A Soul of a Monster.

One month, it’s been one month scents we procured this mountain. Dow even titled it “Camelot.” I personally don’t like the name. Seems too racist. Wait does that make me racist as well?

“No. That makes you biased.” The voice of Starswirl knocked Scaramouche out of her scribbling. There he stood in the doorway of a nice sized barn, Smooch in the back corner of it and she didn’t realize she asked her question out loud. The barn seen better days. The wood had rot, the metal had rust. Not to mention all those holes everywhere. One look at the place and Star deemed it unsafe.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.” Smooch sighed.

Starswirl just chuckled a little. “Coming along.” He said gesturing at Smooch to follow.

“Yes master.” Smooch said picking up a book she was writing in and the quill she plucked from a griffon. She turned around and headed to Starswirl. The moment her back was turned, a rather sizable piece of wood fell right were she stood just a second before. The pair jerked and Smooch hurried out the doors. Starswirl followed.

Outside was the sight of pegasus and griffons performing a plethora of tasks. Mainly focused on building walls and lookout towers surrounding the town. It wasn’t impressive in the slightest; just a bunch of logs slapped together with rope and spit, but it was strong. Star and Smooch saw the wall and a few of those towers from the barn.

“I’m actually impressed by this whole event.” Starswirl said looking around him.

“Really?” Smooch asked looking at her teacher. “I mean ok, we did a lot more in the past month then what we ever did in the last decade, and the griffons are doing a lot more then I’ve ever thought but…”

“Stop!” Starswirl interrupted turning to glare at Scaramouch but softened his gaze at her. “I’m sorry… I guess I was wrong.” He said softly as he turned around and walked off.

Scaramouche sighed and trotted after him. “Master?” Smooch said when she thought she was close enough. “What’s wrong?”

Starswirl sighed again as he stopped, letting Smooch walk in front of him. “A great deal I say.” He said catching a glance of a griffon flying past the corner of his eye.

Scaramouche turned her head to see the same griffon. He was flying with a heavy load of boxes, tools, and other assortments of stuff and he was clearly struggling to stay up in the air. However the griffon past them by. “Are you really worried about the griffons?” Smooch asked looking back at Starswirl.

“And you’re not?” Starswirl argued. “We practically made slaves of them.”

“So?” Smooch asked bluntly.

“Oh Celestia…” Starswirl sighed as he continued walking. Scaramouche started to follow, however Starswirl blocked her with a glow of his horn. He made a wall of magic behind him as he walked.

Smooch stared at the shrinking image of Starswirl as she wondered why he wanted to talk to her in the first place. Cursing at her pride. Having an idea why her mentor’s sudden distaste towards her.

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At the same time Lavender seemed to be off in her own tangent. Seemingly forgetting that there was a war going on and instead focusing on experimentation.

At the start of this month she gave the griffons a choice. Either be banished from Celestia’s lands and future territories for ever, or come win the war with Celestia’s army, and give them amnesty for once they did. Dow was pleasantly surprised to see all but a lingering few stay. The few that didn’t stay flew off disowning their own kind.

She then started barking orders to fortify this town and with a letter to Celestia came pegasus to help with the workload.

After that she started looking for other ponies to work with one on one. At the same time giving Jojo freedom to hone his magic

The pony Dow ended up with was not a pony at all. She found a griffon she dubbed Roh. He was a griffon with tan fur and silver wings and mane and the mane itself was thick. Thick enough to hide the whole face, say for his beak. Dow made it possible for griffons to use a form of magic too. However it was short lived. Killing Roh, blowing up with her medaling with nature. Dow came to the conclusion that it seemed that only equines where the only species to use real magic.

That was about the time Starswirl started to avoid Lavender.

Presently Dow haves a new subject. An actual pegasus this time. The pair stood face to face on the far end of town and Jojo about a hundred yards away, punching a large rock repeatedly.

“And you’re sure you want to do this?” Dow asked sternly staring at a light red, but not quite pink, pegasus with a quad of black stars for his cutie mark. His mane and tail, long, disheveled, light blue.

“Yes sir…” The pegasus said. “Wait? I mean,” he started, seeing the deadpan look Dow was giving him. “What was it?”

