Crumbling Castlesby The GnPSBChaptersStepping StonesLike a RiverHurtRockFriends in High PlacesStepping Stones Dear King, We the ponies of the Earth district feel you have neglected us for long enough. Despite your walls, word has spread of the living conditions of the higher districts. Most of us lack proper food, homes, and protection. Most nights we sleep better when the guards are off duty! You know why this is, and more importantly we know you can fix it. We owe our debts to you and they will be paid, but not like this. We demand action in three days time or the consequences will be severe. Any action taken by the guards will be reason for riot. This is your first warning. Begrudgingly yours, The Earth Ponies "This is it!" Said the griffon, dropping me off at the base of a long stone staircase, right at the edge of a cliff circling the mountain, "This is as far as I go." I turned to face the griffon, "I have to walk all the way up there? Why can't you just take me up there?" I asked her. She replied, "No griffon has flown close to that castle in years, don't know why, just not supposed to." "Suit yourself," I replied, reaching into my saddlebag for some bits, I continued, "what do I owe you for carrying me up here?" The griffon raised her claw to stop me, "Nuthin', the king pays for all of our services." Pleasantly surprised, I responded, "Well thank you very much! Here's for your trouble." I gave her 15 bits as a tip, a little much, but since I got a free ride I could spare a little extra for her. The griffon seemed shocked, as if she'd never seen money before in her life, "O-oh...thank you!" She smiled at me. "My pleasure! Thanks for the lift up here!" I replied, happy to see I'd finally made her lose that negative attitude. The griffon, her attitude now completely changed, smiled and waved as she flew back down the steep cliff, cheering and doing back flips as she dove. "I'm finally here," I said to myself, "The kingdom of Bresux." Crumbling Castles Like a River Dear King, After all of the service we've done for you, with all of the bloodshed and pain we've been through, we demand satisfaction. The earth ponies still knock on the walls, it keeps us awake at night and they know it. The mounted crossbows help but it's much louder when a giant bolt of steel hits a stone wall than just a simple hoof. We need an outer wall, an extra layer of protection, and whoever thought it was a good idea to build the barracks against the castle exterior wasn't very smart. Until we get what we want, you won't get what you want. I expect a response from you within three days time, my men are waiting. If our expectations are not met, we are leaving. Respect bound, The Pegasi What is death? Is it merely the end of life? Something that we all face and deal with every day, only to have it catch up with us in the end? A speeding bullet, moving ever closer towards us, that no matter how hard we try to get away from, we never can? Or is it less sinister? A passage into a better future, one beyond physical boundaries that sets our inner souls free? An ascension into a higher plane of existence beyond the one of our own? Something so great that no matter how hard we try, we may never understand it? Or is death merely a cycle? Something that has no moral compass, be it good or bad, but it altered by those who wish to play with it? To make a neutral event that happens to all of us, appear as an evil curse upon all of existence is a true terror. My first experience with death was when my father passed away. A truly tragic event. He used to run a caravan from the crystal empire to our village. He was actually one of the main suppliers for our village, and his name has been lost to time. Only I can recall it: Vernon Malum. It was his father's name, and even less ponies remember him. One day during my father's runs, a gang of bandits demanded he toss over all of his goods for his life. My father knew how important his caravan was to the village, and refused, defending his goods to the last breath. Of course, he stood no match for a gang of ponies, and fell quickly to cheap stab in the back with a knife. If that wasn't enough, when they made away with his goods, they ran him over with his own cart. His body was found later, and word spread to crystal empire, who showed support by sending us a caravan of their own every week to supply us. The bandits were caught a year later, and confessed to the crime. They were only given a jail time of 10 years. 10 years of their lives in exchange for the rest of my father's. Not to mention, all of the trouble it brought me and my mother. My father was a great pony, one who I was very close to. He had green eyes. So did the griffon. The griffon's eyes were now closed, but the image of her piercing green eyes looking back at me with her dying breaths will haunt me for the rest of my life. I had no idea what to do. I sat there in the reflection pool, now completely tinged red with the griffon's blood. The plaza was still completely silent. This griffon had merely come back to return my journal, and offer her thanks for the tip. She was wanting to spend that money on a nice meal, something she hadn't had in years. I had made her day, and she was rewarded with a horrible and abrupt end to her existence in Equestria. The least I could offer her, was a burial. My eyes still wet with tears, my fur matted from the blood and dirty water, and my resolve crumbled. I set the griffon's body down at the bottom of the stairs. Looking over the cliff where I saw her last, my mind was blank. Why did this happen? I dug a shallow hole with my hooves. It ruined the polishing I had done, but it was the least I could do for her. I drug her lifeless body in the hole, folded her wings back, and put her arms across her chest. I set the 15 bits in her hands, it didn't feel right for me to take them back. Using what little dirt I had dug up I covered her the best I could. After covering her I gathered up some nearby stones and covered her body completely in them. I plucked a flower from nearby and set it on top of her grave. I didn't even know her name... Just then, an awful thought hit me. What if I didn't give her that tip? Would she have came back for me? Or would she have still brought my journal to me? She might not have been as inclined to come up to the castle! Could this all have been my fault? Could I have prevented all of this simply by not being as generous? No, I can't blame myself for this. How could I have known this would have happened? Maybe I shouldn't have forgotten my journal back there! Oh god no, I could have stopped this! I collapsed, "I could have stopped this..." I muttered to myself. "No, you couldn't." A voice behind me. I turned to see a pink mare with a mint green mane standing behind me. It began to rain. Hurt Dear King, We have received word of your attack on one of our transporters. She was a young griffon, Sedina Bali, who many held dear to their hearts. We respectfully remind you that we inform all of our griffons to stay clear of the castle, however reports of the incident say that you did not so much as even give a warning before firing. This is a clear disregard of our agreement and has been taken with great hostility amongst our members. Myself and the members of my group will not be transporting anypony else up the mountainside until you have taken action to correct your mistake. If no action is taken in three days time, then you are to consider yourself at war with the Bali clan. Godina Bali She was beautiful. She had smooth pink fur the color of cotton candy, and a mane that was mint green like the tasty inside of a cabbage. Her eyes a deep blue, not much unlike my own. Her hooves were merely an off shade of her fur, and barely noticeable. Rays of moonlight shone through the strands of her long curly hair as we ran back up the steps to get out of the rain. I know it's rude, but I couldn't help but stare as I followed behind her. For one of the earth pony commoners, she looked fairly clean. Her mane needed brushing, but I felt it added to the effect of her elegance. Reaching the top of the steps, she guided me through a series of cramped alleyways. We passed ponies hiding in boxes, gutters, and even some under houses with raised foundations. She stopped at one small stone house and quickly pulled out her keys to unlock the door. Opening the door we stepped inside, wiping our hooves off on the welcome mat and shaking our fur out. She shut the door and locked it, she hung up the key and we waited for a minute while we both caught our breath. I caught my breath first, "Thank you for getting me out of that rain." I said. She took a couple more seconds to catch her breath before she responded, "You're welcome, please sit down, I'll grab us some coffee." "Oh no you don't have to do that," I responded, "You've already done enough." She tilted her head in the cutest way I've ever seen, "Surely you're freezing after getting soaked like that, I know I am! I insist." Well with a voice like velvet, it's hard to argue against, "Well, if you insist." I sat down on a chair in her living room as she disappeared behind a doorway. Now that I had a moment I began to look around. The front door was in the corner of the living room, up against the front wall of the home. On the same wall sat one window right beside it, surely to see who was at the door. Beside the window was a small loveseat, and then the corner of the house where the fireplace was. Then on the adjacent wall to the loveseat, was a picture of the pink mare eating an apple under a tree. She seemed overjoyed by something, but it seemed like a normal day in the picture. Underneath the picture was the chair I was sitting in, and to my left was a small table in the corner of the room. On the other side of the table, up against the wall opposite the door, was a large couch that took up the entirety of the wall. Above the couch was some more pictures of the mare doing various things, one of her cleaning dishes, another at a family (or friends?) dinner. All of which she seemed very happy in. On the left side of the couch, in the corner opposite the fireplace, there was a doorway that the mare exited through, butted up against the corner of the wall. The next wall, it was just covered in pictures of landscapes, except for one doorway directly opposite me in the center of the wall. There was a curtain hanging over it and the room was dark so I couldn't see in. Though through the door the mare exited, I could see what looked like a kitchen countertop, so that must be the kitchen. So I am to assume that the other doorway leads to the bedroom and in turn, the bathroom. A very small, but comfortable living space for one pony who has a lot of company. In the center of the room was a large wooden coffee table. After my examination of the room, the mare returned holding a tray in her mouth that held two cups of hot coffee, a bottle of cream, and a cup of sugar with a spoon. She set the tray down on the coffee table and took a seat on the couch to my left. We both added cream to our coffee along with two scoops of sugar each, and took our first sip. Letting out a sigh of relief in unison as the warmth filled our cold bodies. "So," She began, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Malum, I'm Olivia Buldovum." Such an elegantly beautiful name, "Nice to meet you Mrs. Buldovum, I'm Rex Ma-" I stopped for a minute, "How do you know my name?" "That's actually Ms. Buldovum, but you can just call me Olivia. As for your name, I was expecting you, although not until tomorrow!" Olivia explained, "You see, I work for the king down here in the Earth district. As a matter of fact, I'm his only worker in the Earth district." That explains it, "Oh so you were supposed to meet me at the gate to let me in, but you weren't expecting me until as early as tomorrow?" She replied, "Yes we assumed you'd take a day to pack up and leave your home first." "I was already packing up when I got the letter," I explained, "The Crystal Empire expanded into my town, so I made my leave then and there." "Oh well that explains your early arrival." She responded, "I'm sorry for everything that happened today, normally things aren't this crazy." I hadn't forgotten about the griffon, "Do you know her name?" I asked. "Sedina, Sedina Bali." She answered, "Daughter to the leader of the Bali clan of griffons that help transport passengers up the mountain. I have no doubt that today's events will see that stopped." "Why did they fire? Why did this all happen?" I asked. She replied, "You see, there is another griffon clan in a nearby valley that wanted this mountain long ago before we settled here. However, with the aid of pegasi