The Trials of Queendom: The Gems of Eternal Peaceby The-Fiction-MasterChaptersI.II.III.I.I. - The Coming of a Queen *** Once apon a time, there lived a large empire called The Romane Empire. This empire expanded over what we call Equestria. This empire was handed down for hundreds of years by many ponies. Every king and queen was very different, but some were better than the other. Some tried to tear down this empire by corrupting itself, and some tried to make the peasant ponies more free so they would pay less taxes. Some kings and queens were even killed by their guards, who were top superiority and only few were chosen every 5 years, depending on how good they were as knights. This empire was too big though, and was constantly invaded and raided by barbarian Germane tribes. These Germane tribes were considered uncivilized and very dirty. The Romanes, the ponies who lived in the Romane empire, were very proper ponies who did not want any trouble what-so-ever. However, even when peace treaties came from the empire, the tribes refused and continued to raid. The Romanes were very furious with the Germane tribes actions. From all the raiding, the empire attacked the tribes, making them lessen around the empire. The Romanes were finally happy that things had stopped. But if only they knew, things weren't stopping. The government continued to corrupt itself, by raising taxes and wasting money on stupid and silly things. The peasants were unhappy with all the taxes, and some tried to leave Romane. However, the king and queen refused for anypony to leave and they made the knights kill any ponies who had escaped the empire. The empire being too big was also a hassle, in which the lords had no communication with the other parts of the empire, which made them weaken even more, because tribes could raid them more easily. Soon enough, the empire came down to a boiling point; and collapsed. There was no light; no rain; no nothing. However, a king who inherited the throne brought back the empire he once knew; and he married a mare who was a lady. They vowed to their subjects that they would bring back the empire and they would make sure the problems that had destroyed the empire before would be taken care of. Over time, they wanted a foal. They wanted a colt especially, but were not saddened when they got a filly. They could see in the little foals eyes something very interesting. The priest told them that this foal was special; and would be some trouble; but would lead the empire through trouble and make it once it used to be. However; the priest warned them she would possibly make a terrible choice in her life. The choice the priest did not say; but the priest said it was a dangerous choice. One that could tear down the empire. The king and queen agreed to watch her with their strength; to make sure she took the right path. From that day on, she began her training. That little foals name, was Princess Angel. *** "Give me back my sword, brat!" screams a little colt. "Don't call me a brat! Your the brat!" teases the filly. The colt shoves his back-hoof into her face and the sword tumbles down from the filly's head, and the colt quickly pulls it up. The queen of Romane trots in to find the quarrel at her hooves. She sighs and quickly pulls the two ponies apart. "You little ones need to stop. Especially you, Angel." She says in a stern voice. "What did I do?! He's the one who's yelling!" whines Angel. The queen, Lily, rolls her eyes. "I was yelling because you didn't give my sword back!" He yells. The queen levitates the wooden sword, and places it up high, so the two of them can't get it. "Lightfeather, how many times did I tell you not to play with the sword!" She says madly. "But dad said-" he cries. "I do not care what you father said, its dangerous!" She pushes them both into their corners and they turn to face the wall. Lily trots out angry and they both sigh unhappily. "This is all your fault, Lightfeather." She groans, flopping onto her back. "My fault! Your the one who took my sword, Medical Attention!" He retorts, using her real name. She growls fiercely. "Don't use my real name!" She cries, kicking her back-legs into the wall. He snorts and turns to peak at her. "Medical Attention Medical Attention Medical Attention Medical Attention!" He repeats, and she angrily gets up to attack him. "My name is ANGEL!" She screams as she clutches her hooves on his neck, making him cough and squirm a ton. Lily storms in and levitates Angel away, making her slide across the floor to the corner yet again. "I thought I told you to NOT look at eachother." Lily snaps, stomping her hoof on the ground. They both squeal unhappily at the sound of their mothers harsh tone. They whisper sorry and then Angel yells. "He kept using my real name, mum!" She screams. "He yadda yadda yerdal real name mummy! MEDICAL. ATTENTION." He snorts. Angel whines again and Lily stomps her hooves again, but more violently. "ENOUGH!" Lily yells, her voice echoing through the manor. They both cower before Lily's angry tone. "I'm sick of you two quarreling constantly, day and night! And Lightfeather, you don't use Angel's real name!" "Well she surely isn't an angel for trying to kill me!" He retorts. Lily stares at him and he sighs. "Sorry, mum." "Sorry, mum." Angel sighs, and sits back in her corner sadly. "Its getting late you too. Go to bed. And Angel..." Lily trails off as Lightfeather runs off to go to bed. "Yeah mum?" Angel