Dow sighed and smiled. “Not to threat. You needed remember anything if this doesn’t work and you’re dead.” She said turning away from the pegasus she just then decided to start calling him Bing. His real name was Bergen Swift, not that Lavender cared what so ever. To be honest ponies by this point expected that Dow was going to give them a nickname, but Bing was a little worried on what Dow just said. There was the potential of death?

However he stood straight. “Teach me.” He said smirking a little.

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The last month haves been one hell of a ride for Harlequin however. First finding out that there was a traitor out to get Lavender but her keeping that fact a secret from every pony made him a little concerned. So he wrote a letter about it to Celestia. He would’ve told Smooch and Starswirl first but came to the conclusion that, what if one of them was the traitor? As sickening as that thought was, he simply couldn’t help it. He trusts his friend, his teacher, right?

When Celestia replied to him a week later, she asked him to start investigating the matter if he hadn’t already, and to keep it from Lavender for as long as possible. Quinn agreed and started investigating.

At the start of his investigation he made it a point to make sure it wasn’t his friend or teacher, simply not wanting the traitor to be them. Next he went and spied on every other pony for a bit, in till he noticed Jojo. He had the most meticulous schedule Quinn haves ever seen. How Quinn didn’t suspect him to begin with? Every day of the month Jojo woke up, ate something, does this weird dance, kicked a bolder or tree for what seemed like hours, meditated for a time, eats again, bathes, speed reads a book from start to finish, than falls asleep. The only things that diverged that schedule was Dow coming up to talk to him or vice versa.

Quinn broke in Jojo’s sleeping quarters when he was smashing stone with his bare hooves. Quinn expected whatever noise he makes would hopefully drown out by that. “Ok… so what am I looking for?” He asked himself out loud as he looked from left to right. Jojo’s room was a bit baron. All it had was a bed, a desk and a small library of books in the back corner, and a window lighting the place up. The little that was there, it didn’t take him long at all to search everything. The bed and desk had nothing to be concerned about, however halfway through those books be came across a bookmark with a small note on it. It read “Gotcha!!!” Quinn gasped as the door slammed behind him.

“Damn it!” Quinn yelped as he turned and slammed into the door. He slammed the door a few more times to come to think that it wasn’t going to budge. Lamenting, Quinn gawked around a little. That’s when he spotted a pair of eyes peeping at him through the window. “HOLY Celestia!” he gasped falling on his rear.

“Hello there Harlequin.” Jojo’s voice came from those eyes. “Comfy?”

“Get me out of here!” Quinn demanded jumping up.

“Mnnaah.” Jojo said disappearing of to the side. “But, can I ask you something?” he reappeared from the other side.

Quinn sighed vary clearly upset at his predicament. “What?”

“You working for Luna or Somber Crystal?” Jojo asked moving to make his head visible to Quinn.

“Huh? Wah, what?” Quinn said taking a double take.

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Celestia sitting upon her throne, just having one of her guards deliver a letter to one Harlequin. She was in one of those moments of deep thought. “A traitor among her ponies… Or maybe not? Maybe a spy?” Her own thoughts where making her much more concern then ever before.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have the luxury to worry over it at the moment. A week ago she had a squadron of pegasus try to make peace with a clan of dragons. It was met wit pore results. Only three lived that day, and only because Celestia helped them out when the three of them prayed to her. An event before that was trying to make peace with some diamond dogs and a time before that was that of minotaurs.

The throne room doors burst open and a guard ran in. “Your Majesty!” he screamed as he entered. He screeched to a halt, as he felt close enough. Celestia turned to look at him. Dry tears streaked her face but she kept this harden gazed at her subject. “The platoon is back!” he said noticing that Celestia wasn’t looking well.

“Are they well enough for me to meet them?” Celestia asked with a glow of her horn, that made her tears evaporate to nothing.

“Yes.” The guard replied but then stumbled a little. “Well. Two of them are.” He corrected himself.

“That’s fine.” Celestia said standing up.

“Would you want them to come here then?” the guard asked.

“No thank you.” She replied as she started her way to the front doors.

“Yes your Majesty.” He said watching the princess leave.

There stood a medical tent just outside Celestia’s castle. When she walked out, every pony outside all stopped and bowed to her. She sighed. “This isn’t the time for that my ponies. Please.” She said as she moved to the tent.