warriors, we were able to take this mountaintop and form the skybound kingdom of Bresux!" Curious, I continued, "Why? Why take away this mountain from those griffons?" Olivia answered, "An ancient legend says that this mountain is blessed, and that any kingdom that sits upon it will prosper and have a high quality of life. So needless to say, King Bresux wanted nothing more for his people than the best, so he took the mountain." "And made the griffons his transport service?" "Not the ones we took the mountain from, no. That was the Jut clan, a clan of savage warriors who knew not what they had landed upon. The Bali clan is not associated with them whatsoever. However, being that the Jut clan will send warriors at random to attack the castle, we are on constant guard, and any griffon flying in range is normally considered hostile. However, to try and prevent incidents like today, we are supposed to fire arrows as warning shots before...before the..." Olivia had held a professional tone the entire time, but her voice quivered as she tried to explain the giant metal crossbow. "It's okay, I understand." I assured her. She cleared her throat, "Sorry, although I do whatever the king asks of me, I do not always agree with it." I decided it was best to stop talking about Sedina and griffons and move on to something more comfortable, "Where were those pictures taken?" I asked, pointing towards the pictures of landscapes on the opposite wall, "They look beautiful." Olivia blushed deeply, "Those are paintings I've done." My eyes went wide, "Surely you're kidding? Those are as detailed as a photograph! How did you learn to paint like that?" Olivia hid behind her mane, the most adorable thing I've ever seen, and shifted her rump to the side so I could see her cutie mark. It was a camera with a paintbrush and a cooking mitt behind it, "I'm talented in photography, art, and cooking!" She shifted her rump back and looked at me with curiosity in her eyes, "What about you? What's your special talent?" My ears drooped as I removed my saddlebags to reveal my bare rump. I frowned at embarrassment, "I've never had a cutie mark and I probably never will." Olivia put a hoof on mine, "It's okay, if you haven't found it yet then it must be something extraordinary!" She said, eyes shining like a child looking at a piece of candy. I moved my rump back and got comfortable again. I was about to ask about when I'd see the king, but then I noticed that she hadn't removed her hoof off of mine. I began to get a swelling feeling in my chest and my heart rate picked up. Olivia removed her hoof from mine, "Are you gonna be okay?" She asked. Realizing she thought I was freaking out from embarrassment, I quickly reassured her, "Oh yes I'm fine, just a little embarrassed is all." God I must have looked like a fool. Olivia stood up, "Well, you've got a big day tomorrow. We have to get up bright and early to get you processed into the arcane district." "Arcane district?" I asked. "The kingdom is split into 4 districts," She explained, "We're currently in the earth district, if you want to call it a district, most everypony calls it the slums because that's what it actual-" She stopped herself, "Sorry, another thing that I disagree with. Don't mind me." Was there a lack of freedom of speech in this place? I said, "There's no need to apologize, you have your views and you're allowed to express them." Olivia frowned, "Yes well, those who disagree with the king don't last very long in his service. Quite frankly, working under him is the best thing that's ever happened to me." "I thought you said this was the slums? Who would want to live here?" I asked. Olivia bit her lip, "N-nopony..." a tear streamed down her face. Oh no, now I've messed up, "I'm sorry, I'm just having a hard time understanding. I'll leave it be. I apologize." Olivia wiped the tear and took a stern pose, "No, there's no need to be sorry. Everything's okay." There was silence for a few moments, I could hear the rain hitting the roof. Olivia sighed, "We're in the earth district, next is the arcane district, where mostly unicorns stay and work. They work on taking care of any paperwork and monetary needs the kingdom has, as well as a plethora of shops and pubs to keep the populus happy. Next is the cloud district, which holds the military barracks on the east wall, along with the main plaza where most airborne activity comes in and out of the kingdom. This includes trade, recon, and training missions that the pegasi military force take on. Past that, at the highest point of the mountain, is the gold district, housing the king and his servants, along with the royal family." We sat in silence for a second longer. Olivia started, "Perhaps it's time we rest. Tomorrow's a big day." I paused, looked her in the eyes, "Olivia, are you okay?" Olivia looked down, "I'm living the best life I can under the king's service." She looked up and smiled, "How can it get any better?" I looked at one of the pictures on the wall behind her, her smile was much brighter in those pictures. I looked back at her, "Why did you just fake a smile to me?" Olivia's expression dropped, "What?" I gestured to the pictures, "You see those photos. You're smile is much more brilliant than the one you just gave me." Olivia looked at the pictures, then back at me. Her face seemed like she just saw a ghost. "Olivia," I pleaded, "If something's wrong please tell me. I just want to help." Olivia's body shook as she jumped up to hug me. I could feel tears streaming down my back off her face. She sobbed violently as she tried to control herself. She cried on my shoulder for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, she calmed down and sat back down. Wiping tears from her eyes, she said, "Thank you, it means a lot that you care." She adjusted her mane a little bit and looked at me, "Living conditions are downright awful here. I've been robbed, attacked, even had ponies make...horrible...sexual remarks towards me." I started, "Oh my god, I'm sorry. I didn't realize-" "But I've got it good!" She shouted, "I get food rations weekly from the inner walls! Everypony else is left out here to starve! No water, no food, they get what the environment gives them, and what they can buy from vendors who appear every now and then." "Why not just leave?" I asked. "We can't." She replied, "The griffons are only tasked with bringing ponies up, not back down. King Bresux says that if you can't get down by yourself, then you shouldn't have come up to begin with." "Are you serious?" I asked, "Surely he didn't say that exactly." "I heard it with my own two ears, Bresux views earth ponies as scum." She replied. I was shocked, "Doesn't he know I'm an earth pony?" "Probably not," She answered, "but you're clearly important to him. Once he learns you're an earth pony, hopefully it will make him realize that not having wings or a horn doesn't make you any less of a pony." I was astonished, a racist king? How could this be? This wasn't right, and when King Bresux plans to give me this "great fame" he promised me, I plan on exposing him as the horrible pony he is. I said, "So, does this mean he views you as...scum...too?" Olivia looked away, "No..." "Then...why are you an exception?" I asked, afraid of the answer. "Because," Olivia replied, "I'm the daughter he disowned." Rock Dear King, Another day passes and life in the Earth district has not improved. We are giving you ample time to reply with an adequate solution but we will not wait forever. We saw your VIP show up today and along with him a giant bolt of steel attached to a griffon that sank itself into the stone reflecting pool, a source of water for all of the Earth district. The impact formed a hole in the base of the pool and all of the water has drained into the ground. More than 90% of the Earth district is now without water. We are dying. Fix this or you will be too. You have two days. The Earth Ponies The kingdom of Bresux was painted as a bright and magnificent place to live and flourish. From the outside, it seemed that was the case. With towering structures built high on the mountaintop, and the castle walls buzzing with pegasi and unicorn soldiers, and the clouds draping down the side of the mountain and around the kingdom, shrouding it in fog and mystery. However, to the investigative type, one could easily discover this place with not without fault. I fully intended on discovering just what problems this place hid from me, and offering my say on how to fix them. First the rude welcoming, then Sedina, and now the mare letting me in is the king's disowned daughter? All because she's an earth pony? This place was twisted, that's for sure. When I met king Bresux I fully planned on exchanging some words with him. Olivia had explained that the Earth pony gene was a recessive one in her family, and that she was the only living member of her family to be born an Earth pony. So instead of merely accepting her for who she was, they decided to separate her from the royal family almost right after birth, give her a new name, and she was raised and protected by a unicorn mage by the name of Star Swirl. From all she told me about him I began to get a little jealous, apparently he's an extremely smart and talented unicorn who's skills are used to that of the king's family. More often than not he spend's his time reading, but is given the occasional task of developing a tool or machine that could be used to solve problem's around the castle. Last time Olivia saw Star Swirl was a few years ago, when she turned old enough to take care of herself. After that, she's only had messanger unicorns deliver supplies to her every now and then. However, even they are few and far between. Upon hearing Olivia's tragic story, I sat with her awhile and tried my best to comfort her. Normally I'm horrible at doing so, but apparently Olivia has spent all this time alone, and it's worn down on her so much, all I needed to do to calm her down was to let her talk it all out. It started off about her past, but shifted to her day-to-day activities, and the bad stuff that she goes through every day. Eventually I got her talking about her hobbies and interests and discovered we share a fondness of taking care of animals. Olivia, despite living in horrid conditions, owns 2 cats, a small dog, and even a bird. All of which leave the house by day, but return and stay each night. She gives them what food she can spare. Eventually, she wound down and right when I was about to hit the hay, she decided to ask about me. "Now that I've given you my sappy story," Olivia mused, "What about you? What was your home like?" Thinking back to my small town, I recalled growing up and seeing the town expand, "It wasn't my home." "I'm sorry?" Olivia asked Realizing I sounded like a madman, I explained, "The town I left wasn't the same as the home I grew up in. When I was young the town was very small, and we were a tightly knit community. As I grew up, so did the town. Before I knew it, all my friends and family were nowhere to be seen, lost in the hustle and bustle of a now great city." "Wow," Olivia said, "That doesn't sound very nice." "I was hoping this would end up as my new home," I replied, "But after hearing and seeing all the wonderful things about this place, I don't think I'm gonna stay too long after I see the king." Olivia laughed at my sarcasm, which made a feeling in my chest tighten up. The sound of a chiming clock rang out from the kitchen, signaling it was well past midnight. "Oh my," Olivia gasped, "I didn't realize we'd been chatting for this long." "I can't remember the last time I stayed up past midnight." I said, driving the point home by following up with a yawn. "Yes well, I guess time flies when you're in good company." Olivia said, giving me a smile. I looked back at one of her pictures. It was the same smile. "You'll be staying in there," Olivia pointed towards the dark room, "That's the bedroom." Confused, I asked, "The only bedroom? Where will you be sleeping?" "I'll sleep on the couch," She replied, "Besides, I've already made myself comfortable." Absolutely not. "I'm sorry Olivia, but I have to refuse." "Oh don't try and pull that chivalrous card with me," She warned, "Please take my bed, I insist." "Well, you see, I'm not entirely comfortable sleeping in a girl's bedroom." Which was true. "Oh," She answered, "Are you sure you don't want the bed?" "I'm positive." I explained. After a brief pause, Olivia responded, "Okay Mr. Malum. If you insist, then the couch is yours." Olivia climbed off the couch and stood up. "Thank you Olivia, and just call me Rex, please." I responded. Olivia offered me another bright smile, "Of course, Rex." and