Fire Emblem: Equestria

The Silent Guardian

A Friendship is Magic Story

Chapter 2:  The Sacking of Mareheim

A loud CRACK tore through the air, silencing every-pony within the compound.  Celestia willed herself to open her tightly clenched eyes.

Time seemed to slow down as something rapidly approached the executioner from the left, smoke trail and all.  It impacted with the exectutioner's head, leaving the left intact, but blowing bone and brain matter out the right side of his head, mimicking the form of a geyser explosion.

The now lifeless husk of the executioner slumped to the ground with a silent thud, the axe falling harmlessly beside her.

The crowd erupted into disorder.  While normally Discord would have loved such a thing, now was not the proper time for chaos.  She dimly heard him order another of his guards to the execution platform to kill her little ponies, when that same guard's head exploded in the same fashion as the executioner.

Out from below the platform burst Ninian and Nils, who had somehow found the armory and stole back all the Brigade's weapons.  Another CRACK  told her the unicorn announcer was dead, destroying the enchantments on the rope keeping them in place.

"Look!  Up there!"  One spectator cried, pointing with his hoof at the large clock tower to the right of the platform.

Celestia averted her gaze, eyes widened and jaw slacked.  There, leaning off the tower, was the strangest creature she had ever seen.  It stood on two legs, and was dressed in a variety of clothes, it's long purple coat flowing heroically in the wind.  With a death-defying leap, it jumped off the tower, doing a series of acrobatic twirls, spins, and flips, before landing gracefully in front of Sir Tristan.  Grasping a serrated knife from somewhere inside its cloak with its claws, (Hands!  Celestia corrected herself) it sawed the roped binding Tristan, The Sparkles, and Harcos.

Nils tossed Tristan his mighty axe and Arran his huge claymore. The two went to work, felling evil guards left and right. Tristan defended the Northern stairs, buying time for Harcos and Michalis to free the others.  Arran, with his huge, intimidating Claymore, defended the southern stairs from any invader.  The skill with which Tristan and Arran fought, using their hooves and standing upright, demonstrated their far superior skill with weaponry to the grunts in Discord's service.

Strelok and Hikari were freed.  Immediately going to work, Strelok quickly demonstrated his marksmanship, felling a fully armored Armor Knight with a shot through the eyes in his helmet.  Hikari worked her Wind Magic, tossing guards to and fro with the magic's irresistible grip.

Celestia and Luna were freed.  Celestia, being the daughter who took after her mother, quickly activated her Light magic skills, casting spells such as Lightning and Ellight.  She opted not to use her Thani spell:  She couldn't fully control it yet, due to her rambunctious behavior and tendency to get in deep trouble with authority.

Luna was the more composed of the two, if her mastery of the Dark Arts was to be taken into account.  Such mentally taxing spells like Fenrir and Nosferatu required hours of meditation and a peaceful state of mind, something her rowdy elder sister never managed to do.

Eorlund, in his aged state, could not fight, so Harcos, wielding a war hammer, bashed in skulls and crushed limbs in a valiant effort to protect his grandfather.  Soon, all of Discord's guards were dead; all of those who were smart enough to retreat were spared.

Discord grew weary of this nonsense.  He leaped off his throne and summoned his ultimate Dark Magic spell, Imhullu.  The Darkness swirled around him, preparing to strike at the Brigade, determined to finish them off once and for all...

Until the unthinkable happened.

The creature ran toward, tossing aside the strange black metal rod and pocketing its knife for a shorter, silver rod.

Discord angrily threw blasts of Dark Magic at the speedily advancing creature.  It dodged and rolled to the best of its ability, but Celestia saw the deep wounds inflicted on his lower left leg.  Despite these wounds, he continued to run at a speed unlike any-pony she knew capable.

The creature pounced on Discord, shoving the rod into his face, cancelling the Imhullu cloud.  Hissing, he lashed out with his left hand, scratching his face on the left eye.  Howling in pain it grasped its face and fell.  Discord grinned evilly and raised the Imhullu cloud to finish it off.

The creature raised the rod before Discord got the opportunity to fire the Imhullu spell.  A BOOM erupted from the rod, the tip exploding into a magnificent shower of fire and smoke, boosted by its magical aura.  She heard the impact, even as far away as she was.  The Imhullu cloud blocked most of the damage, but knocked him off his feet.  Discord's head made contact with the wall behind him, the suddenness and strength of the impact was almost enough to knock him out.  Even he would take a few minutes to recover from that.

"Adrian!"  Cried  Ninian.  She flew to the creature's side, picking it up and flying back to the platform, despite her small size.  So it's name is Adrian, huh?   Celestia filed the name for future reference.

"Augh,"  the creature groaned.  "Fucker got my leg.  I won't be able to walk so well..."  It said to itself.  Its voice was obviously deep, it build composed of hard angles instead of soft curves, making him a male of... whatever his species was.  Damn it, all this thinking was making her head spin.  This is why she left that stuff to Luna and Hikari.

Nils burst through the main compound doors with a magic-drawn carriage.  Perfect!  Now they could get out of here in style... and it happened to be Discord's personal Carriage!  Celestia chuckled to herself.  That would be a slap to his ugly face when he comes to!

Tristan and Harcos graciously volunteered their hooves and hoisted the creature into the carriage, gently placing him on the couch on the left side of the entrance. Discord, being one to travel in luxury, often would be seen traveling in this pocket-dimension carriage.  Being the embodiment of Chaos and Disorder had its perks, Celestia had admitted once.  Butterscotch patched up his leg, then used his staff to cast a healing spell, stopping the bleeding.

The creature propped himself on the couch with a pillow he found lying around.

"I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?"

__________________________________________________________________

They arrived in Mareheim three days later, under cover of night.  Adrian had told them a most enlightening story, one Celesta was sure couldn't have been true, but the evidence was sitting right in front of her, right in the Underforge where she had created it.

The blue stone her informant in Thatchholm, the same one that gave her life to see the mission was complete, the one she enchanted with a spell so complex that she swore she messed up a few times, was sitting in the massive central stone fire pit.  Where it all began.

Celestia recalled that moment when Adrian revealed the stone to her with a recollection ability she never knew she had before...

