It was a normal day in the world of Equestria, well, as normal as it could be at first. Twilight Sparkle and Starlight were, of course, busy with more Friendship quests. Unfortunately for the pair, As they were leaving a town near the Equestrian Outskirts, they were met by a strange icy cold mist. It was strange considering the town they were leaving was in a warmer climate.
"Umm, Starlight. do you see what I see? Please tell me that I'm not the only one seeing this." Starlight was just as puzzled as Twilight was. They had never seem something like this. Strange happenings were normal for Equestria due to the magical properties in the air, but weather phenomenon happening outside of specific climates was new. Especially since the mist was so thick.
"I do, why is there a mist around here? What should be warm feels cold." Starlight looked behind herself. "I'd say we should go back, but I can't even see the village we just left anymore." The pair had no choice but to continue forward since the mist had completely enveloped them in the short distance they had traveled. It was only a few short minutes before what looked like another town came into view, and what they saw, scared them beyond belief.
Twilight was the first to speak. "Is that the Hollow Shade?" Starlight simply nodded. The princess looked more closely and she froze. There were ponies walking around the abandoned town. Sunburst had said years ago that the village had been abandoned nearly around the time that the Pillars of Equestria disappeared, and now there were ponies walking around and partaking in life as if no time had passed from them. Why was the long forgotten town in use again? Surely as a Princess, Twilight would have heard about it. After a brief moment, she looked to Starlight, and she nodded. They decided to continue moving forward.
Little did the pair know, that they were being watched from high up by a mysterious bipedal figure clad in Blue armor that had arrived in the Hollow Shade mere days ago. Another unknown to the princess and her student was that the ponies they had seen were undead. The reason for this was the presence of the unknown figure. The increased magical energies in the air overcharged the being, and made him involuntarily use his powers of ice and undeath. He knew he was the cause of the predicament below. The figure hoped that the pair of ponies he saw before him were luckier than the other traveler that had passed through just after he had arrived. The undead villagers had collapsed on the passerby and trapped them in a building. They were likely starving to death as the moments passed.
The figure wanted to both watch the pair and hide. Should the living pair of ponies see him, along with the state of the villagers, he knew they would turn on him. He would need more time to hone and attune his strength before he would be ready to confront anyone. Without the practice he had been undergoing daily, merely being in the presence of another being could freeze them solid and introduce them to his world of death. He would need more time to re-hone his skills if the figure were to interact with any kind of life.
The figure had worked hard to control those powers back on his home world, and would not introduce himself to the sentient beings of this world without proper control. Unfortunately for the figure, however, Starlight looked up, and saw him. He knew he had been spotted, but still tried to remain as hidden as possible.
"Twilight! Look up! There's something on the overlook of rock above the village." Starlight spoke quickly, and with latent fear in her voice. Simply looking in the direction of the figure had chilled her to bone and caused her teeth to chatter. Whatever the figure was, it was not normal.
Twilight looked up and at first, saw nothing, but upon a closer look, she spotted the icy flame emitting from the figure's pauldrons. "You're right! Do you see the same little flame that I do?"
"Yea! Do you think we should go up there and investigate?" Starlight both exclaimed and inquired.
"I'm not sure. perhaps it would be best if we came back in a few days. For all we know, it could be an Usra Major!" Twilight was hesitant and tried to apply logic to the situation, but Starlight was having none of it. They would have to investigate now if they had any chance of seeing what the icy flame is. Otherwise, it could disappear in a days time.
Starlight sighed. Knowing Twilight was just as scared as she was was comforting for some reason, but Starlight knew they had to see what it was, or else the anomaly could be gone within the hour. "Twilight, if we don't go up now, whatever is up there may be gone by the time we get back. We have to go investigate now."
Twilight, knowing that Starlight was right, hesitantly agreed with her and the two began their trek towards the town to see if they could get to the top of the rock-face. Normally, they would have teleported, but the mist in the area was preventing spell-casting for some reason.
The figure on the rock was surprised by the pair of ponies conviction. Either they did not know what was happening to the spirits below, or they were just ignorant and trying to get a better look as to what he was. He couldn't run the risk of them finding him, but the figure had little choice as to where he could go. He sighed. It was only a matter of time before the two found him. The figure resigned himself to his fate and meditated, hoping that he could gain some sort of control over his powers before the pair of ponies eventually reached him.
