started to fall as the raging blaze ate away at the structure and the foundation, reducing its stability until the giant could no longer hold its own weight. The flaming trees nearby tottered as the sea of flames battered them, feasting on the wood and slowly growing larger.

The doomed giant groaned and creaked as its foundation gave way, sending the old house toppling to the cold ground in the center of the small village, fanning the blaze of others and sending a shower of sparks high into the night sky. The crash of old wood and metal and the roar of the fire briefly drowned out any other sounds.

There were other figures as well, tall and proud they stood, fighting off the great monsters with the magic and battle skills that had been passed down for generations. Ornate arrows rained down over the monstrous creatures, and one by one they fell away.

The guardians fought like a mist, striking out in surprise, and fading away before retaliation could come. Though even as skilled as these warriors were, even they were beginning to be overwhelmed by the monsters, and their bodies too were soon consumed by the rising flames.

Other noises were audible to the ear, as well. Screams of birds, the whimpers of animals that lived in the villages and forests, all now trapped or trying to escape the fires that consumed them. They were paid no attention by the monsters, as the monsters assumed the small beasts would die just as the humans would.

Some softer, more pleading voices called out over the crackling fire, searching for loved ones, friends, village elders, or even the spirits of those moved on themselves. Many of these voices were suddenly silenced, cut off or simply turned into panicked screams as the metal monsters found them, their blades drinking deep of their life blood.

The corpses were defiled and thrown into the roaring flames, as if they were table scraps being tossed to a hungry hound. The scent of burning flesh, wood, and the bite of arcane magic was nearly overpowering as the attacks progressed. The remaining villagers who could do so would retreat, fighting through the choking haze to get to the one place they thought was safe.

A sinkhole lay near the edge of the village. A perilous path ran along the cliff walls down to its depths, but it remained as the only possible salvation from the monsters in the village. The shadowy forms of the village inhabitants fled, rushing down the trails and along the rocky walls that was never meant for such hurried movement. The monsters ran behind and flew above, continuing their hunt, slaying those they found, burning everything before them to ash.

As the monsters advanced on the sinkhole, the earth itself screamed out and died in their wake. The very life of the land was seeming leached out. The monsters were not concerned with those fleeing for the illusion of safety that the deep crater seemed to provide, but instead continued to ensure that none would remain as they passed by.

The sinkhole was their destination as well.

The flying monsters harried the cliff path, ripping a few villagers from the narrow trail and sending them hurtling to their deaths below, no regards for age or gender. The attacks urged the survivors onwards, causing a larger uproar of panic. The escapees stampeded quickly, knocking others to the side, sending their own to their deaths as they all fled.

A small handful of villagers made it to the bottom, and began to race through the lush growth of the surrounding forest towards their goal. They darted through the white ash, falling like snow past rivulets of water and ornate pools blackened by soot and blood.

The massive roots of their last sanctuary stretched wide in the crater, and many used them as cover as the unearthly steel javelins and spears fell down among them from the sky above, ending the lives of even more refugees, until only perhaps a half a dozen few or more survivors remained. The tiny group of survivors rushed on, seeking to shelter themselves in the temple nestled deeply in the great roots of a tree’s base.

The towering trunk of the great tree rose up even above the lip of the hollows in which it resided, giving the feeling that the tree was a sleeping giant ready to awaken. It was the holy oak, a shrine and a beacon to its people, a place where the spirits gathered. It was the Yggdrasil, the world tree. The god of all the forests whose seeds were told to have produced all life in the world.

Those remaining few were allowed to only stand back and watch as their god slowly burned to the ground.

The demons were already there, cursed weapons hacking away at the massive hardwood, rending limb and root alike until the punishment was too much, even for the ancient giant. Slowly, it began to topple, collapsing and splintering as it fell, the old wood unable to withstand the strain of collapse under its own weight.

Through it all, a younger man stood back and watched from the lip of the basin. His skin was as dark as the blackest night, and his eyes redder than the blood spilled at his own words. A black glove covered the scars of his left hand, each one as if they had once held flames hotter than those that now devoured entire villages.

