Chapters Solaire's first image in this new world was ironically enough.. The sun. Solaire was lying on his back, awaking from the rough toss from the portal onto the floor. He had to put a hand up to his eyes to protect them, as the sun was so bright. Much different than the sun he was used to.
"Where have I been taken?" Solaire asked himself, as he immediately pushed himself up onto his feet, and unsheathed his Sunlight Sword. He reached for his back, only to find that his shield was missing. No matter, he was still able to fend off any dangers of this new place with just his sword.
Though the surrounding scenery was.. interesting. He was surrounded by white shining brick and tile, and the sky was bright blue. His eyes then took in the surrounding creatures. Four legged ones.. Horses.
"Could I have truly gone insane? Is this the illusion hollows are forced to witness?" He asked aloud, though his helmet muffling his words. The horses, or, ponies, since they were smaller, were looking at him in fear. Many of them ran off with elegant dresses and suits. He didn't make much sense of it, but gave a laugh.
"I have truly gone insane! This is outrageous. Who could believe something so.. impossible?" He said, keeping his sword up still. He wondered if perhaps he should stab himself with his sword. That would stop his madness, and even if the world seemed beautiful, it wasn't real. He readied his sword, pointing the blade to his stomach before he heard:
"Stop!"
A female voice. One of concern and worry. His gaze turned to his left, to see a much taller pony, her fur white, and wearing a crown. Her mane and tail flowed through the air seemingly flawlessly. His eyes had widened, trying to take in what he was seeing. He also saw the picture of.. a sun on her flank.
Solaire put his sword down, and sheathed it slowly, not taking his eyes off her. Was this real?
"The true goddess of sunlight?" He asked quietly, as he gazed into her eyes now. He suddenly realized he should speak, and try to make sense of the situation. Perhaps this quest was not going to die just yet! Perhaps..
"Ahehm-.. I am Solaire of Astora, a Warrior of Sunlight!" He declared to her, his voice sounding proud of the statement. He was proud, and had always been proud up until those evil thoughts came creeping into his mind. Now, he took all that shame and disbelief in his quest away, and felt invigorated again.
Celestia stared at the creature that had appeared from thin air. She was simply admiring the guests of the castle out on the balcony, where many seats and tables were being used. She wanted to make small talk until suddenly, everypony began to run. As she had turned her gaze towards what the guests were staring at, she was him. The creature, bearing what seemed to be armor, and a picture of a sun on his chest.
A warrior of sunlight, he said. Well, he did have a sun plastered onto his chest, and seemed to be entranced by the sight of her. Perhaps he was some sort of weird stalker from another land. It wouldn't have been the first case this happened.
"Hello, Solaire of Astora, Warrior of.. sunlight. I am Princess Celestia. What business do you have here?" She asked, obviously confused on why he was at the castle in the first place. Why did he show up out of the blue? Why did he point a sword at his chest, seeming to almost commit an act of suicide? Thankfully she was able to stop him.
"I.. don't know. I wish I knew why I was here. I myself are as confused as you may be." The creature said, gesturing with his claws that he didn't know much. Well, perhaps it was a teleportation gone wrong.
"Where are you from? What kingdom? I can send you back safely with a spell." She told him.
"Kingdom..? I come from Lordran, going to the birthplace of Lord Gwyn, lord of Cinder. To find my own sun, that is."
The words he spoke.. Lordran, Lord Gwyn, Lord of Cinder.. None of it rang a bell. Perhaps he was from a smaller, lesser known kingdom? But she certainly would've known someone with the title of 'Lord of Cinder.'
"I do not know of these places you speak about. I do not know of what species you are either."
"I am Undead, of course. I became it, to search for my very own sun. It was the only way." He told her.
"Undead?" She asked.
"Why yes.. I.. assume you don't know much of my kind, nor the place I reside. May I ask where I am?" Solaire asked, hoping to get an idea of where he truly was. Celestia nodded, and spoke:
"You are in my castle." She said.
Her castle? She must be the goddess of sunlight! Maybe not the exact appearance he was expecting, but she looked so beautiful, and her little picture on her flank had a sun on it. And her name, Celestia! This was no mere coincidence. His time of being a warrior of sunlight truly is paying off now.
"Ah.. I do not mean to cause disruption! I was brought here suddenly without my consent. Though, I do quite like the place. Much more.. brighter, than where I am from." He told her, a tone of some sadness coming from him. The world he resided in wasn't one of happy memories, but of all odds stacked against anyone who stepped foot in it. This place he was now in was so bright, that it nearly blinded him no matter where he looked.
If he was to be blinded by the beauty of the sun, it was an honor.
"Perhaps you should come with me and explain who you are and where you are from in detail somewhere nicer. And, I please ask of you, to not take out your sword." She asked him politely. Of course he was going to oblige, why wouldn't he? He was to do as the sun asked.
Author's Note
Whooo! Solaire found a reason to live!
This is a much better outcome than what originally might have become of him.
If you like this story or want to give any feedback, please say so in the comments!
Celestia had seated him upon the royal dining hall, asking him if he would like anything to eat. He had responded with no politely, and still had his helmet on. It was polite to take your helmet off in the dining hall, and this Solaire definitely did not know this. She didn't hold it against him though, and politely told him.
"Uhm.. Solaire, I do request everyone to take off hats and helmets in the dining hall. If you could, that would be much appreciated." She said in a polite tone, a smile still on her face. Solaire nodded to her, and took off his helmet. Underneath was a blonde haired.. something. He looked nice though.
"I'm very sorry for not knowing sooner. I have simply had that helmet on for so long that, I forgot what it felt like without it on my head. Any longer, and it would have grown into my skin!" Solaire had said with a hearty laugh. He seemed happy, and had a big smile on his face. His eyes kept gazing at her features, and she couldn't tell if she should be flattered or creeped out.
"You said you were from a place called.. Lordran? Birthplace of.. Gwyn, or something of the sort. Can you explain where you are from? I'm not familiar with such a place." She said in her familiar royal professional tone. She hated it, but contact with another creature not known means first impressions are everything.
"Ah, yes! Lordran, as I was searching for my very own sun. Birthplace of Lord Gwyn, the Lord of Cinders. I.. Don't think i'm in the same world as I was in before. To begin with, the sun was not as bright as it is here, and everything here seems more alive than.. well, undead. Perhaps my universe had collided with yours. I already like it here. Nothing has tried to kill me and take my humanity from me, so over all, very nice."
"Ah.. Your.. world seems dark. It would make sense if you are truly from a different world. I've never seen your kind before, nor heard any of the places you have talked about. I've been just about everywhere in this world and none of what you say makes sense to me." She said, a small chuckle coming out of her. "I don't mean to sound rude! Simply that any other pony would think your delusional."
Solaire knew she didn't mean to be hurtful with her words, so he took it in the nicest way possible. He smiled at her still, and she spoke up once more.
"You seem to be.. fascinated with the sun. You have a picture of it on your armor, and you keep talking about finding your own sun. What does any of it mean?" She said politely.
"After discovering the beauty of the sun when I was small, I was enthralled with its brightness in my dark world. I knew that I was to worship it. It is so beautifully bright and magnificent, a mark in the sky that was always to shine no matter the circumstances. I became undead, as I am now, to search for my own sun. Many thought I was crazy, but I continued on. I became a Warrior of Sunlight, the insignia showing on my armor, and helped others in their times of need. I know many were not able to understand why I was so fascinated with the sun, so in their time of need, I became their sun. I became that shining light that came to help them." He said, taking a small coin out of his pocket.
"With each success, I give anyone I help this. A sunlight medal." He said, putting it on the dining table and pushing it to her. It was made of gold, with the same insignia on his chest on the coin.
"I know that I can not help everyone, and I fail at times. Though, I continue. To be the suns warrior, you must not let yourself be consumed by the darkness, the abyss. I almost faltered.." He said with a more sad tone. His eyes dropped down to his feet, before he brought his hand up and set them onto the table, almost as if thinking of all the things his hands had done.
Celestia stared at him, and gave a smile, trying to lighten his mood.
"You sound like you were truly a warrior of sunlight. Your words are inspiring, and i'm sure those that you have helped have been thankful to have someone as bright as you in their world." Celestia told her thoughts truthfully. What he had said inspired her, and made her think of something she never really thought of before. She raised the sun everyday. Did the other ponies see her moving the sun into the sky as moving as he thought of it? She could only hope something like that. With each compliment of the sun he gave, it felt like a compliment to herself.
"Why thank you. You seem to be quite the bright one yourself. I see you bear the insignia of the sun just like myself. Are you a warrior, or a disciple of the sun?" Solaire asked.
"Not exactly. I raise the sun into the sky every morning. I control it, and I take care of the day-duties around the castle." With what she had said, Solaire's eyes began to widen. He then looked at her with a burst of joy.
"So you are the goddess of sunlight! I knew it. Ever since I first saw you, you seemed unbelievably beautiful, just as the sun itself! I will always be honored to have met you!" He told her, scooting the chair he sat on backwards and taking a knee, raising his hand slightly, palm up, in a sort of praying stance.
Celestia was.. stunned, to say the least. He really was complimenting her now, and he seemed to be honored to meet her. Most ponies were but, this seemed different. Like letting a pony know that their life purpose was truly fulfilled, and meant something.
"I.. am not the goddess of sunlight Solaire." She said with a nervous laugh. "You can get up now. I truly enjoy your compliments, but I am definitely not any goddess. I'm a princess."
"Princess of sunlight, i'm very sorry to mistake you with another title! It wont happen again."
Celestia chuckled a bit more, but Solaire seemed completely serious. She knew that she wouldn't be able to convince him of anything else so, she went on with it. It was the easiest thing to do and, would cause less trouble for the both of them.
"I must say that you would definitely be a good help to boost morale around the castle. These past few weeks have been hitting the staff and soldiers quite harsh as of late. If you're willing, you can stay in the castle. I'll have you assigned to a guest room, and you'll have free reign to roam the halls and rooms. But, I don't think i'll be able to allow you to leave the castle yet. Things need to be signed and, double signed, before being sent through processing to be signed once again."
"Of course i'd love to stay here. I'll be glad to be your flame, and brighten up this world more than it already is." He said with a smile still plastered onto his face.
"Great. I'll have one of the guards escort you to the lobby to get assigned a room. I'll request you to come speak with me after that, as i'm busy with other things for the day. You'll have to excuse me." She said politely, as she stood up and requested a guard to come.
"Escort.. wait, Solaire, do you have a title?" She asked him.
"A title..?"
"Something in front of your name. Would you preferred to be called Mister or.. Knight?"
"No no, just Solaire is fine. Formality isn't necessary."
"Escort Solaire to the lobby, and get him assigned a guest room. No fee, and no day limit. Have them send me the receipt of the checking and i'll have it signed as a royal order." The guard in front of her nodded, and then turned to Solaire.
"Follow me please, Sir." The guard said, as he began to walk off into a corridor. Solaire followed, taking his helmet and putting it back on. Before he disappeared out of the room, he turned to Celestia and stopped in his tracks, putting both his arms into a Y shape, and murmuring something to himself, before following the guard again.
"What a strange person.." Celestia told herself.
Author's Note
Solaire and his Princess of Sunlight, Celestia.
Quite interesting, isn't it?
If you liked the story, or have any feedback, let me know in the comments!
"I see you are a knight of the princess." Solaire said to the guard as they walked down a beautifully lit corridor. His eyes looking at the paintings and artwork strewn across the walls, including a few statues of ponies he knew nothing about. They must've been important if they were in this castle.
"Correct. I'm a dayguard, under Celestia's command." The guard said, eyes forward, focused.
"A dayguard. Who is in command during the night?" Solaire asked, his eyes still stuck onto the paintings on the walls.
"Princess Luna controls the nightguard."
"Princess Luna. That is a fitting name for a Princess of the night." Solaire said, chuckling a little at the irony of the names. They had made it into another room, and entering inside was a large red carpet which led to a counter. Multiple ponies sat behind the counter, presumably assigning rooms to any visiting royalty or guests that have come to the castle.
The guard went up to an empty line, and greeted the clerk.
"Hello madam. I have a request from Princess Celestia to assign this creature a room. I'll take the checking slip once done." The guard told the clerk, who'm looked at Solaire. She was a bit in awe over the appearance of him, but obliged with the order. She pulled out a yellow slip, and picked up a quill pen with her mouth. She was an brown color, with brown hair to match. Though Solaire didn't pay attention to her much.
The clerk passed the slip to the guard. The guard read it, making sure to see what room to escort him to.
"Come with me, sir." The guard said, picking the slip up within his mouth. Solaire followed him down another corridor, this time the right half of the corridor was open. Between the pillars you could see the outside, bright world. Solaire was simply in awe at the sight.
After what seemed to be an eternity living in a destroyed world filled with hatred only, he felt as if there was no possibility of anything like this to exist. He still felt odd, feeling as if all of this was still too impossible to be real. Yet instead of questioning it, her decided it was better to go along with it. Was he really in the right to question the Princess of Sunlight and her world? Heavens no.
They finally made it to a guest room, which was located outside. Walking up a few stairs, they made it to the door. The guard turned to Solaire, and spoke with the slip in his mouth still.
"You are free to explore the Castle as Princess Celestia allowed you permission to do so. This is your living quarters that you will be staying at. Please do not switch to any other room. If someone is in your living quarters without your permission, ask the nearest guard to have it resolved. If you have any other questions, ask a nearby guard." Solaire simply nodded, and waved to the guard.
"Praise the sun, fellow knight." He said to him. The guard stopped for a second, questioning the weird phrase, before continuing.
Solaire opened the door, to which a large room with a comfortable looking purple bed lay in the center at the right. To the left was a desk, some books on-top of it. Next to said books was a quill pen, and many papers. A dresser lay next to the bed as well, though there didn't seem to be much reason to change clothing, as this was his only pair.
Solaire took his helmet off, and set it on the desk. He wiped his blonde hair, and shook his head, a couple of popping noises coming from him.
"Much better." He said with a small smile. He wasn't intending on staying inside the room for long, and wanted to explore the castle grounds. To see what it had to offer. He put a hand onto his sword, before deciding against taking it off. Just because he felt safe didn't mean he couldn't run into trouble, and as a Warrior of the sun, he would defend against it!
He took his helmet, putting it back on, and exited the room.
Paperwork. Meetings. Dull ponies to talk to for hours on end about unnecessary problems. This was the average day for Princess Celestia. She stared at the pony on the other side of the meeting table, and then glanced at the clock quickly. It was almost a few minutes before her break started. A well deserved one at that.
It had been about three hours since she sent Solaire and her guard to get him a room. She wondered what he might have been doing. As a creature from another realm, he must be confused about the differences. She remembered to ask him about what his world was like and his experiences there at a later time. She got a brief description and, it sounded bleak. Perhaps the sun was all those people had, and that made them appreciate it even more.
"With that being said-" The voice across the table droned on, his voice simply putting Celestia to sleep. It wasn't anything of importance, and just an argument about pricing of oranges in his town. Like she could really control the market like that. It was up to the farmers, not her!
Finally, the clock struck the 12 on the top. It was her break.
"Excuse me, I must attend to something else. If you would, you can sit here and go over your notes and points, or wait around the halls of the castle. I'll be back in thirty minutes or so." She said, quickly exiting the meeting room, not giving the pony a chance to speak up against it.
"Oh finally.. I'm free.." She said, before noticing a guard walk by. She stopped him.
"Do you know where Solaire is?" She asked him.
"The last I had seen him was at the furthest royal balcony. He hasn't moved from there in an hour or so." Celestia nodded, and let the guard continue on with his work.
She could have spent time talking to any royal associates or guards, or spending time to herself reading or eating something. Yet this new creature was intriguing, and had piqued her interests quite quickly. His happy tone was infectious, but it wasn't a fake tone, unlike most who talk to her. He seemed real. He wasn't only happy, but also had the ability to let himself be sad for a moment. When he stared down at his hands, she could feel, and hear the sadness in his voice.
He must have lost quite a few friends in his world. That alone would make anyone go crazy, or depressed.
After a couple minutes of walking, and going up some stairs, she made it to the furthest royal balcony, where Solaire was seated on the edge of the brick balustrade or, better known as the top rail. He was watching the events going on below. The small town, taking in its bright colors, and the beautiful scenery of the sun lighting every part of the world up.
"You know, sitting on the edge like that is dangerous." Celestia told him from behind, slowly walking up behind him. He laughed a bit, turning around and hopping off the rail. He stared up at her with the same awe she saw before when they met.
"Falling to my death is the least of my worries. I've seen, done, and been through much worse. A simple balcony can not stop me, I assure you." He said with a smile.
Celestia smiled back. Damn was it infectious.
"You are a strange one, Solaire."
"Well, I come from strange times in a strange land. Would it really be a surprise that I myself am strange?" He said, before taking off his helmet. His blonde hair was being pushed slightly in the wind of the balcony, and Celestia enjoyed the sight of the friendly face in front of her.
"I guess that wouldn't be a surprise, would it. I suppose i'm just a little confused about everything. You're a mystery, Solaire."
"Ah.. Maybe its best you don't know much about my world or myself. I'll tell you if you'd like, but be warned.. It isn't a fun topic. I don't want to darken your world." He said, meaning every word he said. He didn't know if he deserved to be in a world so bright as this, as maybe he might just ruin all of its beauty. Maybe he might bring something to it that didn't help it but instead hurt it.
"Don't worry about such things. You're free to speak about your experiences. I'm willing to listen."
"Hm.. Okay.." He said, not really trusting it. "My world is a world of pain. It's basically the essence of my world. Pain, darkness, and hopelessness. Everyone there has a soul but.. if you were to give up? If you truly were giving up, can no longer go on and let go of your humanity, you would become hollow. A shell of your former self, and become hostile to everyone around you. Friend, foe, they were the same to a hollow." He said, shaking his head.
"Many times have I had friends go hollow. Fellow Warriors of Sunlight especially. All trying to find their own sun, their own brightness in their dark world, yet they give up. I almost did, just as them." He said, putting a hand to his chest.
"But, funnily enough, I was sucked into this place. My soul saved, my quest saved, and.. my life, saved. I wasn't destined to go hollow, I guess."
"Well.. I'm glad you didn't. You've really spiced up my day to day life already, and you've not even been here for a day. I'm sure you'll be a welcome addition to anyone's life here." Celestia told him, giving out a little chuckle.
Solaire really loved hearing her laugh. If he could make the Princess of Sunlight laugh, he was doing something right. He was glad to hear that she was enjoying his company, even if they have barely met for a little while.
"I'm glad you enjoy me being here. A nice change of pace, as usually any creature seeing me would try to pillage my humanity!" He said with a laugh, though a tone of sadness in his voice from it. He shook his head. "What exactly have you been doing since we last talked?" Solaire asked her.
"I was in plenty of meetings. Useless troubles that don't need my approval. I do not understand why people treat me as an answer to every little problem in their lives. I'm not the end all be all of anything." She said, venting out a little bit to Solaire, who simply nodded his helmet.
"I just wish I didn't have to be royalty. And with someone not accustomed to our culture here, I feel like I don't have to. But as soon as I walk back down those stairs, I have to be all royal once again. I just wish things weren't the way they are. Wars have been popping up across the world recently, and everyone is on edge and trying to act like it doesn't exist, and these wars are not anything we have seen before. People are dying. Being.. absolutely obliterated."
Solaire listened in silence, watching the Princess' eyes and general body language, along with listening to her soft cries for help. That's what he heard in his ears. Cries for help.
"Perhaps.. People want your approval to know they are following in the right footsteps. They want to hear your opinion on their life, because, to them, if someone as magnificent as you thinks they're doing good, they can't fail. That isn't exactly right.. but, that's what they see. And these wars you speak about. I understand how it feels to feel stuck, and hopeless. To pretend none of it exists.." Solaire said, a heavy sigh coming from him.
"I understand, because I've gone through it all the same. It's okay to feel confused and conflicted. Because in the reality of things, none of us are different than the other. Just another soul trying to find its light."
Celestia sniffled, but held back anything else that was daring to come out. She nodded to him, and stepped close to him, nudging her neck against his helmet. A pony-human hug.
"Thank you Solaire. Perhaps we should.. meet at dinner. I'll introduce you to my sister." She said, backing up a few steps.
"I'd love to." Solaire nodded.
"Then.. I'll see you when that time comes." Celestia said, turning around and heading down the stairs.
Solaire stood there, sort of surprised at the emotion Celestia vented. Most in his world didn't speak of such things and surpressed everything. This.. was quite.. amazing.
"What a wonderful person." Solaire told himself.
Author's Note
I know, I know. Much longer than the previous ones, but I just got lost in writing this!
If you enjoyed it, or have any feedback, let me know in the comments. Tell me your favorite and least favorite part!
I was listening to 'Nameless Song' from Dark Souls 1, on constant repeat while writing this.
Hours went by. It was finally 7:00pm. The end of Celestia's shift. The way the system worked was Celestia's shift would end at 7:00, and there would be what is known as the "grey area." Luna doesn't start working until 9:00, so the entirety of an hour is run by simply no one.
Where Celestia would be eating dinner, Luna is eating breakfast, and with Celestia's new excitement to show off the new creature that had suddenly come into contact with this world, she was obviously acting a little weird.
"Sister? You seem off. Is something bothering you?" Luna asked her older sister.
"Ah- no. I'm quite fine. However, there is someone I think you should meet. You've definitely heard of the random appearance of a creature in the outside lounge I assume."
"Yes, I was informed when I was on my way here. Said to bear an image of the sun on his armor." Luna said, sipping what seemed to be a random concoction of tea and something else.
"Well, I've invited him over to meet you and to eat with us. I hope that isn't a problem.. is it?" Celestia asked Luna, a slightly worried face presenting. She had worried that perhaps Luna wouldn't want to be bothered with anything this early in her day.
"No no- I think that's perfectly fine. As long as you two don't slobber all over eachother, I think it'd be quite fine." Luna teased. If this creature had an image of the sun on his armor, and considered himself a.. what was it, Warrior of Sunlight, she was told? Perhaps it was all a ploy to simply get into her living quarters.
Celestia was ready to pounce onto her younger sister for the tease, until they both heard a noise.
"Ahehm."
Both sisters looked over to the entrance of the dining hall, which Solaire stood at.
"Oh, Solaire! You're here. Come take a seat." Celestia said, patting the seat next to her. Luna raised her eyebrows with a smug look, whilst Celestia glared at her with ill intention. Solaire went to Celestia, seating next to her, and looking at Luna. He took off his helmet, showing his facial features and blonde hair.
"I've heard you are.. Luna? Sister of Celestia. Princess of Moonlight, correct?" He said politely, setting his helmet on the table, to the side. Luna then tilted her head.
"I.. guess you could say it that way. I am Princess Luna.. You are?"
"Solaire of Astora, Warrior of Sunlight." Solaire said proudly.
"Right.. Solaire.. I've heard you scared off a few of our royal guests." Luna told him, to which Solaire, much to Luna's confusion, started to laugh.
"Ah- I didn't mean to scare them. Though I would understand the sudden appearance of anything might scare anyone." He said, his laughing dying down. He seemed to think of scaring the guests as funny, which Luna didn't find the reason why. She didn't question it.
"Solaire, what would you like to eat?" Celestia asked Solaire to her right. Solaire seemed to stop for a moment.
"I.. don't know. What do you have to offer?" He asked the princess. Celestia called over a waiter to tell him what they had on the menu. Sadly, no meat. Instead, he went for a small platter of random vegetables. Some of which he never heard of before. The waiter wrote what he ordered down, along with the other two princess' and ran off to the kitchen.
"I don't remember the last time I had anything to eat." Solaire told the princess', his eyes watching to where the waiter had disappeared off too. "No meat either."
"You eat meat?" Luna questioned carefully. Meat-Eaters weren't seen as outcasts but, the general outlook on their reputation in the pony community was definitely looked down on. Celestia winced at the thought of eating meat, but this creature was from a different world after all.
"Well.. that's the last thing I remember eating. I usually sustain myself with this." He said, pulling out a yellow flask, and setting it on the table. Celestia went to go take a look inside the flask, before Solaire then snatched it away.
"Ah- I cannot let you touch it. It's sacred to an undead, for it is the thing that has kept me alive all this time. Besides, you are not like me. Drinking from this would certainly kill you.. maybe." He said, questioning the possibility of what might happen if Celestia did drink from it. She did control the blazing ball of fire in the sky after all..
"What is in it?" Luna asked.
"Estus is what my kind know it as, but others not known to our culture know it as Liquid Fire." He said, sloshing it around and taking a small sip from it.
"Liquid fire? How is that possible? How do you fill it?" Luna asked, before Celestia shook her head at the younger sister.
"Don't flood the room with your questions, Luna. One at a time?" She said before Solaire waved his hand around, dismissing it.
"It's fine. If this were my world, I would sit at a small bonfire. They are like.. safe havens, for people like me. I simply put the flask into the fire, and let it sit. The fire would seep into the flask and, in return, I get a big bottle of Estus, which I would usually sip until I had the courage to move from the comfy spot." He said, attaching the flask back into one of his pockets. Luna was confused still, but he did explain how it was to be filled.
The food finally came. A big plate of veggies for Solaire, and.. something purple with leaves for Celestia. Luna had a small muffin, to which Solaire didn't know what it was either. He took a bite out of one of the celery sticks, and then spoke up.
"I'm not usua-"
"There is to be no speaking during the eating process." Luna chimed in, staring at him. How was he to be so unprofessional in the royal dining hall? Celestia looked at her younger sister with a bit of disbelief.
"How can you be so disrespectful with your looks, Luna? We can be unprofessional for a little bit, can we not?" Celestia asked, to which Luna gave a sigh.
"I guess. However, if anypony else were to see us so.. un-royal-like, you understand the thoughts that they would have, correct? Especially royal staff or, anyone else from different nations coming here for our meetings. They might assume that we are not right for ruling our nation."
"I doubt that is the first thing they would think of, Luna. Perhaps you need to lay off for a little bit, and relax. It helps, I swear." Celestia said, as Solaire simply nodded to Celestia's words. He agree'd.
The group of three would eat, talking about whatever came up. Things about Solaires world, things about their own world, and any topic they had interest in. The topic of Celestia's student, Twilight, came up when Luna asked whether or not she had been feeling any better.
"She is doing okay. However, after she and her friends were sent to go and come up with some sort of trade agreement between our nation and the new changelings, things went sour. Remember those ponies that had gone.. crazy? The ones that are trying to overthrow their own species. They attacked the new changeling nation, and Twilight and her friends were forced to flee. However, Twilight had to kill a couple of her own.. kind.. I'm assuming she is okay now, but something as traumatic as that won't leave her soon."
Solaire listened to this new information. This pony, Twilight, experienced her first kill. Her first few. That is a life-changing experience, and will always be for anyone. Especially having to kill someone almost just like you.
"This Twilight you speak of. I sense that she isn't a knight of any sort..?" He asked.
"No.. simply a student of mine. A princess as well." Celestia told him.
"A princess like you and Luna. What kind?"
"Princess of Friendship."
Solaire paused for a bit. Friendship indeed was powerful, so maybe having a princess for it wouldn't be so far fetched. He nodded.
"She is a civilian, then. Somewhat. She shouldn't have endured such a terrible experience." Solaire said, to which Luna and Celestia both nodded in agreement.
"She is actually visiting along with her friends in a few days. If you would like to meet them of course."
"Of course. At-least she has friends to keep her sane and happy. It sure would make things easier." He said, a somber tone in his voice, before he tried to sway the topic to something else. "Say, I've heard magic is a thing here?"
"Yes, Unicorns are able to cast magic with their horns. See mine?" Celestia said, as she pointed a hoof at her horn. Solaire nodded. Suddenly, a yellow aura appeared around him, and he began to float into the air before being set down on the chair.
"That is incredible! I saw you levitate such things as food into your mouth and such but, whole humans.. I'm assuming they can be used as weapons as well, your horn?" Celestia nodded to his question.
"I can cast.. some magic, but I am more into the side of miracles." Solaire told them both.
"Miracles?" Luna asked. "I know what a miracle is but.. what do you mean casting miracles?"
"Watch." He said, backing up from his chair and into a more open area in the room. He raised his hand into the air, as if grabbing a spear, and lightning appeared in his hand. Shaped just like a spear, he threw the lightning to the floor below him. The lightning displaced all around him, travelling across the floor before dissipating. No trace of its existence was left behind.
"A weapon, a spear of lightning. Of course, it won't hurt me, as I am the caster. And look, no damage left behind. Quite good for cleaning services." He said with a laugh. Luna and Celestia both watched him with awe, and wanting to know more about what he had just done. They knew that some ponies that were not unicorns COULD try to cast magic and such, but it was difficult. For this creature to cast it without anything, and with such ease, was shocking and.. interesting.
"I'll try to teach you sometime! Both of you." He said, sitting back down.
The room was silent for a bit afterwards, as Celestia and Luna tried to understand what had just happened in front of them. It wasn't exactly.. insane, but it was damn cool and jaw-dropping at the least.
They had been in the dining hall for an hour and a half, 8:31 just around the corner. Luna stood from her seat and faced the two.
"I'll have to go and prep everything for my day. I'll be going now. Please, don't cause a mess~" She teased her sister again right before she left the dining hall. Celestia had a blush across her face, before Solaire asked what she had meant.
"Nothing- nothing! She meant nothing of those words. Simply sister on sister banter. Plus, I would never do someth-" She said before stopping herself. Perhaps she just better avoid the entire conversation entirely.
"Alright.. Well, it is late. I see the sun has been going down ever so slightly, and your horn had been glowing periodically. You are very masterful with your work." Solaire said, smiling at the tall princess. She chuckled.
"Masterful is a big overstatement. Its simple work for me."
"But its magnificent to me." Solaire said, looking to the window of the dining hall and going back into that confusing Y shape as before. He then said aloud:
"Praise the sun."
Celestia chuckled. "You definitely are an odd one, Solaire."
"And you are a tall one!" He said, looking up to her with a chuckle escaping his lips. "You really are like the sun. Towering above everyone else, hm?" He said.
"Perhaps I am." Celestia said with a little giggle. She then turned to the clock. "I really must go. I've got to catch up on some reading, and then go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course you'll see me tomorrow. I am up when the sun is. What is a warrior of sunlight if he is not to greet the very thing that he looks up to?" He said, giving a smirk.
"Of course- my mistake~" Celestia said with sarcasm and another giggle. She then walked to the entrance of the corridor.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Solaire."
"And i'll see you tomorrow as well, Princess Celestia." He said, giving a little bow playfully. She giggled once more before she left the dining hall, in which Solaire was now alone in. He was standing in thought, thinking of the day. Meeting Celestia, meeting other ponies in the halls and travelling the castle grounds. Meeting Luna, talking of things of his world, and now standing here alone. He gave a little chuckle.
"I've found my sun, but she is too great to truly be with." Solaire said, giving a smile to where Celestia had left the room.
"Truly."
Author's Note
Oooooohhhh~
If you liked anything in this chapter, and have any feedback or want to show appreciation, you can do so in the comments! I read all of them, don't worry. I won't miss yours!
After the talks during dinner, Solaire made his way to his sleeping quarters. Settling down in his bed without his armor, and gently falling asleep. Comparing this bed to those in Lordran, there was an obvious winner. It took no time at all to get him to have the best sleep in his entire life.
Solaire opened his eyes, only to be met on-top of a balcony, mossy stone covering the layout. He looked into the sky, and saw the sun, a dark shadowy cloud obscuring the vision of it. He then took a look around himself, and realized that he was not back in his sleeping quarters.
He was instead, back in Lordran.
"How? This isn't possible.." He told himself, as he walked up the set of stairs to the right of him. As he made his way up, he stared down the familiar bridge in front of himself, the husks of warriors walking aimlessly with their swords. The red dragon still perched on top of the small ledge at the end of the bridge. It didn't make sense how he made it back. Had it been a dream?
"It couldn't have been a dream. I was able to feel it." He told himself, shaking his head. He turned to his left to see the Chosen Undead, a friend of his, walk up to him.
"Ah- friend.. What hap-"
The Chosen Undead turned to ash, his armor falling to the floor with a loud clank. Solaire stared in horror as he saw it, and shook his head.
"No- no.. You couldn't have died- you are chosen. How?" He asked himself, before falling to his knee's and picking the ash up with his hands. It fell through his fingers.
"My friend.. my last friend. How could you have fallen to ash?" He asked, before standing up. Something was definitely not right in the world. He turned to his right, looking down the bridge. The dragon at the end of it roared wildly, and began to fly towards him.
He immediately turned around, running to the small balcony before turning for just a second. A wave of flame was sweeping over the entirety of the area, and there was only one option. Solaire grabbed the end of the balcony, and hurled himself off the edge, falling.
He didn't scream. He didn't cry. He was silent as he did so. The fall lasted for seconds, and felt like an eternity. There was no end to the floor below, and instead he kept falling into an endless abyss. The sound of the dragon had died out due to range, and the only thing he could hear was the blaring wind in his ears.
He then finally spoke up.
"Is this the abyss..?" He asked himself, before a familiar voice from the night before was heard. He looked up in front of him, to see the dark blue alicorn appear in front of him, standing on nothing but air.
"No, Solaire. You've not fallen into an abyss." Luna told him, to which suddenly Solaire landed on solid ground. The falling had stopped, and he was not in any pain what-so-ever. Luna looked around for a little bit, before taking a few steps towards him.
"I can understand now what you mean by a hateful world. But you're still safe with ours." Luna said, as Solaire shook his head. He gave a sad chuckle, before looking up, as if trying to spot the ledge he jumped from.
"I jumped with silence. If a world like yours didn't exist, I was ready to die in mine." He said, before looking back down at her. She took a few steps, now close to him.
"This is only a nightmare. Remember that. I can feel the sorrow, the pain resonating from this."
"It may only be a nightmare.. Yet the world I lived in was a nightmare itself."
Luna shook her head, before giving him a soft rub on his shoulder with her wing.
"No need to think of that anymore. You're in ours now, and it's much safer than.. this world. I promise you that nothing will force you to re-live these experiences. For when you are in a bad dream, i'll try to accompany you. Perhaps I can lift your burden of these memories."
"These memories are permanent. I'm just glad these new memories will be much more happier. Thank you, Princess of the Night." He said, reaching his hand over and patting her head. Luna didn't exactly know how to respond with the small pat, but simply smiled.
"Let's get you to sleep." Luna told him. Solaire nodded.
"To arise the next day to a bright and loving sun." He said, before the nightmare faded, and all he could see is a dark blue color. That was all he could see, before his eyes giving out and his vision blacked out.
Solaire opened his eyes. Instead of being greeted with a dark bleak sky, he was greeted with the ceiling of his royal guest room. He took a moment to breathe, his breath calm and collected. He then shot himself up, sitting on the side of the comfy bed. He was in nothing but his underclothing, and he needed to get dressed in his armor to watch the sun arise, if it hadn't already.
He looked to the window to see no light coming from it. Thankfully he hadn't missed it, and stood to equip his armor and other clothing. Setting the helmet comfortably on his head, he then equipped his sheathed sword. Double checking everything on his person to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything.
"Ah- the flask." He said, looking over to the desk where he had laid his flask. He picked it up, and set it inside the small pouch on his backside. He then stretched, and headed for the door.
Opening the door led himself to a dark blue sky, the outer corridors of the castle lit up in dark blue flames. Nightguards patrolling the hallways of the castle, bearing their traditional dark purple armor. Solaire then searched for the bright moon in the sky, and mumbled.
"The moon is the perfect contrast to the sun. Beautiful." He admitted. Solaire wasn't exactly fond of the moon, since the night brought darkness to his world. Yet this one.. Was beautiful like the sun.
Perhaps he would become a Warrior of both sun and moon? He chuckled at the idea, but the idea was interesting to say the least.
As he stared at the moon, he recalled to the nightmare he was having. Being put back into such a world, and watching one of the last few friends he had left turn to ash in front of him, was an experience that he didn't really want to re-live. Even if it was simply fictional. The calming voice of the Princess of the Night had helped him soothe back into a cozy rest. He smirked.
"Even if the Princess is a little rough around the edges, she still is good at the center of her heart." He reminded himself to thank her later, whenever he would get the chance to talk to her again. Solaire continued to admire the moon, until it started to slowly move.
"This must be the time." He said, watching the moon slowly fall across the horizon, as the sun began to brighten the world up with its glorious shine. In only a matter of a few minutes, the sun was now in the place of the moon. Solaire, still standing at the doorstep of his room, took his usual stance when praising the sun.
He muttered the phrase of a Sunlight Warrior.
"Praise the sun."
After a few seconds of holding the pose, he let his arms down to his sides, and began to walk down the steps.
"If it is morning, it must mean that Princess Celestia must be awake. I shall find her." He said, putting a hand on the sword at his side as he walked. It was simply habit, and wasn't in a threatening manner. Solaire slowly walked through the halls of the castle, still admiring the pieces of art and beautiful architecture inside. As he walked, many ponies had seen him and gave him questioning looks. Some backed away from his presence, but he didn't notice.
He had made it to the dining hall, opening its doors and searching around the room for Celestia. She was nowhere to be found. Neither was Luna to be found. He scratched the top of his helmet as if it were his head. He wondered where she might have gone. Was it not breakfast time?
"Ah- Solution." He said aloud, seeing a guard walk down the opposite corridor from himself. He strode over to the guard and asked the guard politely if he had seen the Princess he was looking for.
"Princess Celestia was required to attend a meeting just after raising the sun. It isn't uncommon for her to skip out on breakfast occasionally if the meeting required it. The last I've heard, it was about the ongoing rebellion outside the borders. Crazy stuff." The guard told him, before resuming his patrol.
Solaire nodded, taking in the information. It wasn't good to miss the first meal of the day. She was a perfectly fine living being. She must require sustenance, does she not? She wasn't undead, like him. He shook his head, a little upset at the thought of someone requiring the princess' attention. No one should require her to do anything.
"Perhaps I don't understand the way things work around here.." Solaire told himself, trying to calm himself. It seemed to work. He did indeed not know a whole lot about the place he was currently in. He didn't know the specific rules, the culture, how they handle themselves or their history. He thought of going to the library, but he wasn't all too keen on reading. Sure, he didn't mind it, but it wasn't something he preferred.
He would rather gaze at the glorious sun than read a book telling him how to think. He'd have to learn through experience.
Four hours.
Four hours of political talks. Sure, it was important, but Celestia hated politics even though she was a leader of Equestria. It was about the same topic that had been talked about for the past couple of months, and in these recent weeks, the meetings became more frequent. The topic being the 'rebellion' outside of the borders.
A group of ponies, unsatisfied with the infrastructure of ruling in Equestria, and fighting their own kind. They never thought once to go about it peacefully, and instead have been trying to take over small towns and cities near the borders edges. These so called 'rebels' are more like 'anarchists.' It fit them a lot more.
The meeting was one with the captain of the royal guard, that being Shining Armor, and a few other political leaders and mayors from the towns at the border. She knew these talks were required, and they are important, but god did she hate them. She hated thinking about her own people killing their neighbors. It was not a fun thought.
Before the meeting had started, she asked if they could instead talk about the topic at the dining hall, eating before they started or eating while they started. It would've made people happier since talking on an empty stomach for hours on end usually left ponies cranky. Which, obviously happened.
"Celestia, the only thing we can do is to send our forces at the borders and defend. Once they notice that there is an impenetrable wall of our forces, they won't even attempt to combat it." Shining said. Celestia had disagree'd with him all morning, and continued to do so. Even if she was nice, she understood that sometimes you need to be forceful.