says. She stares at Lily with beady eyes. "If I find you brother dead in the morning, your dead too." Lily says, and she stomps off. The sound of servants calling Lily makes Lily yell again. "Got it mum," she calls, and she gallops off to go to bed. *** At sundown, Angel shifts in bed and gets up to go peek at the stars, and see if any shooting stars fly by her. She quietly goes past Lightfeather, who is in deep sleep already. Angel smiles at the sight of the winking stars and she sighs happily. Suddenly, she sees something rocket across the sky. "I wish," Angel pauses and thinks, then says softly, "I wish when I am older, I will find a true love." Angel knew her wish was kind of silly and stupid, but when she saw how sometimes mum and dad had fought sometimes, she wanted somepony like dad, but one who would not quarrel with her so much. Angel sighs as she trots back over to her bed and quickly falls asleep, enjoying the sound of rain tinkling against the balcony door. *** Everything was so dark. Angel was flying; flying through a whirlwind of colors and patterns. Angel looks around when she notices she has wings. She flinches when gems shoot from behind her; about six of them. Each had a color, and each represented things. A distant voice calls for her, and she looks around, her locket swinging side-to-side around her neck. The voice calls again. "Angel.....The Gems.....they connect with you...your soul...there are 5 in existence, and when the 5 are.....are pr-r-esent the 6th g-g--g----gem will appear.....the empire will crumble....b------but do not t---e---ll anypony else, this is for you t---o only know...g---oood...luck....A---ngel.." The voice fades away slowly, but Angel is confused, and she calls for it to come back. However, all she can hear is the sound of the wind spinning around in her ears. Suddenly, a black hole appears in front of her, and she begins to cry out. She cries out for help, but nopony answers her. She hits through the black hole, and she cries loudly. But nopony can hear her. II.II. - The Nightmare in Reality She woke up from a terrible dream, only to encounter another one. But this one was different. She was actually in her room, standing clueless. The empire was really in crumble, and she takes a step outside. Everything was so dark and unwelcoming; the sky was a dark black, and lightning hit in the distance. The area around her was torn to pieces; the housing had crumbled; dead ponies scatter around on the ground; some stuck under the collapsed pillars and some just dead. Rats scurried across the walls and spiders huddled in the corners of her room; every creature seeming afraid of outside. But they weren't afraid of the outside; they were afraid of her. She had a black coat; it was no longer shiny and white. Her wings were tattered and feathers lay around her room. Spoiled blood tainted her face, her eyes a dark-red creme. Her tiny crown was just a fragment of crystals in a pile. "Is this what I'll become if I don't save the empire?" She says out loud. Her voice was no longer soft but it sounded of snakes hissing together. The rodents in the castle scurry at her voice and she cries out, "Wait, please!" They ignore her request and she stumbles around, feeling afraid. A voice fills her ears, making her feel even more afraid. "This is what the empire will become. Do you want this?" It asks. Suddenly, the voice gains a body. The body was what she knew; a Draconequus. "W-who are you...?" She asks, quickly getting up and stumbling back. He grins, bearing his fangs. She shudders at the look of his body. "Me? Why, I'm Discord. I've been living here for thousands of years, and I can live for thousands more, y'know." He says. "Why is your body...so odd?" She asks. She knew deep inside though, she felt very intrigued by the way he was made. "I'm made out of an eagle, a lion, a deer, a goat, a lizard, and many other splendid creatures." He says, floating up above her. She tries to fly up, but she's too weak. "Are you sure this is what will happen...Discord?" She asks softly. "I know its going to happen if you don't think fast. There will be challenges along the way too; and I, will be one of them." "W-what?! N-no..if you are...I have to defeat you now!" She howls, charging at him. He sneers and levitates her. "Tsk tsk, such a stupid pony. And your going to be queen someday? Wow, I'd hate to live in your empire." He retorts. "Shut up!" She yells. He grins at her, and she shudders again. "Why don't you..?" He says. He covers his lion paw over her mouth and she struggles for air. After a few minutes, she stops breathing, and he blows her off into the distance like powder. "Wake up, Angel!" He calls. *** "H-huh? W-what?!" She says, quickly getting up from bed. She stretches to find Lightfeather right next to her bed. "I said wake up! Its breakfast!" He yells into her ears, and she pushes him away. "Stop that!" She cries, stretching again. He snorts and walks out the door, and she sneers at him. She gets up from bed and she looks around the room; stretching her eyes. She sighs and scratches her sides to feel something feathery: She had wings. She panics but then gets excited. She was still just a filly, but she had gone into stage two; where she would gain her wings. She quickly runs through the halls calling, "Mum! Dad! Mum! Dad!" She continues to gallop through the halls until she reaches the dining room. All the ponies in the castle stared at her, and Queen Lily face-hoofs