His cold, crimson red eyes with no hint of remorse watched the carnage below, the flames dancing in them. Around him bodies of now dead villagers hung from trees like the most macabre scarecrows in a darkened field. The man turned his head slightly, as if taking notice of the one watching him, the black hand raised as if it were reaching out to his observer.

That man was the Lord of Sins.

2: The Letter

First up is white; of the blinding kind.

Some of you are most likely to say at first that white is not a color, that it never was, and that you grow tired of even discussing this sort of nonsense. I assure you, it is a color. And you would do best to not argue with me.

But, yes. It was white. It had felt as if the whole of the world was blanketed in a fleece sweater of snow. Above, the sky a dark black, as if it were reflecting the idea of polarity to the ground below, if it were not for the trees and open fields.

A single stallion sat crouched down with his head bent down, eyes shut. He sat alone at the edge of a still pond, his reflection slowly dancing in the rippling water. Above him the light of the rare blue moon shone down over the pond, turning the calm water to a turquoise blue. To his left was a large wooden bow, and in the other a small quiver of arrows.

All across the sky, a celestial line had divided the cosmos. The barrier itself could not be seen, but the heavens were clearly parted on either side of a great schism. One horizon glittered with the tranquil blue night. The other glowed with orange celestial radiance.

Below this galactic canvas, a grassy knoll, in the center of which was planted a single tree. This particular tree was quite massive in size, an enormous and healthy specimen with widely stretched branches full of thick leaves. All along the branches sat those same leaves, and a few sprouting buds which provided another beauty that just added to the tree.

Even with no direct sunlight, the tree still thrived, its branches slowly and gracefully swaying in an invisible evening wind. There seemed to be a very hypnotic dance to the rustling leaves, as if the tree was waving towards the stars above. The heavens rolled in undulating motions, with the blue and orange tints of the sky alternating in the grace of a low and deep tide.

There was no sound ever emitted. Not a single cricket, nor a crackling of twigs. Even the rustling leaves and branches held the occasional reverence, as if the hilltop was too sacred to disturb with anything more than a quiet whisper.

The starry sky continued its quiet, multicolored dance ever onward into a boundless eternity. As the eons drifted by, the tree never died, and the quiet hilltop had never eroded away. The glow of the stars was a slow constant, never fading. Never giving so much as a dimming twinkle.

While most of Equestria had just shifted into spring, the hilltop and surrounding forestry was still gripped by clinging bits of winter. Snow covered most of the ground around the tree, and there was a lingering chill in the air. The occasional breeze would blow past, carrying echoes and howls that flew by through the dark forest, their shrieks like the cries of lonely spirits.

If the tree had a breath to even give, much less a soul of its own, it would have delivered a long, happy sigh. In fact, the stallion did just that. He sighed, letting his hot breath leave puffs of steam to curl and rise for a few seconds, before disappearing into the night. Slowly and carefully, he placed his right hoof on the soft earth, letting the dirt and rich soil deliver a sense of ease.

The stallion let a sly smile crawl over and freeze itself on his face, hugging himself and delighting in the eternal serenity. For a while the stallion watched the rippling water continue its quiet dance, taking in all that surrounded him. Slowly the stallion’s attention turned from the dim light that emitted from the water, and began to scan the skies above. He stared for a second or two, and turned his attention back to the water.

For a long while the stallion sat alone in utter silence on the edge of the pond with the calm dance of the water and the light of the moon as his only company. Occasionally, the silence would be broken by the buzz and chirp of insects, or the creaking of the trees. In all, it was a scene of tranquility, and it was just what the stallion had needed.

As the stallion began to draw in another slow breath, the flapping of wings and caws of a bird began to echo across the trees. He looked back up at the sky, scanning it for any sign of an approaching bird. A sigh of relief overcame him when the man saw a falcon breach over the treetops. The stallion stood and brushed dirt and snow off his legs, and continued to watch the skies while he awaited the arrival of the avian creature.

