Author's Note

So new chapter after an eternity...

Sorry about that, I'm a damn son of a gun.

RL is a fucking bitch to me... I hope that I can write more in the next time...

But not wasting more time, here is the new chapter.

Beginning Arc Chapter 7 On Way Home

The ride was a tense one.

The train itself was the personal train of the royal family, so the only passengers, where Princess Cadance, her Husband, their child and the guards, as well as some other personal needed, like the crew on the engine.

But right now, it also has the royal crystallizer, his wife, and their aid, the crystal pony Stellar Watch… also in the last wagon where the visitor out of another world was currently placed.

The said visitor had proven glimpse of his powers, as well he had mentioned that the long-lost princess had returned.

Shining Armor had been agitated by this news and had ordered the train ride, but also the imprisonment of the visitor… but said had visitor had given them good reasons not to force a confrontation, as the results involve death.

So, he was with on the train, but in the last wagon with a few guards watching him. And that car was the target of Stellar. She couldn’t hold her curiosity and so she wanted to talk to him.

She stood before the car and saw the guards on duty before the door. It was Flash Sentry and his sister Flare Warden, but in their armor, but with additional anti-magic enchant and enhancements. “Shining really didn’t like Legion...” She thought. The armor both guards wear is the maximum of anti-magic fighting gear a pegasus can wear without sacrificing air mobility.

“Greeting you both.” Stellar said and waved her hoof to them.

“Hey Stellar,” Flare said, while Flash only nodded. “What brings you to us?”

“Can I see the pri… guest?” she corrected herself before she said the wrong thing.

Flash starts to twitch, while his sister was a bit more relaxed. “The order is no one goes in, but he made it clear, that if any pony wishes to enter they can through.”

“And you comply?” Stella asked.

“Well between facing the enraged captain and the alien, who could literally obliterate us…” was all Flare said. Flash kept his stoic face, still, he used the bottom of his spear to open the door.

Nodding Stellar walked through and as soon as she was through... she falls down.

She opens her mouth to scream, but before a sound left her mouth she hit hard the ground. For a moment she was dizzy, then she cleared her vision and head with a firm shake. “How could I fall down…” whatever she wanted to say died midsentence as she became aware of her surroundings and the reason why she had fallen down.

No not fallen down, fallen up. Right now, she was at the ceiling of the wagon. The whole gravity of the room was upside down. The “floor” was the ceiling, while the last had become the floor.

Stellar just stared. She had heard and read of magic like that, but seen it, in reality, was different, it was marvelous.

“We apologize. We weren’t aware that ponies wish to enter the car. “Stellar looks at the speaker and saw the stranger, who had called himself Legion. He sat in a strange pose. He sat cross-legged, the legs tightly coiled with each other, while his hind hooves resting on the upper thigh of the opposite leg.

He had taken his robe off so that Stellar could see his body. From the stature, he wasn’t so impressive as he was as tall as Shining Armor and due to his black and white coat and mane looked like a zebra. Also, he looked very weak and fragile, but that was a but a lie.

He had no soft eyes, they were more like black holes, which seem to devour every light falling into them. His body may be looking frail, but she had witnessed the powers he had…

But every thought about him casual murdering was pushed aside, as she looked into his face. A few strains of his mane had come loose under the bandana he wore. They in his face, but he didn’t make any effort to push them back. At the moment he had his eyes closed and kept an overall neutral expression.

He raises one of his hooves and slowly the room starts to shift. In mere seconds the room was normal again and both sat on the real floor.

“I don’t believe it. You can manipulate gravity?” it busted out of Stellar.

Legion just opens one of his eyes. “If we meditate, we relax by applying small amounts of our power to the surroundings. We choose in which manner we twist it.” He calmly explained.

Stellar just stare at him. “Small amounts? Do you have an idea how much it takes to use manipulate gravity? I know a fair number of spells, how to try to do that, but they ether to much magic to cast or are unstable.” She blurred out. “How can you do that so effortless?”

“By not using magic…” he stated.

Stellar just stared, but before she could answer, the door opens again and both turned to look at the newcomer.