with that she trotted off to bed. I climbed on the couch where she was sitting and got comfortable, the cushion still warm from her body heat. Resting my head in the cushion I could still smell a faint tinge of her perfume. I dug my face a little harder into the cushion and inhaled deeply. The crackling of the fire had me fast asleep as I imagined I was cuddled up with Olivia. I woke up the next morning to find the front door bashed in, heavy rain and wind blowing in from outside. I shot up and galloped to the door, discovering that it had been snapped in two and strewn about the front of the house. Heavy thunder and lightning threatened me from above, and a downpour of rain instantly drenched me. I stepped outside to try and see what broke the door, only to be stopped by the sound of a loud screech from above. In the shadow of a lightning bolt, a single griffon was hurdling it's way towards me. Light from the thunderstorm shone through a perfect hole right in the center of it's chest. "Sedina?" I asked myself, only to have my question answered as the zombie griffon swooped down and snatched me up. Grabbing me by my back and digging her talons deep. I let out a scream in pain, then began to call for help. The slums remained still. Not a moving thing in sight. Sedina carried me to the front of the castle gate, right were she was shot down. She turned herself so that I could see the gate. On top of the gate was a giant crossbow, mounted on a rotating platform, and armed with a great steel bolt. Two guards began aiming the device at me and Sedina. Oh no... The guards lined up the shot. Sedina swung me back, and then forward again, letting go and throwing me in the air. I held my breath. I looked to the crossbow. The bolt was fired. A searing pain rippled through my body, as I felt myself being yanked back to the earth. Almost as if somepony had tied a rope to me, and pulled me back down. Suddenly, my movement came to a sharp halt. I found that the bolt had struck me dead in the chest, and planted me down into the same pool as it did to Sedina. The edges of my vision began to darken as I noticed that the pool was already deep red with blood. The zombie griffon landed on the other end of the pool, and began making her way towards me. Her eyes reflecting the lightning strikes around us. A bright green that pierced my very soul not much unlike the bolt had pierced my body. Earth pony zombies began rising from the shallow waters, each of them missing limbs or pieces of flesh. Exposed bone and rotting tissue filled the air with a foul stench. All of them walking towards me. The first zombie pony reached me, biting down on my hoof and yanking until it had torn off a piece of flesh. I screamed at the top my lungs, helpless to the horde that was about to devour me. Two more joined it, one ripping off my ear and another one tearing into my leg. The pain was unbearable. My vision began to fade even more. Sedina finally reached me, and wasted no time digging her claws right into my stomach, and pulling out a handful of flesh and intestines. I began to pass out as I heard the cries of a mare. Slowly looking to the right revealed Olivia getting swarmed by another horde of zombie earth ponies, about 5 or 6. Each of them ripping pieces of her flesh and taking massive bites. "REX! REX!" She screamed, reaching out for me with a hoof. Another zombie took a bite of my shoulder. "REX!" She shouted, another one joining her already growing pile of undead. "REX!" I awoke with a start, to find Olivia standing over me, a worried expression on her face. She shook me, "REX! WAKE UP!" She yelled. I sat up, "I'm awake! I'm awake!" Olivia moved to sit in the chair, next to me, and let me get up. I realized I was sweating, and my throat was dry. The sun shined through the windows as earth ponies trotted along, tending to their day's work. The door was on it's hinges, still locked presumably, the key hung loosely on the hook next to it. The skies were clear, not a cloud in sight. Looking to Olivia, I saw she had gotten herself ready for the day, two cups of coffee sat on the table. She was watching me carefully, a worried expression still on her face. "Are you okay?" she asked me. Trying to play off the fact that I surely didn't seem okay, I replied, "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Olivia frowned, "Because you were screaming in your sleep. I thought somebody had broken in and hurt you or something." I recalled the horrible nightmare, "Just... a bad dream. That's all." Olivia tilted her head, this time less cute due to the fact she seemed distressed, "Now it's my turn to call out your lie." I sighed, realizing that Olivia wasn't going to drop it, I told her about the nightmare. "You're blaming yourself for Sedina's death." she explained. Shocked at her observation, I replied, "What makes you say that?" Sedina looked out the window, as if reflecting upon a distant memory, "Star Swirl told me once that many ponies deal with the concept of death in many different ways." She returned her gaze to me, "Being that I live in a place where death is common, he felt I should know how to deal with it. One of the things he warned me about was that if the deceased ever return to you in your dreams, especially in form of a nightmare, it's typically a sign that you're blaming yourself. Whether you know it or not." There wasn't anything I could have done to prevent Sedina's death, but the fact that she came back for me made it feel like I played a part in it. A part in an act that I didn't even know I was playing. The whole situation is akin to giving a filly a honey-nut bar, only to discover she's severely allergic to nuts and it nearly kills her. You didn't know she was allergic, you couldn't have known, yet you were the one who handed her the snack that caused her so much stress. If I hadn't forgotten my book like a fool, or maybe if I had kept my bits, Sedina might not have came back for me. That's an inner conflict I'll have to struggle with for the rest of my life. "Rex?" Olivia prodded Realizing I had been standing there moping to myself, I lifted my head up, "There's nothing we can do about Sedina now except to move on. I plan on personally seeing to it that her death doesn't go unanswered." Olivia frowned and sighed, "Okay Rex, just don't do anything too crazy." I wanted to scream. How could she? Sedina returned to the castle for me! I'd see her name be heard by everyone in the kingdom if I have to. I'd paint the castle walls with the king's blood! I'd gladly give my life, if it could bring her back as if nothing happened. I wanted to speak my mind to Olivia, but I knew she was just trying to be a good friend. I quickly calmed myself and replied, "Thank you Olivia." She seemed to notice my pause and looked away. The room was silent for a moment until she spoke up, "I prepared us some coffee." "Thank you," I replied, much more genuinely. I picked up a cup and put it to my lips, taking a sip. Cold. Olivia sipped hers too, giving it a disapproving look, "It seems this morning's antics caused it to sit for too long." Realizing that the only reason it had been sitting there, getting cold, was because of me, I gave a weak apology, "Sorry, I'll prepare us some more." Olivia set her cup down, "Oh there's no need," Olivia smiled, "Today we'll be meeting Star Swirl at the gate, and he makes the best cup of coffee you've ever tasted!" "Wait, you mean I'll be meeting the Star Swirl?" I asked, "The one you've told me so much about?" Olivia gave one of her signature smiles, "Yup! He'll be taking you through the Arcane district." I frowned, "You mean... you won't be coming?" Olivia's expression instantly darkened, she looked down and frowned, "Oh... I suppose not." "Why not?" I asked. Olivia looked up at me, "Earth ponies aren't all that welcome in the Arcane district, there are a few, but I don't think it'd be a good idea for me to stay for any extended period of time." I waved a hoof, "Nonsense," I smiled at her, "If the king's requesting a Earth pony come all the way up to his castle, then surely another one wouldn't be amiss." She gave a weak smile, "I sure hope so..." It was almost midday, the birds were chirping, the slums were buzzing with activity, and me and Olivia were ready to go. Before we left, I cleaned myself up with Olivia's facilities and even repolished my hooves. They weren't as shiny as they were yesterday, but I don't think I'd ever feel right if they were. Olivia had put on a small sun hat with a mint green ribbon to match her mane. I had my saddlebags at my sides, now freshly cleaned and restocked, and we began to trot towards the gate. Looking towards the reflection pool, I saw the metal spear had been picked up, most likely taken back behind the wall to be...reused. A large hole was left in the stone at the bottom of the pool where the bolt struck it, all the water had drained out. Many ponies sat around the edge of the pool, looking towards the hole with sadness in their eyes. Another thing that I couldn't help feel was my fault. As if to worsen my feeling of guilt, some of the ponies even looked my way with angry glares. I steered my gaze towards the gate, me and Olivia trotted up the stairs. It seemed different unicorn guards were here today, due to the fact that they didn't try to skewer me on sight, plus they didn't wear helmets. They looked almost identical, blue unicorns with emerald colored manes, only the one on the left had yellow eyes, and the one on the right had green eyes. Although the guards were different, the welcome was the same. The one on the left blocked my path with his spear, "Halt!" he shouted, "State thy business!" I raised a hoof and opened my mouth to explain when Olivia stepped forward to speak, "Now Gerdum, you and your brother both know we are expecting company for the king today." The knight on the left, Gerdum, looked to his brother on the right, "Sir Malphus, do we have any such orders today?" Malphus pulled a small scroll out from underneath his armor, unraveling it, he stated, "By order of the king, you may permit entry to a single pony. This pony is to be treated with the utmost respect, and given anything he desires. Please alert all stuff upon his arrival and ensure he reaches the Gold district in 2 days time of his arrival." Malphus looked up from the scroll, "Your name, sir?" He asked me. I replied, "Rex Malum." Malphus looked down at his scroll, "That matches the name on here, if you'll follow me sir, I'll show you to your guide." Malphus turned and began to walk through the gate. I began to follow him but noticed that Olivia wasn't coming, "Aren't you coming?" I asked her. Malphus and Gerdum both turned to face me, Gerdum said, "Sorry sir but we can't have the Earth pony commonfolk inside the walls, orders are orders." It was stated as though they were pleased with the order, rather than dismayed by it. "But I'm an Earth pony, surely one more wouldn't be a bother." I smiled at Olivia. Malphus spoke up, "I'm sorry sir, but it simply cannot be allowed. The king has asked for your presence, which means you are clearly a very important pony to him. Another earth pony entering the walls may give the commonfolk incentive to try and enter themselves." I smiled at him as an idea struck me, "What did that note of yours say again, Malphus?" He pulled the note back out, "By order of the king you may permit entry to a single pony. This pony is to be treated with the utmost respect and given anything that he desi-..." His voice trailed off as he realized what I was saying, "I'm sorry Mr. Malum, but the note clearly states that we can only allow one pony to enter." I huffed and examined my hoof, "Well then I guess I'll just have to let the king know you denied my friend access after I clearly asked you to let her in." Malphus' eyes widened, and he looked at his brother, who also bore a worried expression. He cleared his throat and put his note away, "Very well Mr. Malum," he stated bluntly, "Allow me to escort you and your friend to your guide." He said 'friend' as if it was the most disgusting title he could give her. It seems the king wasn't the only one who didn't like earth ponies. I turned to Olivia, who was smiling as bright as she did in the photos on her walls. She ran up to me and gave me a hug, nearly knocking me over in the process. I returned it as my cheeks turned red and my heart rate began to race. Her mane got in my face and I got a strong smell of her perfume. It was the same as the couch cushion, only a million times stronger. The scent nearly made my hair stand on end, and surely made my face bright red. She hugged me for mere seconds but to me it felt like an eternity. When she finally let go, she looked me