Author's Note

Warning: Violent depictions of gore ahead, maybe a little psychological horror, and some tense debates between political leaders. You have been warned!

Let me guess? "Why did this take so long?" Well, let me tell ya...

I had a writer's block that lasted a week or two. Then I was confronted by a situation on how long the initial chapter would be. So I decided to split it in two to make it easier to understand. And as for the last reason? I decided to remove the music for now. I see it as a distraction, unfortunately. Sad...oh, and I am also sorta injured, so it has been a rough few weeks.

Now I am back to push this story along. Hope you guys can understand. Stay tuned for tomorrow's posting of Chapter 6, otherwise knows as Chapter 5 part 2. Bye!

-Harpy

Edit: I revised this chapter on May 29th, 2023. Hopefully, the attitude and tone of this new version will satisfy the story's perspective from now on. And these revisions do not affect the storyline past chapter 7. It only is focused on correcting the tone it first gave off when initially released.

Growing Tensions Meet (NSFW) {revised}

Chapter 5: Growing Tensions Meet (NSFW)

[...]

It felt like the world had just stopped like time had ground to a screeching halt.

At one point, Princess Celestia had given her diatribe on the judgment of Alexander Walkerson and was about to slam the gavel down on the verdict. The human sat in silence, unaware of what was happening around him.

On the other hoof, there was this loud, earth-shattering BOOM!!!

Then, a flash of light tore through the entire throne room, blinding everycreature and hurdling them back. We were all caught off guard when ‘they’ appeared.

There was no time to react. Unfortunately, shards of glass came crashing down and landed on the creatures seated in the rows upon rows of seating available. Those unfortunate enough to not move out of the way in time collapsed across the rows of seats.

Not like they had any time to react. It all happened in an instant.

I, for one, was lucky enough to be sitting on the council. Being up here allowed me to scout the scene before retreating behind the large bench. I knew we would have an intense battle ahead of us, with what appeared to be 40 mercenaries emerging from the thick smoke pouring into the throne room.

The guards stationed at the back of the throne room were knocked off their hooves, some unconscious and unaware of the situation. However, some stood up and immediately began to fight back against their attackers.

As for the council, some members fell back by the unexpected assault on the castle. Most of them retreated and took cover behind the bunkered bench before us.

For now, time was not on our side. Every second wasted was another second the enemy had the advantage. From now on, we will have to make decisions on a whim. There was no time to think about the consequences of said actions.

I looked at some of the council members and had an idea. Acting immediately, I got on all fours and dove back toward my solar alicorn.

“Celestia!” I cried out, diving out to her side. The alicorn turned to me with widened eyes, quickly bringing me in for a hug before separating.

“Are you all right, Nacreous?” Celestia responded, visibly shaken from the events.

“I’m alright,” I reassured her. “Take a deep breath, okay? Deep breaths.” I tried calming her down as I thought up the plan. “I need you to take the council members here and get them to room SB008. It’s by far the farthest one away from the throne room and the current danger.”

She stared back at me as if I were crazy. “I’m not leaving here without yo-”

“Time’s not on our side, Celly!” I snapped back at her. This outburst caused her to flinch. I closed my eyes, regaining my composure before continuing. “We need to get them out of harm’s way. For all we know, they may be the targets of this attack. There’s no time for dawdling. Let’s go!” I pushed her back toward the council members huddled behind us.

Celestia’s wings flared as she turned her head to face mine. “Nacreous, which wa-”

“Through those doors,” I replied, pointing to her right. “Take them through there and reach room SB008. Tuck them in safely and have six guards protect them at all costs. We currently have many lives on the line, so let’s hurry!”

========================================<>========================================

Celestia nodded determinedly and turned to gather the other council members. As my alicorn ushered them away from the chaotic scene, I hurriedly approached Commander Shifting Sands. He was crouching behind one of the smaller sections of the bench.

His section was broken off at the right corners, doubling as a protective barricade. He was barking orders into a transmitter device, his voice quiet compared to the commotion.

“...and make sure the Lunar Knights arrive to aid those affected by the attack on the castle! The throne room is where we are under siege! Is that understood?!” he yelled at whoever was on the other end of the line.

