Chapters Sunlight strikes my face, and my eyes struggle to open due to the intense light. I raise my hand up and out from under my blanket to block the sun’s rays, and I am struck with the sudden realization that my shift is about to begin. I throw the blanket off of my body and hop out of bed. I hurriedly dress myself in my thin, chainmail leggings and armor, shivering from the cold touch of the tiny, metal rings on my skin. After slipping into my pointed, reinforced boots, I proceed towards my armoire. With my hands gripping tightly onto the doors’ knobs, I pull them open to reveal my required attire. I fit my hands into my sleek, golden gauntlets; tightening the straps to keep them from sliding down my arm. I get down to one knee, and do the same with my golden shin-guards. I then stand and reach up to shoulder-guards conjoined with my golden chest plate. Lifting it up and off the hook mounted onto the back wall of the armoire, I stick my head through the opening, and rest the armor gently onto my shoulders.
The sunlight beaming from the nearby window reflects off my chest, causing the glassy emblem of the sun to glisten. I take in a deep breath as I stare down at the palms of my hands, and clench them into fists as I listen to the cloth of the gloves stretch and strain. I can feel myself starting to drift off in thought, and my eyes are growing weary. Suddenly, I am snapped out of this daydream-like trance by a loud knocking at my bedroom door. “Hey! Hey, Two-Legs!” A stallion’s voice follows after the knocking. “You know just about ‘everypony’ else is just about ready to get to their posts! And you’re still uhh . . . dreaming!” A smile spreads across my face upon realizing whose voice it is. “You don’t want the Princess breathing down your neck again, right?”
“You know,” I begin. “I’m starting to think you only check up on me just to make ‘yourself’ look better in front of Her Majesty!”
“Hey! You think I’ve got a shot?”
“You, and the Princess?”
“No, a cactus—yes the Princess!”
“Well, sounds possible to me.” With myself now properly dressed, I walk over to my bedroom door and pull it open to meet up with my friend, Heinrick. He’s dressed in his proper guard attire as well. He’s even gone so far as to tidy up his short, black mane and amber coat of fur, something he rarely does. He raises an eyebrow as he stares up at me with his piercing, blue eyes.
“You really think so?”
“Well, with a mane like that, what Princess wouldn’t?” Heinrick chuckles at my sarcasm as we head down the hallway to make our way to the main hall.
“I’m telling you, we are going to have one hay of a wedding! Just imagine it. Her and I in the altar—”
“And her having to sit down just to meet eye to eye with you. That’ll be an awkward kiss.”
“You know, I could always get a stepstool. Maybe even a ladder!” Both he and I burst out in laughter at his comment. “But in all seriousness.” Heinrick calms himself. “I worked extra hard on my appearance today because guess what lucky guards get to stand beside Her Majesty during the ceremony?”
“No way.” My jaw drops.
“That’s right, my friend! You and me!” Heinrick playfully punches my forearm with his hoof.
“We’ve never gotten to guard to main hall! Let alone Her Majesty’s side!”
“And guess where the ceremony’s being held?”
“Canterlot?”
“Oh, no.” Heinrick hooks his foreleg around me, and pulls me in. “Ponyville, Two-Legs!”
“Say what?!”
“You heard me right, Ponyville!”
“Are you saying that we might actually see The Elements of Harmony themselves?”
“Forget just ‘seeing’ them, we might even get to meet them!”
“That’s insane!” I exclaim with excitement bubbling up inside me.
“And get this, I’ve heard that all six of them are absolutely beautiful mares.”
“So, you’re hoping to connect the dots with one of them, huh?”
“Never heard it be called ‘connect the dots’ before, but yes! Think about it. We get to join the Princess’s ceremony, we get to leave the castle and head down to Ponyville of all places, and actually have a bit of fun for once! This is destiny, my friend. It’s all been leading up to this moment, and I am not going to let it pass me by.”
“Makes sense to me.”
“Right? And, I mean, there’s ‘six’ Elements of Harmony. I’m bound to connect the dot with at least one. . . What about you?”
“What about me?”
“You should try and ‘connect’ with one of these mares as well!”
“You’re joking, right?”
“I can even be your wingcolt!”
“Heinrick . . . that’s just silly. Come on, let’s just get to the main hall.”
“Look, Two-Legs, just because you’re different doesn’t mean that—”
“What are you talking about? It’s all because I’m different that I could never connect with a mare. Did you forget that I walk on two legs, not four, and have no hooves? No tail, horn, wings—nothing!” I halt in the middle of the hall, and Heinrick stops as well. I can feel anger uncontrollably building up inside me, and I continue to allow my mouth to express it. “Everywhere I look, there’s nothing as . . . ‘strange’ as me. All of you are the same, so why do I have to be ‘this’?”
“. . . Two-Legs—”
“And please stop calling me that! It was funny before, but right now I’m just not in the mood anymore.” I lean against the wall, taking several deep breaths to calm myself.
“Listen, I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t mean to get you all worked up.”
“It’s fine. Just . . . forget about it.” I continue walking down the hall with Heinrick, and it has become uncomfortably silent. I should know better than this. He’s always trying to keep the mood bright with his jokes and light-hearted conversations, and who am I to keep him from just being himself? Feeling guilty from my outburst, I try to relieve the awkwardness that’s fallen upon us. “Besides, I’m not as confident as you. You’ve got a better chance than anypony in our brigade; maybe even the entire Royal Guard.”
Heinrick snickers. “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m ‘that’ good, but what I was trying to say is that both you and I need somepony special in our lives. When we’re not on duty, we’re cooped up in here just staring outside our windows like birds in cages. We need somewhere to go, and somepony to go to. You know, just stretch out our wings and fly freely.”
“. . . I suppose you’re right.”
“Now, you have a point. You are different, but you know what? I’ve seen pegasi go with unicorns. I’ve seen griffons go with earth ponies. I’ve even seen birds go with fish.”
“You’ve seen all that out your window?”
“Well, maybe not that last one, but do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Hmm . . . no, not really.”
“I’m saying that ‘what’ you are isn’t important. It’s ‘who’ you are that really counts.”
“Sure, Heinrick.” I falsely reassure as I roll my eyes.
“Don’t believe me? Wait until the ceremony. You and I are going to take a little trip around the town, and experience something we never could behind these walls.”
“And that is. . ?”
“Life, my friend. Life.” I can’t help but agree. Heinrick’s always been a bit of a dreamer. Wondering what a day in life would be like where we don’t have to wear this armor, and walk streets far away from Canterlot. To be honest, I’ve had the same thoughts. It makes me wonder why I decided to take on this duty as a guard. I guess after what Her Majesty’s done to help me, I suppose I only saw it fit to return the favor by serving her. As for Heinrick, I can only assume he felt the exact same way. Only now it seems that level of dedication has faded, and he strives for something else. I can’t blame him, this job can get rather tedious at times. It’s not every day that an army decides to attack Canterlot Castle and give us some action. It feels like we’re just a safety net for the off-chance something happens.
Heinrick and I open the double-doors at the end of the hall to the castle’s main hall. We descend down a set of red-carpeted stairs to meet up with the rest of our brigade. “Sorry we’re late guys,” says Heinrick. “Sleepyhead here decided to catch a few extra winks.”
“Yeah, my fault,” I submit. “I’ve been having trouble getting a full night’s sleep lately.”
“Don’t worry about it,” says one of our brigade members. “In fact, you two are just in time.” The guard points his hoof behind us, and we both turn to find the Princesses approaching us. Upon seeing both the Princess of the Night and Princess of the Sun, I am awestruck by their regal appearance. The Princess of the Sun, formally known as Princess Celestia, with her pristine, white coat and elegant multi-colored mane. Beside her, the Princess of the Night, formally known as Princess Luna. Her ocean-blue eyes stand out amongst her dark coat, and her sparkling mane always reminds me of the night sky with its twinkles of light. I, along with the rest of our brigade, drop to our knees and bow before them.
“All of you, please, rise up,” says Princess Celestia.
“Yes, Your Highness,” we all say in unison.
“Your Majesty,” Heinrick begins. “I’m still wondering what exactly this ceremony is about.”
Princess Celestia giggles. “All in due time, Heinrick.”
“I mean, if it’s for something so special, then how come we don’t know anything about it?”
“Heinrick,” says one of our brigade members sternly. “Perhaps it isn’t best to pester Her Majesty with questions.”
“Now, now,” Princess Celestia defuses. “Heinrick, as well as the rest of you, have the right to be curious. However, it is something that I feel should be kept a surprise.”
Heinrick groans. “You’re killing me, Your Highness!”
“Well, I’m sure you’re all eager. How’s about we head on over to Ponyville right this instant? Sister, won’t you join us?” Princess Celestia turns to Princess Luna.
“I would love to,” says Princess Luna. “But, I feel I should stay behind. One of us should stay at the castle to watch over the prisoner.”
“I have a feeling we’ve been making good progress with the prisoner. I would say that it wouldn’t be too much of a risk to take our attention away for just one evening. However, I will not stand in the way of your judgement. If you feel it’s necessary, then by all means, keep watch. . . Then again, if you were to change your mind, feel free to join us.”
Princess Luna smiles. “I will be sure to keep that in mind. Now, go on and celebrate. I know you’ve been waiting quite some time for this day to come.”
“I truly have.” Princess Celestia then turns to us. “Our carriage is just outside the main gates. Wont you fine knights lead the way?”
“With pleasure,” says our brigade member. All of us follow the long, red rug outside of the castle to the beautiful morning. A flock of robins peck at the concrete after the two, big double-doors leading outside. We take our first steps into the sunlight, and the robins immediately disperse and flutter into the air. The warm, summer air is soothing, along with the lush, vibrant grass that surrounds the castle grounds. Heinrick stretches out his legs, and takes a long, deep breath.
He sighs, and turns to me. “Now ‘that’ is air meant for royalty!”
“You can say that again,” I add.
“Hey! I just got an idea.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“You still think you’re faster than me?”
“I don’t need to think, I know.”
Heinrick laughs. “Then how’s about a race to the carriage?”
“In all this armor? You’re crazy.”
“So, you forfeit?”
“I never said that.”
“Then let’s get a move on!” Heinrick dashes down the path toward the carriage, and I, not ready to let him have his false moment of glory, chase after him. My ears are clouded with the sounds of my breathing, and the clanking of our armor. I catch up to him as he and I are both neck and neck and the front gates are getting closer. Glancing out at the castle walls, I catch many other guards already on duty staring us down. Simultaneously, we struggle to slow our momentum and grab hold of the metal bars of the gates. “I think I won that.” Heinrick tries to regain his breath.
“What?” I gasp for breath. “That was definitely a tie.”
“Well, let’s see what our audience thinks.” The rest of our brigade strolls down the concrete path, and finally meets up with us with disgusted and disappointed expressions on their faces. “What do you guys think? A tie? Or did I indefinitely win?”
“I think you two are perhaps the most childish knights I’ve ever laid eyes on,” says one of our brigade members.
“I’ll take that as a complement.”
“Why Her Majesty even bestowed the privilege of knighthood to you two is beyond me.”
“Isn’t it obvious? We’re not a couple of sticks in the mud like the rest of ya . . . no offense.”
“A childish knight gives a childish remark, of course.”
“Well, somepony’s upset they don’t know how to have a bit of fun, eh?” Heinrick nudges my side.
“No, I’m upset that you two are actually going to tarnish the Royal Guard’s good name with the way you act.”
“Personally, I think we’re improving it.”
“You know. . .” The knight gets in Heinrick’s face, showing his impatience. “I’ve kept my composure since you joined our brigade, but now, you’re really starting to get on my nerves.” Heinrick, unfazed, holds his smile.
“Hey,” I say as I step in between them. “Let’s not do anything stupid now, you hear?”
“It’s already too late for that. Your friend seems to be the embodiment of stupid.”
“I think you might want to shut that muzzle of yours.” I glare into the guard’s eyes.
“And what happens then?” He threatens.
“Then you deal with both of us,” says Heinrick stepping by my side, as the rest of our brigade stands by the irate guard.
“Looks to me like the odds aren’t in your favor, kid.”
“That’s fine, I prefer it that way. Makes it more fun.”