How did you get here, anyway?

I believe this had something to do with it.  Do you know what it is?

She stood there, staring at it, the radiant blue light being the only light source in the room.  It mesmerized her, and she suddenly knew why ponies felt time seemed to slow down.  It was so beautiful.

Celestia didn't know what to think of their savior.  She began to recall everything from their enlightening discussion - ahem - interrogation.

He was a bipedal, fur-less creature that seemed to be a cross between a monkey's superior acrobatic skills, agility, and speed, with a gorilla's intimidation factor, great strength, and both of their intelligence, with the tenacity of a Chimera, the shyness of a baby kitten, and the loyalty of a bloodhound.  Truly a marvelous race of beings, she thought to herself.  But what truly struck her interest was their society.

She looked over Luna's notes, when she had impulsively grew tired of the educational experience, and it took convincing, but she decided to go over them anyway  Hey, she couldn't help it if she were a little impatient!  VERY impatient!  She corrected herself.  Her impulsiveness was always her fatal flaw, something she was sure she was getting over...

Anyway, back on topic!  The systems of government were truly complicated, even for Luna.  A three-branch government:  One makes the laws, one enforces the laws, and one interprets the laws.  The First branch, the Legislative branch, or Congress, was made of up two houses: a house whose members would represent the common people, whose number was determined by the population of the State they originate from, and one that had equal representation of two senators from each state.

The Second Branch, the Executive Branch, was headed by the President of the United States, the most powerful man in the country, and potentially the world!  He was the main one that proposed new laws, or bills, to Congress, who would judge them accordingly.  He was the head of the military, the head of the country, etc.  Man, he was busy!  Celestia certainly would not want to be in his place!  Too stressful for her.  She would much rather go on extravagant adventures.

The Third Branch, the Judicial Branch, would make sure the laws passed by Congress were in accordance with the "living rulebook,"  the Constitution, which laid the framework of the country.  If the Law was unconstitutional, the Judicial branch would say so.

Each Branch was tied together by a system of Checks and Balances, to prevent the three from becoming too powerful.  Whew, all that thinking was making her head spin!

Her thoughts shifted back to three days ago, when Adrian saved their flanks from execution at that traitor's hand.  She gazed at the stone in the fire pit.  Was he really the one?  The one Celestia had been hoping for?  Her thoughts drifted again to the countless lives, and friends, that had died to get them to this point.

He must be the one!  I won't let their sacrifices be in vain!  We WILL win, we WILL take back our country, and Discord WILL pay for his crimes!

A knock at the door.  Celestia yelped and jumped in surprise, almost knocking her head against the ceiling.  "C-come in!"  She stuttered.

In from the doorway limped Adrian, bandages wrapped around his leg and eye.  He smiled a small, warm smile, as he closed the door behind him and limped over to Celestia's side.  His coat was thrown over his shoulder.

"Luna said I could find you down here,"  he said softly.  "I wanted to get to know you better, the others have already warmed up to me, but I wanted to talk to you all the same."

Celestia blushed in embarrassment at the sudden attention.  No matter how much she struggled to regain her composure, the tinge of red still was on her cheeks.

Adrian leaned on the ring of the pit, laying his elbows on it.  Celestia pointed a hoof at his eye.  "Is that...?"

Adrian gestured to his eye.  "Butterscotch said it'd be all right.  I'll have a nasty scar and all that, but my eye itself will be fine,"  He said.  "But thanks for asking."

Celestia blushed a little deeper.  She humphed and turned around.  "Well, that's good; we wouldn't want you to see through just one eye!"

Adrian's smile faltered.  "What's with the antagonism here?  Did I do something wrong?"

Celestia sighed.  "No, it's not your fault.  I was, and still am, the face of the resistance against Discord.  Without me, and my sister Luna, as well as every member of our rugged band of misfits, all hope would be lost.  I.. I just feel like my role in all this has been diminished, that's all."

Adrian limped to her side, putting an arm around her.  "Y'know, I'd probably feel the same way, if I was in your position."  He chuckled softly.  "You remind me of my little sister:  always asking if she was important to us.  She'd heard stories about parents who see their kids as liabilities and not important to them.  But she'll always be important to us."  He said softly.  "Always..."

Celestia looked to him with a comforting look.  "What happened?"

"One day, trying to cross the street after school had ended, she was hit by a drunk driver.  I don't know how, but she survived the accident, despite the many horrifying injuries she sustained.  The doctor's told us she wasn't gonna make it...  This was about seven months ago."

"What about now?"

"I can't say for sure now, but she miraculously is on her way to a full recovery.  She's been in a coma for seven months, but last time I heard from the doctors, they said it wouldn't be too long before she wakes up."  He chuckled.  "You should see her hospital room:  it's decorated to the ceiling with get well cards, flowers; in the corner there's a huge mound of candy waiting to be consumed.  On her nightstand, however, there is only one card.  A kid at school, Austin, had been crushing on her, and she was the only one who didn't see it.  He put a card there revealing his feelings."  He laughed.  "Young love... they're only nine years old.  The driver, I'm sure you'll be happy to know, is serving eight years in jail and is taking a class on why drinking and driving is bad for you, although the idiot should have figured it out himself."

Celestia humphed.  "Serves him right, sending such a young filly to the hospital like that.  Who does he think he is?"

"I don't know, Celestia, I don't know..."  Said Adrian.

Cuckoo! Cuckoo!  It's Twelve O'clock!  Go to bed, or face the wrath of Abacus!

Adrian drew his pistol from his holster on his right leg.  "What the HELL was that!?"

Celestia laughed so hard she started to cry.  "That's the clock my sister Luna installed to keep Eorlund and Harcos from staying up to late repairing our weapons!"  She said between laughs and gulps of breath.

Adrian blushed, holstering his pistol.  "It's not funny!  Stop laughing!"

Slowly, Celestia regained her composure, a chuckle leaking out from here and there.

"Well," she began, "we should be getting to bed.  I'll show you to your room."

Adrian waved her off, limping toward the door.  "Luna showed me a few minutes ago.  Don't worry, I remember where it is."  he said.

Celestia pouted.  "Well, alright, mister!  I'll see you in the morning."