Soon the bird could be seen over the treetops above him. As the stallion watched, the bird began its descent. The stallion cupped his left hoof over his eyes as the bird came lower and lower, soon arriving just in front of him. The falcon flapped its wings for a few seconds, before landing on the stallion’s outstretched left leg.

The stallion looked to the bird’s right leg, which had attached to it a small piece of paper. The stallion grasped the small paper in his hands, and looked to the bird. He patted the bird on the head, and said “Good job, Horus.” Horus cawed, and the stallion handed a small piece of grain to Horus, who took it gladly. The stallion then took the paper in his hoof, and slowly opened it. As soon as the stallion could read it properly, he read the short letter out loud.

“Dusk Swirl, thank you for your efforts. Horus is performing magnificently. You will receive your next set of instructions from Princess Twilight. You need to see her tomorrow at the Castle of Friendship in Ponyville.”

Dusk Swirl rolled the paper back to the way it was, and looked up at Horus. He grinned to himself, and handed Horus another piece of grain. “Heh, great job, my friend. You have made me proud to be your master.” His speech made Horus caw. Right after devouring the second piece of grain, Dusk Swirl attached another piece of rolled paper to Horus’ leg, and sent Horus off to deliver the new message.

Dusk Swirl watched as Horus flew off, his eye staying on Horus until the bird disappeared behind the trees. Chuckling to himself, he grabbed a medium-sized bag that sat on the ground next to him. Dusk Swirl brushed it off of the dirt and snow, and then grasped the bow and arrows in his empty hands. Just as he was finishing packing up, he was interrupted suddenly by hoofsteps nearby.

Sighing, he didn’t bother to look in the direction the noises came from. “You know better than to try and sneak up on me, Timekeeper.”

“Ah, yes. But does it really hurt to even try just once?”

Dusk Swirl looked up to Timekeeper, who was walking towards him. Dusk Swirl grasped his belongings in his hand, and chuckled to himself rather loudly. “No, I guess it doesn’t.”

Timekeeper chuckled, and began to help Dusk Swirl pack up the rest of his things, and kept talking all while doing so. “So, where’s Celestia sending you next? I hope it isn’t something boring.”

Dusk Swirl laughed to himself quietly before responding. “Nah, I don’t think so.” Dusk Swirl slung his bag over his shoulder. “Actually, I think that where we’re going next just might even be a little more interesting than our last trip.”

“Ah, yes. I hated the Griffon Kingdoms. Quite much, as a matter of fact. I would be surprised if Celestia had the gall to send us there again.”

Dusk Swirl sighed, and stood up. “Well, I doubt he will, but you never know.”

<<<>>>

The two began walking through the forest. All around, the darkened trees and tall bushes stood with their gnarled branches, each one surrounding the two on all sides like silent guardians of the forest lands. Dusk Swirl and Timekeeper continued to walk, conversing about different subject matters. Usually it was whatever would have come to either stallion’s mind.

Most of the conversation was about previous travels, and any misadventures that the two stallions had experienced together and alone. Both of them got quite a laugh out of their discussions, some of which drove the two to a point of laughing that nearly made them able to die. They would sometimes need to stop just to let a good laugh out.

But, the two did in fact had a number of serious ones. Some of them involved so intense an argument that the two had to stop walking just to discuss it. Most of them were recalling different issues that they encountered on their outings, and how they could have taken a different course of action during quite a few perilous situations.

“Well, I don’t see the sense in that!” Dusk Swirl proclaimed.

Timekeeper recoiled back a bit. “Look, all I’m saying is that maybe we could have done something differently. Then, maybe we might have saved a few more lives than we did!”

Dusk Swirl was more than just ticked off with Timekeeper at this point. “No! There was no other way of doing it! Had we done it any other way, we would have had a bigger loss than the one we got!”