right in the eyes, a huge smile on her face, and said, "Thank you." Digging in her saddlebags, she pulled out a camera, setting it to take a picture she spun us around so our backs were to the entrance and held the camera in front of us in a sort of self-portrait position. She pulled herself close to me, undoubtedly making my face turn even redder, and said, "Say cheese!" In the spur of the moment I gave the best smile I could, which was goofy looking at best, and said, "Cheese!" The camera flashed and spat out a photo of me and Olivia standing at the entrance, side by side, a very worn-for-wear Malphus standing behind us. Looking at myself, I realized that my head wasn't as red as an apple, but my cheeks were certainly getting there. Olivia shoved the camera and photo in her saddlebag, "That's going on the wall when I get home!" she stated. At first I was pleased to hear it, but suddenly I realized that a photo of me blushing like a fool would be on her wall to welcome her home each time she came in the door. No words could express my embarrassment. At least it seemed she was yet to notice my rosy cheeks. Olivia and I turned together to follow Malphus through the gate. The first thing I noticed was the stark contrast in living conditions inside. All of the homes and buildings were made of rock, and the streets were paved with stones, the gaps filled in with gravel and pebbles. Unicorns ran back and forth along the streets, some entering businesses and others staring at scrolls and almost bumping into ponies as they walked by. It wasn't much different from the hustle and bustle of a city, really. The only stark contrast was that of all the ponies running about, I could only spy about two or three earth ponies, and not a pegasi was in sight. Was segregation just an accepted thing here? Surely there had to be a few pegasi about, as they are the acting military force for the castle. Maybe they remained out of sight until something happens. The setup of the Arcane district was not much different from the one of the Earth district. All buildings lined a single main road going straight down the center of the area, with small roads and alleyways branching off to the sides. At the far end of the district was a large pool of water with a statue in the center of a unicorn. A small stream of water shot out of the tip of his horn and into the pool. However this water was crystal clear, and not a single pony dare lay hoof in it. I fully intended on dirtying that pool before I left the district. Something about this place told me that the unicorns here didn't give an ounce of their thought to the earth ponies just outside the walls. I intended on performing a small act of revenge on the earth ponies' behalf. My devious thought was cut short as a grey unicorn with golden eyes approached us. He was clearly a wizard due to his large pointed hat and cloak he wore. The edges of his hat and cloak sported several golden bells, all jingling as he walked. His hat and cloak were both a deep blue, and sported a design of the night sky. He was starting to grow a snow-white beard on his chin, a sign he was somewhat older than he looked. He looked at Olivia, "Olivia!" He shouted, "It's been too long!" he walked up and gave her a hug, making me only a little jealous. Olivia smiled at him, "Same to you! When did you grow the beard? I don't like it on you!" The unicorn replied, "Oh I have too much work to tend to, no time to keep it trimmed! Besides, I plan on growing it out anyways, so you better get used to it!" I approached the unicorn, already guessing who he was, "So you must be Star Swirl, the king's Wizard? Olivia has told me much about you!" Star Swirl feigned shock, "Oh my! Good things I hope!" Me and Olivia both chuckled. Catching us off guard, Malphus chimed in, "You three make haste to the Gold district. The king expects Rex Malum in two days time." With that, Malphus returned to his post at the gate with his brother. Almost as if he never said anything, I continued the conversation, speaking to Star Swirl, I asked, "So I take it that you don't share many of the same beliefs of the king?" Star Swirl put a hoof to my mouth, and looked around worriedly. He removed his hoof and looked at me threateningly. He replied quietly, "Yes, that's true. However, I take it you don't understand that's not something you should go saying so that all of Equestria can hear you?" As if to drive the point home, Star Swirl looked up the castle wall. A unicorn guard was peering over and looking right at us, but pulled his head back upon our gaze and continued his rounds. "Noted." I replied bluntly. "Good." Star Swirl smiled, "Now, I'm sure you're eager to see the great kingdom of Bresux! Follow me!" Star Swirl began to trot off, but I stopped him, "Actually, Olivia tells me you make legendary coffee?" He turned to face me, and grinned at the comment, "Coffee? Coffee? My friend, what I make may start off as coffee, but what it becomes is art." Friends in High Places Dear King, It has come to our attention that the financial situation with the Diamond Dog Commonwealth has come to a critical point. The Diamond Dogs are asking for their debts to be paid in full or they will take it by force. I'm sure you're aware what happened to the other Skybound empires who denied the Diamond Dogs. They are a force to be reckoned with, and I fear we will not survive what they have planned for us. We recommend adjourning a meeting to discuss this matter further and seeing to it that the situation is handled properly. The Diamond Dogs demand an answer in three days time. Sincerely, The Financial Workers of the Arcane District The stairs seemed to never end. It felt like my entire journey here was faster than climbing these stairs. God I hate stairs. Although, now that I really look back on it, I suppose it's not that bad when compared to everything I went through to get here. Oh the nostalgia is overwhelming, from the time I first received that letter to being here and walking up these steps. I was at home, a small village just south of the fringes of the Crystal Empire. Everypony knew everypony else, and we all helped each other out. At least that's how it was when I was a kid. As I grew up the village expanded, ponies became less neighborly, and before I knew it, I'd lost contact with all my old friends and family. They'd all moved away or gotten lost in all the hustle and bustle. The turning point for me was when the Crystal Empire expanded into my town, demanding that any ponies who stayed were to be crystallized. I didn't like that idea, so I decided that was my queue to leave as well. My timing was perfect, because just as I was packing to leave, a letter came in the mail. It was addressed to me, Rex Malum, from a king in a faraway land. I'd already lost everything, so chances were I either meet this king and acquire this great fame he's promised me, or it's all just a scam, and I setup my own home in town. Either way works for me. I wiped some sweat from my brow, ruffling my blonde mane. Noting how finely I polished my hooves, I noticed the reflection of my deep blue eyes in them. I had even brushed my purple fur for the occasion. If I were to meet royalty, then I surely would have to look the part. However if these stairs went on for much longer, then all my effort would be ruined by my stinky body odor. I adjusted my saddlebags and kept climbing. I began to wonder why the griffons weren't allowed near the castle? Why shouldn't they come up further? Surely if the king was paying them to lift visitors up the mountainside then he'd want them right on his doorstep? I found it very odd but before I could continue the thought I had reached the last step. Finally, I was here, the kingdom of Bresux! The castle entrance wasn't all I'd hoped it to be, as most of it was blocked by the overcrowded slums. From what I could see of the castle, it looked amazing. Gleaming towers and walls so shiny you could probably see your reflection on them! With new hope and a smile on my face I trotted forward, entering the slums. The distance was short compared to the many miles I'd walked just to be here, and I wasn't about to let any commoners stop me either. Walking past the wooden and cobblestone houses, I was barraged with beggars. I held close to my saddlebags, making sure a pickpocket couldn't reach inside. I kept proceeding forward until I reached the main plaza, where ponies had set up booths and shops of all kinds. Some sold clothes, others sold produce, and one booth sold only apples? A little odd but I paid it no mind. The center of the plaza held a giant, and I mean giant, pool of shallow water. I assume it was to be used as a reflecting pool to show off the castle, but the effect was ruined by ponies young and old splashing about and taking baths. The water looked filthy, I wouldn't have given that water to a dog to drink, let alone swim in. Conditions must have been truly awful here. However, my concern lied elsewhere. I set my eyes forward and proceeded towards the main gate. Now that I was through the slums, I could see the gate in all it's glory! The walls reflected all of the evening sunlight, turning the entire plaza a deep golden yellow. Despite the commotion going about, it looked beautiful. I trotted forward in awe, and set my eyes on the guards at the main gate. One stood on each side, both of them unicorns, clad in complete steel plate armor and wielding spears. I noted that nopony was going in or out of the gate. Rather odd, but I paid it no mind. Trotting up to the unicorns I was greeted with a stern, "Halt!" The one on the left approached me, "State thy business!" He commanded. I reached in my saddlebags and pulled out the letter, asking for me to meet the king, "I seek audience with the king, he sent me this letter." I handed the letter the unicorn, he held it using his magic and before he even opened it, tore it to shreds, "The king is not expecting anybody today, begone peasant." I was in shock, after how far I've traveled I couldn't believe it! Maybe this was all just a sham after all, "Is this not the kingdom of Bresux?" The unicorn was clearly losing his patience, "It is but you have no business inside the walls, just because you can clean up nicely doesn't mean you can come inside." Now that was just rude, "I have traveled very far to meet your king! I demand entry to your castle!" The unicorn took a combative stance and held the tip of the spear towards me, "Leave at once or I will place you under arrest!" The other unicorn had readied his spear and slowly approached. I didn't know what to do, I panicked and froze, eyes glued open. This was the place, and the letter was my only way in. Now it was destroyed, and I was about to get arrested. Where would I go? It wasn't like I could call the griffon transport back up! I'd have to wait until she carried another pony up, it could take days! Maybe even weeks, or months! Where would I stay? The unicorns got closer, "You are under ar-!" Just then I heard a familiar voice call out, "Sir!" Turning around I saw the griffon that transported me up here, flying towards me and waving her arm. In her other talon she held a small package. She held up the package as she got closer, "You forgot your jou-" "FIRE!" All of a sudden a horrible sound erupted from the top of the gate, and a giant metal spear flew out from over the wall. The spear impaled the griffon, going straight through her and dragging her down right into the reflection pool. The spear hit the bottom of the shallow pool with a great THUD! and the griffon was staked to it. Ponies screamed and ran for every nook and cranny they could hide in, shops closed their doors, and stall keepers closed shop and ran into alleyways. The plaza was clear in seconds. The two unicorns behind me had vanished behind the gate and shut it with a loud SLAM! A once bustling and loud plaza, was a silent ghost town. Slowly and silently, I approached the griffon, impaled by the spear and stuck to the ground. As I approached I noticed she was still moving. I began to run, I jumped into the dingy water and sloshed my way through, heading straight for her. I reached her, noticing that the spear was at least 4 inches in diameter, it had punched right through her stomach. Blood ran all over her and the pool was starting to turn red. She looked me right in the eyes and handed me the package, life quickly fading from her eyes, "You forgot your journal..." she said. I took the journal in my hoof, still unable to believe what just happened. She gave me a smile. Then she closed her eyes and went still. Opening the package I was greeted with my old journal, and a note stuck to it. The note read, "Thank you for the bits, they'll go towards my first quality meal in years."
