Power and Fear
Chapter 1:
The Arrivals
Due to being located in a desert, it was usually hot in the wasteland kingdom, but, fittingly, the sun seemed to beat down upon the land with more intensity than usual on this day. Standing out in the sweltering heat, with metal armor and dark robes that grew warmer with each passing moment, was the centaur Lord-Prince Tirek. His face was drawn into a deep scowl, making it clear to all that he did not wish to be there and would gladly kill someone just to be able to get back inside the castle where it was nice and cool. The only trouble was that the effort to hide a body was sure to be noticed and thus not worth it.
Shame, he really did want to give the cloud gremlins a piece of his mind for not doing their jobs properly. It would alleviate his current state of boredom at very least. That or his father had given them the day off, perhaps even asked them to clear the skies and let the sun shine on through. Those sounded like things that his father would do. Tirek could only assume that all of these actions were done to placate their upcoming visitor, of course. Though, everyone was quite miserable whenever the cloud gremlins made it rain so perhaps, for this day at least, it was for the best.
Standing beside the young centaur royal was his family, flanked by several of the grey armored gargoyles and cloud gremlins that made up their personal guard. The trained eyes of the guards scanned the horizon for the guest that was to be arriving, as well as for any form of danger. They had trained and planned for days to provide security for the upcoming event… not that they could actually do anything if something were to occur. If there was to be a battle this day, then having their guards fight the threat would be like making insects battle the most ancient of dragons.
Realistically, such a conflict would be a slaughter… and it would still probably be more entertaining than just standing around like this.
Beside Tirek was his younger brother and fellow prince, Scorpan, who was fussing and fidgeting in robes that were just as dark and fine as Tirek’s own. Although his attitude towards the situation was probably born more from embarrassment than annoyance as it was with his older brother. Regardless, they were both powerless to deny their father’s request to attend this momentous occasion though, to be fair, they were more terrified of their mother’s reaction if they had tried.
Their parents, the centaur King Vorak and the gargoyle Queen Haydon, stood to Tirek’s left and also eagerly, read fearfully, anticipated the arrival of their guest, Celestia, the Princess of the Kingdom of Equestria (though Tirek wondered why they would erroneously use those terms together). It had been several weeks since the incident involving the centaur elder, Sendak, and his kidnapping of an Equestrian unicorn for use in his magical experiments (thankfully Tirek had managed to cover up his own involvement, though he knew his father had found out about it). Tirek had been enjoying his new found freedom, having been allowed out of his room since his father’s return, until this had been sprung on him. His parents had decided to hold a grand banquet for the ruler of Equestria in order to, as his father said, “Promote healthy relations between the two kingdoms” and told him to be on his best behavior in order to make Celestia and her entourage feel welcome. But Tirek knew the truth, that his father was making pathetic attempts to placate the pony princess in order to avoid her wrath.
A flash of light shone in his eyes, coming from the horizon that they all had been gazing towards. Tirek narrowed his eyes to filter the glare, trying to see what was causing the sunlight to reflect with such harshness. Were he a less apathetic being, the sight might have taken his breathe away.
Streaking through the sky was a golden carriage being pulled by a quartet of pure white Pegasi, each clad in identical and equally golden armor similar to the armor worn by Tirek’s own guards in design (albeit altered to fit ponies rather than gargoyles and gremlins). Another three groups of four flew in formation around the chariot, most likely to protect their charge from attack. None of them were armed, but with their Pegasi abilities to manipulation the weather and use the feathers of their wingtips as blades they did not need to be. However, when Tirek consider who it was that these ponies were guarding, he questioned the need for them to even exist in the first place.
The carriage streaked through the sky gracefully, its pullers seemingly unburdened by its weight or the weight of the things that it held. The Equestrian group landed before Tirek’s family, the guards lining up to flank both sides of the carriage door. From the corner of his eye King Vorak glanced towards his eldest son, who, thankfully, seemed to be content with watching everything unfold impassively and was unlikely to cause trouble… hopefully.
The door to the golden carriage, though Tirek thought of it more as a literal eyesore because the reflected rays of light coming off of it were making his eyes hurt, opened. Out of it came an unimpressive Earth Pony dressed in a robe and feathered hat who stood next to the door. After clearing his throat quite audibly, he cried out, “Hear ye, hear ye! I present to you her royal highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria!”
A hoof covered in a golden boot gracefully stepped out of the carriage, followed by a body of pearly white that glowed as the sunlight hit it. Before them stood an alicorn, a pony whose height equaled that of King Vorak and possessed both wings and a horn. She was adorned in golden regalia, her crown and neckwear each studded with a single amethyst. Celestia’s great wings were displayed in full, appearing delicate despite the visible muscles beneath her feathers. Her mane and tail, colored with pinks, blues and greens, waved about ethereally in a breeze that was not there. Adorning her flank, though Tirek had taken care not stare for too long, was a sun with eight wavy rays. It was a cutie mark, he recalled. Princess Celestia gave off an aura of power and, to the young centaur’s surprise, a sort of motherly gentleness. An aura that reassured everyone that all would be well by the mere virtue of standing within proximity of her.