It had been a few hours since the Mysterious rock figure had seen two ponies enter the village of undeath, and he was starting to get worried. He could sense that they had considerable power, so if any of his accidental misuse of power had come in contact with them, it should have been easy for them to deal with it. As he got up and looked over the rock-face, the sight shocked him. The two ponies from earlier were almost across town, but were stuck on a roof. They looked to be freaking out over something, a something he was all to familiar with, Undeath.
The figure had two options; He could jump down and assist the two frightened creatures, at risk of them being terrified of him, before they could even speak, or, he could let them be and hope they come out of the situation with little damage. As much as he wanted to help them, he still did not feel in control of himself, even after days of retraining himself in this new, magically enhanced, environment. With a deep sigh of regret, the figure opted for the latter option, and let the creatures be, hoping things would be all right. The figure resumed his meditation.
After some time, the figure heard talking near the bottom of the rock-face, and to his delight, saw more than just two ponies. Now, there were 3. It would seem that the traveler from before had been more resilient than he had originally thought.
"What are two doing out here? Not a pony has tried to set foot in this village for days, not even treasure hunters. With all the angry spirits running about the place, you'd think something woke the dead." How right that pony was, much to the chagrin of the figure. Hopefully, the figure could control his power soon, and put the spirits back to rest.
It took a moment before Twilight realized that their savior was talking to them. "Oh! Um, we're not entirely sure how we got here ourselves. We left a town about six hours ago, and both of us were pulled into the strange mist out there, though it was a lot heavier those six hours ago. It dragged us out here for some reason."
The stranger nodded in understanding and spoke up again. "The mist rolled in about a week ago, I think. At first it was light, and I thought nothing of it, but within the day, you couldn't navigate the area without getting turned around and brought here. I've been stuck here since that mist showed up." The stranger seemed nice enough, so Twilight and Starlight looked at each and both came to understand that could could trust the pony in front of them. "Might I ask why you two took the risk of crossing town though? Doesn't seem all that smart to try and cross a village of walking dead."
Starlight was the one to speak up and respond this time. "We spotted a figure up on the overhanging rock. We wanted to go try and see what it was, but as you can see, we kind of caught ourselves in this predicament."
"Hmm. Well, if you want to head up there, I can help you two get to the path leading up there. The sooner we fix this mist, the sooner all of us can get out of here. No telling what's up there though, so be careful now, ya hear!" The strange pony seemed genuinely worried about the pair.
"We will be, so long as you follow your own advice." Both Twilight and Starlight responded in tandem. All three nodded in agreement and parted ways. Starlight and Twilight headed toward the path, while the stranger went to the center of town to try and create a distraction.
The figure on the rock grew uneasy. He knew that he himself had traveled up that path, and his mere presence had chilled the area and killed all the plant-life nearby, and perhaps some hidden wildlife. The idea of the two ponies finding him, and then trying to attack him because of that, was not the greatest. He knew they'd reach him within the hour. He had no choice but to confront the ponies and try to explain the situation, hopefully before they attacked him.
An hour had passed, and the Figure had been getting antsy. He sat down by the fire he had set up recently, and once again meditated. It had only been a few minutes before a very faint voice could be heard. The figure knew his time was up. All that could be done was hope the small purple ponies didn't attack him.
"What do you think is up here Twilight? We've only got another minute or so before we actually get to the top." Starlight's eyes sparkled with excitement, as well as fear. They could very well be discovering a new species! but the prospect of it being potentially life threatening made her shiver in fear. Or was it the frigid air?
Twilight was about to respond, but some caught her eye in the edge of her peripheral vision. It was the same icy blue flame she had spotted at the base of the overlook. "Starlight, before I answer that, come with me." This sent Starlight into a miniature panic attack before Twilight explained herself in a low voice. "I can see the flames from earlier, Whatever it is, it seems to be chilling the air around it." Twilight was apprehensive about moving forward and considered turning around and trying to find a way out of the village. She shook her head and cleared her mind and pushed onward. She motioned to Starlight to follow.
As they neared, the figure stood up, revealing its size, and faced the pair. Upon seeing the figure, Twilight gasped in fear, and nearly fainted. The figure stood roughly six feet tall, was clad in dark blue plated armor with icy flames emitting from the pauldrons and carried two short serrated swords with a similar icy aura encompassing them. He had a smooth face with long pointy ears. The most disturbing fact, however, was the way his eyes glowed with an eerie light blue, and seemed to be devoid of life.
