’The ghosts of a civilization long fallen are the scariest thing Humanity faces today. Some have moved on from what once was; These men are our hope. Yet, poor fools still cling to what we were, and they will be the end of us.

~ Leonard the Hermit’

Night had sunk in as the sun fell valiantly below the horizon. I had not the chance to view the sunsets majesty from my cell. The pony soldiers carried me into the palace dungeons. It’s a dark and decrepit place. No one has been housed here in years, and it shows. Mold grows in a damp corner of my cell, and the once strong iron bars that keep me in here have rusted brown. When they first tried to lock me in here, the lock itself had broken to the point where it would not open for the key. With some elbow grease, the key snapped inside the lock and the guards had to get the royal locksmith to come down. It was honestly pretty funny, but I had not the energy to laugh.

There was a small window from the surface to my cell, and through it blazed the light of the moon. It was the only light in the dungeons now, since the sconces had been declared a fire hazard by the resident warden. Through that window though moisture was let in. I have no clue what could be causing the moisture, since it was not raining, but each dripping noise of the droplets falling to the small puddle left me with a sensation of isolation. This isolation was not overwhelming, but just enough to get me to notice. It left me in the proper mood to ponder. Perhaps that may just be the design of this place, which is pretty clever.

‘I didn’t even get three hundred paces from the station before getting myself locked up,’ I thought to myself. ‘I’m- I’m a murderer. To kill a man in a time of peace… I thought I had some semblance of honor.’ I had come to my senses a while after reaching the dungeons. It was heartbreaking, and I still had tears stinging at my eyes. The guards took all of my armor and weapons, as expected, so I had no helmet to hide my shameful look. It was because of that I buried my face in my hands. I seethed in agony from the shattering idea that I had been the monster I was trying to run from.

The visions of the fight that I had with the Aristians faded into those of a battle with pony guards. The men seemed lighter because they didn’t weigh as much as a human does, but of a large dog. The wooden shaft of that spear deflected off that man’s abdomen because it hit the solid armor of a guardspony. The blood though, that flew from the Aristian’s bascinet as I bludgeoned his face… that was real. It felt so wrong… All of it. My memories battled each other in my mind for dominance. They barely matched in anything except of my actions. My murderous, horrendous, heinous actions. I’m no knight. I don’t deserve the honor of that title. I was a coward before, having run from the war, but I was never a murderer until today.

Now, I’ve done my fair share of killing in battle before, but this isn’t war. This isn’t right. This isn’t justifiable, and I’d be willing to condemn myself to death. ‘God end me!’ I mentally screamed, ‘Send me to Hell, kill me over a thousand years of pain a thousand times for every pony that died today!’ I began to weep into my hands, wetting them with salty tears. It was the least I could do, to mourn for those I killed. I need to attone. I need to avenge them, and I shall do that by going quietly to the chopping block. May God have mercy on their souls, and allow them into the gates of that glorious Heaven.

I was sitting uncomfortably with my bare back against the cold stone wall. To my right were the bars, and to the left was the wall with the window. My back was bare simply because I didn’t have a shirt. I was allowed my trousers, and nothing else. They had originally stripped me bare, but as my genitalia is exposed… Well, the mare I’m charge for simply blushed and handed the garments back. It was the mare from before, the one who’s friends- the one I took the helmet from. At least, I’m fairly certain it was the same mare. Her voice was the same and her helmet had the same plume, but she had a white coat. I was- and still am- gagged, so I couldn’t ask about it, but I doubt she would have said anything. It isn’t like I deserved a response either way.

Suddenly, the clopping of hooves could be heard down the hall. With it was a faint torch light. There was a heavy set of hoof steps, surrounded by multiple lighter sets. The heaviest set seemed slower too, indicating a longer stride. There was still no voice to listen to, since that group traveled without words. Traveling at a leisurely pace, it was like they weren’t keeping someone waiting. Well, I’m not going anywhere, but the anticipation was dreadful. Such should be my fate, I suppose. Every second I breath is another second those ponies couldn’t.