herself. "Mum! Dad! Your never going to believe it! I got my wings!" She unfolds her wings. They were quite tiny for her size; but that didn't bother her. "Well done Sweetheart!" Her father, King Rupert says. "Yes, well done!" Her mother says in a surprised tone. Angel hops over to her seat next to Lightfeather and they begin to eat their breakfast. They enjoy the morning when Angel feels something brushing against her leg. "Stop it Lightfeather," She whispers. "Its not me! I swear!" He whispers back, continuing to eat a roll with some gravy. Angel peers under the table to find a cute little dog brushing up against her leg. She smiles and picks him up with her hooves, and puts him on her lap. She smiles at his brownish features when she notice the dog start grinning. "Whats with your dog?" Lightfeather asks curiously. "Dunno, really." She says. The dog smiles even wider and his paw begins to rake down her leg. She cries out and everypony stares at her. "Surprise." The dog says, as he transforms into a giant werewolf. Everypony gasps and begin to run when the castle walls seem to burst and explode. "Theres an attack!" Rupert yells, sounding all the guards. The guard ponies come barreling in to find thousands of other evil guards charge in. But they don't charge for Rupert or Lily: They charge for Angel. Angel screams as she feels a wave of yells ring in her ears. Suddenly, something picks her up. Its Lance, the King and Queens personal body-guard. She yells for him to stop but all he says is, "We can't go back. Not for your brother, you mother, or your father. I was ordered to save you if something like this ever happened: You are special, Angel. If you die, all the empire will-" "I know! I know it will-" She stuffs her hoof into her mouth as he continues to gallop on. The voice, Discord, had told her never to tell anypony about her secret. Now look what she did. "Huh? Well, that doesn't matter, we better-" A pillar holding the castle falls down, and Lance steers left quickly; he gallops through town, the peasants galloping around, terrorized by the evil guards. Lance begins to slow down when he notices a couple guards chasing after him. He sighs and pulls out a steel knife. He chucks it at a guard, but it bounces off the guards armor. "Buck!" He yells, steering through the entrance of the kingdom. He continues to run until they reach the edge of the cliff. A pool beckons below for them to jump, but they were so high. Lance looks back to see the guards nearing them. He looks down, and at the guards. "JUST JUMP!" Angel screeches. It startles Lance, and he jumps, Angel holding tightly onto him. The guards skid to a stop. Kerrr--splash! The guards shudder at how far down it is, and they back away from the edge, and quickly gallop back towards the castle. *** Meanwhile, back at the castle, the guards surround the King and Queen, as well as a few lords and ladies and Lightfeather. They all laugh when a eerie click sounds in the air and they stop homing in. A stallion comes trotting in, and he stomps his hooves on the ground, as to clap. "Well done, Well done, my sister. You've been stupid once again." He says, his voice sounding like metal grinding up on a table. "Ressy...I should have know it was you who did this!" Lily yells. "But of course dear sister. I know you thought you banished me, but alas, I'm back. And I'm here to reclaim my throne, of course." He sneers. "Never! You never will!" Rupert screams. Ressy chuckles and teleports to him. He brushes his hoof under his neck and with a slice of his iron claws on his hooves, Rupert's head falls to the ground, his limp body falling down to catch it. Lightfeather gasps for a moment, but then feels a longing deep inside him. He steps up to Ressy and bows. "Lightfeather, at your service...Uncle." He chuckles. "Lightfeather! No, Ressy is terrible! Get away from him now!" Lily yells. Her horn flickers to try and teleport him out but Ressy envelops him with a barrier. "Mother, Uncle is perfect...he loves to spill blood...and I when I see it, I too, want to spill blood." Lightfeather says in a harsh tone. "See Lily? Your son loves me...now where Is that retched daughter of yours? Demic, did you kill her already?" He asks. "No sir, I didn't." Demic, the werewolf says. "Buck, she must have escaped. No matter, she's probably dead, anyways." He says, grinning. "You really can't do this, Ressy." Lily uses her magic again, and a invisible claw grits across his face. He howls and points to Lily. "KILL HER!" The guards swarm in, and with one final scream, Lily's body fell to the ground, limp, just like Rupert's. III.III. - The Taste of Passion The water tasted overly salty as she swam through it. She was confused, had she knocked herself out? She didn't know what to do until she noticed a stone statue weighed down at the bottom. She swam over to it and looked carefully at its features. She swam back a little when she noticed who it was: Discord. But before she could swim away the statue sunk through the sand, the water sucking herself into the hole. She cried in pain as the hole began to melt away, like blood, and eat her up. *** "Ugh!" A voice called, pulling her and itself out of the water. Angels body was numb; and she shook herself when she noticed the pony pulling her out was Lance. "W-what happened..?" She asked, looking around. The Forest of Lies was ahead of her, and she rubs her eyes to get a better view. She turns around to see a dirt wall, and