Stepping Stones Dear King, We the ponies of the Earth district feel you have neglected us for long enough. Despite your walls, word has spread of the living conditions of the higher districts. Most of us lack proper food, homes, and protection. Most nights we sleep better when the guards are off duty! You know why this is, and more importantly we know you can fix it. We owe our debts to you and they will be paid, but not like this. We demand action in three days time or the consequences will be severe. Any action taken by the guards will be reason for riot. This is your first warning. Begrudgingly yours, The Earth Ponies "This is it!" Said the griffon, dropping me off at the base of a long stone staircase, right at the edge of a cliff circling the mountain, "This is as far as I go." I turned to face the griffon, "I have to walk all the way up there? Why can't you just take me up there?" I asked her. She replied, "No griffon has flown close to that castle in years, don't know why, just not supposed to." "Suit yourself," I replied, reaching into my saddlebag for some bits, I continued, "what do I owe you for carrying me up here?" The griffon raised her claw to stop me, "Nuthin', the king pays for all of our services." Pleasantly surprised, I responded, "Well thank you very much! Here's for your trouble." I gave her 15 bits as a tip, a little much, but since I got a free ride I could spare a little extra for her. The griffon seemed shocked, as if she'd never seen money before in her life, "O-oh...thank you!" She smiled at me. "My pleasure! Thanks for the lift up here!" I replied, happy to see I'd finally made her lose that negative attitude. The griffon, her attitude now completely changed, smiled and waved as she flew back down the steep cliff, cheering and doing back flips as she dove. "I'm finally here," I said to myself, "The kingdom of Bresux." Crumbling Castles
Like a River Dear King, After all of the service we've done for you, with all of the bloodshed and pain we've been through, we demand satisfaction. The earth ponies still knock on the walls, it keeps us awake at night and they know it. The mounted crossbows help but it's much louder when a giant bolt of steel hits a stone wall than just a simple hoof. We need an outer wall, an extra layer of protection, and whoever thought it was a good idea to build the barracks against the castle exterior wasn't very smart. Until we get what we want, you won't get what you want. I expect a response from you within three days time, my men are waiting. If our expectations are not met, we are leaving. Respect bound, The Pegasi What is death? Is it merely the end of life? Something that we all face and deal with every day, only to have it catch up with us in the end? A speeding bullet, moving ever closer towards us, that no matter how hard we try to get away from, we never can? Or is it less sinister? A passage into a better future, one beyond physical boundaries that sets our inner souls free? An ascension into a higher plane of existence beyond the one of our own? Something so great that no matter how hard we try, we may never understand it? Or is death merely a cycle? Something that has no moral compass, be it good or bad, but it altered by those who wish to play with it? To make a neutral event that happens to all of us, appear as an evil curse upon all of existence is a true terror. My first experience with death was when my father passed away. A truly tragic event. He used to run a caravan from the crystal empire to our village. He was actually one of the main suppliers for our village, and his name has been lost to time. Only I can recall it: Vernon Malum. It was his father's name, and even less ponies remember him. One day during my father's runs, a gang of bandits demanded he toss over all of his goods for his life. My father knew how important his caravan was to the village, and refused, defending his goods to the last breath. Of course, he stood no match for a gang of ponies, and fell quickly to cheap stab in the back with a knife. If that wasn't enough, when they made away with his goods, they ran him over with his own cart. His body was found later, and word spread to crystal empire, who showed support by sending us a caravan of their own every week to supply us. The bandits were caught a year later, and confessed to the crime. They were only given a jail time of 10 years. 10 years of their lives in exchange for the rest of my father's. Not to mention, all of the trouble it brought me and my mother. My father was a great pony, one who I was very close to. He had green eyes. So did the griffon. The griffon's eyes were now closed, but the image of her piercing green eyes looking back at me with her dying breaths will haunt me for the rest of my life. I had no idea what to do. I sat there in the reflection pool, now completely tinged red with the griffon's blood. The plaza was still completely silent. This griffon had merely come back to return my journal, and offer her thanks for the tip. She was wanting to spend that money on a nice meal, something she hadn't had in years. I had made her day, and she was rewarded with a horrible and abrupt end to her existence in Equestria. The least I could offer her, was a burial. My eyes still wet with tears, my fur matted from the blood and dirty water, and my resolve crumbled. I set the griffon's body down at the bottom of the stairs. Looking over the cliff where I saw her last, my mind was blank. Why did this happen? I dug a shallow hole with my hooves. It ruined the polishing I had done, but it was the least I could do for her. I drug her lifeless body in the hole, folded her wings back, and put her arms across her chest. I set the 15 bits in her hands, it didn't feel right for me to take them back. Using what little dirt I had dug up I covered her the best I could. After covering her I gathered up some nearby stones and covered her body completely in them. I plucked a flower from nearby and set it on top of her grave. I didn't even know her name... Just then, an awful thought hit me. What if I didn't give her that tip? Would she have came back for me? Or would she have still brought my journal to me? She might not have been as inclined to come up to the castle! Could this all have been my fault? Could I have prevented all of this simply by not being as generous? No, I can't blame myself for this. How could I have known this would have happened? Maybe I shouldn't have forgotten my journal back there! Oh god no, I could have stopped this! I collapsed, "I could have stopped this..." I muttered to myself. "No, you couldn't." A voice behind me. I turned to see a pink mare with a mint green mane standing behind me. It began to rain.
Hurt Dear King, We have received word of your attack on one of our transporters. She was a young griffon, Sedina Bali, who many held dear to their hearts. We respectfully remind you that we inform all of our griffons to stay clear of the castle, however reports of the incident say that you did not so much as even give a warning before firing. This is a clear disregard of our agreement and has been taken with great hostility amongst our members. Myself and the members of my group will not be transporting anypony else up the mountainside until you have taken action to correct your mistake. If no action is taken in three days time, then you are to consider yourself at war with the Bali clan. Godina Bali She was beautiful. She had smooth pink fur the color of cotton candy, and a mane that was mint green like the tasty inside of a cabbage. Her eyes a deep blue, not much unlike my own. Her hooves were merely an off shade of her fur, and barely noticeable. Rays of moonlight shone through the strands of her long curly hair as we ran back up the steps to get out of the rain. I know it's rude, but I couldn't help but stare as I followed behind her. For one of the earth pony commoners, she looked fairly clean. Her mane needed brushing, but I felt it added to the effect of her elegance. Reaching the top of the steps, she guided me through a series of cramped alleyways. We passed ponies hiding in boxes, gutters, and even some under houses with raised foundations. She stopped at one small stone house and quickly pulled out her keys to unlock the door. Opening the door we stepped inside, wiping our hooves off on the welcome mat and shaking our fur out. She shut the door and locked it, she hung up the key and we waited for a minute while we both caught our breath. I caught my breath first, "Thank you for getting me out of that rain." I said. She took a couple more seconds to catch her breath before she responded, "You're welcome, please sit down, I'll grab us some coffee." "Oh no you don't have to do that," I responded, "You've already done enough." She tilted her head in the cutest way I've ever seen, "Surely you're freezing after getting soaked like that, I know I am! I insist." Well with a voice like velvet, it's hard to argue against, "Well, if you insist." I sat down on a chair in her living room as she disappeared behind a doorway. Now that I had a moment I began to look around. The front door was in the corner of the living room, up against the front wall of the home. On the same wall sat one window right beside it, surely to see who was at the door. Beside the window was a small loveseat, and then the corner of the house where the fireplace was. Then on the adjacent wall to the loveseat, was a picture of the pink mare eating an apple under a tree. She seemed overjoyed by something, but it seemed like a normal day in the picture. Underneath the picture was the chair I was sitting in, and to my left was a small table in the corner of the room. On the other side of the table, up against the wall opposite the door, was a large couch that took up the entirety of the wall. Above the couch was some more pictures of the mare doing various things, one of her cleaning dishes, another at a family (or friends?) dinner. All of which she seemed very happy in. On the left side of the couch, in the corner opposite the fireplace, there was a doorway that the mare exited through, butted up against the corner of the wall. The next wall, it was just covered in pictures of landscapes, except for one doorway directly opposite me in the center of the wall. There was a curtain hanging over it and the room was dark so I couldn't see in. Though through the door the mare exited, I could see what looked like a kitchen countertop, so that must be the kitchen. So I am to assume that the other doorway leads to the bedroom and in turn, the bathroom. A very small, but comfortable living space for one pony who has a lot of company. In the center of the room was a large wooden coffee table. After my examination of the room, the mare returned holding a tray in her mouth that held two cups of hot coffee, a bottle of cream, and a cup of sugar with a spoon. She set the tray down on the coffee table and took a seat on the couch to my left. We both added cream to our coffee along with two scoops of sugar each, and took our first sip. Letting out a sigh of relief in unison as the warmth filled our cold bodies. "So," She began, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Malum, I'm Olivia Buldovum." Such an elegantly beautiful name, "Nice to meet you Mrs. Buldovum, I'm Rex Ma-" I stopped for a minute, "How do you know my name?" "That's actually Ms. Buldovum, but you can just call me Olivia. As for your name, I was expecting you, although not until tomorrow!" Olivia explained, "You see, I work for the king down here in the Earth district. As a matter of fact, I'm his only worker in the Earth district." That explains it, "Oh so you were supposed to meet me at the gate to let me in, but you weren't expecting me until as early as tomorrow?" She replied, "Yes we assumed you'd take a day to pack up and leave your home first." "I was already packing up when I got the letter," I explained, "The Crystal Empire expanded into my town, so I made my leave then and there." "Oh well that explains your early arrival." She responded, "I'm sorry for everything that happened today, normally things aren't this crazy." I hadn't forgotten about the griffon, "Do you know her name?" I asked. "Sedina, Sedina Bali." She answered, "Daughter to the leader of the Bali clan of griffons that help transport passengers up the mountain. I have no doubt that today's events will see that stopped." "Why did they fire? Why did this all happen?" I asked. She replied, "You see, there is another griffon clan in a nearby valley that wanted this mountain long ago before we settled here. However, with the aid of pegasi warriors, we were able to take this mountaintop