Finally the group of equines had arrived in front of me. The torch light was good enough to give me a good view of all of them, however there was only one who stood out. A towering mare bearing both wings and a horn. Her coat was a pure white that somehow out-whited her escort. Her main and tail flowed elegantly in celestial draft that only existed for her, and her magenta eyes glowed warmly in a deep, cold disapproving manner. The expression her face wore was equally disapproving and cold. The towering mare also wore a golden yoke and golden horseshoes. It was simple but classy.

The white mare nodded to her escort and they trotted away, carrying the torch with them. As they disappeared down the hall, along with it traveled the last glowing remnants of light. Now all that remained was the light the barely seeped in through the tiny window I had. It didn’t even escape the rusted bars. I could tell this was the one who had to be the princess. She matched the description given to me by Miss Fluttershy aptly. So, being in the presence of royalty, I said nothing. I will wait until I’m spoken to.

She scoffed before saying, “Hmph, this is a strange feeling you’ve given me. I’m used to ponies clamoring to their knees and planting their faces to the ground,” as she pulled the gag out of my mouth with her magic.

I turned my gaze to my toes, which lay at the ends of my outstretched legs. “Such is the way of greeting one’s ruler,” I said quietly. Those were the first words I had spoken since being captured, and my voice was especially grindy. She seemed taken aback by that very voice, which does do wonders to intimidate. I of course couldn’t see the expression she held, but I did hear the shifting of her body. It was sudden, which tells me that it was far from a casual shift in stance. She shifted back. “But I have no allegiance as of current.”

“I see,” she paused before saying, “You know, I wasn’t expecting another so soon.”

That got my attention, and I perked up at her words. “What do you mean by that, Fair Lady?”

Celestia giggled at that. “‘Fair Lady’? Are you from the medieval ages? Ahh, pardon me. It doesn’t matter. God of War, you are to pledge allegiance to me for a century or until pardoned of your crimes, as in accordance with the rules enforced by the council.” Her words shocked and confused me, bringing up a few questions.

Then, a new voice chimed in, a female’s. That female sighed before saying, “Nay, Sister Dearest. Thou knowest the rules well, and thus thou knowest that thine prisoner is exempt until he goeth forth unto the council and is informed of them to their fullest.” I didn’t hear her walk in... but what are these rules? And who is this council?

“Luna, you couldn’t wait just a moment longer. He would have pledged and been bound regardless of the rules,” said Celestia. She planned to trick me? Cunning, and my first impression of Celestia is a good one. She is intelligent, or at least acts like it. “Also, Luna, I love you but please do drop the fake dialect. It rather annoys me.”

Luna only sighed to her sister’s wish. “Fine,” she said, sounding only a little frustrated, before picking up again, “Anyways, we do need to have the council convene. The newbie over here needs to get his orientation.” Luna used her horn to create a magic light that illuminated the area in a soft blue glow. Newbie? What does that mean? Is she insulting me? These two have said the most confusing things I’ve heard in my time here. Although my time has been admittedly short. I then decided I needed to say something.

“What the fuck is going on?” came my gravelly voice, obviously irritated with confusion.

“All will be revealed soon. Don’t worry, Sir Corrick.” Luna said softly, smiling softly. She knew my name, it seems. It didn’t surprise me. I’m sure Miss Fluttershy and them had told everything to the princess by now. This Luna character was definitely somewhat strange to me. I never heard of a Luna from Miss Fluttershy when she gave me an introduction to Equestria. She looked just as important as Celestia, if a little shorter. Her color scheme was comprised of deep blues and her main and tail held within them the night sky. She was very pretty, I could not deny.

“Well, Sis, since you ruined my fun, we may as well gather the council now. Come, let us prepare.” Luna nodded to her sister, and they walked off, taking with them the light. Before Luna exited my view, she gave me a soft smile. Again I was in the darkness, alone. I’m so confused right now. They referred to me as the God of War. Is that what the mysterious woman made me? I let out a deep sigh. They were able to identify me as well, not just by my name, but as an ageless being too. I may not be the only being from another world here…

Suddenly I was stricken by a bout of exhaustion and realized that it must be very late. I yawn, and stretch my limbs to the best of my ability. There was a pile of straw underneath me, so I just rotated my body and laid down in it. I laid there on my back, staring at the ceiling above me, eyes heavy with how tired I was. I gave in, seeing sleep as harmless. I guess I’ll have to wait for the council to meet. By the sounds of it, it should be soon, so I need to be ready. Well there isn’t much I can do to be ready anyways, I suppose. I let out yet another sigh, letting the grasp of sleep take hold of me entirely.

