Golden Dawn: Dusk of an Empire

Though she always enjoyed her visits to Canterlot, Twilight couldn't help but think that this trip would end in disaster. Her new friend had reacted so... strongly to having her memories returned to her. And whoever had cast the spells to block them out in the first place used such powerful magic, she actually had doubted that Princesses Celestia and Luna could help. Perhaps having her memory locked away from her had really been a blessing, rather than a curse. Three entire days had passed since the sobbing peach pony had been led away to the Royal Wailing Room. Finally the guards had given Celestia the word that she was finally calm enough to speak. The seven ponies and one dragon gathered outside the double doors, Celestia remarking that she hadn't been in the room herself for quite some time.

The doors glowed with a soft, golden light as they slowly opened. The Royal Wailing Room was dim, but easily better lit with a candle-lighting spell. Long, plush couches of soft scarlet lined the walls, with numerous pillows scattered here and there. In the center of the room was an ornate chaise sofa, with a large, dark wooden table decorated with various sweets, pastas and other comfort foods in front of it. Over in the corner, the wastebasket had been comically overfilled with used tissues, to the point the pile nearly touched the ceiling. On the sofa, the peach pony stared down at the floor, no longer crying but still quite disheartened. She inhaled deeply as the others approached.

"Feelin' any better, sugarcube?" Applejack was the first to speak.

"Yes, thank you," the peach pony replied, lifting her eyes.

"So... um..." Twilight mumbled, wondering how to ask the questions everypony was thinking without being offensive. "You, uh... remember everything now, huh?"

"Yes. I imagine you all have many questions to ask me. And surely many more will follow those answers." She stood up from the sofa and turned her gaze to Celestia. "Before I begin, however... Princess, thank you for your kind hospitality. You are everything the legends claim you to be."

"Oh? Well, it's my pleasure," the princess blinked. "Now, since you remember... what shall we call you?"

The peach pony sighed, preparing herself for what would surely be a marathon of questions. She opened her eyes, her wings flaring regally outwards. "I am Rael'ia, of House Golden Dawn, Crown Princess of the Magikin Alliance."

This revelation was met with silence.

"Eh?" Pinkie Pie cocked her head.

"The Whatsikin Alliance?" Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrow.

"Hm," Celestia put a hoof to her chin in thought. "I don't believe I have ever heard of that House name or title."

"I should think not," Rael'ia nodded. "My land is not a place in this world."

More silence. "Hold on," Twilight spoke. "Not in this world?"

"No... this world you call Equestria, it exists in a universe only theorized by the brightest mages in my own world." Lavender-purple magic glowed from her horn and formed a floating globe vastly different from the one Twilight and the others knew. "We call it Terras. My homeland, the land of Fae. And my people," she paused as her magic swirled to form a tall, bipedal humanoid with elongated ears. "Elf-kin. Elves for short."

Twilight's eyes opened with realization. "Oh! They kind of look like humans!"

"You have humans in this world as well?"

"Well, no, in an alternate dimension I've been to a couple of times. Like this." Her magic formed into an image of her human self as seen in Canterlot High School, alongside the image now known as an elf.

"Ah, yes! Though, I've never seen a human in my lands with purple skin. They usually stick to different shades of white, yellow and brown." Twilight stared in awe, humming in fascination.

"So how did'ja get here, then?" Applejack interrupted the mini-conversation. "And you were awfully distressed when you finally did remember."

"Ugh, Aternus," Rael'ia looked away as she groaned disdainfully, almost under her breath. "It's a long story."

"Well, we have plenty of time," Celestia smiled as her magic levitated some fluffy cushions for everyone present to sit on. She and the others made themselves comfortable, staring at the peach pony with great interest. "Please continue, Rael'ia."

"Very well," she nodded. "Hm... where to start." After a few moments of contemplation, she made her decision. "Well, from the beginning, I suppose. It'll make the most sense."

Pinkie Pie somehow pulled out a gigantic bowl of popcorn from behind her and began shoveling the treats into her mouth.

"About three-hundred years ago, war broke out in my lands. Or rather, the humans... it would seem their inability to use magic finally brought them to the edge of insanity. They began slaughtering the magical races by the thousands, to the point that these days, only a few remain."

"Can't use magic?" Rarity asked incredulously. "But why? And how would they hope to win against those who can?"

"No one really knows why. Maybe their bodies simply can't process magical ability. But this didn't stop them from trying. If there's one thing a human excels at, it's their imagination. They invented all kinds of machinery and weapons like fire-arms to keep them level with the other powers around them. But their greatest invention of all made their war possible... Nullifite. A chemist of theirs invented it one day, and it was only a matter of time before they learned to turn it into a weapon. When mixed into molten mythril, it becomes Nullium, an incredibly strong metal which renders nearly all magical attacks made against it completely ineffective. Only a handful of mages like myself are powerful enough to overcome it."