and form the skybound kingdom of Bresux!" Curious, I continued, "Why? Why take away this mountain from those griffons?" Olivia answered, "An ancient legend says that this mountain is blessed, and that any kingdom that sits upon it will prosper and have a high quality of life. So needless to say, King Bresux wanted nothing more for his people than the best, so he took the mountain." "And made the griffons his transport service?" "Not the ones we took the mountain from, no. That was the Jut clan, a clan of savage warriors who knew not what they had landed upon. The Bali clan is not associated with them whatsoever. However, being that the Jut clan will send warriors at random to attack the castle, we are on constant guard, and any griffon flying in range is normally considered hostile. However, to try and prevent incidents like today, we are supposed to fire arrows as warning shots before...before the..." Olivia had held a professional tone the entire time, but her voice quivered as she tried to explain the giant metal crossbow. "It's okay, I understand." I assured her. She cleared her throat, "Sorry, although I do whatever the king asks of me, I do not always agree with it." I decided it was best to stop talking about Sedina and griffons and move on to something more comfortable, "Where were those pictures taken?" I asked, pointing towards the pictures of landscapes on the opposite wall, "They look beautiful." Olivia blushed deeply, "Those are paintings I've done." My eyes went wide, "Surely you're kidding? Those are as detailed as a photograph! How did you learn to paint like that?" Olivia hid behind her mane, the most adorable thing I've ever seen, and shifted her rump to the side so I could see her cutie mark. It was a camera with a paintbrush and a cooking mitt behind it, "I'm talented in photography, art, and cooking!" She shifted her rump back and looked at me with curiosity in her eyes, "What about you? What's your special talent?" My ears drooped as I removed my saddlebags to reveal my bare rump. I frowned at embarrassment, "I've never had a cutie mark and I probably never will." Olivia put a hoof on mine, "It's okay, if you haven't found it yet then it must be something extraordinary!" She said, eyes shining like a child looking at a piece of candy. I moved my rump back and got comfortable again. I was about to ask about when I'd see the king, but then I noticed that she hadn't removed her hoof off of mine. I began to get a swelling feeling in my chest and my heart rate picked up. Olivia removed her hoof from mine, "Are you gonna be okay?" She asked. Realizing she thought I was freaking out from embarrassment, I quickly reassured her, "Oh yes I'm fine, just a little embarrassed is all." God I must have looked like a fool. Olivia stood up, "Well, you've got a big day tomorrow. We have to get up bright and early to get you processed into the arcane district." "Arcane district?" I asked. "The kingdom is split into 4 districts," She explained, "We're currently in the earth district, if you want to call it a district, most everypony calls it the slums because that's what it actual-" She stopped herself, "Sorry, another thing that I disagree with. Don't mind me." Was there a lack of freedom of speech in this place? I said, "There's no need to apologize, you have your views and you're allowed to express them." Olivia frowned, "Yes well, those who disagree with the king don't last very long in his service. Quite frankly, working under him is the best thing that's ever happened to me." "I thought you said this was the slums? Who would want to live here?" I asked. Olivia bit her lip, "N-nopony..." a tear streamed down her face. Oh no, now I've messed up, "I'm sorry, I'm just having a hard time understanding. I'll leave it be. I apologize." Olivia wiped the tear and took a stern pose, "No, there's no need to be sorry. Everything's okay." There was silence for a few moments, I could hear the rain hitting the roof. Olivia sighed, "We're in the earth district, next is the arcane district, where mostly unicorns stay and work. They work on taking care of any paperwork and monetary needs the kingdom has, as well as a plethora of shops and pubs to keep the populus happy. Next is the cloud district, which holds the military barracks on the east wall, along with the main plaza where most airborne activity comes in and out of the kingdom. This includes trade, recon, and training missions that the pegasi military force take on. Past that, at the highest point of the mountain, is the gold district, housing the king and his servants, along with the royal family." We sat in silence for a second longer. Olivia started, "Perhaps it's time we rest. Tomorrow's a big day." I paused, looked her in the eyes, "Olivia, are you okay?" Olivia looked down, "I'm living the best life I can under the king's service." She looked up and smiled, "How can it get any better?" I looked at one of the pictures on the wall behind her, her smile was much brighter in those pictures. I looked back at her, "Why did you just fake a smile to me?" Olivia's expression dropped, "What?" I gestured to the pictures, "You see those photos. You're smile is much more brilliant than the one you just gave me." Olivia looked at the pictures, then back at me. Her face seemed like she just saw a ghost. "Olivia," I pleaded, "If something's wrong please tell me. I just want to help." Olivia's body shook as she jumped up to hug me. I could feel tears streaming down my back off her face. She sobbed violently as she tried to control herself. She cried on my shoulder for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, she calmed down and sat back down. Wiping tears from her eyes, she said, "Thank you, it means a lot that you care." She adjusted her mane a little bit and looked at me, "Living conditions are downright awful here. I've been robbed, attacked, even had ponies make...horrible...sexual remarks towards me." I started, "Oh my god, I'm sorry. I didn't realize-" "But I've got it good!" She shouted, "I get food rations weekly from the inner walls! Everypony else is left out here to starve! No water, no food, they get what the environment gives them, and what they can buy from vendors who appear every now and then." "Why not just leave?" I asked. "We can't." She replied, "The griffons are only tasked with bringing ponies up, not back down. King Bresux says that if you can't get down by yourself, then you shouldn't have come up to begin with." "Are you serious?" I asked, "Surely he didn't say that exactly." "I heard it with my own two ears, Bresux views earth ponies as scum." She replied. I was shocked, "Doesn't he know I'm an earth pony?" "Probably not," She answered, "but you're clearly important to him. Once he learns you're an earth pony, hopefully it will make him realize that not having wings or a horn doesn't make you any less of a pony." I was astonished, a racist king? How could this be? This wasn't right, and when King Bresux plans to give me this "great fame" he promised me, I plan on exposing him as the horrible pony he is. I said, "So, does this mean he views you as...scum...too?" Olivia looked away, "No..." "Then...why are you an exception?" I asked, afraid of the answer. "Because," Olivia replied, "I'm the daughter he disowned."
Rock Dear King, Another day passes and life in the Earth district has not improved. We are giving you ample time to reply with an adequate solution but we will not wait forever. We saw your VIP show up today and along with him a giant bolt of steel attached to a griffon that sank itself into the stone reflecting pool, a source of water for all of the Earth district. The impact formed a hole in the base of the pool and all of the water has drained into the ground. More than 90% of the Earth district is now without water. We are dying. Fix this or you will be too. You have two days. The Earth Ponies The kingdom of Bresux was painted as a bright and magnificent place to live and flourish. From the outside, it seemed that was the case. With towering structures built high on the mountaintop, and the castle walls buzzing with pegasi and unicorn soldiers, and the clouds draping down the side of the mountain and around the kingdom, shrouding it in fog and mystery. However, to the investigative type, one could easily discover this place with not without fault. I fully intended on discovering just what problems this place hid from me, and offering my say on how to fix them. First the rude welcoming, then Sedina, and now the mare letting me in is the king's disowned daughter? All because she's an earth pony? This place was twisted, that's for sure. When I met king Bresux I fully planned on exchanging some words with him. Olivia had explained that the Earth pony gene was a recessive one in her family, and that she was the only living member of her family to be born an Earth pony. So instead of merely accepting her for who she was, they decided to separate her from the royal family almost right after birth, give her a new name, and she was raised and protected by a unicorn mage by the name of Star Swirl. From all she told me about him I began to get a little jealous, apparently he's an extremely smart and talented unicorn who's skills are used to that of the king's family. More often than not he spend's his time reading, but is given the occasional task of developing a tool or machine that could be used to solve problem's around the castle. Last time Olivia saw Star Swirl was a few years ago, when she turned old enough to take care of herself. After that, she's only had messanger unicorns deliver supplies to her every now and then. However, even they are few and far between. Upon hearing Olivia's tragic story, I sat with her awhile and tried my best to comfort her. Normally I'm horrible at doing so, but apparently Olivia has spent all this time alone, and it's worn down on her so much, all I needed to do to calm her down was to let her talk it all out. It started off about her past, but shifted to her day-to-day activities, and the bad stuff that she goes through every day. Eventually I got her talking about her hobbies and interests and discovered we share a fondness of taking care of animals. Olivia, despite living in horrid conditions, owns 2 cats, a small dog, and even a bird. All of which leave the house by day, but return and stay each night. She gives them what food she can spare. Eventually, she wound down and right when I was about to hit the hay, she decided to ask about me. "Now that I've given you my sappy story," Olivia mused, "What about you? What was your home like?" Thinking back to my small town, I recalled growing up and seeing the town expand, "It wasn't my home." "I'm sorry?" Olivia asked Realizing I sounded like a madman, I explained, "The town I left wasn't the same as the home I grew up in. When I was young the town was very small, and we were a tightly knit community. As I grew up, so did the town. Before I knew it, all my friends and family were nowhere to be seen, lost in the hustle and bustle of a now great city." "Wow," Olivia said, "That doesn't sound very nice." "I was hoping this would end up as my new home," I replied, "But after hearing and seeing all the wonderful things about this place, I don't think I'm gonna stay too long after I see the king." Olivia laughed at my sarcasm, which made a feeling in my chest tighten up. The sound of a chiming clock rang out from the kitchen, signaling it was well past midnight. "Oh my," Olivia gasped, "I didn't realize we'd been chatting for this long." "I can't remember the last time I stayed up past midnight." I said, driving the point home by following up with a yawn. "Yes well, I guess time flies when you're in good company." Olivia said, giving me a smile. I looked back at one of her pictures. It was the same smile. "You'll be staying in there," Olivia pointed towards the dark room, "That's the bedroom." Confused, I asked, "The only bedroom? Where will you be sleeping?" "I'll sleep on the couch," She replied, "Besides, I've already made myself comfortable." Absolutely not. "I'm sorry Olivia, but I have to refuse." "Oh don't try and pull that chivalrous card with me," She warned, "Please take my bed, I insist." "Well, you see, I'm not entirely comfortable sleeping in a girl's bedroom." Which was true. "Oh," She answered, "Are you sure you don't want the bed?" "I'm positive." I explained. After a brief pause, Olivia responded, "Okay Mr. Malum. If you insist, then the couch is yours." Olivia climbed off the couch and stood up. "Thank you Olivia, and just call me Rex, please." I responded. Olivia offered me another bright smile, "Of course, Rex." and with that she trotted off to bed. I climbed on