when she notices more clearly; the wall led up to where Lance had jumped. The sky seemed dark from her abandonment; but it was not that. It was because her parents were dead. She brushes her neck to find her locket is gone. "M-my locket!" She cries, looking into the water. Deep in the pond it twinkled, and Lance sighs. He weighs himself up and rockets back into the water, and pushes deeply into it. He grabs the locket and begins to swim back up. Suddenly, shouts were heard above and Angel peeks up. Her Uncle, Ressy screamed at the top of his lungs as he pointed down at her. She shudders and begins to flail for Lance. The guards begin to glide down when Lance breaches the water and notices them. Lance ties the locket around her neck carefully and the puts her on his back again. "What the buck did you do, Angel.." He says in a harsh tone. Angel sighs and feels the pressure on her as Ressy's shouts call louder and louder. Lance begins a gallop, slowly, but gaining speed. Angel hangs on and stares up at the fast flying pegasi guards. "I didn't do anything.." She says in a soft, innocent tone. Lance shakes his head, his hoof beats pounding against the earth wildly in a beat. Angel moans as the speed begins to get to her but she continues to hold her breakfast where it belongs. "You'll never escape! NEVER!" The lead guard yells, pressing in closer to Angel. His hooves grip out to try and grab her when Angel screams so loudly, he has to stop and cover his ears. He causes a collision with some of the other guards but some continue to fly on. After a minute or two of painful galloping they begin to enter The Forest of Lies, which was said to corrupt the mind if the lies were believed. However, some ponies said it wasn't all lies. Angel cries softly as the voices fill her ears painfully. You will never be queen...your brother is dead....your brother is a traitor...you will die...your parents are dead...Ressy will take over the kingdom forever...the future is lost, give up! "NO! THE FUTURE IS NOT LOST!" She screams, which alerts the guards where they are. Lance and Angel begin to hear the calls of the guards and Lance sighs again, galloping at the fastest pace he can. "We'll never out-run them, Angel...we better give up..." Lance says, slowing down. However, Angel kicks her back-hooves into Lance's sides which startles him again and he begins to gallop faster. "We have to...or else we're dead.." She says, her mind spinning around like a wheel. Her vision begins to fog up and slowly take her away. Before she knows it, she has fainted. *** "Hey, wake up Angel." A voice says. It seems familiar to her, but who could it be? She looks up to find Discord staring deeply into her eyes. "Gah!" She cries, stumbling back up. He chuckles softly as he levitates her closer to him, and she shudders. His fangs glisten in the light, and she begins to cry. "Huh? Whats wrong..?" He asks, pulling her closer to him. She stares at him with red eyes and sighs. "Is it true my parents are dead and my brother is a traitor..?" She asks in a soft tone. He sighs and looks deeper into her green eyes. He bites his lip a couple of times and then with slow but nervous words he says, "Yes...I'm deeply sorry." Angel's eyes begin to water even more as she bursts into tears, the room slowly filling up like a bucket. Discord panics and flinches, which makes her drop into it. She cries out for him but he can't reach her in time. So instead of reaching for her, he leans in and presses his lips against hers. She stops crying and stares up at him, longing for more of him and longing for him to stop. However, the passion fills her mind with red and she begins to slowly fall asleep, and wake her up. "I'll see you again." He says after breaking the kiss. She nods slowly, still scarred in the moment. *** "Angel...Angel wake up please!" Says a soft and calming voice that alerts her slowly. Its Lance. Her eyes flutter as she looks up at him and he hugs her tightly. She wonders if Discord really kissed her, or if it was Lance, trying to do some sort of medical treatment on her. She thinks slowly to herself, He must have thought I was dead or something. He looks greatly into her eyes and breaks the hug. The sky was a sort of pink-ish rose color, the color of her short-cut hair. She flicks her tail when she notices they were encamped in a cavern, to hide from the guards. "I haven't much time to explain, but tomorrow I must wake you early. I know for sure Ressy is going to send his guards to find us again." "But he's an Alicorn..doesn't he have magical powers and fancy flighty wings?" She asks. Lance stares at her with a confused look but then nods slowly. "He can only see us through the Rainbow Crystal, and hopefully he doesn't know where it is." "Whats that?" "The Rainbow Crystal? Its a crystal that lets the King and Queen look over the area if they think hard enough." Angel nods slowly and Lance hands her some food. All it was was a mixture of herbs and grasses. She looks at him with a sad face but he angrily stares at her, as if to say, 'Its all you'll get, eat it.' The sun begins to lower down behind the mountains and Lance is already fast asleep. Angel stares up into the sky and looks at the moon. My wish was to find true love...is Discord my true love? No, he couldn't possibly...but he could. Angel sighs and lays back down on the cave floor and stares into the fire. The fire dances and her eyes flicker around and around to trance her to sleep. Slowly, but surely, she falls asleep.
