War
A state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state. These conflicts often involve bloodshed, torture, deception, and all manner of horrible things. To be thrust in war is the day all innocence is stripped from you and in order to survive, one must adapt.
That is how it was for a group of young teenagers, who suddenly found themselves thrust into a world not of their own, and immediately had to learn the hard way just how awful war truly is.
But of course, as always, I’m getting ahead of myself. In order to understand, we must go back to where it all began…
<>
The air blew crisp and cool upon a clear fall afternoon in Canterlot City. Leaves of all different colors blanketed the landscape of the peaceful city. In the heart of this great city lay a high school known as Canterlot High, where children come to learn the basic principles necessary to navigate through life. Inside this learning establishment, there was one student in particular, who was brilliant far beyond her years… but also naïve in her youth.
Twilight Sparkle walked through the many mountainous columns of books in the school library. A free period for her at this hour, she did what she’s always done best whenever she had a moment of freedom: Paying a trip to the library. While many students took this opportunity of freedom to hang with their friends or catch up on their sleep, Twilight always preferred a good book and the knowledge they each held.
Currently, however, she wasn’t here for pure enjoyment of knowledge. She had a history report due for Mr. Cranky Doodle’s class strictly on Medieval Equestria. She needed to find the right books in order to prepare for it. And so here she was, scanning the shelves for the exact books she needed.
“Hmm… let’s see now,” She pondered, adjusting her glasses. “We’ve got ‘Equestria: A History’, ‘The Canterlot Chronicles’, and ‘Through the Eyes of Equss’.”
As she read off the names of all the books, she checked their names off a piece of scrap paper after placing each book safely into her backpack.
“Now… the only one left should be ‘Tales of Equestria’s Past’.”
Once more, Twilight scoured the many shelves and columns of books throughout the library. Until at last, she found the section she’d been looking for. Scanning across the many different assortment of chronicles of vast knowledge, she uncovered the final book she’d been seeking.
“Ah, there you are!” She smirked.
Reaching out to grab the book, she pulled… but it would not come loose. There were so many books packed into one section, it was difficult to pry it out. Twilight grabbed the book with both hands, giving it a few good yanks, but still it would not budge.
“Come on!” She groaned, pulling.
After a few more attempts, she finally had enough. Grabbing the book tightly, placing one foot along the bottom of the column, she pulled with all her might. The book slowly started to come loose until finally it popped right out of the column. Unfortunately, it also pulled the whole row of books with it and they all piled atop of Twilight. The purple bookworm girl groaned in pain as she shoved the books off her and resumed her full height. Dusting herself off, she looked down toward the huge pile of books cluttered all over the ground.
“Aww man, Ms. Cheerilee’s going to be so mad when she sees this!”
Twilight quickly placed her book into her backpack, picking up the other fallen books along the way. She just started placing them back on the shelf, in alphabetical order, before Ms. Cheerilee, the school librarian, arrives and saw the huge mess. As she placed the books back on the shelf, she noticed something odd about the shelf itself. On the back, there seemed to be a loose section of the shelf wall that had been shifted and there looked to be a hidden compartment.
Twilight tilted her head to the side in confusion before turning to her sides quickly, making sure she was completely alone. Seeing no one looking her way, she slowly reached forward and pulled the loose section away to see what lay in this compartment. To her surprise, she noticed what resembled a really old-looking leather book stashed away. Reaching for it, she pulled the old book out and examined it. There was a large amount of dust and cobwebs covering it. She brushed it all away until she could make out the title printed on the front.
‘A Song of Fire and Ice’
Twilight gazed upon the old leather-bound book curiously, wondering why it was hidden away. Clearly it had been put there for a reason. She didn’t have much time to wonder about it thought, as she heard footsteps approaching. Thinking quickly, Twilight put the old book in her backpack and quickly got back to picking up the other book. Thankfully, she finished just in time as her boyfriend, Timber Spruce, came around the corner and smiled at her.
Twilight smiled at the sight of her boyfriend of the last couple months. After the recent events of their Camp Everfree adventure, she and Timber had begun going out for the remainder of the summer and even continued on back at school. Originally when they met, Twilight thought the forest green-haired boy was a little self-centered. But as time went on, she quickly realized just how fun loving and sweet he really was. Eventually one thing led to another, and they’ve been together ever since.
“Well there she is!” Timber smiled. “The most beautiful and smartest girl in the entire school.”
“Aww come on,” Twilight giggled. “You’re going to make me blush!”
Timber quickly walked up and placed a single hand upon her cheek softly.