Starlight and Twilight backed up briefly in shock before looking at each other and coming to the same conclusion. It was fight or die. The figure saw the determination in their eyes and knew what was coming. They were in fight or flight mode. The figure turned back around and went to sit by his fire once more before turning to the ponies as he sat.
The trio of creatures stared at each other in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Twilight finally decided to break said silence. "Who, and what, are you?" She asked tentatively. Twilight was laser-focused on the strange being. Not daring to break eye contact with a being that exuded as much power as he did.
The figure stood up, bowed briefly, then responded. "I am known as Eslon, a Blood elf." Eslon paused for a moment before continuing. "or rather, I used to be." He paused once more." I would tell you more, But I fear my origins would scare or traumatize you. I am not from the most peaceful of places."
Though still wary of the figure now known as Eslon, the way he spoke was almost soothing, in a way, and eased some of the tension that the pair of ponies was carrying. "Why are you here? And do you know anything about whats going on down below?" Twilight asked the second question because she had just noticed that the mist covered nearly everything, except the area all three creatures were conversing.
Eslon looked away in sadenss. "I am here because my world is dying, and not a thing has the power to heal it. Myself and two others went in search of a distant world where we could hopefully find a cure for what ails our world, but we have been unsuccessful so far. Before you ask, I know not of where my companions are. They left before I. I had hoped to find them and continue my mission." Eslon stood up and walked to the overhang and watched the chaos below. The stranger from before was on the roof of a building, and had somehow managed to lose the undead ponies roaming the village. "As for the situation below, That is my doing. Not intentional mind you, but with the increased latent magics in the air, it is hard to control my abilities. One of my power and nature must relearn control if they are to be safe to be around, hence why I have exiled myself here for the time being."
The answers prompted more questions from the pair, only this time, Starlight had beaten Twilight to the punch. "What exactly are your abilities, and what do they have to do with your exile? Who are these companions of yours?"
Eslon sighed and turned back to face the pair. "Simply put, I am what people on my world call, A Death Knight." This prompted Starlight and Twilight to back up with a terrified expression in their faces. Eslon noticed this and tried to ease their minds. "Worry not, I have no intention of hurting you. However, my powers were born of an unfortunate situation, one I would rather not speak of. I am not proud of what happened then." This put the pair more at ease. "You see, I can manipulate the power of death and disease. The mist you see around you is a product of my abilities, though, not of my own volition. The spirits and Ponies below were disturbed by my presence because I had no control over myself. They rose up to inhabit the town."
Starlight and Twilight sat down in awe and continued to listen intently. This brought a smile to Eslon's face. He was glad that the apprehension and fear was slowly dissipating. The fact that he loved telling stories was a bonus. He made sure to watch the pair for any ounce of disgust or malice. "I am technically neither living, nor dead. I noticed you two staring into my eyes as if trying to see what was there. There is nothing." He saw Twilight shed a tear. Was it for sympathy or empathy? He would likely never know.
"As for my companions, they are similar in nature to myself and are Blood elves, only, they are living. One follows the teachings of what we call, Fel Magics, and uses it to fight beings of such power, that some of them would make my abilities look like child's play. The other follows Void magics, a primal force so powerful, that only its counterpart, Light magic, can effectively counter it. They hide in the shadows as the best assassins on my world."
Starlight and Twilight had such a hard time wrapping their head around all the information that they did not see Eslon approach them and kneel down. "I must apologize for what you have seen and heard in the past twelve hours. It is never my intention to scare or hurt innocents. I know the pair of you possess magic, and I must also apologize because my abilities can act as a natural magical nullifier. I had planned to stay here in secret until I had proper control of my abilities, but then the pair of you somehow got caught up in my mist. I, again, must sincerely apologize."
Starlight and Twilight tilted their heads in confusion and wonder. Here was this 'Blood elf' as it called itself, that commanded power over the dead, and it was trying to be sincere and polite. They simply couldn't understand it. "Eslon." The elf turned his head up to face the two ponies as Twilight spoke up. "Why don't we help you learn to control your powers so that we can fix all this, then maybe we can go to see Princess Celestia and try to find your friends. Is that ok?"
Eslon smiled. "I'll gladly accept your help. I just hope this princess of yours is as understanding and kind as you two are Miss....?"
"Twilight Sparkle." Eslon Looked at Starlight.