Legion nodded his head, while Stellar bows deep, as Cadance walked inside, with her was Flurry Heart. Behind her followed Flare, while Flash remain at the door.

“We great you princess…” Legion said while he nodded. Then his glance stops at the little alicorn filly. “We see, that you have your Sprouse with you…” he didn’t say more, but still it sounded more like a question, than a remark.

Cadance sported a small smile. “Thank you… you won’t hurt her.” She asked, while she holding Flurry close to her.

Legion didn’t react. He remained still, but after a moment he answers. “We have no intention to hurt her, or you for the matter. The Lady had given us orders and one of them had been no harm to a certain member, or ponies for the better term.”

He looked at Cadance, then at the little alicorn filly. “Besides the order, we wouldn’t dare to harm her. She is young, pure and innocent. Her mind… her soul… is like a pure crystal. No hate, no harm…no strain.” The zebra colored pony took a deep breath in and out. “Since our making, we had been surrounded by hate, anger. Constantly we had been kept in darkness.” Again, he took a deep breath in and out. This time he even sports a hint of a smile. “Just her being near, so that we can feel her… Never we felt so free.”

A moment of silence lingered in the air before Cadance spoke up again. “That is good to know, but I wish to ask a few more questions.”

Legion waved a hoof and a desk with a tea set and a small glass appeared. “We would be pleased to give answers.”

So Cadance sat, with Flurry between her forehooves. Followed by Stellar and Legion. Flare choose to stand, mostly to appear as a guard.

As soon as all sat, the tee can start to levitate. A faint white aura was around it. Stellar looked at it, then she looks at Legion and she noticed that his horn was glowing in the white light. After a moment she noticed his eyes glow too.

Cadance noted that too. “Why do your eyes glow too?” she asked.

Legion holds the tea can for a moment. “We simply use our power. A reason for the difference is the difference in our very nature.”

Then without another word, he starts to pour tea into the different cups. Stellar and Cadance watched in awe, as Legion poured the tea in. It was graceful and he didn’t even spill a tiny bit of the liquid.

As soon as he sat the tea can down, Stellar and Cadance both took their cups and drink a sip of it. “Marvelous, black currant.” Cadance smiled as she enjoyed her tea.

Stellar raised an eyebrow. “You mean, lavender tea. The tea is lavender tea.”

Cadance opened her mouth. “No, it’s blackcurrant.” She levitates her teacup to Stellar, who looked in it. Indeed she saw that it was blackcurrant. Without a word she levitates her cup to Cadance, who saw that she has lavender tea in it.

Both turned to Legion who took a sip out of his own cup. “HOW?” Both said in unison.

“With a teapot.” Was Legion’s answer. He again levitates the tea can over to them and poured the liquid into the glass. This time is being a white liquid.

Flurry Heart, who had nabbed on her own hooves, stopped in her track and instead pointed her hooves at the glass.

Cadance lights up her horn and engulfed the glass in her magic. She checked the liquid and she found out…” It’s milk?” she came to conclusion.

“Yes. We thought, that tea would be a wrong choice.” Legion explained. In awe, Cadance watched how Flurry takes the glass and greedily she drinks the milk.

“How did you manage that?” Stellar asked him.

“Our nature is different. You use magic to interact with the world. We use warp to twist reality.”

Cadance took another sip of her tea. “Did you create the tea out of thin air?”

Legion shock his head. “No, creation is not in the nature of warp.”

Flare intervene. “That doesn’t answer the question.”

“It does, but you lack to understand.” Was all Legion said. And so, the silence was in the wagon.

“Ok. But now different questions… if you don’t mind.” Cadance said in an effort to change the subject.

“We don’t question.” Legion nodded his head.

“First of all, why do you speak in the third pony? Are you royal?” Cadance asked him. She wanted to know the reason behind his speech pattern, as the use of “We” is for royal.

“We aren’t royal. Our name is Legion, for we are many.” Was the cryptic answer.

Stellar shakes her head. “That didn’t answer the question.”