Two minutes passed before I heard shuffling around me. I didn’t want to open my eyes though, but a pair of feet shuffled towards me. Feet. I was sure of it, but I haven’t seen other humans in Equestria, and none like me exist, from what I’ve been told. Was I lied to? I-

“Come now, Sir Corrick. Get up, you are lucid, are you not?” My eyes shot open, and I scrambled away from what stood near my feet, only to bump into a pair of legs behind me. At my feet stood a girl who could be no older than twenty. She had jet black hair and wore strange clothing. From bottom to top, she had strange looking boots, trousers that were a strange mesh of green black and brown, a weird coat made of leather with a weird symbol dyed on her left breast, and shirt underneath the coat that had the same symbol dyed on it. It was so very strange, I’d never seen such fine dye work, or really anything in her style of clothing. It was also weird that she wore trousers too.

I looked up and immediately blushed, as I looked up the skirt of a blonde haired woman. She was staring right back at me with big brown eyes. She seemed confused for a moment but then her cheeks turned bright red as she seemed to realize why I was blushing. She took several steps back, making a quiet yelp. I flopped onto the floor as I was propped up on that lady’s legs before. She wore somewhat normal clothing, an elegant white dress that was simple but wonderfully designed to have polygonal shapes dyed in black that flowed only in the lower right corner of it. This lady wore jewelry in her ear lobes as well. I would describe the undergarments she wore, but that wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me.

The girl with the black hair piped up again, “Okay, okay, get up and quit ogling my sister!” I looked back to her, and she was a light shade of pink too. Obviously she was quite annoyed as well. She crossed her arms and lightly kicked at my boots. Boots. I was wearing all of my standard gear, bar my great helm. Even my dagger and sword were there. Looking around it was also clear that I was no longer in the Canterlot dungeons. We were in a white walled room that had a round obsidian table in the center. The centerpiece of that table was a large, pink crystal the jutted out of the table and glowed ominously. The floor was the same material as the table, as were the chairs the surrounded the table. I looked back to the girl with black hair. Her light blue eyes glared at me.

“W-who are you?” I asked. “And where am I?”

Her expression then softened to that of a look of friendliness. “Oh right, you’re a newbie, I forgot,” she stated while letting out a low chuckle. “It’s Luna, and she is Celestia.” Luna pointed behind me. “Yes, I know we look nothing like the Alicorns you met. That’s simply because we come into this realm as our real selves. All of the Gods here are human, from the same world, just different times, but we’ll explain that bit more later. Come on. On your feet, soldier.” She offered me a hand. I accepted her offer and, with her help, stood to my feet. “The others will be here soon. You can go to your seat, if you want, but don’t sit down ‘till everyone else gets here, ‘kay?”

“A-alright. Does it matter which seat I take?” I asked meekly. Luna shrugged, and pointed to the seat closest to me. I took cautious steps as I walked over to the seat. I stood in between it and the table pensively, waiting for the ‘others’. Mentally, I gathered questions that I needed to ask. My mind was racing, and my body was shaking. Slowly, people began to materialize in the room. It was unlike anything I’d imagine. I blinked and the room was full. I looked around between everyone there, a tense atmosphere thickening. Each man or woman was dressed differently, but most of them had clothing that at least looked similar in quality and style.

There were, at the table, four men and three women. Those numbers included me and both of the sisters whom I’d already met. Most of the people looked at least similar, but there were indeed a couple who stood out. In particular, a beautiful young woman with red hair wore clothing that seemed most similar to what the ladies of the nobility would wear. I myself had never seen a girl with red hair though, as they were only really common in the lands of Kaltia. Her frilly dress was that of a deep purple with golden hems. She also wore three of the most expensive looking necklaces I think I’ve ever seen. I recognized those colors too, but I cannot think of where from.