“Must I split you two apart like a couple of colts in the schoolyard?” Princess Celestia asks.
“Sorry, Your Majesty, we just don’t appreciate being bullied.”
The guard chuckles. “Truly pathetic.”
“That’s enough, knight,” Princess Celestia orders. “You might find it wise to silence yourself now before uttering another word.” The guard glares at the both of us, then backs away.
“Yeah, you heard the teacher!” Heinrick mocks.
“Heinrick, please don’t.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”
“This is supposed to be a day of celebration, not petty quarrels.” She then looks to Heinrick and I. “You two, stay here with me for a moment. The rest of you, please enter the carriage.” As directed, the rest of our brigade steps into the carriage as Heinrick and I say behind. “Firstly, Heinrick, it wasn’t right for you to worsen the situation.”
“Right . . . you’re right.”
Princess Celestia turns to me. “And it wasn’t right for ‘you’ to threaten your fellow knight.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty,” I say.
“Secondly, I’m impressed.”
“Say what now?” Heinrick asks baffled.
“You two defended each other when the situation grew worse. I can tell you two must truly value the meaning of friendship when it comes to loyalty. With that, as opposed to what our fellow knight believes, I feel that you two are indeed fine knights to be the faces of the Royal Guard.”
“Well . . . thank you, Princess.”
“Thank yourselves, knights. Now, on the Ponyville! I’m sure you two must be the most eager of all.”
“You know it!” Princess Celestia steps into the carriage, and Heinrick looks to me with his face full of glee. “You hear that? ‘Impressed’. You know what that means?”
“Tell me.”
“It means the wedding is on!”
“Guess I’d better look into getting you that step ladder.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” Heinrick bumps my fist with his hoof, and we hurriedly make our way into the carriage.
I’ve never felt my hands tremble so much, and not even my consistent, deep breathes can settle how fast my heart is beating. It’s Heinrick, the rest of our brigade and I waiting behind a curtain while Her Majesty preps herself for her speech. Just the sounds of everypony gathered outside puts me on edge. It feels like a completely new place to me. I’ve never been this close to so many ponies, and I’m not so sure I’ll be able to handle it. “You feelin’ alright?” Heinrick asks.
“Me?”
“No, I was just talking to myself.”
“Oh, that’s nice. . .”
“Why are you so nervous?”
“You’re not?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“How?”
“Think about it this way: when ‘we’ walk out there, and stand by the Princess’s side, they will already be admiring us. You have absolutely no reason to be afraid.”
“But—”
“—No. Reason.”
“Alright, alright, I got it.”
“I mean, at this rate, how are you going to act when we meet the Elements of Harmony? You’re not gonna faint on me, are ya?”
“If I do, will you catch me?”
“Eh, maybe.”
I chuckle. “That’s good enough for me.”
“Get ready everypony,” says one of our brigade members. “Here comes Her Majesty.”
“Well, here we go.”
I take one last breath, and exhale as calmly as possible. “You got your blade at the ready?”
“Always do. You got that crossbow of yours?”
“Right here.” I tug at the strap across my body keeping my crossbow on my back.
“When are you gonna let me give that baby a whirl?”
“I would, if your hooves would fit the handle.”
“What are you trying to say? Think I’m a bit too ‘big’ to handle it?”
I smile and roll my eyes at his ridiculous claim. “You know what I meant.”
“Oh, I know what you meant, and I’m thinking I might change my mind on letting you practice with ‘my’ blade.”
“Oh, come on—”
“—Ah! You heard me. Our sparring sessions will officially be put on hold. Oh, if only there were something to make me reconsider.”
“You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
“I’m sorry, what was that?” Heinrick holds his hoof up to his ear with his eyes looking off into space.
“Fine, we’ll figure something out.”
“You’re gonna let me shoot it?”
“One way or another, yes.”
Heinrick smacks my chest with his hoof, laughing with his eyes full of glee. “Woo! Works every time!”
“I hate it when you do that.”
“Hey, all I know is, I’m gonna have some fun with that toy of yours.”
“Will you two be quiet?!” Our brigade member urges us. “She’s coming.”
Heinrick leans over to me. “Took her long enough,” he whispers, to which we both chuckle.
“Knights,” says Princess Celestia as she approaches us, and Heinrick and I immediately straighten ourselves out and wipe away our smirks. “If you would be so kind as to take the stage?” Single-file, our brigade members walk through the curtain and to the awaiting crowd. Just as Heinrick and I take our first steps towards the curtain, the Princess instantly calls us back. “Except you two.” We freeze in fear, and turn back to her. “I want you two to wait here.”
“Umm . . . Your Highness?”
“Yes, Heinrick?”
“May I ask . . . why?”
Princess Celestia looks past Heinrick, and walks towards the curtain. “Just wait here for now.”
“What? But . . . I thought. . .” Without another word, she leaves, and everypony outside starts to cheer. Heinrick turns to me with the same expression on my face: bewilderment.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know, but we should just do as she says.”
“You don’t think she heard what I said, do you? I mean, I whispered that pretty quietly.”
“Eh, well, it wasn’t that quiet.”
“Don’t even joke right now! We could be in some ‘actual’ trouble. I mean, we should be out there right now, standing by her side. That’s why we she wanted us here.”
“Heinrick, let’s just wait here, okay? I think you might be overreacting a bit.”
Heinrick sighs. “This isn’t right.” He takes a seat in the grass; and I, out of curiosity, kneel near the curtain to hear the Princess speak.
“My dearest subjects of Ponyville! I would like to thank each and every one of you for participating in this most wondrous of events. It’s been a year since Equestria was ravaged by that violent blizzard; the culprit of which is still being contained under constant watch by our knights, and as of now everything seems to have returned to normalcy. Let us not forget the acts of bravery and courage performed by, my student, Twilight Sparkle. Against all odds, she endured the harsh storm, and ruthless cold to save Equestria and all its inhabitants. Her acts of heroism shall never be forgotten, and today is the anniversary of evil’s defeat.” The crowd cheers, and I look to Heinrick.
“Hear that?” I ask.
“Yeah . . . I heard,” says Heinrick.
“I wish I could’ve seen it all happen. I mean, it sounds incredible how just one mare saved this land. Especially what she went up against: some power-driven psycho. That monster ‘deserves’ to be locked away. If we do meet ‘the’ Twilight Sparkle, it’ll be like meeting a legend.”
“I’ll say. Let’s just hope I ‘am’ overreacting.”
“You have before . . . several times.”
“Pshh, name one.”
“The day you found out we were assigned to the same brigade.”
“. . . Name another.”
“The day after that.”
“. . . Point taken.”
“On another note,” Princess Celestia continues. “Today is a day that marks something revolutionary. Something that I feel that I, along with my valiant knights—”
“Yeah, and us, I guess,” Heinrick scorns.
“—must share with the rest of you. There are two individuals in particular, who have demonstrated time and time again that they truly treasure the meaning and values of friendship.”
“Is she talking about . . . us?” I ask.
“Hold on, what?!” Heinrick hurries to my side with his ear to the curtain as the both of us intently continue to listen.
“They’ve come a long way from where they began, and under the care and guidance of my sister and I, my trust in them has only grown. We’ve been practicing our new methods of teaching, and in turn, they’ve become two of my most trusted knights. I believe it’s time they gain some recognition that’s been long overdue. This gathering is for them, and to celebrate our progress. This will be the first time anypony’s seen them since their initiation into our teachings, and the first time they will have met any of you. I hope you all will show them the warmest of greetings. It is with great honor that I first introduce to you, Knight Heinrick.”
“What?!” Heinrick’s eyes grow wide as he turns to me.
“What are you waiting for?” I ask. “Go! Get out there!” I hurry him through the curtain, and is immediately greeted by the crowd’s cheers and the stomping of their hooves. I wish I could see the look on his face. I must say that I wasn’t expecting something quite like this.
“And now, fillies and gentlecolts, our next knight. . .” Instantly, my hands start to tremble again, and I can feel myself beginning to sweat. “On the outside this individual is much, much different from the rest of us.” I can hear the audience whisper to themselves in confusion. “An unknown species, but is no animal. This will be the first time he has seen anypony other than his fellow knights, my sister and I; and the first time you will have seen anything like him. I hope that despite his differences, you’ll accept him as part of our society, as his heart is just the same. Just like Knight Heinrick, his devotion to the values of friendship and duty to serve and protect all of Equestria is just as strong. Please welcome, Knight Aireal.” Completely out of breath and with my heart racing faster than I’ve ever felt, I grab hold of the edge of the curtain in hesitation. I shut my eyes, and hope for the best. Pulling open the curtain with my arm, I step outside to every last eye set on me.
My brigade members, Princess Celestia, Heinrick, then the enormous crowd behind them all add to the anxiety that’s already built up inside me. Everypony in the crowd looks on with shock, curiosity, confusion and even disgust as they mutter to themselves. “I know that the initial shock of seeing something completely different from us can be a bit jarring,” says Princess Celestia. “But I would hope that you all will show him the same respect you would show any other pony. As far as you’re all concerned, he’s just another stranger to you, so why not let him feel welcome? Aireal, would you care to share a few words?” I turn to Her Majesty as a tingling sensation crawls up my spine. Turning back to the crowd as they curiously wait in silence. I clear my throat, and wave to the crowd.
“Umm . . . Hey, everypony,” I begin. The crowd’s eyes grow wide as they spurt out little gasps and mutters to the pony next to them. “It’s . . . a pleasure to be here, and to accompany our Princess. . . I w-wasn’t really ready for this, so . . . let me just say that this feels like a wish come true. I’ve always wanted to meet other ponies outside of Canterlot Castle, and now that I have, I’ve never felt more terrified in my whole life.” Some of the ponies in the crowd smirk, and even chuckle at my attempt to ease some of this anxiety in me. Since it seems I’ve broken through some of this awkwardness between the crowd and I; I might as well keep it going. “I’ve also heard you guys have the craziest parties, is that true?”
“Aw, yeah!” An ecstatic, pink mare screams as she hops up and above the crowd. The crowd following up her cheer with cheers of their own.
“And now, Heinrick, would ‘you’ care to speak to the ponies of Ponyville?”
“Uh, well, if I had known about this, I would’ve written a speech of my own. Although, all I have to say is. . .” Heinrick brings me in with his foreleg around my shoulder. “It’s great to meet you all, but get one thing straight, ol’ Two-Legs here is my best friend; and if ‘any’ of you have a problem with him, then you’ve got a problem with me.” I knew he and I were friends; I mean, he’s my only friend. However, I feel like I never truly understood how much our friendship meant up until now. Just listening to him announce it to an entire town, and how he’s always by my side, it warms me to know that I have a friend like him. I hope he knows I value him all the same.
“You see. . .” Princess Celestia begins. “This is why I’m glad I decided to give you two a break.”
“Beg your pardon?” Heinrick asks.
“Indeed, you two deserve some time away from the castle. Well, that and more.”
“Well . . . I . . . thanks, Your Majesty!”
“You have nothing to thank me for, knight. Now, I feel I’ve gone on long enough. How’s about we get that music started?”
“Huh?”
“Yeah!” The pink mare from before shouts. “Hit it!” Heinrick and I confusedly turn to a band of ponies armed with an array of several different instruments, and as commanded, they all erupt simultaneously with music. We turn back to the Princess, lost in bewilderment as she looks to us.
“Well, what are you two waiting for?” she asks. “Go on and celebrate. You both deserve it.”
“. . . Well, come on, Two-Legs! Let’s go!” Heinrick urges as he drags me away and into the crowd of partying ponies. Some are dancing, chatting, or helping themselves to the snack tables set up all around us. “This is it. Time to mingle, my friend!” Heinrick starts to stray away from me, and I immediately grab his shoulder.
“Wait, where are you going? You don’t expect me to just go and just . . . start talking to them, do you? I mean, what am I supposed to do?”
“Exactly what you just said, go and start talking.” Heinrick laughs. “You’re funny, did I ever tell you that? You literally just spoke to ‘everypony’, so how is this any different? Besides, we ‘wanted’ this! This is our chance to live a little, and I suggest you make the most of it. Now, go on and make some friends! I’m gonna go see what’s happening over here.” Heinrick takes off into the other side of the party, and I decide to take his advice and turn the other way. Before my eyes can take in the view of the other half of the party, I find myself being swarmed by a group of ponies as they analyze every inch of my body. Some of them poke at my armor, and others examine my arms as they theorize about what I could be.