“It does, but you lack to understand,” Legion said as an answer, that sentence again.

Cadance snorted and the alicorn continued to ask more questions. “Anyway, you said Twilight is your sworn lady. Can you explain it a bit more?”

Legion releases a deep breath. “We will leave some details, as these are too dark for you all.” He looked deep into Cadence eyes. “Like we had said in your throne room. Lady Twilight was abducted into the world, where we had been. The Scientist…” He spoke the word with utter disgust.” … did a number of experiments on her; some basic on her physique, some more stressful and some so disregarding of life…”

He paused and looked into her eyes. Cadance could feel a cold sweep into her core. “…it made her soul cry out. She had been alone, cut off her friends, home, and family and was forced to endure things, even her mind couldn’t imagine or even process.”

He leans a bit back and let his glance wanders over the three adult mares. His words sunk into them. “Her soul cried out… “now he started to show a facial expression, a mix between a shark face and smile. “… and we and our brother answered the call. We swore loyalty to her. She had become for us Lady Sparkle. Her wisdom and grace lead us out of the darkness and into the Twilight of a new dawn.” He ended his speech and let it sink in.

Before Cadance could say a thing, Flare interrupted. “Just a little question from the sideline. Who are you and your so-called brothers?”

Legion didn’t raise an eyebrow. “Simple. We are nine.” He waved his hoof and ten rag dolls appear on the table. One in the center and nine around it. Stellar and Cadance noticed that the one in the middle looked like a replica of Twilight, while the others are basic and not very detailed.

Flurry Heart curred and hiccuped as she saw the dolls. She pointed her hooves in the direction of the dolls and her horn glowed. The Twilight doll was engulfed by her magic and flows directly into her little hooves and as soon as the doll was there, the little filly started to play with it.

Cadance, Stellar and Flare awed at her adorable shenanigan, while Legion didn’t show anything. Instead, he waited for a moment, then he pointed with his right hoof at one of the dolls.

A doll clad in armor, standing on his hind legs and welding a type of spear, but instead of a simple tip, it even had a head like an ax. “One of us is a Lawbringer. He represents the will to do the right thing.” Legion pointed to another, this one taller than the rest. “One is the unstoppable force.” And so, he goes one, with each doll. He pointed to a doll with was covered in flames. “One is burning rage.” He pointed to a doll with wings, which floated. “One is the will to be free.” Then he pointed at a ghostly white one. “One is the hunter.” Another doll, who seemingly was made out of machine parts. “One is the god of the machine.” He then pointed to one of the last three dolls, the one dressed in a jester costume. “One is the actor.” He took the two remaining dolls up. One was wearing a helm with a red cross. “One is a healer.” He levitated this to Flurry, who happily accepted the doll and integrated her in her own play.

They all watched for a moment. Then Flare interrupted again. “And let me, guest. The last you represent you? And means wicking powers?” she said and spat the last part out.

Legion nodded. “You were right. The last one represents us. And yes, wicked power, but we would prefer the term Psyker.”

Cadance looked at him. “Ok… If I may sound rude, but what are your powers?”

Legion looked at her and raised an eyebrow. The black and white colored pony looked at Stellar. Said crystal pony get the hint. “What the princess had asked is what is your special magic, the magic you are very adept in.”

Again, Legion looked confused. “We are adept in the warp.”

And again, every adult pony was silent and only Flurry Heart was the only one who made any noises.

Stellar looked at Cadance and Flare, who look back at her. “Ok Legion… we turn again in a wheel… and please don’t say It does, but you lack to understand again.” She pointed her hoof at Cadance. “What we mean is, in which field your magic excels. For example, Cadance’s magic is especially all around love.”

For a moment Legion was quiet. As he processed the explanation and thought about his own answer. "Our powers are tied with the warp. Your magic is tied to ..." he thought about the right word. "...harmony. We can't compare both, as their core aspects are so much different."

Stellar thought about it. "Can you explain it to us."

To Stellar's and Cadance's surprise, Flare talked first. "Leg, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't warp made up out of emotions, like rage and fear?"