“What a crime that would be,” He joked. “If it really was a crime, you’d be under arrest right now.”
Twilight giggled again at his teasing, while her cheeks turned a faint pink from blushing. She threw her arms around his neck, stood upon her top toes, and he in turn placed his arms around her while they shared a quick yet passionate kiss. When they pulled apart, they both just smiled at one another.
“So what are you doing here in the library, as if I didn’t already know?” Timber smiled.
“I have a history report due on Monday,” Twilight responded. “Needed to grab a few books in order to write it.”
“I see,” Timber nodded. “You know personally, I think Mr. Cranky Doodle could ‘really’ use a good party to put a smile on that grumpy face of his.”
“You always think that’s the answer to everything.”
“Hasn’t failed me yet.”
Twilight giggled once more before she again pecked his lips quickly.
“Should I pick you up for the party tonight around seven?” Timber asked.
Twilight scrunched up her face in contemplation of the question, which Timber always thought was adorable.
“I don’t know if I should really go,” Twilight answered.
“You have to!” Timber responded, whining playfully. “I’ve been planning this party for a week now. I’ll look like a total loser if my girlfriend doesn’t show up.”
“I know. It’s just that I have so much homework, and with this project I just…”
Timber quickly cut her off with another kiss.
“Come on, it’s Friday night,” He told her. “You have all weekend to work on this project. At least come tonight and have fun with the rest of us. You’re other friends are coming, not to mention your brother Shining and Flash.”
Twilight quirked a curious eyebrow.
“My brother’s coming?” She asked.
“Yep!” Timber nodded.
“Why?”
“Well… I may or may not have told him Dean Cadance would be there, wearing a nice-looking cocktail dress.”
That alone got a giggle out of Twilight. She knew full well of her big brother’s crush on the Dean of Admissions at her former school, Crystal Prep. It all started back when he actually attended the school, and they shared a few classes together. Soon as they both graduated, she became the Dean of Admissions and he started working as deputy for the Canterlot Police Department.
“Well you know, if Shining is there, you can forget about making the party go out of control,” Twilight told him.
“Never really had any intentions of it going ‘completely’ crazy,” Timber assured. “It’s just a couple people from school getting together and hanging out.”
Twilight smirked at him with that ‘really’ look.
“Remember the last party you threw?” Twilight reminded.
“It was just a little itty-bitty… city wide power outage,” Timber chuckled nervously.
“An Air Marshall had to land a jumbo jet on the freeway.”
“Hey, those passengers now have a great story to tell.”
Twilight rolled her eyes and made to pull away, but Timber kept her in his grasp.
“Come on, just come for an hour and hang out,” He nearly pleaded. “That’s all I ask. Do that, and I’ll go with you to that new planetarium exhibit you’ve been talking about.”
Twilight thought for a moment before playfully groaning and rolling her eyes.
“Alright I’ll come,” She relented. “But you also have to give me a massage in addition to the exhibit.”
“Only if I can make out with you at the party,” Timber countered.
“Deal!”
Sealing the deal with a kiss, they finally pulled apart and walked hand-in-hand out the library. The whole time they walked, Twilight looked down toward her bag and the strange book she found. So many questions filled her head: What was it? Why was it there? And more importantly…
Who put it there?
<>
Later that very same evening, Twilight Sparkle sat at her desk in her bedroom. The whole time she studied the old book she uncovered in the library. The moment she’d gotten home from school, she raced to her room to examine it. When she first opened the front cover, she noticed a bunch of symbols on the first page. The symbols included a three-headed dragon, a direwolf, a golden lion, and a stag. Any hope she had of trying to read the book was snuffed out upon discovering the text was written in some strange language. She tried to determine if it might be old Equish or some other known language, but she couldn’t find anything.
Now she sat upon her desk trying to figure out what it all meant. Thankfully, she’d taken a little break in between to fix herself up for the party. She now wore a simple strapless pink dress and a pair of bright white heels. Her hair had been slightly curled with two braids wrapped in the back to give off a rather pretty look. She even applied a tiny amount of makeup to really stand out.
“Twilight, Timber is here!” Her mother called.
“Coming mom!” Twilight called back.
Twilight quickly grabbed the big book and placed it in her bag before slinging it over her shoulder. Making her way down the stairs, her parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, stood waiting for her. Upon seeing their daughter climb down the stairs, Twilight Velvet smiled brightly at her daughter with tears forming in her eyes.
“Oh sweetie, you look absolutely beautiful,” She admired.
“Thanks mom,” Twilight thanked her. “Truth be told it’s really nothing special.”