"Simply defending isn't enough. I don't like hurting our ponies, just like you, but you must understand that simply defending will make us seem weak. If we don't stop the problem at the source, they'll convert more ponies to their side with their lies and deception. We must fight back." Celestia said, her eyes narrowing at Shining. She then spoke up again.
"And why are you still considered the captain of the royal guard still? Aren't you the leader of the Crystal Empire? This isn't a fight on your front." Shining grew a little angrier with the sudden remark.
"Because unlike you, I seem to still give a damn. I have to step in as the Captain because no one here can do it like I can. That is, protecting the citizens here. Just because it's not war on my front door, doesn't mean it won't effect the neighborhood."
"I don't give a damn? Oh, Shiny.. You're stepping way out of your league. I've done all I can to keep peaceful, and they've ruined their chances. I would've liked to stick to friendship, to peace, but Shining, things don't work that way. You wouldn't much know that though, would you? You've grown up, gone through battles as a Captain, and you still can't get that through your thick skull. Face it, Shining. You aren't built to handle these situations."
The room was getting more and more heated by the second, and the other attendee's of the meeting simply watched, scared to speak up or disturb anything further.
"You insult me, yet you had to choose me because I was your only option. Funny, if you didn't need me, why the hell did you still make me the captain? Also, you didn't even attempt friendship or peace."
"Tell your sister that. That she didn't try for peace or friendship. You know, the sister that's now traumatized because it went wrong. The sister you forgot about." Celestia said, standing up and making way for the door. She wasn't going to listen to any of this anymore for the rest of the day. In fact, she was going to cancel all further meeting after this one.
"Don't you dare bring my sister into this! You forced her to go into there with no warning! You are the re-"
Celestia shut the door to the meeting room, still hearing the muffled yells of Shining Armor. She stood outside the door, shaking her head whilst looking at the floor. She was angry, sad, frustrated and lost. The only thing she knew at that moment was that she could not take that conversation any more. It would've resulted in a fight if it went any further.
She began walking to her own bedroom, making her way through the corridors of the castle until she was at her front door. Just as she was about to step inside, she heard a familiar voice.
"Ah, I guess walking around aimlessly did help me find you."
Celestia turned around to see Solaire.
Solaire was a bit taken back at her somewhat angry glare, and the welling tears in her eyes. He took a step forward cautiously, and asked:
"Are you okay, Princess?"
Celestia didn't answer, simply staring at him. After a few seconds of staring she shook her head.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
Celestia thought, and slowly nodded, heading into her room. Solaire assumed that was his cue to follow her. He stepped inside the room after her, and the large size of the room put him in awe. He guessed it wasn't really surprising that a Princess such as herself has a large room for herself. The ceiling decorated with a nice picture of the sun, and the sides depicting pictures or art.
Celestia made her way to the bed, and sat on top of it, staring at him again. Solaire took a few steps forward and stopped at the foot of the bed.
"I hate it." Celestia said suddenly and bluntly. Solaire tilted his head, questioning her.
"Hate what?"
"Everything."
Solaire then gave a chuckle, to which Celestia did not seem amused nor finding reason to why it was funny.
"You do not hate everything, Princess."
"How do you know that?"
"Because even if you hate mostly everything, you'll still have the sun."
"I hate that too." She said, to which Solaire then removed his helmet slowly, holding it at his side. The expression on his face showing seriousness and question.
"You hate the sun..?"
"Yes. I hate raising it every morning. I hate that just because I can do it means that I have to. I hate feeling like I am the ruler of the daytime yet have little time of day to myself." She said, burying her face into the blankets of her bed. Solaire nodded to each statement. She continued:
"I just want to be left alone from these stupid problems and political things that always require my attention. I hate feeling the guilt of my precious student being almost injured and killed, and being forced to deal with the thought of killing somepony, that if I just instead tried to rid of the problem the alternative way, it would've resulted in her being okay." With each word her tears began to well up further, before they streamed down her face.
Solaire didn't speak while she talked. He didn't move or, do anything but nod. Celestia looked up to him, and gave him what Solaire perceived as a cry for help.
"How were you able to deal with the problems of your world..?" She asked.
Solaire was silent until he gave a heavy sigh. He looked her in the eyes.
"I.. didn't think about it. I disassociated myself with that part of my duty. Killing daily, watching my friends and foes fall to the monsters of the world. I dealt with my problems by not taking it seriously. Which, doesn't work in the end, as I realize now. I think that the problems I faced were inevitable. That I had to face them or face death, and facing death wasn't something I was exactly fond of." He said as he put a hand on the footboard, leaning into it.
"I know a Warrior such as myself shouldn't give a Princess advice on how to deal with her problems. But, the way I see it, you have to think about the reason you do everything you do. Why do you keep on ruling, why do you keep on pushing forward even if you hate it. Then, I would question if i'm stable enough to keep on doing it. If i'm not, then i'd take a break. If you aren't able to rule efficiently and correctly, then it's better for you to take time off than to make decisions out of the instability of your emotions."
After Solaire had finished his little speech, silence ensued for a few seconds, before Celestia spoke up with a slight smile.
"You're very smart.."
Solaire smiled with a slight exhale.
"I'm not smart, Princess. I'm simply real."
Celestia then stood up off of her bed, and shook her head, the tears flinging off of her cheeks and face.
"I'm going to cancel any further meetings I have today, and take the day off." Celestia said with a smile. "Would you like to accompany me for today? It's fine if you're busy."
Solaire chuckled.
"What would I be busy with? Wandering the maze that is the castle?" He said.
"You could always talk to any other pony in the castle."
"And miss the opportunity to talk with you instead? Now, why would I ever do that?" He said, putting his helmet back on. Celestia chuckled a little.
"Thank you, Solaire. It seems that whenever I need help, you're right around the corner. And yet it's only been a day and a half."
"Well- let's spend the other half of today having fun."
Celestia began to walk towards the door.
"Definitely."
Author's Note
The chapters will continously be getting longer and longer.
I really do hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, be sure to leave a comment about what you liked! Or, if you have any feedback or criticism, don't be afraid to tell me!
Thank you for reading, and I hope that my writing has been improving.
The world seemed to fade out of existence while Solaire was with Celestia. His attention was on her at all times, and being able to be with her for the rest of the day was definitely going to be something he would look back on in due time. Both Solaire and Celestia made their way down the halls of the castle, passing by the plenty of meeting rooms and other recreational rooms that filled the castle.
Of course, Celestia should have remembered Shining Armor was still angry at her, and whilst passing by the same meeting room, an angry groan came from behind the two of them. Solaire turned around first, followed by Celestia who looked as if her face was trying to represent 'please not now.'
"We aren't done with the meeting, Celestia. If you could come back in, we can finish it civilly and with-"
"I've cancelled our meeting for the rest of the day, Shining. Along with any other plans today. I'm taking the day off, and I request you don't come and bother me for the rest of the day." Celestia interrupted with a stern tone. Solaire stared at the two, his vision going back and forth from Celestia to Shining. He was a bit confused, but quickly put two and two together. The meeting she had in the morning, and her being upset. This must've been related.
"You can't ignore these problems, Celestia. A ruler like you can't look aw-"
"A ruler such as her doesn't have to do as you say." Solaire spoke up suddenly, Shining Armor's attention now being put onto Solaire. His eyes narrowed on him, his head lifting up a bit.
"You're the creature that suddenly appeared in the castle, right? I've heard a few rumors about you. Mind you, you don't have any relation to what we are talking about, so don't get involved." Shining said, a bit of anger in his voice. How could another creature get involved in Pony Politics? It wasn't his business.
Celestia was going to speak up to diffuse the situation and be on with her day, but Solaire spoke first.
"Such tone against the ruler of this castle seems to be unwise. You tell me not to get involved, yet you seem to not understand your place. I assume you are below the Princess, yes? Then you are in no position to tell her how to run anything or do anything." Solaire's voice came out differently, more stern than Celestia had heard him talk before. Solaire was known for his happy, and joyful attitude, if at times being somewhat sad. He had an infectious laugh, a loving feeling that surrounded his presence. This was indeed different.
Shining lifted a hoof up to point at him before Solaire took a step towards him. Shining took a step back immediately.
"As I suspected. Scared of confrontation." Solaire said, and before the argument could be resolved Solaire had already turned around and began walking down the hallway. Shining watched him for a little before looking up to Celestia, confusion and anger in his eyes. Celestia looked down onto him, shaking her head at him as if to tell him it was his own fault, and joined Solaire.
"Come on Twi.. You did what you had to." Apple Jack told the depressed Twilight who sat on her bed. Ever since the event at the border, Twilight hadn't moved from her bed. She didn't even attend the Castle meetings they had at the map table.
Twilight didn't respond to Apple Jack, and instead stared dully into the wall in front of her. Apple Jack sighed, shaking her head. She knew she wasn't getting anywhere with Twilight, and her friends had already tried on their own. Perhaps as a group effort they could all band together and try to..
No.. That wouldn't work. She needed help from the Princess'. If anyone knew how to handle this situation, it would definitely be them. They've dealt with this type of thing before, right?
"How is she?" Starlight Glimmer asked as she walked into Twilight's bedroom. Apple Jack turned to her and took her hat off with her hoof, shaking her head.
"Not good. She won't even respond to me, let alone pay attention to me even being here.. I think we should get her to the Princess'. They can help fix this.. right?" Apple Jack looked at Starlight for confirmation, as if Starlight was qualified to answer such a thing. Starlight froze for a bit before giving Apple Jack a confused and pained face.
"I.. don't know, Apple Jack. Killing another pony.. It isn't something that can be fixed so easily. It's nothing you can prescribe a couple of herbs to fix. But.. I guess if anyone knew where to start on helping her, It would be the Princess'.." Starlight gave a loud sigh after speaking, looking to Twilight. Twilight was still staring at the wall, not blinking.
"We were going to visit the castle later down the line but, perhaps we should do it sooner rather than later.." Starlight said, slowly walking up to Twilight. She lifted her left hoof and placed it on top of Twilight's back, rubbing it softly. Twilight gave a little tiny moan.
"Twilight.. We're going to take you to the Princess', okay?" Starlight told her friend, hoping that some sort of life would come back into her. It didn't wake her friend fully up out of her catatonic state, but Twilight looked up to Starlight.
"Okay.." She said quietly, beginning to stand on her hooves, and slowly stepped off of her bed. This was great news, Twilight finally got off of her bed. Starlight looked to Applejack while levitating a blanket into the air and around Twilight, tight and comfortable.
"Applejack, inform the others that we're going to Canterlot right now."
"I'm sorry, Princess.. I didn't mean to speak out of turn like tha-" Solaire spoke before being cut off by Celestia, who faced him with a smile, a hoof on Solaire's shoulder.
"No need to apologize. In fact, i'm glad you spoke up. If I were to speak, I might have said some things I might've regretted. You saved me from having to do something so stupid."
"I just didn't like how somebody like him can disrespect someone like you." Solaire said, questioning the logic of someone doing such a thing. It seemed dumb, stupid, and illogical. But perhaps it worked this way in this world? He doubted it.
Celestia sighed. "I might've deserved it." She said under her breath, so quiet that Solaire didn't hear. She then looked at him with a smile once again.
"How about we go sit out on the guest balcony? Where you arrived? Many ponies will be there, but we'll find ourselves a seat and we can question eachother! A little quiz for the both of us, hm?" Solaire looked up to her and nodded. It would give him a chance to ask her questions about herself and her world, and vice versa.
"That sounds like a lot of fun! Though, maybe I should keep myself from asking certain questions~" He said with a slight teasing tone. Celestia played into it as well.
"Oh~? How about this then, we must answer the questions no matter the question. I might regret it later but, I find it adds some.. spice~"
If Solaire had not been wearing his helmet, the tone and voice of Celestia had made him blush. It was odd, since he hadn't felt that way in.. Well, now that he thought about it, ever. Didn't mean he wasn't clueless in that type of world though.
The rest of the walk to the balcony was in silence, the occasional muttering of ponies passing by them, asking questions such as 'what is that?' and 'why is the princess with it?', yet none of it ever phased them both. Celestia was used to having ponies say things to her, around her, or behind her back. Solaire simply didn't seem to care about their comments. Eventually, they made it to their destination. The balcony.
Unlike the royal balconies, this was a large open balcony, and a common tourist area. Many tables and seats were everywhere, and food was served here as well. It was very lively no matter the time of day, and a great place to talk and be with friends. Celestia stepped down the stairs, Solaire following. Unlike what Solaire had thought, the ponies kept proceeding with their conversations. They seemed too invested in their own little worlds that they didn't mind the Princess nor him. It was a little relieving.
Celestia sat at a table at the edge of the balcony, Solaire following suit. He took his helmet off and sat it onto the table, letting an elbow sit on the table as well, laying his head into his palm. Celestia gave a small smirk and asked:
"Am I attractive?"
...
Solaire's brain immediately froze, and his face was frozen as well. Celestia stared in amusement before laughing loudly, pointing a hoof at the suddenly confused man.
"You should've seen your face!" She said, still laughing. She laughed so hard that she had to gasp for air quite literally. Solaire stared back, a blush on his face. He looked at the table and shook his head with a smile.
"You're one playful Princess, Celestia. You almost gave me a heart attack trying to answer that!"
"And i'm still waiting for my answer." Celestia said, her eyes watching him still. Now Solaire couldn't tell if this was simply for jokes or serious. He froze again, but this time no laughing came from the Princess' mouth. He sat in thought for a few moments, trying to word something together.
"I... uh.."
"Mhm..?" Celestia asked.
"You.. are.."
"Are..?" Celestia urged.
"..cute."
Celestia smiled. It.. wasn't exactly the answer she had been hoping for, but.. It was in the right direction.
"Oh wow, you are definitely good at using your words~" She teased.
"You expect me to come up with an answer so fast? You under estimate the shock of your question!" Solaire said with a laugh, now physically embarrassed. He was blushing even more now, but he gained his composure and cleared his throat. It was now his turn to ask a question. He tried thinking of an equally embarrassing question.
"How many have you shared your bed with?" He asked, a smug grin on his face as he waited for an expression change on Celestia's face. However to his disappointment, she didn't really mind the question all that much.
"Four. Three were guards and, I was in heat. What, were you expecting a more.. humiliated face?" She said, knowing that Solaire was waiting for her to freak out and be all flustered. Solaire groaned in disappointment.
"Four.. Hm.. That was less than I thought."
Celestia gasped a little sarcastically. "You think I am some mare of the streets?"
"No, but I'm sure that all you have to do to get somebody in your chambers is with a simple look of those eyes." Solaire pointed.
"My eyes?"
"Well, let's just say that they have a certain.. lustful look to them. At-least that's how I see it sometimes."
"Huh.. That might explain all the sudden flirts I get."
Solaire chuckled. "No, I'm sure that's because you're a Princess and look amazing. Your eyes simply help with that."
Celestia was now the one to blush, and Solaire pointed with triumph.
"Hah! I made you blush! Consider this as payback." Celestia swatted the air with her hoof, looking away with a big smile.
"Solaire- hush!" She said, giggling a little. If anyone were watching, they might have assumed Celestia was having an inter-species relationship with this new creature that arrived in Canterlot. It was probably a good thing everypony else was so consumed in their own conversations.
Suddenly, a small flash of green flared in front of the Princess and Solaire, and a small white scroll was sat on the table.
"Hm..? A letter.." Celestia said, levitating it into the air and opening it. She read the contents of it out loud to Solaire.
"Dear Princess Celestia. We've decided to move the visitation date to today. Twilight has finally gotten up from her bed, and we're coming over as soon as possible. We'll be on the next arriving train. Love, Spike." Celestia slowly let the letter fall onto the table.
Silence ensued, and Celestia donned an annoyed expression.
"Are you alright, Celestia?"
"I was hoping today would be a day to relax and be with a new friend. Now that's out of the picture.." She said a little saddened. She really was hoping to spend the rest of the day with Solaire, and having all sorts of fun. It was going to be a big relief.
"We can always continue this sometime else, can't we? Plus, isn't Twilight the one who had been dealing with the trauma? It would be good to help her. I'll accompany you if you'd like." Solaire said to Celestia, who was now laying her head on the table with a face that said 'im done.'
"Yes, of course.. We can always continue later."
I was really hoping we could just have fun today, but, duty calls.
Celestia stood, and stretched her neck. Solaire stood and grabbed his helmet, setting it slowly onto his head and making sure it was correctly in place. With a heavy sigh, Celestia began to walk from the balcony into the hallways, making her way for one of the meeting rooms.
Twilight and her friends had boarded the train two hours ago, and had been sitting in the royal coach, bored out of their minds. Twilight had been silent the entire time, and Starlight was sitting next to her. She was known as a sort of therapist, so everypony decided that she would be the one to help her. Pinkie Pie had tried before, and it didn't work out, instead making Pinkie very sad.
"Come on Twilight.. You've got to let the emotions out. You're just bottling them up and suppressing everything under a giant brick wall. It's not healthy. You've got plenty of friends here to listen to you." Starlight told Twilight, her eyes sympathetic and worried. Twilight was staring in place still, not answering.
In Twilights head, the entire world didn't make sense anymore. She had encountered villains before, and had battled many beings and ponies before. Yet she never outright killed something. The idea of friendship had always been the forefront of her goals, to make everyone understand it and to accept it. It always worked in the end, or so she thought..
Killing someone in Equestria wasn't well understood by the civilians of the towns or cities. Most guards and soldiers were trained to combat their foes and to not think about their killings, to not think about their own actions. It was to follow orders. Those guards and soldiers were trained everyday, for possibly years, to think in a certain way that let them accept death. Twilight was not one of those ponies.
Her usual manners consisted of freaking out over little things that didn't make sense, pacing around rooms and worrying about anything. But when Twilight killed another pony, another thing, it changed everything. Her friends didn't understand. They were there when it happened, but they weren't able to comprehend the emotional battle that Twilight was fighting in her own head.
Her world changed for the better when she met her friends. The world changed for the better when she fought those villains and converted some of them. The world changed for the better when she opened up her own school, which was currently out of session for a little while.
Did the world change for the better when she killed those ponies?
"S-Starlight.. maybe its best t-to not bother her.." Fluttershy spoke up, with Starlight slowly nodding and moving away from her purple friend. It felt wrong to leave her friend's side, but she couldn't do anything more. It would simply be getting her own hopes up, and Twilight was stone wall at the moment. Nothing said to her really meant anything. Nothing anyone said to her really meant anything. How could they possibly understand what she was going through?
They didn't.
Author's Note
Hey there!
I've got a quick update to put out. I've moved the rating from Teen to Mature, and added some other tags. The reason being is that I might add things into the story that won't be suitable for teens. I'd much rather play it safe anyways and put it to Mature.
I'm sorry for anyone who don't want to see anything Mature. I'll be reading the comments to see how this switch turns out.
Thank you all for reading! If you liked it, or have feedback, be sure to comment! I read them all, even if you don't think I see it. I do. Promise.
Twilight and her friends had finally made it into Canterlot, and met with Celestia and Solaire in the east-wing meeting room. It was the largest of the set, and was for more 'royal' occasions. However, this matter was very important to Celestia. Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Starlight, Spike and Twilight, all sat opposite of Celestia and Solaire.
The group looked at Solaire oddly, not knowing why he was there or who he even was. Solaire simply stared at them, his helmet concealing his face. His eyes studied each and every pony in front of him, noting their features in his head. It was something he had gotten used to doing in his own world.
"I got the letter that Spike had sent me. I assume the sudden visitation is because of recent events, and that there is another problem." Celestia said, looking at Twilight. Twilight stared at the wooden table in front of her, her eyes not really moving, her mane and tail a mess. She did not look good.
"She's been like this for awhile now." Starlight said, looking up to the Princess in front of her. Starlights eyes were searching hers, trying to see if there was any hope or advice that she could possibly give them. Celestia nodded, hardly any expression on her face. She seemed calm.
"The concept of taking another's life is.. hard to deal with. It is quite a hard topic to talk about, but one that needs to be discussed. That's why we are in this meeting room. This isn't a friendship visit, but a therapy visit. You'll all be required to stay here while we help Twilight get back on to her feet. Your rooms are already booked." Celestia said.
"Can we throw her a party?! A royal party- maybe she'll like that- maybe it'll be differe-" Pinkie was going to continue her nervous rant before Celestia shushed her, raising her hoof to the pink pony.
"No parties. I assume that didn't work to begin with anyways."
"Yeah.." Pinkie said, her mane almost deflating like a balloon. The rest of the ponies had stayed silent.
Suddenly, the strange creature in front of them spoke up.
"What exactly happened?" The group looked at him with questioning eyes, before Rarity spoke up quietly.
"W-Well.. We were sent to the border to do some.. negotiations. It seemed like everything was going to work out perfect, but.. We were attacked. The others and I had flee'd away while the guards that came with us defended us, but.. Twilight wasn't anywhere to be seen with us."
Applejack then spoke. "'Ah ran as quickly as 'ah could to get 'er but.. She came flyin' out of the area. 'Ah assumed she was okay, so we ran behind 'er. None of us knew what really went down 'til the guards 'nformed us.."
Solaire nodded. It wasn't exactly the description he wanted, as he wanted something more in-depth. It was all he was going to get though, and he was fine with the short summary of the events. He looked to his right, up to Celestia.
"I might have an idea." He told Celestia, before standing and leaning into her ear to tell her something.
A couple of seconds later, Celestia pondered Solaire's idea, before nodding her head.
"As this isn't a situation that can be solved with simple help, by friends or therapists, i'll be allowing Solaire to try and help." Celestia said, pointing a hoof at Solaire to indicate who he was.
"If we can't help her what makes you think somepony else can?" Rainbow asked, a bit of a confused expression on her face, and one with slight anger as well. What made this.. random creature any better than the six of them? They tried all they could.
"Sometimes you need to talk to somepony else to get another perspective on things. She knows you all, and she understands how you all think and work. She's dealt with the same perspectives of you all, and don't get me wrong, you all are very insightful."
Celestia then put her hoof on Solaire's right shoulder.
"However, his perspective might provide some new insight that Twilight hadn't thought of before. Besides, I believe Solaire might understand how to help Twilight more than any of us here." Celestia looked at Solaire, who was looking back at her. Her eyes were filled with slight worry, hoping that she wasn't putting faith into someone that didn't deserve it. Solaire simply nodded back, and she could see his eyes from his helmet for just a second.
"I-I don't think it'll do an-" Rainbow spoke up again before Celestia shut her down quickly.
"We don't know until we try. With that being said, I want all of you to go to your respective rooms. Guards are already waiting outside to escort you all. Twilight will stay with me and Solaire in here." Celestia said, waving her hoof off to them. They looked back with slight confusion, not really understanding the reasoning. They had never seen Celestia act so strange before.
One by one, each pony had left the room. The big wooden door that each had gone through had shut with a loud bang.
"Twilight. Twilight, i'm here." Celestia said, putting a hoof across the table to bump her student's horn softly. Twilight looked up at her, and at first gave a dazed look. Then, as if she was brought back to life, she began to cry loudly, her eyes widening.
Celestia got up from her side of the table and made her way to Twilight's side, sitting next to her and letting Twilight lean her head against her. Tears stained Celestia's white fur. She draped a wing over Twilight's body, her eyes looking down at her student sympathetically.
Minutes passed by, with no one saying a single thing. Solaire had watched the purple princess cry and sniffle until she seemed to run out of tears. When she was finished crying, she looked up Celestia, expecting her to say something. Celestia simply nodded towards Solaire, to which Twilight looked at Solaire with confusion.
The entire time her friends were having a conversation, she was blocking out all sound and all of her surroundings until just a few minutes earlier. This.. creature stared back at her, it's armor metal with white cloth on the front of it, a blazing sun with a strange face on it. It's helmet had a visor on it, along with a large feather that stuck from the back of the helmet.
"Twilight.. This is Solaire, a.. new friend of mine, and hopefully a new friend to you as well. He's been here for just a few days, and may be able to help you. I want you to tell him everything." Twilight stared at him as Celestia told her this. Twilight sniffled once more, before rubbing her nose with a hoof.
"I-I-" Twilight was going to speak before Solaire stood from his seat, extending his hand over to her.
"I am Solaire, a friend of Celestia. You are Twilight, correct? What a beautiful name!" Solaire's sudden joyful attitude startled Twilight, her posture receding back into the chair slowly, before she extended a hoof. His hand grabbed it, and shook it before he took his seat.
"I've been informed of your situation from your friends and Celestia herself and I must say.. It is a tough thing to deal with. But it is not impossible. I think the best way to start solving this is for you to tell me what.. is troubling you the most about the incident."
Twilight sat in thought, trying to piece her thoughts into a cohesive statement. They had been floating around for the past few days, so trying to arrange them into something was more difficult than she had aniticipated.
"T-The.. I-I.."
She paused.
"W-What makes my life more.. important than theirs..? I took theirs.. their life from them.. in an instant and- and I still stand here.. I-I-I tell myself to do things for peace and-and friendship but, but how was this for peace..? Or friendship..? How was this at all good.. I-it wasn't and I am the cause for that.. I-I've read in books that guards and.. other ponies have dealt with this, and it makes me t-think that maybe i'm weak..? W-Why does any of this b-bother me so much if they're fine with it..? H-How can I.. The princess of friendship.. lead the youth of the world, th-the future of our world, when i'm so weak. I-I'm so weak that I resorted to k-killing somepony. How can I-" Solaire lifted his hand up, causing Twilight to stop.
He stared at her for a few moments, before giving a loud sigh.
"The fact that you are troubled by this already shows you are a good person. So, incase that was at all a thought in your head, afraid of being a terrible person, you aren't. And yes, no good came out of the situation. When someone kills another, no good comes out of it most of the time, because someone's life was lost. It does happen in an instant, as life and death usually is that way. All it takes is a second, or even less, to stop someone from ever taking a breath again. None of that was your fault, as you did what anyone else would have done. You protected yourself. That doesn't make you evil, that doesn't make you weak." Solaire suddenly stood, pulling his sword out slowly, and placing it onto the table.
"This sword has smited many foes and friends. I understand what it feels like to take a life from someone. I understand the confusion, the pain, the sadness and the anger, but you can not let any of those emotions lead you to the conclusion that you are a terrible person! The warriors of this world that you speak of can deal with those situations because they've been trained from day one. Either that, or they've gotten used to killing, it being another part of life. I'm that person. I've gotten used to it. I've killed my friends who have turned against me, I've killed my enemies who didn't even want to fight me. I've done it all- and I still understand that there was a reason for what I did."
Solaire then took a seat, leaving the sword on the table. Twilight was listening intently, before she spoke up out of anger.
"You are used to it, you are fine with taking a life but I am not! What kind of pony am I if I simply accept this and move on? That'll make me a terrible pony, a pony who doesn't care about life!"
"That is good! You should not be fine with taking a life! But if you do not accept that it already happened, you're letting yourself go. You'd be taking another life away from this world when it already lost a couple."
"Yeah, well maybe I should let myself go! I sure would deserve it wouldn't I?" Twilight barked back. Celestia had thought about stepping in, but realized it would only cause further trouble. Instead she let the two continue.
"If you give up, you are telling yourself you aren't worth it. Are you worth it, Twilight? Are you?! Are you willing to let everything you did end up at this point? To let all the good things you did be completely erased when you decide that you aren't worth living?"
"No! I am not worth it- I was never worth what I gained! Gaining wings, becoming a princess, getting my wonderful friends, none of it! I don't know why the world chose me, but it chose wrong!" Twilight was now fighting back tears, thinking back to meeting her friends for the first time, to getting her wings and being called a princess, to getting her own castle and eventually getting a school.
"Fine, i'll just hurry things up then!" Solaire yelled, grabbing his sword and thrusting it towards Twilight.
Silence ensued.
Solaire then began to laugh, as his sword was covered in a purple glowing aura, Twilight looking at the tip of the blade that was inches away from her with fear.
"If you truly were to give up, you wouldn't have stopped me. You would've accepted your death and closed your eyes." Solaire said, pulling his sword back after the purple aura disappeared.
Twilight was going to speak up, but was left in silence.
"I have had friends that I have known for a long time give up on themselves. No matter what I did, I couldn't stop them from giving up. In the end, each and every one of them turned on me, mindless husks of who they once were. I killed each and every one of them with as swift of a death as I could give. I don't think you want your friends to experience that pain of not only losing a friend, but also being the one to put them down." Solaire took a seat, staring back at her.
"Do you know what your name means, Twilight?" He suddenly asked after a couple moments of silence.
Twilight looked at him, a little confused.
"It's the moment where the sun is barely below the horizon, and that soft loving glow shines across the sky. Possibly the most beautiful time to look at the sun is during the Twilight." Solaire gave a small chuckle.
"You've got a beautiful soul inside you, Twilight. Keep it, and push on. Don't let this stop you. Don't fall into the abyss, and don't you dare go hollow."
Twilight stared at the man, a sniffle coming from her quietly. She then closed her eyes, a couple of tears flowing from them.
"I-I can see why he's your friend.." Twilight muttered to Celestia, who smiled and laughed. She nodded, and pulled Twilight's head into her chest, a humming coming from her.
"Solaire is quite the motivational speaker, isn't he.." Celestia said, looking to Solaire who had his hands out with a shrug.
"I simply speak the truth."
Celestia nodded, looking down to her Student.
"Are you okay now, Twilight?"
Twilight thought of the situation, the talk, and pondered it for a little before shaking her head.
"N-No.. But.. I feel a lot better.."
"That's all it takes is a step at a time. That's how I have dealt with things my entire life. A simple step of the boot at a time." Solaire gave a hearty laugh, one that was infectious towards Celestia and Twilight. It certainly had lightened the mood.
"Twilight, your friend are waiting in their rooms. I would say you should go speak to them, but the choice is up to you. You should move at your own pace." Celestia patted Twilight on the back softly, as Twilight then smiled up to her.
"I think it's about time I actually talk with them. They.. are probably worried." She said, standing up and heading for the door, before looking over to Celestia and Solaire.
"Thank you.."
Solaire simply nodded, and waved goodbye to her. She nodded back, and walked out of the room.
A large sigh came from Celestia as she slumped over the table.
"If you charged for therapy lessons, you'd be the richest in all of equestria.." She said with a chuckle.
"I could.. but that would ruin the point of helping your friends, now wouldn't it?" Solaire said, grasping one of her hooves with his hand. His hand was warm, and rough on the soft fur. The rough skin of a warrior.
"I thought things would have gone worse.. It usually would take hours to convince her of something- especially something so serious as that. Yet you did it in a matter of, what, a couple minutes?"
Solaire smirked, taking off his helmet with his left hand, keeping the other still on her hoof. He set the helmet on the table and slumped over the table, facing her.
"All i'm happy about is that I helped someone else, and my story effected someone else in a good way. That made it all worth going through in my opinion."
Celestia was staring into his eyes. The both of them sat there, slumped over the table and staring at eachother. The room was completely filled in silence, and the both of them didn't move an inch. Solaire had moved his left hand to grab her other hoof, slightly moving them from side to side, a smile on his face.
"That smile.." Celestia thought, her own smile becoming larger by thinking about it.
After a few more moments, Celestia then cleared her throat, pulling her hooves from his hands and shaking her head, looking back up to him with a smirk.
"So- shall we continue our little conversation on the balcony?" She said, a little flirt in her voice.
Solaire nodded, giving a little chuckle.
"You're a tease, aren't you?" He said, grabbing his helmet and holding it to his side, before suddenly yelling-
"Last one to the balcony has to answer something embarrassing!" Solaire bolted to the door, before Celestia followed behind him playfully, trying to get to the balcony first.
Author's Note
Hope you guys liked this one.
It was a little strange to write, and I might end up re-writing some bits of it. However if you like the story, be sure to comment below! Any criticism will be reviewed too!
Thank you for reading my story.
Solaire awoke from the luxurious guest bed, sitting up firmly.
Remembering the day before, with Twilight and her friends, along with Celestia and him on the balcony, he couldn't help but smile a little. It was a good day, as he was able to help Celestia and have fun with her, while also helping her student.
"I should make it a rule to not teleport to the balcony. That was just cheating-" He said with a light laugh, now dangling his legs off the side of the bed. He wore.. nothing. Solaire had found it much more comfortable to sleep nude, and it definitely was weird at first. His instinct was to always protect his body, yet letting it breathe once in awhile definitely soothed him to sleep easier.
It was agree'd yesterday that Solaire would have breakfast with Celestia, her student and friends, and her sister. He glanced out the window to see if daylight had struck yet, and thankfully it had not. The dark sky was still out, so he couldn't have been late.
He stood, walking over to his armor set and putting on his underclothing before equipping the surprisingly comfy armor. Setting the helmet on top of his head and locking it into place, he went to go grab his sword and flask. Equipping them both, he headed for his door before a small knock came from it.
"A visitor?" He asked himself, slowly approaching the door. He opened it cautiously, a hand on his sword.
Thankfully, it was only Celestia.
"Ah- Celestia! What are you doing here?" He asked, his head tilting slightly in confusion. She looked at him brightly, a big smile on her face. She had definitely cheered up since the day before.
"Oh- I was coming to make sure you didn't forget to come to breakfast. It'll start in a few minutes."
Solaire chuckled softly. "Why would I forget that? I don't break promises. In fact, I was about to make my way there at this very moment. I just got dressed." He said, waving down at his armor.
"Ah- that is good news." She said with a smile, before she became a little more excited.
"Oh- Solaire! I'm sure you would love to see this." Celestia said, pointing herself towards the moon. Within a few seconds, her horn had glowed a yellow aura, and the moon began to fall. The sun slowly climbed its way back to its perch in the sky, and she looked back to him with a smile, as if she was a child trying to show something cool off.
"That was- that was definitely something, Celestia. I would say that is probably the most amazing things I've ever witnessed!"
Celestia was obviously pleased to hear this as her smile became even brighter. She was definitely enjoying the praise from Solaire. Solaire gestured with his hand to the stairs and asked:
"I would say it's breakfast time, isn't it?"
"Yes indeed~"
With Celestia and Solaire walking in the Dining Hall together, the others already seated stared.
"Oh- dear sister, don't tell me that he was the lump in your bed~" Luna spoke up teasingly. The other ponies already seated began to laugh, with Twilight hiding a smile. Celestia groaned a little and waved a hoof at the group.
"I assure you that nothing happened. Besides, if it did happen to me true, I could keep quiet unlike somepony." Celestia stared at Luna, who was now hiding a large blush. The group began to laugh even harder at the playful talk, and Twilight joined them.
Solaire was quiet, but underneath the steel helmet he was definitely not straight-faced. He was blushing with a smile on his face, holding back his laughter.
Both Celesta and Solaire both took their seats across from each other.
"So- Twi' told us what happened when we left." Applejack spoke, turning to Solaire with a smile. "She told us you were the one that helped her. 'Ah gotta' thank you. Don't know what ya' did but, 'ah 'aint complanin'." After she spoke, Rainbow turned her head over to Solaire as well.
"Yeah.. Sorry for not believing in you- I just didn't think that it would work."
Solaire simply shook his head while raising a hand. "I simply let her see the light in the world. Sometimes people just get shrouded in darkness that they forget they're in daylight."
"Wise words." Luna said, with the group nodding in agreement.
The waiter had came over to take their orders when Solaire had forgotten to take off his helmet. After all, as Celestia said before, it was respectful to take it off. With both hands on the side of his helmet, he twisted, popping the helmet off the armor and setting it to the side.
The group looked at him strangely.
"I assume that you all aren't familiar with how I look, or you all are staring because i'm just so handsome." Solaire said jokingly, which got a few laughs from the others.
"You aren't ugly by any means- just.. strange." Rarity said, her face tilting to the side as she tried to take in all of the features on his face. His hair, his eyes, his skin tone and structure.
"Now now- I don't believe it's polite to stare. Also, the waiter is here to take our orders." Celestia spoke up, trying to divert the attention from Solaire. She could definitely tell that Solaire, although not showing it, was a little nervous from all the staring.
As each pony took their order, and Solaire taking a random order from the list of items they had, the ponies had begun talking amongst themselves. Celestia and Luna were talking with the others about how their days had been and what adventures they may have been on. All political talks were off the table it seemed. Solaire however did not pay attention to any of this, and was staring off at one of the stained glass windows in the hall.
He couldn't make out what it was, but it was intriguing. He had also thought that since he was not known friends with the others, he shouldn't barge into the conversation. It would've likely landed on the topic of himself, and he didn't exactly like the idea of having such hardship and sadness plague the breakfast scene.
Celestia would glance over to Solaire from time to time, to see what he was looking at or to simply watch him. She had taken a liking to watching him take in all of his surroundings and observing things with a curious look. It was like watching a newborn puppy discovering the world for the first time.
However, it made Celestia a little sad from watching him. Knowing his world was much different from theirs and, how sometimes she may have taken her own world for granted. Watching him made her realize just how lucky she really got in life, and how much worse it could have been.
He thoughts were completely disrupted when Twilight had yelled.
"Shiny! There you are!" Twilight said, getting up from her seat and running over to the unicorn.
"Twily! I knew you would be here-" He said, putting his hoofs up to her cheeks, before looking over to the table. He was happy to see the rest of her friends there, but his facial expression had changed once he locked eyes with Celestia and Solaire. "I knew they would be here too." He growled.
"I don't like this.." Solaire said under his breath, nobody hearing his words. Shining Armor took a couple of steps forward before Celestia stood, a hoof out.
"Before you sit with us, I ask for you to not bring up anything political. This is simply breakfast, or dinner-" Celestia glanced to Luna, "and I intend for it to stay that way." Shining took a few more steps and took a seat beside Solaire, though with obvious distaste. He nodded, waiting for the waiter to come take his order.
"Good. Now, Twilight, You were talking about your school?" Celestia had continued the conversation with Twilight. Solaire turned to his right towards Shining, who was giving him a distasteful scowl. Solaire simply shrugged it off, turning to listen to the conversation before a hoof was put on his shoulder.
Solaire turned directly to Shining quickly, the expression on his face turning from neutral to slight anger.
"I want you to know that I have no liking of you. I don't like you being here, I don't like your voice, your armor, or the way you act like her slave." Shining gestured towards Celestia, who wasn't paying attention.
"Can't you simply enjoy breakfast without being angry?" Solaire said, going to turn away before a hoof again turned his gaze right back onto Shining. However, before Shining could speak, Solaire pulled his hoof in, getting close to Shining's face.
"Don't touch me. You wouldn't like losing in front of your sister."
With that- Shining stood, taking a few steps back and charging towards Solaire with an angry look.
Solaire rolled to the side, unsheathing his sword and taking a defensive stance. Shining had almost crashed right into Applejack, but was able to stop himself before he did so. The sudden action had frightened the group, as Luna and Celestia both watched, now standing and ready to intervene.
"What is going on?!" Luna yelled across the room. Shining nor Solaire responded back to her, as they were currently focused on fighting. Solaire was stepping back a bit, his eyes watching Shining's. Shining was pissed, and aimed his horn towards Solaire. With a glow around his horn, many magical blasts were sent toward Solaire.
Thankfully, Solaire had training with such magic in his own world. With expertly calculated rolls and dodges, he wasn't hit a single time with the magic. He didn't want to fight, and instead looked towards Celestia. The look on his face clearly was asking for help.
Celestia groaned loudly before yelling, "Enough!" a golden aura now consuming Shining's body. He wriggled around in mid-air, glaring at Celestia. He knew better than to retaliate against the Princess.