“So, where did you come from? The Everfree Forest?” A mare asks.
“No, Canterlot,” I say.
“She means before that,” A stallion chimes in. “Like, where were you born?”
“Oh! Windpine Island.”
“Windpine Island? I’ve never heard of that.”
“It’s quite a ways away from here. It’s a small island, but the trees that grow there are taller than any tree I’ve seen here; so tall that they almost block out the sky. The trees also serve as homes for winged creatures that are just as large, and the strong winds that blow across the island allows them to gracefully soar. I don't think I've ever gotten a good look at one, but I do remember looking up and catching short glimpses through the trees.”
“Wow. . . Are there more like you?”
“Well . . . not anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“A war broke out, and my species managed to completely wipe itself out. While it happened, I hid. Leaving me as the only survivor.”
“That’s terrible,” the mare comments.
“But that’s when Her Majesty found me, and took me back to Canterlot. It’s hard to remember every detail since it was so long ago; I've made just so much better memories here. That’s why when you asked, I said Canterlot. I just consider it to be my only home.”
“Hey, what do you eat?” Another pony asks. “Fruits? Insects?”
“Well, I mean, you look pretty tasty.” Their eyes widen, and jaws hang open as they stare at me in silence. “Got ya!” I laugh and jokingly point at the pony who asked the question as the fear fades from their faces, and they laugh along with me.
“Hey, Two-Legs!” Heinrick calls out to me. I turn to see him beckoning me over, then back to the group of ponies.
“Sorry, I’d love to stay, but my friend needs me. We’ll chat later!” I wave them goodbye as I jog to Hienrick, who appears to be eager to tell me what’s on his mind. “What is it?”
“You are not going to believe who I just scored us lunch with.”
“Don’t tell me. . .”
“Seven words. The-Elements-of-Harmony-in-the-flesh!”
Sitting beside Heinrick at a picnic table set up in the grass, he and I are surrounded by the Elements of Harmony themselves. Each of us with a plate of snacks we gathered from the tables set up at the party. I can still hear the music and joyful laughter of the partygoers as they aren’t too far away from us. “And this here is Applejack!” The energetic, pink mare I recognize from the crowd exclaims as she wraps her forelegs around an orange-coated mare in a brown, wide-brimmed hat. “She has a farm called Sweet Apple Acres! And there, she grows—”
“Apples, I presume?” Heinrick asks.
The pink mare gasps. “How’d you know?!”
“Just a feeling I get sometimes.”
“What else does this ‘feeling’ tell you? Tell me! Tell me!” She demands as she hops about excitedly.
“Is she normally like this?” Heinrick turns to the orange-coated mare.
“Oh, this is nothin’ compared to what I’ve seen,” she says.
“Well, now that you’ve introduced ‘all’ of us. . .” A white-coated, unicorn mare with a well-groomed, royal-purple mane begins. “Why don’t you go ahead and finally introduce yourself?”
“Oh yeah!” The pink mare jumps up from her seat. “How could I forget? My name’s Pinkie Pie, but you can you just call me Pinkie for short!”
“And you’re the Element of Laughter, is that right?” Heinrick asks.
“Sure am!”
“And you’re the Element of Generosity,” he says to the white-coated mare.
“Indeed, but please, feel free to simply refer to me as Rarity.”
“Ah, right. Sorry.”
Rarity giggles. “There’s no need to apologize.”
“Hey, what’s the deal with your friend? He ‘does’ know how to speak, right?” A sky-blue, pegasus mare with a rainbow-striped mane raises an eyebrow, looking at me curiously.
“Rainbow Dash!”
“What? What I say?”
“There’s no need to be so uncouth.”
“Whatever that means. . . I’m just wondering if he’s been properly trained.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Heinrick asks.
“What? Was I not clear enough?”
“No, you weren’t.” Heinrick stands up from his seat, eyes glued to Rainbow Dash. “Why don’t you say it again?”
I quickly grab hold of Heinrick’s foreleg, hoping I can convince him to calm himself down. “Heinrick, don’t,” I whisper. “We don’t want to get into trouble.”
“What are you going to do, huh?” Rainbow Dash mockingly asks as she stands up from her seat as well.
“I don’t know where this came from,” says Heinrick. “Element of Harmony or not, the second you mock my friend is the same second I shut your mouth for good.”
“Heinrick! What are you doing?” I worriedly mutter.
“I’d like to see you try,” says Rainbow Dash.
“Then I hope you’ll have fun watching,” says Heinrick as the both of them continue to intensely glare at each other. Then Instantly, Rainbow Dash spreads out her wings and bursts out into a fit of laughter. She falls to the ground clenching her gut, leaving Heinrick lost in confusion.
“‘I hope you’ll have fun watching’! Oh, that was too good!” she exclaims as she kicks her legs into the air.
“Umm . . . what’s going on here?” Heinrick slowly sinks back down into his seat.
“Ugh, pay no mind to her,” says Rarity as she rolls her eyes. “She pulls shenanigans like this on a regular basis. . . Although I must say, you’re quite brave for standing up for your friend like that. That’s quite . . . admirable of you.”
“Oh, really?” Heinrick smiles. “Well, what can I say?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I add.
“Is that so?” Rarity asks. “My, you are a true friend indeed.”
“Hey, I wasn’t lying about what I said back there,” says Heinrick. “I’m not gonna just sit around and let my friend get talked down to, aint that right Two-Legs?”
“Oh, you know how much I ‘love’ it when you call me that,” I say as I shake my head.
“Ha-ha! Ah, you know I’m just messing around.”
“Phew!” Applejack sighs in relief. “I almost thought somethin’ was about to get ugly.” Recovering from her laughter, Rainbow Dash gets back into her seat with her eyes watering.
“Sorry,” she begins. “I just couldn’t resist! You should’ve seen your face!” She lets out another fit of laughter, and Heinrick awkwardly tries to laugh along with her as he glances to me. “But seriously. . .” She catches her breath. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Cat got your tongue?” Baffled by her question, I tilt my head as I try to piece together what she could possibly mean.
“I don’t . . . I don’t understand,” I say. “W-What cat?”
“Oh, boy.” Rainbow Dash presses her hoof against her forehead.
“It’s a figure of speech silly!” Pinkie adds.
“. . . Oh! I get it!” I say in wonderment.
“How did you ‘not’ know that?” Heinrick asks.
“Hey, give me a break. I’m trying to get used to the ‘local vocabulary’.”
“Ah, trying to make yourself sound smarter with your words, huh?”
“Maybe.” Chuckling fills the table, and I feel a sense of accomplishment after the slight embarrassment. “Besides, I’m not the only one who hasn’t been talking much.” I glance to the mare sitting furthest away from Heinrick and I: a yellow-coated mare, with her head down and long, pink mane covering a large portion of her face. As soon as I mention her, she looks up; and with a motion of her hoof, moves aside her mane to show her big, teal eyes.
“That’s Fluttershy,” says Applejack. “Don’t worry, she’s just not very comfortable around new . . . visitors.”
“Perfect!” says Heinrick. “Then I believe these two officially have the most in common.” He turns to me. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“. . . I suppose.” I smile, but Fluttershy simply returns to keeping her head down. Feeling I may have said something wrong, I turn to Heinrick, but he only meets me with a shrug.
“Well, umm. . .” Heinrick trails off, trying to disrupt the silence that’s suddenly overtaken the table. “Say, somepony’s missing. . . Right?”
“Ah, that’ll be Twilight,” says Applejack.
“You mean . . . Sparkle? ‘The’ Twilight Sparkle?”
“I mean, I invited her to come. She should be on her way. I don’t know why, but she’s been actin’ a bit odd today.”
“Odd?”
“What do you mean by ‘odd’?” I ask.
“Well, as soon as you all showed up, she’s gone and cooped herself up in her library. It’s strange. Whenever the Princess shows up to Ponyville, she’s usually the first to show. . . Actually, I may have spoken a bit too soon.” Applejack gazes off in the distance behind us, and we turn in our seats to see a mare approaching our table. I’m not sure why, but I’m suddenly getting a strange sensation deep down in the pit of my stomach.
I lean over to Heinrick and whisper to him. “Hey, Heinrick.”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t think I’m feeling well.”
“What? Are you sure. . ? You need a bucket or something?”
“I . . . I don’t think so.”
“Alright, well what’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Just looking at her makes me feel . . . strange.”
Heinrick squints and smirks at me, confusing me even further. “Oh, I see what’s going on here.”
“You do? What is it?”
“Let me guess. Are you experiencing sudden sweating, trembling, shivers up and down your spine as well as an upset stomach?”
“. . . How do you know all that?”
“Well, according to my diagnosis, you are officially in heart-shock.”
“Heart-shock? Is that bad?”
“Not at all. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Heart-shock is that initial hit of strange feelings once your eyes meet somepony rather . . . special to you.”
“You’re making this up; I can tell.”
“Oh no, it’s quite real. Tell me, what are you thinking about as you watch her right at this moment?”
“I. . . Well. . .”
“Go on, spit it out.”
“Her . . . her glistening, violet eyes, her mane, her flawless smile. . .”
“I see. . .”
“She looks . . . perfect.”
“Yup, looks like you’re finally taking your first step into the world of ‘love’.”
“R-Really? Are you sure? I mean, what am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know, why don’t you ask her yourself?”
“Huh?”
“Hello everypony!” The purple, unicorn mare greets, her voice erupting right behind me. I jolt in surprise as I wasn’t expecting her to be so close to me so quickly.
“There ya are Twilight! We’ve been wonderin’ when you were gonna show up,” says Applejack.
“Yeah, I want to apologize. I know I’ve been a bit rude to you all, and I’m sorry. It’s just . . . a really stressful time for me right now.” There’s something about her voice that sends me deeper into this state of ‘heart-shock’ as Heinrick put it. I have no idea how to handle this. Heinrick’s told me a little bit about this sort of thing, but I don’t have the slightest clue how to move forward from here. I feel like my mouth has just been sewn shut, and my body has turned to stone. “And now that I’m here, I’d also like to apologize to you two knights.”
“What for?” Heinrick asks.
“It was rude of me to not attend the ceremony. You two deserved ‘everypony’ to arrive and give you their full attention. If it’s okay with the both of you, I’d like to us to have a proper introduction. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”
“It’s an honor to finally meet you. My name’s Heinrick.”
“Please, the honor is mine.”
“Are you kidding? You’re like a legend!”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but I’m flattered nonetheless. . . And you are?” Twilight then turns to me, and I’m still frozen stiff with not a word leaving my lips.
Heinrick awkwardly chuckles. “He’s just a bit . . . nervous being around The Elements of Harmony; and I mean, who wouldn’t be? Right?” He punches me in the shoulder, jolting me to life.
“Uh-Aireal!” I say with my eyes wide. “My-my name’s Aireal.”
“Ah, yes,” Twilight continues. “Princess Celestia has told me much about you.”
“Sh-She has?”
“That’s right. I must say, you’re a very intriguing individual. I’ve studied nearly every member of the animal kingdom, but I’ve never seen anything quite like you. You’re unique.”
“Well, I uh . . . Thank you, Miss Sparkle.”
“As a matter of fact, and I hope I’m not sounding too insistent, but I’d like to study you sometime.”
“Study?”
“Yes. I’m very interested in you. I feel like there’s much to be learned from you. We can head right to my library right now, and just go from there. I hope that’s not asking for too much.”
“Oh, n-no not at all. Whenever you’d like; I’ll be there.”
“How does ‘now’ sound?”
“Uh . . . you mean . . . ‘right’ right now?”
“Sure! I could prepare us some lunch as well, as long as you’re still hungry. It’ll be fun.”
“I . . . eh . . . You know, I don’t—”
“He would absolutely ‘love’ to Miss Sparkle!” Heinrick bursts in. “You know what, you two should get a move on right now.”
“Heinrick,” I mutter. “What are you doing?!”