“Oh honey, don’t be ridiculous,” Her mother responded. “You look stunning and don’t ever think otherwise.”
It was then time for her father to step in and say something.
“Now remember, your curfew is 10 o’clock sharp,” He said sternly. “I better not hear anything about you and Timber being alone with a door shut. Is that understood young lady?”
Hearing her dad give his ‘Overprotective Dad’ speech, Twilight rolled her eyes and yet she nodded.
“Yes dad, I understand completely,” Twilight responded. “Besides, there’s no way that would even happen anyway. Shining’s going to be there too; you know how protective he can be.”
Night Light nodded in affirmation as Twilight approached the front door and pulled it open revealing Timber standing there in a nice white button-down shirt under a leather jacket, clean dark blue jeans, and his signature beanie cap on his head. He stared at her for a moment in admiration before finally finding the ability to speak.
“Wow… you look… wow!” He said amazed.
Again, Twilight started to blush as she stepped out the front door while closing it behind her.
“You look really handsome yourself,” She responded.
Timber offered her his arm, which she gladly accepted, and he led her to his car. Sliding right inside, Timber and Twilight rode off down the street to Timber’s house, where no doubt the party was already in full swing. As they rode along, Twilight glanced toward her bag where the book laid just inside…
<>
Pulling up in front of Timber’s house, Twilight gazed out the window spotting flashing lights. She could hear the base of pulsing music coming from inside. Even though she couldn’t see what was happening, she already made a pretty good guess in her head. She was certain a few things had already been broken, at least two people had thrown up from having too much to drink, and surely one couple was in the bedroom upstairs doing who knows what? How Timber was able to hide the party from his parents, who were away on business, was a miracle to her.
Timber stepped out of the car and made his way to Twilight’s side. Opening the door for her, he casually helped her out. The two walked toward the front door and before they could even open it, someone pulled the door open and raced out toward the yard before emptying out the contents of their stomach upon the front lawn. Twilight faced her boyfriend with a stern look, to which Timber merely shrugged sheepishly.
“Well… at least all the planes are still in the sky,” He joked.
Shaking her head, Twilight rolled her eyes before walking inside. Immediately, she was greeted to a bone-crushing hug courtesy of Pinkamena Diane Pie a.k.a. Pinkie Pie.
“Twilight! So glad you could make it!” Pinkie said excitedly. “Can you believe this party? It’s fun, don’t you think? Then again, it pales in comparison to the parties I throw. Usually at my parties there’s cake, and balloons, and streamers, and games…”
“I get it Pinkie,” Twilight interrupted.
“Come on, come on, come on! Everyone’s in the living room!”
Pinkie quickly grabbed Twilight’s wrist and pulled her into the living room, past a sea of partying teenagers. When they finally reached the living room, they saw all their friends gathered around: Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Sunset Shimmer sitting casually along the couch.
“Then I said to him, ‘I don’t care how much you bench press, I can still beat you at arm wrestling!’,” Rainbow concluded her story.
“What happened next?” Sunset asked.
“Let’s just say he’ll need a new table… and a new arm,” Rainbow chuckled.
“Honestly Rainbow, I don’t understand how you could possibly be so barbaric,” Rarity scoffed. “Sometimes I wonder if you are even a girl at all.”
“I could very easily pull up my skirt right now and confirm it for you,” Rainbow responded, slightly slurred.
She began to giggle uncontrollably as she fell onto Applejack’s lap.
“Exactly how much ya had tah drink tonight, sugar cube?” Applejack asked her.
“Only two drinks tonight officer, I promise,” She giggled.
“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped.
It was at that moment Flash Sentry walked in, along with Shining Armor.
“Some party huh?” Flash asked happily.
Shining approached Timber with an angry look on his face.
“I have half a mind to arrest you right now,” He said angrily.
“What did I do?” Timber asked defensively.
“Gee, where do I even begin?” Shining asked. “We’ve got multiple accounts of underage drinking, substance abuse, and indecent exposure from almost everyone at this party. Need I go on?”
“Hey, in my defense, I never brought any drinks or drugs to this party. I strictly sent away a bunch of people trying to sneak some in tonight… then a whole bunch of folks started showing up and maybe a few snuck some stuff in. I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Your party, your responsibility,” Shining glared.
The deputy then pulled out a bullhorn from the bag he carried with him and blared it throughout the house. All at once the music stopped and everyone was as silent as the grave.
“You all officially have five seconds to get our or I’ll have you all arrested!” He shouted out.
One drunken guy stumbled toward the deputy and decided to press his luck.
“Oh yeah? And what’re you gonna do about it… PIG?!”