The crystal unicorn and the alicorn princess were surprised by Flare's answer, but even more when Legion suddenly starts to laugh. It sounded strange, as he wasn't used to laughing.

After a moment he had collected himself. "We are surprised, that you have knowledge about the warp." He keeps his laugh for a moment before he drops it. There wasn't any trace of it anymore. "But yes... Imagine the warp as a storage basin for certain emotions, like rage, but also fear. In addition, there are more aspects as eternal change, amoral desires, simple decay." He raises he hooves until both are in front of him. On top of both hooves appear flames. One was a white flame, emitting a warm light. The other was a black fire, radiating no warm, but the atmosphere of decay.

"To explain it even more simple. Your magic based on harmony, based on everything, that is good. My powers based on the warp, based on everything that is bad." he ended his speech.

He put his hooves down and the flames died down. For a moment all were silent again, but Stellar spoke again. "But what can you do with your powers? For what had you used them normally?"

Legion turned his glance to her. He waved his hoof, animating them to drink more of their teas. "In combat, I'm the one giving support for my brothers, but the most important part is the bond."

"Bond?" asked Cadance with a raised eyebrow.

Legion tipped his head with his left hoof, as he holds his own cup in his right. " The bond is what connects all of our brothers with us and Lady Twilight. It is a bond between our minds. We share memories and mental stability in order to prevent madness and insanity."

Flare hold her hoof up. "Slow down a minute. A bond between minds? Sharing memories?" She leans a bit forward. "Are you like a hive mind?"

Legion made a noise, it was unclear if that a snigger or a snort. "No, a hivemind would mean only one mind. The bond between us is more like an exchange market. We all interact with the others."

"And Twilight is in that bond?" Cadance asked, fear in her voice. She had heard of the magic of that kind. It means that the ponies, who apply them weren't themselves anymore.

"Yes. And through her presence, she changed us. As we protect her." Legion said.

"Explain," Cadance ordered in an unusual strict tone.

"She suffered a emotional trauma, due to the torture the scientists inflict on her. When she cried out in her soul, it was us, who had answered. We formed the bond. We take her pain and made it endurable for her. In exchange, she gave our her memories." Legion closed his eyes for a moment. "Could you imagine, that neither our brothers and we had seen green grass."

All mares were surprised. "You had never seen green grass?"

Legion shook his head. "The world where came from... it still suffers from a war, which had scorched everything. There hasn't been much plant life left." For a moment he let it sink in.

Cadance flinched, as she remembered something. "Legion, is the band still intact?" Legion nodded. " Then you can feel her?" Again he nodded. "Did you tried to contact her?"

"It hadn't been of no use. We had put her in a sleep coma, as we had done our outbreak. It wasn't planned to wake her up before all of us are there, so why should we reach out?" Legion explained.

"Could you still try to reach her?" Cadance now pleaded.

Legion was still for a moment before he answers." If it what you desire, we do as you wish."

He stood up and took a few steps back. Then he sat in the same meditation position Stellar had first seen him. For a moment he was still, then his eyes started to glow and he even started to hum. It goes one for a moment, then he spoke. "As we told, Lady Twilight is still in the com..." He suddenly stops dead in his track.

A moment, then another he was silent. then he spoke again. This time with panic in his voice. "No, no, no, NO. She isn't planned to wake up." Suddenly he cries out in pain and crooks his entire body.

Stellar watch dumbstruck, while Flare and Cadance jumped to action. "Princess..." With a cry on her lips the pegasus jumped in front of Cadance, who put her own wings before her child and cast a shield bubble around her.

With a final outcry Legion moved once more, then he looks with ghastly eyes at the other. "She woke up." And with that, a shock wave came from him and darkness swallowed all of them.

...

Screams of pain sounded. Someone gets tortured. The owner of the voice cried out in pain.

Stellar couldn't see, who screamed.

After a moment she realized she couldn't see at all. No black, nor white only nothing and so panic roses in her.

Suddenly the nothing changed. Shapes started to form. But the shapes look more like black shadows. No features, but the outlines were visible.