“Commander Shifting!” I shouted, flying past the open spot in the barricade and arriving on his left side.

“Emperor Nacreous!” Shifting exclaimed before shaking his head. “It’s not looking too good. Canterlot Castle is under heavy attack, as well as the nearby districts. They methodically had this planned out, getting into the city like a Trotterjan horse.”

“Then get your guards on the move to push them in toward the castle,” I declared. Shifting looked up at me, his ears perking.

“Push them in toward the castle?” the Commander asked. “Why would we want to do that?”

“We need to create a perimeter around Canterlot,” I explained, holding my claw up loosely. “From there, we push in on all sides…” I demonstrated by tightening my fist.

“That’s a very good plan, Emperor Nacreous, but there’s a problem,” Shifting Sands countered. “We simply lack the pony power to do so. The guards are stationed here to pro-”

“That’s our responsibility,” I said while pointing at myself and Princess Luna. The younger alicorn came over and sat there with a confused look. Then, I elaborated on what I meant. “Send a message to all the guards. Surround the city and move in on all fronts. If the perpetrators try to escape, use whatever they can to prevent that.”

“But what of the civilians?” Princess Luna inquired, my eyebrows raising. I had completely forgotten about that part. “Surely th-”

“Commander Shifting,” I interjected. “See to it, we get a magic screening spell across the perimeter as you move toward the castle. The bubble created will detect whether or not they are civilians. These guys may be able to disguise themselves as innocent civilians, so if snuffed out, detain and send them to the holding cells underneath the city.”

“Sectors Alpha 2 and 3?” Shifting asked, remembering the underground network of bunkers.

“Yes,” I confirmed in response. “As for the civilians, try getting them out of harm’s way. Preferably as far away from the action as possible.”

“Sectors Alpha 8 and 9?” he inquired, to which I shook my head.

“No. Sectors Charlie 7 and 8,” I demanded. “The edge of the city will do for now.”

========================================<>========================================

The Commander pulled out another transmitter device with his magic and relayed the orders to his units. Meanwhile, I turned to Princess Luna, who was preparing her battle armor.

“So much for a quick day, huh?” I asked her with a smirk.

“It would seem so, Nacr-”

bang!

Another detonation came from the opposite end of the throne room. A chorus of screams and shouting flooded the air as I regained my composure.

“What do we have to face?” I asked the lunar alicorn. She looked over the barricade quickly and popped back down.

“There appear to be about 40 creatures congregating at the back of the room,” Luna observed. “Some are coming through the painted glass windows on the right side. And it seems as though most of the crowd of civilian creatures have cleared out by whatever means they could.”

“That sounds like good news,” I declared as I peeked over the barricade. However, another thing caught my eye other than the band of creatures that burst through. Damn, I thought, seeing some creatures slumped over the rows of seats and ponies lying on the ground dead. Blood pooled around them as they remained motionless. Civilian deaths aren’t going to sound good in the morning.

“Prepare yourself for battle, Princess Luna,” I redirected. “We won’t have the luxury of the Royal Guard since we need them to prevent those attacking creatures from scattering.” As I said that, I made sure to activate my armor, with the weapons appearing slowly.

“But, Nacreous,” Luna asked cautiously. “Are we forgetting something?”

“What do you mean?” I inquired, my eyes squinting. “What am I forgetting about?”

“Alexander,” Luna mouthed quietly. My ears perked as I looked over the barricade to where he last was. Surprisingly, the human had remained in place the entire time, unfazed by the commotion surrounding him and staying still.

“Luna?” I replied, pointing a talon at the statue-like human. “Look. Alex isn’t budging from his spot.” The lunar alicorn looked over as well, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Th-That’s…odd….” Luna hesitantly replied, her voice getting lower in volume. “Why hasn’t Alex moved?”

“I don’t know, but I think these creatures are trying to free him,” I theorized. We both returned our heads behind the wooden wall as a flash of light appeared.

poof! “I forgot!” Princess Celestia exclaimed, charging her horn. “Alex is going to escape!”

“Tia, wait!” Luna hastily shouted, getting in front of her sister. “Don’t!”

“Luna, get out of my way,” Celestia replied angrily, growling in utter annoyance at being delayed from doing anything abruptly and without hesitation.