He attempted to hurl a punch, to which Shining expertly dodged and threw his own punch which connected with the guy’s jaw and knocked him out. Shining proceeded to place handcuffs on him as everyone watched in fear.
“Anyone else wanna try their luck?” He asked.
Quick as a flash, everyone piled out of the house. Soon as everyone left the premises, Shining picked up the drunk guy off the ground and carried him to his police cruiser parked out front. Shortly after securing him to the back seat, Shining made his way back inside where everyone else remained in the living room.
“Unbelievable…” He sighed.
“Don’t be such a prude Shining,” Rainbow slurred. “We’re all eighteen now and we’ll be graduating this year. What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal is you’re all still in high school andunderage,” Shining responded. “You shouldn’t be doing stuff like this.”
“Believe me when I tell you darling, I would neverpartake in such events as this,” Rarity assured.
“I know you wouldn’t, Miss Rarity…”
“You are such a priss!” Rainbow remarked.
“I beg your pardon?!” Rarity asked appalled. “Some of us actually care about showcasing a sense of dignity and honor. Something a ‘real’ woman should know.”
“Wow… someone needs to get laid!” Rainbow shot back.
“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy gasped loudly.
“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t agree with me Flutters. She’s been that way since kindergarten!”
“Come on y’all, let’s all keep it cool,” Applejack said calmly.
“Aw, let them have it out,” Sunset scoffed. “In my experience, it’s the only way to clear the air anyway.”
“Well ah fer one ain’t lookin’ tah start some full-on bar room brawl in the middle of the living room!” Applejack shot back. “Especially since it ain’t our house!”
“ENOUGH!!!”
Everyone turned toward the lavender girl, who walked up and stood in the midst of everyone in the room.
“What’s happened to us?!” She asked seriously. “Ever since we left Camp Everfree and returned to school, everyone’s changed! Things have gotten so crazy lately and I’d like to know what’s going on?”
“What do you think?” Rainbow asked slurred. “We’re seniors now, Twi. Soon enough we’ll be graduating, then we’ll all likely move away, and start our new lives. Chances are we’re likely not going to see each other again so we ought to live it up now while we’re young.”
“Is that what you really think Rainbow?” Twilight asked. “Do you ‘all’ think that?”
No one in the room said a single word. They all either just looked toward the carpet or turned away all together.
“Guys, don’t you remember our promise?” Twilight asked assuredly. “No matter what the future holds for us, we’ll all stick together to the end.”
“Easy for you to say,” Sunset replied. “You already got your acceptance letter to Canterlot University. What about the rest of us?”
“Man, life was much easier years ago,” Flash spoke solemnly, sitting next to Sunset. “When we didn’t have to worry about life after high school~”
“Or a history report on Medieval Equestria on ‘Monday’,” Sunset giggled.
“Sometimes I wonder what it be like to live like how they did in the old times,” Timber chuckled. “Back when there was castles and horses, knights and fair maidens. Bet they never worried about stuff like today.”
“No… they had to worry about much worse,” Shining responded. “I’ve done my share of research when I was at school, and believe me when I tell you~”
As the conversation continued, Twilight felt a strange vibration stemming from her bag. Looking down, she noticed a strange glow emerging from her pack. With a yelp, she threw the bag onto the coffee table in front of everyone and the book slid out. It started to glow a brightly golden light, as it slowly levitated off the table much to everyone’s shock.
“What the hell is that?” Flash asked shocked.
*BOOM!!!*
The book flipped open toward the middle and a blinding radiance emerged, seemingly glowing brighter by the second. Everyone shielded their eyes, as the light grew brighter and brighter until finally…
Darkness…
https://m.
Author's Note
Much like Once Upon A Time, not every single scene is gonna be in this story. It’ll only be the ones involving our heroes.
Welcome to Westeros
Westeros: 298 A.C.
The Red Keep
A pair of brilliant blue eyes slowly open until they are looking straight toward the stone ceiling. Rarity groaned in pain, as she slowly sat up from her flat laying position. Everything ached, from the top of her head to way below her feet. Rubbing her sore head with the palm of her hand, she tried to recall what just happened.
The last thing she remembered was being at Timber Spruce’s house during a wild party. Then a strange glowing book fell from Twilight’s backpack before a huge blinding radiance appeared. Shaking the dizziness from her head, she slowly looked around her surroundings and her eyes widened in shock over what she saw.
No longer was she in Timber’s living room, but instead she was sitting on an old worn-down cot in a small stone room. There was a single old-fashioned oak door leading to who knows where and a single glass window that allowed the light of day to shine upon her face. Looking over to the side, she noticed yet another cot on the other side of the room. But she was more concerned with occupant of said cot.
