Twilight had finally finished analyzing the new tree of power that we had discovered, sitting in a trance-like state for a number of hours as I stood watch.

“So, what’d you gather from it?” I ask, somewhat annoyed at spending the last few hours with little else to do but count the surrounding trees. Despite the fact that the timberwolves had left us alone after our previous encounter, I was still getting an off feeling about this place, and it wasn't just the pervasive magic. It was starting to feel like it was too quiet again.
“From what I can tell, it’s definitely another tree of power. I’m just not sure what it’s purpose is. It has it’s own sentience, much like the Tree of Harmony does. But this one feels different.” She lays down in front of it, resting her head on her hooves while she thought some more.

“The power that this tree possesses is at the same level as the Tree of Harmony, but this one feels… foreign. You can feel it's magic too though right?” She looks back up at me quizzically.

“Yea, I can, I just don’t know how to describe it, or even translate it to something useful for that matter.” I sit down next to her and rub her wing joints. “It’s starting to get late, what do you plan on doing here?”

“I think I’d like to stay another night here and see what I can get from this tree if you don’t mind.”

“Alright, I’ll set up camp then.”

I wake with a start, with an unnerving feeling that something is not right. I look down at Twilight, still sleeping quietly with her head resting on my shoulder. Gently pulling my arm out from under her, I grab my rifle and search for whatever is setting my nerves on end. It certainly didn’t take too long; as soon as I left the protective concealment of the willow-like branches, I was immediately tackled, finding a fighting knife held at my throat, held by a man in black armor wearing a mask of a yellowed skull. Instinct kicked in, and I grabbed his wrist and folded his arm back up enough to get out from under the knife. He put all his weight back down on the knife, and I rolled to the side, using his momentum to drive his head into the ground where I had been a split second before. Pinning his knife hand down, I twisted the blade from his hand, and chopped his elbow, hyper-extending it. To his credit, he didn’t even grunt, just rolled away enough to get back up and reset his arm. By the time he had his arm back into a normal angle, I had found my rifle, and raised it to fire before finding one just like my own pointed right back at me, putting us both into a Mexican standoff.

“Who the fuck are you?” I ask, slightly out of breath.

“You’re in my woods, you don’t get to ask questions.” He replies in a rumbling voice. I lower my rifle just a hair, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

“Your woods? How long have you been here?” I ask. Things are starting to get a little bit out of line with what I’ve known about this place so far.

He lowers his own rifle, then drops it completely, slinging it over his back again, as I do the same. He removes his mask, showing a full bearded face, worn by the elements.

“Three years.” He says tiredly. “Since I was banished by Celestia, I’ve been living out here, where no one else can bother me. You and your princess friend here are the first I’ve seen in months.” He says ‘princess’ with no small amount of disdain. I cock my head at him, ready to go back for round two.

“What’s your problem with the princesses?” I ask. “They’ve been pretty helpful to me, getting me aquainted with this place.”

“You obviously haven’t been used by Celestia like I have. I was her personal assassin, used to carry out the missions that she couldn’t allow to be seen in the public eye. You’re a soldier, or at least you used to be. I can tell by how you fight, how you move with that rifle of yours, so don’t tell me that you’ve never heard of a government using people like us to do it’s dirty work.” He spits out angrily. “Then, just as I had finally settled down, and was starting to be happy with my life again, she had no more use for me, so she banished me, and erased my very existance from history.”

This doesn’t sound like the Celestia that I’ve come to know. I hear rustling from within the willow branches, and a grumbling “John…?”

Turning back to the newcomer, I realize that things might come to a boil far quicker than I would like. “Does she know about you?”

“I don’t know.” He says. “I would think that she does. I met her once before, before she was a princess, and it wasn’t the friendliest of encounters.” He chuckles fondly at the memory. “But with her being a princess now, not to mention Celestia’s former protégé, she probably does. I gotta warn you, don’t get too cozy with her, it might end up fucking you later on.”

The branches part, and Twilight pokes her head out, looking around. “John, who are you talking to….?” She inhales sharply. “YOU!” she flashes her magic, capturing the man and bringing him in closer. “You’re not supposed to be anywhere in Equestria, under penalty of death. Why are you here?”