“Tia, Alex hasn’t moved!” Luna answered quickly. “Look! He hasn’t moved at all!” The younger alicorn pointed her hoof behind her and to the left, causing Celestia to peek over the barricade. Slowly, her horn stopped charging as she stared in disbelief.

“H-How?” Celestia mouthed silently, looking at her sister with confusion.

Luna and I both shrugged as Celestia took one more look at the motionless human.

boom!

That seriously got our attention as a detonation occurred much closer than before. But, after the smoke cleared, I peered back over the barricade and saw another sight that terrified me.

Alex had been displaced from his position, now falling over the broken side of his table. The human’s arms tried to brace his fall, but he slammed into the ground and rolled over onto his stomach. As he lay there, he stopped moving, a bit of blood beginning to leak from his arms.

“Alex just got hit,” I unnervingly commented, bringing myself back over the barrier. Celestia and Luna turned their heads to me, their eyes widening in shock. “Alex has to be sent back to his room. And quickly!”

“I got it,” Celestia replied, activating her horn. “Done. I just sent a message to Alex’s main guard pony. He’ll ensure Alex is returned to his room promptly.”

“That stallion better return him to the room,” I warned my solar princess cautiously. “Swift is also considered his best friend in Equestria, so whatever Alexander asks of him, Swift might actually do it.”

“I don’t think Swift would risk his job and future just to try and free Alex during this predicament,” Luna pointed out. “Swift knows what his job entails, and going against our command will also be seen as treasonous behavior.”

Celestia nodded as I shrugged. “Okay then,” I conceded. “Do we know the game plan?”

“Kick some tail?” both of the sisters replied in unison. I grinned, shaking my head.

“Don’t hold back!” I forcefully stated with a smirk. “By the way, Celly. You got a bit of rust on your armor.”

“Really?” Celestia replied with concern, hurriedly looking at her armor. I chuckled slightly, resulting in her turning her head to look at me again. This time, her face wore a dead-panned expression. “There’s no rust, is there?”

chuckle “No, but you do look good in it, haha!” I laughed. Celestia rolled her eyes as she looked at her sister. The younger alicorn had a fierce look in her eyes as they both nodded and prepared to leap over the barricade.

As I took a deep breath, I nodded with approval before returning to our current objective. As I gripped the top of the structure, the last bit of armor had pieced itself together, and the sword from ages ago appeared in my right claw.

As the congregation of mercenaries approached our position, I raised the shield in my left talon to protect myself, drew in a deep breath, and forced a fiercely loud battle cry from my beak.

A cry that nocreature has heard ever since the violent eruption on Mount Pentanu.

“KAAAWHH!!”

========================================<>========================================

It was complete bedlam.

The mercenaries that had rushed our position were stopped dead in their tracks by the sheer force of Emperor Nacreous’s battle cry. Fear was instilled into their minds as one of them shook its head and looked back at the three of us menacingly.

snarl! Celestia and I jumped over the barricade after what I assumed to be the ‘ringleader’ of the operation. The crocodile-hybrid creature snarled at us, getting low in an attacking position. Then, something unexpected occurred.

SLASH!! A titanic slash tore through the entire group that charged us, displacing half of them to the left side of the throne room and the other half to the right. Many slammed against the stone pillars that held the castle’s ceilings up, forming large cracks in the pillars.

We’ll have to be careful to watch out for falling debris, I thought carefully before looking at Celestia. Her firm nod confirmed we would have a hardened battle of attrition ahead of us, so I quickly took position on the front half of the left side of the throne room while she took the back half of the left side.

It was time to strike with impunity. I immediately found myself confronted by two fast attackers, who bull-rushed me first, thinking I was the weaker one. Little do they know, I smirked at the thought, you have no idea what I am capable of.

“BRING IT!!” I cried in my Royal Canterlot voice as they charged head-on against me. I lowered my sword and parried their initial attack with a quick thrust forward. They separated, one trying to dive below my initial attack. I lowered the shield in my magical grasp to prevent the attack, and in response, the creature threw three knives toward my legs.

cla-cla-clank! The shield absorbed the attack as I lowered the sword with full force back down and toward it. The creature’s eyes widened as it passed through, splitting it in two. Blood spewed from the mercenary as his body split in half, making me jump back to avoid the carnage. Watching the second slowly stop and look at its dead partner, I growled and raised my sword.