“I’m doing you a favor right now,” Heinrick mutters back. “You wanted to ‘connect the dots’ with somepony, and here she is! I’m telling you, you have no idea how easy you’ve got it right now. She’s already ‘interested’ in you. All you have to do is show her who you are!”
“But I don’t know what I’m getting myself into! What if I mess this up?”
“You won’t! Trust me! Do you really want to just blow this off?”
“. . . No.”
“Good choice. You won’t regret it.” Heinrick and I turn back to Twilight who’s been patiently waiting my answer; and with a deep breath, I stand up from my seat.
“Okay . . . let’s go.”
“Perfect!” says Twilight as she joyfully smiles. “Then let’s not waste any time, please follow me.”
“You two go and have fun,” says Heinrick. “I’m gonna stay here with these fine fillies.” Twilight starts walking, but I stay and turn to Heinrick. Impatiently, he mouths the word ‘go’ as he shoos me away with his hoof.
“Hey!” Twilight calls to me. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no, nothing’s wrong,” I say as I catch up to her as my armor clanks and shutters. I follow her along the dirt path further into the town. The entire place is empty, with the only sounds being the distant music and laughter of the party, and our steps along the dry soil. Little, cozy-looking cottages make up the neighborhoods, filling me with a sense of comfort. It’s somewhat of a break from the constant aching in my stomach, as well as the other ailments that Heinrick described to me. It makes me wonder how he could’ve possibly known precisely how I was feeling. Perhaps he truly does know more about this whole ‘love’ thing than I thought. I almost feel like I’m being led straight to my utter demise. I’ve never done anything like this before, let alone ‘felt’ anything like this before. It’s so bizarre how instantaneous it was, as if I’ve seen her before in a dream or something. However, I can’t recall a single dream where I’ve seen anypony even closely resembling her. Perhaps these feelings inside me are toying with me now, making my mind run circles in my head.
“So,” Twilight begins. “As a knight, I’m sure you must be aware of the band of rebels that has formed in recent time.”
“Hm. . ? Oh! Yes, yes I am.”
“I’ve heard word that their leader is a stallion who practices wicked spells. Spells that have been forbidden by Her Majesty.”
“Well, then he’s already committed a horrible crime, and deserves whatever punishment may come his way.”
“He says he wishes to watch Canterlot fall. He’s already demonstrated he’s not afraid to use drastic measures to achieve what he wants. You did hear about the tragedy that befell us just days ago, didn’t you?”
“Yes, how could I forget?”
“He will end the life of another pony, just to see his twisted vision of Equestria brought to life.”
“It’s horrible. How could anypony live that way?”
“I ask myself that question every day, and I still don’t have an answer. What puzzles me even further is that many have chosen to follow him. This one stallion: a traitor to the Princess, and a ruthless murderer. Yet, he gained a great number of followers over the course of this year. . . We’re lucky to have knights like you fighting for what’s right.” If only she hadn’t felt the need to remind me of what happened a few days ago. I had done so well to put it out of my mind, but now it’s come crawling right back. Princess Celestia gathered every last knight together, and broke the news to all of us. She said that two of our fellow knights who were sent on guard duty for the night never returned from their shift. When she had sent somepony to search for them, all that was found was their lifeless bodies. The way she described it was so bizarre. There were no traces of blood, no wounds, no signs of struggle; but their hearts were silent. None of us could explain it, but the Princess new that it was the work of the rebels. Many of us questioned her at the time as to how she could’ve been so sure, but she said she’d give us further details in time. There’s a scheduled burial for the two knights coming soon, and all of us are going to attend. The only thing that I’m wondering is not about how they suddenly died, but death itself. I wonder what it’s like. “Well, here we are.” Twilight interrupts my thought.
I stand before an enormous tree, and built into it are windows, balconies, and even a front door. I’ve never seen anything like it, and am baffled by its design. Twilight approaches and opens the door, revealing that the tree has been hollowed out for the living room. “Please, come in,” she welcomes. Taking my first step inside, I am greeted by the strong smell of wood, but it isn’t an unpleasant one. Perhaps it’s because my homeland was filled with nothing but trees. Makes perfect sense to me. “Feel free to make yourself at home. I’m just going to go retrieve a couple of study materials from my room. I’ll only be a moment.” Twilight ascends the stairwell into the upper level of the house, and I remain in the center of the living room too nervous to leave this spot. All along the walls are shelves carved right into the wood, and they’re filled with an array of books. However, not as many as the library back in Canterlot Castle. Every knight is given full access to the library, but both Heinrick and I tend to stay away from there. He always comes up with something for us to do in our spare time, so I haven’t really gotten the chance to really check that part of the castle out. The silence is all of a sudden broken by the sound of fluttering wings. I look up to see an owl perched atop a chandelier. It tilts its head as it stares with its unrelenting, golden eyes. Quickly growing uncomfortable, I turn away from it, and try to focus on anything else but it. Thankfully, Twilight returns with a hefty stack of books and sets them on the floor. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“It’s alright. . . Um, do you know that there’s an owl in here?”
“Of course I do, he’s a loyal companion of mine. Speaking of which . . . there’s someone I’d like you to meet before we start.” Twilight hurries back upstairs, and comes back with something very peculiar by her side. A small, purple-scaled dragon staring up at me with its big, green eyes. “I’d like you to meet my friend, Spike.”
“Hey there, Spike.” Curiously, I bend down to meet Spike eye to eye, and reach out my hand to him. “My name’s—” Impulsively, Spike reels back in fear, clutching Twilight’s leg. “. . . Aireal.” I finish confusedly as I look up to Twilight. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, not at all. He’s probably just a bit scared since he’s never seen anything like you before. Go on, Spike. You can go now.” I watch the little dragon as he retreats back up the stairs occasionally glancing my way.
“I . . . hope I didn’t frighten him.”
“Try not to worry about it; I’m sure he’s fine. Why don’t we get started?” Twilight turns and walks over to her stack of books, and my eyes drift off to the window as I wonder what I should do and say next. Heinrick’s advice, while it seems simple to follow, instead feels impossible. I feel I’ve already made a bad impression by scaring her friend, but I have no idea how that could’ve been avoided. All I said to him was my name. Well, maybe there will be plenty of opportunities for me to redeem myself. I take a deep breath to try and keep myself calm, and just wait for whatever she has in store. Like a leaf in the wind, I am blown back by a strong blast of reddish light. My back slams against the wall behind me, and I fall to the ground with my chest in pain as if it was just pounded by a mallet. It takes a moment for the air to enter my windpipe, and I choke as I struggle to take one simple breath. “Now that’s strange. How could that have happened?”
“W-What. . ? What did you do?”
“Just testing to see if you had let your guard down, which you clearly have. Funny, isn’t that the first thing they teach you in training?” I look up to see a blurry vision of Twilight across the room. I grasp my chest, hoping the pain will eventually subside. “What’s the matter? Are you finished already? Some knight you turned out to be.” With my head pounding, I get to my knees. “I feel bad for whoever trained you. You must’ve been one of their most disappointing students.” My vision is clearing, and my headache is slowly subsiding.
“W-What are you talking about? What’s this about?”
“Knights of the Royal Guard are fighters, not failures. Right now, I’m beginning to think you’re the second one.” I get to my feet, and cautiously put my hands in the air.
“Listen, I don’t know what I might’ve done to upset you, but I swear I didn’t mean it.”
“Now you’re begging for mercy after one of my weakest spells. A disappointment indeed.”
“Just because you’re an Element of Harmony doesn’t give you the right to talk down to me!”
“Looks like ‘you’re’ the one getting upset now. You’re not thinking of running away now, are you?”
“. . . I’m not going to fight you.”
“Spoken like a true coward.”
“What’s the matter with you?! Have you lost your mind? One of us is going to get seriously injured! Or worse!”
“That’s what I’m counting on.”
“W-What?”
“An opponent isn’t going to go easy on you. I’m just making this a bit more realistic. Besides, you agreed to be studied, and that’s what we’re doing. I’m testing to see if you truly are worthy of the title as a knight. So far, you’re failing.”
“I don’t want to be a part of this anymore. Now, you let me leave this instant.”
“Why should I do anything you say? This is my home after all, so we’re going to follow my rules.”
“You really have lost your mind.”
“You can think whatever you want. Either way,” I hear the dreadful sound of the door locking. “No one is leaving until this test is over.” Twilight’s horn begins to glow with a reddish hue, and I am now left with no other option.
“I didn’t want to have to do this.” I reach behind me, and grab hold of my crossbow. I bring it to my chest, tightening my grip along the wooden handle and press the stock against my shoulder. “But I will do what I have to to defend myself.” With my other hand on the foregrip, and a bolt already loaded, I aim down the sights towards Twilight.
“Don’t worry. I already know how this is going to end.” The glow of her horn intensifies as I anticipate when she’s going to fire. With my heart pounding, I duck and roll across the floor as her beam of magic flies right passed me. Getting to one knee, I realign my aim and lean into the stock. I wait for her next move, hoping she’ll call this off at any moment. “Nice reflexes, but can you keep it up?” Her horn immediately lights up again, and my eyes widen with fear. I hop up to my feet and jump back as a smaller beam of light is shot and burns the floor. Before I can think of a way to escape, another beam shoots passed my face as the heat of the magic warms my cheek. One after another, beams of light fire towards me relentlessly. I manage to dodge some of them, but most of them skim my armor as I dance around the room.
It’s clear she isn’t going to cease fire, so I dart my eyes around the room searching for cover. I set my sights on a wooden table, and rush towards it as more beams of light are shot and follow me all the way to the table. I push it over, and hide behind it as I catch my breath. “Hiding can buy you some time, but is it really worth it just to delay the inevitable?” Twilight asks. “You know you won’t win.”
“I’m sorry,” I mutter. Taking a deep breath, I pop up from the table and aim my crossbow towards Twilight. With my hand trembling, I force myself to pull the trigger. The string snaps forward and sends the bolt flying through the air. Instantly, Twilight uses her magic to toss a book in its path. I watch the book hit the floor with the tail of the bolt sticking up from the hard cover.
“Nicely done. You actually fired your weapon.” I go back into hiding behind the table, and hurriedly slide my boot through the silver stirrup attached to the barrel of my crossbow. I grab the middle of the string, and pull it back until it locks behind the retention spring. “You see, now you have to reload your weapon. That takes quite some time, doesn’t it?” With my hands still trembling, I grab another bolt from the quiver attached to the belt around my waist, and load it into the barrel. “I don’t need to worry about anything like that. All I need to do is focus. . .” With another deep breath, I pop up from cover and aim my crossbow. However, she’s suddenly disappeared. “And you won’t stand a chance.” Twilight whispers into my ear sending shivers up my spine. I whip around to see her with a big grin on her face, and her horn is already blindingly bright. Some sort of pulse of magic is sent through the air, forcing me flying backward and my crossbow slips from my hands as my body tumbles across the floor. The table shatters, and the pieces spread out around the room. Disoriented, I lift up my head to see my crossbow sitting all the way on the other side of the room. “Now what will you do without your weapon? Surrender?”
Her horn is already glowing again, and I need to think of something to do and fast. I grab one of the larger scraps of wood from the shattered table, and hold it up to shield my face. I feel the beam of light strike the wood, but it doesn’t go through. I inspect the wood, and find that the beam did in fact leave a scorch mark on the surface. “Huh, quick thinking,” says Twilight. “Very well. If you want to make this last longer, then so be it. It’ll only make this more painful for you.” I scramble to my feet and quickly maneuver toward my crossbow using the scrap of wood to block the onslaught of incoming beams of light. The wood is weakening, so I dive towards my crossbow. I feel something tighten around my ankles, causing me to flop onto the floor. Looking down, I find a reddish ring of light is binding my ankles. Forcefully, I am lifted up into the air by my feet, and everything flips upside down. Regardless, I aim my crossbow towards Twilight and fire another bolt. However, she vanishes, leaving my bolt to instead pierce the wall. The ring of light around my ankles dissipates, and I plummet to the floor on my head. With the pain in my head ravaging my skull, I hurry and reload my crossbow.