the couch where she was sitting and got comfortable, the cushion still warm from her body heat. Resting my head in the cushion I could still smell a faint tinge of her perfume. I dug my face a little harder into the cushion and inhaled deeply. The crackling of the fire had me fast asleep as I imagined I was cuddled up with Olivia. I woke up the next morning to find the front door bashed in, heavy rain and wind blowing in from outside. I shot up and galloped to the door, discovering that it had been snapped in two and strewn about the front of the house. Heavy thunder and lightning threatened me from above, and a downpour of rain instantly drenched me. I stepped outside to try and see what broke the door, only to be stopped by the sound of a loud screech from above. In the shadow of a lightning bolt, a single griffon was hurdling it's way towards me. Light from the thunderstorm shone through a perfect hole right in the center of it's chest. "Sedina?" I asked myself, only to have my question answered as the zombie griffon swooped down and snatched me up. Grabbing me by my back and digging her talons deep. I let out a scream in pain, then began to call for help. The slums remained still. Not a moving thing in sight. Sedina carried me to the front of the castle gate, right were she was shot down. She turned herself so that I could see the gate. On top of the gate was a giant crossbow, mounted on a rotating platform, and armed with a great steel bolt. Two guards began aiming the device at me and Sedina. Oh no... The guards lined up the shot. Sedina swung me back, and then forward again, letting go and throwing me in the air. I held my breath. I looked to the crossbow. The bolt was fired. A searing pain rippled through my body, as I felt myself being yanked back to the earth. Almost as if somepony had tied a rope to me, and pulled me back down. Suddenly, my movement came to a sharp halt. I found that the bolt had struck me dead in the chest, and planted me down into the same pool as it did to Sedina. The edges of my vision began to darken as I noticed that the pool was already deep red with blood. The zombie griffon landed on the other end of the pool, and began making her way towards me. Her eyes reflecting the lightning strikes around us. A bright green that pierced my very soul not much unlike the bolt had pierced my body. Earth pony zombies began rising from the shallow waters, each of them missing limbs or pieces of flesh. Exposed bone and rotting tissue filled the air with a foul stench. All of them walking towards me. The first zombie pony reached me, biting down on my hoof and yanking until it had torn off a piece of flesh. I screamed at the top my lungs, helpless to the horde that was about to devour me. Two more joined it, one ripping off my ear and another one tearing into my leg. The pain was unbearable. My vision began to fade even more. Sedina finally reached me, and wasted no time digging her claws right into my stomach, and pulling out a handful of flesh and intestines. I began to pass out as I heard the cries of a mare. Slowly looking to the right revealed Olivia getting swarmed by another horde of zombie earth ponies, about 5 or 6. Each of them ripping pieces of her flesh and taking massive bites. "REX! REX!" She screamed, reaching out for me with a hoof. Another zombie took a bite of my shoulder. "REX!" She shouted, another one joining her already growing pile of undead. "REX!" I awoke with a start, to find Olivia standing over me, a worried expression on her face. She shook me, "REX! WAKE UP!" She yelled. I sat up, "I'm awake! I'm awake!" Olivia moved to sit in the chair, next to me, and let me get up. I realized I was sweating, and my throat was dry. The sun shined through the windows as earth ponies trotted along, tending to their day's work. The door was on it's hinges, still locked presumably, the key hung loosely on the hook next to it. The skies were clear, not a cloud in sight. Looking to Olivia, I saw she had gotten herself ready for the day, two cups of coffee sat on the table. She was watching me carefully, a worried expression still on her face. "Are you okay?" she asked me. Trying to play off the fact that I surely didn't seem okay, I replied, "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Olivia frowned, "Because you were screaming in your sleep. I thought somebody had broken in and hurt you or something." I recalled the horrible nightmare, "Just... a bad dream. That's all." Olivia tilted her head, this time less cute due to the fact she seemed distressed, "Now it's my turn to call out your lie." I sighed, realizing that Olivia wasn't going to drop it, I told her about the nightmare. "You're blaming yourself for Sedina's death." she explained. Shocked at her observation, I replied, "What makes you say that?" Sedina looked out the window, as if reflecting upon a distant memory, "Star Swirl told me once that many ponies deal with the concept of death in many different ways." She returned her gaze to me, "Being that I live in a place where death is common, he felt I should know how to deal with it. One of the things he warned me about was that if the deceased ever return to you in your dreams, especially in form of a nightmare, it's typically a sign that you're blaming yourself. Whether you know it or not." There wasn't anything I could have done to prevent Sedina's death, but the fact that she came back for me made it feel like I played a part in it. A part in an act that I didn't even know I was playing. The whole situation is akin to giving a filly a honey-nut bar, only to discover she's severely allergic to nuts and it nearly kills her. You didn't know she was allergic, you couldn't have known, yet you were the one who handed her the snack that caused her so much stress. If I hadn't forgotten my book like a fool, or maybe if I had kept my bits, Sedina might not have came back for me. That's an inner conflict I'll have to struggle with for the rest of my life. "Rex?" Olivia prodded Realizing I had been standing there moping to myself, I lifted my head up, "There's nothing we can do about Sedina now except to move on. I plan on personally seeing to it that her death doesn't go unanswered." Olivia frowned and sighed, "Okay Rex, just don't do anything too crazy." I wanted to scream. How could she? Sedina returned to the castle for me! I'd see her name be heard by everyone in the kingdom if I have to. I'd paint the castle walls with the king's blood! I'd gladly give my life, if it could bring her back as if nothing happened. I wanted to speak my mind to Olivia, but I knew she was just trying to be a good friend. I quickly calmed myself and replied, "Thank you Olivia." She seemed to notice my pause and looked away. The room was silent for a moment until she spoke up, "I prepared us some coffee." "Thank you," I replied, much more genuinely. I picked up a cup and put it to my lips, taking a sip. Cold. Olivia sipped hers too, giving it a disapproving look, "It seems this morning's antics caused it to sit for too long." Realizing that the only reason it had been sitting there, getting cold, was because of me, I gave a weak apology, "Sorry, I'll prepare us some more." Olivia set her cup down, "Oh there's no need," Olivia smiled, "Today we'll be meeting Star Swirl at the gate, and he makes the best cup of coffee you've ever tasted!" "Wait, you mean I'll be meeting the Star Swirl?" I asked, "The one you've told me so much about?" Olivia gave one of her signature smiles, "Yup! He'll be taking you through the Arcane district." I frowned, "You mean... you won't be coming?" Olivia's expression instantly darkened, she looked down and frowned, "Oh... I suppose not." "Why not?" I asked. Olivia looked up at me, "Earth ponies aren't all that welcome in the Arcane district, there are a few, but I don't think it'd be a good idea for me to stay for any extended period of time." I waved a hoof, "Nonsense," I smiled at her, "If the king's requesting a Earth pony come all the way up to his castle, then surely another one wouldn't be amiss." She gave a weak smile, "I sure hope so..." It was almost midday, the birds were chirping, the slums were buzzing with activity, and me and Olivia were ready to go. Before we left, I cleaned myself up with Olivia's facilities and even repolished my hooves. They weren't as shiny as they were yesterday, but I don't think I'd ever feel right if they were. Olivia had put on a small sun hat with a mint green ribbon to match her mane. I had my saddlebags at my sides, now freshly cleaned and restocked, and we began to trot towards the gate. Looking towards the reflection pool, I saw the metal spear had been picked up, most likely taken back behind the wall to be...reused. A large hole was left in the stone at the bottom of the pool where the bolt struck it, all the water had drained out. Many ponies sat around the edge of the pool, looking towards the hole with sadness in their eyes. Another thing that I couldn't help feel was my fault. As if to worsen my feeling of guilt, some of the ponies even looked my way with angry glares. I steered my gaze towards the gate, me and Olivia trotted up the stairs. It seemed different unicorn guards were here today, due to the fact that they didn't try to skewer me on sight, plus they didn't wear helmets. They looked almost identical, blue unicorns with emerald colored manes, only the one on the left had yellow eyes, and the one on the right had green eyes. Although the guards were different, the welcome was the same. The one on the left blocked my path with his spear, "Halt!" he shouted, "State thy business!" I raised a hoof and opened my mouth to explain when Olivia stepped forward to speak, "Now Gerdum, you and your brother both know we are expecting company for the king today." The knight on the left, Gerdum, looked to his brother on the right, "Sir Malphus, do we have any such orders today?" Malphus pulled a small scroll out from underneath his armor, unraveling it, he stated, "By order of the king, you may permit entry to a single pony. This pony is to be treated with the utmost respect, and given anything he desires. Please alert all stuff upon his arrival and ensure he reaches the Gold district in 2 days time of his arrival." Malphus looked up from the scroll, "Your name, sir?" He asked me. I replied, "Rex Malum." Malphus looked down at his scroll, "That matches the name on here, if you'll follow me sir, I'll show you to your guide." Malphus turned and began to walk through the gate. I began to follow him but noticed that Olivia wasn't coming, "Aren't you coming?" I asked her. Malphus and Gerdum both turned to face me, Gerdum said, "Sorry sir but we can't have the Earth pony commonfolk inside the walls, orders are orders." It was stated as though they were pleased with the order, rather than dismayed by it. "But I'm an Earth pony, surely one more wouldn't be a bother." I smiled at Olivia. Malphus spoke up, "I'm sorry sir, but it simply cannot be allowed. The king has asked for your presence, which means you are clearly a very important pony to him. Another earth pony entering the walls may give the commonfolk incentive to try and enter themselves." I smiled at him as an idea struck me, "What did that note of yours say again, Malphus?" He pulled the note back out, "By order of the king you may permit entry to a single pony. This pony is to be treated with the utmost respect and given anything that he desi-..." His voice trailed off as he realized what I was saying, "I'm sorry Mr. Malum, but the note clearly states that we can only allow one pony to enter." I huffed and examined my hoof, "Well then I guess I'll just have to let the king know you denied my friend access after I clearly asked you to let her in." Malphus' eyes widened, and he looked at his brother, who also bore a worried expression. He cleared his throat and put his note away, "Very well Mr. Malum," he stated bluntly, "Allow me to escort you and your friend to your guide." He said 'friend' as if it was the most disgusting title he could give her. It seems the king wasn't the only one who didn't like earth ponies. I turned to Olivia, who was smiling as bright as she did in the photos on her walls. She ran up to me and gave me a hug, nearly knocking me over in the process. I returned it as my cheeks turned red and my heart rate began to race. Her mane got in my face and I got a strong smell of her perfume. It was the same as the couch cushion, only a million times stronger. The scent nearly made my hair stand on end, and surely made my face bright red. She hugged me for mere seconds but to me it felt like an eternity. When she finally let go, she looked me right in the eyes, a huge smile on her face, and