"What. Do you think. You are doing?" Celestia asked angrily, bringing Shining to her. He simply looked back at her in disgust, and if she were not a Princess, would try fighting back. Celestia waited for a response from him, which he never gave, until he asked:
"How come he isn't being held?! How come i'm the only one in trou-"
"Stop acting like a child, Shining. I can tell who started the fight. Do you take me for an idiot?" With that, Celestia let Shining go. He turned his gaze to Solaire before Celestia spoke again. "If you even so much as walk towards him threateningly, i'll make sure to have you put in the dungeon for a week."
Twilight and the others were watching in horror and fear, not seeing Celestia so angry before. Twilight had recalled a few times she had gotten angry, but nothing like this. It was definitely something that had been building up. She turned her gaze to Shining, before speaking up.
"S-Shining, why did you attack him?"
"Really?! You're asking me that question? Your own brother- why are you on his side?!"
"I'm not on anypony's side! I-I want to know what the hay happened!"
Shining turned away in anger, and didn't say a single word. He began to make his way towards the door, before turning back to the group.
"This kingdom is being run by a bunch of idiots. Only three days and you've gone attached to that creature like he's your husband." Celestia glared, but didn't speak. "You're an idiot for trusting that thing, Celestia. And Twily, I can't believe you wouldn't even come to help."
Twilight stared at him with a sad yet confused look. He wasn't like this before, in fact, he was never like this. He hadn't had this much anger nor hatred towards her or her friends, and the Princess' either.
"You've got hate in your heart. I hope that you learn to let it go." Solaire spoke, sheathing his sword, his gaze not tearing away from Shining who'm began to laugh.
"Go die. You'd be better off being nutrition for the soil." Shining spat back, before finally walking out of the room.
Needless to say, the entire room, except for Solaire, was in awe. Such words were rarely said, and even enemies at their worst wouldn't wish something like that. Well, for ponies, that is. Griffons and others' have said things like that, but ponies were much different.
"I'm going to strangle that bucking-" Celestia grumbled to herself in anger. Having such words of hatred uttered in her own castle was something she didn't take lightly.
Solaire looked on at the group, but his gaze was specifically on Twilight, who had streaks of tears flowing from her eyes. Her face had shown she was hurt from Shining's words, even if they weren't directed towards her in the end. Hearing her own brother say such terrible things, and to see him get so angry over seemingly nothing, was not helping her current mental state at all.
Celestia glanced up to see this as well, which made her only more angry. She wasn't going to take this injustice. Standing up, she bolted for the door as fast as she could. Solaire watched her for a little, before instinctively running after her.
"Princess- Princess! Stop!" He yelled, trying to catch up to her. She was extremely fast, and didn't show any signs of slowing down until a couple more seconds passed by. Slowly, she began to walk.
Then, she stopped, and Solaire was standing behind her.
"How could he say such terrible things to you? To his own sister? To us? How?!" Celestia said, turning around.
Solaire took a heavy breath before closing the gap between him and her. Once he was face to face, he put his hands over her and pulled her in.
It was a hug.
"Don't let it get to you, Princess. You're stronger than him, so don't let your emotions get the better of yourself like he let happen."
Celestia didn't speak back. Solaire could feel something wet seep slowly through his armor. It was Celestia's tears.
They held that stance for what seemed like an eternity, simply hugging each other.
Solaire had eventually pulled back from it and held Celestia's face in his hands. Using his thumbs, he wiped away her tears and pointed back to where they originated.
"Twilight needs you. The others need you. Be their sun, and tell them it's okay." He said with a smile on his face. Celestia sniffled a little before chuckling a little, nodding.
"R-Right.. I'm stronger than this.. Thank you." Celestia told him. Solaire simply nodded as Celestia began to make her way back to the Dining hall. Passing Luna on the way back, they nodded to each other, and went separate ways.
Solaire watched as Luna slowly approached him.
"I didn't know a simple meal could take such a drastic turn." Luna said with a slightly sad tone.
"Oh- I don't know. You never have sword fights during your meals?" Solaire said sarcastically, to which Luna giggled a little.
"I'm afraid how this might effect Twilight. You know, with her own problems, plus this one being added, it doesn't seem like it's going to turn out well."
"She's hurting, that is known. Yet I believe she is stronger than that. Definitely stronger than her brother." Luna nodded.
"Well- I must get to sleep. All of this was straining and i'm very much tired. You'll make sure to keep Tia, Twilight and her friends all in check, yes?" She asked.
"I promise i'll do my best."
With that, Luna smiled, trotting off in the other direction. She was eager to get to bed and sleep on the stress that today had caused. Solaire couldn't blame her.
In fact, he now wished he could've just slept in.
Author's Note
I've got some thing's to do for a little bit, so I hope this can hold me over for a couple of days!
If I can come back, i'll try to get out some more chapters.
Can you feel the tension in the air~? Solaire can!
If you liked this chapter, or have any feedback, be sure to leave it in the comments! I read all of them, and i'll use whatever criticism I get and put it to use!
Have a good day.
Solaire had followed Celestia after a short talk with Luna, but was told by Celestia to stay inside his room for the rest of the day. The reason was unknown, but he wasn't going to question it. There was probably good reason for her request, and who was he to question what she can do in her castle?
Solaire had sat in the room for hours, simply reading books and drawing small pictures. He hadn't exactly been the type to do either of these, but he had nothing better to do. Besides, these books he was reading were giving him insight in the world around him. It wasn't much, since it was mostly fictional tales, but it did help. Learning of the other species in the world such as Griffons and Diamond Dogs, or bug-like ponies that are called Changelings.
It was all interesting to him, although it did spark a slight bit of sadness into his heart. What would life be like if he was born here instead? Living here could've been more peaceful, and more.. adventurous. It would've been much more fun, that was definite. He shook his head, erasing the thoughts inside of his head, though being unsuccessful. They came flooding back, and this time he pondered on it further.
Would he have been so depressed if he was born here? Without having to watch friends die on a frequent basis would've stopped that almost entirely. Would he have praised the sun as much as he did now? Perhaps, or perhaps not. In a world so bright, it would've just been another thing to look over. The dark, bleak tone of his world had made that glorious shine that came through the clouds above, that much more beautiful. He loved watching the sun for hours on end, even if it didn't change at all.
Do the ponies in this world think that he is crazy? That thought didn't scare him, but it did make him a little nervous. Perhaps they thought he was some cult-like creature, praising the sun for an odd reason..? Would they laugh at his quest, to find his very own Sun? That was something he had contemplated even in his own world.
A heavy sigh came from Solaire as he ran his fingers through his hair, continuing the thoughts.
Was he in the wrong for what he said to Shining Armor? He had chalked it up to being blunt and biting back when he was bitten, but maybe he shouldn't have said what he did. It sparked the entire standoff, and he wasn't exactly proud of that. He knew that it only gave Celestia and Luna a headache to deal with, and the rest of the ponies confused thoughts. If he had stayed quiet, none of it would've happened most likely.
Though, if a person did not defend themselves, they are simply submitting to injustice. The nasty comments that Shining had said to him were plain rude, and the way he conducted himself around Celestia was not right. Even thinking about how his tone and anger towards her made him twitch in his chair.
After the entire incident, he had promised Luna that he would keep the others in check, and to make sure everything was going okay. However, at the request of Celestia herself, he was ordered to stay inside, though he didn't know if it was the right thing to simply abide the request. What is happening out there without him? What is going on? Is anyone hurt, did he come back to say more hurtful comments to her and the others?
He wasn't going to disobey Celestia's request though. With a groan, he turned to look at his flask sitting on the desk in front of himself. Solaire reached for it, and took a sip. To some in his world, the taste of Estus was disgusting, too bitter and strong. He, however, loved it. The liquid would sizzle in his mouth for a little before he swallowed it down, a warm fuzzy feeling sitting inside his stomach.
The warmth inside of him had made him a little happier, though not by much. He was still fidgeting little by little, thinking of what possibly could be going on without him!
Suddenly, a couple knocks were heard at the door, Solaire's head perking up to look. He stayed still, the knocks not registering in his mind. A couple seconds had passed before more knocks were heard, which Solaire stood and walked to the door, opening it.
A small purple pony stood in front of him. Ah- it was Twilight.
"Hey Sul.. Sol.. Sol-"
"Solaire." He said with a smile. Twilight gave a nervous chuckle, nodding.
"Right- Solaire. Can I.. come in?" Solaire questioned in his thoughts why she wanted to come in, but stood to the side, allowing access to the purple pony.
"Thank you." She told him.
Solaire nodded, closing the door, and walking back to the chair at the desk. Positioning the chair to face Twilight, he took a seat and lifted his left leg, letting the foot rest ontop of the right leg.
"Why did you want to come in?" He asked.
"Well.. Celestia told me that my brother would be given.. consequences.. for his actions. I-I wanted to come in and say that I'm so sorry about what he said- and he usually isn't like this at all! I don't know whats come over him in the recent weeks but- but it's-" She was cut off by Solaire waving a hand at her with a smile.
"Twilight- Twilight.. You do not need to apologize for your brothers actions. I had taken part in that little stand-off, and it was more than likely started by me in the first place." Twilight gave him a questioning look.
"What do you mean?"
"He began to whisper to me nastily, making comments that he did not like me. I responded with something along the lines of 'you dont want to fight and lose in front of your sister,' or something along those lines."
Solaire had expected her to become angry with him, but she sat there with her head tilted. Solaire thought the small head tilts that the ponies did was cute, though he knew the same was probably not able to be said to him.
"That.. wasn't probably helping the situation- but he shouldn't have said anything like that to begin with. So, in my book, he was the wrong one." Solaire, instead of arguing the situation or trying to change her mind to something more neutral, simply nodded. Twilight had noted that it was something that he did often.
After a few seconds passed, Solaire asked, "That wasn't the only thing you came to my room for, is it?"
Twilight shook her head hesitantly, looking away from him now. She didn't want to just, barrage him with her problems. She just barely met him, yet when she explained her emotions to him before in the meeting room, he seemed interested in hearing about it. He seemed invested, and although it got a little scary near the end, it all made sense to her. Twilight loved her friends dearly, but it would have taken them hours or days to get any information out of her. For him? It took under ten minutes.
Solaire looked at her, as if already knowing what she was thinking. He simply waited. Twilight, with a shake of her head and a painful, nervous gulp, looked back to Solaire.
"A-After the incident today, Celestia and the others went and talked privately about something. I.. was interested in what they were talking about, and decided to eavesdrop. I-it wasn't right but I was curious!" She said, defending herself against no one. "They wanted to host a little.. party. Something to make me feel better and to get me to talk about my feelings openly. B-But the way they treated it was as if I was some crazy pony, like I was sick and needed help from them."
"I don't want to be perceived that way, and I know they are just trying to do good. But if I were to explain this to them- they would shake their head and say they were going to do it because its better for me or.. something."
Twilight, who had previously been standing had sat on the floor, looking up to Solaire. She wasn't exactly crying, but he could tell that it was clearly bothering her. Tears weren't needed in order to feel sad or depressed. After a few moments of gathering his thoughts, he began to speak.
"I completely understand that you don't want to be seen like that. You aren't sick by any means, and you aren't crazy. However, you are hurt by what happened to you, and today didn't help that either. That is probably why Celestia had taken the others off somewhere else. She knew today would just be an extra headache for you to deal with, and even if she is also sad, she wants you to be happy. Seeing you happy will most likely make her happy." Solaire said, his eyes and tone friendly.
"Here's an idea. Play along with it. Perhaps it doesn't make you happy, perhaps you are angry at their words or how they are treating it behind the scenes, but if you play along you might discover that it may actually help. And if it doesn't, well, its not as if you didn't try. I can tell that you look up to Celestia, and Celestia also looks up to you in a way as well. Only being here a few days and I can already see that. Perhaps if you play along, it will make Celestia happy, which will make you happy, which will make everyone happy."
"But in all honesty- I don't have an answer for you. The only thing I can assure you of, is that you are not crazy. You're just thinking of life in a different way now that you've experienced the darker side of it."
Twilight sat there, listening to his words. The thing she was already loving about Solaire was his blunt and honest opinion. Royal meetings, meeting with nobles, and even meeting with friends, it always felt that something was suppressed. They didn't say certain things and kept it behind a curtain. It wasn't exactly upsetting to her, but it was nice to finally have someone who didn't care about titles that much. At least, when it came to her that is. She had heard that Solaire got extremely upset when Shining Armor had stood up against her.
"I think i'll try and go along with things. Its best for everyone, I think. It's not hurting me, and if I go it'll end up making them happy.. right?"
"You'll never know until it happens." Solaire said with a slight shrug, his eyes now looking over to the window. Sunlight shined through the glass, and left an orange rectangle on the floor of the room. Solaire gave a small chuckle, before turning to Twilight.
"You know, even if it sometimes hurts to wake up in the morning, I always have the sun to greet me. Sure, it's bright light might assault my eyes a little but, I know it only wants to show its beauty." Although Solaire was looking at her, it seemed as if he was looking through her. As if there was something past her. Twilight gave him a confused look before Solaire spoke again.
"I want you to know that i'm not crazy. As it might seem to you or the others I might just be a.. sun freak. I hope that isn't the thought that comes to mind when any of you see me, but i'm okay if it is. It makes sense." He didn't seem at all hurt by saying it out loud, but inside it did hurt a little. He didn't want people to see him as crazy or a failure.
"Solaire, none of us think you're a 'sun freak.'" Twilight said with a chuckle, her eyes watching his expression calm. "I mean, I get why you might think we think that. You have a blazing sun on your armor, and you always talk about the sun. I think that its nice though. You believe in the sun and what it stands for, in your own view, and if that's what gets you up in the morning, then you should keep doing it." Twilight smiled.
"I must say though.. ever since I've heard what you've said about the sun and, simply talking to you, i'm beginning to feel what you say. Maybe not in the same perspective but, I've been using your thinking to help me get up and stay motivated. Its surprisingly working.." Solaire stood up, walking over to the window.
"I'm glad that someone else can enjoy that piece of beauty up in the sky-" He said, pointing out to the flaming ball. "Look at how majestic that is. If you really think about it, it makes no sense of its existence in my or your world. I believe that it just wanted to share its magnificence with any and all who are willing to see it. And to any who need a little light in their lives."
Twilight was now beside Solaire, her hoofs up at the windowsill, watching up at the Sun. There were a couple clouds that had moved in front of it, yet it's brilliant shine went around or through them. It seemed so.. weird to think about it in the way Solaire did, but it made sense to her. All of her life she had just seen it as daytime. Nothing more, other than it making light. She realized that perhaps questioning the things that seem so simple, teaches you that they really aren't simple at all.
She stared up at the Sun beside Solaire, her body leaning onto his.
Celestia was angry for the rest of the day after Shining had pulled off that little incident. After talking to Twilight's friends, she had gone right to messaging Cadence about the incident, and asking her to come visit Canterlot to discuss what was happening with Shining. She also issued an order to ban Shining from coming to Canterlot unless it was official political business, or if Celestia requested it. He had already left after he pulled that little stunt with Solaire, so she expected that he wouldn't come back. However, having extra measures put in place never hurt anybody.
She had told Solaire to stay in his room for the day- to which Solaire looked at her questioningly before obeying. She felt bad for telling him to do so, as it wasn't out of anger. It was just to make sure he didn't see her when she was so.. upset. He would try to help- but she didn't want help at the moment. She wanted to just get things done for the day. She had asked a guard if he was still in his room, and according to the report back, Twilight had moved up to his room. She hadn't left either, and it was an hour or two since she last heard a report.
Celestia was happy that Twilight was trusting Solaire more and more, and perhaps she had gone up there for some extra talks. Whatever the case may be, she knew Solaire would be able to help her.
However, Celestia was a little jealous at the situation. While she had to talk about more political stuff, and meet with nobles and other captains, she was unable to spend time with her new friend. Whilst Twilight was able to not worry about such things. She shook it off though, knowing that it wasn't something she should be upset about. She had gone through this for years on end, not being able to be like the rest, why should it bother her now?
Celestia, on her small break from arguing with nobles, had gone to talk to her sister. Her sister wasn't regularly up at such a time in the day, however she had trouble sleeping. That was a rare occurance, so she took the chance to talk to her sister during the day.
Walking to Luna's room, she opened the door with her hoof, peering her muzzle and eyes inside to scan the room. Luna was sitting at her desk, her entire room enveloped in what seemed to be multiple stars and the night sky. It was a beautiful wallpaper.
"Luna, am I disturbing you?" Celestia asked.
"No.. You can come in." Luna responded tiredly, a big sigh coming from her mouth as she stared at a piece of paper on the desk. She was reading something, but Celestia wasn't close enough to see what it was. She took a few more steps, and closed the door with her back hoof, walking to her sister.
With Celestia approaching, Luna had crumpled up the paper she was reading and sent it flying to the trash.
"If you didn't want me to read it, you could've just asked." Celestia said. Luna shook her head at her, and sighed again.
"No, sister.. It wasn't that. Just, something I've been writing for a little bit. Only a short story- nothing to worry about." Luna then paused, before looking up to her sister. "So- what'd you come see me for?"
"I'm tired of talking to nobles all day, and decided to come spend my small break with my sister. I.. really don't have much to talk about- so.. do you have any topics on your mind?"
Luna thought for a little, before responding. "Yes.. Early in the morning, you moved the sun and the moon. Usually, that was a ceremony we performed together. You did both. Without consulting me. Needless to say, I was a little annoyed that you didn't tell me you were going to do that sooner, and if there was even a reason." Luna said, her tone a little annoyed. Though after a few seconds, her expression had softened.
"I'm over it now though. What was the reason for it, may I ask?"
"Oh- I uh.. I wanted to show Solaire what it looked like- and.. I did it on the whim."
Luna gave a big grin, before chuckling a little. "Only a few days and you want to show off for him, hm?"
"It's not like that at all!" Celestia said, stomping her hoof into the ground. Even with her denying such a thing, her white fur couldn't hide the red blush that came over her face. Luna pointed at it, laughing more.
"Oh sister- you don't have to lie to me!"
"I-I am not!" Another hoof stomp caused Luna to fall off of her chair and laugh harder.
"Oh- oh sister, I've never seen you blush so hard-" Celestia huffed loudly at her comment, and headed for the door. Luna waved goodbye at her, unable to stop laughing and say anything to her.
Celestia closed the door to Luna's room, the laughing stopping as soon as the door clicked shut.
"Rude.."
Twilight awoke to a hand nudging the top of her head. Instinctively, she leaned into it, trying to feel the warmth of it further, however it shook her again. She opened her eyes, and looked up at whatever had been moving her.
Above her stood Solaire. He had a large smile on his face, and he nudged her head again.
"You fell asleep beside me." He said. Twilight looked around the room, and realized she was still perched up on the windowsill, where she and Solaire were watching the sun.
"How long have I b-been asleep?"
"Only an hour and a half, maybe two." He said softly, his smile not fading. He brought his hand behind her ears and began to scratch them, to which Twilight had responded with a happy yawn. She seemed to love the feeling of his rough fingers scratching behind her ears, to which Solaire noted that it was a sensitive spot for ponies.
"Y-You seem to b-be a magician or.. or something." Twilight stammered, her words being repeated due to the immense pleasure that she was feeling.
"How so?"
"Y-You can.. can d-do anythinggg~" Twilight leaned into his hand further, to which Solaire pulled back. Twilight gave a whine when he didn't continue.
"Sorry, but you've probably got to see your friends. To anyone else, you've been missing for two hours. So- until tomorrow, no more head scratches."
"Mmmn- fine." Twilight huffed, stepping from the windowsill and to the door. Before she left, she looked back to him with a smile and a nod.
"Thank you, Solaire."
The door shut.
Solaire chuckled a little. Standing there and gazing at the sun with someone else was enjoyable for him, and Twilight's warmth from her fur had seeped into him from his side. Little did she know, he was softly petting her head the entire time she was asleep, and she was smiling the entire time.
Suddenly, a few knocks came from his door. He sighed.
"She better not be asking for more-" He apporached the door, opening it.
He was met with Celestia's warm eyes, and friendly smile.
"Ah- Solaire. I've heard you and Twilight were in here earlier? I saw her as she left." Solaire nodded.
"Yes- she came to talk about some things." Solaire said, standing to the side to allow Celestia in. Celestia gave him a nod before stepping inside, her eyes scanning around the room. It was a little different from the other guest rooms. Certain things had been moved around, or were out of place. It still looked decent however.
"I haven't left the room, like you asked." Celestia turned to him, her face now a little sad.
"I-I hope you didn't take offense to that.. I just knew that you were going to try to make things better- but I just wanted to be alone. It was nothing against you, I assure."
Solaire nodded, his smile. Instead, he had a neutral expression. "I understand. I'm not angry- I've just been a little bored. Twilight helped with that, but she just left. However, now you're here!" His face turned back into a smile.
"Yes- I only have a little time left, but we'll use the most of it, hm?" Celestia responded back with a smile. Solaire nodded, approaching his bed before sitting on it. He patted the other side of it, to which Celestia walked to the other side and got on the bed, sitting.
"So- what shall we talk about?" Solaire asked.
"How about a little truth or dare? I used to love playing it when I was younger-"
Celestia was interrupted by loud knocks from the door. Solaire turned to look, a big sigh coming from him.
"Who is it this time.." He said, reluctantly getting up from the bed to open the door. When he did open it, a guard pony was standing in front of him.
"Is Princess Celestia inside?" He asked, his face a little nervous.
"I am here. What is it you need?" She asked from the bed.
"Princess Cadance is here- and she's upset. She requested to see you immediately-"
Celestia looked back at the guard with a confused face. She had sent the letter earlier today, and she didn't get a response back saying she was coming, and why would she be upset? Celestia had a gut feeling that today was going to only get worse.
"Report back to her that we'll meet in the royal meeting room. I'll be there as soon as possible." With that, the guard left, taking off down the stairs. Solaire peered from the door down the stairs, and looked back to Celestia.
"Do you want me to come with?"
Celestia stood from the bed and walked over to him. "Yes. Cadance is Shining Armors wife."
"Oh.. Great." Solaire said with a huff, before reaching for his helmet and flask. "This'll be fun.."
"You've got to understand, Cadance. Shining Armor said some very hurtful things to me, Twilight, her friends, and Solaire here." Celestia told Cadance this with as soft of a tone as she could possibly give. Cadance was already upset at what had happened, and the letter she had gotten.
"I don't care about what he said- the restrictions you put on him here is not right! And you come to me to talk about him? He's not even here- he can't even defend himself!" Cadance then stared at Solaire, a curious, yet furious stare.
"I understand this- but the way he has been acting towards me and my fellow friends and other ponies, he has earned those restrictions. He has earned the punishments given to him. Later on, we can invite him over to explain himself, but as it stands I was hoping to talk to you to get some insight on what is going on with him!"
Cadance chuckled, though not one of happiness. "His former friends that he was with and commanded here are losing their lives at your border. Multiple have been killed- and now even Twilight has had to put a few ponies down! He has every right to be angry-"
"Why was he angry at Twilight if he was upset that she had to go through such things?!"
"Because his sister chose to back this.. thing up!"
"She did not back him up what so ever, she was confused on the whole situation. She was just asking questions!" Celestia bit back, her brows furrowing. Solaire stared at the two fighting. It was just Celestia, Cadance, and him. Not even a guard was inside the room at the time, and as things went on, Solaire was afraid something bad might happen. Arguing against a voice in his head, he stood up and spoke.
"You two can not seriously be arguing over this! Nobody is right in this situation- nobody!" Both of the Princess' looked up to him in awe, a little shocked that he spoke up. "Celestia was trying to do her best in commanding her people- maybe it wasn't the right decision but it was her decision to make!" He pointed to Cadance.
Solaire was briefed by Celestia on who she was before they got to the castle, so he had some information to go off of.
"And you have your own place to run, do you not? Celestia here was simply asking you to shed some light on your husbands actions, which you did lightly. However, you forget the fact that people here are losing people they care about deeply too. Just because he lost someone close to him does not mean he gets to act out like a lunatic because he is in a higher position of power." Cadance watched Solaire, her eyes wide. She felt like she was getting a stern talking to from a parent. Usually, she would speak up against someone arguing with her, but she stayed silent.
"I talked to Twilight, and she came to apologize to me about her brothers actions. She told me she didn't understand what was going on with him, and she seemed very worried. She did not side with me, she was just confused as Celestia had said. Celestia is just trying to understand what is going on and you yell at her? Pathetic."
...
The word seemed to ring out across the mostly empty room, and the world for Cadance had gone silent. That single word hit her harder than anything else he had said, and she stared down at the table in front of her. Celestia looked to Solaire and gave a frown. This was not the help she was hoping he would give, and was quite unpleased with his words. As soon as she was about to speak, Solaire had continued, inching forward across the table to get closer to Cadance.
"I can see that you have good in you. You came here to defend your husband, that shows that you have a good soul, and good intentions. Your words are being clouded by anger, and you can't let that happen. The way you acted out just now was indeed pathetic, but you are amazing." Cadance looked up to him, seeing his eyes through the visor in his helmet.
"I'm sorry if my words were harsh. I understand that you are just trying to help. You've just got to think about the effects of your words before you say them, or else you might ruin a good relationship with her." Solaire gestured towards Celestia.
Somehow, someway, Solaire had seemed to turn the entire situation around on its head. She was first unhappy with his words, but it then changed to being.. surprised, and happy at his other words. He seemed to explode, surprising everyone in front of him, before he would die down into a soft state.
It worked, as Cadance was now staring at him with a small smile, nodding. She had a tear drop from her eye, and Solaire sat back down. Cadance then shook her head, wiping the tear from her face.
"Y-Your right. I shouldn't have called you a.. thing.. I also should have been thinking about what I was saying. It wasn't what I had intended to say but- it just came out." Solaire nodded his head at her. "There are other reasons to why he's been upset lately, and that's private matters. It doesn't concern the castle, you or anyone here. Just me and him, so it might be hurting him more than I thought.." Celestia nodded with Solaire, before she stood and walked to the other side of the table.
Facing her face to face, Celestia gave a big smile. "I have faith that you two will be okay. I'll rethink my punishments on him, since you've brought it up I don't exactly agree with everything I put in place. I promise that in a few days i'll have you and him come down, and he can explain himself. It isn't right to have somepony not be able to defend themselves." Cadance looked up at Celestia with a smile spreading across her face, before standing up. After a small brief hug, Cadance nodded to her.
"I would very much like that."
With that, Cadance and Celestia talked for a few more moments before Cadance had left the room. Once again, it was Celestia and Solaire in the room alone. Cadance sat across from Solaire once more, staring at him with a strange look.
"What?" Solaire asked.
"How do you.. do that? Just like what you did with Twilight, you.. you somehow fixed it all. Well, not all, but a big portion of it. I've never seen anything like it before. I'm sure if I put you in a room with the deadliest creature that Equestria had to offer, you could calm it down within a matter of minutes." Solaire chuckled, waving a hand at her.
"Nonsense! I try to speak in a way that everyone can understand, and so far it seems to work. I'm glad it works, because talking in such a manner in my world would only get a shrug in response, while they go off to their deaths. I'm glad i'm helping someone here."
"Still.." Celestia sat in silence for a moment. "I'm going to loosen restrictions on your stay. Previously I told you that you could only stay inside the castle, but i'll extend that to the rest of the Canterlot streets and even down to Ponyville, if you want to take the train there. I feel that you've proven yourself over these few days, more so than some nobles I know of." Celestia stood.
"Perhaps i'll send you to live with Twilight for a little while. It will give you some time you learn the culture around Ponyville, you'd have a place to stay, and you'll warm up to her and her friends. How about.. a week? You'll then come back to the castle." Celestia wanted to keep him around the castle, but she knew that perhaps if he were to stay with Twilight, it would clear problems up. Plus, the could get the little party in Canterlot all prepped and ready for Twilight.
Solaire hesitantly shrugged. "I.. guess. Not that I don't like Twilight, I just don't like leaving you off by yourself to fend against the troubles here in the castle."
"He's too sweet.." Celestia thought, before shaking her head. "I'll be okay Solaire. I promise."
Solaire then nodded. Celestia could tell he had a smile under his helmet. "If you promise, then i'll take your word for it. I'll go and meet with Twilight and tell her. Don't worry though- i'll definitely come say bye before I go with them. Before you know it- I'll be back here anyways."
Celestia nodded with a chuckle. "If you do not say goodbye before your little vacation, you'll have to let me ask one really embarrassing question~"
"Hmph- like that would happen!" Solaire said with a chuckle, before heading to the door. "I'll see you when we are ready to leave, Celestia. Take care until then-"
With that, Solaire had left the Princess in the meeting room alone. Celestia sighed, her gaze turning back down to the table. She slumped over it, hoofs extended out ontop of it.
"It'll be a slow week.."
"I still can't believe you fell asleep on him."
Twilight groaned at Rarity, who looked at her with a smirk. She had explained why she was missing, and immediately regretted doing so. For the last hour she was explaining to them that no, she was not doing anything with Solaire while she went to go meet with him.
"How does the Princess feel about you stealing her precious warrior?" Rainbow teased from the bed. With that, Twilight stood up, ignoring any further comments and heading for the door. As soon as she approached it, three knocks came from it.
Twilight looked at it with slight confusion, wondering who it could be before opening it. In front of her, standing above, was Solaire.
"Ah- Twilight and her friends. Just who I was searching for. They never told me what room you were staying in- I've been knocking on doors for a couple of minutes now." He said, a chuckle coming from under the helmet.
The other ponies behind her looked at Twilight with smirks, except for Fluttershy. She was the only one who had tried to defend Twilight, but she couldn't exactly defend her when she was too timid to speak.
"U-uh.. Why did you.. try to find us?" Twilight asked.
"Oh- I was instructed by Celestia to give you some good news." The rest of the gang behind Twilight seemed to perk up, stepping up from wherever they were sitting and slowly walking up to the door. They all had curious looks, and Solaire raised his hands up.
"I'm coming to live with you, Twilight. For a whole week!"
...
Laughter came next after Solaire had said that. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Spike all seemed to burst out laughing. From the previous teasing they were doing, this was too good. It all seemed to fit perfectly with their own twisted narritives.
Twilight tried to ignore them, a slight blush appearing on her face as she looked back up confused. "W-What?"
"Yes- Celestia thought this might be a good opportunity for me to get to know all of you. You being her student, and the others her 'subjects,' she wants me to be on good terms with you all. Plus, it'd give me a little time to explore another part of this world." Solaire said. He looked down at Twilight, who had a nervous look. He then looked to the source of the laughter.
"Why are you all laughing?"
"W-We-" Rainbow Dash couldn't even begin her sentence before continuing to laugh.
Twilight had a nervous look on her face, to which Solaire responded with a hand behind her ear. A quick scratch before pulling away, making sure none of the others had seen.
"Don't worry about me coming along. It will be quite fine, I assure you. You can show me around." He said with a nod, to which Twilight responded with a smile.
"I'll be off now! I've been informed that the train is leaving in an hour, so get your things ready. I'll be waiting over there, as to give you all some space." Solaire had disappeared from the front of the door as quickly as he appeared. Twilight, still smiling, turned around her, only to remember that the others were laughing.
"I-I told t-them to stop.." Fluttershy spoke to her meekly. Twilight groaned, shutting the door.
The teasing would only get worse.
Author's Note
I hope you all liked the length of this one! I want to make these new chapters longer and longer. Not that the other ones aren't okay.
If you have any criticism, or liked this story, be sure to let me know in the comments. I read all of them- and respond to most! If I don't respond- don't worry, I still saw it.
Have a good day guys, hope you like this one.
Solaire and the other seven passengers were on their way to Ponyville. Right before they had left, Solaire had found Celestia and gave her a hug goodbye, just as he had promised her.
Sitting on one of the many seats in the royal train cart, Solaire stared outside of the window. The world seemed to blur past, and he watched with wonder. All the colors seemed to blend together with how fast they were going. Solaire had been caught off guard however by someone clearing their throat.
Solaire turned around, to see that Rainbow Dash was the one that had done it. She looked at him with a big smile.
"So- where ya' from?"
"Huh..?" Solaire asked caught off guard.
"You know- your home! What its like, all that fun stuff. You never really told any of us." Rainbow gestured to the others, who'm nodded in agreement.
"It would be nice to know who will be staying with us for the next week." Rarity said.
Twilight, hearing the conversation, perked up from her book. "I.. don't know if you guys really want to hear where he's from. It's not-"
Solaire cut her off, waving a hand at her dismissively. "It will be fine. If they do not like it, that is their own fault for asking, right?" He said, looking at Rainbow. She nodded with a grin.
With a breath, Solaire started his story.
"My world is not one of fun, happiness, or anything of the sort. It is a bleak, depressing, harsh environment, where only the strong can survive. And even they succumb to the hellish environment that is my world. No matter where you go, you will most certainly find something that is willing to kill you. No place is safe except for those few places of haven, where a bonfire is kept. Around the world, these bonfires are made to be small places of safety, where you could sit and recuperate before heading off into the dangers once again. They're a necessity to us undead for living."
Applejack eye'd Solaire. "What ya' mean 'us undead'?"
"I, am undead. A human who had fallen to the world, and become one with the flame. That is, the flask that I keep on me at all times. It is liquid flame, and when I drink it, it essentially heals me. It is quite useful in the midst of battle." He had pulled up his flask to show.
"Us undead have a very scary fate in front of us. Our souls are bonded to our emotions and feelings, and when one of us gives up on our life, we become what we call Hollow. A hollow is a husk of someone you once knew, however they are hostile to everyone around them. Friend, foe, they're the same to a hollow, and there is no chance in reasoning with them. They'll try to kill you as long as you, or they are living. If you can say that they are truly 'living.' It is a sad fate that I've seen many people go through, many friends of mine have had that fate."
"If I did not get teleported into your world, I would have certainly gone hollow. I was on the verge of giving up, until I was sucked into a glowing yellow portal. Next thing I know, I was in this place! Looking around myself, I had thought that the beautiful colors and bright sun were too good to be true, and I steadied my sword at my chest, ready to end my madness."
Fluttershy looked at him in worry. "Y-You were going to.."
"Indeed." Solaire nodded. "I was going to kill myself. If I was to either go hollow and mad, or completely die, I would rather die. Going hollow isn't something I want to hurt others with. I don't want anyone I once knew to have to feel the pain of striking me down. Their potential friend, lost to the madness of the world."
The train car was completely silent. When Rainbow had wanted to know about his world, she was expecting tales of adventures and fighting cool monsters. Nothing he said sounded cool what so ever, and immediately killed the joyful vibe of the cart.
Solaire continued. "The only thing that I had with me was that beautiful glowing ball in the sky. No matter where I had gone, I knew that it was up there, shining. It was the only thing that had a good sense of feeling around it. No matter where you went in the world, you had a feeling of dread, but whenever I looked up at that glorious shine.. I felt something I never had anywhere else."
"I vowed to become a warrior of sunlight before I became undead. I had gone through all my life searching for a proper sun of my own. It was a.. 'crazy' journey as most in my world would say, but I made friends. Some who shared my mindset, and journeyed with me." Solaire had paused, giving a large sigh. "Most of them would end up going hollow, and had to be put down by me. They never could find their own sun, no matter how hard they tried. I was going to end up like them before I ended up here."
Another large pause occurred before Twilight shook her head.
"I told you, Rainbow."
Solaire spoke again. "I don't mean to cause you all to be sad! I am simply explaining why I am so grateful to have landed here. Much more brighter, much more colorful, and with much nicer people." To that, Fluttershy smiled.
"I-I'm glad y-you're oka-kay now." Solaire nodded at her.
"Well i'll just have to throw you a party for being here! After going through all those things you must be really happy that you are here like you said- we can invite everyone over and meet you and you can explain your story to them and they'll be so wide eyed and in awe that-"
"Pinkie.. Stop it." Twilight said with a sigh, to which Pinkie Pie deflated back into her seat with a huff. "He doesn't need a party to feel welcomed. Oh- and Starlight will be there. You met her during the little meeting we had. She left on a train going back to ponyville to keep the castle in check while we were gone."
Solaire was then poked in the leg by something, to which he looked down to see whatever it was. It was a small dragon, purple and green in color. "So you're like.. a warrior?" The dragon asked.
"Spike- can you not?" Twilight told him with a bit of annoyance in her tone. Spike looked back at her.
"Whaaaat? I was just asking."
"I'm not a warrior in the traditional sense." Solaire responded to him. "I don't fight for a kingdom or a person, but in fact, the celestial ball in the sky." Spike turned back to him with a smile.
"Cool!"
Spike had always been one that enjoyed small comics and other stories of knights, warriors, and fighting cool monsters. Although he was growing, he still embraced the childish side of his soul.
"'Ah have a feelin' that him and Starlight are gonna' be all over eachother-" Applejack said, to which the other ponies all stared at her with confusion. Applejack chuckled. "Not 'n that kind of way! She's like a therapist, 'n he's like one too."
"I'm not a therapist- i'm just trying to be a friend."
With that, the trip was back to being silent. Solaire stared outside the window once again, and smiled underneath the helmet.
"Beautiful."
Solaire and the rest of the crew had finally arrived in Ponyville, and had made their way to Twilight's castle. The group had gotten odd stares from the ponies in the town on the way there, as word had spread about Solaire's sudden arrival in Canterlot. Nopony had exactly known what he looked like, but he definitely didn't match what they were thinking. He stood tall, at 6'0", and wore armor that was a mixture of iron, chainmail, and cloth.
As they approached the entrance of the castle, Twilight knocked on the door. A couple of hurried hoofsteps were heard behind the door, and suddenly it opened wide.
Starlight Glimmer was on the other side, and upon seeing her friends a smile came over her.
"Hi gir-" She was cut short by seeing Solaire. She looked at him confused, pointing a hoof. "What is uh.. he doing here?" She asked as polite as possible. Twilight smiled at Starlight, turning over to Solaire.
"This is Solaire, you remember him at the little meeting, right? Well- he's come to stay with us for a week. Celestia's orders." Starlight nodded her head, turning from Twilight to Solaire again, giving him a smile.
"Well- welcome! I hope that you like the place- It's been in kind of a mess since Twilight was.. well, out of commission." Solaire nodded, following the group inside. The inside of the castle was more impressive than the outside. It was crystal-like, and had a shiny floor.
The only things that could be heard while they walked were the soft hoofsteps on the carpet underneath them, and Solaire's armor clinking with each step. It wasn't loud, but it was still audible. Spike walked next to him, glancing to him time to time to admire the armor on the creature.
They eventually made it to the center of the castle. Further off were doors that would lead them to the map room. The center was essentially a meeting ground that split off into multiple directions, each direction having rooms for the ponies or for other things such as a science lab, and even a workout section. It had quite the selection of things inside.
"Well- I think the rest of us are going to our rooms or respective places. As much as it was nice meeting you, we are quite tired from the several days of trying to help dear Twilight. Not any offense to you-" Rarity said, looking to Twilight. Twilight didn't take offense, and nodded her head.
The rest of the crew had all gone done separate hallways, or left the castle. It was Starlight, Twilight, Spike and Solaire left. Starlight looked up at Solaire with a curious look, a small grin on her face. She noted that he didn't talk as often as ponies would. She had made the same discovery that Twilight had earlier meeting him.
"Sooo.." Starlight began, before Twilight gave a sigh.
"I'm going to clean up the place and rest. Ever since I've been out of it, everypony left this place a mess, and i'm getting tired." Twilight said, walking off down a hallway that lead to her bedroom. Starlight smirked.