I.I. - The Coming of a Queen *** Once apon a time, there lived a large empire called The Romane Empire. This empire expanded over what we call Equestria. This empire was handed down for hundreds of years by many ponies. Every king and queen was very different, but some were better than the other. Some tried to tear down this empire by corrupting itself, and some tried to make the peasant ponies more free so they would pay less taxes. Some kings and queens were even killed by their guards, who were top superiority and only few were chosen every 5 years, depending on how good they were as knights. This empire was too big though, and was constantly invaded and raided by barbarian Germane tribes. These Germane tribes were considered uncivilized and very dirty. The Romanes, the ponies who lived in the Romane empire, were very proper ponies who did not want any trouble what-so-ever. However, even when peace treaties came from the empire, the tribes refused and continued to raid. The Romanes were very furious with the Germane tribes actions. From all the raiding, the empire attacked the tribes, making them lessen around the empire. The Romanes were finally happy that things had stopped. But if only they knew, things weren't stopping. The government continued to corrupt itself, by raising taxes and wasting money on stupid and silly things. The peasants were unhappy with all the taxes, and some tried to leave Romane. However, the king and queen refused for anypony to leave and they made the knights kill any ponies who had escaped the empire. The empire being too big was also a hassle, in which the lords had no communication with the other parts of the empire, which made them weaken even more, because tribes could raid them more easily. Soon enough, the empire came down to a boiling point; and collapsed. There was no light; no rain; no nothing. However, a king who inherited the throne brought back the empire he once knew; and he married a mare who was a lady. They vowed to their subjects that they would bring back the empire and they would make sure the problems that had destroyed the empire before would be taken care of. Over time, they wanted a foal. They wanted a colt especially, but were not saddened when they got a filly. They could see in the little foals eyes something very interesting. The priest told them that this foal was special; and would be some trouble; but would lead the empire through trouble and make it once it used to be. However; the priest warned them she would possibly make a terrible choice in her life. The choice the priest did not say; but the priest said it was a dangerous choice. One that could tear down the empire. The king and queen agreed to watch her with their strength; to make sure she took the right path. From that day on, she began her training. That little foals name, was Princess Angel. *** "Give me back my sword, brat!" screams a little colt. "Don't call me a brat! Your the brat!" teases the filly. The colt shoves his back-hoof into her face and the sword tumbles down from the filly's head, and the colt quickly pulls it up. The queen of Romane trots in to find the quarrel at her hooves. She sighs and quickly pulls the two ponies apart. "You little ones need to stop. Especially you, Angel." She says in a stern voice. "What did I do?! He's the one who's yelling!" whines Angel. The queen, Lily, rolls her eyes. "I was yelling because you didn't give my sword back!" He yells. The queen levitates the wooden sword, and places it up high, so the two of them can't get it. "Lightfeather, how many times did I tell you not to play with the sword!" She says madly. "But dad said-" he cries. "I do not care what you father said, its dangerous!" She pushes them both into their corners and they turn to face the wall. Lily trots out angry and they both sigh unhappily. "This is all your fault, Lightfeather." She groans, flopping onto her back. "My fault! Your the one who took my sword, Medical Attention!" He retorts, using her real name. She growls fiercely. "Don't use my real name!" She cries, kicking her back-legs into the wall. He snorts and turns to peak at her. "Medical Attention Medical Attention Medical Attention Medical Attention!" He repeats, and she angrily gets up to attack him. "My name is ANGEL!" She screams as she clutches her hooves on his neck, making him cough and squirm a ton. Lily storms in and levitates Angel away, making her slide across the floor to the corner yet again. "I thought I told you to NOT look at eachother." Lily snaps, stomping her hoof on the ground. They both squeal unhappily at the sound of their mothers harsh tone. They whisper sorry and then Angel yells. "He kept using my real name, mum!" She screams. "He yadda yadda yerdal real name mummy! MEDICAL. ATTENTION." He snorts. Angel whines again and Lily stomps her hooves again, but more violently. "ENOUGH!" Lily yells, her voice echoing through the manor. They both cower before Lily's angry tone. "I'm sick of you two quarreling constantly, day and night! And Lightfeather, you don't use Angel's real name!" "Well she surely isn't an angel for trying to kill me!" He retorts. Lily stares at him and he sighs. "Sorry, mum." "Sorry, mum." Angel sighs, and sits back in her corner sadly. "Its getting late you too. Go to bed. And Angel..." Lily trails off as Lightfeather runs off to go to bed. "Yeah mum?" Angel says. She stares at Lily with beady eyes. "If I