"Oh, you're a mage?" Twilight grinned.

"Yes. All high-ranking members of the different Houses are trained in both combat and magic, of which there are five schools: Fire, Lightning, Nature, Water and Arcane. Usually, Elf-kin are innately adept at Arcane magic, though Nature also comes naturally to many. With enough practice, though, anyone can eventually learn another school... in my and the Arch-Mage's case, all five."

"That must've taken a super long time!" Pinkie exclaimed through a mouthful of half-chewed popcorn.

"It did, would you believe I'm only 147 years old? Anyway," Rael'ia paused. "Over the years that followed, the magical races dwindled, and an alliance was struck. The Harpies act as our air support, the Sirens, our navy. The Orcs aid our battles with their martial prowess and mastery of Nature magic, and the Fairies... they craft our armor and cut our Magicite jewels."

"Ooh, jewels!" Rarity's eyes flashed. "Tell me more about this Magicite!"

"Ah, it's a rather common crystal. Colorless, clear as glass and glows white from within. Generally you can just pick it up off the ground. But the common stuff is usually no good, however. No, the Magicite we use must be mined to find perfect, clear crystals, and then the Fairies use their machines and magic to facet them for use in our armor. An expertly-faceted Magicite jewel helps to hone our magical abilities to their very limits."

"Hm, we have a similar material here for military use," Celestia mused. "Though the crystals we use are not colorless."

"Tell me," Twilight raised a hoof politely. "What other races inhabit your lands?"

"The four I mentioned are the only ones left with substantial numbers," Rael'ia sighed. "There used to be so many more. Either they were all driven extinct or they fled for other lands. Only a few Dragons remain, having escaped over the Impassable Mountains, and only a handful of them fight alongside us. The Pony-kin... oh, hardly any are left now, for they were the humans' first victims."

"They... they don't like us?" Fluttershy whimpered.

"No... and that is a long story all its own. I shall tell you later, if you wish." The others nodded, clearly interested.

"Well, what happened that got you here?" Rainbow Dash asked impatiently. "Since this isn't your world." Rael'ia sighed, hiding a grumble under her breath.

"As I recall... the Archmage and I were accompanying a legion of Elven Infantry and Battlemages as they took control of a small fort. We had just begun settling in for the night when we were ambushed by the humans... and," her voice wavered slightly, "...an Angel."

"Oh? What's so bad about that?" Spike wondered.

"They're... they're horrible creations of the humans who call them such. They tower above most others, and are completely covered in Nullium armor, even their eyes. Strange, armored tubes stick out of their armor, they hiss whenever it makes a move. They're incredibly strong and fast... deceptively so. In the blink of an eye they can slice right through ten men."

"Well that doesn't seem very fair," Pinkie Pie scowled.

"Our forces were no match for such a creature. In mere seconds half of our forces lay in pieces on the ground. We retreated inside the fort as the remaining Battlemages sent out requests for immediate assistance, but already the door was splintering from the force of the Angel's blows against it. It was only a matter of time before..." Her voice wavered again. The other ponies and Spike looked on sympathetically, as if telling her she didn't have to finish that thought. "But just as the door burst open, and the humans began flooding in... the Archmage used his power to open a portal, uttered a word and shoved me through it."

"Well, that was fortunate," Rarity smiled.

"Archmage Aternus knows it is my duty to stand alongside my people, even in the face of death," Rael'ia suddenly adopted a harsh tone. "I should be back there defending my people, not... safe in another dimension," she sighed, closing her eyes in resignation. "I know he cares for me; we have been close friends since childhood. But he also knows I would be furious if he did something like this! I may be alive to tell the tale, but I cannot sit idly by while my people suffer and are slaughtered! I must go back and fight!"

The others looked around worriedly at one another. Celestia cleared her throat after a few moments and nodded. "I understand. It is your place as Princess to lead your people in times of war. I believe Luna and I will be able to help, but we will need time to research the appropriate spells. Inter-dimensional portals are quite difficult to create, after all... it's a testament to your Archmage's magical power that he was able to open one himself, plus cast a Spell-Lock that required three Alicorns to overpower."

"Thank you, Princess," Rael'ia bowed. "I truly appreciate your help."

"Oh, goodness, call me Celestia," she giggled, giving a dismissive wave of her hoof. "In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your stay in Equestria. You'll find it's a land of peace and harmony, hopefully a welcome break from the war."

"Yes... I suppose I shall," she smiled.