One shadow levitates another. "Look what we have caught. A low grunt, more pig than man. A rapist and murder. Your being disrupted the balance, as there is no equal for your evil.” The other shape tries to scream. “Begone…” and the shape was ripped into oblivion. Then the remaining shape vanished to.

She realized that the screams had come from everywhere.

It seems like she drifted through wherever she was. All around her shapes appear and disappear. Sounds bombarded her. Speeches plead for mercy, screams of death. It was too much for her. Slowly she starts to succumb to the experience.

But before she could break, a drastic shift happened.

The whole scene changed and morphed. She stood in a wide plaza. Eight shapes, vaguely formed like a minotaur, were held down by shackles and several other similar shapes, in a half circle. The eight shapes try to overcome their bonds, but somehow they couldn't.

In front of the circle stood another vague shape and hold another one. "You are weapons and no human. We bred you to fight and not to cuddle." The shape spoke in a voice mixed with disgust and rage. "We gave you orders and you fulfill them, or you die trying."

The shape pointed at the one he holds. "And you still disappoint us. So we don't spare the rods anymore. Starting with her."

The eight shapes enhance their struggles but to no avail. They couldn't break free. Then without any warning, the shape moved and his hostage loses his head.

It drops to the ground and silent lingered in the air. Then all eight shapes cried out in animalistic growls and rage. Their screams get louder and louder until everything stopped.

The whole scene chattered and looked like a broken mirror. The sharks all levitate, then they drop and vanish.

Then was the oblivion again, until it changed into darkness. Completely darkness, where no light could be seen. But slowly darkness vanished as a single lavender light appear and pushed the darkness away. "Help me, oh by Celestia. Help me." the light said.

A sudden thought occurs. "That is the voice of the princess." Stellar was setback by the pain the voice.

The pleading for help grew louder and louder, while the light starts to flicker and dimish. "She dies..." Stellar came to that conclusion and fear starts to grow in her. the crystal pony stills remember, when the Crystallising of Flurry Heart had happened and when the Heart had been shattered by the alicorn filly. Stellar couldn't imagine, what would have happened if the princess of friendship would die.

But for the light could go out, eight new appeared. They hovered close to the lavender light. Thin bands start to form and connect the eight with the one, which started to brighten up.

"What did I just saw?" Stellar wondered.

"Our life, our fall into the darkness and how we had met Lady Twilight." A voice around her said.

Stellar looked around and saw a figure. It had been one of the minotaur-like creatures she had seen. "Legion?" she asked in a hunch.

The figure nodded. "What you saw are parts of our memories and what you see now is our old form." As he stood before, Stellar realized that she could make out details. And so she took every little detail in.

His body was like a minotaur, walking on two legs and two arms with thumbs, but that was where the similarities end. He lacked the massive amount of muscles, the horns on his head and even the fur. Instead, he was lanky and more fragile. He body lacked the fur, only having a mane on his head.

"We will explain when we are back." He offers his hoof, no his hand Stellar correct in her mind. Hesitant she moved her own hoof and touch his hand. "Please steel yourself. What will come now is wearing for the mind."

And with that everything changed again.

...

The crystal pony was back. Well, at least back in a world she now. Stellar was still in the same place when Legion had his surge. She looked around and saw that Cadance and Flare were still in the same position. She wanted to talk to them, but then she realized the lack of movement and sounds. "No..." Stellar saw. "They are frozen."

"Not really. For you, it seems like they are frozen. But the answer is simple. The time moved at a friction of its normal speed. One second there isn't even a moment for them. We could stay for a hundred years in this time disorientation, but for them, only a second had passed." Legion explained and released a breath through his teeth.

"You can caste time-related magic?" Came from Stellar. After a moment she corrected her sentence. "No, this is related with the warp."

Legion give her the tiniest smile she ever saw on a pony. His eyes flicker for a moment and the time runs normally again.

"...Cadance." Flare shouted while she positions herself in front of Cadance. The alicorn holds her spouse and protected her.

It looked a bit comically, as there wasn't a single threat. But Stellar didn't laugh, as she could feel the tension in the room.