find you brother dead in the morning, your dead too." Lily says, and she stomps off. The sound of servants calling Lily makes Lily yell again. "Got it mum," she calls, and she gallops off to go to bed. *** At sundown, Angel shifts in bed and gets up to go peek at the stars, and see if any shooting stars fly by her. She quietly goes past Lightfeather, who is in deep sleep already. Angel smiles at the sight of the winking stars and she sighs happily. Suddenly, she sees something rocket across the sky. "I wish," Angel pauses and thinks, then says softly, "I wish when I am older, I will find a true love." Angel knew her wish was kind of silly and stupid, but when she saw how sometimes mum and dad had fought sometimes, she wanted somepony like dad, but one who would not quarrel with her so much. Angel sighs as she trots back over to her bed and quickly falls asleep, enjoying the sound of rain tinkling against the balcony door. *** Everything was so dark. Angel was flying; flying through a whirlwind of colors and patterns. Angel looks around when she notices she has wings. She flinches when gems shoot from behind her; about six of them. Each had a color, and each represented things. A distant voice calls for her, and she looks around, her locket swinging side-to-side around her neck. The voice calls again. "Angel.....The Gems.....they connect with you...your soul...there are 5 in existence, and when the 5 are.....are pr-r-esent the 6th g-g--g----gem will appear.....the empire will crumble....b------but do not t---e---ll anypony else, this is for you t---o only know...g---oood...luck....A---ngel.." The voice fades away slowly, but Angel is confused, and she calls for it to come back. However, all she can hear is the sound of the wind spinning around in her ears. Suddenly, a black hole appears in front of her, and she begins to cry out. She cries out for help, but nopony answers her. She hits through the black hole, and she cries loudly. But nopony can hear her.
II.II. - The Nightmare in Reality She woke up from a terrible dream, only to encounter another one. But this one was different. She was actually in her room, standing clueless. The empire was really in crumble, and she takes a step outside. Everything was so dark and unwelcoming; the sky was a dark black, and lightning hit in the distance. The area around her was torn to pieces; the housing had crumbled; dead ponies scatter around on the ground; some stuck under the collapsed pillars and some just dead. Rats scurried across the walls and spiders huddled in the corners of her room; every creature seeming afraid of outside. But they weren't afraid of the outside; they were afraid of her. She had a black coat; it was no longer shiny and white. Her wings were tattered and feathers lay around her room. Spoiled blood tainted her face, her eyes a dark-red creme. Her tiny crown was just a fragment of crystals in a pile. "Is this what I'll become if I don't save the empire?" She says out loud. Her voice was no longer soft but it sounded of snakes hissing together. The rodents in the castle scurry at her voice and she cries out, "Wait, please!" They ignore her request and she stumbles around, feeling afraid. A voice fills her ears, making her feel even more afraid. "This is what the empire will become. Do you want this?" It asks. Suddenly, the voice gains a body. The body was what she knew; a Draconequus. "W-who are you...?" She asks, quickly getting up and stumbling back. He grins, bearing his fangs. She shudders at the look of his body. "Me? Why, I'm Discord. I've been living here for thousands of years, and I can live for thousands more, y'know." He says. "Why is your body...so odd?" She asks. She knew deep inside though, she felt very intrigued by the way he was made. "I'm made out of an eagle, a lion, a deer, a goat, a lizard, and many other splendid creatures." He says, floating up above her. She tries to fly up, but she's too weak. "Are you sure this is what will happen...Discord?" She asks softly. "I know its going to happen if you don't think fast. There will be challenges along the way too; and I, will be one of them." "W-what?! N-no..if you are...I have to defeat you now!" She howls, charging at him. He sneers and levitates her. "Tsk tsk, such a stupid pony. And your going to be queen someday? Wow, I'd hate to live in your empire." He retorts. "Shut up!" She yells. He grins at her, and she shudders again. "Why don't you..?" He says. He covers his lion paw over her mouth and she struggles for air. After a few minutes, she stops breathing, and he blows her off into the distance like powder. "Wake up, Angel!" He calls. *** "H-huh? W-what?!" She says, quickly getting up from bed. She stretches to find Lightfeather right next to her bed. "I said wake up! Its breakfast!" He yells into her ears, and she pushes him away. "Stop that!" She cries, stretching again. He snorts and walks out the door, and she sneers at him. She gets up from bed and she looks around the room; stretching her eyes. She sighs and scratches her sides to feel something feathery: She had wings. She panics but then gets excited. She was still just a filly, but she had gone into stage two; where she would gain her wings. She quickly runs through the halls calling, "Mum! Dad! Mum! Dad!" She continues to gallop through the halls until she reaches the dining room. All the ponies in the castle stared at her, and Queen Lily face-hoofs herself. "Mum! Dad! Your never going to