Fire Emblem: Equestria

Fire Emblem: Equestria

A Friendship is Magic Story

Created by: TheHiddenOne

Chapter 3:  Reminiscence

Manehattan Bay, Two days later.  Midnight...

Celestia looked out onto the moon's reflection in the cool water, a forlorn look on her face.  She buried her face in her hooves, a single tear running down her cheek.  How could all of this have happened?  Why couldn't she have been a little stronger?  Maybe... if she had actually gotten up earlier, when Luna tried to... instead of staying up late reading those trashy magazines (even if the young stallions were sexy beyond belief), maybe Old Colt Eorlund would be still alive!  It was all her DAMN-

"Are you out here sulking AGAIN?"

Celestia would have jumped two feet in the air, and quite possibly have landed in the bay, if she were not so emotionally drained.  She turned around to see the weary form of Harcos slowly walking toward her, his hoof steps barely making a sound on the hull.

"Harcos..."  She started, then turned her head out to look at the bay once more.  Harcos walked to her side and propped his back against the railing, spreading his forelegs across the railing and crossing his hind legs.  He tipped his fedora down and started chewing on a wheat stem.  He looked up to the stars with the same look that Celestia bore while staring into the water.

"... Tomorrow morning we'll be dockin' at Midnight Castle..." he said, trying to start up a conversation with Celestia, if only to draw her mind off Eorlund for a few seconds.

"Yeah..." she softly whispered in reply.

Harcos sighed. "It hurts, Celestia.  It really does.  That pain, the pain of losing someone close to you... You once told me you had experienced that same pain, and that nothing hurts as much as it does; one of the only things that can cause true heartbreak."

"Yeah..."

Harcos grimaced.  He gripped Celestia by the shoulders and forcibly turned her so that she was staring right into his face.

"Why do you keep BLAMING yourself, Celestia?  You did nothing wrong!  It's not your fault!"

Celestia averted her gaze as best she could

"But... it IS my fault.  I'm the leader here, I'm supposed to look after my friends.  And now, because I failed in that duty,  one of them is gone forever..."  She said, staring blankly into the space behind Harcos' head.

"True... a leader does watch over his friends.  But don't think for a second that you are to blame for this!  No one here thinks it's your fault.  Not even ME, and that old coot was my grandpa!"

Celestia brought her forelegs up and around Harcos, enveloping him in a crushing hug.

"How... how can you forgive me so easily?  Look at me!  Don't you see how much I suffer?  How can you just... just...

"How can I not hate you?  Celestia, I could never hate you.  When gramps and I were out there, on those dirty streets of that pathetic slum that is Lower Canterlot, YOU came.  YOU were there at our worst, and when we were robbed of everything we ever stood for, you gave us a goal.  A purpose!  You should have seen the look on the old fart's face when I told him the news.  He was happier than ever.  I don't even think he was that happy before my parents passed on."

Celestia's spirits rose, but only just.  "Maybe so, but that still doesn't excuse what I have done.  I was lazy, and incompetent.  Luna always was better at this."

"Luna's a smart mare, that I have no doubt.  But for all her knowledge, and her mastery of dark magic, she doesn't have the same charisma, the same ability to lead like you do, Celestia."

"But I-"

"Y'know what?  That night, when you found us, you gave us a purpose, and hope that we had been lacking for a very long time.  And now, I'm returning the favor.  You want to "redeem" yourself?  Then keep doing what you're doing.  Lead us to victory, and I'll "forgive" you.  We have a deal?"  Harcos asked.  he drew a small knife from under his hat and withdrew a small knife.  He took the knife and made a small incision above his right hoof, letting the blood lightly drip down the hoof, and extended the knife to Celestia.

She raised an eyebrow, then smiled softly in recognition.  She made a similar incision on her right hoof, and, when it was sufficiently coated, took Harcos's hoof in hers.

"On this oath of blood, I, Celestia, Princess of Equestria, and Leader of the Dawn Brigade, make this pledge.  I swear to lead this group of ours to victory against Discord and all who oppose us.  I swear to avenge the death of my friend, Eorlund, the world-renowned blacksmith.  And I swear never to shirk my duty as a leader again."

They stood there, letting the blood on their hooves mingle together, completing the contract.

"Erm..." Harcos began.  "How... deep did you cut?"