The two kept yelling back and forth, each one trying to prove that they were right, and the other was wrong. That portion of the conversation nearly ended in a fist fight. Luckily, Dusk Swirl became the sensible one, and forced Timekeeper to drop the issue there. But unfortunately for the two, Timekeeper wasn’t too happy about simply dropping the subject.

Dusk Swirl froze in his place, and looked at Timekeeper. “Why do we even keep discussing this? This happened over three and a half years ago!” Dusk Swirl exclaimed.

“I don’t care how long ago it happened!” Timekeeper yelled. “All I know is that if we had done it my way, there would be a lot more ponies alive than just the ones we’ve got now!”

“Over six million died, Timekeeper! There is nothing we can do! There wasn’t anything that we could do, and we still can’t do anything to change the past! Deal with it!”

Timekeeper decided to simply shut his mouth after that. The two continued walking for some time, and nothing more was discussed. Soon the two arrived at the outer edge of the forest. The immense and dark forest opened up to a beautiful and expansive meadow that was covered in lots of tall grass and occasional bush or small tree.

The two men stopped just at the edge of the forest, and stared out at the horizon. The meadows seemed to stretch on forever, their beauty and expansiveness broken only by the sight of large, gray mountains in the background, each one surrounded by thick fog. Just beyond the meadow’s edge, the men could see the faint visage of a small town, nearby which sat a gleaming castle.

The two men stood for just a moment, taking in the eternal beauty of the meadow. Dusk Swirl reveled in the sight, but his calm state was interrupted by Timekeeper, who had started talking. “Well, we ain’t gonna get any closer to Ponyville if we keep standing here.” Dusk Swirl glared at Timekeeper. “What!? I’m just saying that, uh . . . maybe we should get going!? I mean, Ponyville isn’t gonna get any closer at the rate we’re going!”

Dusk Swirl simply sighed to himself, and motioned for the two to keep walking. As the sun began to peak farther and farther over the mountaintops, the light began to shine brightly over the castle and the town of Ponyville.

3: A Dire Meeting

Chapter Three:

A Dire Meeting

Next is a signature black. You could say it was an example of my own polarity. It was the darkest moment before dawn. Celestia’s glorious sun had just begun to rise above the mountains, its light barely shining over the dark peaks.

Overhead a small flock of birds flew, their grace unmatched by the vivid world around them. Nearby a large waterfall, the mist produced rising as high as the clouds above. Low hanging clouds and fog covered the peaks of the mountains, as if they were hiding a great secret. Dusk Swirl stared out at the large plains that supported the town of Ponyville. Next to him stood Timekeeper, whose face showed not fascination, but regret.

A sound of hoofsteps behind them made the two quickly turn around. When they turned around, a bulky, older looking stallion stood behind them. He donned the armor plating of the royal guard. Dusk Swirl and Timekeeper presumed he was from the Castle of Friendship. Dusk Swirl took a few quick seconds to stare at him, examining him clearly with no obvious delight to be seen.

This particular stallion of course had no outstanding features. He had a larger build for a pegasus, and stood tall and proud, like any royal guard should. I however had no purpose in his physic. I only sat and watched, not letting my gaze leave that of his eyes.

“I am Whirlwind, one of Celestia’s royal guards. What kind of business would two young stallions such as you be doing out here, hm?” He looked down to Dusk Swirl, as if he was attempting to intimidate him.

In my opinion, he wasn’t that intimidating. But of course, why should my opinion matter? Well, it always matters, of course. I continued watching, never letting my eyes move from the three ponies in front of me. All the while, the clocks continue to run, and the sun moves across the diamond-blue sky.

“My name is Dusk Swirl, sir. I believe that Princess Twilight Sparkle is expecting us?”

Whirlwind took a second, scanning each of the stallions carefully. This, of course, was part of one of his jobs. To study ponies, keeping a look out for any suspicious characters that might threaten royalty. After finding nothing out of the norm, he took another minute to recollect in thought. Suddenly, a realization came over him. “Ah, yes! Her highness is expecting you!” He looked to Timekeeper. “But whom is this? Princess Celestia told me only of one arrival, not two.”