She held her head high, eyes closed, unmindful of the floorboard sticking out of the ground.

She struck the board, falling strait onto Adrian, face to face.  The two blushed to such a degree that they lit up that side of the room with their faces.

There the two lay, too embarrassed to speak.

"Um... I think you can get off me now."

"Yeah, sure.  I'll, erm, get right on that."

Despite that, neither of them moved.  They lay there, staring into each other's eyes, Celestia's purple into Adrian's sea blue, Celestia's face drifting ever closer.

Why the hell am I doing this?  He's not even that cute!

Holycrapthehorseisgonnamakeoutwithme

Holycrapthehorseisgonnamakeoutwithme

Holycrapthehorseisgonnamakeoutwithme

Holycrapthehorseisgonnamakeoutwithme

Holycrapthehorseisgonnamakeoutwithme

Holycrapthehorseisgonnamakeoutwithme

Holycrapthehorseisgonnamakeoutwithme.

BAM

"I TOLD YOU I COULDN'T TRUST HIM!"  Strelok roared dramatically, barging into the Underforge.  He looked around, trying to find the source of the sound he heard upstairs, only to look down and find Adrian and Celestia.

He stared open mouthed at them.  His lips began to twitch into a mischievous smile.  "Wonder what Luna would have to say about this..." he mumbled, a little too loudly.

Adrian and Celestia stared at each other.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Princess?"

"I sure am."

The two stared at Strelok with evil glints in their eyes.

"Uh, okay you two... We can just forget about this whole thing, I'll shut up, and we can all go to bed, right?  Right?  RIGHT!?"

That morning, Strelok would be admitted into the Town hospital with multiple broken bones and a slight phobia of the color pink.

Dawn, the next day...

Dawn broke, the pleasant chirping of birds rousing Hikari from her sleep.  She softly squirmed in her bed, trying to get just a few more minutes of sleep, but the light would not let her have it.  She groaned and sat up in her bed, her eyes screaming in protest as she wiped the sleep from them.

Her room was blanketed by the streams of yellow bursting through the blinds on her right.  Her bed faced the door, and on either side was a nightstand.  On her left was an oil lamp, strategically placed to light up the entire room at night, and on her right was a stack of books, piled halfway up to her ceiling, decorated with impressive titles such as The Expert's Guide to Dragons, Advanced Wind Magic: Year Five, and, one of the only fiction books in her small library, The World Ends With You.  She couldn't help it; Neku's dramatic story attracted even the stalwart scientist and nonfiction reader such as herself!

The rest of her room was a great mess.  Organized Chaos!  she reminded herself.  The room was littered with materials for making clothes; cotton, polyester, etc, in every color imaginable, along with several mannequins.  She had sworn to herself that once this war was over, she'd take up her dream job as a Fashonista.

She drew the blankets off of her and gave herself a good stretch, awakening her stiff muscles and loosening them up a bit.  She gave herself a sniff.  Augh, she smelled horrible!  A quick shower would do her some good.  But first, breakfast!

She opened the door and walked out of her room and to the left, towards the main room where the Dawn Brigade had their meeting, meals, playtime, hell, the room was used for so much it didn't even have a proper name, other than THE ROOM.  That bothered Hikari.  A room must have a proper name, else it wouldn't be perfect!

She was always the first one to wake up, so it surprised her to see Adrian sitting at one of the tables, drinking a glass of water, gazing out the window into the snowy town, a beautiful blanket of white covering it.  He was garbed in the clothes that Hikari had first seen him in, with the addition of his bandages on his leg and eye.  Poor guy, he'd have a hard time with his depth perception until Butterscotch gave him the OK to take them off.

She trotted into the room.  "Good morning, Adrian," She greeted kindly.

Adrian jumped slightly and turned to face her.  "Oh!  Good morning, Miss Belle."  He said.

She giggled.  "Haven't I told you before?  Just call me Hikari.  Every-pony else does," She said, taking a seat across from him.  "I honestly believed that no-pony would wake up this early in the morning, aside from myself," She began.

Adrian sipped his water.  "Well, when you've been hunting for as long as I have, you have to wake up early, or you could miss the big catch.  Animals have certain morning behaviors too; some are most vulnerable in the morning."  He explained.  They sat there in silence, not knowing what to talk about next.  Luckily, they didn't have to wait long, as Adrian's stomach rumbled louder than a lion's roar.  He reached an arm behind his head, scratching the back of it in embarrassment.

"You wouldn't have anything to eat around here, would you?"  He asked.

Hikari smiled, pointing upstairs.  "The Bartender here is a very kind stallion.  He brings us our breakfast hoof-made every morning.  We try to pay him back, but the only payment he'll accept is 'staying alive'." Said Hikari.

"An' don't you forget that any time soon, eh?"  A thick French accent broke through the stairs leading to the bar.

What seemed to be the Equestrian counterpart to the stereotypical French walked down the stairs, carrying a silver platter.  He walked up to the table where Hikari and Adrian sat at, and uncovered the chef's surprise.

To Adrian's surprise, the dish seemed quite edible.  It was a kind of soup, made from hay, daffodils, mushrooms, and a vegetable broth for Hikari, and a seafood soup for Adrian.  How Adrian knew the chef knew he liked seafood, let alone that meat was a part of his diet, he would never know.  The chef turned to Adrian and gave a small bow.

"I am Gustavo, the owner and proprietor of the Seventh Heaven Bar.  Thank you for coming to the assistance of our most honored guests.  If there is anything you need, Gustavo will see to it!"  He said with a hearty laugh.

Adrian picked up the spoon and gave the soup a taste.  By God, it just melted in the mouth!  The blend of seafood texture, combined with the mushroom broth went great together.  Simply Divine!

"This is some great soup!" he exclaimed, digging into the first real meal he had in six days.

Gustavo smiled.  "I am proud to admit to being the best chef in town, my good monkey!  I never disappoint!"  Adrian nearly spit out his soup at the mention of the word 'monkey'.  He turned to Gustavo, a stern look in his good eye.

"I am not a monkey."  He deadpanned.  Gustavo didn't even bat an eye, his smile growing ever wider.

"Nice try, my good man, but that stare of yours needs some work!  Perhaps a dash of coldness around the irises, or perhaps some kind of scar?"