believe it! I got my wings!" She unfolds her wings. They were quite tiny for her size; but that didn't bother her. "Well done Sweetheart!" Her father, King Rupert says. "Yes, well done!" Her mother says in a surprised tone. Angel hops over to her seat next to Lightfeather and they begin to eat their breakfast. They enjoy the morning when Angel feels something brushing against her leg. "Stop it Lightfeather," She whispers. "Its not me! I swear!" He whispers back, continuing to eat a roll with some gravy. Angel peers under the table to find a cute little dog brushing up against her leg. She smiles and picks him up with her hooves, and puts him on her lap. She smiles at his brownish features when she notice the dog start grinning. "Whats with your dog?" Lightfeather asks curiously. "Dunno, really." She says. The dog smiles even wider and his paw begins to rake down her leg. She cries out and everypony stares at her. "Surprise." The dog says, as he transforms into a giant werewolf. Everypony gasps and begin to run when the castle walls seem to burst and explode. "Theres an attack!" Rupert yells, sounding all the guards. The guard ponies come barreling in to find thousands of other evil guards charge in. But they don't charge for Rupert or Lily: They charge for Angel. Angel screams as she feels a wave of yells ring in her ears. Suddenly, something picks her up. Its Lance, the King and Queens personal body-guard. She yells for him to stop but all he says is, "We can't go back. Not for your brother, you mother, or your father. I was ordered to save you if something like this ever happened: You are special, Angel. If you die, all the empire will-" "I know! I know it will-" She stuffs her hoof into her mouth as he continues to gallop on. The voice, Discord, had told her never to tell anypony about her secret. Now look what she did. "Huh? Well, that doesn't matter, we better-" A pillar holding the castle falls down, and Lance steers left quickly; he gallops through town, the peasants galloping around, terrorized by the evil guards. Lance begins to slow down when he notices a couple guards chasing after him. He sighs and pulls out a steel knife. He chucks it at a guard, but it bounces off the guards armor. "Buck!" He yells, steering through the entrance of the kingdom. He continues to run until they reach the edge of the cliff. A pool beckons below for them to jump, but they were so high. Lance looks back to see the guards nearing them. He looks down, and at the guards. "JUST JUMP!" Angel screeches. It startles Lance, and he jumps, Angel holding tightly onto him. The guards skid to a stop. Kerrr--splash! The guards shudder at how far down it is, and they back away from the edge, and quickly gallop back towards the castle. *** Meanwhile, back at the castle, the guards surround the King and Queen, as well as a few lords and ladies and Lightfeather. They all laugh when a eerie click sounds in the air and they stop homing in. A stallion comes trotting in, and he stomps his hooves on the ground, as to clap. "Well done, Well done, my sister. You've been stupid once again." He says, his voice sounding like metal grinding up on a table. "Ressy...I should have know it was you who did this!" Lily yells. "But of course dear sister. I know you thought you banished me, but alas, I'm back. And I'm here to reclaim my throne, of course." He sneers. "Never! You never will!" Rupert screams. Ressy chuckles and teleports to him. He brushes his hoof under his neck and with a slice of his iron claws on his hooves, Rupert's head falls to the ground, his limp body falling down to catch it. Lightfeather gasps for a moment, but then feels a longing deep inside him. He steps up to Ressy and bows. "Lightfeather, at your service...Uncle." He chuckles. "Lightfeather! No, Ressy is terrible! Get away from him now!" Lily yells. Her horn flickers to try and teleport him out but Ressy envelops him with a barrier. "Mother, Uncle is perfect...he loves to spill blood...and I when I see it, I too, want to spill blood." Lightfeather says in a harsh tone. "See Lily? Your son loves me...now where Is that retched daughter of yours? Demic, did you kill her already?" He asks. "No sir, I didn't." Demic, the werewolf says. "Buck, she must have escaped. No matter, she's probably dead, anyways." He says, grinning. "You really can't do this, Ressy." Lily uses her magic again, and a invisible claw grits across his face. He howls and points to Lily. "KILL HER!" The guards swarm in, and with one final scream, Lily's body fell to the ground, limp, just like Rupert's.
III.III. - The Taste of Passion The water tasted overly salty as she swam through it. She was confused, had she knocked herself out? She didn't know what to do until she noticed a stone statue weighed down at the bottom. She swam over to it and looked carefully at its features. She swam back a little when she noticed who it was: Discord. But before she could swim away the statue sunk through the sand, the water sucking herself into the hole. She cried in pain as the hole began to melt away, like blood, and eat her up. *** "Ugh!" A voice called, pulling her and itself out of the water. Angels body was numb; and she shook herself when she noticed the pony pulling her out was Lance. "W-what happened..?" She asked, looking around. The Forest of Lies was ahead of her, and she rubs her eyes to get a better view. She turns around to see a dirt wall, and when she notices more clearly; the wall led