"It's all that thinkin' your doing!" Starlight yelled, to which Twilight huffed loudly before she disappeared out of sight. Spike had followed her. Starlight turned to look up at Solaire, who was already looking at her.
"So.. Big guy. You are.. Solaire, right?"
Solaire nodded.
"Well- since everypony else is kind of gone at the moment, do you want to accompany me? It'll get us some time to get to know eachother! Plus, you'll have to tell me how you fixed Twilight. She wouldn't ever listen to me."
Solaire gave a light chuckle. "I did not fix her, I just let her know that she isn't a bad person." He said this as he followed Starlight down the opposite hallway that Twilight had came from. He didn't know where he was going.
"Mmm.. Well, I did try that myself. I guess you got some otherworldly magic in you or something." Solaire gave another chuckle at her statement.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Don't tell me your going to rip me apart searching for it, are you?" He said teasingly, to which Starlight looked at him with a smirk.
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't~"
"Princess Celesti-"
"Not now."
"But Princes-"
"Not now, Blueblood."
"Prince-"
Celestia turned to Blueblood, a look of extreme irritation on her face, her eye twitching. "If you say one more word, i'll send you to the moon. I am not dealing with your antics, I am not dealing with your plea's, I am not dealing with anything you're going to complain about! So if you will, leave, me, alone!"
Blueblood ran off after Celestia had finished yelling. She gave a loud sigh, thinking to herself.
"If Solaire were here, he'd be able to provide some company.."
Celestia shook her head, remembering that she had sent him to Ponyville to let him explore. To get him used to her subjects, and to warm them up to his presence. She knew that she wouldn't be able to talk to him or anything of the sort for the week, and she knew the consequences that would bring.
Though, she couldn't say that she felt alone without his presence.
It was beginning to become late. Solaire had been in Ponyville for a couple of hours at this point. She was currently on a balcony, overlooking Ponyville, and was wondering what he might be doing. Was he perhaps getting irritated with them? Was he being yelled at or doing the yelling? Was Twilight picking him apart for science? Was he hurt?!
Celestia shook her head once more. It was unlike her to think of such.. extreme circumstances. She knew everything would most likely be okay, but for some reason, the odd attachment to him was starting to show its colors. She sat in thought for a little while longer until a few hoofsteps were heard from her side.
"I think it is time, Sister." Luna had told her as she approached. Celestia nodded, turning to Luna. Luna's face was obviously tired, and was scrunched up a little.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Celestia questioned worriedly.
"Yes. I just haven't been able to sleep well.." Celestia nodded, not wanting to push it any further. She had felt that something was off with Luna, but she couldn't put it on anything. There wasn't anything to point to, anything to link her sadness or unrest to anything.
"Well- let us get this over with, and I shall begin my shift."
Both Alicorns' horns began to glow, and the sky suddenly was changing color. The sun fell to the right, as the moon began to appear from the left. From where the glorious sun had shined, the equally beautiful moon had taken place. A big sigh came over Luna as they finished.
"Make sure to get some rest, sister. You understand what is happening tomorrow, correct?" Celestia nodded to Luna.
"Yes, I know. I've already informed the guards to keep a close eye on Shining while he visits to defend his stance for what he did. If he gets out of hand, he'll be thrown out of here. Cadance wouldn't like it, but he would leave me with no other choice."
Luna gave another sigh. "I wish thing's wouldn't have to boil over like this."
"Me too." Celestia eye'd the town below. "Me too.."
"Y-You can't tell nopony about thiss~" Starlight slurred her words over as she fell into Solaire's lap. She and Solaire had been talking in her bedroom for quite some time, and Starlight was a secret drinker. She stored lots of ale in her bedroom, and seeing Solaire drink out of his own flask, she decided to start drinking hers too.
"You are definitely drunk, Starlight." Solaire said, however Starlight heard none of his words. She suddenly picked his flask up with her magic, to which Solaire grabbed it quickly.
"Let me drinnnkkk~!"
"If you drink this, it'll kill you!" Solaire groaned towards her, to which Starlight gave him a pouted face.
"Unfair.."
Solaire groaned again, pushing the pony off of his lap and standing up. It was a fun conversation until she began to become.. touchy.. She fell into his lap, pushing all over him and slurring all of her words. She went from an intelligent mare to a five year old foal quickly.
"I would love to stay but- I must find Twilight. I have no idea where i'm staying so-" He quickly made his way for the door. Starlight protested with slurred words, trying to make her way over to him, but stumbled. "bye-" Solaire shut the door, only hearing whines of protest from the other side. He wiped his clothing off, and began down the hallway.
"I have no idea where i'm going but, i'll find it eventually." Solaire continued down the hallway, looking at the doors for labeling. They each had a cutiemark on it to signify what room it was, or a picture on it to signify what the room was meant for. Lab, gym, library, and inbetween. He kept travelling until he found the same design of Twilight's cutiemark.
"I'll have to ask what these designs mean." He reminded himself aloud, knocking on the door lightly. She might've been asleep already, as it was getting late. There was no answer. He knocked again, and this time an answer came from the other side.
"..come in.." A tired Twilight answered from the other side. Solaire pushed the door slowly, and peered his helmet through the other side. Twilight was under the covers inside of her bed, looking over at him with half-lidded eyes. He frowned underneath the helmet.
"I'm sorry for awaking you- but I wasn't informed on where exactly i'd be sleeping.." Solaire said as soft as possible. Twilight's eyes widened a little, her soft and tired voice coming back.
"O-oh..! I'm so sorry- I should've.. I.." Solaire waved his hand towards her.
"I can find somewhere to sleep. You don't have to worry about it."
"A-Are you sure..?" Twilight asked worriedly, to which Solaire nodded.
"Don't worry, i'll find somewhere to sleep. Go back to bed, i'll see you in the morning, okay?"
Twilight nodded back, a yawn escaping her muzzle and her head flying back down into bed. Solaire shut the door softly, before turning around.
"... I'm going to have to go back to Starlight, aren't I.." He groaned, looking around for a bit. "..Yes.. Yes I am."
He groaned as he had approached Starlight's door, opening it slowly.
"..Starlight..?" He asked. Suddenly, he was grabbed by some sort of aura around his body, flying him to Starlight immediately. He yelped a little as he was flung to her, in which she wrapped her hoofs around him giddily.
"Seeeeee~ you came baackkk~" She giggled. Solaire groaned, pulling himself off of her.
"I need somewhere to sleep. Can I sleep here tonight? Not in the same be-"
"You can sleep in my bed with me!" Solaire was flung onto the bed as she interrupted. He landed with a huff, and looked over at Starlight, who had jumped onto the bed after him.
Arguing will do nothing.. I just have to live with this for the night.
"Take off your armoorrrrrr~ Itsh gonna' be uncomffyy!"
"No! I am keeping my armor on- if I were alone I would take it off, but sleeping in another's bed? No, not happening."
Starlight groaned in protest, but knew that she was defeated. With a loud huff and a whine, she curled under the blanket, flicking the light off with her magic. A hoof came over his chest, and pulled him close.
"Gooddniigghttttt~" Starlight said, as she began to immediately doze off to sleep. Solaire simply stared up at the ceiling, his helmet and armor still on. He couldn't sleep with this ponies hoof on his chest. It felt odd, and with the constant whispering coming from her sleeping muzzle wasn't helping.
"I have a feeling I wont be having a good nights sleep." He muttered.
However, within just a couple of minutes, the warmth from Starlight had lulled him to sleep.
As Solaire began to dream, he realized he wasn't where he usually dreamed of being. Usually, he would be at the Sunlight Altar on his own world, but this time he was in Celestia and Luna's castle. Specifically, in Celestia's bedroom. Yet, Celestia was nowhere to be seen. Solaire took a few steps towards the bed, sitting on it.
"A strange place to dream about." He said aloud, before hearing a familiar voice. One of a dark blue alicorn.
"I think it means more than you think." Luna said, creeping from the wall inside the bedroom. With a smile, he turned to her, removing his helmet.
"Ah- Princess Luna. You are going to join me in my dream?"
Luna shook her head. "I can not stay for long. However, I wanted to ask if everything was all right with Twilight and her friends. Celestia may not be exactly vocal with her feelings, but she is indeed worried about you."
"Thing's are okay. I've spent most of my time in the castle with Starlight. Though, she began to drink and ended up getting drunk. I had nowhere else to sleep, so that left me stuck with Starlight and her bed. She's a little touchy."
Luna giggled. "Oh Solaire, are you being unfaithful?"
"It's not as if me and her are doing anything- and who would I be unfaithful to? I don't-" Finally, it clicked in Solaires head. "Oh.. Oh- no no no! It is nothing like that between me and Celestia, I can assure you."
"Whatever you say." Luna teased. Luna then looked around the room. "It does bring up the question: why did you dream of Celestia's room?"
Solaire shrugged. "Confused as much as you are, Princess."
"Perhaps you have a bond closer than you think. After all, she is the Princess of the Sun, and you claim to be a warrior of the sun. Celestia also told me that you called her a goddess sometime when you first met- something that usually pertains to beauty and attractiveness."
Solaire chuckled. "I meant nothing like that. I saw what looked to me, a god. I've been praying to that sun for many years, and perhaps I got to see the sun itself. My bad for not knowing better. You wouldn't have done any better in my shoes, Princess of the night."
"I don't know.. I don't think I could fit into your shoes."
With that comment, both of them began to laugh. A few seconds passed as they slowly died down, before Solaire stood off the bed. "I want you to know that although I praise the sun, the moon is just as elegant. An equal to the sun, in perfect balance. I wasn't ever able to really see the beauty of the moon before since I wasn't able to see it in such a peaceful manner. Perhaps i'll become a warrior for both sun and moon." He chuckled again, while Luna looked at him with a smile on her muzzle.
"You are too elegant with your words, Solaire. If I didn't know any better, I would think you were flirting."
"What? How does- okay, i'm not going to ask questions. Any time I do that, you Princess' just tease." He said, another laugh escaping his lips. Solaire had seemed to laugh a lot throughout the day, a nice change of pace from the serious looks of every noble in the castle.
However, Luna knew she could not stay. "I must go now, Solaire. I'm glad that I was able to talk to you- but I must go and see if anypony else needs help. They aren't as all strong-willed as you are. Sleep deep, Solaire."
"I will, Luna." With a wave goodbye to the Princess, Luna had seeped back into the dark corner of the room, disappearing into thin air. It was quite the trick, and Solaire chuckled.
"Those guards say that she is always rude. I don't see it. Or perhaps there is a side of her that she doesn't want to show me? Either way, I don't see the 'rudeness' that everyone keeps on talking about."
Solaire awoke to something poking against his helmet. Instinctively, he swatted his hands around, trying to stop whatever it was from poking further.
"Oh, so you're awake finally." Starlight said. It turned out she was the culprit of the poking. Solaire sat up, turning to look at her. He pointed a finger at her, poking her nose forcefully, before sliding off the bed.
"Hmph.." Starlight said with a huff, watching him make his way towards the door. "Going away so soon?"
"I'm leaving before you start drinking and get all touchy again."
"It's not like I was tryi-"
Solaire shut the door behind him, giving a sigh. He made sure he still had everything on him. Flask, Sword, and anything else he carried with him in his little satchel. After making sure everything was good to go, he made his way back down the hallway.
As he made it to the center of the castle once again, he saw Twilight heading for the front entrance.
"Twilight- just the person I was looking for." Solaire said with a jolly tone, causing Twilight to turn around. Her face lit up at the sight of Solaire.
"Oh- Solaire! I was looking for you, but you weren't in any of the other rooms."
"I spent the night with Starlight, even though it wasn't exactly the most comfortable." Twilight cocked an eyebrow quizzically. Solaire shook his hand towards her. "Nothing happened, but I didn't want to bother you with finding me a room. I also slept with my armor on- despite it being quite uncomfortable."
Twilight chuckled a little. "Mhm- whatever you say Solaire. As I was saying earlier, I was looking for you. I wanted to see if you'd like to come with me to Ponyville. The other girls are there- they have rooms here, but they live over there for the most part. They have their own stuff to take care of throughout the day."
Solaire shrugged. "I don't see why not. To Ponyville we go." Solaire said, pointing to the door as if commanding a non-existent army. Twilight nodded, heading for the door, with Solaire following. As they pushed the doors open, Solaire looked up at the sky. The sun was already up. Solaire sighed, knowing that he slept in longer than he wanted to.
As they began their walk to Ponyville, Solaire took in the surroundings again. The lush green grass, the tree's far out, and the mountains off into the distance. The light blue color of the sky, the fresh air. The feeling of the warm sun on his armor, and overall carefree and cheerful feeling of the world. Solaire felt like no matter where he went, he could feel the joy of the world.
Solaire could see Canterlot from where they were walking, and wondered what Celestia was doing. Perhaps she was dealing with those idiot nobles she had talked about before? Perhaps she was simply having boring meetings about things that didn't matter, or she was preparing that party for Twilight? Or was she just all alone, taking the day off to relax? Solaire shrugged to himself, turning his gaze down to the path they were following. They were almost to Ponyville, and Solaire could see the many ponies crowding the streets.
Ponies were doing their jobs, talking to others, or were going around to meet with others or buy things from stores. Some filly and foals were around the place as well, playing with eachother or following their respective parents. As they approached into the town, Solaire could feel the glances he was getting. It wasn't anything he was bothered by, as he got many stares from Canterlot already. It just seemed different this time.
Though, some Ponies were scared of his presence. The sheathed sword he carried wasn't exactly helping that, and with him donning armor, it felt like he was ready for a fight. Many questioned why he was following beside Twilight as well, and if there was anything that was going to happen. Perhaps political talks with this new creature's race? Perhaps something to do with the guard, or the rebels on the border?
"So, what exactly are we doing here, Twilight? I understand the others are here but, is there any other reason?"
Twilight glanced back to him for a quick second, before looking ahead. "Well, there is something i'd like for you to do.. Though, I'd hate to ask you since we've not known eachother for a long time."
"Go ahead- ask. I'm sure it won't be a problem."
The both of them began nearing Rarity's shop, the Carousel Boutique. Twilight stopped in front of its doors, turning around to Solaire.
"W-Well.. Me and the others are planning for some.. time off, and Applejack and Rarity both have younger sisters.. With that being said, we have no one to watch them a-"
"You want me to watch the little ones while you're off having fun, correct?"
Twilight looked down, giving a sheepish reply. "Yeah.."
"Of course!" Twilight's ears perked up, her head following afterwards. She looked at Solaire, a little confused. "As long as you make it up to me one day, i'll happily do this. It's no problem for me. There's two of them, correct?"
Twilight shook her head. "N-No.. There will be a third one, a friend of both of their's. All three are here in Rarity's shop at the moment. They spent the night with her." Solaire gave a light chuckle.
"Well, I can handle a few young ones." Twilight smirked at his confidence.
"You haven't met them yet. Just wait-" She said as she pushed the doors open to Rarity's shop. Inside the shop was Rarity, working on what seemed to be clothing on a pony mannequin. It was a beautiful design, donning multiple colors ranging from light blue, to dark purple.
"Ah- Twilight! Have you.. found somepony to watch them?" She asked, looking a little worried.
Twilight nodded towards Solaire. "He volunteered."
Rarity looked at Solaire, keeping her worried look. "A-Are you sure?"
Solaire nodded. "Of course. As long as you make it up to me, i'll gladly do it."
Rarity gave a relieving sigh. "I was beginning to think that I would have to deal with those three again. How do they have so much energy?" She asked on one in particular. Twilight scanned the room quickly.
"Speaking of them- where are they?"
"Upstairs. They've been play fighting all morning."
"I'll go introduce myself-" Solaire said, walking forward and disappearing to the stairs.
"Are you sure he'll be okay? We just met him, and who knows how he'll act around those little energy filled chaos makers." Twilight shook her head, dismissing Rarity's worries.
"It'll be okay, i'm sure of it. We may have just met him, but if the Princess' can trust him, so can we." Rarity bit her lip softly, before nodding.
"I guess so.."
"Now- we should be on our way. We'll meet with Applejack first, since she said she'll be in the marketplace." Twilight said, heading for the door, Rarity following.
The three small ponies had stopped when they heard the thumping of something coming up the stairs to the room. Their initial thought was that it was going to be Rarity, to which all of them were gathering around the door, ready to spook her and attack her.
What opened the door though, was definitely not Rarity. Without thinking, the three of them all pounced onto the creature that opened the door. Solaire suddenly fell on his back as he was tackled, looking around himself to see who the culprits were.
"We gotcha' Rari-" Scootaloo said before staring at what was underneath her. She immediately backed off, along with the others. They stared at whatever was there, as it sat up to look at them.
"Well, that was one surprise attack. I'll have to take notes." Solaire said to them. They stared in confusion, and in slight intimidation as he stood up. Being extremely taller than them didn't help their anxiety. "I'm your caretaker for the day."
"You're here to look after us? Doesn't Rarity know that we're able to be okay on our own already?!" Applebloom looked at the others, who all shrugged.
"Well- whether or not you are, i'm instructed to watch over you all. I'm Solaire." Solaire walked into the room, closing the door behind himself and sitting with his legs crossed on the floor. He was now near their level. The three of them sat and stared at him.
"I heard you all were play fighting earlier?" He asked.
"We weren't hurting eachother! It's just fun-" Solaire waved his hand at them.
"I understand. It's a good way to train. Though, I doubt you'd all be able to take me on, hm?" Solaire teased, watching their expressions change from confusion to confident. They all had smiles on their face now.
"You don't know what you're up against mister!" Applebloom said with a grin.
Solaire chuckled, reaching for his sheath. He unclipped it from his armor, tossing it to the side along with his satchel and flask. "There, fair game now."
"But you have armor!" Sweetie Belle protested.
"Three against one? I think it's fair." Solaire said with a chuckle.
Suddenly, without warning, Scootaloo attacked. With Solaire still sitting, she was able to attack his chest. She pushed him down with her hoofs, while the other two got on each side. Solaire used both of his hands to reach underneath Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, picking them both up and throwing them across the room. He aimed for soft bedding on the other side, so they landed without injury.
Scootaloo was still ontop of him though, stomping her hoofs against his armor. It wasn't doing much.
"He's strong, run!" Applebloom yelled to Scootaloo. She didn't listen, trying to pierce through his armor with her hoofs as if she was some sort of superhero. With ease, Solaire grabbed her with his right hand, tossing him over to where the others were.
Solaire quickly got up, opening the door and flying down the stairs. "You can't defeat what you can't catch!"
The three of them ran after him, tripping down the stairs. Solaire, now on the bottom floor, looked for somewhere to hide. Finding a small counter whilst he was running, he slid right underneath it. The three ponies were now on the bottom floor.
Scootaloo, seeming to be the captain of the group at the moment, barked out an order. "Search for him!"
Scootaloo stayed at the bottom of the steps, whilst Sweetie Belle checked the small hallway to the right, whilst Applebloom was checking the lobby and the left room that connected to it. Applebloom didn't decide to check anywhere near the counter as she passed by it. Suddenly, a hand grabbed at her hoof, which began to pull her under. She screamed for a second, only for her scream to die out while Solaire held her mouth shut.
"You're on my side now." Solaire said quietly, letting go of his grasp on her mouth. She turned to him, giving a quiet sigh.
"You almost gave me a heart attack!" She protested quietly. Solaire shrugged.
With the scream of their fellow comrade, the other two immediately began to check where she had disappeared. Scootaloo's eyes narrowed around the immediate area. Still not finding any clues, she groaned.
"He's hiding.."
Suddenly, an explosion of yellow came across Scootaloo's face. With a scream, she fell onto the floor.
"I got 'er!" Applebloom yelled. Sweetie Belle, just a few steps away from the two, was beginning to charge. That was, until she saw Solaire emerge from seemingly nowhere, charging at her. She yelped, running away from him.
"Keep her held down, i'll get the other!" Solaire yelled to Applebloom, racing to get Sweetie Belle, who was laughing giddily. While turning a corner into the side room, her hoof got caught on it, tripping her. She turned onto her back, watching Solaire peer over her.
"Gotcha'." He said, picking her up. As he turned around, he didn't see Applebloom nor Scootaloo. "Uh oh."
Solaire kept turning around in every direction, scanning the room for the two of them. A steady forceful push was then delivered to his legs, causing him to fall over. He kept Sweetie Bell on his chest, as to make sure she wasn't hurt in the fall.
He looked at his feet, seeing both Applebloom and Scootaloo pinning his legs down.
"You traitor! Why did you switch sides?!" Solaire said with sarcasm. Applebloom shrugged with a smile.
"She bribed me."
Solaire chuckled, kicking his feet. Both the yellow and orange pony were tossed a feet into the air, falling flat onto their hooves. With the chance to escape, Solaire let go of Sweetie Belle, standing to his feet and running off.
"Get back here!" Scootaloo yelled as the three of them ran towards him. Solaire found himself in a larger room filled with even more mannequins, and really nowhere to hide. With a large sigh, he knew he had to face the little bandits head on. Turning around, he watched them turn around the corner.
"You're stuck now! Where you gonna' run, huh?" Scootaloo said with a large grin, the others closing in on both sides. Solaire gave a fake huff, laying down.
"You defeated me. I give up." He said.
"Good- better that way or else we would've seriously hurt you!" Sweetie Belle said, as they tried to pick him up. With none of them being able to really move him, they poked at his helmet. "C-Can you just.. come?"
Solaire chuckled, standing up and following them back upstairs. As soon as they were back in the top room, he laid down once again. Applebloom had tied his hands loosely with some sort of rope.
"Now- you're going to tell us all you know!"
"About?" Solaire asked.
"Uh.." Scootaloo turned to the others. She mouthed what Solaire had said, and the others looked at her, shrugging. Scootaloo turned back to him. "U-uhh.. About your evil plans!"
"Hmph- like i'd ever tell bandits like you!" Solaire said, joyfully playing along with the little roleplay. Applebloom reached over with her hoofs, taking his helmet off with a couple of hard twists. The three ponies stared at him, studying the features of his face.
His blonde hair, his eyes, the small tiny scars that dotted across his face.
"You look pretty cool." Sweetie Belle said, to which Solaire turned to her with a smirk.
"I don't think complimenting me is going to get you information." Sweetie Belle shook her head, staring at him with the scariest face she could muster, which just looked adorable.
"Right- Tell us or we'll have to hurt you!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Solaire barked back playfully.
Scootaloo showed him a pillow, shaking it with her mouth. "I'll knock you out if you don't tell us!"
Solaire looked back, faking a horrified expression. "Okay okay! I'll tell you!-"
The three of them looked at him with smug grins.
"I was going to.. going to.."
Suddenly, Solaire reached up for the pillow that Scootaloo had, and smacked Applebloom with it. Sweetie and Scootaloo looked on as he did so, rushing to get their own pillows.
"Mare down!" Scootaloo yelled as Applebloom faked being knocked out. Solaire turned his attention to the other two. Scootaloo now got a good look at where the rope that binded his hands were. They weren't on his hands no longer!
"You think a simple knot can keep me imprisoned? Such foolery!" Solaire lifted the pillow, ready to smash it down onto one of the two's head, before Scootaloo had thrown her own pillow at his face. He stumbled back, gaining his posture again before having another pillow thrown at his chest. With a final attempt before he fell, he threw his pillow at Sweetie Belle, hitting her in the face. Sweetie Belle collapsed, whilst Solaire fell onto his back with a loud 'thud.'
Solaire gave his best expression of being 'dead' while Scootaloo walked over to him.
"And only the captain survives.." Scootaloo said, looking at the battlefield that the room had turned into. Applebloom lay 'dead' on the floor, while Sweetie Belle leaned against the wall, her tongue out and her eyes shut.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her hoof. Scootaloo let out a loud scream.
"I've come back from the dead!"
Author's Note
I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
If you have any criticism, or if you like the story, be sure to let me know in the comments! I'll try my best to reply!
Solaire, after playing with the small ponies for a couple of hours, was now laying on the floor, covered in them. Sweetie Belle was curled up to his side, Applebloom was ontop of his chest, and Scootaloo was draped over his left arm. They weren't asleep however, just talking.
Solaire had told them what he had done the other few days, leaving out the bad bits of course. How he was teleported into the world, leaving out the bad bits once again. He wasn't afraid to tell them by any means, but wasn't sure if their sisters or parents would've liked him telling their young ones about such violence and sadness.
After they were done talking about Solaire, they began to tell him all the adventures they went on. What they did at their homes, what they liked to do and their hobbies, their name as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and other things. With each thing they explained to Solaire, he learned a little more about the world he was in.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were loving his company. He was strange, of course, being considered an 'alien.' Yet he talked to them normally. Usually when they would try to talk to an adult, they got strange looks, or the adults would simply 'play along' with their talks. Solaire, however, added to the conversation. He continued it, asking questions, giving advice, or just laughing along with them. There weren't many ponies that were willing to do that.
Conversation came up about how late the other 'grown ups' would be, and how long Solaire would have to watch them.
"I dunno'.. The last time they were gone, they took until the next mornin'!" Applebloom said, staring up at the ceiling while still on Solaire's chest.
"Yeah- but that's not all bad. We have him to keep us company!" Scootaloo said, poking at his arm. Solaire chuckled softly, while Sweetie Belle nudged further into his side.
"Hey- what do you think they're doing all day and night anyways?" Sweetie asked.
Solaire had an idea of what they were doing. Possibly normal things during the day, hanging out and having fun. But if they were out at night for that long, they were most likely drinking.
"Say, what do they usually look like when they come back?" Solaire asked.
"Weeell.. Applejack stumbles in and heads straight for the bathroom or the bed. She's always thirsty too."
That confirmed it. Definitely drinking. Though, it was a good thing the young ones didn't understand what it was. Not that it wouldn't be okay, but that they might get interested into trying it. Which, well.. Wouldn't end well, Solaire imagined.
"Do ya' got any other clothes mister? Wearin' that armor must be.. uncomfortable." Applebloom said. Solaire chuckled.
"I wish I had other clothing. No- this is the only thing I got."
"Maybe my sister can make you something! You know, as like a.. payment, or something. I think it'd be fair!"
Solaire sat up a little. "You know, that isn't a bad idea. I'll ask her about it-" He said, laying his head back down. "At the moment, i'm currently buried under you all."
"Yeah- well- your fault for choosing this over giving us the information about your plan." Scootaloo snickered, before Solaire laughed again.
"Let us not forget who screamed so loud that the windows began to shake."
Scootaloo huffed, turning away from him. "It wasn't that loud!"
"It was pretty loud.." Sweetie countered.
Scootaloo huffed in opposition, her cheeks red.
"Oh, don't fret. I've screamed louder than that a few times. Sometimes you just cant control yourself." Solaire said with a smile, looking over to Scootaloo. She turned to him, the red gone from her face.
"B-But you're like.. a knight!"
"Your point is?" Solaire said with a chuckle.
"Aren't knights supposed to be.. I don't know.. brave?"
"Just because you're scared doesn't mean you cant be brave. Most brave people are scared." Scootaloo looked at him weirdly, before shrugging, setting herself all comfortable onto his arm. The room was filled with a peaceful energy, and Solaire was slowly drifting off to sleep.
Before he could though, Applebloom stood up, getting off his chest and back onto the floor. "How 'bout we go and 'nvite Spike over? Isn't he all alone at the castle?" Applebloom asked, turning to Solaire.
"I.. think so. I suppose it wouldn't be bad, but you'll have to accompany me on the walk there. Can't leave you alone." Solaire said, standing up, shrugging the other two off of him. Sweetie Belle gave a loud sigh.
"I really don't like walking that far but- okay.. I guess." She said, stretching her hoofs. Scootaloo, who was doing the same, gave a loud yawn.
"It'll wake us up, that's for sure." Solaire nodded before heading for his items. Clipping his sheath onto his armor, and attaching his satchel and flask to his hip, he was ready to go. He turned to the others, watching them all stretch and grab their little saddlebags full of whatever it was that they carried, and stare up at him eagerly.
"Alright- let's go."
"Y'know, I didn't think Solaire would do somethin' like that. We only just met 'em." Applejack said, who was currently in a steambath with the other five ponies. They had all decided to take some time off and go to the spa. They had all pitched in to get a full treatment, meaning massages, steambaths, pool time, and many other things. It was very much needed.
"As long as I can get some time away from those three, i'm happy." Rarity giggled.
Twilight gave a sigh. "I hope he doesn't think that we don't want to spend time with him. Maybe he thinks that we used that as an excuse to just.. have fun without him?"
"Nah- he's like.. the most optimistic creature I know. I bet we could do anything and he would be fine with it-" Rainbow said before Fluttershy surprisingly punched her in the shoulder softly.
"We aren't going to use him like that." Fluttershy spoke angrily. Well, as angry as Fluttershy could get. Rainbow looked back, nodding in agreement.
"Of course we aren't- just saying." Rainbow said, before pointing a hoof at Twilight. "Besides, Twily would be against it for sure. She wouldn't like us using her snuggle buddy-"
"Stop it!" Twilight groaned. "I said nothing happened between the two of us- he's just really good with his words and really sweet! We were both looking at the sun, and it was warm in the room, and I fell asleep. Nothing more-"
"I'm gonna' have to throw a 'snuggle buddy' party! We got to commemorate you and Solai-"
"Sttoopppp~!" Twilight whined in protest, shaking her head. "I knew it wasn't a good idea to tell you guys! I should've left it out. You all make me question my actions!"
"Alright then, I guess i'll just have to snuggle up next to him when night time comes arou-" Rainbow was interrupted by an even louder groaning Twilight.
"No!"
"Why not?"
"Because.. Because he-"
"Because you wan't him all to yourself!" Rainbow teased, before Twilight banged her head against the wall.
"Noooooo!" Twilight whined once again. "Y-You all need to go to tartarus!"
"Oh don't be so angry Twilight- it's only friendly teasing." Rarity said, rubbing an itchy part of her fur. Twilight looked at her with rage, her eye twitching. "O-Okay, I'll keep quiet."
"Thank Celestia.."
Rainbow then continued. "But, like, if you did cuddle with hi-"
"Sttooopppp!"
The sun had just began to fall over the horizon, and Solaire watched it from the top window. Spike and the girls were currently telling eachother scary stories with the lights off, hiding under a fort that Solaire helped with. He decided to let them have their own fun, and didn't want to disrupt anything.
Earlier, they had gotten Spike out of Twilight's castle and invited him over. Starlight was trying to pull Solaire back into her room for another night of drinking, but Solaire luckily escaped her grasp. She was extremely needy, and Solaire didn't quite know why.
As the moon finally took the sun's perch in the sky, Solaire gave a quiet sigh. Celestia would be going to bed now, and relaxing after a possibly stressful day. He knew she was going to be fine, and didn't need him there, but he sure felt like he wasn't doing his job. He was to help the sun in any way possible, and at the moment, he was leaving it to fend for itself.
He shook his head, slumping over the windowsill. He needed to think about other things other than Celestia and the other ponies living here. He needed to think about himself for a little bit, and understand what his own plans were.
Solaire knew that he couldn't truly die. If he were to die, he would come back, but not in this world. He would most likely go back to his own if he were to be killed, and that was a thought he didn't like. The only way he could stay here is to make his very own bonfire. He had one ingredient already, the bones of an undead. However, he needed another item that wouldn't be easily obtainable.
A fire-linked sword. He didn't know if it were possible to make one in this world, as it seems certain concepts of his own world don't mix with this one. Either way, he was going to try. He needed a bonfire to heal his wounds, to restore his flask's estus, and incase of death, could come back.
He would have to ask Twilight, or Celestia and Luna about such things. They seemed to be the smartest, or atleast the most capable of understanding the concept, and could possibly help him. Though, he didn't know if it was at all possible.
A soft poke to his back cleared his thoughts however. Solaire turned to look at whoever poked him, and stared down at the small orange pegasus.
"What're you doing?" Scootaloo asked him curiously.
"Thinking." Solaire said, turning back to the windowsill, using his hand to keep his head up while his arm rested on the edge. There happened to be a chair next to Solaire, in which Scootaloo managed to climb ontop of.
"Thinking about what?" She asked, tilting her head towards him, before gazing outside at the lantern-lit ponyville streets.
"Things."
"Ugh- fine." Scootaloo groaned, resting her chin onto the edge of the windowsill. Solaire reached over and patted her head softly.
"Why're you hanging out with me instead of them..?" Solaire asked her,
"Not a big fan of scary stories.." Scootaloo said, shrugging. "I used to love them, but now, they just don't do anything for me. Decided to come over and see what you were doing instead." Solaire chuckled, still watching the streets.
"Sorry to disappoint you with silence. I've just been thinking about things here in this world, my plans, and how to adapt. I intend on staying here- much better than my own world."
"You didn't tell us about your own home."
Solaire chuckled. "There is a reason for that. I don't know if your guardians would be thrilled with me telling their young ones about such danger and sadness."
Scootaloo poked at his arm. "Hey- I'm not a foal. I can handle it."
Solaire shook his head with a smile. "No can do. All I can say, is that i'd rather forget that place, and start anew here."
"That bad?"
Solaire nodded silently. With that, Scootaloo simply stared out into the streets, watching as some ponies would walk by. The night market was open, where many 'adult' things were sold. Alcohol being the main thing sold. Scootaloo then pointed out at the window.
"Is that Starlight?" She asked, to which Solaire searched where she was pointing. Funnily enough, it was Starlight. Solaire guessed she was running out of her little stash in her room, and came out to buy some more. "What's she doing?" Scootaloo asked, to which Solaire shook his head, laughing lightly.
"Adult things. Don't worry about it." Solaire said, patting her head again. With each pat, Scootaloo seemed to nudge into his hand, however Solaire took it away before she could get more. With a silent whine, she sat in silence.
A few minutes had passed, before Scootaloo spoke up again, breaking the silence. "So.. what are you?"
"What?" Solaire asked.
"Like.. Species." Scootaloo clarified.
"Human. Undead Human." Solaire told her, to which she nodded. She turned to him for a few seconds, a smile on her face.
"You're a cool human."
"Thank you, Scootaloo. You're a cool pony." Scootaloo turned her head towards the window again.
"I know."
Silence filled the surrounding area for a little while, only whispers and light screams could be heard underneath the little fort.
"This is peaceful. The night time. I may be a warrior of sunlight, but I will never underestimate the beauty of the night. Looking at it- it shows that it is just as beautiful as the day. People are just scared of the darkness it brings." Solaire said to no one in particular, simply speaking. Scootaloo didn't say anything, simply staring still.
Solaire sat in silence once again until he saw what looked like to be Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow all heading towards the boutique. He sat up from the windowsill, patting Scootaloo's head once again.
"Alright girls, and dragon. They're back. Clean your stuff up and come downstairs-" He said, making his way for the door. Spike and the girls were picking the fort up, setting the blankets and pillows to their respective places. Solaire made his way slowly down the stairs, each step made a loud thump, and his armor clinked together.
He made it to the bottom when Rarity opened the door.
"So you all are back?" Solaire asked, looking at the group as they walked in. They seemed rather.. disturbed. "Is everything alright?"
Twilight nodded, a frown still upon her face. "Y-Yeah, yeah. Just some stallions who weren't exactly the most appropriate, or nice."
Solaire tilted his head, walking towards them. "What do you mean?"
"A group of stallions approached us, and were trying to get us to come back to their.. houses. A bunch of creeps, essentially." Solaire shook his head with a groan.
"Next time you're having trouble, don't be afraid to tell me. I can make sure they won't dare approach you."
"It's okay, Applejack kind of.. solved that for us."
Applejack groaned irritably. "I didn't mean to kick 'em that hard! Not my fault he was bein' a weirdo." The group laughed a little, while Applejack sat in annoyed silence. Solaire pointed to the stairs.
"They're up there getting things cleaned up. I invited Spike over, since he was all alone with Starlight. I.. hope that isn't a big deal, is it?" He asked Twilight, a little nervous if she was going to be upset. Putting his mind at ease, Twilight shook her head.
"No- it isn't a problem."
Suddenly, a muffled voice came from behind. Emerging from the stairs was Spike, wearing Solaire's helmet. "I'm the new knight!" Spike exclaimed. Solaire smirked, walking towards him and picking the helmet off of him, and clipping it onto his own armor.
"Soon enough, perhaps. But you'll need your own set of armor, not mine." Solaire chuckled. Soon enough, the girls had made it down the steps as well, each going to their respective 'guardian.' Applejack with Applebloom, Rarity with Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo with Rainbow. Rainbow wasn't Scootaloo's guardian, but she was currently letting her spend time in her own house.
"Alright you two, let's get going. Starlight will be worried if we aren't back soon." Twilight said as she began heading for the door, waiting for both Solaire and Spike. Solaire picked spike up, setting him ontop of his shoulder, and followed Twilight.
"That's if she isn't passed out already." Solaire said under his breath as he followed.
Luna had just started doing her shift of the night, attending meetings with certain nobles and other ponies that required her attention. She usually got the meaner side of ponies, since none of them exactly liked staying up late at night discussing.. well, anything. She didn't speak up about it, as it hadn't bothered her, but it was still something that annoyed her from time to time.
Now that she was free from meetings, she was free to explore the dreamscape. She, as the Princess of the night, was tasked with the job of making sure all ponies were having safe dreams. Certain dreams could change parts of reality, and hurt the psyche of a pony. It didn't seem important to anyone else who never dealt with it before, but to Luna, it was extremely important.
As she walked through the dreamscape, many bubbles of thoughts and dreams passing her by, a dark bubble appeared in front of her. The only bubble that had the same color as this was Solaire's, however, this was definitely not Solaire's dream. Luna tried to pry into it, and enter inside, but something was preventing her from doing so. With each attempt, she would get a feeling of dread that would wave over her mental state. Taking a few steps back, she stared at it further.
She could see little images inside of it, showing what seemed to be the perspective of something riding a large dragon, spear in its hand. The arms and hands were similar to Solaire's but with a different set of armor and clothing on it. Suddenly, the little bubble popped. Whoever's dream it was, they had just woken up.
"I'll have to ask Solaire about this. 'Tis very strange." Luna said, looking around the rest of the dreamscape. All Luna could do and hope for, is that it wasn't someone with malicious power. Perhaps it was another being from Solaire's world?
From what Solaire had told her previously, she hoped that wasn't the case.
Solaire sat on Twilight's bed, watching her as she put the contents of her bags into their respective places. Solaire shook his head.
"Twilight, I can sleep on the floo-"
"Nonsense! I won't let a friend of mine sleep on the floor, and from what you told me about Starlight, I don't think i'll be letting you sleep in her room either. You can sleep in the bed with me for now- don't worry about it." Twilight had insisted on him staying in her room for the night, or until he was ready to go back to Canterlot. As much as he protested against it, he knew that he wouldn't win. Twilight usually got stuck in her ways.
Though, this was a much better scenario than what happened with Starlight. Solaire would be staying away from her for a little bit. She seemed to drag him into her room everytime she saw him, and Twilight saw it when they entered the castle. Solaire had to explain to Twilight happened, which caused her to yell at Starlight.
Now, he felt a little bad for Starlight. Still, she shouldn't be trying to pull him back into bed with her!
"You can take off your armor- it won't be a problem. Tomorrow we can go pay a visit to Rarity and get some other clothes made for you. Running around in that armor all day must be tiring." Solaire had told Twilight about being 'paid back' for watching over the young ones. Solaire shook his head with a smile, taking off his helmet in the process.