There were also two men who stood out from the rest. The first was a large man who stood out not because of his clothing, but the look of despair he kept with him. He did not raise his eyes from the table, but looked to be sulking eternally. His face bared a few scars that looked to tell stories of famed battles. The look on his face, however, told me that these great battles must have had a great cost. And with that I can sympathize, though only to an extent. I guess it was only until recently that I had considered many of my companions to be expandable. Loss is a part of war, and I can’t- couldn’t allow myself to be too attached to the men I worked with. If they died I would not want to be burdened with a heavy heart and a damaged morale.

And the last man who gained my attention had eyes with pupils that differed in color from each other. His shoulder-length hair was white as snow and slicked back with some sort of grease. Other than that I suppose he could fit in rather well with the others. He had an average build for a man and his clothing fit snugly on him. He looked at me while I was staring, gave me a large smile and waved. I waved back hesitantly, only to look back to the center piece and stare intensely at it.

I balled my hands into fist and stood up as straight as I could. Then, suddenly I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. Looking towards the source, I found out it was none other than Princess Luna. She looked into my eyes and carried with her a soft and encouraging smile. Luna leaned on to me, and whispered to my ear, “Relax, man. You don’t need to be worried.”

That was comforting. As I relaxed, she release her grip on my arm and stood normally in front of her chair again. I took a deep breath and sighed a deep sigh, letting go of my worries and confusion for now. The table was now surrounded by people, though a few spots were empty. There were twelve chairs in total, but only nine of them were filled. I wondered if there were others that didn’t show, or if those spots were for guests. I guess I’m glad more people didn’t show up, it’d just make me more anxious.

Celestia cleared her throat and said, “Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have the minimum number of people for the council session to begin. The rest of us have informed me that they are busy and will not be able to attend, though they wish to pass on their regards to our newest member.” Celestia looked towards me, gesturing towards my presence. She then picked back up again, “And so, that brings up the topic of our meeting today. As you can see, this fellow over here is our new God of War.” I bowed before the council. “Please, introduce yourself.”

I stood straight again, and looked at the faces of the council members. “I am…” I hesitated, considering whether or not I should give my title, since I’m not sure I deserved it. Starting again, I spoke, “I am Sir Corrick of Esterfell, a knight errant of Marlheim.” To my surprise, the beautiful woman with the red hair gasped loudly, looking at me bewildered. “Uhm… ma’am are you quite alright?” I asked, puzzled by her reaction.

“You… You said you are from Esterfell, yes? Near the northern shores of Marlheim?” I nodded. “Does… do you know a man named Erich?”

“Erich the Stalwart? Lord Esterfell’s champion?” She gave a small nod, and I continued on, “I knew him well, he…” I spoke softer, “He was my trainer, and my friend.” The red-haired lady then asked me if he was in good health. My expression turned grave, and I clenched my fist. “Castle Esterfell… Castle Esterfell was demolished with everyone still inside, including the Lord and his champion. There was… a blinding flash of light a-and… and…” I didn’t say anymore. The lady got the general idea and stared at the table sadly.

“Well, I should think now’s not the time to be all sad and sulky. Isn’t that right, Mr. Hansen?” the man with the blue and green eyes said, draping an arm over the big, sad looking man. “Let’s all introduce ourselves! I’ll go first, I am Discord, the God of Chaos.” Discord bowed gracefully.

The red-haired lady went next. “I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, though I go by Cadence. I am the Goddess of Love,” Cadence said as she curtsied.

“I am Celestia, Goddess of the Light. As well I am a co-ruler of Equestria. I rule alongside my sister…” Celestia then motioned for her sister to go.

“Luna, Goddess of the Night. Though we aren’t actually sisters, we are very close.” Luna nodded.

The next person to introduce themselves was the one person I had yet to pay much mind too. He was a fairly average looking man in all aspects. Not too tall. Not too wide. Not too strong. He had short brown hair, brown eyes and a stubble on his chin. He was wearing a plain shirt and blue pants. No jewelry or anything. He spoke up and said, “I’m Magnus the Wicked, God of Destruction.” He was so casual about that, but his title was disconcerting.