"Starlight Glimmer."
"Ah, Miss Sparkle and Miss Glimmer. Thank you again for your offer. Before we start though, I must warn you that you may see displays of power that are likely to be disturbing in some ways. Are you two ok with that?" Eslon wanted to make sure the pair were ok working with his abilities before he started working on ability control.
"We are aware of your abilities now, So long as you don't actively raise the dead, I think we'll get along just fine." Twilight had a big smile on her face as Eslon extended a hand in an offer to help her up.
"I will make sure to keep that in mind Miss Sparkle." And so began the unlikely friendship of an undead Elf and two Purple Ponies.
Author's Note
I feel as though my writing skills have bettered themselves exponentially since I last wrote on this site, and I hope the flow, as well as structure of the story here is indicative of that. Please let me know if you find any spelling or grammar mistakes. It would help greatly until I find an editor. Unfortunately, I can only do so much myself. Regardless, I hope those of you reading this story enjoy it! Anyone that can provide feedback, in any form, would be greatly appreciated!
Please note that heavier Warcraft references will be made in future chapters.
Twilight and Starlight sat in silence as Eslon meditated forty feet away. He had come a long way over the course of the last few weeks, relearning how to control his abilities, and true to his word, he had refrained from using anything too gruesome or dangerous; at least, not on purpose anyway. It was Twilight that broke the silence that plagued them. "To think Starlight, that a creature like him could control such a powerful force as death, and all he does with it is try to better the world around him." Twilight looked over the rock overhang and saw that the spirits and ponies that had risen close to two weeks ago, had long since begun their rest once more. "I can't believe that his mere presence was enough to raise the dead."
Starlight responded with a twinkle in her eye. "I know! Not to mention that us simply being near him for the first few days completely blocked out our magic. What kind of ability does he have that even lets him do that? What could have even given him that ability?" Starlight was like a filly in a candy store. She, just like Twilight, was rather excited about the prospect of learning more about Eslon's strange magics.
Then another idea popped up in Starlight's head. "You know Twilight, Eslon mentioned he had companions that controlled similarly powerful magics, where do you think they might be?"
Twilight brought her hoof to chin and thought for a moment. "You know, I'm not entirely sure, but for some reason, I have a feeling that we may find out soon enough." With that statement, Twilight noticed a strange light coming from somewhere. Where was it? She looked around in all directions, confusing Starlight, before she finally looked behind her and spotted the source of the dim light. Her cutie mark was glowing. Why was it glowing? The map had to know that they couldn't possibly see the map from where they were. Sure, they could teleport, but with the large magic nullifier that sat nearby, it would be near impossible for them to teleport that far without leaving them drained.
"Uh Twilight, why is your cutie mark glowing?" Starlight sounded even more confused that Twilight.
Eslon heard this, and turned to face the pair of ponies. This phenomenon confused the Elf as he had no prior knowledge of such a thing being able to happen. "Miss Twilight." Twilight and Starlight promptly looked over at Eslon. He had clearly heard them. "Might I ask what is going on? This so called 'cutie mark' of yours, is it something I could possibly help with?"
Twilight pondered for a moment before answered. "I don't think you would be able to help us Eslon. We need to get back to my castle to see why it's happening, but with you acting like a natural source stone*, we can't teleport to it." Twilight raised her eyes in alarm as she noticed what she had said. She noticed that Eslon had surprise written all over his face.
"You are Royalty?" Twilight hesitantly nodded sheepishly. She hated being catered too. It made her feel like she was above others and hated the feeling with her entire being.
Eslon hurriedly got up from where he had been sitting and ran over to Twilight. She jumped momentarily before Eslon knelt before her and bowed in respect. "I must apologize my lady. I had no idea that you were of such status." Eslon raised his head to look at Twilight briefly and spoke before once again lowering his gaze. "You only need make a request, and I will see to it that all your needs and wants are met."
Twilight looked over at Starlight for help, prompting said mare to shrug her soldiers as a way of saying that Twilight was on her own. "Uh, Eslon, you may stand and look me in the eyes. I see no need for such things as servants or guards. Please treat me as you would have before. I hate others treating me differently just because of my title." This statement confused Eslon as he rose up, obeying the command that Princess Twilight had given him.
"Are you sure my lady? I would gladly he-"Twilight cut him off.