The sight sickened him. It sickened him to no end.
Tirek glanced to the side to see his parent’s reactions to the display. It was about what he had expected. They were both greatly impressed… and very much afraid. The princes followed their parent’s lead as they bowed to the Princess of Equestria. She returned the bow before both parties rose.
King Vorak stepped forward before speaking, “Welcome, Princess Celestia. My nation and family welcome you to our castle. We are honored by your presence.”
Princess Celestia smiled at the welcome and praise. “Please, King Vorak, the honor is all mine. I look forward to the banquet tonight.”
“Ahem.”
All heads turned back toward the carriage from which the voice had originated. Someone else, well, somepony else in this case, was waiting inside of it. Tirek raised an eyebrow in surprise and confusion. Had the princess brought along a friend or advisor for the banquet? It would make sense to keep an advisor with her at all times, but this one sounded particularly annoyed, to say the least.
The Earth Pony crier’s eyes widen in embarrassment or terror, Tirek assumed a healthy mixture of both, clearly having forgotten to introduce the carriage’s other occupant. But that did raise the question of just who could arouse such fear.
“Presenting her… other royal highness, Princess Luna of Equestria!”
Tirek scowled, not knowing who he was speaking of. From the looks he gathered of those around him, he was not alone in his confusion.
To his and family’s surprise, a second alicorn exited the carriage, though she lacked the same amount of grace that Celestia had. She nearly stumbled as her legs tried to recover from their lack of use during the journey. In contrast to Celestia’s bright coat, this alicorn’s coat was a very dark blue. In addition, she was much shorter than the other, but still stood at a respectfully tall height. Her blue mane and tail was more nebulous than Celestia’s and the twinkling lights in it more apparent. Her cutie mark was that of a crescent moon against a splotch of black. The regalia she was clad in were made of black metal while her boots were a silvery blue. They were studded with small, almost miniscule, diamonds that twinkled that liked stars did. Thankfully her darker coat did not create a glare like Celestia’s did, though Tirek knew from experience that would most likely wish to be out of the sun’s heat before long.
Princess Luna marched from the carriage, glancing at the guards as she passed by. The alicorn stopped next to Celestia, but was a little ways back. Princess Celestia was at the head of the group, standing proud, warm and the attention of all before the alicorns seemed to naturally gravitate towards her.
Tirek was not sure what to make of Luna. She seemed annoyed, but that was understandable. She was a princess and the crier had forgotten to announce her. Tirek himself would be more than a little annoyed if something similar occurred to him. Luna also carried herself as a princess, not as motherly as Celestia did. One thing that Tirek was sure of was this: whoever this ‘Princess Luna’ was, she was clearly subordinate to Celestia.
She bowed to King Vorak and Queen Haydon, just as the other princess had done before but this time instigating the ritual herself. “Greetings and salutations, King Vorak and Queen Haydon. We are most eager to dine in you hall.”
Vorak and Haydon returned the bow. The king spoke for them both, “We are pleased by your eagerness and seek to provide you with a most pleasant visit.” With that he turned and, with the rest of his family, escorted the two princess into the towering castle. Their guards, Equestrian and native, followed closely behind.
They were lead into a grand entry constructed of dark stone. Pillars held up the vaulted ceiling high above them and the crest of the royal family, a match for Scorpan’s medallion, adorned the far wall. Banners and tapestries hung from the other walls, some put up this very day in order to block the windows that would allow the intense sunlight into the castle. Despite this it was still quite warm, though much cooler than it was outside to Tirek’s relief.
“We’ve prepared rooms for you and your guards,” Queen Haydon informed them, her wings beating to keep her pace ahead of the group. “Our sons shall escort you the rest of the way. My husband and I must see to the final preparations in the dining hall.” With that the rulers left, leaving Tirek and Scorpan with Celestia and Luna.
Tirek failed to restrain the groan that escaped from his lips. He had been sincerely hoping that she would let him and Scorpan leave to the comfort of their rooms and forget that this day had even happened. He just wanted the incident with Sendak to be over with and behind him, but now he was getting the feeling that he would have to put up with the fallout for the rest of his life, or, at least, the foreseeable future.
The young centaur glanced at the two princesses before taking the lead. At least he knew where the guest rooms were and that this all would be out of his hands soon enough.
Author's Note
First story here on Fimfiction. Do not be afraid to tell me how I can improve both the story and my writing in the comments below!