Adrian ripped off the bandages from his eye, revealing the four jagged scars running diagonally from his left eye.  This time, he got a reaction:  His smile faded slightly, the faintest twitch made itself known in the corner of Gustavo's right eye, an intake of breath so faint that even with Adrian's good hearing it strained him to hear it.

"That will do fine, kid.  I imagine there's not much an old Bartender can teach you, but I'll leave you with this:  A good, hard stare can come in handy, especially when trying to avoid a confrontation."  Said Gustavo, nodding in approval.  Hikari sighed.  "Enough with the theatrics, you old coot.  The others will be waking up soon, and you know how the Dash Twins and Strelok get when they don't get breakfast on time..."

Gustavo reared back in shock.  "Ah!  You are most correct.  Oh boys!"  He called up to the kitchen.  "The others are waking up!  Get that food cooked, and on the double!"  He barked.

"SIR!  YES SIR!"  Came the reply.

Adrian raised an eyebrow as he lifted the glass of water to his mouth.  Jeez, you'd think these cooks were part of a military regiment or something.

"And yes, we were once part of a military regiment, Adrian."

He spit out his water.  The old fart can read my mind?

"No, you're just too damn predictable!  Put your Poker Face ON!"  He yelled, beginning his walk up the stairs.

Adrian turned to Hikari, jaw gaping.  Hikari just smiled.  "Gustavo may not seem like it, but he served as Discord's premier interrogator.  Twenty years ago, he, ahem, retired, from his service.  We still enlist his aid sometimes."  She clarified.

Adrian nodded slowly, digesting the information.  "Huh.  I would never have guessed." he said softly.

The two sat at the table, gazing into the dawn, the sun reflecting off the fresh snow in a way that flattered the town, the glare being a benefit for once instead of a hindrance.  They sat there together, basking in what pleasant silence they could, until the rest of the Brigade woke up and crowded around the main dinner table, feasting on Gustavo's latest masterpiece.

"Ohh... I can't eat another bite!"  Exclaimed Ninian, patting her stomach.  What a hearty meal they had eaten together!  That was no breakfast, that was a FEAST!  Thought Adrian.

Hikari nudged Adrian's shoulder lightly.  "I'm going down to the library today to check out a book.  Want to come with me?"  She asked.

Adrian scratched his nonexistent beard.  "Well, since I'm going to be here for a while, might as well get to know the townspeople!"  He declared.

Hikari smiled.  "But first: A bath!  Honestly, I haven't washed my coat in days!

__________________________________________________________________

The two exited the tavern and walked onto the street, the fresh snow crunching underfoot.  It was still early, and not many of the townsfolk were out and about just yet, but Adrian was certain the place would be busy soon enough.  They walked, or in Adrian's case, limped, down the main street, Hikari naming out places of interest, such as pubs, coffee houses, Police Department, Fire Department, Water authority, and so much more.

"The library we'll be visiting is next to City Hall," she had told him.  "You can't miss it."

Adrian smiled.  Mareheim was very similar to his Benbrook.  In fact, if it weren't for all the ponies wandering around, he'd believe he was home.

Home...

He couldn't help but wonder about his family: about his Autistic little brother Greg, whose case limited his brain to the social skills of a dog and the intelligence of a Salarian; about his old man, reaching the age of sixty-two, and planning to retire from the post office within the next three years; about his older brother Justin, a corporal in the Army Reserves, who would be shipped off to Djibouti next week, about his newborn nephew Cory, three months old, and could eat them out of house and home.

About his mother, an elementary schoolteacher, who toiled tirelessly to the whims of her boss (who thankfully was easy to get along with), the moronic parents of her fourth and first graders, insisting that their child was perfectly justified in their behavior, who came up with the lamest excuses for whenever they had nothing to back up their claims, infuriating her to no end.

Toiling to support her family with what little money her salary gave her, a mere 100,000 a year, each of his parents making 50,000 a year, with about 2,000 in paychecks; barely enough to get them through.  Adrian had resolved to get a job to loosen the strain, but now...

Now he didn't know if he'd ever return home.  How heartbroken his family must be, to believe that he's missing, perhaps even dead.  He allowed a tear to fall from his eye.

Mom... I know I haven't exactly been a good son; hell, I’ve been a horrible son.  But I promise, if I live through this... you'll never have to worry about me again.  I'll turn my homework in on time, do my projects in a timely manner, help you do chores... anything!  He silently promised.

Hikari noticed something was up.  "Adrian?"  She asked in a hushed voice.  "You're crying.  What's wrong?"

Adrian wiped the tear from his eye.  "Homesick.  This place reminds me so much of my own home that I almost believed I was there again."  He said.

Hikari looked away.  "At least you have a home to return to," she began. "My parents were spies for one of the other resistance groups.  Five years ago, Discord tracked them down to my house.  They arrested them, placed them in irons, and... I know not what they did to them.  As a lesson, he had his guards torch my house with myself and my little brother in it.  I escaped without a scratch, but my brother was nearly crushed beneath a fiery support beam.  He suffered from third degree burns all over his body, and to this day, he still is in a deep sleep at that thrice be damned hospital.  He may never wake up." She gritted her teeth.  "That's why Discord has to pay for what he's done.  He took away everything that was dear to me, and I aim to do the same to him!"  She declared.

Adrian nodded.  "I assume the other's have similar stories to tell?"  He asked.

Hikari nodded grimly.  “Tristan’s wife, Isolde probably the most beautiful pony in the land, and his son, Roy, were taken because Roy, who was still a small filly, had made a passing comment about Discord.  He rewrote their memories, making Isolde his consort and Roy cheap slave labor in the camps.  Tristan was heartbroken, and wandered for month’s looking for a purpose, until Luna found him and recruited him to our cause.  We don't know if Roy still lives...  He was the first of us.”

“Harcos and his Grandfather Eorlund were the greatest smiths in the country, until they were cheated out of their business by a rival.  They tried to go to Discord and ask for reparations, and were turned away immediately, of course.  Devoid of a purpose and not a bit in their purse, they became beggars in the streets, until we found them, and they found a job!"