“I am-” Timekeeper began. He was interrupted by a hoof which was placed ever so genially in front of him. To his side stood the stallion who committed the heinous act, Dusk Swirl. Staring at Timekeeper, his face held an emotion and sentence, which said, “No. Don’t. I’ll explain. You know I’m better at explanations.”

“Sorry. This is Timekeeper. He’s-” Dusk Swirl thought of a good excuse, but Timekeeper was merely just a friend who travelled with Dusk Swirl. He never really had any reason to be at his side. He was simply there, only to fill an empty void. “He’s my travelling companion, sir.”

Whirlwind looked Timekeeper over once more for only a second or two, and then responded in a rather regretful tone. “Alright. We must hurry. The sun will be setting soon.”

A feeling of confusion washed over Dusk Swirl, as he looked over to the sun. It had just risen high enough to be right above the peak of a mountain. Looking back to Whirlwind, he expressed his confusion. “Um . . . Whirlwind? How can it be nearly sunset, when the sun has just risen above the mountain’s peak?”

“Yes, but if we hurry, we will arrive at the castle gates at sunset.”

The three ponies turned to their right, and continued down the pathways to the castle. Overhead, the golden yellow of the sunlight shined. Most of the road was quite smooth, but when the three stallions hit the start of incline, the road became littered with rocks. Dusk Swirl slipped a few times, once nearly breaking his ankle.

After sharing a quick laugh, the three ponies continued walking. Whirlwind had no difficulty, however, having often ascended and descended the mountainous road. Time seemed to pass quickly around the travelling stallions. When the had finally arrived at Princess Twilight’s castle, the sun was beginning to set below the horizon.

Soon after, they arrived at the gold-laced gates of the castle. The great structure glowed a beautiful white, and reflected the rays of the setting sun perfectly. The sun itself cast immaculate shadows upon it, giving it flare that could never be matched by any other.

<<<>>>

She sat at the longest oak wood table that was provided. Her chin rested upon her crossed hooves with the book in front of her. Typically, she didn’t like to read in public, but the matter of the hour required that all blood members of the royal family be at the meeting. Of course, Princess Twilight didn’t think much of it, except for the fact that she could never be alone, and she was quite sure at this point that life outside the castle walls was beyond better than any she could afford inside.

But today she would have to explore the outside world through her reading. The light streamed in through the glass ceiling that was so painstakingly assembled some years ago, the colors mixing and blending until there was a warm glow cast throughout the library reading area.

The meeting of the royals did nothing to distract Twilight from her reading. Occasionally, her subconscious would somehow make her pay attention, but lucky for her she had no need to re-read anything in her book. For a long while, she was quiet. The princess of magic decided that it would benefit everyone better if she just kept her mouth shut for the duration of the meeting.

Of course, it became more and more difficult for Princess Twilight to not pay the meeting some sort of attention. Eventually, she decided to simply put the book down, and gave the meeting and its members her full undivided attention. But now she was at a loss, for she had no clue what the meeting was about, nor did she have knowledge of anything that the royals had discussed thus far.

“Well, I don’t know how exactly we can continue to keep those blood-thirsty brutes off the walls, and out of the kingdom! If you have any ideas, Princess, then by god, please tell me!”

The princess of the sun, Princess Celestia, could only shake her head in disbelief. “I’m not saying to change anything. I’m simply asking if there’s anything more that your men could do!?”

“Your highness, there’s nothing we can do! If we try to attack them in any way, we’ll provoke-”

Princess Celestia held up her hoof silently, and shushed the commander. “Commander Undertow, listen. I’m not saying to provoke them in any way. I’m just asking if there is anything else you and your men could do!?” Celestia had continued to move her hooves, as if they were in synced to her emotions and speaking.