He looks at me with bored indifference. “Well, I guess that answers that question.” Returning his gaze to Twilight, he frowns down at her. “You really are deluded, you know that? I can’t say that I blame you. You’re young, newly crowned. You haven’t seen the dark underbelly of politics, the dirty doings that no one wants seen by those that they rule.”
“You haven’t answered my question.” She growls back. “But if you wish to play games, then we will have to resort to more… painful methods of getting answers from you. Once we have what we’re looking for, a summary execution will be in order.”

“Whoa…. Hold on there for a second Twilight, last I knew you ponies didn’t pull shit like that, what’s with the sudden change in policy, and when did you gain the power to make that kind of decision?” I ask, suddenly very alarmed at the new turn of events.

“I was under the impression that I was the only human here, until we come out here and stumble upon him. Obviously, someone has been lying about something here, and I would very much like to get to the bottom of this.”

“I think that I may be able to give you what you need to know, if you’ll listen. Otherwise, you might as well save yourselves the trouble and off me right here.” The newcomer says. He looks at Twilight, who begrudgingly nods. “Can you please release me? I’m not gonna pull anything on you. Your bodygaurd here can make sure of that.” He nods in my direction.

Twilight rolls her eyes, raising him up a couple extra feet before dropping him to the ground. “He’s not my bodyguard, he’s-“ she suddenly stops, looking at me quickly, ears laid down before turning back to him. “Nevermind what he is to me, it’s none of your concern.”

“Hey, I don’t judge, I loved a pony once too.” He smiles at me, his eyes telling me ‘be careful with her…’

“Twilight, can I speak to you for a moment?” We head back closer to the tree, before she sits down, looking up at me defiantly. “What is your problem with him?” I ask, kneeling down in front of her and wrapping my arms around her. She looks at me angrily, and pulls away.

“Seriously? You don’t see what he's doing? He’s manipulating you, probably to get back at Celestia. He did horrible things to get banished, murdered innocent ponies, threatened the Princess herself, and probably would have actually murdered her too had my brother and his guards not been there.” She starts pacing back and forth, working into a frenzy. “He even manipulated Fluttershy and Rarity. Fluttershy came to her senses and ran away, but Rarity fell for it, and they even got married! Celestia had to erase her memories of him in order to get her out of his spell. Then he went and murdered all those pegasi, not even caring if they were innocent fillies or colts. He killed an entire village of them. And you think that he deserves to be defended?” She stops her pacing and glares at me, wanting to hear my explanation.

Sighing, I try to think of some way to put forth something rational. I’ve said so myself how violent people can be, and its obvious that they think this stranger is a prime example of it. But something doesn’t seem right.

“Since when were humans able to cast spells?” I deadpan. “Even now, three years later, some of your magic has to be tailored to affect me. Humans are non-magical creatures. We’re unaffected by it, and unable to use it. And if he had indeed attacked that village full of pegasi. Don’t pegasi live on clouds? Do you think he was able to just magically walk on those clouds, at least without outside assistance?” I pause, getting into my own frenzy. “Has he even had a chance to prove his innocence? Did he go on trial? It sounds like the conclusions that you have were fed to you. And honestly, there must be ways that ones innocence can be proven.”

She looks up gruffly. “Fine. If you really want to see for yourself, I will show you. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She walks back out in a huff, to where the newcomer is sitting with his back to a tree, picking his nails with his knife.
“Daniel, John has… convinced me to look into your claims. You are familiar with memory reading spells, yes?” He nods quietly. “Then I will read your memories, and pass them on to John to see himself.” With that, she lights her horn, and touchs it to his forehead. She holds it there for a few seconds, before pulling back, a look of utter shock on her face.

“That… that’s impossible! She would never have done that! All those ponies, dead, because she… she stops, tears streaming down her face, and walks over to me, before touching her horn to my own forehead. With a sudden jolt, all the memories that she had were copied to my own mind. She pulls back slightly, looking into my eyes, before coming in and pushing up to my chest. “I’m so sorry John. I never knew she would actually do this. You will see what it is that I'm referring to. I need to go, I need some time to myself, to think about this. I’ll be back by sunrise, I promise. I love you.” With a quick kiss, she pulls back and teleports away.

Now thouroughly confused, I look to 'Daniel' my mind whispers to me. Whoa, that was weird as all hell. Since when did my brain do that? “How do I see the memories that she gave me?”