Fluttershy lay out cold along the cot, breathing softly and completely oblivious to what’s going on. Rarity quickly raced over to her side and started to shake her awake.
“Fluttershy!” She whisper-yelled. “Fluttershy, wake up!”
Fluttershy groaned slightly as her own green eyes slowly opened, looking toward the concerned expression on Rarity’s face.
“Rarity? What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure darling,” Rarity responded. “I have no idea where we are or where the others are. Come now, let’s get out of here so we can find everyone.”
Rarity helped Fluttershy to her feet and together they made their way towards the door. Before they could reach it, the door opened with a loud creak sending both girls jumping with a shriek. In walked an old man with a long gray beard, wearing some old-looking dark-grey robes and wrapped in chains. Both Rarity and Fluttershy shivered with fear as they held each other, having no idea who this man was or what he intended to do with them. The man in question looked upon the two girls and gave a small smile from the corner of his wrinkled mouth.
“Ah, see you two have finally woken,” He said. “A most peculiar sight I must say to find two young women such as yourselves laid out before the Iron Throne.”
“The Iron Throne?” The girls asked, in unison.
Both Rarity and Fluttershy looked toward each other in complete confusion, trying to decipher what the man was talking about. What did he mean they fell from nowhere? What was this about a throne? So many questions raced through their head, and the only way they were getting any answers was to start asking questions of their own. Swallowing a huge lump down her throat, Rarity finally found the courage to speak to the stranger.
“Pardon me good sir, but I don’t quite understand what’s going on,” She stated honestly. “If I may ask, who are you and where exactly are we?”
The old man released a chuckle as he walked toward the corner of the room ad grabbed a couple wooden cups along with a wooden ladle. He started to scoop some water out of a bucket and into the cups themselves.
“Curious you would ask such a question as that,” He answered. “Everyone that dwells within the seven kingdoms knows the capital of King’s Landing.”
King’s Landing? Rarity and Fluttershy never heard of such a place before, much less about seven kingdoms this old man was talking about. The old man himself walked toward them and offered them the two wooden cups, to which both the girls reeled back a tad and earned another chuckle from the old man.
“No need to worry my dears,” He assured them. “You must both be fiercely parched for water.”
Hesitantly, Rarity and Fluttershy reached out and each took a cup in their hands. Both looked down, inspecting the contents of the cups to see that it was indeed only water. They both lifted the cups to their lips, allowing the cold water to run down their throats and quench their thirst that they never even knew they had. Soon as they finished, they handed the cups back to the old man who smiled and brought them back to the corner of the room.
“Now then, to answer your other inquiry, you may call me Grand Maester Pycelle,” He informed them.
“Well, um… thank you, Mr. Pycelle,” Fluttershy thanked him.
“Grand Maester Pycelle, my dear,” Pycelle responded. “It’s customary to address a Maester by their official title.”
“Forgive us Grand Maester, but I’m still quite confused,” Rarity spoke up. “We’re unaware of what’s going on or where we are for that matter.”
“No need to worry about that my child,” Pycelle assured her. “All will be explained shortly. I was instructed by the King and Queen to escort you to the throne room as soon as you’ve woken. That way they’ll decide what to do with you further.”
With that in mind, Pycelle made his way back to the door, opened it wide, and held it open for the two girls to exit. Both Fluttershy and Rarity looked toward each other uncertainly. They had no idea where they were or what was happening, only they were being escorted to someplace they did not know. Needless to say, they were both very nervous.
However, they both knew that in order to get the answers they needed it would require some investigation on their part. So it was with extreme caution they decided to follow Pycelle out the door. Soon as they departed the room, they stood in a long stone hallway leading toward two separate directions.
“Rarity? Fluttershy?”
The sound of a familiar voice made Rarity and Fluttershy snap their heads to the side toward a very familiar Shining Armor standing near them.
“Shining Armor!” They exclaimed loudly.
They quickly raced up and wrapped him in a hug, to which the deputy gladly reciprocated.
“What’s going on here?” Fluttershy squeaked fearfully.
“I don’t know,” Shining responded. “But we’re about to find out one way or another.”
“If you’d all please follow me,” Pycelle interrupted.
The old Maester started making his way down the stone hallway and the two girls, with Shining Armor, followed closely behind. After walking through a series of passageways and corridors, the group finally walked out into a gigantic room which could only be described as a throne room. There were columns all throughout the room, decorated in intricate vines and flowers, stained-glass windows, and two giant oak doors leading elsewhere. The center point of the enter room was the throne sitting atop a small flight of stairs. The throne itself looked like it was made of many different swords that had been melted and fused together. It was certainly an intimidating sight to say the least.