"Hm?  Whatever do you mean-AAUGH!"  Celestia screamed.  Apparently, the self-inflicted wound was more severe than intended, as blood streamed out of the small, but deep, cut on her hoof.

Harcos rolled his eyes and put a hoof around Celestia.  "Let's go back inside.  It's rather cold out here, and we need to get that looked at."

________________________________________________________________________________

Dawn...

Ugh... my head... Oh, God that hurts.  Adrian thought as he slowly mustered the resolve to wake up.    The light, usually screaming at him to wake the hell up, was unusually silent today; It was as if the light were more... motherly, he dared to think, more calming in its wake-up call.  Adrian tossed the blankets off of him and took a seat on the side of the bed, stretching out his stiff muscles and popping all the joints in his body.  Giving his eyes one last wipe, he took a look at the window in front of him.

Curtains.  That was why the sun wasn't glaring in his face.  He took a look around the small room, and was immediately confused.  Wood?  This entire room was made of wood!  What the hell?  It could have been one of the hunting cabins he stayed at before, but that wasn't right... where was he?

He stood up, stretching again, and walked to the window and pushed aside the curtains, revealing a vast expanse of water in every direction.  He was on a ship.

How did I get here? He thought to himself. And why am I still in my clothes?  A warm pulse answered him, coming from his jacket pocket.  He pulled on his jacket and opened the small pocket on the inside, reached in, and picked up the small blue stone within.

Only it wasn't so small before.  The stone seemed to have... grown?  And not only that, it seemed to vibrate, glow, and pulse with an otherworldly light, like a candle fire flickers in a light breeze.

Suddenly, all the memories from the last time he was awake rushed into his mind, intensifying his headache.  He plopped back down on the bead, massaging his aching temples while trying to make sense of what was going on.

Let's see... Woke up in a forest clearing... interrogated that one guy.... Flash or something.  Rescued a couple of rainbow fillies, engineered a jail break, stole a carriage, arrived in Mareheim, ate good food... mmm~ fooooood...

Gah!  Getting distracted.  Moving on.  Went to library with Hikari and met this Barney look-alike, but definitely NOT Barney.  Went into a restricted section, got a Wind spell, when the stone here fused with some kind of magic amethyst.  An earthquake.  The town on fire.  Rescuing Luna and Celestia, and Eorlund... Yeah, let's not think about that.  And the whole thing ended on this ship.

Adrian, still rubbing his head, stood up, and wobbled over to the door, somehow having enough balance to walk.

BAM

How wonderful, door.  I was wondering when we could have this lovely little heart-to-heart. Adrian thought sarcastically, sandwiched between the door and the wall.

"Huh?  Where'd Adrian go?  I'm glad he's awake, but I hope he's not overexerting himself..."  Came a voice from the doorway.  It was a little high pitched, but not high enough to be a girl's voice.  One of the kid's, maybe?  Nah, they're not this

subtle.  In that case...

He rapped the door as loudly as he could, which, due to being pinned between the door and wall, was not very loud.

"Oh my, Adrian!  I'm sorry!"  The voice said.  Suddenly, the door was torn off him, and Adrian slowly sank to the ground.  With a quick glance, Adrian confirmed that the voice belonged to Butterscotch.

"Ow... just remember to knock next time..." Adrian politely requested.  Butterscotch extended his hoof and helped Adrian to his feet, who used the wall behind him to support himself.

"Ugh... feels like I just got a major hangover... What happened?"  Adrian asked.

"Well, it's kind of a long story.  We can talk about that later.  For now, you must be hungry, right?"  He asked.

A loud rumbling noise from Adrian's stomach answered him.  "Yeah, I could do with a hot meal to pack away."  Adrian agreed.  "What's for breakfast?"  He asked, as Butterscotch guided him to the ship's galley, where he was immediately swarmed by the galley's occupants, buzzing around him with questions that he could not hope to decipher.  He raised his arms in an attempt to calm down the masses.

"People, people, please!  One at a time!  God, you're all going to give me a major headache."

He had no idea how that worked, but they all shut up.  One little filly in the back raised her hoof, as if it was a classroom.

"Okay... you in the back.  You first.  What would you like to know?"

"U-um..." she stuttered bashfully, not used to so much attention.  "I-i just wanted to know... what your name was?"  She asked.

Adrian smiled.  "My name's Adrian.  It's nice to meet you, miss...?"