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Inside the medical tent laid Rock and Roll and a third dark yellow pegasus, comatose at the moment. The three had scars and burns all over their bodies. Rock and Roll staring off into space, contemplating about something the pair of them realized when they were flying for their lives. Peace wasn’t working…

Suddenly the tent opened up and in walked Celestia. She came in with a smile but seeing her ponies in the state they were in and the glares the pair still awake were giving her, the smile shrunk. “Oh…” She started emotionless. “I see you want to talk to me as well.”

Rock sat up right still looking at Celestia as he did. “Don’t apologies!” he spat out. Celestia stopped in her tracks. “I believe I know why you’re here.” Rock sighed and gave a smile. “But no.”

Celestia took a breath then moved to sit between Rock and Roll’s beds. Roll then sat up and mimicked Rock. “But still.” Celestia said with a small quiver on her lip. “I’m…”

The pair of ponies put one hoof up and nodded their heads “No” simultaneously. “I said don’t.” Rock said sternly.

“But…” Celestia said starting to plea with them.

“Your Majesty…” Roll blurted out.

“Please stop trying. Rock added.

That’s when Celestia stopped, closed her eyes for a few seconds, and then looked at the pair with no emotion on her face. “Then tell me, something’s clearly bothering you more then the deaths of your comrades?”

“It’s the death of all our friends.” Rock said with an equally emotionless face. “The death count of all YOUR subjects!” Celestia visibly shaken after hearing that. “I understand your ways princess but you clearly can’t focus enough to realize that…”

“That War haves no place for a Pacifist.” Celestia interrupted, repeating Lavender Shadow’s vary words.

“You’re to kind.” Roll added, repeating Celestia’s vary words. Rock nods, agreeing at the same time.

“Ok… So… what would you have me do?” Celestia asked the pair, looking concerned after doing so.

“If I may be so bold.” Roll started…

Later that evening…

Celestia sat on top her throne, pondering on the words of one Cobalt and Scarlet Ray. The pair suggested a difference in leadership. To not replace her, but to let some pony else take the rains of her armies, and she fully agrees with them. She knows that everything she’s been doing up to this point was for not and once again, she hated it.

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Elsewhere, at the same time. Quinn and Jojo were walking down a road laughing their flanks off. “So you’re to tell me that she really did that?” Jojo asked drunkenly.

“Yyy yaa ya yesss-ss-ss-ss-sssss.” Quinn replied. He then took a big breath still kinda giggly but composed himself all the same. “But in all seriousness.”

Jojo suddenly frowned. “Yeah.” He said as he stopped walking. “You first?”

Quinn mimicked Jojo then turned to look at him. “I was wondering just how stable you were.” He asked. “An earth pony using magic.” He sighed. “That does not happen, but here you stand.” Quinn said, not lying per say but he couldn’t tell Jojo that he was tracking down a traitor.

On the other hoof, Jojo, after seeing his sensei doing nothing about thus traitor she thought was roaming about. He took it upon himself to set a trap. Figuring that some pony would try something sooner or later, but of course he couldn’t tell that to one of Starswirl’s students. “As for me… I like my privacy.” He said nonchalantly. “Sad to say, you’re not the only one that stepped in my room with the same questions.”

“Quinn sighed. “I guess I can see that…”

“Thanks” Jojo replied. However unbeknownst to Quinn. Jojo flat out lied to him. Quinn was the only pony that ever did that. Meaning Jojo now knew that Quinn was hiding something.

The pair of them sighed at each other and both walked off in there own directions. One thinking he was in the clear while the other knew to keep a closer eye on that pony.

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The next mourning. The pegasus and griffons still busy building the fort around a town that’s on top of a mountain. Lavender Shadow was currently banging her head against a wall. A stream of blood was visible from her forehead. Apparently every pony she spoke to on what to call this place either miss heard or didn’t care, but some how Camelot turned into Canterlot.

Scaramouche just so happened to be walking by when she saw the sad sight of Dow. “Whoa!” she yelped as she trotted over to Lavender using magic to stop the filly from hurting herself further. Dow in the air became limp. “So, um, what haves you down in the dumps?” Smooch asked putting Lavender down purely being curious more then concerned for her.