“Ponies believe the Dash twins are orphans, but in reality, their parent’s minds were wiped clean, placed in camps, and trained to serve a different purpose:  Their father was trained as a lowly shoemaker, and the mother, a common whore.  They were then separated to the furthest reaches of the country, and all because they were part of the stunt group the Blazing Angels.  That incident was so traumatizing we had to erase the events from their memories; in fact, we had to remove all mention of their parents: the smallest recollection would  trigger the whole thing.”

“Butterscotch was with Celestia and Luna from the start.  He’s over two-hundred years old, having been given the gift of a long life by the Queen herself.  Before he took care of the twins, he was Celestia and Luna’s caretaker.”

“Michalis and Arran were mercenaries.  We bought them into our service one mission, and that happened to be a raid on Canterlot.  Once they saw the horrors and atrocities committed in Discord’s dungeon, they canceled their contract and joined our group free of charge.”

“Strelok was the last to join us, and he has the worst story.  His family was wrongfully charged for leading a coup d’état.  Strelok was literally chained to a chair and forced to watch each and every member of his family, down to the last child, beheaded before his very eyes.  The scene permanently scarred him.  He spent months mourning his family, at some times, not leaving the graveyard which they were buried for days, often asking the tombstones what purpose he had now that he was so alone.  Celestia found him and gave him one: join us and avenge your family.”

Adrian recoiled in shock.  Discord… he is true to his name, apparently.  How could one guy cause so much pain and suffering.  There must be millions of stories like this!He was so deep in thought that his face slammed into the towering library doors.

A thought came to him.  Perhaps the library would have spell books containing the secret to going home, or something to put him in the right direction?  Assuming the books were written in English and not whatever the ponies’ system of writing was.

Who knows? Perhaps he’ll find something else… something unexpected?

He grasped the handle on the door and pulled, opening the huge doors.  He walked in, Hikari just behind him.  The library was pretty quiet, something not uncharacteristic of a library, but there was something about this quietness that unnerved Adrian.  A library shouldn’t be THIS quiet…  It was almost as if it had been abandoned.

The door creaked, and with a loud thud, shut behind him, as if it were taunting him, sealing his fate.

__________________________________________________________________

The ambient darkness present in the seemingly abandoned library was broken only by the thin rays of light peeking through the small windows at the top of the left wall.  All around them, bookcases taller than he had ever seen before, almost as tall as those in the Library of Congress, lined the walls, each filled to the brim with the widest assortment of books he had ever seen.  He swore that the bookshelves seemed ready to fall over.

Hikari chuckled at the expression on Adrian's face.  "Don't worry," she said.  "The library's always like this."

He shook his head.  "Oh no, I've seen this movie before.  Some alien freak or ninja assassin is gonna burst out of those shadows any moment now!  I KNOW YOUR THERE!"  He shouted, pointing in a random direction.

No response.

"Although..." Hikari began, second-guessing herself, "the library DOES seem a little quiet today.  A little TOO quiet."

"Gee, ya think?"  I've been trying to tell you that."

"Yeah, well, let’s just get that book I wanted and get out of here, if you’re so jumpy!”  She humphed and trotted off into the darkness.

Adrian drew his P226 from the holster on his right side and loaded a clip.  He’d be damned if he didn’t have some sort of protection in this place!  After playing Dead Space, he promised always to have some sort of weapon on his person while walking into a library, be it a gun or a letter opener!

Hikari walked to the huge circular oak desk in the middle of the room. It was clearly made by a master craftsman, if the preciseness of the sanding and the even amount of glaze on all sides of the desk were to be taken into account.  The clever pony was able to carve it out of part of a tree stump, Hikari had told Adrian on the way over. She cleared her throat.

“BARNEEEEEEY!!!!” She shouted at the top of her lungs.

“ARGH!”  A voice called from the ceiling.  Down from the ceiling fell a strange purple thing, dropping to the ground in the middle of the desk, a dust cloud kicked up by the impact.  As it settled, it revealed a small purple dragon with green spikes.  He stood up on two legs, rubbing his head trying to recover from the fall.  He was small for dragon standards, but at his full height, he stood eye to eye with Adrian.

"Damn it, Hikari, I told you not to call me Barney!  I am a DRAGON, not a DINOSAUR!  Plus, my name is Acre!  Geez, why can't you just use my real name for once?"  He asked, annoyed by Hikari's badgering.  She rolled her eyes.

"I'm looking for a new Wind magic tome.  Got anything?"

Acre raised an eyebrow. "What?  I gave you that last wind tome just a couple weeks ago, and you ALREADY mastered it!?  Jeez, you’d think you would like to take a break or something!”  He ranted.

Hikari blushed slightly.  “No, Barney, I haven’t mastered it yet, but I’m getting close to it.  I just wanted the next level now so I could keep studying whenever I can.  I’m sure you understand!”  She said.  Rather quickly, too.  She must be anxious to get that tome, wherever it is.  Adrian thought.

“Alright, alright…” Acre said impatiently.  “The next level of wind spells… let’s see here… You've done Wind and Elwind… okay, the next level is… WHAT!?  You want THAT tome!?”  He exclaimed.

“Yes,” Hikari answered. “THAT tome.”

“B-b-but the last time you tried to use THIS one; you damn near KILLED yourself from the backlash!  Are you sure you’re skilled enough to use it?”

Hikari closed her eyes, replaying the scene in her head.  “I was a fool to attempt the Arcwind spell all that time ago.  And I do remember drifting in and out of consciousness as Butterscotch tended to my wounds.  But I’ve gotten so much more experience, and I think I’m ready now!  So please, Acre, take me to the tome!”

“You called me Acre…”  He said, startles for a second. “If you called me Acre, it must be serious.”  He walked out from behind the desk, grabbing a silver key as big as Adrian’s P226 on the way.  “Follow me:  The only Arcwind tome we have is in the basement.  Be warned, it’s filled with artifacts that are considered very, very dangerous; some have the power to kill dragons in a single blow.”

The three companions walked to the back of the library to another set of heavy oak doors.  Acre inserted the key, gave it a quarter turn to the right, and the door opened on their own, the key still embedded in the lock.  When they finished opening, Acre withdrew the key from the lock and used his fire breath to light a torch on the wall.  Adrian removed the torch from its scone and handed it to Acre.  He accepted the torch and proceeded to lead the way to the Tome.