"Heartstrings.  Lyra Heartstrings, sir."

________________________________________________________________________________

"So... that's how..."

"Yeah.  That's how the old guy died.  Crushed by a support beam."

Harcos leaned back in his chair in the corner of the galley, bringing a hoof up to his face and sighed into his hoof.  He reached for the old pipe on the coffee table, lit it, and gave it a puff, his eyes downcast in remembrance.

"When I was still a little foal," he said, beginning his story "Gramps would tell me stories of the Old Equestria, under the Queen, that his father had told him.  From what I recall, it was the proverbial paradise.  A land where the hungry were well fed, ponies could do as they pleased, and we could walk wherever we wished without fear.  Discord was the Queen's top general, and her closest friend."  He chuckled softly.  "Some even said that there was something between the two that only showed itself behind closed doors..."

"His sudden betrayal, however, was so unexpected, that the Royal Guard had no time to react.  A dark and foul magic had overtaken him, and changed his body to serve its twisted ideals.  The Queen, apparently, was imprisoned in a place known only as the 'Zone of Silence', the lowest prison in Canterlot's Dungeon.  The Royal siblings were exiled under pain of death, and any supporters were twisted by the same foul being that twisted Discord; into mindless slaves of evil.  Some of the most powerful warriors of that time now belong to darkness, and they have only grown stronger since then."

Harcos paused his story, giving Adrian some time to let the information sink in.  He was immediately reminded of a certain comic book back home, involving a squirrel, a hedgehog, and a mad scientist shaped like an egg.

"I feared," Harcos continued, "That we may never take back the throne from that usurper..."  He said with a hushed voice.

"Countless resistance groups have risen and fallen over the past century, all of them have been eliminated down to the last colt standing.  We, the Dawn Brigade, are the last hope for a free Equestria, but it was only a matter of time before we too, were eliminated."

"Celestia however, had a different train of thought.  When she summoned us together in that small forge three months ago, she gave us the most insane plan I had ever heard.  She had learned of a powerful and mysterious relic hidden deep within Canterlot's treasure vault.  A blue stone that seemed to warp time and space around it, and upon which danced blue, ethereal flames, a stone that could only be touched by beings of order, lest the toucher go mad with uncontrollable rage:  The Fire Emblem.  She  was able to somehow sneak in and grab it, as she's the closest we have to a being of order.  The rest of us are just mere mortals, and Luna's sprit has been marked with Dark Magic, and therefore, unable to touch it."

"Her grand plan was to use the Fire Emblem's powers of time and space to recruit a new warrior, one with enough strength, cunning, patience, drive, and compassion to aid us in restoring our country to its former glory.  And apparently, the stone picked you."

Adrian suddenly found the floor to be most interesting, as he bowed his head and stared at it, thoughts swimming around in his head.  What could he do?  He was just a simple high school student, living in a sparsely populated suburb.  He was too ordinary to be considered a warrior!

"I know this is a lot to take in, but if you can't do it, then we will be doomed to live in darkness for the rest of existence.  And whoever said you had to do it alone?"

Adrian looked back up at Harcos, his eyes laced with confusion.

"You saved our lives from execution, despite never meeting us before, and wanting nothing to do with us.  You helped us escape Mareheim when it was razed to the ground, and didn't leave before every-pony was on the ship.  You may not think yourself to be a warrior, but I see a warrior's spirit within you."

He got off this chair, stood on all four legs at attention, and raised his right hoof in a salute.

"No matter what the ultimate outcome is, I'll be right by your side to the very end."  He said with a smile.

Adrian's dumbstruck face slowly morphed into a smile.  He too got out of his chair, stood at attention, and returned his salute.

"The sword at your hip... was the last sword my Grandfather forged."  Harcos said, dropping his salute.  "It was his dream to forge a sword that would be wielded by the stallion that would finally vanquish Discord, once and for all.  Now, that sword belongs to you.  I know you won't disappoint him."  He said with a smile.  "His ashes might reform themselves and kill you if you do!"  He declared jokingly.

The two friends shared a hearty laugh as they sat back down.  Harcos reached to the coffee table and grasped his mug, filled to the brim of the finest beer Gustavo could find.

"A toast:  to my old Grandfather."  He said.

"Eonia I mnimi."  Adrian returned, clinking his mug with Harcos'.

Everlasting be his memory.