“Do you want to know another thing I realized?” Twilight’s voice echoes throughout the room. Crazily, I aim and point my crossbow in every which direction desperately searching for her. “Every time you miss. . .” My sights are suddenly locked onto Twilight as she stands on the far end of the room. I fire another bolt, but she vanishes before it can reach her. “You’re putting yourself in even more danger.” With sweat running down my forehead, I quickly reload my crossbow. “You only have so much ammo. . .” I ready and aim crossbow with my eyes darting all around the room. “What will you do when you run out?” Out of the corner of my eye, I notice her. In one quick motion, I turn and fire my weapon. I watch my bolt pierce the wall yet again, and my entire body trembles as her words run through my head. I prime my crossbow and reach for another bolt, but I find it to be my very last bolt. I clench the bolt in my hand, and shut my eyes as I take a deep breath to help put myself at ease. “You had better make sure every shot counts.” Twilight taunts as I load in the bolt. With my crossbow pointed, I back myself against the wall waiting for her to appear. “Or perhaps. . .” Twilight materializes before my very eyes with the same grin she’s held this entire time, and her horn appears ready to fire. “You’ll fail before you can even fire your last shot.” I drop to the floor as a much more powerful beam of magic strikes the shelf of books that was behind me. Many of the books fall to the ground, black and charred. They, along with the rest of the shelf, instantly begin producing clouds of smoke. I watch Twilight choke and cough as she tries to whisk away the smoke with her hoof. Then, I am struck with an idea.
I scramble to my feet and run across the room. “Where do you think you’re going?” Twilight angrily taunts. I stop and aim my crossbow, and she fires another powerful beam of light. Yet again, I’m able to drop to the floor as she demolishes another shelf of books. More smoke starts filling the air, and Twilight quickly grows furious. “What good is running going to do?! You might as well be still and end it!” I run shelf to shelf as she destroys them all. I take in another deep breath as the smoke grows thicker, and I remain as still as possible. Twilight continues to choke and cough, blindly firing her magic into the smoke. “Where are you?! Show yourself!” I want to try and sneak through the smoke, but I’m afraid the sound of armor will give me away. “It’s only a matter of time before I find you.” I carefully bend down and pick up a nearby, burnt book, and hurl it across the room. As soon as it hits the floor, Twilight fires off several beams of magic in its direction. With all the noise she’s creating, I utilize this time to make one quick dash across the room. She stops firing, and I again remain still. Realizing she hasn’t heard me, I quickly search for something else to throw. With another book in hand, I hurl it in a different spot in the room. Twilight again fires crazily at it once it hits the floor, and I make another quick run through the smoke. Twilight growls in frustration, and angrily stomps her hoof. “Quit playing games! You know you can’t win!”
I’ve homed in on Twilight’s position, and with her clueless and frustrated, now is the perfect time to make my move. “You know you can’t escape, so what’s the point in hiding?” Twilight asks. “It’s unavoidable! You were at a disadvantage before we even began! Your weapon is nothing compared to what I’m capable of!” The smoke is beginning to clear, and Twilight is already in my sights. I lean into the stock of my crossbow, and pull the trigger. The bolt shoots through the air, and Twilight’s body suddenly jerks. The smoke dies down, making it much easier to see. I watch Twilight stand motionless in the middle of the room, and a drop of blood falls to the floor. My heart sinks to the bottom of my chest as I realize what I’ve done. Twilight turns her head; and I find a long, deep cut across her cheek as thin streams of blood run down to her chin. Once I notice that the bolt had pierced the wall ahead of her, I am instantly hit with a rush of fear. “. . . H-How?” she stutters. “How could I. . ?” Twilight’s eyes lock onto mine as I immediately fear the worst. Although, her face doesn’t appear to be furious, but emotionless. I lower my crossbow awaiting what else she has in store for me. With no more bolts left in my quiver, I’m completely defenseless. I hear the door unlock behind me, and glance back to find it slowly opening. “. . . Leave.”
“. . . W-What?” I mutter.
“Didn’t you hear me? I said—” Twilight’s horn erupts with reddish light. “Leave!” She yells as a strong pulse of magic sends me hurdling out through the doorway and flat on my back as a cloud of dirt is kicked up into the air. The door then violently slams shut, and I am left in shock. I lay my head back onto the dirt path, staring up at the sky as I catch my breath. The cool breeze brushing across my face is refreshing, and my aching body finally has a chance to rest.
Everything is pitch black, but a ray of light shines upon me. I feel too afraid to leave this little area of light, as it gives me a sense of warmth and protection. I look up, and am blinded by the intense light. “. . . You don’t understand. . .”
“Hello?” I ask. “Who’s there?”
“You’ve been lied to. . .”
“Where am I?”
“You’ve been lied to. . .”
“Where are you? What’s going on?” Suddenly, long, black bars shoot out from the ground. They surround me, encaging me in a tiny space. With my heart racing I grab hold of the bars, desperately searching for the source of the mysterious voice that echoes throughout this place.
“This is my home.”
“W-Where are you?!” I shout.
“I’m here, with you.”
“What do you want from me?!”
“I want to help you. . . You must heed my warning.”
“What do you mean?!” My head is now sweating, and my throat is thrashing from my screaming. “Who are you?!” The voice goes silent, and I can feel something dripping down my hands. Trembling, I raise my hands into the light, and find them coated in streams of red, glistening fluid. My breathing becomes uncontrollable as I attempt to wipe my hands clean, but no matter what I do, I cannot rid my skin of the red fluid. The bars surrounding me quickly sink back down into the ground, and I walk backwards out from the light with my eyes still glued to my hands. I lose my footing, and plummet downward even further into the darkness. It feels like an intense weight is pushing down on my chest, and I feel completely hopeless as I watch the only source of light shrink the further down I go. I am stunned as my back slams against the bottom of this pit, and my eyes fly open.
I lean up from my bed, and throw the blanket off of me to help relieve the heat. I wipe my forehead with the palm of my hand, and find it coated in sweat. After wiping the sweat onto my nightshirt, I press my hands onto my face as I catch my breath. With it being so hot in my bedroom, I get out from bed and stumble over to the window. The glass is so cool to the touch, and upon opening it, I am hit with a refreshing blast of wind. I breathe in the fresh air, and gaze up at the sky. Princess Luna’s moon shines brilliantly up above, and the stars twinkle with delight. I can already feel myself calming down as the sight takes me over. I don’t know what it is, but the night sky always fills me with this rather magical feeling. Something the morning sun really can’t replicate. Maybe that’s what makes the night special. I never get to speak with Princess Luna as much as I would like. It almost feels like she tends to avoid me on a consistent basis. No, that can’t be the case. She has no reason to, so there’s no reason for her to avoid me.
I hate this. This is the part where I just can’t stop asking myself questions, and I won’t be able to get back to sleep no matter how hard I try. There’s really only one thing that helps my mind focus and steer away from all these questions. I open my armoire, and retrieve my boots and armor. After dressing myself, I grab my crossbow from under my bed, and hang it over my shoulder with the sling. Also, I grab a case filled with plenty of bolts, and head out into the hall as I quietly close the door behind me.
I traverse the dark hallways, trying to keep the noise from my armor to a minimum as to not wake any of my fellow knights. I enter a new room, and inside are large, tall windows that allows much of the moon’s radiant glow inside, illuminating most of it. I set down my case of bolts, and load one into my crossbow. I plant my feet firmly on the tiled floor, and aim down the sights towards a target several yards ahead. I take a deep breath to help keep my arms steady, and with my sights locked onto the circular, red area in the center of the wooden target, I pull the trigger. The bolt flies through the air, and nails the red area of the target. Wanting to continue to test my accuracy, I load another bolt into my crossbow, and aim down the sights. I take in another deep breath, and with my finger on the trigger— “I thought I might find you here!” Somepony suddenly bursts in, and I jolt in the process. Upon recognizing the voice, I roll my eyes and lower my crossbow. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt . . . for the twentieth night in a row,” says Heinrick as he approaches me. “Let me guess: same nightmare as before?”
“I just don’t understand,” I say. “It never changes. . . Are your dreams always the same?”
“Nope.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.” I lift up my crossbow, and aim the sights down towards the target.
“Come on, Two-Legs, what’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” I fire the loaded bolt into the target, feeling achievement as it’s not too far off from the first bolt.
“You’ve been acting different ever since the party down at Ponyville. Did something go wrong when you were with Twilight Sparkle?”
“Nothing went wrong.” I load another bolt into my crossbow. “What makes you think something went wrong?”
“Well, when we all got back to the carriage, you were already there with your head low. Not only that, but you said absolutely nothing on the way back. You just kept staring at the floor.”
“Look, it’s nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, I beg to differ.” As he continues, I aim my crossbow at the target. “We’ve been friends since the start; I know how you are, and never have I seen you so down. So, of course it worries me.” I fire the bolt into the target and sigh.
“It just . . . wasn’t what I was expecting, alright? I got uncomfortable—so I left.”
“Oh . . . well, you could’ve come back to the table with me and the girls, you know? We all could’ve had a good time with you there instead of waiting by the carriage. You didn’t have to waste your time out just sitting there.”
“Thanks, but . . . I think I just needed to be alone.”
“. . . Have you talked to Princess Luna? See if she can do anything about your nightmares?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Why not? I keep telling you that she can help—”
“She never has time!” My voice echoes throughout the training room. Realizing how loud I’ve gotten, I lower the tone of my voice. “I always look for her, but she’s never around. I always ask permission to meet her, but Her Majesty always says she’s too occupied with other things.”
“I’m sure that she’ll be able to help you in no time.”
“It’s not like it matters now. I’ve been able to cope with it all on my own; I don’t need her.”
“. . . Must be getting boring shooting that same target over and over again, huh?” I sit in silence, too heated to even look his way. “How’s about a little sword training since we’re here?”
“No, thanks. We need to make sure we’re up in time for the funeral tomorrow.”
“Well, it’s already the middle of the night, and both of us are clearly wide awake. So, why not pass the time with a little practice?” I sigh with impatience, hoping he would’ve returned to his room by now. “There’s a rack of blades right behind you. Go ahead and grab one, I’ll be right here.” I glance over to the wooden rack lined with longswords, then to Heinrick who is casually leaning against a pillar as he waits.
“Shouldn’t we be using the wooden swords for this?”
“I think it’s about time you get some practice with the real thing. You’re not afraid, are you?” Giving in, I let out another irritated sigh as I walk over to the rack and grab hold of one of the swords by the handle. Swords have always been strange for me to hold. The handles are fitted for a stallion to grip by their teeth, and it feels awkward in the hand. I work around it to find a comfortable way to grip the handle, and remove the blade from the sheath. The one immediate difference I notice between this and the wooden swords, is that this is much heavier. The belt attached to it is too big for my waist, so I leave the sheath behind and return to Heinrick. “Alright, now take your stance.”
“Heinrick, this really—”
“Take your stance!” Realizing there’s no avoiding it, I plant my feet firmly on the floor with my right foot forward. I grip the handle with both hands, and point the tip of the blade outward towards him. Heinrick draws his sword with the handle gripped in his mouth. I’ve always admired the design of his sword from the tip all the way down to the pommel. The double-edged blade is made of a sleek and slim silver, and the handle is gold with many intricate designs carved into it. His scabbard also is golden and ornate. The top of it is decorated with the emblem of the sun similar to the one on the chest of my armor, and diamond-shaped jewels extend all the way to the bottom in a single file line. “Ready to lose?”
“I suppose.” Heinrick lunges towards me, and the training room instantly fills with the sounds of our blades clashing and armor clanking. The heft of the sword is quickly wearing out my arms, and Heinrick doesn’t seem to be breaking a sweat. “I hope you’ve got more than that. This is just me going easy on you!” Eventually, he has me completely on the defensive as he chases me around the room with the only viable option for me being to block. “Well, at least you’ve learned how to defend! But you can only defend for so long before you give out!” He’s right; I can’t keep relying on evading his attacks. If I don’t try at all to be offensive, then this fight isn’t going to end well on my end. After a successful block on another one of his relentless attacks, I whirl around and swing the blade towards him. Somehow, with his keen reflexes, he blocks my blow and our swords lock. He and I put all our might behind our swords, trying to break the other’s guard. “You know, you should be careful when you think you can outdo your opponent’s strength.” My arms are growing numb, and Heinrick pushes my sword away. Without any energy left to recover, he whips around and bucks me straight in the stomach. I fall flat on my back, and lay my head back as I allow my arms to rest. "Especially when you know you can’t win.”