"No, it isn't as uncomfortable as one might think. In fact, in my own world, I would spend weeks inside of it. There is nothing else for me to wear, so the only times I did take it off were for repairing." Twilight looked up at him with a frown.
"Well- this isn't your world, so you can be as comfy as you want, okay?" Twilight strode to the bed he was currently on, jumping ontop of the covers, and sliding down into them. Solaire simply looked at her before she gave him an impatient look. Solaire gave a loud sigh, standing up and removing his armor one piece at a time.
It was quite awkward, especially with Twilight looking. He stared at her for a second before narrowing his eyes, causing her to look away. Once he was finally free from his armor, all that he was wearing was a simple set of cloth briefs. He pulled the covers and blanket open, before sliding inside and pulling them over himself. It was warm- extremely warm.
"This seems unnaturally warm." Solaire stated, before Twilight agree'd with a hum.
"Yep. I cast a spell on the blankets and cover with a heating spell. It makes it all nice and cozy- helps me fall asleep. Is.. it too much?" She asked, turning over to him. Seeing his bare chest up close, she had donned a slight blush on her face. Solaire hadn't noticed, and gave her a small smile.
"No- it's quite fine. It just seemed quite odd for it to be so warm. I'm not opposed to it. It's better warm than cold." He said, snuggling into the pillow he laid his head on further, and closed his eyes. Twilight hadn't stopped staring at him, and noticed that he looked so peaceful and innocent. He was somewhat intimidating with his armor, as he wore it everywhere, with a sword clipped onto his hip. It wasn't exactly common to see someone donning full armor that isn't in the guard.
She kept on staring, admiring his features. He was humming lightly, with each breath giving out a tiny, low moan. He was definitely enjoying the comfyness of the bed. Twilight shook her head, turning her back to him and closing her eyes, trying to fall asleep.
But after a half an hour passed by, she just couldn't. She didn't realize that sleeping with somepon-someone else was going to be this weird. It wasn't like she hated it, she just wasn't used to it. As quietly as she could, she turned back to Solaire, who was now sleeping peacefully.
A smile fell onto her face once she saw his, and she had instinctively draped a wing over him from under the covers. She didn't exactly think about it- it just happened, and she pulled herself closer to him. If she was going to have someone else in her bed, she was going to use them to sleep easier. It.. was only fair, right? She gave him a bed to sleep in- she gets to use him to sleep, right?
Right..?
As she pulled herself close to his chest, she could feel the heat coming off his body. He felt.. extremely warm near his chest. She was now against his chest, a wing draped over his side, and her head tucked underneath his own. She made sure to not poke his chin with her horn. That wouldn't have ended well.
Though, to her surprise, Solaire pulled his right arm over her, pulling her even closer to him. She didn't know if he had done it on purpose, or if it was an instinct to do so since he was dreaming. Either way- she was now all cuddled up with him, under nice warm sheets in her own bed.
The others would definitely tease her if they saw what was going on here. Yet, at the moment, she didn't care. All she cared about was drifting off to sleep in the arms of this warm human that was holding her. It seemed as if all thoughts came into a melting mess, and disappeared.
"Twilightt~ Wake u-"
Rarity stopped as soon as she entered the room, looking at the two sleeping individuals in the bed. Seeing as Solaire was currently in bed with Twilight was.. quite a shock.
However, she wasn't exactly surprised. The teasing may have just not been in vain to begin with. Though, she was not expecting to see such a thing so early. Twilight was the one that would move so fast, though. How would Celestia feel about any of this?
Suddenly, a book was thrown at her. Her face scrunched up at impact, and she stared forward at the bed, where an angry Twilight was sitting up in the bed, glaring at her. If looks were able to kill, Rarity would've been already splattered onto the walls by now.
Rarity knew what she should do already, and slowly backed out of the room, letting the door shut with a soft 'click.'
Even though it was a nearly silent sound, Solaire awoke from it. Turning his head to the ceiling as he rubbed his eyes, he almost forgot where he was at the moment. Realizing where he was, he turned to his left, noting that she had left. Or, atleast wasn't in the bed no longer.
"Where are yo-"
Solaire deflected a book from hitting him on the side, looking at whoever the culprit of the attack was.
"Why?" Solaire simply asked, his arms at his sides in question. Twilight stared at him, a little in shock that she had done what she just did, her mouth still open.
"S-Sorry."
"'s alright. I guess..?" Solaire asked, stepping off of the bed, letting his feet hit the floor with a soft thump. "You seem to have gotten up.. frantically."
"Rarity saw us."
Solaire stared at her with confusion, giving a shrug. "I don't understand."
"They're going to tease!"
"... I don't understand." Solaire said again, still confused. He eye'd his armor, walking towards it. "I don't get what the big uh.. problem is?" He said, putting on the boots first. Twilight stared at him, a little upset now.
"How do you not understand?!"
"I just don't." Solaire said, already done with the bottom half of his armor. Twilight groaned loudly.
"They're going to think we were doing something! You know, sleeping in the same bed doesn't exactly give the best look!"
Solaire shrugged again. "Then we'll tell them to not worry about it and that nothing happened."
"It's not that easy!"
"I.. think it is." Solaire said, now fully equipped in his gear. Sword at his hip, along with his satchel and flask. Twilight groaned loudly again, shaking her head.
"Whatever, whatever. Let's just go, okay? If she's here, we can ask her about that clothing idea." Solaire simply nodded, following her as she headed for the bedroom door. She seemed to stop right before opening it, giving a large sigh and breathing in heavily.
"Here we go.." She said quietly.
As they went down the hallway of the castle, the 'fabulous' individual they had been looking for. She turned to the both of them, her expression a little nervous, as if she was going to get yelled at for 'intruding on their business.' Sure, she shouldn't have simply opened the door to her room, but it was definitely going to be a fun story to tell the others.
"Rarity.." Twilight said irritably, staring at her with the same gaze from before. Rarity nodded nervously.
"Yes..?" Rarity asked nervously.
Twilight closed her eyes, before giving a loud sigh. "Solaire was wondering if you were able to make him any clothes. He made a good point in it being some sort of payment for how he foalsitted the girls for us."
Rarity, who was expecting to be yelled at, looked at Twilight confused, not registering what she had asked.
"Rarity?" Twilight waved a wing at her, to which Rarity seemed to snap to life.
"Ah- yes, yes! Of course. You'll have to come by so I can get some measurements. I'll be able to make something easily, darling."
Solaire nodded. "Thank you- as long as it's not a big problem. I don't mind wearing my armor, but as Twilight mentioned to me, I wouldn't be against wearing something less.. well- armor like."
"Well- I don't have much to do right now, so how about we go and get it done right now? Just for the measurements, then you can be on your way. It'll take some time afterwards to make the clothes but- it'll be worth the wait." Solaire nodded, stepping forward.
"Lead the way." Rarity turned around and headed down the hallway to the entrance, whilst Solaire and Twilight followed. Right before Rarity opened the door however, Twilight broke the silence.
"Don't say anything about what you saw, Rarity."
Rarity stopped, glancing over at Twilight. "I won't, dear." Rarity gave a light chuckle, before opening the door and heading down the path to Ponyville.
Solaire noted that today was hotter than the day before. He could feel his armor heating up, making it a little more uncomfortable to walk in. Twilight could see Solaire flex his arms and fingers, and moving his helmet around a little, trying to get a little more comfortable in his set of armor. Soon enough, he wouldn't have to worry about it.
"So.." Rarity broke the silence again as they walked, "I won't tell anypony about what I saw.. But.. what were you two doing?" Rarity asked, keeping her head straight, daring not to glance over at Twilight.
"He needed somewhere to sleep. I didn't want him to sleep uncomfortably so I told him to take his armor off. Plain and simple." Twilight said, trying to move past the topic.
"You two seemed to be very.. close."
"We were sleeping, Rarity, things happen without us noticing! It wasn't.. intentional." Twilight's voice faded out as she finished the sentence, with Rarity humming softly.
"Okay~ I suppose. I won't bring it up to the others. Promise, darling."
Twilight sighed in relief that the topic was closing. "Thank you, Rarity. Thank you."
They had officially made it into the streets of Ponyville. The same stares and the same whispers that Solaire heard from before were being heard once again. As he had told himself before, he didn't mind it. However, he wouldn't mind if they just went on with their day and didn't stare. Didn't they know it was rude to stare?
They approached the front of Raritiy's boutique, opening its doors, and making their way inside. As they made it fully inside, and with the shut of the door, Rarity turned to Solaire.
"Okay- well.. Here comes the awkward part."
"Awkward.. part?" Twilight asked.
Rarity pointed a hoof at Solaire. "Take off your clothes."
...
Solaire stared at her, a little confused. "I don't think I heard you rig-"
"Take off your clothes." Rarity repeated. "I need to get proper measurements, and since you're a creature I've never dealt with, I need to get them spot on. In order to do that, you need to be.. naked."
Solaire wasn't expecting to have to get naked. He turned over to Twilight, who had a blush on her muzzle. She turned her head to the wall. "I'm not looking-"
"Well- on with it." Rarity urged, waiting for Solaire to undress. With a few protesting words under his breath, he began to undress himself. Helmet and boots were removed first, as he then moved onto his chest-piece. As soon as he removed it, the door opened.
"Hey Rari-"
The door was smashed shut with a blue glow around the door handle. A muffled voice came from the other side, protesting against the door. "What the buck was that for, Rarity?!" It was a male voice.
"C-Come back later, Darling! I'm busy!" Rarity yelled, holding the door shut with her magic still. It took a few moments before the pony behind the door sighed in anger and left. Twilight glanced over to Rarity.
"You didn't lock the door?" She asked mockingly.
"Just.. Can we just hurry this u-"
"Done." Solaire said, now standing completely nude, his hands placed firmly on his hips. Rarity turned to him, a blush forming on her face. "No staring." Solaire said, to which Rarity shook her head and floated a tape-measure over to herself, and began to measure.
With Rarity being so close to his.. nude body, it was quite awkward and uncomfortable for both parties. Solaire didn't looked at her, and simply stared forward, trying to ignore the fact that he was being seen for all he was. Though, with his gaze not on her, he didn't know exactly what she was doing.
Was she staring?
Was she doing something to him?
Solaire shook his head, simply staring forward still. He didn't focus on what Rarity was doing, it would only make hi-
"Done!" Rarity exclaimed, turning away from him. "I've got all the measurements I need. Legs, arms, height, everything. You can get dressed now, dear." Rarity said, looking at a small notepad that she had with her, where she wrote down all the measurements.
"That fast?" Twilight asked, turning around from the wall to look at Rarity, only to be blessed with the image of Solaire naked. She turned her head immediately, but had a good glimpse of.. something special.
"Well- I didn't want to make the awkward tension in the room last any longer- it was better to get it done as fast as possible, don't you think?"
Solaire, who was currently dressing back into his armor, nodded. "I'm hoping that I didn't cause you any trouble here."
Rarity waved a hoof around dismissively. "No no- you didn't cause any trouble. In fact, you were so still that I didn't have to tell you to move around at all. Possibly the easiest measuring I've done."
Solaire nodded. "Glad it was easy."
"Can we go now?" Twilight asked, turning her gaze from the wall back onto Solaire, who was now fully dressed, and putting on his helmet. With a twist, and a few clippings, it was completely on.
"Sure.. Where will we go?" Solaire asked, facing Twilight. Twilight gave a shrug, not really knowing. She just wanted to leave the boutique, and ignore the recent memories she gained just a minute earlier.
"Uh.. Back to the castle?" It wasn't a statement, more of a question.
"Sure." Solaire said whilst walking towards her, giving her a pat on the head. "You're the one in charge."
"Wouldn't mind being told what to do from time to time.." Twilight thought, nodding and heading out the door. "Thank you, Rarity!"
"No problem, dear!" Rarity yelled back as the both of them left.
As the both of them began to walk back on the path to the castle, Solaire spoke up. "Are you still worried about Rarity telling the others what she saw?"
Twilight sighed. "She's the gossip queen of the town. I'm not going to be surprised if she did tell everyone."
Solaire patted her head softly. "Don't worry about it. Next time, we'll just lock the door, won't we?"
"Next.. time..?" Twilight asked, looking up at him.
"Well.. Your bed was rather comfy. I can still sleep on the floor tho-"
"No!" Twilight protested immediately. "I-I mean.. No, you won't be sleeping on the floor. We'll lock the door next time." Solaire nodded with a chuckle, still patting her head. They were out of the main streets of Ponyville at this point, the only thing being heard through the quiet morning air was the content hums from Twilight, and Solaire's armor.
With Solaire removing his patting hand from Twilight's head, she whined in protest. "Y-You said a few days ago that there was no head scratches until the day after."
"Yes..?"
"W-Well it's been way longer than a day after!" Twilight said, staring up at him with a pouted face. Solaire began to chuckle, waving his hand.
"Sure. Once we get to the castle, that is. Not until then."
Twilight puffed her cheeks out. "Fine.."
"Fine, i'll go with it." Shining told Celestia. The both of them, along with other high ranking guards were currently having a meeting on what to do with the rebel's on the borders. They had been moving in further, taking even more land for themselves. Celestia needed Shining Armor, even though she didn't want to admit it. Even though she insulted his skills, she knew she was wrong.
Finally, Shining had agree'd to push into their territory, and fight them head on. He didn't like the idea, but if it would stop the countless meetings, and get rid of the 'punishment' bestowed upon him, he would have to. After talking with Celestia earlier in the meeting, he warmed up again to her, but still hated the idea.
"Thank you, Shining. I understand that you may not like the idea, but with you commanding, it'll go much smoother. I trust you, Shining." Celestia smiled at him, but to Shining, it felt fake. It felt forced.
"I just hope you know what your asking for. We're charging in there with the intent to kill. You understand that, right?"
"If you can solve a dispute without killing, then try it. However, I don't think solving it peacefully with all of them is possible. I'm not telling you to go in there to kill, Shining. I'm telling you to go in there and put a stop to their violent tendencies. And if that requires them to be put down, so be it."
Shining had never seen Celestia like this. She was always so peaceful- she was always willing to try the peaceful route at all costs. Rarely had he seen her go to such lengths to put killing at the forefront of her missions. Yet that's exactly what she was doing.
Shining shook his head, looking away from her. "Alright then." He said reluctantly.
"M-May I suggest a change of topic?" A female guard spoke.
Celestia nodded. "Of course."
"W-We have reports from guards that were stationed near the Dragon Lands. They say that a lot of them are being.. killed."
Celestia's ears perked towards the guard. "What ever do you mean?"
"W-We aren't sure. We've seen the corpses of multiple dragon's in the outer lands. We don't think it's the rebels though.."
Celestia shook her head in thought. "No.. It couldn't be them, they wouldn't go after dragons. I don't know of anyone else who would into their land like that and start murdering them." Celestia turned to Shining. "Send more guards to the outer Dragon Lands outpost, and have some investigate further into the area. Try to see what's causing it, or who is causing it."
Shining reluctantly nodded. "Yes.. Ma'am."
"I have strange reports too." The second guard, male, spoke up.
Celestia had a feeling it wasn't good. "Go on.."
"Changeling activity has spiked. We've seen many of them searching around the mountains- the only time we've seen activity this bad is when they were searching for a new hive."
"Do you think they could be searching for a new hive?" Shining asked Celestia, who shook her head.
"I don't see why they would. It wouldn't make sense unless something is.." Celestia's words slowed. "..forcing them to.."
"What're you thinking?" Shining asked, to which Celestia set a hoof onto the table.
"Don't worry. I'll need to talk to my sister before I say anything privately or publicly. And I'll have to arrange a meeting with.. a certain individual."
Shining now looked at her with concern. "Do you really think it has anything to do with him?"
"It might.. As much as I'm hoping it isn't.. it might."
"Why can't you just let me drink in peace?!"
Twilight and Starlight began arguing a few minutes after Solaire and Twilight got back into the castle. Starlight was out in the open with some ale, and it seemed to set Twilight off. The arguing had been going on for a good ten minutes, with Solaire simply staring in silence.
"You know why, you shouldn't be bringing your drinks back here to the castle! There are rules here, and this was one of them!"
"I'm not hurting anypony! What is the big deal, you go to the bar all the time!"
Twilight's voice was now increasing further in volume. "Going to the bucking bar and bringing ale back into the castle are two different things! How long have you been drinking, huh? And what for?! You don't have anything to forget!"
"Are you kidding me?! You don't understand what it's like to be me, Twilight. You don't understand at all, Twilight." Starlight then looked at Solaire, giving him a seemingly apologetic look before walking off down the hallway.
"Ignoring the situation, huh? I better see those drinks out of the castle tomorrow!" Twilight yelled to her, before Starlight disappeared out of sight.
The room fell silent, as Twilight simply looked on down the hallway where Starlight was. Solaire lifted a hand, about to speak up, yet couldn't find any words.
He didn't know what to say.
"She.. She ignores the rules, and she acts like i'm the one that's at fault. How the buck does that work?" Twilight said to no one in particular, before turning over to Solaire. "I-I'm sorry you had to see that, I just-"
Solaire pat her head softly, his head tilting to the side a little. "Sshh.. Don't worry about it. It wasn't my business to deal with. I'm not going to question it."
Twilight nudged into his hand, her eyes closed now.
"I'll go talk to her, okay? I'll go see what's going on." Twilight's mouth opened up slightly, before closing it. If anyone was going to be able to talk to Starlight about her drinks, it was going to be Solaire. He also had first hand experience in what her drinking did- after hearing what happened with her and him two days ago- it.. set her off. She couldn't believe that Starlight would do something like that.
Solaire took a step back, waving a hand at her as he began to walk down the hallway to Starlight's room. "Don't worry, you'll get your head scratches when I return." He could hear a quiet happy squeal after he said that.
He approached Starlight's door, hearing quiet sobs on the other side of it. He didn't know if he should really step inside, but, did anyways.
"Twilight I don't want t-" Starlight stopped as she saw Solaire, before she wiped her eyes with a hoof. "O-Oh.."
Solaire didn't say any words, and simply sat down in front of her after closing the door. He removed his helmet, setting it to the side, and reached a hand out. He grabbed her hoof softly, and held it with both hands.
There was nothing but silence, before Solaire said, "What's wrong?"
...
Nobody had asked Starlight that before. They assumed she was just some alcoholic, someone who drank just for the sake of it. Nobody asked what was wrong- why she drank- why she does what she does. Even being a great therapist didn't mean that you weren't vulnerable too.
"You don't want to know.." Starlight said with a sniffle.
"I do. Why else would I have come here?"
"To defend Twilight.."
Solaire shook his head. "I didn't come here to defend her. It was an extreme reaction from the both of you. I came here to talk to you and to help you, Starlight. I'm not mad at you."
"B-But I-"
"No. It doesn't matter what you did. I'm not mad."
...
Starlight pulled her hoof away, wiping a tear with it. "I.. after hearing that you helped Twilight with her problems, I thought that.. I thought that I could bring you into my room and- and possibly have you help me with mine.. But I got so entranced in our conversation that I forgot about it and.. ended up getting drunk."
It made sense now why Starlight was constantly trying to get his attention now. She just needed someone to talk to about her problems.
Someone who wasn't apart of the group.
"Well. I'm here now. And i'm willing to listen to anything you have to say."
Starlight had never really tried to speak about her feelings before, and now that she was confronted with doing so, she didn't know how to say any of it. She simply sat there in silence for a couple of minutes, not doing anything but staring into nothingness. It took awhile before she finally spoke.
"I used to not be a good pony. I was angry, I was upset.. After what I did to Twilight and her friends I didn't think I would ever be accepted anywhere but, they did accept me. Even though they tell me that I've changed, even though they tell me that I've done good and proven myself, I still have dreams about being a villain again, and losing all of my friends. I feel like that side of me is taking over my brain- taking over every thought. I understand that I've done good but.. My past has left a permanent scar on me.."
Starlight continued. "I drink to not think about any of that, I drink so I don't have to think about anything at all. It works, sometimes works too well. There have been nights that I've passed out in the street or in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes I can't even tell what I did the night before- and to think i'm the person that Twilight chose to be a counselor.."
Starlight wiped another tear. "I have to help those kids. When the school re-opens, I have to start that job all over again, and help all of those kids. How can I help them if i'm having trouble myself? I can't even help myself, so am I even qualified to help any of those kids? I don't think so. They look up to us adults to know what we're doing but, right now, I don't know what i'm doing."
"I'm not doing anything. I drink and read, drink and read, drink and read. I rarely leave the castle anymore. I don't do anything with my life- I don't have any meaning except helping others and now, now I can't even do that. I don't get it- what is my purpose?"
Solaire was silent after she finished, looking away from her and admiring the room, before his gaze landed back onto her. He reached his hand up to his hair, running his hand over it, and scratching the back of his neck. Finally, he decided to speak.
"You aren't a villain, I can see that much so far. Losing your friends is a very possible idea, and not just for you, for everyone. You can lose those you care about fast by something that may or may not be your own doing. Your past may have hurt you, Starlight, but it does not define you. It does not define anyone. If I were to judge myself on my past, I should be executed, now shouldn't I?"
Solaire continued with a heavy sigh. "Just because you try your best to help others, and its your job, doesn't mean you aren't allowed to have your own personal troubles. It's what makes us who we are. You used your drinking as a way to take all that pain away yet- now it's taking you away. Give up the drinks. See what happens. If you ever need help, you always have friends to rely on to help you through it. Twilight was angry because that's how much you mean to her."
Solaire fell silent once again for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. "How about we get you out of the castle for a little bit? We go and do something. Just us two. You can tell me anything and everything. You say you don't leave the castle often so this'll be a little trip for you. We'll go anywhere you want."
Starlight began to shake her head. "No- no no- I don't want you to waste your time o-"
"It's not wasting time if it's with a friend, is it?"
...
Starlight smiled with a sniffle, clearing her eyes with her hoof. "N-No.. It isn't."
"Then let's get up, go out and do something. How about we go up to that school you were talking about? Twilight said there were dorms there, and that the students still live there despite it being closed down for the time being. How about we go and pay them a visit? They'll prove just how much you mean to them, i'm sure of it."
Starlight stood up, shaking the tears from her eyes.
"I'd like that."
Author's Note
Oh jeez. I'm sorry this took me some time to write!
I hope it was worth the wait. Chapters are going to be coming out slower because I want them to be longer.
If you liked anything in the story- or want to give any criticism, be sure to comment! I always see it, even if I don't respond.
And, to anyone who needs to read this-
Before you do anything drastic, always think about other options. You might just save yourself from something you'll regret.
Ciao.
"What i'm most confused about, is why this new changeling hive is so active. Thorax and most of the changelings all.. well, changed. We haven't seen many changelings that haven't been reformed." Shining said as he walked along with Celestia, still discussing topics of the meeting before.
Celestia nodded. "I am confused about that too. I am also worried for Ember and her dragons. If something was going on, she would've most certainly had a meeting with us. However, I won't have Solaire to the castle just yet. We need confirmation on these reports, and to make sure we know what it is before we trouble anypony not involved. Let us hope that everything is alright, and that it's nothing to worry about."
"I was afraid your optimism was gone, Princess." Shining mocked, before glancing behind himself. Ever since the new reports came in, Celestia requested that guards should follow any royal nobles or political figures. It was smart, but still felt like it wasn't enough.
"If the stories from Solaire are true, these aren't creatures we want to provoke if we don't have to. His world is the opposite of ours. Instead of stressing friendship and peace, it stresses violence, and death. Creatures there would most certainly be dangerous."
"Like Solaire?" Shining scoffed.
"Solaire isn't like those creatures. He told us about what his world is like, the creatures inside, and how grateful he was to be in this world. He's not like them."
"How do you know..?"
Celestia really didn't have an answer, and simply responded with, "I have faith."
"Faith isn't something you can rely on against facts. The facts presented are, creatures from that world are dangerous, and he's a creature from that world. I say, we have him locked up until proven otherwise."
"Innocent until proven guilty, Shining."
"Funny, you seem to ignore that when it pertains to people you don't like."
The both of them fell silent as they continued to walk, two guards following right behind.
Solaire and Starlight both had made it to the school, the front doors locked with a magical seal from Twilight. Solaire was never told why the school was closed, but he didn't mind not knowing. Right now, he was simply travelling around with Starlight.
"The dorms aren't that far from the school itself. There was a dorm in-built inside, but was remodeled into a big theater. We'll go there after we explore a little bit inside, I'll show you around!" Starlight somehow broke the purple seal on the doors with a shine of her horn, slipping inside the school. Solaire followed afterwards, and was greeted with darkness. The only thing lighting the inside of the school was the many windows dotted around the walls and even the roof.
"Here-" Starlight's horn lit up, providing a bright light that illuminated the surrounding area in a bluish white glow.
"Convenient." Solaire said with a smile underneath his helmet, looking forward down the ominous hallway of the school.
"Now then- let's go to my office first, shall we?" Starlight said with a smile, trotting off into the darkness with her light, Solaire slowly following behind. As they passed, several statues and paintings dotted the walls, only being illuminated for a couple of seconds before they were consumed in darkness as the both of them moved on.
It took a couple of minutes of silent walking in the darkness until they came up to the door of Starlight's counseling office. With a creak, she opened the door to the small room. With a flick of her magic, a light brightened the small room, showing the furnishing inside.
A sofa, a desk, a chair, and many other small decorations were strewn all across the room. As they both walked in, Starlight took a seat at the chair behind the desk, with Solaire sitting on the sofa.
"So- how may I help you~?" She said in a sarcastic voice, putting on a smile.
"Funny." Solaire said with a chuckle. Starlight kicked her legs up onto the desk with her hoofs behind her head, leaning all the way back into her chair.
"So.. What do you want to talk about?" She asked.
"Well- let's talk about your job here at the school. You say you're a counselor, right?"
Starlight nodded. "Yeah, that's basically what I do. I help students with their problems, whatever it might be. I've had students come to me about family problems, teacher problems, grades, even poverty problems. A lot of them feel like adults don't understand what they're going through, and I have to agree with them somewhat. These kids are going through a lot, and we as teachers and staff kind of expect them to be alright. Of course, that's why i'm here to help them."
"Sound's like a noble cause." Solaire said, admiring the decorations on the walls.
"I try my best. It'd.. actually be a great help if you ever came by one day when the school starts back up. You seem to be good already at this type of thing. Any more and i'll be fearing for my job." Starlight said with a smirk, to which Solaire laughed lightly.
"You don't have to worry about such a thing, I don't charge for my help."
"Even more of a reason for them to hire you." She said sarcastically. The two of them simply stared at eachother, both with smiles. Though, Solaire's wasn't able to be seen because of the thick metallic helmet. "Solaire, you've got some sort of magic around you. Like, a peaceful aura that surrounds you no matter where you go. Every time you enter the room, it warms up immediately."
Solaire waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not special at al-"
BANG
The both of them fell silent instantly. Nobody else was supposed to be inside the school, so who would it be?
Solaire had his hand on his sheath, staring at the door.
BANG
"W-What.. is that?" Starlight asked nervously, staring at the door as well.
Another sound came from outside the room, this time sounding like glass shattering loudly. Solaire stood up, getting up close to the door and listening further, while Starlight still stared in silence.
Multiple lifeless moans came from the school hallways, the sound of it frightening Starlight to her core. "S-Solaire.. I don't think we shou-"
"We need to go investigate."
"W-What? Why?!"
Solaire turned to her. "Because if there is something in here, it needs to be removed immediately. It's a school, after all. And right now, we're the only ones here. We have to go investigate."
Starlight groaned loudly, getting up and walking behind Solaire, lighting her horn up with light again. "A-Alright then.. You lead." Solaire nodded as he opened the door, peering his head outside.
BANG
The sound was much louder now, and it made the both of them jump slightly. The both of them slipped out of the room and into the hallway, facing where the sound was coming from. The both of them slowly creeped towards the source of the sound, hoping that it was just a student or an animal that had gotten in.
BANG
They were close now, only a few more steps and they would find the source.
BANG
One more step.
BANG
"O-oh my-" Solaire covered Starlight's mouth immediately as the both of them stared at the source.
A human, disheveled, it's skin grey and flattened, The skin on its face was so thin the both of them could see its skull peer through. It currently was banging on a wall, and next to it was a broken mirror. It didn't seem to realize they were there, and simply banged on the wall with its hands.
Solaire let go of Starlight's mouth, and slowly, silently, pulled out his sword. Starlight looked at Solaire, confused at what he was going to do.
Solaire aimed his sword at the humans neck.
"W-Wait, Solaire don-"
A quiet gurgling sound was heard next. Starlight had shielded her eyes after Solaire thrusted his sword, trying to avoid the scene. Yet, in curiosity, she looked up to see Solaire pull his sword out of the creature's neck.
"S-S-Solaire.. Y-You didn't even-"
"That was a hollow." Solaire stated, wiping the blood from the corpse onto his forearm, and sheathing the sword back. He then pointed at the corpse. "Watch."
The corpse suddenly vanished with a bright white light, and what was left behind was ash.
"W-Wha.. H-How?" Starlight asked, still horrified at the event that just occured. Solaire shook his head.
"I had an idea that I wasn't the only one that arrived here on this world, and it seems my suspicions were true. That hollow was from my own world, and somehow arrived here in the school."
"Y-You mean those things that.. kill anything they see?" Starlight asked.
"That's the one." Solaire said with a nod, looking at the ash that lay on the floor. He turned his gaze to Starlight afterwards, pointing out to the entrance. "We need to leave, and inform Celestia or Twilight about this immediately. If anything from my world came into contact with this world, it would certainly mean danger. Come on-" Solaire began to walk out into the darkness, leaving Starlight behind to think in her own thoughts.
"Starlight?" He asked, before she snapped to life, catching up with him.
"I-I'm sorry I just.. Y-You killed it without hesitation.."
"If I didn't, it could've killed someone."
Starlight shook her head. "Y-You didn't even try talking to i-"
"I told you before, Starlight. They can't be reasoned with. They can't understand what we say to them. No matter how hard we try, they won't listen. I would know. I've been dealing with it all my life."
Starlight shook her head again. "I just wanted to come up here and show you around.. there goes that plan."
It had been several hours since Celestia got the letter from Twilight.
Dear Princess Celestia.
Solaire told me to inform you that another creature from his world was spotted in the School of Friendship when he and Starlight went to explore. He disposed of it, and demanded me to write you this letter. He seem's extremely worried. Me, Starlight, Spike and Solaire will all be coming back to the castle. The other's don't know about it, and I thought it'd be best to not concern them with it yet.
We're on our way right now. Solaire says he'll discuss things with you in person.
Your Student,
Twilight Sparkle
It was confirmed. These were creatures from Solaire's world. Celestia sat at her desk in her room, staring at the scroll. She shook her head.
"Headache after headache." She mumbled to herself, thinking of what to do. The situation was sprung on them at the worst possible time. The borders were being battled over, the dragon's in the Dragon Lands are dying, and the still non-reformed changeling hive has extremely high activity.
Was there any way it could get any worse?
She knew she was going to have to question Solaire about his world. Everything, from the description of each creature he encountered, to every little weakness that they possessed. It was going to be long, painful, and boring, but they didn't have the luxury to not worry about it.
"I don't like where this is headed.." Celestia mumbled again, standing from her desk and heading to the door. Solaire and the others must be at the castle, or close to arriving now. With a flick of her magic, the door opened, and she stepped out into the hallway.
As she walked, the two guards that were keeping watch on either side of her door followed. The both of them walked in sync, their faces straight forward. Their only mission, to protect the Princess at any cost.
"They've arrived." Shining said to Celestia as he exited a sideroom, following her on her walk.
"I assumed."
"I've told you before, I think we should keep Solaire in the dungeon. Just for now, until we know he's safe to be around."
Celestia groaned with protest. "Shining, I've already told you, no. Plus, he has proven to me that he is safe already. He dispatched of the threat in Twilight's school, why would he do that if he weren't on our side?"
"Perhaps it was a threat to both us and him. Perhaps it was a friend of his, and he sacrificed it to get on our good sides, so he can assassinate us when we least expect it."
"Were you always this paranoid?" Celestia asked.
"Can you blame me?"
Celestia huffed, turning the corner to be greeted with Solaire, Twilight, and Starlight.
"Just who I was looking for." Celestia said with a smile, nodding her head over to the royal meeting room. Though she hated being in that room again for seemingly the millionth time, it was the only place to discuss matters privately. The three of them follow her to the room without question, and in complete silence.
As they entered, the two guards following stationed themselves on either side of the door. Inside, Shining and Celestia sat next to eachother, while Solaire, Twilight and Starlight were sitting opposite from them.
The room was silent. Nobody knew how to start the conversation. However, the silence was broken by a sigh from Solaire. "I had a bad feeling this would happen."
"What was it that was in the school?" Shining asked.
"A hollow. The thing that attacks anything it see's. If I didn't dispose of it as fast as I did, it could've killed someone. Someone who wouldn't know how to deal with it."
Celestia shook her head slowly. "If it is true that other creatures from your world are appearing, how much damage can we expect to see, Solaire..?"
The question seemed to linger in the air, the room falling tense as everypony awaited a response from Solaire.
"With the way your world works, there's only one outcome I see if it's not resolved.."
"And what would that be..?" Shining asked.
...
"Annihilation. "
Solaire's words sent shivers down the spines of everypony in the room, their eyes staring at Solaire, who seemed to stare straight ahead. His words carried no emotion, and there was no sign of question with the statement.
"N-No.. Even if we aren't prepared for it, we've always taken evil down, haven't we?" Shining asked the room, his hoofs splayed out on the table. "Haven't we?"
"It's not that easy." Solaire interrupted. "You don't know what these creatures are like. I do. And currently, with this world the way it is right now, it'll be complete chaos if something isn't done immediately."
"W-we've dealt with chaos before.. with discord-" Twilight was interrupted by Solaire as well.
"I've read into a few books about this 'discord' you talk about. He would be considered an incompetent fool in my world. Unlike the people, or ponies, in this world, the people in my world don't give second chances. They'll cut you down before you can speak. They'll slice your head off to pillage your soul."
The room fell silent again. No one knew what to say.
What could they say? There were already orders to investigate the strange things going on around the world. There was nothing more they could do except wait, and if it came to it, a war would be waged.
Their entire world, against a dark world.
"What do we do..?" Starlight asked, hoping Celestia would offer an answer.
Instead, she stayed silent.
Solaire reached a hand over to Starlight, patting her head softly, looking over to Celestia. "I say we stay quiet about this. We say that anything weird that happens is something normal, and to keep it a secret. That gives time for your soldiers to prepare, and to get ready for any battles. Plus, it will also give time for people to investigate anything that happens. That is my idea."
Celestia nodded. "It's a good idea, however, even if we prepare, we still have to fight a war on our borders, and train our soldiers to fight against a threat we know nothing about. How do we train against something we don't know about?"
"Simple. You train them to kill."
Shining's eyes widened at his statement, staring at Solaire. "What?"
"You can't reason with the people, or creatures from my world. It's near impossible. Assume they are dangerous and cannot be reasoned with, and kill them. If they are friendly, they'll let you know beforehand. But if they don't, put a sword through their skull."
Shining gave him an incredulous look. "Do you hear what you're saying?!"
"Yes. It's how I've survived. If you intend to survive as well, you'll have to follow the same path."
The room, once again, fell silent.
...
"I'll help with it." Solaire broke the silence. "If you encounter anything from my world, I'll go and fight it. I can't possibly give you every detail on every creature that is in my world as there's too many, but I understand the fundamental concepts of my world. If anyone would win a fight against any of them, it'd be me."
Celestia nodded, a forced smile put on her face. "Thank you, Solaire."
...
"So.. We just wait..?" Twilight asked openly, being a little confused. "We just pretend nothing is going on." Celestia nodded.
"It'd be easier that way, until conflict arises. No need to worry everypony if we can fix it behind the scenes." Celestia said, standing from her seat. "We are done here. I need to rest my head- I have heard too many things as of now, and I need to think about them in-depth. I've got a raging headache-"
"Princess-" Solaire interrupted. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but there is one thing I want to ask you."
"Yes..?"
"I.." Solaire didn't really know how to ask what he was going to ask, but he tried anyways. "Do you know of anyone who is able to perform fire magic? Pyromancy, to be specific."
"Why do you want to know if somepony knows pyromancy?" Shining asked, skeptical of the question.
"I can assure you it's nothing dangerous. I just need to know if someone in this world know's how to perform pyromancy."
Celestia thought for a moment. "I.. do know of somepony who can do pyromancy, yes. They're in the F.M.S.D, or Fire Magic Specialty Division of our military. She's extremely talented. However, she's very busy. If you ever need to talk to her, i'll send you a letter regarding her free time." Solaire nodded, a smile forming behind his helmet.
"Thank you, Princess."
"I'll be off now." Celestia continued. "I need to get some rest, and some pills. My head is going to explode." With that, Celestia left the room, Shining running off behind her to protest against Solaire's request and what he had said.
The three of them, Solaire, Twilight, and Starlight sat still in the room, Starlight's hoof being placed onto the table with a thud. "Well.. As much as I love hearing about such great news, I think we should go back home and move onto.. happier things?"
Twilight sighed, a tinge of sadness in her tone. "Solaire.."
Solaire looked at her.
"Everything will be alright.. Right?"
Solaire stood up, walking over to her and lifting his hand to give her ears a scratch. "As long as i'm around, i'll try to help. I can't guarantee everything will be alright.. But I can say that i'll always protect you all. Okay?" Solaire lifted his other hand and scratched Starlight's ears as well.
Both of the mare's hummed contently, nudging into his hands further. It was like some sort of magic trick, a couple of scratches and they'd forget everything they're doing.
"Come on. Let's go get Spike and get back to the castle."
Spike, Starlight, Twilight and Solaire entered the castle, everyone except for Spike feeling a little on edge. Their mood had definitely changed with the news, and Spike could feel it. He didn't say anything though, as to not provoke any feelings any of them may have had.
"Solaire, may I talk to you in private..?" Twilight asked as they slowly made their way down the hallway, stopping at the intersection. Solaire turned his gaze to her, nodding.
"Me and Spike will be in my room, if you need us. Come on, Spike." Starlight said, her voice a little quiet, her tone different than usual. Spike, not wanting to cause any trouble by asking questions, simply followed her down the hallway, whilst Solaire and Twilight headed to Twilight's bedroom.
With the soft click of Twilight's door shutting, she turned to him.
Solaire undid his clips, and twisted his helmet off, looking at her. "What did you want to speak to me about?"
"What you said back at the castle.. Do you really believe that we won't be able to handle the creatures from your world..?"
Solaire shook his head. "I don't mean you can't handle them. I meant that if you aren't prepared, you would be obliterated."
"That.. doesn't sound great either. Most things that happen in Equestria are unplanned and unprepared."
Solaire set his helmet onto her desk, sitting on the seat that was in front of it, turned of course to face Twilight. "I don't know what to say. It's just.. truth."
"We have magic, very powerful magic. The Princess' themselves could wipe out anything on this planet- and with the combined force-"
"They have magic too." Solaire interrupted. "Very powerful magic. Magic that doesn't exist in this world. Magic that is made for the sole purpose of destroying anything it touches. My blessings that I can cast, even if they are called blessings, are made to kill."
"We'll be able to fight it though- we always have fought any adversities that came our way-"
Solaire raised a hand, stopping Twilight from speaking. "I don't know what to tell you, Twilight. It's the truth. If you lived in my world for even a day, you would understand what I mean. There are no happy endings in my world. In a world without happy endings, there is only darkness. That's what is tainting this world now."