________________________________________________________________________________

"LAND, HO!"  A voice sounded from the Crows Nest of their ship, the Dragon Wing.  As the crew and passengers made their way to the bow, Adrian made his way to the stern.  He pulled out the blue stone in his pocket and held it in his palm, holding it up to the sunset, gazing at the new purple hue it gained from Mareheim's library.

This thing... It's so damn helpful, and yet, I understand jack shit about it.  What did Harcos call it?  Fire Emblem?  He thought, turning the stone in his fingers so that it caught the light.

Personally, I'd call it a, how you say, Deus Ex Machina.  Adrian inwardly sighed.  That insufferable voice was back.

Don't you have anything better to do then pester me when I'm trying to think?  Adrian asked snidely.

Not really.  It gets rather boring being trapped in a cell several hundred feet below ground.  She answered.

Great, now she goes from annoying to downright snarky.  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

The two paused in their childish banter, their conversation taking a turn for the serious.

So, how was your stay in Mareheim?  She asked.  I hear it was... eventful.

Adrian scoffed.  Eventful?  Try chaotic.  The town burned to the ground, and anyone who didn't get out?  Fried, or worse.  Adrian paused for a couple seconds.  The looks on their faces when we arrived there... they looked at me as if I were GOD.  As if I were a hero.  He unconsciously tightened his grip on the stone.  What kind of hero am I?  I'm just one person!  I'm no hero!  I'm no hero...

You can't save everyone, you know.  She replied.  But even if you can't save everyone, you save everyone you can.

But the people I didn't save will-

You'll have another chance, Adrian.  I promise you.  And when this is over, you'll have saved everyone, even those you couldn't have saved before.

...Why me?  Why did this stupid hunk of rock choose me, out of all people?  Adrian asked, bringing the rock down to his chest.  Now that he actually took the time to notice, the rock was no longer a rock.  It now resembled a strange green amulet.  It looked like it was made by a collaboration of Roman and Gothic artists, with its Roman like columns and Gothic spires.  In the center was placed a blue flower.  A sixth of the medallion was swathed in a dull purple flame, the remaining parts dull and lightless.

The Fire Emblem is one step further to achieving it's true form... and soon, all of its powers shall be yours.

Adrian's eyes widened.  All of its powers?  He asked.

He recieved no reply, the strange voice had already left him.

Adrian's grip tightened on the now medallion-shaped Fire Emblem.  Damn her!  Why can't she give me a straight answer for once?  Scowling, he pocketed the medallion, not noticing that another sixth of the medallion started to turn into pink flames...

________________________________________________________________________________

The orange sunset quietly transitioned into night, as the stars dotted the landscape and the crescent moon shone brightly over the sky.  Luna couldn't help but feel satisfied, seeing her mother's moon up there in the heavens.  Not even Discord held the power to control the movement of the sun and moon.  It was probably the only reason why her mother was still alive...

The night always seemed to calm her.  Perhaps that was why she had chosen to take up the mantle of Dark Magic, or as her canine acquaintance Canas insisted, Elder Magic.  Darkness called to her, darkness calmed her, darkness was her stalwart companion in these dark times.  If it were up to her, she would want to become one with the dark-

No.

No.

No. No. NO!

To completely let the darkness in, would mean servitude to the darkness, to give up anything and everything she believed in, to become a slave.  That was something she was never willing to do.  She would NOT make the same mistake her bet-

She shook her head rapidly.  No, Luna.  Thinking about him will bring back the memories.  Don't.  Do.  It!

But the memories would not be denied.  That tragic event came back to her, the day her whole world crumbled to pieces...

________________________________________________________________________________

It was a bright, sunny day in the city of Everfree, the ancient capital of Equestria, and Luna was getting ready for the most joyous day of her life.

She was getting married.

He was a young colt named Asteri.  Voreios Asteri, or North Star.  Luna was relatively young, at the age of a Hundred and Six.  She had many suitors vying for her attention, including that infuriating Tannen the Griffon, whom she had rejected on numerous occasions, and yet wouldn't get THE MESSAGE!  Ugh!

And then, she met him.  Asteri was one of Tannen's primary bullying targets.  The young unicorn was forced to endure his teasing and beatings for the good part of ten years, since their high school years.  It was quite an uproar when Luna had agreed to Asteri's proposal:  To go to his senior prom as his date.  Every time they tried to get some time alone, so that Luna could properly relay her feelings to him, they were interrupted by Tannen's goons.  Eventually, Tannen himself called them out, right before the traditional 'slow dance' at proms.  During his little speech, Asteri decided he had enough, and knocked him out with one blow.