He shrugs at me. “I don’t know for sure. Never done it myself. I’d have to guess its like any other memory, just think about remembering it.”

Suddenly, everything rushes in within a matter of seconds. It’s no wonder Twilight wigged out so badly. I see everything, from when he first arrived to when he was finally banished from Equestria. Jumping up, I stagger around, trying to regain my bearings while the world spins from all the simultaneous input. Finally, everything settles back down, and I sit back down. “I’m so sorry Dan. You’re right, I’m no stranger to black ops, but that shit’s just plain cold.” I pull out a cigarette, needing one now more than ever. Lighting it, I offer one to Dan, who shrugs and takes one himself.

“So what are you gonna do?” I ask. “I really cant say I blame you for feeling this way about Celestia, and to be honest, I'm wondering myself about what her plans are now. How much of our trek here in the woods have you seen?”
“Most of it. I spotted the two of you about noon the day that you camped on that ridge. I have to say, the way you handled those timberwolves was fairly impressive for never seeing them before. As you can see, 5.56 ammo doesn’t do much more than piss them off, but they hate the noise.” He takes a drag before continuing. “I’m sorry that my innocence had to be proven to her in such a drastic way. She seems like she’s genuinely nice.”

“Well, she did just have everything she’s known to be true turned upside down and thrown into a blender, so I cant say I'm surprised she reacted so strongly.” I stand back up, and walk towards the tree again. “How long has this been here?”
“About three weeks. Before it was just another hill here. Then the tree just started growing, not like Jack’s beanstalk fast, but over the course of a few days. Still pretty fast for a tree. While I was inspecting it one day, Discord stopped by. Jumped the everloving shit out of me, but he seemed to be expecting me to be there. Told me there was something in motion that he couldn’t quite figure out, that even he had no control over, and that I should stick around until the tree is fully grown. Then just disappeared as fast as he had showed up. When the tree was large enough, it spit this thing out at me.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small shield, blood red with crossed rifles.

I pull out my own, and hold it next to his for comparison. “Well I’ll be damned… It’s a good thing we didn’t kill each other. Looks like were supposed to be on the same team for some reason or other.”

Just as the sun begins to rise, Twilight reappears. She quickly comes over and nuzzles into the side of my neck, giving me a quick embrace before bowing low in front of Dan.

“Daniel Armstrong, I cannot speak for the other princesses, but I offer you my sincerest apologies for the crimes that have been committed against you. I will do whatever I can to make this right, and I will not quit until it is so.” She holds her bow, while Dan looks to me, unsure what to do. I just shrug with a ‘I don’t have a clue’ look.

Looking down at her, he sighs, and pulls her up before giving her a close embrace. “I would like to see Rarity again if that’s alright with you.”

Nodding, she pulls back. “Yes, I will definitely allow that. She has no memory of you, and I don’t know how to give them back to her.”

“Well, maybe we could start by returning this.” He pulls out a small ring hanging from a chain around his neck. “It’s the ring that I gave her when we were wed. Maybe it will help her to remember.” He says, putting the chain back under his vest.

“I’m going to teleport us all back to my castle. You can stay there for the time being.”

I chuckle. This should be interesting. “I hope you had a good breakfast, because you’re gonna be seeing it again.” And with a flash, everything turns white.

Back in the castle, Dan quickly runs to the corner and dry heaves for a few minutes before regaining his composure. He returns, holding his stomach. “Well, that was… interesting.”

“You handled it better than my first teleport. First time she pulled that on me, I ended up puking all over her.” I chuckle at the memory. “You should have seen her face.”

Twilight sighs, and turns to me. “There were two more of those cavities on that tree, though one of them had already given out it’s element already. I don’t know who the other two are, but we need to find them.”

Dan steps forward, pulling his own shield out. “I’m guessing this is what you’re talking about.” He says, holding it for Twilight to look at. It gave it to me when I found it. Discord said that there were things outside of his control going on. Sounded bad judging by the tone of his voice.

“We’ll figure that out soon enough I hope. For now, I will show you to your room. John, why don’t you head to my chambers, I will meet you back there.” She teleports Dan away, leaving me to find my own way.

“Glad to see you’re back.” I turn and find Spike walking up chewing on a ruby. “Why did she bring him though? I thought he was banished.”