Princess Twilight shrugged her shoulders and laughed to herself. She continued to listen to her mentor and Commander Undertow babble on and yell back and forth at each other. By this time in her life, she had gotten well used to their fighting. The two always fought. Twilight sat back down, and pulled up her book, back to the place where she had stopped reading.

For another long while, Princess Twilight continued to read her book. Nothing had distracted her thus far. However, there was always this one distraction. Moon Dust. He was well known by the castle guard as a loner, and sometimes thief. On the other hand he was good at what he did, and the guard could never catch him stealing more than an occasional glance at Princess Twilight.

Twilight glanced up to see Moon Dust staring at her, and was distracted enough that she had to re-read a couple of paragraphs. The distraction she felt went beyond the bothering stare though, she felt as if something were wrong. The light in the room wasn't quite right. She glanced to the ceiling once more and was quite startled to see shadows cast onto the multi-faceted surface of the glass above her.

Worried just slightly, Princess Twilight attempted to continue reading. As it became increasingly difficult, the princess found it harder to keep her attention away from Moon Dust. Often she found herself looking back and forth between the book and the stallion. But at one point, Moon Dust wasn’t there when she looked back up. Princess Twilight, her nerves already tense enough with the meeting, simply slammed the book down onto the wooden table in front of her, and looked at her father.

“Princess Celestia, may I be excused?”

The princess of the sun was taken back by her sudden outburst. See and the commander stared right at her, neither of their gazes leaving her eyesight. “Why, whatever for, Twilight?” She finally said.

“I . . . I don’t know. I just don’t see any reason fit enough that I should even be here right now. I thought that I should just leave, that way you and Commander Undertow can continue your meeting.”

“Well, I . . . uh, I guess it’s fine. You can go.” See waved her away, and Princess Twilight gladly accepted her offer.

She began walking towards the door. As she opened the doors to the large room, Twilight glanced over to a dark corner of the room. For a second, she could swear she saw Moon Dust standing there, grinning at her. Ignoring her thoughts, Princess Twilight walked off through the doorway, closing the doors behind her as quietly as possible.

Soon she was outside the grand room, and had stepped straight into another one, this room quite larger in size. This new room appeared to be much larger than that of the last room. All along the walls, large tapestries adorned the stone, and lights hung from the ceiling. A grand staircase lead from the center of the room.

All of this was ignored, as Twilight continued walking towards a door on the other side of the room. She walked with caution, expecting some brute to jump out and attack her. But this kind of behavior was considered normal for a member of royalty when travelling the castle alone. Just as she began to open the door on the other side, the front gates to the keep opened up wide, and the three stallions stepped through.

“Hello, Whirlwind. How goes the patrols?” She asked kindly.

Whirlwind took a second, whispering to Dusk Swirl and Timekeeper. He looked back over to Twilight a couple times, and then looked at her for a last time. “Hello, your highness. I believe that these two are here to see you and Princess Celestia.”

Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof and giggled. “Whirlwind, how many times must I tell you that there is no need for formalities?”

“Uh . . . once more should do, your highness.”

Once more Princess Twilight giggled, before she looked to Dusk Swirl and Timekeeper. “And who might these gentlemen be? You are Dusk Swirl, am I correct?” Dusk Swirl nodded, acknowledging the princess before he bowed. “Like I told Whirlwind here, there is no need for formality towards me.”

“Sorry, your highness.” Dusk Swirl responded. He forced Timekeeper to bow, to which he received a growl afterwards.

Twilight laughed at the situation. “The Princesses should be through that door. I can introduce you, if you’d like.” She pointed towards the door to the room she came from.

The three stallions nodded, and they along with Princess Twilight walked towards the door on the far right of the room. They stood a foot and a half from the door, not saying a word to each other. Twilight began to creak the door open, and lead the three inside the glittering room. Dusk Swirl looked over the massive room.

As glittering and elegant as the room was, there still was a very fine layer of dust that seemed to cover everything but the table in the center of the room. The floor was set in a few inches below the doorway, most likely a decor feature. The rest of the room looked to be a giant library, with several floors, and massive shelves that held thousands of books.