And that's when Luna really fell in love.

________________________________________________________________________________

The day had finally come, when Luna was going to walk the carpet to her new husband, whom she loved more than the world itself.  The huge doors opened to reveal the congregation, each pony giving wide smiles and heartfelt shouts of praise and congratulations.  The red carpet was decorated with lovely sakura petals, and the Royal Equestrian Band played the traditional 'Here comes the Bride' with enthusiasm that she had never heard before.  But that was not what she was focused on.

All of her attention was focused on the most handsome stallion in the world, her companion in the pursuit of the mysteries of Dark (Elder!  Canas' voice screamed in her mind) Magic, and all of its secrets.  Asteri's reason for pursuing Dark Magic was the same as Luna's:  To discover the risks and threats it posed to all of pony kind, and warn their subjects about its dark and terrifying consequences.

And now, her constant companion, who had been by her side for ten years, was now ready to make the ultimate commitment:  to be her husband, for the rest of his years.

Luna broke down into tears of unbridled joy when he asked the question.

Little did she know that this would not be a happy day.  Nay, it would be the worst day of her life.

Luna did not remember much of what happened after they were pronounced Mare and Colt, but what she did remember shattered her heart to pieces.

Her lost love, which still tugs at her heart a hundred years later, became the victim of the most unsuspecting possession.  The oldest trick in the book.  And it wasn't any dark, malevolent spirit that they had encountered before:  It was Discord.  The Spirit of Chaos himself, had stolen the body of her beloved.

Discord had twisted her love's body to mirror that of his own, and, by the end of the day, destroyed the capitol of Everfree, turning it into a twisted, evil, dark forest that houses every monster known to pony kind.  The only building that stood was the crumbling ruin's of her home for a hundred and six years:  Everfree Castle.

Everything had been stolen from her!  EVERYTHING!  At that moment, all that she felt was rage, and sorrow.  Rage at the spirit of chaos, that had robbed her of everything she stood for, everything that she had to call to her name, and the love of her life.

And sorrow.  Sorrow, because there was nothing she could do about it.  Luna had been incapacitated first, then her mother, the most powerful being in Equestria, was taken out via magic even more ancient than she!  As she lay there, bound to the wall, powerless to do anything, and slowly losing the will to fight, she learned the reason for Discord' s presence.

He wanted her body.  Not for a slave, no.  He wanted her body as his own.  He wanted to possess her, and with her knowledge of the dark arts that surpassed even her mother's, he would rule the world.  She had lost the will to fight.  She closed her eyes, tears flowing down her cheeks, waiting for the end...

But no end came.

She opened her eyes, and saw Asteri before her, absorbing the spirit of chaos into his body.

She remembered his last words as if he had just spoken them.

"It only needs one of us, so I'm letting it take me instead.  Goodbye ,Luna.  I will always love you..."

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Author's Corner

Hello, avid readers!  It is I, TheHiddenOne, back from my long break of procrastination, month long musicals, medical complications, and Senior year!

First of all, I want to apologize for not getting this chapter out when I wanted to.  Like I said, I had a musical lasting for a month in June, Medical problems in July, procrastination in August, and just enjoying my last year of high school in September.

For all you guys wanting more action, I swear, next chapter you'll get your wish, I simply wanted to focus more on the story and background events than the action this time, as well as introduce some cliffhangers, such as a familiar green unicorn.  Why she's in two times at once shall be explained soon enough.

Since I was heavily inspired by Fire Emblem, not only will the story be in a Fire Emblem format, but I will also post the Stat's and Classes of each character as they are introduced in my blog.

Thank you for being so patient with me, and I'll do my best to get the next chapter in a more timely manner.

Ciao!

TheHiddenOne

PS:  Teen Titans is coming back this spring!

PPS:  The first six chapters were combined into two:  Chapters 1-3 into Chapter 1, and 4-6 into Chapter 2, which is why they were so long.

PPPS:  I'll try to update at least once every other week, and if that doesn't work, once a month, until I get a solid schedule for my homework, Boy Scouts (I'm almost Eagle!), Orchestra, JROTC, Theater, and everything else.