"I will not have you doing things for me and risking your life for me just because I'm royalty. We've only been able to get to know each other for the past few days." Twilight thought for a moment before coming to a decision regarding what Eslon had offered. "Actually, wait." Eslon once again knelt before the Princess of Friendship in respect of her authority. "There is one thing you can do."
"Anything my lady."
"Could you perhaps turn off your ability to subvert magical abilities, at least for us to teleport to the castle?" Twilight was hoping that Eslon had enough control of his abilities to help them out, even if just for a brief moment.
"I could try. I am unsure of how it will react to my will on this world. I had avoided trying to take complete control of it, because you had been nearby; That, and it is one of my more difficult abilities to use. If I lose too much control, especially around creatures of magical origin or ability, it could prove to be fatal. Are you willing to take that risk?" Eslon sounded very dark and serious. The threat of death was VERY real, and he wanted to make it known.
Twilight looked over at Starlight looking for a sign that she accepted the risks. Starlight nodded. "We accept the risks." Twilight spoke as she looked back over at Eslon.
"Very well." Eslon stood up and, for the first since the three had met, took his swords off his belt. He stuck them in the rock and began.
Three hours later...
Twilight and Eslon were walking the halls of Canterlot Castle as Twilight explained to Eslon what had happened back at her castle. "You see, me and my friends were linked to something called the Elements of Harmony. The Elements are Powerful artifacts connected to a centuries old crystal tree that helps provide our land with all the magical power you've experience. My castle, and the map you saw are connected to the aforementioned Tree of Harmony. It sends us on tasks we have dubbed 'Friendship Missions.' My friends though, disappeared years ago." Her ears drooped and her gaze fell. "I still don't know where or how, even after 15 years."
Eslon listened patiently and intently. He was intrigued with the Power that Twilight and her now lost friends apparently possessed. If only people on his world knew how powerful and helpful something as simple as friendship was. It could have stopped so many wars based on misunderstandings. "Princess." This prompted Twilight to snap out of her depressed state and look up at Eslon. He had learned that her official title as royalty was that of a princess back at her castle, where her assistant had tried to attack him. That was an interesting situation, just watching a baby dragon try to bite through his armor. "I think most everyone back on my world could learn a lot from a pony such as yourself."
Twilight smiled and Blushed at the praise. "From what you told me, I bet they could." Her cheeks puffed up in anger before continuing. "To think that wars are being fought on your world just because some creatures want to live in peace or be accepted! Or even that your people are waging war over your planets actual blood! That's so wrong!"
"Yes Twilight, but unfortunately, it is the situation back on my world. It is why me and my companions had hoped to find help elsewhere." Eslon got lost in his thoughts for a moment before continuing. "Do you think your ruling Princesses will have the answers I seek regarding help, or at the very least, information on where my companions may be?"
Twilight sighed as they neared the Throne room."We can only hope Eslon."
A line of nobles that sat outside the large ornate wooden doors of the throne room was made more known as they got closer. The further the pair got down the line, the more they noticed the nobles faces light up in fear. Eslon doubted they had ever seen someone like him, so it puzzled him as to why the nobles seemed so afraid, especially since he was being escorted by Princess Twilight. The fear in the eyes of the nobles was a constant until they reached the front of the line, where a tall stallion and mare made themselves known.
"Princess Twilight! There you are!" The stallion was the first to speak. "We've all been waiting out here for hours. perhaps you get let us in on what's going on with Princess Celestia and Luna? Court was scheduled to open 4 hours ago."
"I'm sorry Fancy Pants, I know just as little as you. I'm only here because of the creature behind me." Twilight spoke with a confused expression all over written on her face and motioned toward Eslon.
"Oh dear." Fancy Pants looked over at Eslon and gave him an apologetic look. "I must apologize for not acknowledging you at first. I hope you do not think I was ignoring you or not noticed your presence."
Eslon laughed inwardly for a moment and smiled. "There is no need to apologize. I realize that I am not something you would see everyday. According to Princess Twilight, some of the creatures here in Equestria make me look tame." Upon hearing that, brought his hoof to his jaw and thought for a moment before speaking again.
"You are not from Equestria?" Fancy Pants spoke inquisitively.
Eslon maintained his smile and answered the Stallion, whom up to this point, seemed nice enough. "No, I am not from this reality I don't think." Eslon spoke before laughing once again. This confused all the ponies nearby. Eslon was a creature not from this world and was brushing it off as if it was nothing. How could one be so optimistic?