After a few seconds of resting, Heinrick walks over and holds out his hoof to me. He lifts me back up to my feet as I use the sword to keep me standing while I catch my breath. “Hey,” says Heinrick. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Yes, you did,” I say whilst still breathing heavily.
“Sorry, I might’ve gotten a little carried away.”
“Forget about it.” I lift up the sword, and look Heinrick straight in the eyes. “Let’s go, round two.”
“Alright! That’s what I’m talking about! Hey, before we do anything else, you might want to splash your face with cold water to cool off.”
“You’re always looking out for me, when you’re not kicking me in the stomach. I’ll be back in a second.” Heinrick laughs as I walk passed him, making my way to the restroom. I leave the restroom door open just a crack to allow some of the moonlight in. My weary, sweaty palms grasp the cold, metal faucet handle. The metal squeaks as I turn it, and water spews out from the faucet spout into the sink. I cup my hands under the running water, and splash my face a couple of times feeling the refreshing chills of the cold water. I gaze into my reflection with the mirror above the sink, allowing the coolness to sink in as the water drips down from my chin and into the sink. I splash myself a few more times, and even run my wet hands through my hair to bring relief to my entire head. Wiping the water from my eyes, I find that even though my hands are up to my cheeks, my reflection shows my hands are down to my sides. I look on confusedly as I also notice my hair in the reflection isn’t even wet. I move about and tilt my head, but my reflection doesn’t move. I lean closer, and reach my hand out to touch the mirror.
My reflection’s pupils lock onto mine. “Hey,” it says. I reel back in terror with my back to the door, unsure of what to do. “Please, don’t be afraid,” my reflection holds his hands up with an apologetic look on his face.
“H- . . . H-How. . ?” I struggle to utter the word.
“Please, you need to listen.”
"Is . . . is this real?"
“Yes, this is very real.”
“Heinrick . . . I-I need to get Heinrick.” I grab the door handle, ready to rush out of the restroom.
“You can’t!” I freeze, and let go of the handle. “Please, allow me to explain.” I turn back to my reflection as it looks to me with concern. “You and I are the same. All this time I’ve been trying to contact you, and now I finally have.”
“I-I don’t understand. . . If you’re real, then what’s the point of all this?”
“You’ve been thinking an awful lot about what happened earlier today.”
“Yeah, what of it?”
“Aren’t you the least bit concerned?
“I have no reason to be concerned.”
“Is that so? Then why did Twilight Sparkle attack you? The Element of Magic, a loyal subject to the Princesses, and she tries to subdue a member of the Royal Guard? Not only that, but ‘you’ in particular.”
“She was testing me.”
“Testing you? Or were her intentions darker than you think?”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Couldn’t you see it in her eyes? Hear it in her voice?”
“No . . . I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Immediately memories of the fight flood my mind. Twilight’s voice rings in my ears, and as I shut my eyes to try and block out my reflection, the voice grows even louder: ‘A disappointment indeed. . . A true coward.'
“Were those words from somepony trying to have a friendly spar to test your skill?”
“Stop. . .” I can almost smell the smoke from the burning books, and even with my eyes shut tight, I can almost see the reddish light of Twilight’s beams of magic. The room feels as if the temperature is rising rapidly, and I’m becoming more tense with each passing second. ‘One of us is going to get seriously injured! Or worse!’ My voice rings in my head. ‘That’s what I’m counting on,’ Twilight’s voice then answers.
“Or, the words of somepony that truly wanted to harm you?” I press my hands against my ears to hopefully deafen my ears to the onslaught of voices.
“Please, just stop. . .”
“Maybe not even just harm you. Perhaps . . . she wanted you dead.”
“I said stop!” I yell at the top of my lungs to the mirror. The sounds and voices in my head thankfully end, instantly granting me a sense of relief. However, my sudden anger has only begun to boil over. My reflection looks to me with his arms crossed, and a sincere look on his face.
“You need to hear the truth.”
“No! Nothing you say is true!”
“Now, it’s only a matter of time before the Princess learns of what happened. After that, who knows what she might have in store for us?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you honestly think she’ll react well to ‘one of her most trusted knights’ attacking one of the Elements of Harmony?”
“No . . . No, this isn’t happening.”
"Let's consider the possibilities: imprisonment, for one; perhaps even banishment. . ." My anger is fading to a woeful misery as I attempt to call my reflections words nothing more than a fabrication. However, in the back of my head I know they do in fact hold truth; and it’s that same undeniable truth that sends me to my knees.
“I-I was only defending myself.” My voice now reduced to a pitiful whimper.
“That may be true, but whose word do you think the Princess will take? Yours? Or her precious, loyal student?” I can feel my eyes starting to water as my mind runs rampant with thoughts of what sort of punishment might lie in wait for me in the future. At this point, there’s no denying it. He’s right, and it’s only a matter of time before she finds out. “There, now you’re starting to realize the truth.” I open my watery eyes in shock, as if my reflection had just read my thoughts.
“B-But. . .” I look up to the mirror. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Well, the way I see it, there’s two options.”
“A-And what are those?”
“Either we stay here, you go about your life as normal, and hope for the best.”
I wipe the tears from my eyes. “What’s the second choice?”
“You leave.”
“Leave?” My reflection then nods his head. “I-I can’t leave. This-This is my home. Her Majesty cared for me—taught me everything I know. She, this place and everypony within it . . . they mean so much to me.”
“Do you think ‘you’ mean the same to them?”
“I . . . of course. Of course I do. Th-They care about me; I know they do.”
“That’s what they want you to believe. Trust me when I say that neither the Princess nor your fellow knights feel the same way as you do. That includes your friend, Heinrick.”
“You’re wrong.” I hang my head in denial, staring down at the sleek tiled floor. “Heinrick and I are much closer friends than you think. He’d never betray our friendship, that’s what this kingdom is built upon.”
“. . . Soon you’ll understand.” Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door.
“Hey, Two-Legs? You doin’ alright in there?” Heinrick asks from behind the door. I find myself curled up and lying on the cold restroom floor as if I had just woken up from another nightmare. I quickly get to my feet, wiping my face clean of any tears that may have ran down my cheeks, but my face is oddly dry. I turn and look into the mirror, and am thankful to find my reflection follow my every move as it should. Although, I wonder if what I had just experienced was in fact a dream or not. “Two-Legs? You alive?”
“Yeah . . . yeah, I’m fine.”
“Alright, good. Had me worried there for a second.”
“Hey Heinrick?”
“Yes?”
“Did you . . . hear me saying anything earlier?”
“Nope, not at all. Why?”
“No reason. Don’t worry about it, it was a stupid question.”
“Alright then. Well, are you gonna be any longer?”
“What are you talking about? I was only in here for maybe . . . ten minutes.”
Heinrick laughs. “Yeah, sure you have. You’ve been in there way longer than that. Maybe twenty, thirty minutes tops.”
“Th-There’s no way. . . How. . ?”
“I don’t know if you’re too busy crying because I won the first round or whatever, but you should probably hurry up before I start falling asleep.”
“Alright, I-I’ll be right out.” I gaze into the mirror once again, waving my hands around to see if maybe something will happen. I then notice something peculiar: my hair. I run my fingers through it, and find it to be nearly dry. I did wet my hair, but I’ve been in here long enough for it to almost get completely dry. None of this is making any sense, and I try to keep it out of my mind as I quickly turn away from the mirror. I leave the restroom, and meet up with Heinrick who’s pacing the floor as he waits for me.
“Finally. You ready for round two?”
“Sure, let’s do this.”
“Hey, are you feeling okay? You seem a bit . . . shaken up. Like you’ve just seen a ghost or something.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it’s just been a long day.” I glance back to the restroom. The door has been left slightly ajar, and I can almost feel a presence staring back at me from the darkness inside. Heinrick and I continue to spar with our blades, but I still can’t seem to land a winning strike on him. I suppose I shouldn’t expect anything less. He’s been trained since the beginning with that weapon, whereas I’m only a beginner. After a few sparring sessions, I can tell he’s beginning to suffer from fatigue, so I suggest that he should go back to his room to rest. He disagrees, but after a bit of convincing, he finally gives in. As he and I leave the training room and part ways, I instantly regret my decision. I know he would’ve done his best to stay awake with me throughout the night, but he needs his rest. I lay in my bed, tossing and turning with thoughts constantly running through my head. I feel too afraid to even attempt to fall asleep, as I fear what I might see in my dreams. All those things my reflection told me are almost embedded in my head. Thoughts of imprisonment and banishment keep me wide awake, as I wonder if any of that could actually happen to me. Perhaps it was a warning, or maybe I'm just overreacting. I ask myself over and over if what I had experienced in the restroom was even real, or just some kind of vivid hallucination. One thing’s for sure: I’m going to try to avoid mirrors for a while.
Standing amongst a crowd of my fellow knights with my hands folded, every last one of us hang our heads low in sorrow. Even though I’ve never met either of these two knights before, nor can I even recall their faces, it still woes me to know their gone. Heinrick is standing right beside me, but I’ve had to refrain from speaking to him since we got here. Princess Celestia informed me that all of us need to be respectful and remain silent during the funeral. The sky is still dark with our only sources of light being the stars above, and the candles that have been lit and placed around the garden. The two Princesses stand before a pair of white coffins, decorated with gold lining and brightly-colored flowers resting on top of them. “My knights. . .” Princess Celestia begins. “We are gathered together on a most solemn morning. Two fine knights, mysteriously perished during their everyday duties. Knight Kiln, a smith who has devoted much of his time crafting unique armament for us to defend ourselves. From the swords at our sides to the armor on our backs, none of it could have been achieved without him and his talents. He will be missed not only for his contribution to the Royal Guard, but for his heart. Next, Knight Silversword, a master of his blade. He’s trained many of you to become the remarkable swordsponies you are today. He’s seen many battles throughout his years as a knight, and it’s dreadful to know that ‘this’ is how his tale has ended. Both these knights, brave and courageous stallions, may they find their way to the light.”
“May they find their way to the light,” we all chant in unison. Both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia raise their heads to the sky, their horns glowing brightly as they stretch out their wings as far as they can. I glance up to the moon, and watch as it slowly starts to descend down to the horizon.
“As the night turns to day. . .” With the moon continuing its descent, dawn begins to break, and the sun makes its presence known by bringing a violet tint into the sky. “May the sun guide you to a much more peaceful, wondrous place. . .” The moon vanishes behind the tree lines, and the sun soaks each and every one of us in its warmth. “And your spirits are put at ease.” Princess Celestia lowers her head, and I lean over to Heinrick.
“Heinrick,” I whisper.
“Hm?” says Heinrick with his head down like the rest.
“Do you think it’s true?”
“What do you mean?”
“What Her Majesty says happens after you die.”
“Two-Legs, this isn’t the time to talk about this. We’re supposed to be quiet.”
“I know, but . . . I can’t stop thinking about it. I mean, how would she know what happens if nopony comes back to say?”
“I know it sounds a bit absurd: a place filled with nothing but love and peace; a place where there’s no pain or anything like that. It’s what we’re told when we’re young, and we just . . . grow up believing it.”
“So, you believe it?”
“I do. I’m guessing you’re a bit undecided?”
“I just . . . feel like it sounds a bit too good to be true.”
“Well, then what do ‘you’ think happens?”
“I think. . .” I pause, realizing I haven’t really given it much thought as to what I think might actually happen instead of what I’ve been told. When I think about the outcome Princess Celestia told me, it just doesn’t lead me to believe. I’ve imagined myself dying while lying in bed: my heart suddenly slowing to a stop, and everything just ending. At that moment, I shut my eyes and let my mind just wander. When I try to imagine that peaceful place, I end up finding nothing but darkness and loneliness. Then, it hits me. I think I might know. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Heinrick lifts his head to look to me. “Like . . . just nothing?”
“Yeah. . .”
“I don’t get it. So, you think that everything just stops?”