“You’re rather jumpy there, friend!  Don’t worry, everything down here has been sealed, resealed, and sealed again time after time.  Just don't touch anything and you'll be fine!"  Acre said reassuringly.

Bullshit, I'll be fine!  Adrian thought to himself.  He really should not have played Dead Space before going hunting.  By God, if I see a fuckin' Necromorph down here I am going to lose control of my bowels!

The three companions traveled through the dark tunnel behind the huge basement doors, spiraling down to what Acre described as the 'Restricted Section', full of magical abnormalities, advanced magic tomes, various artifacts, and countless piles of 'useless junk', as he put it.  He had personally restricted the basement due to structural weaknesses, and the sheer danger the artifacts posed to tourists.

One event in particular was caused during the annual Harvest Festival a couple years ago.  A rather intelligent, yet shy colt, whom had accompanied Acre as his assistant during the tours, demonstrated an almost uncharacteristic amount of bravery when he pushed a tourist out of the way of a falling enchanted marble.  Acre blamed it on structural weakness in the support pillars, and the excessive partying in the village had not helped.  While there were no injuries, the marble had transformed the colt, and, well, Acre had put it best.

"The poor colt was turned into a filly!"  He had laughed.  Unfortunately for the colt, there was no going back from there:  this kind of enchantment had no countermeasure, and it would take time that Acre had not to develop a cure.  The colt had no choice but to live the rest of his days as a filly, and later, a mare.  Last Acre heard, he had been getting by rather well.

Adrian's suspicions were confirmed as Hikari's eyes and ears twitched in annoyance.  No wonder those two were always at each other's throats.

They came across yet another oaken doorway.  "The tome we seek is beyond this door," Acre began.  "It's the most highly secure room in the basement, and I'm the only one who can open it."  He reached into the knapsack at his side and pulled out a small knife.  "The wards placed on the door by my predecessors prevent any-pony from entering unless I record the entry here on this blood seal.  All it takes it a slight prick..." - The brief sound of metal slicing through skin sent shivers down Adrian's spine - "...and a touch on the door..." He placed a claw on the door handle, and a small seal-like drawing appeared on the handle.  Three lines of script appeared on the door itself - it looked a hell of a lot like chicken-scratch to Adrian - and faded as quickly as it came.  The doors creaked open, the hinges screeching a most foul noise unlike anything Adrian had ever experienced.

"And voila!  It is open."  Stated Acre.  "Come, come!  Follow me!

The door opened into a quite spacious room, filled with aisles and aisles of bookshelves, each displaying an assortment of tomes.  A strange symbol on the end of one of the bookshelves glowed with a faint yellow light.  Acre noticed Adrian staring rather intently at the first one.

"Oh, that's right," he said, face palming.  "I forgot you can't read Equestrian.  That symbol is the letter 'A'.  Got it? 'A'.  We've got to go down to T.  These artifacts are all sorted by type.  Since Arcwind is a tome, it's gonna be in the T section."   He explained.

"Let's see here... Q, R, S... T!  Now then, Arcwind... Arcwind... where are you?"  Acre mumbled to himself.

Ow!  Adrian thought to himself.  The stone in his pocket was burning his side!  What's going on now?  He pulled it out of his pocket, and it's glow was more intense than he remembered.  That's weird... it's glow is brighter on one side and dimmer on the other.  Is this thing trying to be a compass or something?

Hikari was likewise mesmerized by the stone's otherworldly glow.  She too noticed the compass-like glow of the stone, which pointed them to the U section, or Unknown.  If an artifact couldn't be identified, it was placed here to be studied and then sorted.  It was, of course, the largest section, and ever expanding.  True enough, as Hikari and Adrian approached the U section, the glow on the stone expanded until the whole stone was glowing.  Adrian turned to face the bookshelf, and there in front of his face was an amethyst.  By all appearances it was a regular Amethyst, but Adrian reasoned that if it was in the U section, there must be something special about it.  The stone levitated from his hand, and the amethyst along with it.  It too, began to glow and levitate, until the two stones were leveled with each other.  Then, the glows began to pulse, and the stones drifted toward each other.  The pulses increased in frequency and brightness until the two stones literally melted together and became one stone, a mix of both blue and violet.  The stone descended into Adrian's outstretch hand and landed snugly into it.

A green '3' appeared on the stone, which changed into a '4', then faded.  Adrian's eyes widened in realization.  The stone must have had three charges before it ran out of energy!  Now, since it combined with the amethyst, it has four.  Maybe there are other's like the amethyst out there too?  He wondered.

"Oi!  I found the tome!"  Acre called.  Adrian snapped out of his stupor and immediately walked back to Acre.  "Here ya go, Hikari,"  he said, handing the tome to her.  "And for the love of the Queen, BE CAREFUL with that!"  He ordered.

"Yes, Dad."  She called back sarcastically as the three companions as they left the restricted section and into the Library above.

The library, Dusk, eight PM

Adrian rubbed his temples, trying to massage his aching head during yet another one of Acre and Hikari's arguments.  It's hard to imagine that they could have been master and student once upon a time.  Hikari had insisted on spending the day at the library helping out Acre with Business there, and to help clean the pigsty of a place.  All of a sudden, a foul odor began to permeate the air.

"Ugh, what is that atrocious smell?  Have you not CLEANED this place AT ALL, Barney!?"

"Stop calling me BARNEY!"

Adrian gave a small whiff himself.  He recognized that smell:  it was smoke!

"Smoke?  Do you guys have a bonfire going or something?"  He asked.

"Bonfire?  No, I'm sure we don't have a bonfire going anywhere.  We have an excellent waste disposal system alre-WHAT IN THE NAME OF-!"  Hikari exclaimed as she opened the heavy oak doors to exit the library.

The village was burning.  Every building was lit aflame, and the townsfolk were running toward the harbor.  No one was staying to fight them, which was strange.

"Run, everypony!  Run to the Harbor!"

"Discord!  Discord has found us!"

Hikari gasped.  "Damnit, I knew taking that carriage was a bad idea!  We have to evacuate the village!" She cried.