Twilight spoke up before the two could get into a conversation. "Eslon, we should probably get going. Princess Celestia is likely waiting for us inside. She's expecting us any moment." She used her head to motion towards the door.
"Of course Princess. Let's go. I look forward to the meeting." Twilight noticed a twinkle in Eslon's eye, but ignored it, thinking Eslon was just excited to meet the ruler of Equestria. Unfortunately for Twilight however, Eslon was hatching a plan.
After a brief scuffle outside the throne room doors, in which the guards tried to intimidate the Death Knight, Twilight and Eslon were finally allowed into the throne room. Upon entering the throne room, Eslon couldn't help but marvel at it's extravagance. Stained glass windows covered both sides of the room, filled with various exploits of heroism. Ornate marble pillars could be seen throughout the room, as well as an immaculate marble floor. The most notable feature of the room, was of course, the throne. It looked to be carved from solid gold and was covered in various jewels. This made the throne room back in Orgrimmar look like a pile of garbage. Everything was so clean and organized. It made Eslon feel like he was desecrating the floor simply by walking upon it.
The pair walked up the long carpet leading to the foot of the throne, but as they neared, the guards posted throughout the room got seemingly more and more antsy. The guards were seemingly acting on instinct, and they detected Eslon as a potential threat. A creature clad in heavy armor, and carrying twin shortswords? It seemed like a recipe for disaster to them. As one tried to inch closer, Twilight noticed and shot the guard a death glare. The guard knew better than to try and challenge the Princess of Friendship, so he backed off.
Twilight and Eslon inched ever nearer the throne, and as they did, Celestia looked up from her conversation with Luna, and upon seeing Eslon, gasped seemingly in shock, or some kind of fear. Luna quickly followed suit when she saw where her sister was staring. Eslon noticed and grinned smugly. He could sense their power, so it was likely they could feel his. Celestia leaned over to her scribe and whispered something hurriedly into their ear. The scribe shook her head with determination and left the throne room. It was at this point, that Twilight finally spoke up.
"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! It's been a while!" Twilight ran up to her former teacher and Best friend, embracing them both in what surely was a bone crunching hug. Eslon may not have entirely been alive, but he was sure that even he would not want to be on the receiving end of that.
The sister Princesses broke the hug and looked at Twilight with fondness. "It certainly has." Celestia then broke her gaze from Twilight and glared at Eslon, who just returned the stare in a neutral manner. "However, I had hoped our meeting would have been under better circumstances. Why would you bring that menace here Twilight!" Upon hearing those words, all the guards in the room surrounded Eslon and pointed every form of weaponry they had at the Death Knight. Eslon simply just sighed.
"Princess! Why would you say such a thing about one of my friends?!" Twilight was rather upset. It was unlike Celestia to go straight to hostility, no matter the circumstance. Upon looking towards Luna for help however, Twilight noticed that the Lunar princess had a similar look of distaste upon her features.
"Twilight, You do not understand. That creature is not your friend, it never has been." Celestia's normally composed face was distorted with anger. "Let me guess, you found him and he regaled tales of his world in a state of near death, and told you that he was looking for a way to save it?" Twilight just gasped.
"How did you know!?" Twilight was flabbergasted. How could Princess Celestia know when she had never met Eslon before.
"I can answer that for you Twilight." It was Eslon who spoke up. He flared his icy aura for just a moment and the guards spears and other weapons froze in a thick layer of ice. He then simply held out his hand, a ball of ice forming within it. After a short moment, it dispersed. The next thing that happened, surprised everyone in the room. The weapons completely shattered. The guards backed up in sheer terror. "I imagine that the Princess has had run ins with my companions that I had mentioned to you before. She must have captured them and kept their existence a secret. Upon seeing me, Celestia may have thought that I am the same as they were. Am I far off dear Princess?" During this speech, Eslon stared walking up the carpeted path.
Eslon continued walking and saw the Princess' gaze darken, confirming his suspicions. Eslon smiled. "Princess, I am not like my former companions. For one, I am not here to cheat, steal, lie, or kill. I am here simply to ask for help. Second, Unlike my companions, I have a much finer control over my temper, and thus, my abilities. Please do not try to cage me or surround me with guards again. I can forgive a lot of things, but there is no need for hostility. If you want it to be a hostile environment, than I will oblige, but I would advise against it. Princess Twilight can tell you why." As Eslon spoke, everypony in the room could feeling the chillingly calm aura that he exuded.