“All of it. All the trees, the sky, your friends, family . . . it all vanishes until there’s nothing but darkness.”
“So, if everything’s just dark, then what happens to you?”
“You just . . . stop ‘being’. I-It’s like when you go to sleep, but instead of dreaming or waking up the next morning, nothing ever happens.” Heinrick raises his eyebrows as he looks side to side confusedly.
“Wow. That’s a scary thought, don’t you think?”
“Isn’t death already a scary thing to think about?”
“It is, but . . . what happens after doesn’t have to be.”
“But what if it’s the truth?”
“Well, let’s look at it this way. . . If nothing happens, and you just ‘stop being’ as you said.”
“Yeah?”
“Then, you wouldn’t even know you’re dead. Everything would be dark, and you wouldn’t even think twice about it.”
“I suppose, but still, isn’t it scary to even think about? One second you’re alive, breathing the air and enjoying everything around you; and the next, you’re gone forever.”
“Come on.” Heinrick chuckles. “Don’t tell me you always think like this.”
“I . . . I can’t help it. . . I wish I wasn’t so afraid.” Suddenly, a strong gust of wind erupts from behind us, blowing out every single candle around the garden and causing the trees in the garden to sway vigorously. Every knight is bewildered by the abrupt gust of wind; but we all disregard it as nothing and resume our stoic silence as the rustling leaves are gradually calmed. Heinrick, with nothing left to say, turns back to the Princesses. They call upon a few unicorn knights, and with a nod from Princess Celestia, the knights’ horns glow with magic. Both coffins are enveloped in the golden glow, and are lifted up from their pedestals and slowly descend into the rectangular hole dug into the ground.
“With their spirits taken up with the sun,” says Princess Celestia. “May their cold bodies be brought to rest under the soil.” The knights cease the casting of their spell, and start filling the holes with soil. “My knights, I thank you all for showing your respect to the deceased. You may resume your duties for the day. Do not let grief hang over your heads; let this cloud pass.” With that, each of us leave the garden in an orderly fashion. Princess Celestia assigned me to roam the eastern halls of the castle for today, and Heinrick is supposed to handle to western halls. It’s going to be quite a boring shift without him around. This is one of the rare occasions she splits us up for a shift. It must be for a good reason I suppose; she must know we tend to goof off a bit when we work with each other.
My legs are starting to ache from walking. I constantly gaze out the windows that line the halls, watching the sun gradually get closer and closer to the horizon. The sky is turning into a mix of orange and violet, colors so calming I could stare at them for hours. The light bounces around the white, porcelain halls, coating everything in a tint of orange. Uncomfortably, I adjust the strap around my shoulder as my crossbow has been tugging down at it for so long. These halls are always so empty, with the only presence being me and the sound of my steps. This is becoming unbearably monotonous. I stop and glance up and down the hall, and there’s not a soul to be found. Perhaps I could just abandon my post for a moment to go and chat with Heinrick for just a few moments. He’s all the way on the other side of the castle, so I’ll have to be swift. Nothing ever happens around here anyway, surely Princess Celestia won’t mind if I leave for just moment. Although, as long as I’m not seen, then I’ll have nothing to worry about.
Like a skittish spider, I sneak and hug the walls as I make my way towards the west side of the castle. Peaking around the corner, I immediately reel back upon seeing a pair of guards approaching. I crouch down and hold my breath, hoping they’ll just pass right by. They come into view, but are too engaged in their own conversation to even notice me. They leave, and I release my breath with relief. I burst out from the hall, and am overcome with shock once my eyes meet another pony that just entered the room. Princess Luna uses her magic to open a pair of double-doors, and close them behind her. There’s no point in retreating, as I’m out in the open. “My, I didn’t see you there,” says Princess Luna upon noticing me.
“Your Highness,” I say as I immediately kneel down.
“You can go on and tend to your business, knight. I’ve business of my own.” Princess Luna quickly attempts to walk away and into the next room.
“Your Majesty, wait!”
“My apologies, but I really must be going.” Princess Luna proceeds to hurriedly try to leave by using her magic to open a door across the room.
“Please!” I beg. “There’s something I’ve been needing to talk to you about for so long, but you’re never around for me to ask.” Princess Luna halts halfway through the doorway. “It’s been tormenting me every night, and it’s only been getting worse with each passing day. I understand you have important matters to attend to, but all I ask is for a minute or two of your time.”
Princess Luna sighs and nods. “Very well.” She closes the door, and approaches me. “You have my attention, knight. What is it that ails you?”
“R-Really?”
“Yes. Also, you may stand. I would like to speak with you casually, if that’s fine with you.”
“Oh, of course.” I rise to my feet. “First, Your Highness—” she holds out her hoof.
“Princess, will do just fine.” She smiles.
“Sorry . . . Princess.” I don’t know what it is, but my nerves are suddenly calm. I’ve spoken to Princess Celestia on countless occasions, and I still can’t shake that bit of nervousness I feel around her. With Princess Luna, I’ve never felt such comfort. “First, let me begin by saying I have such a deep appreciation for the night. I’m not saying this to please you, I just find the nighttime to be a very . . . magical time for me.”
“Well, I’m flattered nonetheless. I’m elated to know you feel that way.”
“I . . . I’m sorry.” I press my hand onto my forehead as a slight chuckle leaves my lips. “I’ve worked for you for so long, yet this is the first time I’ve ever spoken to you.”
“And I am the one to blame. I’ve let my duties get in the way. I realize there is a huge lack of communication between me and knights such as yourself.”
“Well . . . I mean, you’re always around my fellow knights. I’ve seen you speaking with them several times. Whenever I enter the room, you suddenly . . . disappear.” Princess Luna sighs and looks to the floor. Assuming she’s reaching a point of impatience, I quickly attempt to withdraw my statement. “I’m sorry. It’s not my place to say—”
“No. You have every right to speak the way you feel, and I sincerely apologize if I made it seem as though I’ve been avoiding you. Please, continue.” Relieved, I get on with what I’ve been meaning to say.
“Every night, I’m being tormented by these dreams; a-and it’s always the same dream every time.” Princess Luna tilts her head in curiosity. “It started out brief, but they’ve only been getting longer and more vivid.”
“What happens in these dreams?”
“I’m . . . I’m the dark, but there’s just one beam of light shining on me from above. When I take a look around me, I find I’m surrounded by these metal bars: almost like a prison cell.”
“I see. . .”
“Then there’s a voice. It always says the same thing: ‘You’ve been lied to’. It says it wants to help me, and to heed its warning.”
“. . . Whose voice is it that you hear?”
“I . . . I’m not too sure, but . . . it almost sounds like my own.” Princess Luna looks off to the side, pondering to herself. She turns back to me, and I eagerly await whatever she has to say next.
“Does Princess Celestia know of this?”
“No, I’ve never brought it up to her.”
“Good, because I want this to be something that only you and I shall conquer. My sister wouldn’t be able to tap into the fragile fabric such as dreams. I can assure you: you needn’t fear these dreams any longer. We ‘will’ get to the bottom of this, I promise you that.”
“Th-Thank you! You have no idea how much that means to me!”
“There’s no need to thank me. I should’ve been there for you from the start.” She then rests her hoof onto my shoulder. “From this moment on, whenever you need me, just knock at my door.”
“You mean, the entrance to the Royal Bedrooms? But, no knight has being to be back there.”
“Well, I grant you permission. Feel free to stop by whenever you please.”
“I . . . I can’t thank you enough.”
“Later in the night, before you sleep, inform me so that I may monitor the state of your mind.”
With the sun now set, and the moon hanging high in the night sky, I rest in my bed with my hands folded over my stomach and my eyes gazing up at the ceiling. “You should shut your eyes, and allow your mind to be at ease,” says Princess Luna. I turn my head to see the Princess sitting the corner of my bedroom.
“The thing is . . . I didn’t expect you to just sit there and watch me sleep,” I say.
“Do I make you uncomfortable?” Confused by her question, I give her the obvious answer.
“. . . A little, yeah.”
“Just pretend I’m not here. It’s imperative that I am in close proximity to you during the dream state. Only then will I be able to tap into your mind and assist you.”
I sigh. “Alright, here goes. . .” I turn away from her, make myself comfortable under the sheets, and shut my eyes.
“Remember, you must remain calm during your dream. I understand it may be difficult to control, but you must try. High levels of anxiety will jolt you from the dream state, interrupting the connection between our minds.” Moments pass, and I’m able to set Princess Luna’s presence aside. I distract my mind with thoughts of any random thing I can come up with, and eventually, I can feel myself drifting off.
I open my eyes, and I find myself curled up, lying on the pitch black ground. Again, the only light source coming from high above me. I stand, and look around blindly into the darkness. “Hello?” I call. “Is anyone there?” Instantly, the prison bar shoot up from the ground, encaging me in this tight space. I grab hold of the bars, as the sound of my hyperventilating echoes throughout this dark place. Suddenly, something appears before me through the shadows. Princess Luna approaches me, examining the cage that surrounds me.
“Remain calm,” she says, however, her mouth is motionless. “Do not forget what I said about your anxiety.” Just then, another ray of light shoots from high above and down onto her. She fearfully glances in every which direction, taking a sort of defensive stance as if she’s ready to attack.
“I’m glad you’re here, Princess,” says the unknown voice, as another ray of light shoots across from us. My eyes widen with shock upon seeing just who it reveals. It’s an exact duplicate of me, except he’s wearing different clothing: clothing I’ve never worn or seen in my life. He’s dressed in all black with a couple of white stripes running down from the collar of his jacket and along the sleeves. He’s also wearing black, pointed shoes with silver buckles that glimmer in the light. His arms are crossed as he shakes his head to Princess Luna. “You’ve made a mistake showing up here.”
“Who are you?”
“Funny, Princess. Trying to make it seem like to don’t know, because you know he’s listening. I’m assuming you’re not going to tell him the truth: about all the lies you’ve fed him.”
“Princess, what’s he talking about?” I ask.
“You must ignore him,” says Princess Luna with her eyes still locked onto my duplicate. “He’s going to try and pit you against me.”
“What? H-How? Why?”
“No, Aireal, you need to listen to me,” says my duplicate. “Both she and her sister are hiding so much from you.”
“W-What lies?”
“Do not talk to it!” Princess Luna commands.
“Why?” My duplicate asks. “Are you afraid of what he might find out? Why don’t you start by telling him about the prison you locked ‘us’ in?”
“What?” I gasp.
“You are a poisonous thought and nothing more!” says Princess Luna. “Why don’t you reveal what you truly are?”
“You think you can turn this against me?” My duplicate asks. “There’s only one guilty soul here, and that’s you.”
“You spout nothing but lies.”
“It’s a shame your sister isn’t here with you this time. She’s the one with actual power, and you follow in her shadow.”
“Speak poorly of me all you want, it won’t stop me from silencing you for good.”
“You can try, but even if you could, he’ll still have questions.” Princess Luna’s horn glows brightly with blueish light, and a ring of the same color light forms around my duplicate’s neck. He rises up from the ground, desperately trying to breathe. All of a sudden, I can feel a strong pain around my neck. It’s difficult to breathe, as if something is clutching onto my windpipe. Princess Luna notices me struggling to catch my breath, and the glow of her horn vanishes. I can feel the air finally enter my lungs, and my duplicate falls to the ground as he chokes from the lack of air. “You . . . You see?” He struggles to ask, yet with a smile on his face. “You can try to end me for good, but you’ll only end up hurting him as well. Thus, the only answer your sister had was to push me far into this blackness. Far enough that I’d hopefully just disappear.”
“I ‘will’ find a way to rid you from this mind.”
“Well, you should’ve come here prepared. You thought you could do this all on your own, but you can’t. It just goes to show, the truth always catches up with you.”
“Nothing you say is the truth. Aireal, you mustn’t believe anything he says.”
“Yes, don’t believe me when I say that the Princesses you worship are the same ones who imprisoned you. Don’t believe me when I say that everything you think is true about your past is false, and is nothing but a fabrication fed to you by ‘her’.” He points directly at Princess Luna as she is becoming visibly weak. Her legs are trembling, and her eyes twitch as it seems she could collapse at any moment.