“He still is, but Twilight realized… things that made her believe what Dan was saying. He really is innocent. I’ll let Twilight fill you in on that though, I don’t know how to break that kind of thing to you gently.” I start walking to Twilight’s chambers. “You wouldn’t believe the trip that we had.”

I explain to him about the tree that we found, and what we think is going on with it. “I don’t know for sure what it’s doing this for, but I have a really bad feeling about it.” We stop in front of Twilight’s door. “I hate to be rude, but it’s been a really long night, especially for Twilight, and I think she wants to get some rest.”

“Yea, that’s fine. I havent really gotten anything made for breakfast yet, so I can wait until you get back up before I make anything.” He walks away, chewing the remnants of his ruby like a hard candy.

Sighing, I open Twilight’s door, finding her already inside, laying dejectedly on the bed. “How much did you tell Spike?” She asks.

“I told him about the tree that we found, and what we think might be going on with it. I also told him about Dan’s innocence, though I left out the really crazy details. I didn’t know how to break it to him gently. I’m sure that he’s not going to take it well. How are you holding up?” I sit down on the bed next to her, rubbing behind her ears. She closes her eyes, and a single tear rolls down her face. “I don’t know what to think. Celestia has always seemed to be… above this kind of thing. I would expect something like this from some of the nobles, but not her. She leans over and rests her head on my chest, crying openly now. “It feels like everything I’ve known is a lie. How much more of this has she done without me knowing? What else has she done? I can’t bear to think about it.”
Pulling her in close, I sigh. “Twilight, no government is without its dark dealings. Every government in my world was like this. I know it sounds harsh, but it’s a fact of life really.” She shudders in my hold. “You need to rest Twilight, I’ll leave you be so you can think, and try to rest.” Kissing her, I go to stand, but she holds me back.

“John, if you don’t mind, could you stay here with me? You’re probably tired too, and I need you here with me, please.”
“Sure, I can do that for you.” Laying down, Twilight quickly curls in close, kisses me and drifts off to sleep.

A few hours later, Twilight, Spike and I, along with Twilight’s student Starlight Glimmer, are seated at the table eating dinner. Dan hasn't been seen since his arrival here, but knowing him, he’s probably somewhere just out of sight, getting a feel of the castle.

“So, what’s with this new tree of power that you found out in the White Tail Woods?” Starlight asks. “And why are the only ones who have been connected to it humans?”

“We’re not sure what it’s for. Though from what I gather, it seems to be connected to those who are more inclined to war than anything else.” Twilight says academically.

I look over at her, head cocked to the side. “What are you trying to say Twilight? That the only thing I’m good for nothing more than picking a fight?”

Twilight blushes furiously at me, “Uh… I mean… um, no…? It seems that it is calling for those that are inclined to be more… protective than normal. You and Dan both are both soldiers, correct?”

“Marine.” Dan corrects flatly as he walks into the dining hall. His tone speaks of constantly having to make that correction. “Now that I’ve finally figured out where you guys eat, what's on the menu?” Sitting down, he looks around, impressed. “Last time I was here, this was a library, carved out of an oak tree. What happened to it?”

“Tirek.” Twilight growls darkly. “He stole all the ponies’ magic, then went on a huge rampage, destroying everything in his path. Nearly took out Ponyville. Asshole. After beating him, the Elements of Harmony grew this castle in place of the library.”

“Ah, yea. I remember Tirek. Yea. Asshole. I saw some of the shit he pulled before he went all Godzilla here. Damn near killed those ponies when he took their magic.”

“Why didn’t you shoot him and make our lives that much easier?” Twilight asks flatly.

“Karma’s a bitch Twilight.” Dan says with a grin, helping himself to some salmon.

“Twilight opens her mouth to retort, but reconsiders before going back to her meal. Suddenly, Spike belches out a jet of green fire, depositing a scroll on the table, which Twilight promptly picks up and opens in her magic. Reading it, her expression goes from bored, to sudden interest. Without another word, she puts the scroll down and teleports away.

“Well, that was rude.” Dan muses to himself. “I wonder what the letter said.” Picking it up, I read it out loud.