Solaire shook his head, turning to face the wall, staring at it blankly. His eyes didn't move, they simply stared forward. "I'll pledge myself to defend against those evil forces, but I can't promise I can defeat them." His eyes glanced at her, a serious look on his face. "All I can promise, is that i'll try."
Twilight nodded, turning over to look at the same wall he was looking at. Her thoughts were racing about all the possible dangers that could be happening, all of the possibilities and destruction that could be occurring, yet with Solaire in the room, she didn't feel the need to pace around. She didn't feel the need to stress over anything.
She didn't feel the need to overthink anything.
"How long do you plan to stay here?" She asked him, still not facing him.
"I'd like to stay here as long as i'm allowed to."
She looked over at him now, her eyes softening. "Well.. I'd enjoy that."
Solaire didn't look away from the wall. "I'm glad."
Silence took the room hostage afterwards. Twilight's soft hooves were the only sound emanating through the room as she walked over to her bed, jumping onto it, and sitting on it like a puppy at attention would. She stared over at Solaire, waiting for him to look at her.
With a minute passing by and him still not looking at her, she groaned loudly. This caused Solaire to turn over to her, to see her sitting on the bed.
"Yes?"
Twilight simply stared at him. She didn't want to say it. Did she really have to..?
"Twilight...?" Solaire asked.
"Don't make me say it.." She thought.
"Uhm.. Hello?"
"Scratches.."
"What?"
"Scratches.."
"I'm sorry Twilight, I can't hear yo-"
"Scratches!" Twilight yelled, staring at him with a blush now on her face. Solaire didn't understand what she was asking for until a few seconds after. Once it clicked into his head, he began to laugh loudly.
"You really can go from serious to needy, hm?"
"Hey!" She barked, "I am not needy!"
Solaire got up from the seat, walking over to her, and placing a hand ontop of her head. "Whatever you say."
Solaire began to scratch right behind her ears before;
"Wait!" She yelled. Her horn suddenly began to glow, and a click on the door was heard. "There, locked."
"Paranoid?"
"Hush, and get to scratching."
He smirked. "I'm not your pet, Ms. Sparkle." Solaire's fingers dug into the soft fur behind her ears, softly going back and forth. However, this wasn't exactly what Twilight wanted.
"Don't be afraid to be rough."
Solaire chuckled. "I'm glad you locked that door."
"Didn't I tell you to hush and get scratching?"
"Yes Ma'am." Solaire said mockingly, digging his fingers deeper into the fur on her head. He began to thoroughly scratch behind her ears, a soft hum coming from Twilight as he did so. Her horn sparked a couple of times, her wings extending out to stretch.
"I'm going to have to start charging you for this." Solaire said teasingly.
"How much?" Twilight said, her eyes still closed, the soft hum still persisting.
Solaire knew that the ponies were adorable and cute, however he didn't really think about it through. Now that he was scratching Twilight's ears, and seeing her content and happy face, along with that soft harmonious hum, he now knew that they were truly the most adorable things in the universe.
Atleast, to him.
The two of them stayed like that for a little while, Twilight sitting up straight, getting head-scratches from Solaire. It was quiet, save for the humming and scratching. Solaire thought of what it would be like to do this with Celestia. She was much bigger, and probably would have a bigger reaction. He didn't know for sure though, he would have to speculate for now.
For now..
Twilight stifled a yawn. Solaire chuckled, pulling his hand away. "Tired already? It's only-" Solaire looked out the window to see the sun being lowered. With a frown, he returned his gaze back to Twilight. "Time has gone by that fast..? It doesn't.. seem like it."
Twilight, who'm rolled over onto the left side of the bed and under the covers, looked up at him with a smirk. "Well, that train ride took longer than usual. Plus, we were bombarded with plenty of security checks before meeting with Celestia. That might've taken longer than we imagined."
Solaire shrugged, beginning to remove his wear, save for his boxers. "I suppose so. Say, do you imagine that Rarity will have clothes for me tomorrow?" Solaire pulled the covers open, and slid under, pulling them up to his chest.
"I would imagine so. She does work pretty fast- and with this new opportunity to make clothing for another species and explore all the different kinds of fashion idea's, i'm sure she'll have something done tomorrow."
"Good." He said with a smile. "Ever since you mentioned that my armor might by uncomfortable, it is beginning to feel like it. Shame on you, you ruined my armor."
Twilight giggled. "I didn't do that- that's all in your head, mister."
"Mmmmhm- okay Scratchy."
"Scratchy.. really..?" Twilight said unamused.
"Oh just laugh at the joke and move on." Solaire said with a smirk, turning towards her.
Did her eyes ever glow this bright before?
"Both she and Celestia are extremely.. captivating." Solaire thought, staring at her.
Twilight gave a soft giggle. "What're you staring at?" Twilight then flinched when Solaire brought his hand up over her head, giving her ears a few good scratches before suddenly pulling her into his chest. With a squeak, and a blush forming onto her muzzle, she was now touching his bare chest, her head resting underneath his chin.
"I wasn't fully asleep when you cuddled up next to me the night before, Twilight. I assume you were going to do it anyways so- might as well do it, hm?"
Twilight shook her head. "N-No talking about this ever, okay?"
"Whatever you say, Miss Sparkle."
As the two of them shared an embrace under the covers, their heartbeats slowed to a matching speed. Twilight couldn't possibly be into him, could she?
No, of course not. It's only been a week at most- she couldn't fall for someone that fast, could she?
What would Celestia think? Twilight could see by the way Celestia looked at Solaire often that she was indeed interested, even if she wasn't going to say anything or admit it, even to herself. Celestia is up there, dealing with all of the hard work of being an actual Princess, while Twilight, the pretend Princess steals her loyal warrior.
No- she was wording it all wrong. It wasn't anything like that! If she had feelings, it was totally normal. Just because Celestia had her sights on him first, doesn't mean he can't choose for himself, right? It'll be up to him!
If he even decides, that is.
Several silent minutes went by, and Twilight could most definitely tell that Solaire was in a heavy deep sleep state. His breathe lightly touched her ears, and it was warm. Soothingly warm, along with his slow heartbeat that felt like a metronome, designed to lull her to sleep. He truly was magical.
As she was falling asleep, her mind jolted her back awake. He said he would fight off any creature from his own world, and they were dangerous after all.
What if he got hurt? What would happen? Celestia would be just as devastated as she would be. What if he died?
That thought got her heartbeat racing. This kind creature, this kind human, was helping her and anypony else he encountered. He came down here with Twilight to warm up to the girls, yet the others are so busy with their own things. The only real ponies that have warmed up to him so far are Starlight and Rarity, whilst the others do.. whatever they do.
The girls used to sleep at the castle all the time, with their own designated rooms and everything. However, lately they were beginning to fade away slowly. Not in the literal sense, but they all weren't meeting eachother as often as before. Twilight knew it would happen but, she just didn't expect it to happen now.
Her mind bounced from one subject, to the next, her eyes open and darting across the skin of Solaire's chest before a hand grabbed the back of her head softly, caressing her ears and around her horn. Twilight immediately stopped her thoughts and squee'd in happiness.
"What's wrong?" Solaire asked, now awake. Twilight pulled her head back slightly to look up at him, her face a little saddened.
"I-I didn't mean to wake you up.. Did I poke you with my h-horn or something?"
"No.. I could feel your heartbeat pound on me like a drum." Solaire said with a frown. "What is it?"
Twilight shook her head. "It's nothing to worry about.."
"Then why are you worrying about it?"
His question had caught Twilight off guard. "H-Huh?"
"If it's nothing I should worry about, then why are you worrying about it?"
"I.." Twilight paused, "I don't know."
"Well-" Solaire said with a smile. "You shouldn't worry about it. Just go to sleep, okay? Let tomorrow's worries be left for tomorrow." Twilight nodded softly, burying her head into his chest once again. Solaire gave a light chuckle. "You're a cuddle bug, that is for sure."
"I don't see you protesting."
"That's because i'm not." Solaire said, gently letting his fingers explore her wings and caress them softly. Usually, that would be a place that is a no-go zone for anybody, especially since touching certain area's could elicit certain.. erotic reactions..
Yet Solaire's hands danced around those small area's, as if he knew what spots to dig into and what spots to not touch. His fingers moved expertly against her wings, softly pressing into the most sensitive parts of them without triggering something in her.
"As I said.. Magical.. Twilight thought, digging further into his chest.
She breathed in, her senses being filled with a strong, smokey smell. It wasn't bad at all- in fact, it was the type of smell you would expect when you and your family would be lounging in the living room around the house's fireplace. That smell of burning wood being gently sprinkled through the air.
Solaire's hands moved from her wings to her lower back, dare not going further. He knew what was off-limits, and was only trying to massage her gently. With a couple presses of his fingers, he dug into the bottom part of her spine and back, giving a much needed massage.
A content, happy moan came from Twilight as he did so.
"He could do so much more with those han- hey! Stop thinking that.."
His hands then traveled back up to her head, his fingers running through her mane.
"He could just give it a nice tug- Twilight, stop it! My estrus has passed for the year already, why am I getting like this?!"
Solaire could feel Twilight's body heating up considerably, her wings becoming stiff on her back. He thought to massage them more, and as his fingers lightly touched her wings softly, they sprang, fully extending themselves. Twilight only further buried her head into his neck.
"D-Don't.. Just.. That was good enough.." She said with a slightly concerned, yet happy tone. Solaire obliged, not continuing further, and letting his hand rest over her.
"I can't believe you just did that, Twi.. Your wings- your bucking wings!" Twilight cursed herself out in her thoughts, thinking of anything that could get her wings to fully fold.
"Shining.. Celes- no.. Mom.. Dad.." Twilight was searching through names and ponies to think about to get her 'wingboner' to fall back down, and it eventually worked. Though, she had to think terribly hard to do so.
With her wings now folded, she was finally able to get to sleep.
Luna patrolled the dreamscape, like the night before, and the night before that, as it was her job to do so. Though now, she had a mission to embark on. She was going to get inside whatever dream that dark bubble held. As the bubbles of dreams passed through the empty air, she spotted two black bubbles sitting next to eachother.
Solaire's bubble and this other dark bubble had somehow made a connection, a black string connecting the both of them. She had never seen anything like it before, in all of her years of patrolling the dreamscape.
Luna tapped the bubble opposite to Solaire, and it still wouldn't open. Her horn began to discharge magic against it, which seemed to.. actually work.
It was opening up, allowing access yet right before she could step through- it closed back down to the small size of the bubble again.
"You will not stop me this time." Luna said to herself quietly, discharging an even heavier amount of magic onto the bubble until-
Pop!
She was in.
Yet what surrounded her confused her. She was in the Dragon Lands, yet it was completely empty. No dragons were anywhere to be seen, nor the pony, or creature, that owned the dream was to be seen. That was, until she saw the large, black shadow of a dragon descend from the sky down in front of her.
It was a dragon unlike Luna had seen before. It was gigantic, though not the largest dragon she had witnessed before. It stared down at her, it's blank dark holes that acted like eyes were blankly looking at her. She took a step forward to take a look into the dragon's features closely, but a thrust of a spear in front of her eyes stopped her.
She slowly looked up, to see who the individual holding the spear was.
What she saw, slightly terrified her.
A creature, with the same body-type of Solaire, with hands and fingers and feet, stared down at her. Though he was much, much larger than Solaire. Easily being three times the size of the Warrior of sunlight, it's blank eyes stared down at her, oddly matching the dragon's eyes. His skin was a dark mix between black and purple, and it's armor was unlike anything she'd seen in her life.
The creature said no words, simply staring at her.
Luna shook her head, knowing that it was all simply a dream. She couldn't be hurt in the dreamscape, she knew that.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"I am a king."
Something told her in her thoughts, though it had no voice to it. It was simply words.
"What is your name?"
"I have no name."
The king stared down at her, slowly retracting the spear.
"You're a nameless king?"
"Who are you."
The King ignored her question, asking his own instead. "I am Princess Luna, the night Princess of Equestria."
"Equestria. I am far from home." The King said, the voice still being nonexistent.
"Wait.." Luna paused. She began to click two and two together and, "Were you the one killing the dragons?"
Luna had been informed of the reports around the world by her sister at dinner, though she would've rather woke up to much more pleasant news.
"Those were not dragons. Those were pests, and this King didn't see them fit." The Nameless King put a hand onto the top of the head on the dragon, caressing it lightly. The dragon gave an interesting response with a slight groan and a low discordant hum.
"The Dragon Lands are not yours to rule. You are from Solaire's world, aren't you?"
"Solaire.. A name I strangely remember, yet can't connect."
"Then it's true. You are from his world. He's warned all of us of your danger, and it seems to be true."
"You believe I am dangerous, yet you are the more dangerous one. I am stranded in your world, lost in a sea of color. However beautiful, the unknown is shrouded in dangerous mystery."
"You believe that we are more dangerous, when you have smited dragons left and right with ease and at will?" Luna huffed.
"Do not ignite the fire, if you have no water to put it out. Leave me to my business undisturbed, and you shall be left well alone. If you dare to come look for me, you'll find a ruthless awakening."
"I would much rather not fight you if I can handle it in another way. You don't seem angry, nor evil in my eyes from our little conversation here. 'Tis does not mean that you are good, just means you are not evil as of yet. Still, I do not understand your reason for killing innocent dragons. Me and my ponies are in good relations with the dragons, and you could possibly be murdering them."
"How can you murder something that has no individual free will. All dragons think on instinct, except for one. That is why he is the King of the dragons." The Nameless King pat the dragon's head again, that low discordant toned hum coming from the throat of it again.
"Your world and our world are very different. While in your world, dragons may work in such a way, this world does not abide by the same concepts of yours. I plead you to stop your rampage, and to talk peacefully, face to face."
"Answer me this. What is a Princess to a King?"
"What ever do you mean?"
"You have referred to yourself as a Princess just earlier, have you not? Royally, you are below me."
Luna groaned, almost facehoofing. "No- things work differently here in Equestria, as stated before."
"Then tell me more about your world, and I might consider your requests. Princess."
It was going to be a very, very long night.
Solaire had awoken to the sight of Twilight sitting up in her bed, stretching her wings and hooves out with a yawn, not realizing she was being watched. She shook her head, and with both her hooves she rubbed her eyes. She let her body become limp, letting her head land back onto the pillow with a soft 'thud,' and turned over to see Solaire watching her.
"Oh.. Hey."
Solaire gave a tiny wave silently.
"I feel like I should get up, but the bed won't let me leave. I'm sleeping in."
Solaire shrugged as he nestled his head further into the pillows, watching her still.
"I thought you would've protested against sleeping in."
Solaire chuckled before his low, rough morning voice came from his throat. "Today just feels different."
Twilight nodded, turning her head up to the ceiling, admiring the beautiful colors and design of it. The ceiling was a mixture of a flat, tiled ceiling, with crystals dotted throughout the design, popping out with jagged edges. With the light shining in through the windows, it reflected beautiful colors through the crystals, giving the room a light blue and purple glow.
Solaire looked up at the ceiling as well, admiring the design. "Today is a day to relax."
"Ooohh.." Twilight said, a lightbulb flicking on inside her head. "We should go to the spa. I'll pay, of course. We'll bring Rarity too, since she's been dying to talk about all the little drama. The spa seems fitting for something like that."
Solaire nodded. "Indeed it does."
...
The only thing that could be heard other than the soft breaths from the two currently in bed, was the soft chirping of birds passing outside, and the rustle of tree's in the distance from the wind. A couple of quiet yells and laughter coming from Ponyville, and sounds of hammer against metal from a construction project far into the distance.
It was nice.
Yet as much as Solaire would have loved to simply let his thoughts melt away and soak in the sounds, his mind was stopping him from doing so. His mind was stuck on the thought of the Hollow he encountered in the school with Starlight. He had almost forgotten what one had looked like with his time being here, forgetting the dark bleak atmosphere of his world.
Anyone could look at a hollow and understand that it was not from this world. It didn't belong, and it showed. It's sickly dead skin, it's gurgled and discordant yells and groans, and its blank, black eyes. It was a terrifying sight to see, contrasting the beautiful scenery of the world.
A hollow is the least dangerous thing to possibly arrive. What if there were demons, wraiths, or perhaps other Undead who were hell-bent on pillaging souls and humanity? The possibilities were endless, and all of them were not good.
He was able to hide his fear from experience. He could understand the fear from the ponies, especially Twilight and Starlight. They didn't know what they were facing, it is unknown to them. And that alone might be the most terrifying aspect of life.
The unknown.
He continued to stare at the ceiling, still lost in thought. He began to think of all the possible ways to face off against the dangers of his world. He knew how to cast miracles, letting him summon spears of pure lightning, yet in order to learn such things they would have to devote many hours to learn it. They didn't have that amount of time.
Pyromancy was a concept that existed in this world, yet only one individual he was informed of knew how to cast things of that nature. That was out of the picture.
They had magic in this world, but not the same kind. Here, they had things almost similar to telepathy, being able to move items with simple thoughts and a flick of their magic, yet on his own world it was mostly weaponry. Giant beams of pure darkness, or being able to put magic onto your blade. It would take awhile to learn, that was out of the window.
Perhaps there was nothing that they could do except train to fight. All of the possible techniques of fighting in his world weren't applicable to the inhabitants here. It would take too long. He would need to do anything he possibly could to fight against these enemies, pulling everything out of his knowledge.
Lightning urns, firebombs, miracles, resin, everything.
What would definitely help would be a bonfire. However, he needed to visit with the Pyromancer in Canterlot in order to get anything started on that. With a bonfire, he would be able to be much more aggressive, the idea of permanence in his death would be removed. He would be able to be rebuilt from the ashes.
A poke to his shoulder woke him up from his deep thoughts. He turned his head to look at Twilight, the culprit of the poke. "You okay?" She asked him softly.
"Yes, yes.."
"That doesn't sound convincing.." Twilight said, to which Solaire responded with a shrug, staying silent. "You looked like you were imagining something bad."
"It's nothing to worry about."
Twilight smirked. "If it's nothing to worry about, why are you worrying about it?"
Solaire gave a sigh with a chuckle. "I deserved that for sure."
Twilight gave a loud exhale, softly shaking her head side to side. "I know what you were thinking about. I was thinking about that earlier too."
Solaire gave a sigh again. "I feel like it's somewhat my fault."
"You didn't teleport here on your own will, Solaire. And you didn't bring any of them with you on purpose. It's all just.. coincidence. How can something be your fault if you didn't do it?"
"Perhaps with me staying here, they found a way to teleport here-"
"Solaire," Twilight interrupted, "Stop.. You are speaking without logic. Look at it on the bright side. You get to spend the morning in the bed of a princess."
Solaire chuckled, landing a hand over onto her head and rubbing softly. "I suppose so."
Twilight gasped sarcastically. "What- am I not good enough for you~?"
"That's not what i'm saying at all-" Solaire said with a soft laugh, "just that you have a lot to compete with."
"And who would I be competing with?" She asked sassily.
"A certain princess of the sun."
"Mmhmm.. We'll see who wins." Twilight said with a soft giggle.
"We'll see.."
Author's Note
I'll be working on the next chapter for the week.
It's going to be long, so prepare for lots of reading.
If you liked this, or have any sort of advice, be sure to comment!
And for anyone who needs to read this,
If you're afraid to start writing, just start typing. You might be surprised where you end up.
Ciao.
"Are you certain that he agree'd to stop the killing?" Celestia asked Luna, eyeing her sister with question. The both of them were inside Luna's room, both sitting on chairs and discussing what Luna had been doing during the night, talking with this so called Nameless King.
"I'm not for certain, but he agree'd to stop. He was so strange, Tia.. I can't explain what it was like talking to him- it was.. interesting."
"Well, he comes from a different land Luna, he'll speak differen-"
"No!" Luna interrupted. "It wasn't because he was from a different land. I've spoken to Solaire on occasion, yet this creature seemed very.. wise. He mentioned how tired he was, how his old world was becoming stale. We spent the entire night talking to eachother, and teaching eachother about our respective worlds. He was not knowing of the intelligent nature of the dragons in our world, as most dragons from his world work based on instinct. Very few are actually intelligent."
Celestia eye'd her sister still, trying to debate whether or not this King was telling the truth. "It would make sense.. Yet, that doesn't excuse the killing of those dragons. Ember must have talked with him already, yes?"
"No," Luna shook her head. "He mentioned that a dragon matching her appearance had tried to oppose him, but he simply swatted her, 'like a fly' he said."
"What got him to agree to stop?"
Luna shrugged. "I don't know. I think he only wanted knowledge of the new world he was in, as he kept asking questions. Some which seemed common sense, others seemingly deep in essence. He mentioned that he had heard Solaire's name before."
Celestia's ears perked to that statement. "Really?" Luna nodded. "Hmm.." Celestia sat in thought for a few moments. "Perhaps we should arrange a meeting between him and Solaire? Perhaps we could bring the both of them to the castle. If they do indeed know eachother, it would make things much easier. I'll send a letter to inform Solaire of this King."
Luna nodded, rubbing her head with a hoof. She was starting to get a headache. "However, we will need to arrange the meeting in a more.. spacious room."
"Why?" Celestia asked.
"This.. 'King,' is.. exceptionally large. I do not think he will bring his dragon inside, but he himself is large enough. Perhaps the royal dining hall?"
Celestia nodded. "It seems like a fitting room to hold such a meeting. When shall we arrange it?"
Luna shrugged again. "I don't know sister. Sooner rather than later, though i'll need to know ahead of time so I can inform him."
Celestia, standing from her seat, nodded towards her sister. "Of course, now get some sleep sister. You've been up all night, and i'm glad you've been able to get information from this new strange creature. The increase of information will help our current predicament."
Luna, stifling a yawn with her hoof, waved goodbye to her sister. "Goodnight, Celestia. May you have a bright sunny day ahead of you."
"And may you sleep deep." Celestia said with a smile, heading for the door to leave.
Solaire immediately melted as he slid into the steaming hot-tub along with Twilight and Rarity, who'm both were already enjoying the hot water. It was not ordinary for males and females to be in the hot tub together, as they would usually be nude. However, with Twilight's status as Princess, nobody objected.
Solaire was a bit hesitant to undress, but after sliding completely into the hot tub, the thoughts of protest went away. He could feel the warmth spread across his entire body, a slight stinging and tingling feeling spreading all over his skin. The pain of the countless scars that dotted around his body was numbed, their existence almost being forgotten.
With a soft moan of contentment, Solaire pushed himself against the corner of the tub, spreading his arms across the outside and stretching his legs out. Twilight and Rarity both watched him, smiles on their faces as they were amused from his reactions.
"What?" Solaire said with a slight smile. "It's amazing, and to say differently is to lie."
Rarity shook her head, a smile still on her face. "Nopony's denying that dear."
"Soo.." Twilight said, trying to start a conversation. "Whats up, Rarity?"
Rarity turned her gaze to Twilight now, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "I've got so much to tell you!"
Solaire, who wasn't interested in the conversation in the first place, was in his own thoughts already. The gossip in front of him turning into merely background noise for him to think.
His thoughts immediately drifted to thinking of plans. First things first, he needed to talk to that pyromancer. Setting up a meeting with whoever it was would get the ball rolling on getting a bonfire made, and that is if it would even work. The concepts of his own world didn't apply fully into this one, so it might just be some sword stabbed into the ground, surrounded by rocks and other such things. Either way, he needed to find out.
Trying to think of happier things, his mind drifted to Celestia.
How was she handling things? Solaire hoped she was alright. He noted that during his recent visit to talk with her, she seemed tired. It would make sense, since she must've been dealing with the situation of the new inhabitants of the world. Still, he hoped he could return to her sometime soon and help her with her stress.
However, living with Twilight wasn't exactly all bad. Sure, he had problems with Starlight in the beginning, but that was figured out and resolved. Sure, he wasn't exactly doing what he thought he'd be doing, that being hanging out with Twilight and her friends, but atleast he was hanging out with Twilight and a few others.
Speaking of Twilight, she made to be an exceptional snuggle-buddy. Solaire had enjoyed the external warmth that surrounded him during the night. Being accompanied by Twilight was calming, and allowed him to feel better rested in the morning. Her soft, silky fur and fluff on her chest was more comfortable than the pillow he laid his head on at night.
She definitely seemed to enjoy his company as well. Her mind had seemed to completely drift from the incident at the border, which was a good thing. She was thinking of other things, although those other things might not be good, she wasn't sulking in her bedroom all day no longer.
Solaire hummed to himself quietly as he was still stuck in thought. Twilight was extremely cute, along with Celestia. And Luna.
Hell, all the Princess' were cute now that he thought about it.
He imagined that his presence might mean more to them than he had originally thought. Celestia had told him how she hated having to act 'royal' all the time, and appease to the public's opinion and thought. Perhaps the same could be said about Luna and Twilight. That would explain why Twilight seemed to relax whenever she was alone with you in a room, her mood switching drastically. Even being in a room with one of her friends, she acted slightly differently.
Perhaps not noticeable to her friends, it was noticeable to him. He didn't like the thought of the Princess' being stressed out because of another's opinion, and how they think someone in their shoes should act. They weren't in the Princess' shoes, why should they be allowed to judge?
Either way, he hoped to clear them of their worries. If it'll take time, he'll take his time. It was only right. They had helped him ease into this new world rather well, and quickly for that matter. He was surprised at how fast they had decided to trust him, even with his help with Twilight and Celestia.
He wasn't complaining however. Being in that castle was great and all, but a change of scenery wasn't always bad.
And this hot tub was definitely needed.
Before he could think further about anything, he was poked gently by a purple hoof. His gaze turned to meet Twilight's face. who was right in front of him, extremely close. "You okay?"
Solaire nodded gently. "Of course. Why do you ask?"
"You've been silent the entire time, dear." Rarity said, still sitting in her spot.
Twilight looked at Solaire with a strange look, as if she was questioning something in her head and deciding how he would take it. She suddenly turned around, and hopped right onto Solaire's lap. With a smile, she turned to Rarity. "So, Vinyl and Octavia really got caught in the stalls?"
The two of them resumed their conversation as if nothing had happened, leaving Solaire with a puzzled look. Did Twilight not understand that he was naked? And that she was sitting on his lap?
He didn't question it, and instead listened in to their gossip, keeping silent still.
Shining groaned, sitting at the desk of his old office, reading paperwork and military reports of the incidents around the world. Things about the border war, the new creatures arriving in Equestria, and anything else that required his eyes to look at.
To be honest, he hated working for the military. It was boring, or dangerous. There was usually no inbetween.
He looked over at a picture he had taken with him from the Crystal Empire, staring at it with a slight smile. It was a picture of him, Cadence, and Flurry Heart.
As much as he missed them, he knew he had to take care of things here first. Running his Empire was always number one, but it required no guidance from him in the recent months. Cadence usually took care of everything, as he was again required to take care of military issues.
With the alliance of his empire and Celestia/Luna's, this was a required duty. Nobody in the military here knew how to deal with these problems properly, which made him question if Celestia or Luna were really on top of checking who was running their military. Despite that, he knew he needed to focus on the problems at hoof.
Firstly, the border war.
Information says that the 'rebels' are fighting against the rule of Equestria, stating that Celestia and Luna have neglected several issues in outer towns, and only focusing on the richer, bigger, and closer towns. It wasn't true, as each town was given funding based on population.
The border towns were always given lower funding because they usually had very little population, and these ponies had saw it as inequality. Whether they had reasoning for it or not, they were to be considered an enemy because of their violent tendencies towards the border population.
They had resorted to radical thinking, forcing ponies to join their 'cause' or to be killed. It was a bad situation, since now soldiers couldn't tell if their enemies were civilians trying to stay alive, or radical rebels who were forcing their views onto these ponies.
Usually, the military would be able to go in and wipe the slate clean easily. However, the rebels weren't as stupid as their ideology. A lot of said rebels were ex-military, being trained in aerial combat if they were a pegasus, or specialty magic if they were a unicorn. Earth ponies resorted to spears and crossbows. This meant that they weren't going to be able to be rid of easily, as they knew the inner-workings of the military already.
They were able to guess where the military was going to search, when they were going to attack, and where they were stationed. This caused massive ambushes, and it seemed that the only way to really combat these rebels was to not combat them at all. So far, holding the border from the kingdom's side worked. That exact reasoning was why Shining didn't understand why Celestia had wanted to go out of the border and fight them head on, as it only caused massive ambushes, and mass casualties were had.
Some of those casualties were Shining's friends.
Shining would simply be playing along with Flurry Heart until he got the news that a comrade that he knew very well had died in an ambush. It wasn't one, or two, or three. It was several of his friends, ones that he grew very close with during his time as Captain.
And they were being marched to their death's by Celestia and her sister.
It pissed him off, knowing that their incompetence to run a military was getting their soldiers killed. When he tried reasoning with Celestia, or even Luna for that matter, they always turned a blind eye to him. They told him to go back to the Crystal Empire, that he was no longer Captain here and had zero influence on the goings-on in the kingdom.
Yet they had free reign to change policies in the crystal empire at will.
How dare they, force his friends march to their deaths and tell him that he couldn't do anything about it. How dare they!
He might have forced his hoof a little too close to the fire and got burned, but he was now in charge of the operations in the kingdom for the time being. With that, he was going to make sure that things went right, to stop the bloodshed that was taking place on the border.
His mind drifted to thinking of a way to rid of these rebels efficiently, and with the least amount of casualties. He had suggested earlier that they should take a couple rebels hostage, but the rebels had committed suicide before they were captured, or simply refused to talk, even under torture.
They truly were radical.
Shining shook his head, setting the border-reports to the side of the desk, and instead focused on the newest reports. The new inhabitants of Equestria.
Solaire was the first, or atleast the first recorded incident of these new arrivals. He wasn't hostile, but the way he acted towards Shining caused him to not like Solaire all that much. Despite that, Shining couldn't simply ignore the good that Solaire had done. He was there to help Twilight when she needed it.
Something he wasn't able to face due to shame.
What shame? He couldn't exactly place a hoof on it. He couldn't face her without feeling something erupt from his heart, causing him to hate himself further.
If he had tried harder to interfere earlier with the kingdom's border war, she wouldn't have to live through something so traumatic.
Swaying away from that, he focused on the report that Luna had given to him. The new 'King' in the Dragon Lands. The description was odd and made little to no sense, Shining noting in his head that he would have to speak to Luna one on one to understand what any of it meant.
The creature found in the School of Friendship was detailed in another report, the creature in question being called a 'hollow,' according to Solaire. Solaire had disposed of it quickly and efficiently, protecting Starlight in the process. Shining was glad nopony was hurt from the incident, though if Solaire had fallen on his ass, he wouldn't have minded.
No other reports were had, other than a few strange sightings in the Everfree forest, which was nothing to worry about.
Shining decided to take a small break from the reports, leaning back in the office chair and giving a loud sigh. He had bags under his eyes, his mane and tail were disheveled, and his voice was low and rough. It was apparent that he had become more bitter ever since the information about his friend passing, but he looked his worst at the moment.
Trying to change subjects onto something happier, he pulled out a scroll. Perhaps he should write something home to Cadence and Flurry. He missed them, they must miss him back. He could only imagine Flurry asking 'where papa?' over and over again, not understanding where he had gone.
The thought made his heart ache. He guided the quill against the parchment, his eyes filled with tears. With a sniffle, he held them back, shaking his head.
He had to be here. He needed to be here.
He had no other choice, unless he wanted to see more of his old comrades fall to the Princess' inability to rule.
Solaire was currently holding the Princess of Friendship comfortably on his lap, whilst she and Rarity both gossiped about things in town. Rarity didn't even seem to notice that the Lavender unicorn was sitting on his lap, and happily continued on talking with her. He didn't really know a whole lot of the town, or the people in it, so some of the gossiping confused him. It was interesting though.
It was usually the same set of things happening with different people. Some people got together, some people broke up, some people got caught doing things they shouldn't have been doing, someone likes someone else. He wondered how Rarity knew so much about so many different people and what they were doing. Perhaps she just really liked to read the newspapers?
Either way, Twilight seemed to be entertained, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't also slightly entertained.
Throughout the talks of gossip Twilight had leaned further back into Solaire's chest, using him as if he was a pillow to lean on. He didn't mind all that much as she had comfortable fur, but it wasn't exactly.. normal.
Perhaps she wanted a reaction from him? Well- he wasn't going to give her one she wanted. He was going to simply keep quiet about the whole ordeal.
"We've been here for thirty minutes already?" Rarity said, staring at the clock on the wall. Solaire didn't even notice that time had practically seemed to fly by, as he was stuck in his thoughts for the most of it. Being surrounded in hot, steaming water with a calming aroma dispensed into the room put his straining thoughts at ease. He was able to put mental notes and plans together.
"It doesn't seem like it, does it?" Twilight asked, leaning fully back onto her human pillow. "Are we not able to stay longer?"
"Of course we can stay longer, dear. I was just surprised at how long we've spent talking already when it seems only a couple of minute passed by. Time flies when you're having fun, hm?"
Twilight simply nodded her head before glancing her eyes upwards to Solaire, searching for some sort of reaction. His expression was mostly blank, a small smile on his face. He didn't seem to be paying attention to the both of them, but he seemed happy in thought.
What could he be thinking..?
Celestia sighed to herself, overlooking the same balcony that she and Solaire had talked on many days ago. It was her small break, and she loved watching the town below when she had the chance. She couldn't make out all the details, but seeing the little splotches of color running around down below was entertaining. She would often make up little scenario's and stories in her head. She would come up with the names, jobs, and gossip of the made-up characters. She wondered if she should write it down, perhaps make a small series out of it?
No, she knew that the little stories she made up were nothing like reality. She was a Princess, what did she know about common-pony living? She didn't. Though, she thoroughly enjoyed reading about stories that detailed the experience, whether they were non-fiction or purely fictional. It brought in a new set of eyes for her to stare through, and even if the experiences were supposed to be sad or heartbreaking, she longed for the feeling of it.
To feel normal.
She would be able to spend time with her sister and friends, without having to worry about running an entire kingdom. She and her sister could talk more, without interrupting either's sleep schedule. She could gossip and laugh about the small things in life, and hear about rumors in the town over.
Oh, it would be amazing to live like that.
Sadly, she has to deal with her position of power. That meant not being able to see her sister often, even during meetings. Luna had made it obvious to Celestia that she hated being forced to attend meetings during the daytime, as that is when most meetings happen. Luna tried proposing to half the meetings from daytime, and move them to the nighttime. Of course, the nobles weren't going to have that. They needed their 'precious sleep.'
Luna instead proposed to have Celestia wake her if there was ever an emergency that needed both their eyes to look at. There wasn't anything that was such an emergency, as most things could be forwarded to her via scroll for her to look over when she awakes.
Celestia would also never be able to hear about the rumors. Most rumors in Canterlot were usually about her. Some of them harmless, some of them scandalous, and some of them quite dumb. At-least the stalker problem was taken care of. She still didn't quite get the reason for such a big group of Stallions to follow her every move and gawk over her. She wasn't special.
Though she could understand why most saw her in a different light than she saw herself. Of course they were going to see the pony who ran their kingdom differently, but usually this meant fake reactions and meanings. Many ponies weren't willing to be themselves around her. She could understand it, but she didn't like it.
Even her prized student acted differently towards her.
The only people that didn't act differently towards her were Luna, and Solaire. Luna was her sister, so that was a given. Yet Solaire came from another world. He wasn't familiar with Equestria, he wasn't familiar with her or her sister, or anything to do with the kingdom, and because of that he acted like she was a normal pony.
But if he knew, would he still act like she was normal?
She wouldn't know. At-least, not at the moment. She was finding herself thinking more and more about Solaire as they days dragged on, so she would constantly try to think about what he might think of certain things.
It would be much easier if he was here to she could ask him, but he was having fun down there with Twilight. He must be enjoying himself. Well, that's what Celestia hoped for. Was the current news of these new creatures appearing into Equestria stressing him out, or is he truly having fun with Twilight and her friends?
She hoped for the latter.
It had been two hours in the tub now, and Solaire was beginning to feel the energy inside of him be drained from the water. Each minute that passed, he felt as if his soul was being sucked dry, becoming sleepier and less-motivated to move around. It seemed that the same could be said for both Rarity and Twilight.
Rarity was slumped against the side of the tub, her head barely sticking out of the water, her mane sitting outside the water. Twilight was currently slumped into Solaire, still using him as a comfortable pillow to lean on. Solaire was also slumped against the side of the tub himself, his eyes half-lidded.
"P-perhaps we've overstayed, hm..?" Rarity said tiredly, her eyes also half-lidded. "I feel so.. tired-" Bringing a hoof up to her mouth, she stifled a yawn. Twilight, as if the yawn was infectious, also stifled her own yawn with a hoof and nodded.
"Yeah.. I think I could do with a nap. I think i'll be going to bed earlier- what did they put in the water to make it so.. sleep-inducing?"
Rarity waved her hoof aimlessly in the air. "They put a relaxation spell into the water. It's supposed to be calming, but if you stay in it too long you become.." She yawned again. "..tired.."
Solaire nodded, lifting the lavender Princess off of himself and onto the floor. "It was definitely relaxing, but we are all too tired to stay in it any longer. We'll fall asleep here if we stay." Twilight whined slightly, being a little disappointed that she was no longer able to lean into her human pillow.
"You two best get home, i'm going to stay and get some other treatments before I leave." Rarity said, stifling yet another yawn. Twilight nodded, levitating a towel onto herself and another to Solaire. Solaire used his own to dry himself off quickly, and wrap it around his waist.
"Take care, Rare." Twilight told her with a smile, heading over to the changing room.
"Will do, darling."
With that, both Twilight and Solaire were now in the changing room. Solaire pulled the towel from his waist, and began to dry himself completely off, Twilight doing the same. With the both of them dried off to the best of their ability, Twilight sat as she watched Solaire get dressed.
"Not polite to stare." Solaire said jokingly. Twilight waved her hoof dismissively in the air.
"I've already seen it all, does it really matter anymore?"
Solaire shrugged. "I don't know, does it bother you?" Twilight tilted her head with a smirk, not responding. With the chest-piece finally equipped and his helmet being clipped on, Solaire was ready to go. "Let's get back to the castle, shall we?" Solaire began to make his way to the door.
"Not yet-" Twilight said whilst putting a hoof out to stop him. He simply looked down at her, a bit confused behind the helmet. "I know you weren't listening but- Rarity said she had some clothes for you. We're going to stop over at her shop before we go home."
"How will she give them to me if she won't be there?"
"Her sister will be there, she'll let us in." Twilight said, now turning to the door and walking out of the changing room, entering into the main lobby.
Waiting behind the counter was Lotus Blossom, one of the workers at the spa. "Ah- were you satisfied with your stay?" She asked Solaire and Twilight as they were almost out the door already. Solaire nodded towards her, giving a thumbs up. Lotus stared back, not really understanding the gesture, but acknowledged the nod. "I'm glad- come back soon!"
With that, they were both out of the spa.
"What does that even mean?" Twilight asked as they both walked, their destination being the Carousel Boutique.
"What does what mean?" Solaire asked, wanting her to clarify.
"The thing you do with your.. claw."
"Hand, you mean?"
Twilight groaned. "Yes, hand, whatever.. What does it mean?"
Solaire showed her a thumbs up. "It means something like.. Good. If someone did something good, you say 'good job' and give them a thumbs up. If someone asks you a question and you want to say yes, you give them a thumbs up, if someone is asking if you understand, you give them a thumbs up."
Twilight tilted her head. "Are there any other gestures you do in your world?"