Using less of my magic, I grabbed the second creature’s arm and pulled it toward me. The sword pierced through its armor, causing it to groan from the sudden object entering and staying within his frame.

“Going somewhere?” I commented slyly, releasing the crocodile mercenary from the sword by pushing him back with my forelegs. The creature flopped to the ground as blood spewed from the wound, coating his body in a blood pool. Not having time to react, I instinctively dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding a thrown weapon.

It appeared to be a diversion since another one of the mercenaries had gotten too close for comfort. The dragon attacker attempted to stab me with its dual-wielding knives, slipping past my shield and nearly hitting me. I raised the shield up violently, causing the creature’s arm to rip upward and drag its body into a backward somersault.

From there, I hastily pivoted and put all my weight onto my forelegs. Extending my back legs at the right moment, a loud crunch! reached my ears as the dragon went flying toward the back of the throne room.

As I took a second to catch my breath from the attacks, I glanced at Celestia to see how she was fairing against her group. Needless to say, I was surprised.

========================================<>========================================

Holy Mother of Faust, I thought. She’s holding her own really well. A few poor souls cried out in terror as they were surrounded and incinerated by the fury of her infernal fire.

I returned my attention to the group before me, where three remained. One was a bipedal bird creature holding a mace ball and chain. The second appeared to be a griffon, its body more lion than a bird. It had an ax in its right claw and a small shield upon its left arm.

The last was different from the two, a mare with a massive scar down the side of her face and neck. The pony mercenary had a few knives attached to her hindlegs, a few daggers close to her hip, and carried a detonating device within her forehoof.

The three chuckled as the pony threw the bomb device toward my location. Gripping the shield within my magical grasp, I threw it at an angle and then tilted it upward. The bomb ricocheted off the shield, bouncing back toward the three mercenaries, who suddenly froze in fear.

“Oh-”

boom!

I was caught off-guard by the massive explosion, which cracked the tiling and exposed several holes in the floor. I restabilized myself as the ground stopped shaking, but not before ducking to the ground in fright.

whisk! slam!

A massive sword whisked past me, causing me to hit the ground hard. After peeking to see that the coast was clear and no mercenary was charging me, I looked in the direction it was thrown from and couldn’t believe my eyes.

Emperor Nacreous, now surrounded by eleven different creatures, motioned with his right claw for the sword. At first, I thought the hippogriff wanted me to throw it back using my magic, but after he fended off two opposing attacks, the sword flew past my left ear and back toward him.

Nacreous caught the sword as he jumped, twisting slightly in the air and hurtling it like a boomerang against the group. As the sharp iron sword tore through them, blood gushed out from their wounds one by one, resulting in shrieks of torment from the mercenaries’ mouths.

As the hippogriff landed and reclaimed his bloodied sword, Nacreous firmly nodded to me. I smirked before I realized something was wrong. As my eyes looked past him, they widened in shock as I tried to warn him.

“Nacreous, look out!” I cried out.

========================================<>========================================

FWOOSH!!

A giant ball of fire coated the room as I brought a hoof up to protect my eyes. The temperature of the throne room skyrocketed as the ground began to tremble from the raucous explosion of fire.

Shrieks and cries for help filled the fierce storm, suddenly beginning to die out in ferocity. As the voices ceased in volume, the foundation upon which we stood slowly caved in, causing my body to fall into the lower parts of the Canterlot Castle.

The air rushed past me as I fell into the deep dark void. Then, spreading my wings to slow my descent, I cautiously flapped them as I began to notice the torches and stone floor below.

Finally, touching down safely, I looked back up and nearly collapsed in sheer fright. The throne room’s floor structure was crashing down into my vicinity, causing my head to swivel left and right. Desperately searching for a way to avoid the catastrophe, I ducked toward a tunnel and braced for impact with the stone path below me.

CRASH!!

The noise was deafening as I tumbled across the cold path within the tunnel system. As I held my hooves over my head, the noise shook the ground nearby, kicking up dust clouds in all directions. I held my breath and closed my eyes, waiting for the noise to die down in volume.