Dear Princess Twilight,
Another human has appeared, and is currently in my custody at the castle. Take him with you back to Ponyville, and get him up to date with John. I would also like to discuss your trip to the White Tail Woods.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

“Oh I hope she doesn’t run her mouth about me.” Dan groans to himself.

“She might not have to. I’m pretty sure that Luna was keeping an eye on things.” I murmur back to him. “Either way, the gig’s up for Celestia. Now its just a matter of seeing who stands where when the dust settles.”

“What’s going on over in Canterlot that has all of you acting like this?” Starlight asks standing from her spot at the table. “I’ve never known anyone to do anything dishonest there, aside from some of the shadier nobles, but certainly not a princess!”

“Apparently you haven’t worked in any sort of government for very long. The bigger it is, the uglier it gets. And Celestia is one big motherfucker.” Dan says wryly. “Soon enough, she’ll lay in this bed that she’s made. I wont kill her. That’s too easy. I just hope that I'm still around to see it.” He looks over at me. “Have you met Rarity yet?”

I shake my head. “Aside from spending a week in the dungeon for beating up some of the hospital staff when I woke up, I’ve been stuck here more or less. I wasn’t allowed to be seen by anyone other than Twlight’s ‘Elements of Harmony’ until just before we went into the White Tail Woods.”

“Well, Rarity is one of her Elements.” He pulls her ring out from under his uniform again, and looks at it forlornly. “She truly was a very loving pony. Very sweet indeed. I hope that she’s been able to do well for herself these last few years.

“What happened?” Starlight asks, returning to her seat.

“Yea, what gives? You can’t keep us in the dark forever.” Spike adds.

With a purple flash Twilight reappears, with another man in tow. He quickly runs to the corner and loses his lunch. “Heh. At least you didn’t get puked on this time.” I chuckle at Twilight.”
She glares at me for a second, then softens her look and smiles at me, nuzzling my neck. “You should have seen it the first time I ever tried it myself.”

The newcomer walks over to the table holding his stomach. “Ugh. Let’s not do zat again. Vere is zis place?” he asks looking around.

“You are in my castle in Ponyville, where I've been placed in charge of keeping you comfortable until we can figure out what’s going on. Now is a good time for everyone to get into introductions. She looks at me first.
“John Anderson, Staff Sergeant, 3rd Ranger Battalion, United States Army. I report around a mouthful of salmon. “Served in Iraq in the early parts of the war. Been out for about 10 years now.”
“Daniel Armstrong, First Sergeant, Force Recon, United States Marine Corps. I was in the middle of an op when I ended up here about three years ago.”
“Hmmm, vell, at least I am in good company, ja?” the newcomer says with a smile and sits down. “My name is Aurik Wilhelm, Feldwebel with the German KSK.”
“Huh?” I blurt out. I worked in a fair amount of joint force operations, but I was a little rusty on foreign rank.
“It’s zee same as your Staff Sergeant.” He says matter-of-factly, helping himself to the remains of dinner. “Vat I’m still wondering is how I got here, and vy.” He says, looking more to Twilight now.
“Well, we’re not exactly sure why. I can show you how you got here, in one way or another. Though you’re probably not going to like how I take you there.”
I finish my meal and stand up. “I think I'm going to go out and relax for a bit before heading to bed. I’ll be outside.”

I go and grab a cup of coffee, and head out to think. Shortly after, Twilight appears next to me. “Let’s go to the balcony outside our room, there’s more privacy there than right outside the front door of the castle.” She flashes her horn again, and the world rematerializes into the balcony high above the ground.

Immediately, Twilight jumps up and wraps her hooves around me, leaning into my chest. “I feel so guilty about lying to Celestia. I can’t help but wonder if she knows more than she’s letting on to.”

“I don’t know Twilight, but we’re going to have to do something about this soon. I have a feeling we don’t have time on our side.” I sit down on a bench, with Twilight nuzzling under my chin. “What about you? You’re pretty shaken up about this, and I’m sure that you don’t trust her all that much anymore. I certainly don’t.”

“I don’t, to be honest. Not only did she go against everything I’ve ever been taught, but this violates most of the tenets of the Elements of Harmony. As a bearer of one of those elements, and the leader of that group, I have to take action. I just don’t know what I will do.”

“What about the other princesses?” I ask. “Do they know the truth about this?”