Twilight looked at Celestia with a pleading look in her eye. "Princess, he's telling the truth. Please don't harm or provoke him."Celestia just growled in anger.
"Why should we believe him; why should we not pursue his incarceration or execution!?" Celestia was very mad. Eslon took notice and deduced what his companions did while trying to search for the solution they so desperately needed. They must have taken lives. But why? Eslon was left to ponder this while the three Princesses continued talking among each other.
"Princess, If he were here to hurt us he would have done so already! Eslon can quite literally control death itself and the cold that envelops us in such a state. He even acts as a natural source stone! Believe me when I say that he could very well have killed us all the moment he arrived here with me if he so wished! Why are you so insistent on putting him in the dungeon?!?" Twilight had a pleading look on her face. She wanted answers, and if Celestia was to quell her interest, she would need to divulge a secret kept for more than 15 years.
"Twilight, Your friends didn't just up and disappear nearly 15 years ago." Celestia said this with a look of deep sadness and regret written all over her face. Twilight looked at her former mentor with curiosity, and a slight amount of rage. The Sun princess would need to choose her next words very carefully. "They were corrupted." Eslon raised an eyebrow in genuine interest. Only a few magics or forces had the power to corrupt, at least to his knowledge.
"Beings that had a similar look to 'Eslon' as you call him, showed up out of nowhere one day." Celestia turned to look at Twilight. "Do you remember the day that Tirek invaded Canterlot?" The purple princess nodded.
"Well, normally myself, Luna, and Cadence would have had more than enough power to fend him off." Celestia looked away and her face contorted into one of rage and disgust. "We had been fighting off beings like Eslon for nearly a year in secret up to that point. They had almost wiped a village off the face of Equestria at one point before we stepped in." Her eyes filled with tears.
"We wanted to find a way to fight them off, so we called in your friends to try and help..." Celestia had to look away from Twilight at this point. "We wanted to involve you, but we couldn't risk the loss of a princess. You were still so new to your role and power that we didn't think you could handle the power they commanded." Celestia looked at Eslon before asking Twilight a question in a low voice. "What did you feel when you met him?"
Twilight responded quickly, knowing exactly what she felt. "Fear. Powerlessness. I felt like an ant..." Twilight thought she knew where this conversation was going, but she was very wrong. What Celestia said next made Twilight rethink her entire idea of power.
"Those two didn't make us feel like ants Twilight... They made us feel like we were fighting gods." Twilight's eyes widened in fear and looked to Eslon. He simply nodded.
"We had hoped that the power of the Tree of Harmony could banish them... but it only made things worse." While it seemed to hurt them, it hurt your friends even more..." Celestia was on the verge of a mental breakdown at this point. These were events she had vowed to never reveal to anyone. "The vile magics they commanded leeched off of them in waves when we tried to seal them with your friends power..." Celestia choked briefly before continuing.
"We knew that your friends power would be weakened without your presence, and thought that the missing piece could have been replaced by the power of three Alicorns... We were wrong..." At this point it was rather obvious what was happening in the story Celestia was telling. Both Twilight and Eslon knew what was coming next.
They were both wrong as Celestia's face contorted into one of rage and she looked at Eslon before pointing an accusatory hoof at him. "Let me show you exactly what his wretched companions did your friends!" Her eyes glowed red with a raging fire. Such a rapid shift in moods was uncommon for Celestia, so as Twilight looked at the Sun Princess, she knew something horrifying had happened.
Celestia's horn glowed before she, Twilight, and Eslon disappeared from the throne room, leaving a shocked Luna alone on her throne. Her surprise lasted all of 5 seconds before she sighed and her horn glowed as she opened up the large twin doors leading into the room. As ponies filed in, she spoke.
"I must apologize for my sister's absence, but something rather important became known, so she had to leave for the day. Any and all inquiry can be directed at me for the time being." It was uncommon for one sister to hold court alone since Luna's return, but it was sometimes necessary. While the nobles began their speeches, Luna thought to her Sister and hoped that everything would end up being alright. She knew where they were headed. A land long forgotten by both time and equinity.
The Badlands.
Author's Note
*A Source stone is a magical artifact that can absorb and outright stop spell-casting and other magical abilities. In other words, it completely nullifies abilities or properties of anything, everything, and everyone magical.