said, "Thank you." Digging in her saddlebags, she pulled out a camera, setting it to take a picture she spun us around so our backs were to the entrance and held the camera in front of us in a sort of self-portrait position. She pulled herself close to me, undoubtedly making my face turn even redder, and said, "Say cheese!" In the spur of the moment I gave the best smile I could, which was goofy looking at best, and said, "Cheese!" The camera flashed and spat out a photo of me and Olivia standing at the entrance, side by side, a very worn-for-wear Malphus standing behind us. Looking at myself, I realized that my head wasn't as red as an apple, but my cheeks were certainly getting there. Olivia shoved the camera and photo in her saddlebag, "That's going on the wall when I get home!" she stated. At first I was pleased to hear it, but suddenly I realized that a photo of me blushing like a fool would be on her wall to welcome her home each time she came in the door. No words could express my embarrassment. At least it seemed she was yet to notice my rosy cheeks. Olivia and I turned together to follow Malphus through the gate. The first thing I noticed was the stark contrast in living conditions inside. All of the homes and buildings were made of rock, and the streets were paved with stones, the gaps filled in with gravel and pebbles. Unicorns ran back and forth along the streets, some entering businesses and others staring at scrolls and almost bumping into ponies as they walked by. It wasn't much different from the hustle and bustle of a city, really. The only stark contrast was that of all the ponies running about, I could only spy about two or three earth ponies, and not a pegasi was in sight. Was segregation just an accepted thing here? Surely there had to be a few pegasi about, as they are the acting military force for the castle. Maybe they remained out of sight until something happens. The setup of the Arcane district was not much different from the one of the Earth district. All buildings lined a single main road going straight down the center of the area, with small roads and alleyways branching off to the sides. At the far end of the district was a large pool of water with a statue in the center of a unicorn. A small stream of water shot out of the tip of his horn and into the pool. However this water was crystal clear, and not a single pony dare lay hoof in it. I fully intended on dirtying that pool before I left the district. Something about this place told me that the unicorns here didn't give an ounce of their thought to the earth ponies just outside the walls. I intended on performing a small act of revenge on the earth ponies' behalf. My devious thought was cut short as a grey unicorn with golden eyes approached us. He was clearly a wizard due to his large pointed hat and cloak he wore. The edges of his hat and cloak sported several golden bells, all jingling as he walked. His hat and cloak were both a deep blue, and sported a design of the night sky. He was starting to grow a snow-white beard on his chin, a sign he was somewhat older than he looked. He looked at Olivia, "Olivia!" He shouted, "It's been too long!" he walked up and gave her a hug, making me only a little jealous. Olivia smiled at him, "Same to you! When did you grow the beard? I don't like it on you!" The unicorn replied, "Oh I have too much work to tend to, no time to keep it trimmed! Besides, I plan on growing it out anyways, so you better get used to it!" I approached the unicorn, already guessing who he was, "So you must be Star Swirl, the king's Wizard? Olivia has told me much about you!" Star Swirl feigned shock, "Oh my! Good things I hope!" Me and Olivia both chuckled. Catching us off guard, Malphus chimed in, "You three make haste to the Gold district. The king expects Rex Malum in two days time." With that, Malphus returned to his post at the gate with his brother. Almost as if he never said anything, I continued the conversation, speaking to Star Swirl, I asked, "So I take it that you don't share many of the same beliefs of the king?" Star Swirl put a hoof to my mouth, and looked around worriedly. He removed his hoof and looked at me threateningly. He replied quietly, "Yes, that's true. However, I take it you don't understand that's not something you should go saying so that all of Equestria can hear you?" As if to drive the point home, Star Swirl looked up the castle wall. A unicorn guard was peering over and looking right at us, but pulled his head back upon our gaze and continued his rounds. "Noted." I replied bluntly. "Good." Star Swirl smiled, "Now, I'm sure you're eager to see the great kingdom of Bresux! Follow me!" Star Swirl began to trot off, but I stopped him, "Actually, Olivia tells me you make legendary coffee?" He turned to face me, and grinned at the comment, "Coffee? Coffee? My friend, what I make may start off as coffee, but what it becomes is art."
Friends in High Places Dear King, It has come to our attention that the financial situation with the Diamond Dog Commonwealth has come to a critical point. The Diamond Dogs are asking for their debts to be paid in full or they will take it by force. I'm sure you're aware what happened to the other Skybound empires who denied the Diamond Dogs. They are a force to be reckoned with, and I fear we will not survive what they have planned for us. We recommend adjourning a meeting to discuss this matter further and seeing to it that the situation is handled properly. The Diamond Dogs demand an answer in three days time. Sincerely, The Financial Workers of the Arcane District The stairs seemed to never end. It felt like my entire journey here was faster than climbing these stairs. God I hate stairs. Although, now that I really look back on it, I suppose it's not that bad when compared to everything I went through to get here. Oh the nostalgia is overwhelming, from the time I first received that letter to being here and walking up these steps. I was at home, a small village just south of the fringes of the Crystal Empire. Everypony knew everypony else, and we all helped each other out. At least that's how it was when I was a kid. As I grew up the village expanded, ponies became less neighborly, and before I knew it, I'd lost contact with all my old friends and family. They'd all moved away or gotten lost in all the hustle and bustle. The turning point for me was when the Crystal Empire expanded into my town, demanding that any ponies who stayed were to be crystallized. I didn't like that idea, so I decided that was my queue to leave as well. My timing was perfect, because just as I was packing to leave, a letter came in the mail. It was addressed to me, Rex Malum, from a king in a faraway land. I'd already lost everything, so chances were I either meet this king and acquire this great fame he's promised me, or it's all just a scam, and I setup my own home in town. Either way works for me. I wiped some sweat from my brow, ruffling my blonde mane. Noting how finely I polished my hooves, I noticed the reflection of my deep blue eyes in them. I had even brushed my purple fur for the occasion. If I were to meet royalty, then I surely would have to look the part. However if these stairs went on for much longer, then all my effort would be ruined by my stinky body odor. I adjusted my saddlebags and kept climbing. I began to wonder why the griffons weren't allowed near the castle? Why shouldn't they come up further? Surely if the king was paying them to lift visitors up the mountainside then he'd want them right on his doorstep? I found it very odd but before I could continue the thought I had reached the last step. Finally, I was here, the kingdom of Bresux! The castle entrance wasn't all I'd hoped it to be, as most of it was blocked by the overcrowded slums. From what I could see of the castle, it looked amazing. Gleaming towers and walls so shiny you could probably see your reflection on them! With new hope and a smile on my face I trotted forward, entering the slums. The distance was short compared to the many miles I'd walked just to be here, and I wasn't about to let any commoners stop me either. Walking past the wooden and cobblestone houses, I was barraged with beggars. I held close to my saddlebags, making sure a pickpocket couldn't reach inside. I kept proceeding forward until I reached the main plaza, where ponies had set up booths and shops of all kinds. Some sold clothes, others sold produce, and one booth sold only apples? A little odd but I paid it no mind. The center of the plaza held a giant, and I mean giant, pool of shallow water. I assume it was to be used as a reflecting pool to show off the castle, but the effect was ruined by ponies young and old splashing about and taking baths. The water looked filthy, I wouldn't have given that water to a dog to drink, let alone swim in. Conditions must have been truly awful here. However, my concern lied elsewhere. I set my eyes forward and proceeded towards the main gate. Now that I was through the slums, I could see the gate in all it's glory! The walls reflected all of the evening sunlight, turning the entire plaza a deep golden yellow. Despite the commotion going about, it looked beautiful. I trotted forward in awe, and set my eyes on the guards at the main gate. One stood on each side, both of them unicorns, clad in complete steel plate armor and wielding spears. I noted that nopony was going in or out of the gate. Rather odd, but I paid it no mind. Trotting up to the unicorns I was greeted with a stern, "Halt!" The one on the left approached me, "State thy business!" He commanded. I reached in my saddlebags and pulled out the letter, asking for me to meet the king, "I seek audience with the king, he sent me this letter." I handed the letter the unicorn, he held it using his magic and before he even opened it, tore it to shreds, "The king is not expecting anybody today, begone peasant." I was in shock, after how far I've traveled I couldn't believe it! Maybe this was all just a sham after all, "Is this not the kingdom of Bresux?" The unicorn was clearly losing his patience, "It is but you have no business inside the walls, just because you can clean up nicely doesn't mean you can come inside." Now that was just rude, "I have traveled very far to meet your king! I demand entry to your castle!" The unicorn took a combative stance and held the tip of the spear towards me, "Leave at once or I will place you under arrest!" The other unicorn had readied his spear and slowly approached. I didn't know what to do, I panicked and froze, eyes glued open. This was the place, and the letter was my only way in. Now it was destroyed, and I was about to get arrested. Where would I go? It wasn't like I could call the griffon transport back up! I'd have to wait until she carried another pony up, it could take days! Maybe even weeks, or months! Where would I stay? The unicorns got closer, "You are under ar-!" Just then I heard a familiar voice call out, "Sir!" Turning around I saw the griffon that transported me up here, flying towards me and waving her arm. In her other talon she held a small package. She held up the package as she got closer, "You forgot your jou-" "FIRE!" All of a sudden a horrible sound erupted from the top of the gate, and a giant metal spear flew out from over the wall. The spear impaled the griffon, going straight through her and dragging her down right into the reflection pool. The spear hit the bottom of the shallow pool with a great THUD! and the griffon was staked to it. Ponies screamed and ran for every nook and cranny they could hide in, shops closed their doors, and stall keepers closed shop and ran into alleyways. The plaza was clear in seconds. The two unicorns behind me had vanished behind the gate and shut it with a loud SLAM! A once bustling and loud plaza, was a silent ghost town. Slowly and silently, I approached the griffon, impaled by the spear and stuck to the ground. As I approached I noticed she was still moving. I began to run, I jumped into the dingy water and sloshed my way through, heading straight for her. I reached her, noticing that the spear was at least 4 inches in diameter, it had punched right through her stomach. Blood ran all over her and the pool was starting to turn red. She looked me right in the eyes and handed me the package, life quickly fading from her eyes, "You forgot your journal..." she said. I took the journal in my hoof, still unable to believe what just happened. She gave me a smile. Then she closed her eyes and went still. Opening the package I was greeted with my old journal, and a note stuck to it. The note read, "Thank you for the bits, they'll go towards my first quality meal in years."