“I don’t know.” She whispers. “I can’t imagine that they do. They would never go along with it. Not even Luna.”

“Well, hopefully not. I’m pretty sure that Luna was watching over us the whole time we were in the woods. It wouldn’t surprise me if she came to visit in one way or the other.”

She sighs, and starts pacing around. “Maybe we should talk to Celestia. We both know that we have to be careful in how we approach this.” She looks at me sternly. “I know how strongly you feel about this, loyalty to other humans and all, and the fact that you seem to share a bond with others like yourself. I don’t blame you, I feel the same way with my friends. But you need to be careful in what you say.” She nuzzles me gently before kissing me. “I’m going to bed now. I love you.” She retreats to her room, leaving me to my thoughts.

I sit back down and look over Ponyville, far below. “I wonder if Luna can hear me if I call for her. It would certainly be handy.”

“Nay, we cannot hear you, but we happened to be here because we wish to speak with you.” A familiar, dark figure lands on the balcony in front of me. “We will be direct, for this is of grave importance. Why dost thou harbor the man that our sister banished from Equestria?”

“He’s innocent Princess. Twilight and I both saw for ourselves. Memory magic is really handy that way.” I state matter-of-factly. “Would you care to see for yourself what I’m talking about?”

“Yes, we suppose that it would make it much simpler to see things from his perspective. Would we be able to see him, and his memories?”

“No, but I have his memories myself. As does Twilight. Frankly, I can’t believe that Celestia would do something like that.”

“We shall see.” She lights her horn, and touches it to my brow momentarily, and I feel a strange tug in the back of my mind. “Oh. Oh my. So it is true. He really is innocent.” She sits down in dismay. “This must be addressed. We cannot allow this to be ignored. That is a grievous abuse of power, one that we hope to never see happen again. What dost thou intend to do?”

“Twilight and I were gonna confront her about it. As it is, it seems that Daniel is here for the same reason that myself and this new guy Aurik are here. So he’s critical to whatever we need to accomplish. We need him.” I pause as I light a cigarette. “And Rarity deserves to know the truth too, about what her and Dan meant to each other. She destroyed their lives, and that needs to be addressed too. I just don’t know how to go about it without suffering the same fate.”

“Unfortunately, with this revelation, nothing is going to be the same anymore. Celestia cannot stay in power, not if she’s abusing it the way that she is. The Elements of Harmony are no longer bound to us, and they would not accept Celestia as a bearer now regardless. She cannot use them against us anymore. All that she has is whatever support she would have from the Equestrian military.” Luna pauses, looking down at her hooves. “We cannot believe that we are saying this, but we must overthrow our sister. If that brings war upon us, then so be it.”

“Twilight isn’t going to take to that too well.” I toss the cigarette away and finish my coffee. “She might now know just how bad this is, and that something needs to be done, but she prefers to go about a more peaceful route. Unfortunately, the longer a ruler sits on a throne, the more likely they are to violently resist being taken off.” I approach Luna and look closely into her eyes. “How far are you willing to take this?”

Luna looks away. “We will do what we must to protect Equestria and it’s citizens. Hopefully when this is all over, we have not gone too far to keep our souls. What of you?”

I shrug. “I’m a soldier, again. I do what I’m good at. Take it however you wish, but what I’m good at, is killing. I don’t enjoy it, but I accept that sometimes, it has to be done. I would prefer to not kill her, and Dan feels the same. Aurik, he probably couldn’t care less. He has no reason to hold a grudge for the moment.” I sigh, really wanting to go to sleep. “We should gather what forces we can, because once the cat gets out of the bag, we’re all gonna have targets on our backs.”

“Yes, we agree. We will begin this immediately. We must depart now, however, so we bid thee farewell.” She spreads her wings to fly away, but I interrupt her.

“Luna, can you help me with Twilight? Shes taking this really hard, and she needs some comfort and guidance.”
She smiles back at me, and nods. “Of course we will John. You love her, and wish what’s best for her well-being. We are happy for you two.” Without anything further, she lifts off and flies into the night. Returning to the balcony door, I enter, and finding Twilight already asleep, I gently close the door and join her.

Author's Note

This is a collaborative work with a friend of mine, Daniel is a character from his fic Celestia's Secret Guard by Lumox6. You can find his backstory here:
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/375672/celestias-secret-guard