Damn.  And here I thought I was going to get some rest!  Adrian thought to himself.

"Adrian!  The tavern!  Get to the tavern and get everypony out!  Meet up at the harbor on the northwest side of town!  Hurry!"  Hikari called.

__________________________________________________________________

Adrian sprinted back up the street to the Tavern.  He barged in the door and witnessed a giant bar fight between Gustavo and his cooks against Discord's soldiers.

"Get downstairs, mon ami!  Some of them went downstairs!  We'll hold them off, right boys!?"

"OUI!"  They shouted, fighting back with extra vigor.  Adrian briefly took into account their weapons - rolling pins, frying pans; one had even uprooted a cooking stove and started smacking it into every soldier in sight.

As Adrian kicked in the trapdoor, he readied his pistol and took aim down the hall.  Proceeding carefully, he turned the corner and rushed down the hall.  He reached Luna's door and kicked it open, the sound of splitting wood waking her up.

"Damnit, Adrian, Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" she said through half opened eyes.  Blinking she started to drift off to sleep... until Adrian flipped her mattress.

"Wake up, Luna!  Discord's attacking the town, and the Tavern's on fire!  We've got to get out of here!"  That woke her up.  She immediately placed on her saddlebags and filled them with her few trinkets and dark magic tomes.  "Get the others, Adrian!  I'll see you at the harbor."  With a black flash, she teleported.

Adrian repeated this process with the other brigadiers, until only Celestia was left.  He prepared to kick open the door when he heard scuffling from inside, along with voices and perverted giggled.  He flew into a rage.  He readied his pistol and kicked the door open.  Celestia was in the middle of four stallions, one of which was very close to removing the title of 'Virgin' from her long list, when he suddenly fell on top of Celestia.  Blood pooled from the back of his head and onto Celestia's coat.  The other three turned and reached for their weapons, but Adrian was too fast.  Each soldier fell with a bullet in his head.

Adrian rushed over to Celestia's side, throwing the body of the dead soldier off of her.  Celestia was in shock, her mouth hung open, eyes were glazed over, and she was shaking horribly.  Adrian felt her pulse and immediately pulled back his hand as he felt it's terribly fast frequency.  "Easy Celestia, relax.  The soldiers are dead, your fine.  Calm down."  He whispered, drawing her in for a hug.  Slowly but surely she calmed back down.

"Adrian!  Thank the heavens you're here.  There were these soldiers, and the pinned me, and they tried to-"

"Hush Celestia, you don't need to tell me."  He said.  He pulled away and told her what was going on.

"Damnit, he found us so soon.  I thought we could hide for a little while longer!  I knew we should have never come here..." She chastised herself.

"Relax, Celestia, you couldn't have seen this happening.  Get whatever you can carry and get to the harbor.  I'll get the rest of my stuff and meet you there."  He said.

Celestia nodded and used her magic to levitate everything in the room.  "Go to the Underforge!  Old stallion Eorlund was down there when I saw him last.  Help him!"  She said.  She disappeared in a flash of light.

Adrian ran out of her room and into his across the hall, picking up his knives, sniper, and shotgun.  He ran to the door to the Underforge and kicked it open.  The flames were more intense down here than in the rest of the tavern itself.  Fearing the worst, he ran down the stairs and into the main forge.

He saw the frail form of Eorlund pinned underneath a wooden beam.

"Eorlund!"  He shouted and rushed to the old stallion's side.  The old stallion coughed.  "Adrian... hold my head up.  I need to tell you something."

He reached a hand behind him and propped him up.  Eorlund was smiling, though his face and main were stained with dried blood.

"Adrian... we only just met three days ago.. I wish we could have had more time to talk..."

"Don't talk!  You're wasting your strength!  Just gimme a sec and we'll have this beam off of you.  He said as he gently dropped Eorlund's head and tried to pull the beam up, but to no avail.  It was just too heavy for him!

"Adrian... the pit... there's something there... I want you to have it."  He said, before breaking into a cough.  Hesitant to leave him, Adrian stood up and walked to the central pit.  In the middle of the massive pit was a sword unlike any Adrian had ever seen!  The double edged blade glowed in the fire light, it's steel seemed to ripple with power as it lay.  He reached out to the sword and grasped it's hilt -which was wrapped in red cloth and seemed to fit right into his hand.  It was surprisingly cool to the touch.  He picked the sword up, but did not waste time admiring it as he rushed back to Eorlund's side.

"I made that sword... for Arran... but now... it's yours.  Wield it... well."  He said, gasping for air.  "Come closer... I have... one last request..."  He reached up a hoof and pulled Adrian's shirt down so he could whisper in his ear.

"Don't let my death... be in vain... Protect Celestia... and... free... the... augh!" He coughed blood.

"Free who?  Free who, old colt!?"  Adrian demanded.

"Free... her... she's in... Canterlot dungeon... and Adrian... please... live..."

Adrian felt Eorlund's grip weaken and weaken until his hoof released its hold.  Adrian grasped the hoof before it fell to the ground.  Eorlund took one final breath of air, and his eyes closed shut, never to be opened again.

Eorlund Grey-mane had died in Adrian's arms.

__________________________________________________________________

Before Adrian had come to Equestria, he had never killed another intelligent being, nor had he bore witness to another's final moments.  Now, within the span of one week, he had done both.  He remembered the conversations he held with Eorlund on the ride up here from Dragon Mountain.  In the brief time he had known him, he earned his respect and admiration, of that of an old stallion who still carried that youthful fire at his advanced age.  Adrian bowed his head in respect, and allowed a single tear to fall from his cheek.  "Goodbye... old blacksmith."  he said softly.  He retrieved the sword's scabbard from the edge of the pit and sheathed it, belting it to his waist.  He ran to the exit, not wanting to be trapped inside the Underforge. He exited the forge, and the entrance collapsed, leaving the Eorlund's body trapped inside.  I'll come back, old colt, and when I do, I'll make sure I give you a proper burial.

He ran to the kitchen upstairs, and saw the place littered with the bodies of Discord's soldiers.  A hastily scribbled note was on one of the stones:

Adrian,

We defeated the soldiers here and headed to the harbor.  Reinforcements are sure to come, so hurry up!  Don't get left behind!