up to where Lance had jumped. The sky seemed dark from her abandonment; but it was not that. It was because her parents were dead. She brushes her neck to find her locket is gone. "M-my locket!" She cries, looking into the water. Deep in the pond it twinkled, and Lance sighs. He weighs himself up and rockets back into the water, and pushes deeply into it. He grabs the locket and begins to swim back up. Suddenly, shouts were heard above and Angel peeks up. Her Uncle, Ressy screamed at the top of his lungs as he pointed down at her. She shudders and begins to flail for Lance. The guards begin to glide down when Lance breaches the water and notices them. Lance ties the locket around her neck carefully and the puts her on his back again. "What the buck did you do, Angel.." He says in a harsh tone. Angel sighs and feels the pressure on her as Ressy's shouts call louder and louder. Lance begins a gallop, slowly, but gaining speed. Angel hangs on and stares up at the fast flying pegasi guards. "I didn't do anything.." She says in a soft, innocent tone. Lance shakes his head, his hoof beats pounding against the earth wildly in a beat. Angel moans as the speed begins to get to her but she continues to hold her breakfast where it belongs. "You'll never escape! NEVER!" The lead guard yells, pressing in closer to Angel. His hooves grip out to try and grab her when Angel screams so loudly, he has to stop and cover his ears. He causes a collision with some of the other guards but some continue to fly on. After a minute or two of painful galloping they begin to enter The Forest of Lies, which was said to corrupt the mind if the lies were believed. However, some ponies said it wasn't all lies. Angel cries softly as the voices fill her ears painfully. You will never be queen...your brother is dead....your brother is a traitor...you will die...your parents are dead...Ressy will take over the kingdom forever...the future is lost, give up! "NO! THE FUTURE IS NOT LOST!" She screams, which alerts the guards where they are. Lance and Angel begin to hear the calls of the guards and Lance sighs again, galloping at the fastest pace he can. "We'll never out-run them, Angel...we better give up..." Lance says, slowing down. However, Angel kicks her back-hooves into Lance's sides which startles him again and he begins to gallop faster. "We have to...or else we're dead.." She says, her mind spinning around like a wheel. Her vision begins to fog up and slowly take her away. Before she knows it, she has fainted. *** "Hey, wake up Angel." A voice says. It seems familiar to her, but who could it be? She looks up to find Discord staring deeply into her eyes. "Gah!" She cries, stumbling back up. He chuckles softly as he levitates her closer to him, and she shudders. His fangs glisten in the light, and she begins to cry. "Huh? Whats wrong..?" He asks, pulling her closer to him. She stares at him with red eyes and sighs. "Is it true my parents are dead and my brother is a traitor..?" She asks in a soft tone. He sighs and looks deeper into her green eyes. He bites his lip a couple of times and then with slow but nervous words he says, "Yes...I'm deeply sorry." Angel's eyes begin to water even more as she bursts into tears, the room slowly filling up like a bucket. Discord panics and flinches, which makes her drop into it. She cries out for him but he can't reach her in time. So instead of reaching for her, he leans in and presses his lips against hers. She stops crying and stares up at him, longing for more of him and longing for him to stop. However, the passion fills her mind with red and she begins to slowly fall asleep, and wake her up. "I'll see you again." He says after breaking the kiss. She nods slowly, still scarred in the moment. *** "Angel...Angel wake up please!" Says a soft and calming voice that alerts her slowly. Its Lance. Her eyes flutter as she looks up at him and he hugs her tightly. She wonders if Discord really kissed her, or if it was Lance, trying to do some sort of medical treatment on her. She thinks slowly to herself, He must have thought I was dead or something. He looks greatly into her eyes and breaks the hug. The sky was a sort of pink-ish rose color, the color of her short-cut hair. She flicks her tail when she notices they were encamped in a cavern, to hide from the guards. "I haven't much time to explain, but tomorrow I must wake you early. I know for sure Ressy is going to send his guards to find us again." "But he's an Alicorn..doesn't he have magical powers and fancy flighty wings?" She asks. Lance stares at her with a confused look but then nods slowly. "He can only see us through the Rainbow Crystal, and hopefully he doesn't know where it is." "Whats that?" "The Rainbow Crystal? Its a crystal that lets the King and Queen look over the area if they think hard enough." Angel nods slowly and Lance hands her some food. All it was was a mixture of herbs and grasses. She looks at him with a sad face but he angrily stares at her, as if to say, 'Its all you'll get, eat it.' The sun begins to lower down behind the mountains and Lance is already fast asleep. Angel stares up into the sky and looks at the moon. My wish was to find true love...is Discord my true love? No, he couldn't possibly...but he could. Angel sighs and lays back down on the cave floor and stares into the fire. The fire dances and her eyes flicker around and around to trance her to sleep. Slowly, but surely, she falls asleep.