Is it over? I thought to mys-

growl!

A sudden growl hit my ears as I tried to open my eyes and peer at where it came from. As my eyes widened in horror, I stood up immediately and brought the shield up to protect me.

The creature at the tunnel’s entrance filled the space entirely, silently bubbling and mutating in form. The thing wasn’t even a ‘thing,’ as it was triple the size of anycreature we had faced today, devoid of any facial expressions or identifying features.

Come to think of it, it had no features. It was a dark entity, devoid of context and featureless in appearance. Its menacing aura slowly morphed, beady eyeballs appearing from its body and staring directly at me.

A long, toothy grin appeared as blood began to pour from its mouth. I nearly fell in fright as it seemed to move toward me, my shield remaining before me.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a blast of fire surrounded the entity, engulfing it within a ball of ferocious fire. I collapsed backward onto my side as I lay there, stricken with fear and disbelief.

What is happening? I continuously questioned my inner self. What is that ‘thing?’ The creature continued shrieking in pain, tortured by the flames surrounding it. It tried to move to the left and right, this way and that, to dispel itself from its fiery confines.

“You’re not going ANYWHERE!!” I heard my sister’s voice cry out. I didn’t know where she was, but the alicorn sounded as if she was nearby. Maybe hovering above it or situated next to the thing, the flames continued to incinerate its target ferociously.

And as suddenly as it had started, the fireball popped, forcing the flames to fan out in all directions. I quickly shut my eyes as I felt the heat of the forceful explosion, my armor beginning to char and burn parts of my fur. I clenched my teeth and held the shield up, the fire continuing to shoot past me.

A few tense seconds later, the fire was gone. I waited silently as the entire place went quiet, the cave tunnels emanating a slow and dying sound. Then, returning to its tranquil ambiance, I slowly opened my eyes and saw numerous torches lining the tunnel walls.

“Luna?” A voice echoed from nearby. I attempted to stand up as a silhouette appeared at the entrance to the tunnel. “LUNA?!”

========================================<>========================================

“O-O-Over h-heeere….” I sighed tiredly, slowly getting to my four hooves. My sister turned her head toward me and nearly fell.

“Luna!” Celestia shouted, rushing over to help me up as I rocked back and forth in pain.

groan! “...T-Tia…” I replied half-heartedly, my older sister putting a wing around me and hugging me. I nearly gasped for air as she tightly held onto me, her breathing becoming heavier with each passing second.

“Thank goodness you’re okay,” Celestia replied softly. “I’m sorry for that.” I shook my head and nervously chuckled as I patted her shoulder twice. Finally, the older alicorn broke away from me and looked into my eyes, ensuring I was genuinely okay.

“T-Tis’ but a s-scratch, dear sister,” I responded, brushing myself off and standing upright. “Although, I must ask you…what was that ‘thing?’ And where did it go?” The alicorn shook her head and turned around. Pointing her hoof at the floor, I exited the tunnel and gasped.

The stone floor below the throne room had exposed an open grate, surrounded by the rubble from above. A few dark remnants of magic lay at the sides of the entrance, leaking downward and into the space. Celestia growled as I moved toward her, placing a wing around her.

Nodding to ensure she would be alright, my sister capitulated and flew back toward the throne room. As we arrived, I searched the room for any remaining threats but was relieved we were now clear of danger.

gasp! “Nacreous!” Celestia exclaimed, rushing past me and toward the main doors. The hippogriff was slightly burned and bleeding from his left arm. As I approached, Emperor Nacreous slightly shifted his weight to account for the alicorn now hugging him.

Celestia’s shuddering breaths were accompanied by a talon running through her mane, their embrace being broken up slowly. Nacreous winced as he attempted to get up, causing my sister to quickly assist the hippogriff in keeping his balance.

“I-I-It’s okay, S-Sunspots,” Nacreous tiredly heaved, his chest expanding with every labored breath. “I-I’m fine….”

sigh “Nacreous,” Celestia replied, looking her special hippogriff in the eyes. “I’m telling you. I’ve seen that magic before from a long, long time ago….”