Sitting upon the throne was a middle-aged man with a protruding fat gut, dressed in regal clothes, and wore a golden crown upon his head. Standing beside him was a beautiful woman with flowing golden hair and dressed in an ornate-red dress. Before them were four men dressed in golden armor, wearing gold cloaks woven with the finest silk. They all had swords strapped to their sides and looked as though they were more than ready for a fight. Grand Maester Pycelle stepped before the group and bowed in respect before turning back toward the two girls and Shining.
“You are in the presence of King Robert of the House Baratheon; first of his name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and protector of the realm.”
Rarity, Fluttershy, and Shining looked at each other in confusion, but followed the Maester’s footsteps and bowed before the mighty ruler in respect. Meanwhile, Robert just scoffed and stood from the throne.
“Ah, enough with the fucking titles, Pycelle,” He scoffed. “Honestly, how in the seven Hells did it come to where a king had to have so many god damned titles?”
“Apologies, your grace,” Pycelle bowed again.
Robert looked down toward the two girls, and their male companion, as he slowly stepped from the throne and stood before them.
“You’re all a strange looking lot, aren’t you?” He spoke. “How the fuck did you get your skin to resemble that color? And what’s with your hair? Just where the Hell did you all come from?”
Rarity wanted to point out just how rude this man was acting but chose to hold her tongue. Here they were in a strange place with no idea where they were or where their friends were. Insulting a king probably won’t be the best way to get answers.
“Well you see your grace, that’s a long story,” She answered honestly.
“Well I’ve no time for stories,” Robert responded. “Give me the short of it.”
“Well your grace, we come from another land,” Shining spoke up. “A land called… Equestria?”
Hearing the name of their homeland, King Robert paused for a spill… then bellowed out in laughter. Never before had he heard of such a place, and honestly… it sounded like a big joke.
“Equestria?” He chuckled. “What kind of fucking name is that for a country?”
He soon stopped laughing when he noticed the looks on their faces.
“You’re honestly serious?” He asked. “Well then, where exactly does your land lie? I’ve been all over the Seven Kingdoms and explored the lands beyond from Dorne to Essos. But never have I heard of an ‘Equestria’ before.”
“Well… you could say it’s kind of… far away?” Fluttershy spoke softly.
“Ah… you’re foreign visitors, eh? What brings the lot of you to Westeros?”
“No doubt to scout the lands for an invasion,” The woman intervened.
The woman stepped from beside the throne to stand alongside Robert, who merely rolled his eyes at the sound of her voice.
“This is my wife Cersei of House Lannister,” Robert introduced unenthusiastically. “Pay no mind to her ramblings.”
“My ramblings are what keeps the seven kingdoms prosperous while you eat, drink, and whore your way through life!” Cersei shot back.
“Shut your mouth woman before I silence you with the back of my hand!”
“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped.
“I assure you your grace, we aren’t here to invade your lands,” Shining assured Cersei. “We don’t want to be here any longer than we need to. We’d just like to find our friends and go back home where we belong.”
“So you say,” Cersei replied. “Do you take me for a fool? I’ve dealt with foreign invaders before; they all come with the same story as you. For all we know, your ‘friends’ are sanctioned in other parts of the land seeking weaknesses for our armies, waiting for an opportunity to strike.”
“How dare you?!” Rarity exclaimed loudly. “We’ve done absolutely nothing of the sort. You may be Queen, but that doesn’t give you the right to be so… so rude!”
“You dare speak that way to me, little bitch?!” Cersei hissed.
“ENOUGH!” Robert bellowed. “I’ve no time to deal with the prattling of women! We ride for Winterfell in a day’s time, and there’s lots of work to be done.”
“And what would you do with these invaders?” Cersei asked her husband.
“Uh… banish us from your kingdom and let us go free?” Shining asked.
“Hold your tongue!” Cersei hissed, facing Robert. “You cannot permit them to walk free. Put them in the black cells until we return.”
“Black… cells…?” Fluttershy whimpered.
“The day I let a woman tell me how to run this kingdom is the day I bend the knee to a Targaryen!” Robert shot back.
Robert faced the two girls and the boy before turning toward one of his gold-cloaked King’s guards.
“Ser Meryn, you will escort these three back to their room for the time being until we return from Winterfell,” He ordered.
“Yes your grace,” Meryn nodded.
“But we didn’t do anything wrong!” Shining exclaimed. “You can’t keep us prisoner!”