“Princess, what does he mean?!” I beg for an answer.
“Yes, Princess, what do I mean? We’re all waiting. Denying can only last you so long.”
“. . . I can’t,” says Princess Luna. My eyes fly open and I sit up from my bed coated in sweat. I turn to the Princess, noticing she’s lying on the floor completely drained of energy. “I can’t,” she repeats.
“Princess, what was that?!”
“I can’t do this, not now.” Just before I can ask her anything else, the sound of a horn can be heard through the walls. The deep tone of the horn rattles my core, as there’s only one reason somepony would blow that horn. “You need to listen. What you saw was a splinter in your mind. It’ll do anything it can to take control of you. It’s too strong for me to handle at this moment in time, but we ‘will’ put an end to it. Now, quickly, there’s an emergency that requires all knights to be present.”
“B-But, what about all the things he said?”
“Lies. All of it. Do you understand?”
“. . . Yes, Princess.”
“Good.” I jump out of bed and dress myself up in my armor, and hang my crossbow over my shoulder. I find Princess Luna struggling to stand, so I try to assist her by grabbing onto one of her forelegs. “No, you must go. I’ll regain my composure, I just need a few moments to rest.”
“Yes, Princess.” I hurriedly open the door.
“And Aireal. . .” She call to me as I stop in the middle of the doorway. “I intend to keep my promise.”
“. . . Thank you.” I leave the room, and dash down the halls all the way to the main hall where every single knight in Canterlot is gathered together in one huge crowd.
“All knights to arms!” Somepony shouts out in the distance. “I say again: all knights to arms!” I join the commotion, my heart already racing as I await further orders. Everyone is confused and in a stir, asking each other for information as to what’s happening. However, no one has an answer.
“Knights!” Princess Celestia calls from a balcony high above us. In unison, we all turn to give her our full attention. “Ponyville is in danger. Rebel forces are terrorizing the small town, and it is up to all of you to protect the innocent civilians. There numbers are small, so they should be easy to extinguish. You all now the rule: if the enemy is resorting to hostile actions, do what you must to protect yourself and those around you.”
“Yes, Princess!” We all salute in unison.
“Good. Now, hurry. Your carriages await you, knights!” Instantaneously, we all rush out of the main hall through the large double-doors that lead outside. Lined up around the entrance are several golden carriages, and a pair of winged stallions strap themselves to the harnesses.
“Two-Legs! Hey!” I hear Heinrick call out from behind me. He and I meet, which already puts my heart at ease knowing that he’s here. “Our brigade’s got carriage three, come on!” I follow him into the carriage along with the rest of our brigade. Heinrick and I take a seat on the cushions inside, and another knight closes the hatch behind us. I hear him bang on the hatch with his hoof, and the winged stallions then take flight. I gaze out the little window on the side of the carriage, watching us drift further and further away from Canterlot. I take in a deep breath, as I never would’ve predicted this day would ever come: my first call to action. Although, that’s cast aside as I think back to what happened between Princess Luna and I. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I just want it all to end. It's my mind playing some kind of trick on me, that's all this is. All I need to do is listen to what Princess Luna said. Everything he said is untrue. Everything he said is untrue. Everything he said is untrue. “Hey.” I jump in my seat as Heinrick taps my shoulder. “Just relax, don’t be nervous.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” I retort.
“Think about it this way: this is your chance to show those rebels just who they’re messing with.”
“If you’re talking about you two, then we’re as good as dead,” a member of our brigade mocks.
“You say that now, but when ‘we’ have to come rescue you, we’ll be ready to accept your apology.” The knight shakes his head, and Heinrick turns back to me. “Forget about what he said. This is what we’ve been trained for. Trust me, you’ve got this.”
“. . . Maybe,” I mutter. I return to the window, and watch as we pass over trees up in a blaze of fire. Cottages are burning and collapsing, however, there’s not a single soul to be heard. With this type of commotion, I’d expect screaming and shouting instead of utter silence. Our carriage glides towards the ground, giving all of us a bumpy ride as it slows to a stop.
“Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” says Heinrick as he gets up from his seat. The rest of us follow suit as the winged knights who pulled our carriage open the hatch for us.
“Out! Out! Everypony out!” A member of our brigade commands. We all use the fallen hatch as a ramp to get down to the ground. The air is searing with pulses of heat, and my eyes are bombarded with flickers of the violent flames dancing all around the town. “Weapons ready!” Heinrick then draws his sword, I grip my crossbow in my hands, and the rest of our brigade readies their spears. Cautiously, we roam through the neighborhoods, baffled by the absence of any rebels or civilians. “This ain’t right, where is everypony?”
“Don’t let your guard down,” says Heinrick. “They’re here somewhere.”
“Heads up!” I look up and see a glass bottle stuffed with a flaming rag hurdling straight toward us. We move out of the way as it crashes onto the ground, leaving behind a huge puddle of flames. “Incoming! Get to cover!” Another bomb flies through the air, sending all of us scattering about to escape. Half of us take cover behind a burning cottage on the left of the path, while the other half hides behind a cottage on the right. “Now that’s what I call ‘hostile actions’!”
“Hey! I don’t think they’re going to run out of those things any time soon!” A different member of our brigade shouts.
“Two-Legs!” Heinrick shouts from the other cottage. “We’re pinned! We can’t move up unless you take them out!”
“He’s right,” says the knight beside me. “You have to clear the way.”
“. . . U-Understood.” With a bolt loaded and my hands trembling beyond belief, I peer around the corner and search for who’s tossing the bombs. No one’s in the middle of the path, but up above, somepony has already lit a new grenade and hurls it at the other half of my brigade. “Look out!” I yell as Heinrick and the rest move back before the bomb can touch them. Instead, it consumes the side of the cottage.
“What are you waiting for? Take the shot!” I bring the sights of my crossbow up to my eyes, and I lean into the stock as I aim at the rebel atop the cottage’s balcony. I watch as he lights up a new bomb, and begins winding up to throw. My mouth is dry, and the intense heat is causing me to sweat heavily as a droplet runs down my cheek. “Do it!” I pull the trigger, sending the bolt into the rebel’s side. Devastated, I watch him fall to the floor, and the bomb crashes onto the ground below.
“Ha! There you go, Two-Legs!” Heinrick cheers. “Nice shot!”
“Hey, do you hear that?” The knight beside me asks. All of us stop and listen, and the sounds of somepony screaming far in the distance can be heard. “Somepony’s in trouble!”
“There aren’t any more bombers!” Heinrick shouts. “Now’s the time to move!”
“Alright! Go! Go! Go!” The intensity of the knight’s voice jolts me back to reality, and I quickly load another bolt into my crossbow as the rest move out of cover. As soon as I have the crossbow primed and ready to fire, I hurriedly try to catch up with them. As I run toward them, I slow to a stop upon finding them all in combat with a few armed rebels. The rebels do what they can with their blades, but are easily outmatched by the knights. Helplessly, I watch them get knocked straight to the ground and pierced by the knights’ spears. It’s even more difficult to watch Heinrick knock the sword out of a rebel’s grasp, and slash his blade across the rebel’s torso. With every thud of a rebel body hitting the ground, my body trembles immensely.
“Is everypony alright?” Heinrick asks.
“All good,” says one of our brigade members.
“Then let’s keep moving. Two-Legs! Let’s go!” I force myself to hurry to them, avoiding eye contact with the bodies strewn about on the ground. The voice is getting closer, and as soon as we turn the next corner, our boots skid to a stop along the dirt. My eyes widen, and we all gasp at the sight of a pair of rebels. However, the frightening part is the enormous cannon their arming. One of the rebels has a lit match in his mouth, to which he lights the fuse.
“Scatter!” Heinrick shouts. Yet, his warning came too late. The cannon fires, and the explosion sends us flying in all different directions. I land flat on my stomach as my face meets the dirt, and my ears are painfully ringing. I turn myself over in agony, finding that a cottage stands between me and the cannon. I look around for my fellow knights, but I only spot a few of them sprawled out on the ground. As I wonder where the rest have gone, and the sound comes back to my ears, I hear the voice crying out for help once again. I lean up from the dirt, and a sharp pain strikes my side.
“Heinrick. . ! Heinrick. . !” My voice trembles. It’s clear he’d never be able to hear me, so I must act alone. The first thing I was ever taught during my training, was to put the lives of civilians above my own. It’s my duty to protect them; it’s why I became a knight to begin with. Despite the pain, I force myself to get to my feet. With my crossbow in one hand, and the other clutching my side as pain pulses through it at a constant rhythm, I shamble towards the cottage I believe the voice is coming from. The front door is left wide open, and I enter the blazing cottage. I can hear the voice crying somewhere nearby. “Hello. . ? Where are you. . ?” I proceed to limp inside, focusing on only finding the trapped pony. “Don’t be afraid. . . Don’t—” Suddenly, I come across two ponies. One is a mare coughing from the smoke, and the other, a stallion attempting to guide her out of the cottage. He stops as soon as he sees me, and by the filthy, ragged clothing and white cloth tied around his foreleg, I realize he’s a rebel. He looks at me with a look of astonishment on his face, and I’m too baffled to utter a single word.
“I don’t believe it,” he says. “It’s you. . . It’s really you!”
“W-What. . ?” I can feel the energy quickly leaving my body.
“You need to come with us! Our commander will be overjoyed to see you!”
“I don’t . . . I don’t understand.” Suddenly, something bursts through the wall of the cottage beside us. I shield my face with my arm as bits of wood and rubble fly through the air. Once the smoke clears, I find one of my fellow knights has broken through the wall headfirst, and the rebel has fallen to the floor.
“Miss, quickly! You need to get out! My fellow knights will bring you to safety!” He urges the mare as she escapes through the hole he created in the wall. “Oh, there you are,” he says to me. “We were wondering what happened to you.” The rebel tries to get to his hooves, but the knight bashes him in the side of his face with his hoof. The rebel grunts and falls back to the floor, and I overflow with uneasiness. “Now, it’s time to finish this worthless rebel.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. The knight readies his spear, and the rebel cowers whilst still on the floor. “No, stop!” I hold my hand out to him. “Let him go.”
“Why should I? So he can go and cause more havoc? There’s no way I’m letting that happen.” I can see the fury in the knight’s eyes, and the terror in the rebel’s. Something isn’t adding up here, and I feel he’s making a huge mistake.
“You don’t—” The pain in my side forces me to hold my breath and bend over in agony as I wait for it to subside. “You don’t understand.”
“Take a look around you! Do you not see what they’ve caused? None of this is going to stop until we make it stop.” Before I can explain to him, he gets ready to plunge his spear towards the rebel. Realizing he’s not going to listen, and with little time to react, I charge towards him and grab hold of him. He tries to shake me off, and I can feel my grip already loosening around him.
“Go! Get out of here!” I urge. The rebel gets up, and hesitantly escapes the burning cottage.
“What is the matter with you?!” The knight rebukes. With one swift motion, the knights throws me off of his back causing me to stumble onto the floor. I push myself up with my hands, but the pain is too much with my only instinct being to crawl away. “You just set a ‘rebel’ free. Somepony who’s only desire is to overthrow Her Majesty, and destroy society; and you let him go.” The knight walks over to me, and I can already feel the pain that’s about to befall me. He kicks me in the same side that’s already causing me pain, and sending me rolling over onto my back as I writhe in agony. “I guess you’ve decided to side with the rebels then, huh? You’re going against everything the Royal Guard stands for.” The knight bites down onto my forearm, and lifts me up until I unsteadily stand before him. “And if you’re going to save a rebel, and act like a rebel. . .” Before he finishes his statement, he turns and sends me flying backward with a quick buck to my chest. I smash against a window, and the glass breaks. I fall back down to the ground along with bits of broken glass, as my vision is becoming fuzzy. I lean my back against the wall with the broken window, and watch the knight fade in and out of sight. “Then you’re going to die like a rebel.” The knight readies his spear, and charges towards me. With the last bit of energy I can muster, I lift up my crossbow with one hand just enough to point it somewhat in the knight’s direction. Before my arm gives out, I pull the trigger. The knight then stumbles and drops to the floor lifelessly, and everything around me is gradually swallowed in blackness.