Nacreous nodded reassuringly, replying softly, “I-I have as well, Sunspots…and it’s not a good sign too….” Amidst the two conversing with one another, I stood before them, my face contorting in confusion.

“W-W-Wait, ho-hold on,” I interjected while stuttering. “Wh-What do yo-you mean by that? I-I don’t understand wh-what’s going o-on….”

“Princess Luna,” Nacreous addressed softly, grunting momentarily before sighing. “That magic was only present in my lifetime in four other instances. It’s dark, forbidden magic that cannot be taught naturally. It only occurs if the user succumbs to the original user’s magic, which has to originate from an ancient and dark power source.”

“And I have an unnerving feeling as to who the source of it is,” Celestia said worriedly.

“Tia, I still don’t get it,” I responded, shaking my head. “I wasn’t around then when this magic was created or happened because it’s not ringing any bells.”

“Lulu,” Celestia weakly said, breaking the hug with Nacreous. She silently trotted over to me, wrapped her wing over my shoulders, and pulled me in for a hug. “You have seen this before, Lulu. You just forgot.”

That is when she turned her head and looked me in the eyes. Her vibrant, beautiful violet eyes were watering and bearing a frustrated gaze. “It was before I lost YOU…when the ‘Nightmare Moon’ incident happened….”

gasp! “No…” I shuddered. “Th-Th-That’s impossible, Celly! Nightmare Moon has been gon-”

“Then that only leaves two other possibilities,” Celestia said, turning her head to look at Nacreous. The hippogriff nodded quietly as my brain attempted to remember.

“But,” I softly inquired, my breathing becoming shaky. “Wh-When?”

“Luna,” Celestia dismissed, “see to it that Commander Shifting gathers the council in the dining room. We must discuss more pressing issues, but we need a lunch break first.” My older sister broke the hug and nodded, returning to aid her hippogriff exiting the throne room.

I silently nodded as I summoned a transmitter device. But, before contacting my stallion, a thought began poking at the back of my head.

Two other instances other than the ‘Nightmare Moon’ incident? I thought worriedly. When were they? And how does this all currently relate to Alexander Walkerson? Something is not right….

========================================<>========================================

“It doesn’t make sense at all. Why can’t the trial be over?” inquired Lord Gestal.

“We’ve already been over this four times, Lord Gestal,” Celestia lazily replied. “And it’s about to be a fifth time.” As the rest of the council members sat around the spacious dining table, we found ourselves at a crossroads because of an unbelievably stupid rule.

“So, let me get this straight,” Prince Thorax chimed. “Because the ‘gavel’ did not strike the block to declare the verdict official…Alex, the human, can’t be put to death?”

“Unfortunately so, Thorax,” Nacreous replied, nodding his head. “It seems so insignificant because there are some laws we can ‘override.’ But, in this case, that is so monumentally noteworthy to Equestria, other laws require us to be as accurate to the letter of the law.”

“And in the case of death penalties, which is very rare nowadays,” Star Swirl added, “the sentencing and due process has to be exact. Even down to something as minute as hammering down a gavel.”

groan! “This is ridiculous!” Lord Ember groaned in frustration, her nostrils puffing smoke. “Let me take care of him. I can eviscerate him within a fraction of a second.”

“With all due respect, Lord Ember,” Commander Shifting attempted to de-escalate the tension growing in the room. “That’s not what we want to have happen.”

“And why not?” Prince Rutherford inquired, his head turning toward the unicorn. “Why not allow one of us to do it ourselves? Yaks good at smashing rocks and buildings.”

“Because it’s not ethically and morally right,” Princess Luna replied. “The human has already been through enough, and today, after the initial explosion…he was…just sitting there.” My eyebrows raised as I held up a talon.

“Just…just sitting there?” I repeated. Princess Celestia nodded as I blinked my eyes several times. “...why?”

“We don’t know,” Emperor Nacreous interjected. “But that shows he knows something we don’t know and wants to leave his fate up to us.” The rest of the council murmured between themselves as I shook my head.

“Hmph! Leave his fate up to us,” I scoffed. “What a ridiculous statement. Emperor, you don’t even believe that.”