It took a moment of silence before Dow started talking. “No more.” She said nearly muttering her words.

“What?” Smooch asked plainly, moving her head ever so slightly closer.

“No more Puns.” Dow said louder but still a bit softly.

Puzzled by Dow’s words Quinn pressed further. “Um… what’s a Pun?” she regretted asking.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” Dow screamed in Smooch’s face. She then started running in circles around Smooch. “No more No More NOMORE!.. I can’t take all these horse puns!” She then sped off and evaporating like she usually does. Leaving Smooch behind with a worried yet scared expression.

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So here we had Starswirl the bearded, in his living space, sitting down at a makeshift desk, drinking some morning tea, looking at a raggedy, warn out book with an eligible language, say for the cover which read ‘Legends of Equestria’. He sat the tea down and looked skywards. “I need to apologies to Scaramouche.” He thought out loud. However suddenly he heard this gut-wrenching scream off in the distance. It sounded like Lavender to him. He slammed the book closed and ran off in her direction.

As he ran, he saw a pegasus from beyond the wall speedily flying to the newly dubbed Canterlot. He changed direction and went to the front gates instead. However when he got there he felt stupid. He knew a few spells that could’ve done the same job without letting him be so winded.

He took a few deep breaths and composed himself. Opened the gates to see the pegasus land in front of it.

“Oh. Did you know I was coming?” she asked. She was tan with an orange mane, and wore a bag that seemed empty.

“No madam I didn’t.” Starswirl replied. “I just so happened to see you a moment ago.” The pegasus smiled and opened her sack. She then quickly pulled out a letter with the royal seal on it. “Thank you.” Star said taking the letter with the glow of his horn.

“Your welcome.” The pegasus said as she jumped in the air and flew off.

Starswirl then proceeded to break the seal and started to read…

“What!”

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My dear little ponies

It comes to my attention that we will not win this war with the methods I have provided. It comes to my attention that I am unfit to rule. So I’m temporarily stepping down and giving leadership to three ponies of your choosing. A unicorn, pegasus and earth pony. These three souls will be charged with leading what seems fit to them and will be provided to follow threw my duties in my absence.

As for me… My apologies but I wont be helping you with the ways I’ve done before. In less the council says too, but rather I want to fight side by side with you, my dear little ponies. I’ll await your decisions on own newly formed mountain stronghold starting tomorrow.

See you there.

“Meaning we’ll need a bigger base.” Scaramouche said. She was sitting in a circle of others listening to Starswirl as he read the letter out loud.

There was Smooch; the left of her was Quinn, then Jojo, Dow, a pair of pegasus next to her, Starswirl and a griffon beside him. All currently in a room that seemed private enough. Everyone’s expression differed by the news Celestia just dropped on them.

Starswirl sighed and let go of the letter. “A bigger place in deed.”

“So… what do we do?” one of the pegasus asked looking weary of the news.

“We await Celestia’s arrival.” Dow spoke up smirking at the same news. She seemed to have her mind on overdrive for some reason. However only Starswirl and Jojo noticed that.

“In the mean time I say we start asking around who would what to lead or be led by.” The griffon of all beings spoke up, looking at Dow with a distasteful glare at her but quickly hid it away.

“And what pray tell are you here for anyways?” the other pegasus asked harshly.

“I invited him Glory Haze!” Starswirl replied. “And I’d vary much appreciate it if you’d be a bit more humble to the current leader of the griffons here.”

Scaramouche giving her teacher a sorrowful look. “If we’re going to ask around then lets start right here.” She said. Looking around the room.

“Agreed.” Quinn chimed in.

“Then we all have an accord?” Lavender asked the group but looking at Starswirl specifically.

Everyone in the room nodded once in agreement with each other.

“Well.” Quinn started up, breaking the silence. “I wouldn’t know about the earth ponies or the pegasus and I guess I’m playing favorites when it comes down to it…” He slowly looked around the room as he spoke, ending it by looking at Dow “And I believe miss Dow haves the same idea.” He then switched over to Starswirl. “I’ve already decided who’d I follow.” Everyone looked at Starswirl in response.

It took a moment for him to realize it, but Starswirl was the center of attention and all he did in return was sigh.