Solaire laughed. "I'm sure you've seen me splay my arms up in a sort of.. Y shape?" Twilight nodded. "That is how I praise the sun. Think of it as a way of praying, I guess. There is also this-" Solaire stuck his middle finger out, showing her.
"What does that one mean?"
"I don't want to explain it, but just know it isn't nice. If someone shows this to you, take offense." Twilight looked at him confused, before simply going along with it, continuing to walk.
They had arrived at the front door to the boutique. Twilight picked up a hoof, and knocked on the door. Hurried footsteps could be heard from inside, and the door swung open. "Rarit- oh." Sweetie Belle stared at the two individuals at the front door, a little confused. Yet when she realized Solaire was there, she put on a big smile. "Hi!"
Solaire gave a light chuckle at seeing her reaction, waving politely. "Hi."
"Your sister told us that she had outfits ready for Solaire, Sweetie Belle? Do you know where they're at?"
"Of course! Come in!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, hurriedly running off to one of the rooms. Both Twilight and Solaire stepped inside, following the small filly to the room. As they entered, they saw large mannequins in the shape of Solaire, each of them donning clothing of different variety.
"Sis said each of them are for different stuff like.. Casual or formal, things like that. I helped with the designs-"
The casual set of clothing on the left was simple. A black t-shirt with a sun emblazoned on the front, and blue jeans. Solaire had never seen anything like it before, but it sure was interesting.
In the middle was the formal set of clothing. It was what you would see a noble pony wearing, a tuxedo with dress pants to match. There was a small sun on the pocket square of the tuxedo, yet the colors were slightly dulled to make it stand out less.
"What about that one?" Twilight said, pointing a hoof to the last mannequin on the right.
"Oh- she said it was a combination of both."
The last set of clothing was casual-formal. The top was a dark blue leisure-blazer, with a white shirt beneath it. For pants, it was black dress-pants with a golden sun belt-buckle, the same design that was on Solaire's chest, save for the face. Sweetie Belle pushed two pairs of shoes in front of Solaire, looked up to him. "These are some shoes she made."
She thought of everything, didn't she?
One pair were classic black dress shoes, to match the formal and casual-formal set of clothes, and the other pair were classic sneakers, also black. Solaire liked the designs, and they would be much more comfortable to walk in than his boots. However, he wished that there was more color variation than the dark colors that were chosen.
Still, he wasn't going to complain.
Twilight levitated all of the clothing into the air, folding them neatly and setting them into one of Rarity's clothing bags, setting the shoes inside as well. "Come on- let's get to the castle so you can try these on."
"You don't want to try them on here?" Sweetie Belle asked, a tinge of sadness in her voice. Solaire bent down and patted her head softly.
"Don't worry, i'll be back to show them off to you, hm?"
Sweetie Belle nodded, her slight frown turning into a smile. "Okay!"
"Come on, just show me!" Twilight said teasingly, sitting on her bed. She had her view covered by her wings. "Tell me when to open my wings, I've waited like.. five minutes already!"
With a groan, Solaire finally let her open her wings. "Fine, you can look."
In front of Twilight stood Solaire, wearing the dark blue leisure-blazer, white shirt underneath, and black dress-pants and golden belt buckle.
She stared in awe. He looked so much better in the new clothing, and handsome for that matter. "You.. you look.." She stood off the bed, walking up to him, her eyes scanning every little detail of the clothes. "Amazing!"
Solaire sighed. He didn't mind compliments, but fashion-related things he wasn't really into. He had met way too many undead that were way into fashion, trying their best to get reactions from others. When he did indulge in the small bit of fashion his world had to offer, he always got compliments.
He didn't like the way he looked to begin with, so he usually denied them.
Yet, with Twilight being the one complimenting, he didn't mind it all that much. Still, he wasn't fully able to take her compliments to heart, but he was more accepting of her opinion and compliments than those in his own world.
"I would've added some purple on it though.." Twilight said to herself, admiring the clothing still.
"I think you're biased on that."
"Pft, as if." Twilight said, giving him a smug look before jumping back onto the bed. "She really should've made you some pajama's or something so you don't have to sleep in your underwear."
"Are you uncomfortable with me sleeping in my underwear?" Solaire asked, stepping up to the bed. Twilight shook her head.
"No, just didn't know if you were comfortable."
"I don't mind." Solaire said with a shrug. "It does let my body breathe easier, and I get to feel that fluffy fur that you have. I mean, not like I really have a choice to feel it or not since you're always forcing your way against me."
Twilight smirked. "Guess I'll just stick to my side then~"
"Hey now, I didn't say to not do it."
"Exactly, so why are you complaining about it?"
Solaire huffed, shaking his head with a slight smile. "Okay okay, fine. You win. This time, atleast."
"This time? I don't think there was a time that I haven't won."
Solaire lightly pat her head. "Mhm, keep telling yourself that." He said with a chuckle, looking over to the door. "So, what else are we going to do today? We slept in, we went to the spa, got me some clothes, what else?"
"Hmm.. Well- I was going to take a nap, my body feels completely drained after spending two hours in that water. Those spells must've been really strong today, I've never been drained like that before, and I've stayed longer than two hours before."
"Hmm- i'll accompany you on that nap, but later I need to send a letter to Celestia."
"What for?" Twilight asked, slipping under the bedsheets.
"The pyromancer. I need to talk to her, and Celestia said she would send me what times she's available. I haven't gotten a letter back so, I assume she must've forgotten."
"Pfft- Celestia doesn't forget things.. Well.. Maybe.. Either way, I'll send a letter on your behalf later today."
"Thanks." Solaire hopped onto the bed, kicking off his shoes and splaying himself out comfortably. Twilight, seeing this as an opportunity for a comfy pillow to sit upon, stood up and slumped over his body. "Really?" Solaire asked, unamused.
"What? Did you seriously not expect this?"
"Honestly, I thought you were going to stay in your own space this time."
"Okaaay-" Twilight began to slide off back onto her side of the bed, before two hands forced her back onto Solaire. Twilight smirked at him. "Mhm.. Knew it."
"Just hush, and get to sleep, hm?" Solaire said with a chuckle, laying his hand over her soft fur.
Out far into the eastern border stood a town, a small population of only a hundred or so ponies, currently being occupied by military officials. The town, which used to look like a standard farm-town, has turned into a small headquarters for these soldiers, their purpose being to protect the citizens.
A unicorn mare, decked out in golden armor, with grey fur and neon green tail and mane was sitting with a few soldiers. She eye'd them all as she sipped her canteen. She had just been sent to the border as 'reinforcements,' yet she didn't understand why. There was no need to send her out, as there were no incoming reports of rebels in the area, and she was supposed to be on patrol at the castle.
Yet she went along with Shining's orders.
"Hey Emerald." A stallion greeted her as he walked in. His fur was white, with his mane and tail both being light blue and white. He was a simple earth pony, also decked out in gold gear.
Emerald nodded her head to him in acknowledgement. "Hey Wild. What's it like out there?"
"Nothing still. The rebels seemed to have completely seized all attacks for a couple days. It's getting eerie here."
Emerald smirked. "You just want to fight, don't you?"
"Of course I do!" Wild exclaimed, sitting opposite of her underneath the tent. "I mean, what else would I have volunteered to come here for? Those damn rebels keep hurting our people, of course i'm going to hurt them back!" Emerald simply watched him, amused. He always was a true 'patriot.'
"Also, I meant to ask." Wild picked up his own canteen, sipping it leisurely. "Why did they send you out here? I understand why I was- but you didn't volunteer."
"I didn't. Just came because of Shining's orders."
"Pfft-" Wild laughed casually. "I don't know why he's even ordering us around. Shouldn't he be, like, I dunno, running his own damn empire?"
"I didn't question it Wild. Princess' must know what they're doing, and they put him in charge. We can't really tell them what to do, now can we?"
Wild shook his head, sipping still. "Suppose not. Still doesn't make sense though. Plenty of guards that volunteered, yet he chooses you? Doesn't make much sense. You being a pyromancer and all, you'll get really angry or somethin' and we're all cooked."
Emerald glared at him. There happened to be an incident in the past where Emerald had gotten a little too.. upset. Her emotions took over her magic and, the entire facility went ablaze. She hated it when anypony would bring it up.
"Sorry- sorry." Wild said, waving his hoof. "I just don't get it. Doesn't make sense to me."
"Yeah.. It doesn't make sense to me either, and I'm the one they sent out."
The room fell silent for a little while, both ponies simply watching eachother, listening to the sound of the town, and sipping their canteens. It was a boring day, with nothing to do. Sure, they both were as eager to slack off as much as the next pony, but with nothing to do all day, it was boring.
"Hey-" Wild said, interrupting the deafening silence. "Wanna' come patrol the perimeter with me? It might be boring, but it's sure better than sitting in here doing nothing."
Emerald finished sipping her canteen and clipped it back onto her hip with her magic. She tilted her head in thought, thinking about the offer. Sure, she could sit in here and stare at nothing, or she could accompany Wild and possibly see or do something than sit around.
She chose the latter. "Yeah- i'll come."
A loud bang came from Shining's office door, and in came was a very angry solar Princess.
"Shining!"
"Yes..?" Shining asked, simply staring at the reports still on his desk. The lack of attention he gave to Celestia peeved her.
"Did you seriously send Inferno Emerald to the eastern border for reinforcement!?"
Shining looked up at her, his face having no expression. "Yeah. They needed reinforcements, and so I-"
"You could've chosen anypony but her, there were dozens of volunteers! She was the one that Solaire needed to talk to."
"Oh, that was her?" Shining said with a smile, leaning back in his office chair. "Oops."
Celestia looked at him with an expression that could kill, if she allowed it to do so. She slowly walked to the front of the desk, each hoofstep having a sense of power to it. She peered over the desk and got right into his face.
With slow, angry words, she spoke.
"You did this on purpose. Didn't you?"
Shining stared back into her glaring eyes, a smirk still present on his face. "You already know the answer."
Celestia pulled her face back and turned to look at the wall, groaning loudly. "Why would you do something like this, Shining?!"
"Solaire wanted to talk to her- he's from a different world- he could use her against us! He could have some sort of plan in motion that involved her- the further away she is from him, the better-"
"You are not the one to decide something like that Shining!" Celestia yelled with a tone akin to Luna's royal canterlot voice. "I can't believe I let an IDIOT control my army!"
Shining simply smiled back at her, his expression smug. "Look, Princess. Let's see how this plays out, okay? If everything fails then yes- blame me. But if everything goes according to plan and works out, you can't hassle on me no longer."
Celestia knew that she could force him to send Emerald right back to canterlot. Celestia knew that she could simply force her hoof into his business, and force him to do whatever she wanted, or needed to be done. Yet, she nodded her head, with still glaring eyes.
"We'll see, Shining. We'll see."
With that, Celestia left the office, and slammed his door shut. Shining simply stared at the door, a smile still present on his face. He then turned his gaze down to his reports, sliding out Emerald's military file and examining it. He stared at the small photograph of her on it, and smiled at it.
Thing's were going to work out.
Solaire awoke to the lavender Princess poking him over and over. He swatted her hoof with his hand, looking up at her with half-lidded eyes. "W-What was that for?"
"You mumble in your sleep."
"Mmm.. Sleep-" It seemed like the effects of the hot tub were becoming more and more extreme over time. He didn't want to move, he didn't want to open his eyes fully. He simply wanted to curl back into the bed, grab the purple pony in front of him, and fall back asleep. Was that so much to ask for?
Twilight's appearance definitely showed that she was being affected by the magic as well, her eye's also half-lidded. She slumped back onto the bed, her head laying on one of the few pillows on the bed. "Mmmnnn- I had stuff to do today.."
"But sleep.." Solaire groaned, slowly but surely taking his clothing off. He was going to sleep no matter what. At the moment, he didn't care what time it was, he didn't care if he had things to do. They could all be done later. Even with him being the warrior of sunlight, he wanted nothing more at the moment than to simply drift back into the black nothingness that is his dreams.
Twilight, using all of her strength in her magic to help Solaire pull his clothes off, leaving him only in his underwear, turned to him. "I feel like.. I feel like a chariot is weighing me down right now.. I can't even.. I can't eve-" Solaire used all of his might that was left inside of himself to pull her into his chest, and pull the blanket over the both of them.
"Sleep.." He said silently, his mind already drifting into the void. Twilight, with a content hum, followed his order, her thoughts becoming nothing but melted goop as she fell asleep.
"Sleep well, and sleep deep, Solaire." Were her last thoughts before she succumbed to her fatigue.
Author's Note
Sorry for taking so long to update the story! It's been a bit over a week, but I hope it was worth the wait.
I have no doubt in my mind that there will be a lot of spelling mistakes- so make sure to point them out to me if you see any of them!
If you have any questions, critiques, or just want to show your general appreciation of the story, be sure to comment down below! I always read them, even if I don't reply!
And to anyone who needs it:
It might be scary to jump out of your comfort zone, but if you're ever feeling alone, depressed, or just bored, it might be the right thing to do. Who knows, you might find someone to become friends with, or find something you love to do.
You won't know unless you try it, right?
Solaire found himself back in the world of Lordran once more. Yet, this time, he knew it must be a dream. He was confident it was a dream.
He took a look down at his hands, noticing that he was indeed in his armor, yet without his helmet. Not questioning it, he peered over the all too familiar ledge he was usually found at. The same location of the nightmare he had earlier in his arrival into Equestria.
He peered up at the sun in the sky, smirking. It was not as bright as the one in Equestria, yet it was still bright enough for a world such as this. He leaned into the ledge, staring up at that beautiful, incandescent sun in the sky. For so long, he would stare up at that sun. It reinforced hope into his life, keeping him alive for all this time. Yet, that journey didn't come without a fair share troubles along the way.
Losing so many friends, so many people that were like-minded, that shared the same beliefs. Each one of them fell, and Solaire was certain if it were not for the teleportation, he would've been among them. Without the bright, beautiful world of Equestria, he would've certainly gone hollow.
It was a scary thought. To know that he was so close to giving it all up. He was called crazy for giving up his life to become undead, he was called crazy by many fellow undead who did not believe the same belief as him, and he almost thought they were right. He was able to ignore all of it by gazing up at the beautiful blazing ball in the sky, yet he could not ignore it forever.
He was thankful to be in Equestria. That felt more like home than here. Even with all of the strange events, the strange ponies, the strange personalities. He was already beginning to love it, more so than any regular person.
He questioned why that was, and immediately got his answer.
He would not feel the way he does, if it were not for the depressing, bleak world he used to call home. If he had not experienced the excruciating pain that is living in his world he wouldn't have been so thankful to be given a new home to stay in. He never thought things would ever get better in his life, that simply repeating everything was the way life was meant to be. He never questioned if there was more.
Yet, there was, and he found it.
He stood up straight, and presented his arms into a Y position, letting his head stare up at the glorious sun, and closed his eyes. He did not say anything, just simply let his gesture speak for itself.
With a few seconds of holding that pose, he let his arms fall to his sides. He could hear someone approaching from behind, and slowly turned around, expecting to be met with the Chosen Undead, or perhaps another undead from his old world. Yet, instead, he was met with the soft face of Luna.
A smile immediately dawned onto his face. "Ah, Princess Luna. How have you been?"
Luna did not give him a happy look. Instead, after hearing his words, she gave him a concerned look. Solaire took a step forward, his head slightly tilting in question to her expression. "Is everything alright, Princess?" He asked quietly.
She stood still for a second or two, before shaking her head. "No, Solaire.. It is not."
Solaire glanced down at the floor, preparing himself mentally for any bad news. "What is it?" He asked, bringing his head up to look at her once again.
Luna turned her head from him, her eyes glancing at him just for a second. "Can I trust you to keep this quiet?"
The question startled Solaire. He was not sure if he was wanting to know what she was going to say, but simply nodded anyways. She seemed troubled about something, and he was there to listen to her. With the confirmation of Solaire, she gave a loud sigh.
"The problem with the creature's from your land appearing in ours is.. increasing. Many night-guards have patrolled the Everfree, and have spotted many of those hollows you speak of. Yet, that is not what is most troubling." Luna turned her head to face him. "Do you believe somepony in our world could go.. hollow?"
Solaire stared at her, a confused expression on his face. "Why do you ask?"
"I was so intent on watching over your's and anothers dreams, that I have forgotten about other ponies dreams. I.. have recently come from Shining Armor's dreams."
Solaire still stared. "And what did you find?"
Luna gave him a worried look. "He.. isn't the same Shining I know of. He is depressed, he is thinking irrationally, he isn't capable of managing an army. He hasn't gone to his sister to make sure she was alright after the incident, he hasn't treated us with the same cheeriness as he used to. He's not the Shining Armor that I, my sister, or Twilight know."
The statement lingered in the air silently. The soft growling of a dragon off into the distance was the only thing that filled the silence. Solaire looked away from her, thinking. He did not know if someone in this new world could possibly go hollow, as he was told that something like that has never happened before.
"I.. Perhaps it could happen. One shows signs of depression or suicide before becoming hollow, giving up entirely on their life. If that is what you believe is happening, then it might just be possible. Irrational thinking makes sense before going hollow as well, not caring of ones own actions. Also the fact that he hasn't approached Twilight about the incident she was troubled with, might mean that could be a root of his.. change of attitude." Solaire walked back over to the ledge, leaning on it and staring up at the sun.
Luna joined him, walking up beside him.
Solaire shook his head. "If it truly does happen, it could prove catastrophic. Yet, he has not become hollow yet. The only thing any of us can do, is to try to keep him sane, and to be kind to him in order to reverse the path he is going on. That is all any of us can do, and even that, might never be enough."
Solaire spoke from past experience. "Just stay beside him, Princess. Whether he is okay, or hollow."
The deafening silence from earlier took the open air hostage once again.
"Have you brought this up with Celestia?" Solaire asked, still staring at the sun.
Luna shook her head. "No.. I haven't. I wanted to see if you thought something like that could be possible."
Solaire nodded his head. "Mmm.. You need to tell her as soon as possible, okay?"
"Okay."
Luna peered over the ledge. "You've dreamt of this exact spot many times."
Solaire nodded. "It is my favorite place back in my world. A simple ledge to lean on while you stare up at the sun. The only place that rivals this is the sun altar, which-" Solaire pointed up the stairs, "-is past the dragon over the bridge. I don't like to deal with it often so, I just sit here instead."
"Mmm.. Speaking of dragons.." Luna started, to which Solaire turned his head over to her.
"Yes..?" He asked.
"I wanted to inform you that we're arranging something with the creature in the bad-lands. I've gone into his dreams and, he said he has heard of your name."
"Oh?" Solaire asked, "What was his own name?"
Luna shook her head. "I don't know. He said he did not have one, only that he was a king."
"Strange.." Solaire said, scratching the back of his head. "Most in my world are most noted by our names. Not having one is like saying you don't matter."
"Well.. We are arranging a meeting with him, and we'd love for you to come to the castle when it happens. It won't happen for a couple of weeks, but it is going to happen eventually."
"Good to know." Solaire said, going back to staring up at the sun. He gave a loud sigh, shaking his head slightly. "It saddens me that your world will have to deal with the troubles of my own."
"We've always persevered against evil, Solaire. Even if it will be difficult, I know in my heart that we'll come out on top."
Solaire gave a laugh, though it was not one of joy. "Funny, many people here thought the same thing, and look what happened to them."
Luna opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She didn't know what to say.
"I was meaning to ask Celestia, but since you're here, this will be easier. I told Celestia I need to meet with the pyromancer within your guard. Did she tell you anything about that?"
Luna gave a worried look. "She did, but.. She's not at the castle."
"Where is she then?"
"Shining Armor deployed her at the border."
"What?" Solaire asked, turning towards her. Luna gave a quiet sigh, nodding her head. "Can't Celestia command him to send her back to the castle?"
"She could, but she didn't. And she also advised me to not do it either, afraid you might have asked about it."
Solaire sighed. "There goes my plan."
"What plan?" Luna asked cautiously.
"I need the magic of a pyromancer to make a.. bonfire. The concept of it is confusing, but i'll simplify it. You see this?" Solaire asked, pulling his Estus Flask out. "This can only be filled up at a bonfire. Bonfires have to be made correctly, as it's not ordinary fire. Also, if there is enough burnt bone shards within the bonfire, I could even come back after death."
"Come back after death? Do you mean to say if you were to die, such a thing could bring you back?"
Solaire nodded his head. "However, I need the help of a pyromancer to make one. I don't possess the ability to do something like that. Without the pyromancer, I have limited resources."
Luna stared at him in thought, trying to comprehend what he said. He could be brought back after death? Necromancy was strictly forbidden in Equestria, a forbidden magic that only caused problems. "Necromancy isn't allo-"
"It isn't necromancy." Solaire interrupted. "My body will turn to dust after death, and the dust will be reformed at the bonfire, recreating my body. I can't die, Princess. If I were to die in your world, I would simply appear back in my own."
"Do you believe others can use these.. bonfires?"
Solaire shook his head. "Only the undead can use something like that. It's the same thing with Estus. If you were to drink from my flask, you'd certainly die. It would melt you from inside. Us undead, however, are bonded with the flame, meaning instead of hurting us, it heals us."
"Hmm.." Luna thought. "I'll.. try to do something about the pyromancer. Celestia would usually have done something by now, but she isn't acting herself lately either. I know you care about her, but don't bring such things up to her. I'll meet you in your dreams everyday to talk about things. I'm afraid my sister and Shining are not to be trusted at the moment."
Solaire sighed. "I sure hope she gets better. If there is anything I could do to help, i'll gladly do it."
"Anything?"
Solaire gave her a questioning look. "I assume you have something in mind?"
Luna nodded. "I do. Celestia has been bothered about these.. rebels at the border. She's been tasked to handle the situation mostly by herself, though I protested against it. She hasn't let me take charge in it much, and I fear that since she's been worrying about it for so long, its affecting her mental health."
"What does this have to do with me?" Solaire asked, confused.
"If you could help with dispatching these rebels, she won't have to worry about them any longer. Plus, you'll also be able to talk with that pyromancer that is currently deployed."
Solaire scratched the back of his head, thinking of it. He wasn't so sure he should get involved in something like that, but if it would help Celestia, and also get him the chance to talk with the pyromancer, it might just be worth it. Solaire took a few steps to her, before nodding his head. "I'm willing to do it."
"Mmm.. I'll have to figure out a way to get you there. Shining and Celestia would certainly be against you going, so give me a day or two to figure out how to get this worked out. I'll be sending you to the east, where the pyromancer is currently deployed."
Solaire nodded. "Shall I tell Twilight? She'll be wondering where i'm going when I leave."
Luna nodded. "I'll visit Twilight in her dream after this and inform her of the situation. I'm sure she can keep her mouth closed."
"Let's hope." Solaire said with a smirk.
"Ah- I almost forgot as well. Two guards will be arriving later in the day. Celestia has required all political figures and nobles to have guards, until the chaos dies down. I have suspicion to believe that Shining might put them up to something, so watch out for anything out of the ordinary."
Solaire nodded. "I will."
"Thank you, Solaire." Luna let her wing extend and hold his shoulder, giving him a smile. "With your help, we'll persevere through this situation. I know we will."
Solaire simply smiled and nodded.
"Now, I must get to Twilight and inform her of the situation. I bid you a good night, and a restful sleep." With that, Luna took off with her wings, soaring into the giant open air, and fading out of existence.
Solaire leaned back onto the ledge, staring at the darkness below.
"I won't lose more friends. Will I?"
Luna appeared into Twilight's dream with a loud 'pop' from the bubble she entered. She was currently standing at the entrance of Twilight's room in her castle.
"Of all the place she could dream of, she chooses her own castle?" Luna asked the open air, before opening the door with her magic and walking in, only to stop right before entering into the room fully. She stared at the scene in front of her, mouth agape.
In front of her stood Twilight, in a type of pony-lingerie outfit, black fishnets on each leg, and staring at an almost-nude Solaire sitting on the bed. With Luna walking in, Twilight's gaze turned from a sultry look into panic as she turned to her. In an instant, the dream Solaire was thrown out the window, a yelp coming from the fake human as he fell. Twilight then covered herself with her blanket. "L-Luna!"
Luna stared at her, before a smirk appeared on her face. "Twilight, I didn't know your estrus had started to early."
"I-I did-"
"And to think you're dreaming about Solaire. My my, you'll have to fight my sister on that one."
Twilight groaned loudly, obviously annoyed at the teasing. "What do you want, Luna?!"
Luna gave a light giggle, shaking her head. "I need to tell you something serious."
"Serious?" Twilight asked, her face a little worried now.
"Indeed. I have to ask that you do not tell your brother, your friends, nor Celestia what I am telling you right now."
"Do.. I want to know?" Twilight asked, now obviously worried.
"Celestia and Shining Armor have been acting.. strange, lately. I ask that you do not contact them under any circumstances. If you need something, come to me instead. That is, until I figure out what exactly is going on." Luna began to walk towards her. "Also, Solaire will be moving locations."
"W-What? Why?" Twilight asked nervously.
"He will be helping with the rebel problem."
"What?!" Twilight yelled, her face upset now. She stomped a hoof, dropping the blanket that surrounded her. "You're going to send him off to the battlefield?! He isn't even a guard and you're sending hi-"
"Twilight-" Luna said, putting a hoof against her mouth, shutting Twilight up immediately. "I understand your concern, but I've already spoke to him of the subject. He agree'd. It will take a day or two to get everything figured out, but he will be sent to the east."
Twilight groaned, taking a step back. "I'm going with!"
"Twilight, you can't be-"
"It's either that, or i'm telling Celestia what's going on!"
Luna stared back at her, slightly shocked. Her voice became a little angered at the sudden backlash. "Are you black-mailing me, miss Twilight Sparkle?"
Twilight was a little scared of her tone, but stood her ground. "M-maybe!"
Luna simply stared at her with an angry face, thinking about something. She shook her head, groaning and face-hoofing. "Fine. You will go with- but you will tell nobody about this. Not even the guards."
"Why would I tell the guards before I go?"
"Oh- I keep forgetting. Celestia has ordered two guards to be sent to you, as protection."
"I don't need protection though-" Luna placed her hoof onto Twilight's mouth again.
"I know. Just go along with it, and be careful to not say anything about this, and be careful of anything that happens out of the ordinary."
Twilight sighed, nodding. "Alright- I will."
"Good. Now, I must get going. I have another individual to speak to for the night. Get a good nights rest, Twilight Sparkle." Luna began to walk to the dark corner of the room, preparing herself to slip back into the dreamscape before a yell stopped her.
"No telling anypony about this dream!"
Luna stopped and giggled, waving her hoof dismissively. "I won't. Though, I can't say I won't tease you about this." Luna could hear Twilight groan at her statement as she slipped into the dark. Twilight stood there, shaking her head, clearly embarrassed by the dream, and a little worried at the news she was given. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her back.
"Shall we continue~?" A seductive voice of Solaire came from behind her.
"No!"
Luna popped into yet another dream bubble, being met with the black holes that are a dragons eyes. She smirked, looking up slightly to see the Nameless King, eyeing her. "You should try to come up with a name, it would make conversing with you much easier."
"Perhaps. Or perhaps I will simply remain unknown, for that might be best."
"Perhaps." Luna said, taking in the surroundings around herself. She was once again inside a crater in the dragon lands. It was empty, as usual, and daytime. She turned her gaze back onto the King. "We're moving ahead with the meeting, though Solaire will not be able to attend. He will be able to attend in the few coming weeks, but this meeting is scheduled in two days."
"May I ask why this Solaire will not be attending?"
"He has something he must do before attending a meeting. You two will eventually meet at a later date, I promise."
The Nameless King nodded, still keeping his eyes on her. "When shall I attend this meeting?"
"It will be in the night. I will send my guards to escort you to the castle."
"If it is in the night, doesn't that mean I will be unable to talk to your sister?"
"A recent change of plans has made it so you will not be talking to my sister. I fear there are other problems I must fix with her before she is able to attend such a.. important meeting."
"A meeting of secrecy."
"Precisely."
The Nameless King looked off into the distance, eyeing nothing in particular. He kept his gaze off into the distance as he spoke again. "I know I, nor Solaire, are the only ones from my world that have arrived here."
"That is true."
"Do you really believe you'll be able to handle it?"
"I have no choice. Do you expect me to back down and die without a fight?"
"It would be less painful."
Luna nodded. "It might be, but I am unwilling to give up."
"A warrior's mindset."
"Not a warrior, just a leader."
Solaire awoke to his body falling off the side of the bed, and instinctively put his hands out to protect himself. He hit the floor, and immediately rolled to the side, standing up to confront whomever tried to attack him in his sleep. How dare they! He looked at the bed, thinking he would see something like a hollow, but instead it was simply Twilight.
A very angry Twilight.
"How could you just.. just agree to go into a battlefield?!"
Solaire stared at her, a little confused on what she was talking about. It took a couple of seconds before it clicked, and he simply shrugged. "It would cease Celestia's headaches if I were to solve the problem, and I would be able to talk to that pyromancer I told you about."
"You can't solve this on your own! The guards have been at it for weeks, what makes you think you can solve it that easy?!"
"I've solved other things quite easy, this is just a little more.. dangerous."
Twilight face-hoofed, shaking her head with anger. She looked back at him, her eyes glued to him. "Well, I told Luna i'm coming with."
"What?" Solaire asked. "You've already had problems at the border before, perhaps it is not a good idea that you ar-"
"I'm coming with!" Twilight yelled, cutting Solaire off. "I don't care what you say! You can't just.. just go off into a battlefield and expect me to just sit idly! You're a friend, and you've helped me so much since you've been here. Now it's my turn to help you!"
"I.. don't think that's best, Twilight."
"Why not?!" She asked angrily.
Solaire sighed, shaking his head as he sat onto the desk chair. "You will see me differently."
"How?!"
Solaire sighed quietly again, still shaking his head before landing his gaze onto her. "I don't hesitate to kill. I don't converse, I don't find the other way. I pull out my sword, I aim for their throat, and I slice. You think you can handle seeing me do that, to multiple people? Starlight had trouble watching me kill that damned hollow, what would you feel like if I killed one of your kind?"
Surprisingly, Twilight wasn't phased. She huffed, before giving her answer. "I'd see you as a friend, no matter what happens."
Solaire sighed once more, scratching the back of his head. "If you believe that to be true, then okay. You can come with. Though I am afraid you will see a side of me that I'd rather detach myself from."
"We all have a side of ourselves like that, Solaire. I'm willing to accept that side, horrific or not."
Her words put him more at ease, and he stood up with a slight smile, heading over to her. She still looked up at him with a slightly angry, slightly pouty face. He sat onto the bed, shaking his head with a smile still. "You say I am magical with my words, yet you are just as magical with yours. Perhaps i'm teaching you?"
"Oh hush. I speak the truth!" Twilight said, turning away from him.
He snickered. "I remember being the one that said that first, hm? Are you stealing my lines?"
"Oh just-" Twilight thwacked the back of his head with a pillow in her magic, still giving a pouted face. "-shutup!"
"Mmm.. Whatever you say. Shall we get ready for the day? Luna said that I only have a day or two before she arrange something for me to go, so we've got two days of freedom. Oh- and did she tell you about the guards?"
Twilight nodded. "She did. I guess I understand the reason why Celestia gave them to me, but I already have a warrior here. I've got more trust in you than some random.. guards."
"Oh don't be like that. They could be good people. Maybe not as handsome at me, but good." Solaire said sarcastically, giving a light laugh. Twilight seemed to smile at that statement. "Now, what shall we do today, hm?" He asked, heading over to his casual set of clothes and beginning to put them on. As he slipped the black t-shirt onto his body, he could feel the comfortable fabric cling to him like glue.
"Perhaps we should.. Jeez, I don't even know. My mind is too focused on the next coming days that I can't think of anything. Do you have any ideas?" Twilight said. Solaire was currently zipping the jeans he put on up, and settling his feet into the cozy socks.
"I'm assuming your friends are as busy as ever still?" He asked, to which Twilight sadly nodded.
"I really wanted you to get to know them, but they're all doing their own stuff. Pretty bad timing."
Solaire simply shrugged. "I don't mind it too much. In fact, it just means I get to hang out with you more. Doesn't that sound delightful?" He said with a smile, now sliding the sneakers he was given on. Twilight shook her head with a smile.
"That doesn't fix our predicament here. What do you want to do?" She asked again.
"I'm not exactly sure. Weren't you supposed to be the one deciding these things? I'm simply a visitor."
Twilight groaned. "I know, I know. Oh!" She suddenly exclaimed. "I have the perfect idea!"
"Oh really? The perfect idea?" Solaire asked with a smirk. Twilight nodded, a smile on her face.
"We can introduce you to the students!"
"Huh?"
"Y'know, I woulda' thought there would be some sort of conflict here. Wasn't this supposed to be one of the hot-spots?" Wild asked whilst he walked along with Emerald. The both of them had been patrolling the outskirts of the small town they were stationed at. It was notable to be one of the hot-spots of rebellion activity, yet for a week now, there's been nearly nothing happening. Not even a single rebel sighting.
"I dunno what to tell you, Wild. You were here before I was, why're you asking me?"
"Sorry, I thought you knew everything~" Wild teased. They continued their walk along the perimeter. To the right of them, was the town off into the distance, yet to the left of them was a small forest. The both of them had gotten used to the quiet forest. Yet, after a couple more seconds of walking, a large snapping sound came from the forest. Both of them had stopped dead in their tracks, staring at where the noise came from.
There was nothing in the forest, or atleast nothing they could see. It was too dark to tell anything. Wild was going to play it off as a simple animal, but another snapping sound was heard. Then, what sounded to be an animal in the forest had yelped, before it was cut off instantly, and yet another snapping sound was heard.
"Something is in there." Wild said, to which Inferno looked at him amused.
"Really? What made you guess?"
"Now is not the time for sass. Should we investigate?"
Inferno sat in thought before shaking her head. "We need to go back and inform the others before we engage anything, animal or not. So, let's head ba-"
A bipedal figure, covered in armor, with a sword in its hand rushed from the small forest and at the two. Without hestitation, Emerald discharged a wave of flame against the creature from her horn, engulfing the scene in front of them in roaring fire.
"Sweet Celestia! What the heck was tha-" Wild was cut off when he caught eyes with the creature that was laying on the floor, burned from Emerald's magic. Wild was staring at a skull, the figure having a dark hood over its head, and white metallic armor all over its body. It stared back at Wild, before pushing itself up by stabbing its sword into the ground.
"How is it not dead? That amount of fire would've killed anyth-" Emerald stopped mid-sentence by jumping to the side as the figure lunged at her with its sword. The creature looked over to where Emerald had escaped to, and was preparing to lunge at her with its sword again before Wild tackled it onto the floor.
Wild began to pound on the creature's face, hearing sickening cracks as the skull broke with each stomp. Though, this didn't seem to do much, as the creature kicked Wild off itself, and got to its feet, taking a few steps back and assessing the two, as if eyeing the competition.
"W-We gotta' get back.." Wild said, staring at the creature with a horrified expression.
"How are we going to do that with it stalking us like this? We turn around, we're dead." Emerald said, watching it as it stared back at them. The best they could hope for, is that the other guards stationed at the town would see the flames in the forest, and run over to assist them.
As obvious as that might be, it might not happen.
"I should've brought my damn spear.." Wild said to himself, moving with Emerald as they and the creature moved from eachother in a circle. "Y-Your magic didn't even hurt it a bit.. Well, it seems burnt but.. It doesn't seem like its hurting."
"Then we'll just keep going at it until it starts to hurt. Do we have another choice?"
Wild shook his head. "No.. Not really."
The creature suddenly stopped, causing both Wild and Emerald to stop as well. The creature looked down to its hand, and squeezed it, a crimson-red glow coming from it. It then opened its hand wide, and stared at the two. Without any warning or hesitation, the creature began to run at them.
Emerald had underestimated how fast it was, and before she was able to get her magic off, the creature had grabbed Wild. Wild tried to fight back, but suddenly stopped resisting as the crimson-red hand was placed onto his face, causing him to pass out.
Whatever the hand had on it, Emerald didn't want it anywhere close to her. She discharged her magic once again, this time a line of fire being directed at the creature and wrapping around it like string. Pulling back with her horn, she had cut the creature into multiple pieces with the hot flame.
The cracking of bones could be heard as it fell to the floor, the body rolling down the small hill. Whatever it was, was now out of commission. She doubted that it would get back up and try fighting them, with it torn in pieces. Her gaze then fell onto Wild, who was currently on the floor, seemingly passed out.
She ran to him, shaking his head with her hoofs to get him to wake up. "Wake up wake up-" She said aloud, as if it was going to help the situation.
Thankfully, he woke up. His eyes shot instantly open, and the color from his eyes were suddenly gone, instead simply being grey orbs that stared back at her.
"Wild, are you oka-"
Wild screamed back at her.
"So- they're all out in the little lobby-room. I told them I wanted them to meet someone, and you're that someone. They might ask a lot of questions so- just.."
"Twilight-" Solaire said with a smile, patting her head lightly. "Why are you freaking out so much? It's simply a couple of children, I'm sure I can handle that." Twilight had been excited, yet extremely nervous during the walk to the dorms. She had informed him that she would only let six creatures meet him, as they were considered the most notable.
Though when that was questioned by Solaire, she took offense and claimed that 'all of her students were just as important as them.'
"I-I know. They're just.. my students. Ever since the school has been closed, they've been bored out of their minds, i'm sure. They might just get too excited from seeing you."
"Or terrified." Solaire said with a smirk. "I've met plenty of people since I have been here, and a lot of them have been afraid of me. Some seemed to not care at all. We won't know what they think until I walk into the room, and introduce myself, will I?"
"I.. suppose not.." Twilight said with a nervous smile. She gave a sigh, shaking her head, preparing herself for what might happen. She opened the door, and along with Solaire stepped inside.
"Everybody, this is Solaire, the creature I'd like you all to me-"
Twilight was instantly pushed to the side, and Solaire was tackled. Big fluffy brown fur consumed Solaire's vision as he fell to the floor, an insane amount of weight being pushed onto him. He stared up at two eyes that were wide, and examining his face with great excitement.
"Yona!" Twilight yelled, pulling the creature off of Solaire with a purple aura. Solaire sat up, shaking his head and trying to get his vision steady as he steadied himself back up onto his feet. He watched as Twilight gave a scolding look to the creature that had tackled him.
The six students Twilight had been talking about were all different species. Twilight had mentioned this, though he was still surprised at the major differences. He could only identify three of them.
One was a pony, that was for sure. There was another that looked like a mix between a pony and a bird, and another that looked like a pony-bug hybrid. There was also one creature that looked like a bipedal dragon, though he wasn't sure if he was able to make that correlation just yet.
The big thing that had tackled Solaire was staring at him with sorry eyes. It was bigger than the rest, having two horns that extended out from each side of her head. Then there was the last creature, being some sort of bird that walked on all fours.
Twilight cleared her throat, pointing a hoof out to Solaire. "As I was saying.. This is Solaire, the creature I was telling you about. He's not.. native, from this land. In fact, he doesn't belong here at all. So, this might be a good learning opportunity to meet somepon-body that isn't from here."
Solaire simply waved, a neutral expression on his face. He could feel their wandering eyes all over his body. They were trying to guess as to what creature he might be.
"Is he a minotaur?" The student-pony had asked. Twilight shook her head.
"No, as I said, he's not native from anywhere. He's the closest to an Alien you can get."
At that statement, their curious expressions turned into excitement. Before any of them could say anything though, Solaire raised his hand and pointed at the group. "Before anything starts, may I know all your names?"