There was only one man left to introduce themselves, it was the tall one. He had a vest about a blue sweater that was painted with a similar symbol to that of the one Luna wore on her jacket. For the first time, he looked up and straight into my eyes with a cold set of sad, icy blue eyes. He cleared his throat and said quietly, “I am Balthazar, God of the Forsaken.” After he finished his meager sentence, he went back to staring at the table.

“Aha!” Discord exclaimed, “Now we all know each other. Excellent, great, marvelous!” He then softened his tone and continued by saying, “I believe the next part is the one where we tell him the rules, yes?” Celestia gave a curt nod. “Yay! My favorite part, can I tell him? Oh please let me tell him, I hardly ever get to talk to anyone while stuck in that boring rock.”

Celestia furrowed her brows and thought about it, weighing her options carefully. “I guess there is nothing wrong with you telling him. Just make sure you cover everything.”

“Oh come now, Dear Sunbutt, there are only three rules. How could I possibly balls it up?” Discord teased, to which Celestia turned her face indignantly. Discord grinned, then faced me. “Alright, kiddo. Listen up. These are the only three rules all of the Gods at this here council have to abide by. Rule numero uno, don’t touch the crystal at the center of the table here,” he gestured towards the pink crysta, “It really doesn’t like being touched, mmk?”

“What he meant to say was the crystal kinda sorta makes you explode into a bunch of little pieces that no one in the council wants to clean up,” Magnus corrected.

“Right right, it wasn’t that important anyways. Okay, second, any incursion on another God’s claim deems you subject to one hundred years of servitude or until that God pardons you. Of course, you can always go to war with that God and force yourself to be pardoned, but seeing as you’re the God of War I’d advise heavily against that.” Discord noticed my confusion before explaining his point further, “When you were born into this land, did you feel any surge of power?” I shook my head. “Well, you see. God’s get their power from the aspect they rule over. I’m a very powerful God, since chaos feeds chaos and so on and so on. However, thanks to Ol’ Celly over there, there haven’t been wars on Equus in centuries. Therefore, you have no godly power.”

No wars, huh? Was the divine being lying to me then? I’d see the world falling apart more if there was at least one major conflict, but no wars means all the countries are living peacefully together. Maybe… Maybe I’ll be able to take that break I wanted after all. Wait, no, I have something I need to do before I take that break. I gripped the hilt of my sword to feel it's comforting solidity in my hands. The familiarity of this sword, one that has been mine for years, is something that I will never forget. It is one of the few things that sticks with me in times of strife. It comforts me with its presence, like a toy to a child.

“Wait a minute. Hey! Are you even paying attention? Gah! The gall.” My head snaps to attention as I realized I had been failing to pay attention to Discord while he explained the last rule.

“My apologies,” I said, “I was off in my mind. Would you please repeat rule three for me?”

Discord crossed his arms, frowning, then looking away. “Only if you beg.”

“W-what?”

“You heard me, beg for it. I want you to beg for the oh-so benevolent Discord to forgive you and enlighten him.” His expression was all too serious for the request.

“There’s no way I’m begging over a silly mistake like that.” I responded flatly.

“Then I guess you won’t know the rule. Oh well.” Discord shrugged.

“The third rule is that you can’t speak about the Gods to any being on Equus. It’d freak out and divide the populace.” Celestia explained nonchalantly.

I thanked celestia while Discord sat there with his mouth agape. “You always ruin my fun Celly, no fair,” he pouted.

“Someone’s gotta do it,” she retorted with a shrug. This put a smile on my face despite the somewhat serious meaning of the conversation we were having. Celestia then began again, “So, that should be about it for this convent. We’d normally also explain how a God’s power is gained, but we already went over that. Anyone have any final words before we depart?”

“I do have something of an announcement to make.” I said quietly. Celestia nodded towards me and allowed me to make my statement. Standing up, I walked over beside Celestia’s chair and and knelt after drawing my sword and holding it up to offer to her. I then said aloud, “Celestia, for having broken rules I was unaware of and shaming myself in your capital city, I offer my blade to you so that I may pledge fealty for the next one-hundred years of my life or until I am pardoned.”

Author's Note

<3<3<3