“I can… and I will,” Robert said, in Shining’s face. “Or… if you’d prefer I take the Queen’s suggestion and throw your sorry ass in the black cells. Trust me boy, you’d ‘prefer’ the other option.”
Ser Meryn and the four gold cloaks approached the teenagers, waiting for them to follow behind. Though hesitant and angry, Shining and the girls reluctantly followed the gold cloaks from the throne room and returned to their rooms. Already things were not going well for them and all they could do was hope things were much better wherever their friends were.
<>
Winterfell
“Quickly, run and find mother and father. They are waking up.”
The sound of shuffling across some surface was the first thing that could be heard, followed by a creaking door opening and shutting until Rainbow Dash and Applejack groaned in pain as they stirred from their sleep and sat up. Strangely enough, the surfaces they were laying on were oddly soft and comfortable, but that was of little concern thanks to the brutal aching in their heads.
“Ah man, it feels like I got run over by a truck!” Rainbow moaned.
“Or kicked in the head by a mule!” Applejack agreed.
“Always farm talk with you, isn’t it?”
Both girls rubbed their heads as they looked around their surroundings, taking in the sight of cobblestone stone they now apparently resided in. Looking down they realized they were laying on beds covered in what looked like furs, which would explain why it was so comfortable. What really caught their attention, however, was the young girl sitting directly beside them on a chair. The child couldn’t have been any more than twelve years old with dark brown hair that went just past her shoulders and two brown eyes staring at them curiously. Applejack and Rainbow both looked at the girl curiously.
“Uh… hello there,” Rainbow greeted awkwardly.
“You are both very lucky to be alive,” The girl spoke seriously. “Had my father not found you out in the woods when he did, surely you would have been eaten by an animal.”
“What are ya talkin’ bout?” Applejack asked.
“Do you not remember anything?”
Both Rainbow and Applejack faced each other, before turning back toward the girl shaking their heads.
“My father and brother were out hunting in the wilds when they came upon the two of you and some boy passed out,” The girl explained. “Father thought perhaps you all might have gotten lost and became dehydrated from lack of water. Robb thought perhaps you were all victims of an ambush by a group of raiders.”
Again Applejack and Rainbow looked at each other in confusion. What was this kid talking about them being out in the woods? They didn’t really have time to question it further as the door to the room opened and in walked two other people: A man and a middle-aged woman. The man was tall and brooding, with a mop of brown hair that went to the back of his neck and a stubbled goatee to match. He wore some strange looking clothing that resembled some brown leather and a furred cloak. The lady, meanwhile, had dark reddish hair tied back in some form of bun and wore a long dark blue dress that covered her entire form.
“Arya, stop bothering the poor girls and run along,” The lady told the girl.
The girl looked as though she wanted to argue back, but the stern look from the older gentleman made her rethinking that. With a single nod she jumped up from the chair, before giving the two girls a nod as she walked out of the room. The two elder people sat down in two chairs alongside the girls and looked right at them.
“I must apologize if she was pestering you at all,” The woman apologized. “Arya is often far too curious for her own good. But please forgive me for I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Catelyn Stark, this is my husband Eddard Stark, the Warden of the North.”
“A pleasure,” Ned bowed his head.
“Uh… sup?” Rainbow greeted awkwardly.
<>
Pentos
A cold, wet compress was the first thing Twilight Sparkle felt as her lavender eyes slowly opened. When they did, they were instantly met by a pair of amazing light-violet purple eyes and a warm smile. Both belonging to a beautiful young girl with long flowing silver blonde hair, wearing some type of eccentric grey dress. Twilight yelped in surprise and sat right up in bed which made the girl jump back with a start of her own.
“Please relax, go easy,” The girl spoke softly. “You’ve had quite the traumatic experience.”
Twilight’s eyes darted back and forth a million miles an hour as she scanned her surroundings. She noticed they were in a rather large room made of some sort of brick and wood. It was most certainly a very lavish room with all sorts of refine décor and furnishings. The one familiar thing she noticed was Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie, and Timber Spruce sitting at a nearby table just talking to one another. When they heard her yelp, they all turned to see her now fully awake. Pinkie Pie burst from her seat and raced toward Twilight, grasping her in a hug.
“Oh Twilight, thank goodness you’re alright!” She said thankfully. “We were so worried you were super-duper hurt, but thankfully we were found and brought here. We’ve been taken good care of since, well… you more so than us seeing as you were the one who nearly drowned. But we were okay, and…”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Twilight interrupted, shocked. “I almost drowned?!”