"Oh, I almost forgot about that.. Everbody, introduce yourselves!" Twilight said, though in a sort of demanding tone.
The pony that had asked the questions prior spoke. "I'm sandbar."
The bird-thing raised a claw. "Gallus."
The pony-bird thing raised its own claw with excitement. "I'm Silverstream!"
The orange bipedal dragon nodded to him. "Smolder."
Everybody's gaze turned to the big fluffy brown creature that was staring at Solaire in awe. Sandbar waved a hoof in front of her face, though she didn't say anything. With a sigh, sandbar introduced her. "That's Yona."
"O-Ocellus." The last, bug-pony thing had spoke quietly.
"Great.. I know all of your names now. Now, may I know what all of your species are?"
"Pony." Sandbar said, Solaire not exactly being surprised.
"Dragon." Smolder responded, folding her arms.
"Griffon." Gallus had said in a tone that said 'can we move on?'
"Hippogriff! Or seapony, I guess. B-But i'm a hippogriff right now!" Silverstream had said excitedly. Solaire was a little confused. She said two species..
With the other two not speaking, Sandbar spoke up for them instead. He pointed a hoof at Yona. "She's a yak, and-" He pointed a hoof at Ocellus. "She's a changeling."
Solaire nodded at the information, not exactly knowing of all of the different species in this new world. It was all new to him, though these new creatures seemed pretty cool to him. He gave them all a smile, pulling his hands behind his back and nodding again. "You can start asking questions."
"What are you?" Sandbar asked quickly, stopping anyone else from asking their questions.
"Well.. I'm human." Solaire had opted with the human route, as saying something such as 'undead' might be a little too confusing to explain to these students.
"I've never heard of that.." Sandbar said, thinking in his head. He tried to remember if he had learned anything about anyone called a 'human' in his history classes, but there was nothing. "Guess you are an alien."
The dragon had stepped forward, raising her hand. "We've actually heard about you already."
Twilight looked at Smolder questioningly. "Really..? How?"
Smolder gave a chuckle. "We aren't dumb. We hear all of the drama that goes on in ponyville and everywhere else, same as everybody else. Something about a new creature, them staying with you, and walking around town in armor?" Smolder turned her gaze to Solaire. "Is that part true?"
Solaire nodded. "I generally wear my armor, but I opted for something cozier."
"So you're like a knight." Gallus spoke.
Solaire nodded. "Something like that."
Gallus smirked at him. Something about his attitude gave Solaire a vibe of cockiness. Gallus took a few steps close to Solaire, eyeing him. "I thought someone like a knight would be more.. intimidating."
Twilight groaned. "Gallus, stop i-"
"No no." Solaire spoke, dismissively waving a hand towards Twilight. "Let him speak."
Gallus chuckled. "I dunno. I just don't find appeal in you, nor do I find anything knight-like in you. The only thing that excites me is that you're some sort of.. alien. But even that falls short compared to seeing you."
Solaire gave a light chuckle. He knew that this student must be cocky, or atleast known to pick fights. Solaire lowered himself a little, staring at him with a smile. "You may think of me as such. I do not care about opinion, I only care about truth. A knight knows not to fall to such words, since if you were to take a few steps inside my boots, you would surely trip."
Gallus was a little stunned at his words, but smiled back at him. The fact that Solaire didn't blow up on him about 'confrontation' and being 'rude' was a nice change of pace. Instead, he was given the same treatment that Gallus gave him, and Gallus welcomed it. He took a few steps back, falling back in line with the others, a smile still on his face.
"Wow! You really put him in his place!" Silverstream exclaimed, to which she was met with the angered face of Gallus.
"He did not put me in my place. He just.."
Smolder chuckled. "He definitely put you in your place."
Gallus turned his angered gaze towards Smolder. "Can you just-"
Solaire laughed a little, raising his hand, stopping Gallus from speaking. "Let's all calm down a little, hm? How about these two, they haven't spoken." Solaire gestured towards Yona and Ocellus, both who'm were extremely quiet during this session.
Yona was still staring at him with awe, sort of in a trance, whilst Ocellus seemed to afraid to speak up.
"You don't have to speak if you don't want to, but I-"
Suddenly, Solaire was staring at an exact replica of himself. His brain was immediately confused, staring at the copy of himself.
"I-It took a little thinking but.. I-I got it." The new Solaire spoke.
"You're a.. shapeshifter?" Solaire asked.
The Ocellus-Solaire nodded timidly. "S-Sort of.."
Solaire nodded slowly, taking in the replica of himself. He was a little shocked, though he thought it was extremely cool. The fact that Ocellus could transform and shapeshift into him, and possibly anything else, provided all sorts of possibilities for things.
Suddenly, while Solaire was in thought, Yona charged at him once again. Solaire immediately was taken out of thought, and braced for impact, but nothing happened. A purple aura consumed Yona as she thrashed in the air, staring at Solaire with a large smile on her face.
"What.. uh, is happening with her?"
Twilight sighed. "She's very.. affectionate. Sometimes she speaks with actions instead of words, which doesn't always end up well since she's much bigger than most creatures here."
Solaire nodded. "Let her down for a second."
Twilight didn't like the idea, but did as he said, allowing Yona to fall to the floor. Instead of rushing to him, she briskly walked up to him and nudged him with her head, a smile still on her face. Solaire rubbed her side, feeling the fluff against his hand. "Guess you aren't a fan of using many words?"
"She usually does." Silverstream interjected. "She.. might just be in awe so much that she can't think? I've never seen her like that!" Yona, who was all over Solaire, seemed to be content with her little nudges and took a few steps back, falling back in line with the others. Solaire folded his arm, a smile on his face.
"You are all very strange."
"Say's the alien." Smolder said with a smirk.
"Hmph, wel-" The door that Twilight and Solaire had entered from flew open, Starlight flinging herself into the room. She seemed out of breath, and had a horrified expression. Solaire stared down at her, giving a smirk. "What an entrance."
Solaire immediately regretted his words as Starlight began to have tears flow from her eyes. "T-Theres something in the castle!"
Twilight stared at her, a worried expression on her face. "W-What?! What are you talkin-"
"I-It must be fr-..from Solaire's worl-" Starlight coughed violently, feeling extremely sick. She had sprinted the entire way to the dorms, for some reason not using her magic. Solaire was ready to go out the door before a scream echoed through the room.
Solaire whipped his head to the students, who were running towards him, trying to escape whatever had been chasing them. His brain was trying to understand the situation, when it saw the figure running at him. It's skull visible from the dark hood that was draped over it, and the iron-white armor that it donned shined from the light above.
Everything had happened in the span of five or so seconds, and Solaire had trouble processing the situation. He didn't have much time to decide what to do however, as the creature was only a foot away now, sword extended out towards Solaire. He brought his hands up, as if trying to deflect the sword somehow, though it did little to nothing.
Solaire felt the all too familiar sting as the sword was plunged into his stomach. He tried taking a step back as it was thrust further into him, though he slipped and fell, the creature falling ontop of him.
The creature's skull stared into his eyes, getting closer as it extended a crimson-red glow from its other hand. It thrusted its hand towards Solaire's face, before being blasted by a purple beam, melting the creature into a sort of purple goop beside Solaire.
The blade was still inside Solaire. He looked down to his stomach from where he laid, and put a hand over the blade. It had been far too long since he felt this sort of pain, though he was used to it at this point. It didn't hurt as much as it normally would've, though he would have to thank being undead for that.
The pain did cause his hearing to go haywire however, as he only heard ringing for some odd reason. He had never had anything like that happen before, but didn't care too much about it. What mattered the most, was the blade stuck inside of him.
Muffled yells could be heard throughout the room, as he saw both Twilight and Starlight standing over him. He didn't pay attention to them, and instead tried to pull the sword from his stomach. This seemed to have startled both the mares that stood over him, as their muffled voices raised in volume, but he didn't stop. He fully pulled the entire sword from his stomach, and tossing it away from himself.
The ringing stopped, and he could finally hear, though he wish he couldn't as he heard Twilight and Starlight both yelling frantically. Twilight's horn began to glow as she lowered it to his stomach.
Solaire smacked her horn away from himself, groaning in pain as he reached for the satchel that was clipped to his pants. He opened it, letting his hand dig inside for the flask he carried with him. He yanked it out quickly, and chugged it from the floor, feeling its warmth spread throughout his body, and especially in the wounded area.
Within seconds, the wound sealed up nearly instantly, the only thing showing any sign of pain was the leftover blood on his clothing. He slid the flask back into the satchel, and laid his head down completely, staring up at the ceiling.
Even with his hearing back, he still couldn't understand what anyone was saying. Half of the reason for that would be that he wasn't listening, simply thinking of one thought, and one thought only.
"How did a Darkwraith get here?"
Author's Note
I hope you guys liked it. I know it was much different from the other chapters, and that's what i'm going for here.
I advise you to look up what a darkwraith looks like if you don't know what it looks like. It'll give you a better image in your head.
If you like the story, have any criticism, or just want to show appreciation, be sure to comment down below!
And for anyone who needs it,
Sometimes doing things the unconventional way might be the most fun way. It might not be the most efficient, it might be time-consuming, and it might be weird, but it might be more fun than you think. So I urge you to go and try things differently, even if you think it's weird.
"Where am I?" Solaire asked the open air.
The only thing he had remembered had been pulling the sword of a Darkwraith from his stomach, and sipping on his Estus lightly. Why was it that he was now somewhere different? Could he have possibly passed out from the pain? Not likely, since he had endured much greater pain than that. There was no real reason to why he was no longer in the place he was just mere seconds ago.
He stared up into the darkness that surrounded him, the world seeming to have lost all color.
He clutched his chest, feeling something inside of his body move. It wasn't physical, however. He could feel his heart ache, a stinging feeling coming from it. He couldn't identify the problem, to what was making him feel the pain, yet what came after struck him in a way that nothing else had.
A feeling of dread and sadness, though unlike anything else he had felt before.
Why? Why did he feel these emotions, yet so much stronger than before? He had felt them before, after losing so many of his dear friends, yet he hadn't felt it to the extent that he was now. Solaire could feel something wet drip from his eyes, slowly inching its way down his cheeks and falling off into the forever darkness that surrounded him.
"Why..?" He asked the open air another question, yet this time with even more confusion than before.
Then, came rage. He clutched his fists almost instantly, his heart feeling as if it was on fire, along with his soul. It felt as if it would burn right through his very being, and erupt into the open, stale air of the void. His eyes were wide, searching around himself, as if trying to find something to displace his anger onto. He yelled into the void, his voice becoming distorted as the seconds passed by. It was not him that yelled.
Then there was nothing at all.
Solaire brought both hands in front of his face, to examine them closely. They were shriveling up, the skin becoming pale white and purple, and sickly looking. He could feel his blood inside his body begin to dry, and his heart begin to slowly stop beating. The fire within his soul began to slower wither, as if it were a candle being snuffed out. He tried to say something once again, yet nothing came out this time.
"Solaire." A voice said from the dark.
Suddenly, Solaire was now upright, on his feet, facing the darkness. His previous form of being hollowed now gone. He was back to himself. Yet, he was scared and confused still. With all of the events happening so fast, and without any reason, he felt as if he was truly going mad. Perhaps that Darkwraith had touched him with his crimson hand, or perhaps this was all a hallucination.
"Who speaks?" Solaire asked.
The answer did not come in the form of words, but in a physical form instead. A man walked from the dark void into view, wearing over him a black coat that covered every inch of his body. His face was not visible, as it was covered by a hood. He faced Solaire, his height well over seven feet tall.
Solaire stared up at him. "Who-"
"Does it really matter?" The man asked, still facing him. His voice was low and gruff, a certain grumble underneath each word he said. The man shook his head lightly, staring off to the left, into the void. He gave a low hum, before turning to Solaire, bringing his hands behind his back.
"It does to me." Solaire said, trying to keep a confident voice, yet failing to do so. His statement felt nervous, yet he felt that it was not his own emotions forcing him to do this. There must have been something else, someone else, controlling how he felt.
The man chuckled, a sort of sinister, yet undetermined feeling to it. Solaire couldn't identify if he was good, or evil. The man simply sounded, and felt like, he was the grey area between both. "You're confused."
"I have a reason to be?" Solaire said, though it sounded like a question.
"You're scared." The man said.
"How would you know?!" Solaire could feel the rage from before seep through him.
"I'm sorry, Solaire. I should have made myself known sooner. Since I have not done so, you are now experiencing this all in the worst way possible. Can you feel them?"
Solaire looked at him with different expressions. It felt as if each second that passed by, his feelings did so as well. Because of this, he wasn't able to talk, to even attempt to get a cohesive sentence out. He felt restrained by the feelings that plagued his mind, soul, and heart.
"They aren't yours." The man said.
Solaire couldn't respond.
"I don't expect you to understand. You're not like me, not like them, and you aren't like yourself. The only way to get you to understand is to do something unspeakable. I can't doom everything in existence, simply for you to understand. Therefore, I have a better way of explaining things."
"H-How-" Solaire managed to choke out, tears streaming from his face.
"Exactly how I am right now. What you feel is my explanation. You won't understand it for a long time, or perhaps you'll understand it as soon as it's all over. Or, you might never understand. It's not determined, which is what is so strange about you. Your fate. Why is it so... empty?"
Solaire couldn't respond, still feeling the effects of what seemed like every emotion possible surging through him. The man faced away from him, turning around, to look at the nothingness. "This must feel like a dream to you. It isn't, I can assure you that. Not that dreams don't have significance, but more so that they... don't amount to this."
"T..his is-is real?!" Solaire could still, barely talk. Each letter sounding different. Either of sadness, regret, rage, uncertainty, hope, happiness, or even emptiness.
The man chuckled lowly. "No, this is not real. You come from reality, and reality doesn't understand this. That is why you don't either. This is above, below, around, and away from reality. There isn't a name for it. Why name something when you're the only one that knows of it?"
The man chuckled once more. "Well, there used to be a name, but those who shared it with me are long gone. I suppose since I am no longer alone, you can give it any name you wish, but I must tell you, it won't mean anything in the end. It'll lose the name like it did all that time ago once you're gone. As I said before, what's the point of having a name of it, if I'll be the only one able to remember it?"
"Ah," The man said, looking into the air. "It seems we do not have enough time to talk. No time to spend in this place, no more. I suppose i'll wake you up, into the reality you're so familiar with, yet still confused by. Though, that is the fate of a mortal being from reality such as yourself. You stay inside it, live inside it, and die inside it. Yet, know nothing of it. Some even go as far as to say that it isn't real, or that it is all made up. What wonders all of you come up with, with imagination beyond comprehension above reality."
"Now, Solaire," The man said, turning to Solaire. "Go home. Or, is it really home? I suppose that's up for you to decide within time."
"Wake up, Solaire. Welcome the reality you're so familiar with."
Author's Note
Wake Up
Solaire shot up from his position on the floor, clambering to his feet as fast as possible. He had pushed Twilight and Starlight away, and causing the kids from earlier to step back. He looked around before letting his eyes land on Twilight. "I need to get to the border immediately, and I'm afraid to tell you that you're not coming with."
"Wait- what?! No, no we agree'd that I was coming with-"
"SHUT IT!" Solaire yelled angrily, his arms splayed out from the anger within. Twilight instinctively backed up, her ears splayed down. "I don't care what we agree'd, with these things around the rules change. I think they're attracted to me, and wherever I go they seem to follow. Darkwraith's are among the most dangerous creatures on my world, and they're not easily taken down. If they touch you with their hand, you're done.
"If I can get to the border I can find that Pyromancer and bring the creatures away from you, at-least the bulk of them. I have no doubt they'll still appear in the vicinity, but the numbers should decrease. I'm going to take a train to talk to Luna and figure out what I need to do. It appears that I can no longer wait for her to tell me in my dreams."
Twilight shook her head. "No- no! It's too dangerous to go alone-"
"I'm not asking for permission, Twilight. I'm going to do this, and you can't stop me." Solaire said before storming out of the building in a full sprint, making his way out of the school and down into the castle to grab his things, his body moving on pure instinct and fear alone. Once he was inside Twilight's room he put his armor on and sheathed his sword, making his way out of the castle and straight to the train station.
He didn't have money for a ticket, and he didn't know he did. He simply boarded the train that was there and on its way to Canterlot, ignoring the yelling ticket-collector and shooting him an intimidating glance. He sat down on the seat and began to think of all of the ways that this could fail.
Darkwraith's are dangerous creatures. They're known to make people insane with the touch of their crimson hand, and it could end your life easily. Witnessing the effects of being touched by the hand was enough to give Solaire nightmares. How they wouldn't stop screaming in agony, even though there was nothing hurting them. Plus it was also high time that he got things moving. Nothing was going to happen without a little pushing, and if he had to get a little angry and push some buttons he was willing to do that.
The explanation by that strange person in the void made no sense, but it seemed to motivate him to get things done as fast as possible. Even if that person wasn't real, even if it was something he made up in his head while he was out cold it didn't matter. If his path truly is empty then he would make it atleast worth something. To protect those around him, and especially this colorful world.
The world that he used to love looking at, but could no longer stare at the passing beautiful scenery. He was only reminded of his old world and the decay that had taken over it, and was fearful that the same would happen to this world as well. If that were the case, then he would make sure to prepare for another bleak eternity in a world that used to be oh so colorful.
The train had arrived at its destination. It seemed that Solaire was lost in his thoughts for longer than he thought. He stood up and made his way off the train, making a direct turn to go to Luna's bedroom where she was likely sleeping at the moment. He didn't have time to wait for her, and instead approached her door. Two guards sat guarding the door outside, but he didn't have time to deal with him. He couldn't get spotted by Celestia.
He forced the two guards away with his hands and began to bang loudly on the door of Luna's room. The two guards gained their footing and pointed their spears at Solaire. "Don't move! Do not move!"
Luna swung the door open with a sabre in her magic. "Who dares attack me in my sleep! You will come to face m-... Solaire?"
"Hey, Luna. I really, really need to talk to you. Right now."
Luna gave him a confused look and looked at both of the guards. "Stand down, he's fine. Allow him in."
The guards huffed in annoyance and stood back at their posts, allowing him inside her room. As Solaire stepped in he closed the door behind himself and looked around her room. She slowly walked over to her bed and sat on top of it, looking back at him. "I hope this is important. Waking me up so abruptly and violently in the middle of the day isn't something I take lightly."
Solaire took his helmet off and set it on the small desk beside the door. "I need you to get me to the border. To find that pyromancer and to stop the rebellion. I was attacked earlier by a Darkwraith in Twilight's school when she introduced me to her students, and I am thinking that the bulk of these creatures are appearing in my vicinity. It will pull the danger away from her and everyone else here."
Luna closed her eyes, trying to think of something. "I... I'm not sure I can get you out of here today, it'd be extremely difficult for me to pull something together to get you there. There aren't any trains that are heading to the east border anymore because of the rebellion, so sending one would be suspicious. There's no more guards making their way over there, so I can't send you with one of them. The only thing I can do is..."
She suspiciously paused, causing Solaire to raise his eyebrows. "Yes?"
"I regularly get letters from the border by the captains stationed there. I can use the dragonfire that is traced there and use that to teleport you right there without a hassle! The only problem with that is that it's extremely dangerous, and doesn't always work. Also, you might go blind for a couple days."
Solaire put his helmet on. "Great, let's get to it!"
"Wait- I just said you might go bli-"
"Yeah, and I could've died today by getting stabbed through the stomach by that damn Darkwraith. Shit happens, let's get it moving! The faster I can get to that Pyromancer, the faster I can find a way to end these creatures from making their way over here and stopping all these problems. I can also stop the rebellion which will ease Celestia's mind, and more than likely Shining Armor's. Remember what you told me? If he truly does go hollow it will have an effect on everyone around him, literally. It's what we call 'Hollow Essence.' It'll attach onto you and cause you to become depressed and suicidal.
"If that happens, then... Well, it's not going to be good. Your ponies aren't exactly built to withstand adversity of those sorts."
Luna nodded. "I can agree. Since I've come back, things have drastically changed. Whereas when I was still a half-ruling princess, every stallion was required to learn to fight, and even most of the mare's. Now it is a gleaming rainbow full of nothing. I tell you, the way that-"
"Luna."
"-...Yes, yes... Let me grab one of the letters they've sent me from the border." She said, levitating a letter from a pile of letters and opening it up, her horn glowing and a blue hue casting over the entire letter. "That should do the trick. I should have the location, and now I just have to cast it on someone. But, are you sure of this? You could appear in a rock, or even worse, inside somepony else."
"Woah woah, I don't know who you take me for Luna, but I always get consent first."
Luna blushed and shook her head. "Are you ready, or not? I've got some sleep to catch up on, and a meeting with a king."
"Ah, forgot about that. Good luck with that by the way. I'm ready!"
"Alright. I'd say let me know if anything bad happens but, you wouldn't be able to. Good luck, Solaire."
Solaire saw a blinding flash of light and everything going dark all at the same time, before appearing in a tent filled with ponies decked out in military gear. They all slowly looked up at him, some of their eyes widening and others slowly reaching for their weapons.
"Should've asked for an official stamp of approval or something..."
Inferno Emerald stared at the creature in front of her who was currently showing its back at her. It was bipedal, just like the one that attacked her, but she had heard of this very creature. It was the one that showed up out of nowhere within Canterlot all those days ago, and it had managed to find its way in the main tent. Out of the blue.
She needed to make sure no one tried killing the damn thing!
"Everypony stand down! Creature, identify yourself!"
Solaire quickly turned around and stared at the pony, splaying his arms out in a unimposing way. "I am Solaire, and I have come here on the basis of Luna herself. She has sent me here to help aid in stopping the rebellion, and to find a Pyromancer that I have been searching for. I am afraid I have nothing to prove what I say, but I am sure if any of you were to send her a letter she would happily respond."
Emerald simply stared up at him confused. "I'm a Pyromancer. The only one here."
"Oh! Great, it's finally nice to meet you! I've been searching for someone of your talents for quite some time now and I need your help in getting something built. I'm sure you would have no problem with it once I describe it to you."
Everyone looked at Emerald, and she seemed to shrink from the staring. "Everypony back to what you were doing! Solaire, come with me." She said while she exited the tent, Solaire following behind her for about a minute straight before she stopped in an open field and turned to him. "First off, I'm not a construction pony, I can't help you build anything. Second of all, you have some nerve just appearing in the main tent like that! I'm not even high ranked enough to give those orders, but I had to to make sure you didn't get minced alive!"
Solaire nodded. "Yes yes, I know it was quite dumb of me, but I had no choice. Luna said it was the only way to get here without a long, long walk. So I took her up on it. I can assure you that you won't be doing anything with construction, but I need your talents of Pyromancy in order to make something special. Do you know what this is?" He asked, holding up his Estus Flask.
She smirked. "Of course i do. It's Estus."
"You know what this is?"
She nodded. "Liquid Fire. I don't know why you're carrying it around in a bottle."
Solaire was the one to smirk now. "Oh, yeah? Well I just like to sip it from time to time." He said, taking his helmet off and bringing the flask to his lips and sipping it, much to the disapproval of Emerald who was about to tackle him. "Wait wait wait- I'M FINE! I'm fine- alright? This stuff doesn't hurt me. In fact it heals me."
"What? H-How? It's literally liquid fire!"
"Yeah? And I'm undead, so do you want an explanation for everything?"
"...Fine. You said you wanted to help with the rebellion, right?"
"Yes, yes."
She sighed, nodding her head over to a far-off tent where a few screams were coming from. "Well we've got other problems to deal with. Some sort of creature that was bipedal like you touched one of our ponies and... Well, ever since that red-claw thing grabbed his head he's been non-stop screaming."
Solaire sighed, shaking his head. "That was a Darkwraith. I encountered one myself earlier today."
"You have?"
"Mhm. And I also know that there's no cure for your friend in there."
Emerald's eyes widened. "No- you don't know that! What the buck do you know anyways?!"
"I know that those things come from my world, and I've dealt with hundreds of them before. Not even the most advanced of skills or magic could save a person that has been touched by a Crimson Hand. Once you've been touched, your done. They will scream in agony even if they're fine. The only way to stop their suffering is to end their misery."
"That's barbaric! Equestria might be different- you never know!"
Solaire knew he wasn't getting anywhere with this pony. "Fine- fine. You might be right. You have magic that I've never seen before, perhaps you have an unknown cure to this curse. Anyways, I came here because of that as well. They seem to be attracted to my vicinity, since I am from their world as well. I didn't want to put the towns in peril, so I came here. Kill two birds with one stone."
Emerald shrugged. "I don't know. The rebellion isn't going anywhere right now, and they haven't attacked in a long time, and that was the only combat we've had so far. I don't know how you being here would help anything at all."
"Oh it's simple really. I have the courage to do what you all cannot. I understand what it is like to cut down one of your own, so it is much easier for me to do it compared to any of you."
"What?! Are you doubting my skills?!" Emerald growled, her nostrils flaring slightly with fire blowing out of them slightly.
"Not at all, but I do know that from what I've seen ponies are generally the emotional type. Where I come from, Emotions get you killed. So I will have no problem in doing what needs to be done, regardless of morality in the situation. I am here to stop the rebellion and request your help, that is all."
Emerald shook her head before stopping and staring behind Solaire, where her captain happened to be walking towards them. "Oh buck.."
"What?"
"Seems like somepony wants to talk to you."
Author's Note
My my, it's been awhile hasn't it?
After a long Hiatus this story is back on the road! Life had gotten in the way of me posting any more, and I was focusing on another story at the time, but that story happened to just finish up! So it's time to finish what really started my (barely popular) popularity on this site!
Solaire is in for the ride of his life.
"Did he really have to hit me in the shin like that?"
"Hey, you're the one that pissed him off, not me. I told you to calm down but no, you decided that since you had Princess Luna in your court that you were untouchable."
"Hey! I did not think such thing, but having her vouch for me must mean something, especially to all of you."
Emerald shook her head. The two of them were currently walking away from the main tent considering Solaire and her Captain weren't exactly seeing eye to eye at the moment. "You don't get it. Day Guard isn't exactly fond of Luna. They might respect her, but it's only because they're forced to respect her. Buck, most of the damn towns in Equestria only see Celestia as the one true ruler. That in itself almost caused a civil-war to break out, but it was quelled without any media getting wind of it. I'm surprised things have gone this smoothly so far."
Solaire shrugged. He was holding his helmet in his left hand, stopping suddenly with his right hand on his hip. "So you're saying that your Captain has some sort of grudge against Princess Luna? That sounds quite harsh, especially since she's done quite an excellent job in ruling since she's come back. Or so I've heard."
Emerald nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's done an excellent job. But that doesn't mean that grudges can be let go so easily. When Luna had turned into Nightmare Moon all those years ago, it left an everlasting effect on the entire world. Some ponies aren't so forgiving as others, and my Captain happens to be one of them. Does it bother me? Yes, it does. Especially since I've grown quite fond of Princess Luna over the years."
"Oh? Do tell." Solaire teased.
"Not like that you idiot. I'm a one-of-a-kind pony these days, but according to Luna there were dozens just like me, practicing all sorts of different magic and arts. Most unicorns in the military are able to do fire-spells and stuff like that, but I've got access to certain spells no pony knows how to do, and that's just off of intuition. It's not written anywhere or taught, and it made me feel out of place when I joined the guard and accidentally... blew up a building."
"Wow! I'm surprised they kept you after that."
Emerald nodded, this time looking at the floor. "Yeah well, you can thank Princess Luna for that. She was the one that vouched for me and began talking to me after that. Sharing Lunch was quite common with the Princess, and soon we were actually quite decent friends."
Solaire nodded, bringing his right hand up to his chin, lightly caressing the skin underneath. "Then... what about Celestia? She's seems more like the 'fire' type to me, and that seems like it would line right up with you!"
"That's what I thought too, but she's not exactly a great pony to talk to. She's a great ruler don't get me wrong, but she's always wearing a mask around everypony. She only ever talked to me a hooffull of types because I was different than anypony else. She felt obligated to."
Solaire nodded, sighing. "I know what you mean. My chats with the Solar Princess have been very interesting, and sometimes she seems so sad because our conversations at some point have to end, and she has to go back to ruling an entire kingdom with her mask on. She's spoken to me about it already and it deeply saddens me. Perhaps once we quell this rebellion, you can come back to Canterlot with me and I can introduce you to her. You'll meet Celestia, not Princess Celestia."
Emerald shrugged. "I... Guess I could do that. It's a bit strange for a soldier to already be conversing with one Princess though, and some ponies have already begun to think that that's the only reason I'm still here is because I have favoritism on my side."
Solaire waved a hand dismissively at her. "Bah, don't worry about such fools. They're just jealous that they don't get to talk to the two cute Princess' that order them around. Before we get further off topic however, I remember you saying you have a friend who was touched by the Darkwraith."
Emerald seemed to be snapped into attention and nodded eagerly, walking in the direction of the medical tent. "Yes, my friend Wild. You said there was no cure, right? I still refuse to believe that."
Solaire shrugged. "I don't know, like I said, there might be something here that could reverse the effects. But on my world, it's irreversible. It's a sad fate, and is only cured on my world by a blade. Darkwraiths are cursed creatures that come from the husk of man, and if the right conditions are in place, it will turn them into a Wraith. Eventually, through time, they find themselves becoming Darkwraiths, tormented souls trapped in a forever loop of hurting others and forcing them to succumb to their own fate."
Emerald got a shiver down her spine as he said that. "The more I hear you talk about your world the more happy I feel that I'm in this one and not that one."
Solaire chuckled, keeping up with her pace. "Hah, yes, I understand what you mean! When I arrived unexpectedly here, I was quite confused, but I found myself loving the lush colors and the happy cheery attitude of the world. Unlike my world, you can make a life here! My world isn't filled with such happy endings. In fact, I'm not sure if happy endings to exist in my world."
"Yet you sound so... jolly."
"Because the cooperation of others in my world is something that has always gave me faith in the people there. I felt as if, even though its a wretched dark place, it is filled with the light that is the souls of each being there. Those that are not foul, or Hollow, that is."
The two of them slowed down as they arrived at the front of the tent, Emerald pushing the curtains to the sides with her magic and allowing herself and Solaire inside. The tent was split into many segments. The first segment being at the front, filled with mattress' and other beds laid out on the floor. There wasn't much medical equipment in this segment, and it looked more like a sleeping area.
As the two of them moved forward still, they arrived at the second segment. This was where multiple proper beds laid, there being six in total. Three on the left, three on the right. Beside each bed sat a small drawer filled with medical supplies, though mostly things like bandages and such. Solaire stopped for just a moment to stare at the supplies themselves, finding himself a bit intrigued by some of the strange things.
They arrived at the third section, where Wild currently laid. There were twelve beds, six on each side of the tent, and they were bigger than the others. These beds each were connected to monitors, drawers with medical supplies, metal trays with wheels underneath with surgical supplies on top, and the floor was covered in a sterile tile.
Emerald slowly walked up beside Wild's sleeping body. "This is him."
Solaire hummed as he looked at the poor soul. "I'm a bit confused. Most victims of the Crimson Hand are left screaming until they die or go hollow, their throats usually becoming raw and they eventually spit out blood. Yet, he's not even opening his mouth. Are you sure he is not dead?"
Emerald looked at the monitor to see that it was showing steady heartbeats. "I'm sure of it. I told you we might have something that'll cure it."
At that moment, a pony nurse walked next to Emerald, seemingly checking the vitals of Wild. She was a brown coated pony with a white mane and tail, wearing a mask and a sterilized nurse outfit. "Not cured. Not yet, atleast. He kept screaming and it was waking other sleeping patients, so we had to move them to a separate tent until we got him under control. He's under sleeping meds, and he'll be out for a couple days. We're going to hook a feeding tube to him, but we don't have one. Luckily that supply wagon comes tomorrow and it has just what we need. Tomorrow we're also moving the rest of the patients back in.
"Usually I wouldn't allow visitors in this section, but considering there's nopony else it doesn't matter."
Solaire hummed some more, scratching underneath his chin. "How do his eyes look?"
"His eyes?" The nurse asked.
"Yes, his eyes." Solaire said with a nod.
The nurse shrugged. "They look fine to me, if only a bit more discolored than usual. We chalked it up to it being something to do with that creature that he encountered, but it didn't seem like it was causing any problems at all. Why do you ask?"
Solaire sighed, shaking his head. "Discoloration of the eyes is the beginning of a Husk. First, the eye color goes. Second, the color of your skin, or in this case fur disappears. After that, your body weight begins to diminish until you're nothing but tight skin and bones underneath. That's when you become a Husk."
Emerald gave him a concerned look. "A-Are you sure? And wait- what's the difference from a something becoming a 'Hollow' and a 'Husk'?"
Solaire walked to the other side of Wild's bed. "Well, a Husk is a tormented soul that is still living in pain. It sheds its physical appearance until it turns into a wisp-like form. Sometimes they stay like these and becomes ghosts of some sort. Or they take a darker path and turn into a Darkwraith. Hollows on the other hand are souls that have given up, and lost hope in their hearts. They've let depression, desperation, and loneliness conquer them. These turn into Hollow shells of their former selves, and continue in their physical bodies until they are put down forever."
The nurse simply stared at the two in confusion before turning directly to Solaire. "Well if you know how to cure this, I'd very much appreciate you telling me how."
Solaire shook his head. "I told Emerald earlier you can't cure this. And if you can, I don't know how. Right now this pony is a danger to everyone here and will continue to be as long as it's alive. I'm not saying to execute a fellow soldier, but instead to accept the consequences in case it should happen."
"I see... Well, I'll inform the Captain of this as soon as possible, but at the moment I have other patients to attend to. Don't stay in here for too long, I don't need either of you bringing something foul inside with you." The nurse said with a nod of her head, before she turned around and left the tent.
Emerald sighed. "I know you don't think there's a way to fix this, but I do! He's my friend, and I can't just let him die. Or turn into one of those things you just described. That's a fate worse than death!"
Solaire sighed sadly, looking her straight in the eyes. "Yes, it is a fate worse than death, and I've seen it happen countless times to my friends."
Emerald didn't move her eyes from him. "I'm sorry... That must've been... Well, awful."
"It was." He nodded, turning away from her and breaking eye contact to stare at the furthest wall of the tent. "Yet it's the reality I've had to come to accept in my world. Despite my jolly attitude, I usually am quite pessimistic. I'm constantly thinking of things that can go wrong, and always having to force myself to be outwardly happy. Truth be told, despite being in such a wonderful world as this, I don't think I can ever be happy."
Solaire couldn't see Emerald, but he could feel her still looking at him. "Why is that?"
"I've lost too many people that were close to me. I don't know my father or my mother, or if I was even born. Maybe I just started existing, or maybe I wasn't meant to exist. My poor friend, Siegmeyer, turned into a hollow and was put down by his own daughter for goodness sake! All because he felt he had no more purpose- and I was nearing that edge I must say. Yet I was pulled into this world before I could make any such consequential action."
"His own daughter?" Emerald commented. She audibly shivered.
"Yes, by his own daughter. And here I am, standing her perfectly fine while the rest of the good men and women in my world die to something needless! To something that shouldn't even be- a world with a dying sun and a dying flame, with leaders and gods that don't give a damn to those who suffer! A world in which questions are the only thing that propel you forward and answers are hardly given, in to which you constantly hurt yourself over the fact that there's nothing left in that wretched, cruel place!"
Emerald simply stared at him from behind, her ears splayed down to her head as he yelled. Not in fear, but in sadness.
Solaire sighed, still not turning to her. "If there even was such a thing as a kind lord or god, they would not have forced me to abandon the good souls of my world in favor of this one. Despite my happiness of being here, I do not feel like it is deserved. And I am tainting this world with my presence. The only thing that makes me somewhat happy is that I have found that the Sun is worth fighting for, and that is indeed real. With that I can die happy."
Emerald opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off. "Yet, I can't even die."
"What? What do you mean?" Emerald asked in obvious confusion.
Solaire turned to her. "If I die in this world, I have reason to believe I will arrive back in my old world. That is why I need your help, Emerald. I need your help to create a bonfire, a special tool used by the Undead to fuel their Estus and to bring themselves back in the event of their death."
"Bonfire- Estus- UNDEAD?! What?!"
"Oh, yes, I forgot to mention. I am an Undead."
"L-Like, like... zombie undead?!"
Solaire chuckled. "Oh heavens no! I am an Undead as in, I am unable to die. Unless I go Hollow."
Emerald shook her head. "You get more and more strange every second you go on about yourself or your world..."
Solaire smirked. "I will take that as a compliment."
Emerald shook her head again. "So... You need me to build this bonfire thing, and with that you can come back to life? And refill your Estus? Why do you need me specifically to do that- why don't you ask the Princess' to help you or something?"
Solaire glanced down at Wild once more before keeping his eyes on Emerald. "Because in my world, those bonfires were created by special Pyromancers, and no one else is able to create such a thing. I reasonably thought that it would translate to the same thing in this world, and it might just work. If you do this I will be able to forever help you and your kingdom with the troubles that plague you all. Whether it be rebels, terrible monsters or gigantic dragons, I will be able to fully help you without the consequence of losing myself."
"W-Well, I can't promise anything. Like I said, I don't even know how I'm able to do some of the Pyromancy stuff I'm able to do now. It's just intuition."
"Well, intuition is good. Perhaps it will guide you in the right way that will help me with what I need. Fate has its way, they say!"
Author's Note
Got a good ol' question for y'all.
Do you guys prefer the chapters from before that were quite long in length, that being from 5-9k, or do you prefer the quicker but shorter chapters like this one and the other ones that are 1-3k?
Let me know!
Solaire of Astora, a Warrior of Sunlight. His mission to find his very own sun, going to the point of becoming undead, and going all the way to Gwyn, Lord of Cinder's birthplace to find it. Of course, things never go as planned in places such as Lordran, or Anor Londo.
No.. It is known that these places are filled with dark energy. Evil beings, tasked with killing any undead they come across. And yet, the undead still persist onwards. Some don't, and become hollow. A shell of who they were. A sign of their soul giving up.
Solaire, searching for what seemed to be forever to find his own sun, had finally become saddened. His jovial attitude now gone. A sudden change, as anyone who had met him would tell anyone that he was a shining light in this world of darkness. Yet, Solaire had become conscious that perhaps this quest was for nothing. Was he to be looked at as a laughing stock? As a blind fool?
He told this to the Chosen Undead, the man who had been travelling along the world of Lordran, and making it to Anor Londo, where Gwyn was residing. Though, telling a man who had never spoken a word anything was, well.. underwhelming. Solaire was almost nearing the end, willing to give up, ready to become hollow, and to finally let this quest die in vain.
"What is that?" Solaire asked nobody in particular, as a brimming light appeared at the sunlight altar. He looked at it, amazed by the sudden flash of light and its beautiful appearance. It appeared to be some sort of portal, and Solaire took a step to see what it really was. Hesitantly, he raised his hand up to it, and something pulled on him. It was sucking him in!
"The light.. It's taking me!" He yelled, trying to pull back. He wasn't going to submit to this false.. whatever it was! He knew that finding his own sun was impossible, that he was doing it all for nothing! He knew that this wasn't real, that it was a terrible god tormenting his feelings!
Solaire was sucked through the portal.
Author's Note
The start of a new story.
Don't worry, I won't forget my others! However, I always had a fascination of Solaire and his obsession with the sun. Perhaps, he might just find it in Equestria.
Hope you enjoy it.