A moment passed, then Flare opened her eyes and sat the lack of a threat. "What by the heart is your problem?"

Legion tilted his head. "Do you mean my outburst?"

It was Cadance now, who answered. "YES THAT OUTBURST." she shouted in her royal voice. Stellar was surprised that Flurry Heart didn't scream out in fear, but a quick look revealed that the filly was surrounded by a sound bubble.

Legion returned his head into normal position. But before anypony could say a thing, the door of the wagon burst open and Shining Armor and Flash Sentry, along with six other guards rushed inside, all of them weapons ready.

Legion was unfazed by the weapons pointed at him. "It was due to Lady Sparkle." He said it and the weapons were pointed closer to him.

Shining Armor walked in front of him, a spear and sword in his grip, and he threats him with both. "Explain yourself. What does my sister have to do with it?"

Legion simply stood up. "She woke up too early, most likely due doctors other than Vet. To put it simply, we had put her into a coma for the journey. But they woke her up with the equivalent of throwing a bucket of water in her face. She panicked and in her panic she loose control over her magic."

With that, he walks past the guards and left the car.

After a moment all follow him outside. The train had stopped and stood still on the tracks. Legion had left the train and stood now on the plain beside the tracks to Canterlot.

There he stood in silence and everypony watch him. And minutes passed without him giving a reaction. Until Shining Armor couldn't hold it anymore. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Legion ignored him. Instead he simple whistled and that whistle sounded far over the land. As the last part of the whistle died down, only the wind waved through the air.

Then an unknown voice spoke. "Oly Oly Oxen Free."

Again the guards raised their weapons, now in the direction of the voice. A pony walked out the nearby forest. Slowly the walked towards the train.

The pony was clad in a mantle, effectively covering all details. That and the fact the pony gets closer to the train did nothing to ease the tension.

As the pony was only a few steps in front of the train it stopped. Legion looked at the pony. "Why we don't fear the night anymore?"

" Cause we know, the darkest hour is always just before the dawn." the pony pulled down his hood. Under the hood was a unicorn, with a yellow coat and a scarlet mane. But that was not the frightening part. It was the fact that the pony looked androgen and has heterochromia with a pink and a green eye.

It wasn't unheard that a pony was born androgen or born with heterochromia, but born with both was unheard. And Stellar could senses that this pony wasn't born in Equestria.

The stranger walked closer to Legion and when he was close to him, Legion surged forward and embraced him in a hug. The stranger returned the hug. "Brother it's good to see you."

"Illusion, we are pleased to see you too." He brakes the hug and turned back to the train. "Now we can continue with our journey to Canterlot. "

With that, he and the visitor start to walk towards the train.

As they were near the train, the guards find their composure. Flash Sentry was the first to react. He walked towards them and raised his spear. "Stop right now."

He tried to be imitation, but it was lost to them. The unknown walked past him, unfazed by the weapons. Instead, he used his tail and wished over his chest plate and face.

Flash starts to blush vicious, as the tail wishing is a highly improperly act, as it was highly sexual. His sister wasted no second. "already making familiar with her?" she teased him.

The stranger turned around. "Darling, I only greeted him," he said in a very feminine and seductive voice.

"Are you a mare?" some other guard blurred out.

Now all stare at him in disbelief. Illusion smiled simply. Stellar was surprised, as Illusion seems to have more emotions and is more able/willing to show them. "I'm many things," he said and a part of his mane covers one side his face, the side with the pink eye. "I'm a great warrior, the death on the battlefield." he turned his head and now the side with the great eye was covered. "I'm the voice you hear after a night of good fucking." He waved his head again and both eyes were no visible. "So be nice and you have the chance to win a round," he said in a cheery voice.

And so the strange and surreal atmosphere returned. Stellar looked at Cadance, who looked equally disturbed, then at Shining Armor, who looked like he is going to have a seizure, then at Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst, who just happened to arrive at the scene.

"Did we miss something?" Sunburst asked while he rubs the sleep out of his eyes.

Stellar signed and shook her head. "You won't believe it..."