“Yeah… apparently when we got here, you were face down in the sea when they found us,” Timber added, approaching her bedside. “Thank goodness you’re okay.”
He wrapped her in a gentle hug as Sunset approached.
“I know you’re probably wondering what’s going on right?” She asked.
“That would certainly be really useful,” Twilight nodded.
“Maybe it’s best if we let our new friend here explain,” Timber gestured to the silver-haired girl.
The girl in question sat by Twilight’s bedside, looking her right in the eye.
“My name is Daenerys of the House Targaryen,” The girl introduced herself. “You were found floating unconscious in the Narrow Sea when Magister Illyrio and his men found you all. Thankfully your friends seemed to merely be washed up on shore, disoriented and confused, but you were rushed to this room and treated immediately. Thankfully they were able to get all the water out of you. Though I must ask, what is the last thing you remember?”
Twilight shook her head of all the crazy thoughts piling through her head, trying to focus on the questions she was just asked.
“Okay, well this is probably going to sound crazy and to be honest it’s really crazy to even say it,” Twilight warned. “We come from a land called ‘Equestria’. I found this really weird book hidden in our school’s library and I tried to figure out what it was doing there and what it was. Then we were all at a party later that same night and suddenly the book just started glowing. Next thing you know some bright white light flashed out of nowhere and now we’re who knows where!”
Daenerys quirked an eyebrow over her explanation, slowly turning toward the others for input. To which they all just simply shrugged in confusion.
“Kinda freaky-deaky isn’t it?” Pinkie asked. “Even I don’t understand it~”
“Daenerys!”
Everyone jumped at the loud voice, as the door to the room quickly opened. A man walked in sharing the same features as Daenerys, especially his silver white hair. This was her older brother Viserys, the ‘rightful’ heir to the Iron Throne. He stared toward the Equestrian group for a moment before his gaze drifted over to the young silver-haired girl.
“What are you doing here sweet sister?” He asked. “You should be preparing to meet your future husband tomorrow, not concerning yourself with common peasants.”
“Who are you calling peasants, jerk?” Sunset spoke up.
Viserys snapped his gaze in her direction with a much more heated, hateful look upon his face.
“I could have you gutted for saying such things to me little cunt!” Viserys hissed.
“Oh yeah?” Sunset challenged. “Well bring it on, ghost hair!”
Viserys stomped over and raised his hand to strike her. But Daenerys jumped in front of Sunset before he had the chance.
“Please don’t!” She pleaded. “She didn’t mean it!”
“The little whore must learn her place!” Viserys growled.
“You can’t!”
“I am the King! If I wish to discipline her, I shall. What do you care anyway?”
Daenerys looked toward the other two girls and Timber Spruce, who all looked as though they were ready to jump in should things get out of control. But she knew if they did, things would only get worse. So… she could only do the ‘one’ thing that came to her mind.
“She’s my new handmaiden,” She said quickly. “All three of them are.”
Viserys paused for a moment as he looked from Sunset to his sister.
“I never agreed for you to have ladies in waiting,” He said.
“Illyrio believed having them at my side would assist in making my transition into the Dothraki more bearable,” Daenerys lied. “Worry not brother, I will make sure she is properly disciplined for her defiance and make sure she knows her place going forth.”
Viserys turned his attention to Timber Spruce.
“What of the filthy dog?” He asked bitterly. “He isn’t able to be a handmaiden, so I might as well teach him how to respect his superiors.”
“What did I do?!” Timber asked.
“He is to be my new sworn sword,” Daenerys answered quickly.
“The bastard doesn’t seem capable of holding a stick, much less a sword.”
“That is why Illyrio will have him trained,” Daenerys assured. “He will guard me and my handmaidens and gladly lay down his life for us if need be.”
“Just to clear the air, I worked with an axe where I come from,” Timber spoke up quickly. “So… handling a sword should be nothing! Heh-heh…”
Viserys kept breathing heavily as he looked back and forth between his sister and the Equestrian group. Truth be told, he’d rather throw them out onto the streets where surely the girls would be beaten or raped. As for the boy, he’d sooner have him worked to death like a horse. Taking a deep breath, he roughly grabbed his sister’s chin and stared coldly into her eyes.
“You will ensure they are properly educated to serve,” He warned. “If they so much as falter ‘even’ once, I will have them whipped through the streets. Understand?”
Daenerys gave no response and just nodded in understanding, to which Viserys released her and sent one more glare toward the Equestria group before leaving the room.
“We are definitely not in Canterlot City anymore…” Sunset muttered.
“Nope!” The others spoke in unison.