I followed them in, trying to tone down my breathing and footsteps as much as was possible. But that becomes difficult when the room you stand in is massive enough that every noise emitted creates an echo that radiates off every inch of wall and floor and ceiling. I took a deep look at the scene in front of me. Near a giant, glass table stood a few ponies, four of them being of royal status, and a few others, nine in fact, being of casual status.

Next to the tallest of royalty stood a dark, cloaked figure. This cloaked figure was quite strange in a way, being taller than Twilight, and had a large, black claymore hanging on his back. He was quite the strange character. There seemed to be a grim aura surrounding this particular creature. I decided to pay him more attention, while the conversation drew on.

“Celestia?” The princess of the sun looked to her former student. “Um, those two stallions that you ordered over here have arrived.”

I laughed slightly at the way she made her statement. Honestly, I couldn’t resist. I listened on as the group continued talking.

“Well, where are they?”

To be honest with you, I hadn’t even noticed. I was so focused on the conversation in front of me, that I hadn’t noticed that Dusk Swirl, Timekeeper and Whirlwind had stood a number of feet behind the table, almost near the door. I took a quick look at the three, each one of them seeming to shuffle their hooves all over the floor. Their heads hung low.

“What are you doing way over there?” Celestia asked. “Come over here, so we can talk, please.”

I watched as the three slowly made their way over. Whirlwind had been in the castle many times, but that still didn’t stop him from taking in the scenery. The three arrived at the edge of the table, and stood as still as any statue could be. Maybe, they stood even stiller. Dusk Swirl listened intently, but his gaze moved from the princess in front of him, to the tall cloaked figure that stood on the other side of the table.

Little was remembered about the conversation. Eventually, however, Celestia took notice of Dusk Swirl’s staring, and intervened. “Oh, this is Dark Angel. He has just arrived from somewhere near the North, though he also says he’s simply here for classified reasons, and was aided out of the Everfree Forest by one of our Royal Guards.”

Dusk Swirl stared at Dark Angel for a few more seconds, then turned back to Celestia, who laughed. “Don’t worry. There is no need to be afraid. He is a good friend of mine.”

Dark Angel simply shifted ever so slightly, letting the claymore shine in the light. The shining light from the sun blinded Dusk Swirl for a few seconds, his hoof covering his face to try and shield himself from it. Dark Angel let out a deep chuckle, one which could almost sound like a short cough. They turned back to the group in front of them, and the conversation continued.

“So, we need a couple of ponies who are capable of completing such a mission.” Celestia concluded. Dusk Swirl of course never heard the start of Celestia’s speech, only because he had been paying so much of his attention towards Dark Angel.

“I’m sorry, what is the mission exactly?” He asked.

Princess Celestia laughed to herself, and looked back to Dusk Swirl. “If you had been listening, I had said that there has been an uproar in lower Manehatten. I just needed a couple of ponies who knew the area to check it out.”

A look of confusion slapped itself on Dusk Swirl’s face. “But I’ve never been to Manehatten. Where do I fit in the picture?”

Twilight looked to him. “Don’t you remember the last few trips we sent you on?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Two of them sent you to Manehatten. You just didn’t go into the central part of Manehatten. That’s probably why you don’t remember ever going to Manehatten.” She said.

“Oh, that makes sense.” Dusk Swirl finally responded.

“Anyway,” Celestia began. “I just need a couple of you to go. That’s why I called you guys here. Each one of you has been to Manehatten at some point.”

The conversation continued with a few mixed topics. I didn’t bother listening to what remained of the conversation. All of my attention focused on Dusk Swirl and Dark Angel. At the time, I wouldn’t have thought anything of their current relationship, nor their involvement in the mission they were assigned.

I watched as each of the members of the meeting exited the room, and I followed suite. As the princesses of the sun and moon flew back to Canterlot, I couldn’t help but feel that something strange was about to happen in this world.

And that meant that I would need to work overtime.