Gustavo

Adrian nodded, and ran through the exit from the tavern.  The fire continued to rage, and seemed to have grown in intensity.

"Over there!  Don't let him get away!" A voice called.  Adrian looked to the left.

He saw a whole battalion of Discord's soldiers.  "Shit!"  he cursed, and took off running, toward the harbor.

__________________________________________________________________

It felt like he had been running for hours when he finally came upon the entrance to the harbor.  He looked over his shoulder and cursed: the soldiers were still in hot pursuit!  He was so close, he couldn't afford to double back now!

He kept charging on ahead.  The docks were just around that corner.  He was going to make it!

Suddenly, and black barrier appeared out of nowhere, barring his path.  Startled, he came to a running stop right in front of the barrier.  He turned around and faced the 250 strong battalion behind him, sweating in fear and anticipation.  No way would he be able to fight off this many.

"Well, well, if it isn't the interloper.  It seems I have you trapped."  A deep, mocking voice sounded.

In a flash of crimson, the tyrant Discord appeared in front of him, in his full, terrible glory.

"I was hoping I would catch you alive.  How are you?  Sorry about torching your home and everything.  Frankly, it was an eyesore."  He said with a straight face.

The soldiers started whispering to each other.  What was up with their King?  He's not usually like this...

Discord's eyes narrowed, his lips curled back in a snarl.  "Tell me, boy, did you really think you stand against me and live to tell of it?"

Adrian said nothing.  Instead, he lowered his head, his hair covering his eyes.  "So... you're Discord.  I expected someone taller."  He said snidely.

Discord chuckled.  "Oh, I'm so sorry if I disappointed you.  Regardless, what you see is what you get."  He retorted.

Adrian looked up, a fire present in his uncovered eye.  "This little chat has been nice and all, but I have a boat to catch.  So if you don't mind, I'm running late."

Discord's snarl warped into a smile.  "Is that so?  Unfortunately for you,"  he said as he became enveloped in black energy, "you're cruise has been cancelled."

The black aura hugged his form, expanding his muscles and increasing his power tenfold.  "I do believe you'll come to thank me later.  I'm about to give you an all expenses paid trip to the Great Beyond!"  he exclaimed.  The dark aura moved to his hands, sharpening his claws to a taper.  He suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of Adrian, his claws prepared for an diagonal slash.  Adrian's reaction time allotted for just enough to dodge his strike... but he did not come out unscathed. Discord's razor-sharp claws tore off the bandages covering his eye.  At once, Adrian became enveloped with a black aura.  The backlash threw Discord back toward his battalion.

"I-impossible!  How could he have gained this power!?"  He exclaimed.

Adrian had never felt pain like this before.  It was as if his body was being de-atomized and re-atomized over and over again, taken apart and put back together.  He fell to his knees and grasped his left eye, silently begging for the pain to stop.  Eventually it did, and when it did, he stood up and examined himself.  Taking his hand off his head, he looked in shock at his arms.  They were encased in a black energy as it spiraled up his body, up his head, down his legs.  He felt intimidating, confident, and powerful.  It was as if nothing could kill him.

"He he he.. Ha ha... HA HA HA HA!  I feel INCREDIBLE!"  He declared to the heavens.  But more importantly, where did this

new power come from?

Discord shook in fear, something that he had never experienced before.  he looked at Adrian's scar, which, in contrast to the rest of his body, glowed white instead of black.

So that's how.  He thought.  When I attempted to claw his head open, and I scratched him instead, the open wound must have absorbed the power of my Imhullu spell.  This boy has just become more complicated.  He smiled.  But he doesn't know how to control it.  He doesn't even know what kind of glorious power he's just attained.  Perhaps I can use this to my advantage...

Seeing the look on Discord's face, Adrian immediately lost his arrogant attitude.  He turned around and used his newfound power to smash though Discord's barrier.  The black aura exploded into pieces, like a dropped mirror, as he expelled all the energy to break it down.  He took off at a full sprint to the docks.

"After him men!  Do not let him get away!" The battalion commander ordered.

"No.  Let him go."  Discord countered.

The Commander looked puzzled at his King.  "Your majesty?"

Discord's smile warped into a smirk.  "That creature... he may be of use to us..." He mumbled to himself.  He sharply turned on his heel and walked back toward the town square.  "We're leaving.  Back to Canterlot." He ordered.

The Commander, while confused at his Majesty's decision, did not question it.  "Back to Canterlot, every-pony!"

__________________________________________________________________

Adrian made it on board the last ship by the skin of teeth.  Harcos questioned him about the whereabouts of his grandfather, and broke into tears at the sad news.

"No... grandfather... why did you have to die?"  He pleaded to no one.  Strelok, his best friend and confident, moved to his side and put a hoof around him.  Everyone held a moment of silence in remembrance of their fallen friend.

Celestia walked to the starboard side of the ship and looked out to the blazing fireball that was Mareheim.  She shed a tear.

They couldn't save everyone... some perished in the fire, some fell to the sword, and some were captured by Discord, to serve whatever purpose he desired them too.  Her jaw clenched as she freely cried.  It was all her fault.  How could she have not seen this coming!?

Adrian walked to her side and laid a hand on the railing.  "Are you okay, Celestia?"  he asked.

"N-no," she said through her tears, "But I will be.  Just... just give me a few minutes..."  She sobbed.

"We can't go back, huh.  Not for a while, anyway.  I can't begin to imagine how hard this must be for you.  Come on, let's go inside.  We have a long day ahead of us."

"...aven..."

"What?"  Adrian asked.

"I am a craven.  Powerless to save my kingdom, to save my friend's lives, to ease the pain of my people..."

"You didn't have a choice, Celestia.  This was the only action you could have taken.  I know, it's painful, but one day, we'll surely fix all this."

"'Surely'?  Why do words of such conviction hold so much uncertainty when spoken?  Not 'surely', Adrian.  'Assuredly'.  Discord will pay for his crimes.  Today, though, allow me to wallow in this pain, to feel every awful twist of it.  I never want to forget."

"..."

"I will return, Equestria!"  Celestia roared to the heavens.  "Your princess will return to you one day!"

PROLOGUE END