“Really,” Nacreous spat back. “Why do you think he didn’t just ‘up and leave?’ According to you, he did it before…running off with your daughter, Skyst-”

“Leave her out of this!” I seethed, my teeth grinding in frustration. “That incident has nothing to do with this current debacle. And quite literally, this is on all four of you for how you have mishandled the situation!”

“I beg your pardon?” Celestia replied, turning her head toward me.

========================================<>========================================

“I’ve heard the rumors too, Your Highness,” Prince Haakim said, his hoof resting atop the table. “Has Alexander Walkerson been ‘mistreated’ during his imprisonment time?” Celestia’s mouth hung open as she didn’t formulate a response fast enough.

“Prince Haakim,” Nacreous interrupted, taking the question for himself. “He hasn’t been cooperating. Ask Princess Luna yourself. He doesn’t even want to sleep anymore. Alex is putting himself in harm’s way!”

“And do you think that is because of how you four have handled the aftermath of ‘the incident?’” the equestrian replied.

“Don’t…don’t bring that up,” Princess Celestia sneered. “I have had my fair shar-”

“And why shouldn’t we bring it up? That’s what this whole thing is about!” Prince Haakim was furiously stomping his hoof down on the table while his sister, Princess Amira, attempted to calm him down.

“I view him very differently than any other creature in this room does,” Haakim emphasized this statement, pointing at The Crown in particular. “I have heard the rumors of his treatment, which I consider immoral and unjustifiable…and your current mannerisms are further evidence that something is happening behind the scenes that we don-”

“Alex has been mistreated while imprisoned,” Princess Twilight truthfully responded, her ears flattening. “I saw it first hoof. I tried communicating with him, but every time I tried to talk with him, he…he lashed out….” Twilight’s head dropped. sniffle “...he…he doesn’t….”

sigh “Knew it.” Prince Haakim replied, removing his hoof from the table. I shook my head and looked at Nacreous with a disapproving look.

“No wonder he’s shown such resentment towards us,” Princess Cadance acknowledged. “Alex has this aura around him that even Thorax might sense. When he was with Skystar, it was compassionate. And even when he wasn’t around her, it remained. N-Now?...it’s gone….”

Commander Shifting Sands decided to respond. “Now hold on-”

The griffon leader huffed, puffing out his chest. “Listen, Commander Shifting,” Lord Gestal interrupted. “No offense, but to be fully transparent with you and the rest of the council, you said he was a quote ‘dangerous creature.’ If he is so dangerous that he shouldn’t be kept alive, then why is his death sentence being postponed further by potentially another two days?”

“Princess Celestia?” Star Swirl inquired. “Lord Gestal has a point. If the verdict has to be redeclared as soon as possible, and we assume we will somehow get the throne room cleaned up and redone by tomorrow morning, then when woul-”

“Tomorrow,” Princess Celestia exhaled. Everycreature turned to Celestia, eyes widened by this statement.

“Celly?” Emperor Nacreous asked quietly, the elder alicorn shaking her head.

“Not now, Nacreous….”

“No! This is important!” Nacreous bit back. “The law states that in the case of an execution, which is extremely rare in Equestria nowadays, it cannot happen on the same day as the verdict!”

“Well, then, this is a special case in which I will override that rule,” she flatly stated, shrugging her shoulders. Every other council member, including me, was taken aback by the statement.

“Tch! So much for following the letter of the law….” Prince Haakim sighed, turning his head away from the alicorn princess. Princess Celestia turned her head so fast that it might have fallen off. Now, she was staring at the SaddleArabian delegate with a newfound rage in her eyes.

“Prince Haakim,” Celestia addressed the equestrian. “How do you view Alex, if I may ask? From what you have said so far during this trial and even now, do you see him as ‘innocent?’”

“I view him differently than any other creature in this room does,” the SaddleArabian delegate replied, turning his head and allowing his voice to get lower in timbre. “And no, I don’t have to disclose my vote to ‘you.’”

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The tension in the room slowly returned as I sat back and raised my talon again.

“If I may switch the subject to something more pressing?” I asked, some of the council turning to look at me. “How is his condition currently? Has he been returned to his room?”

“That is of nocreature’s concern,” Celestia replied, looking directly at me. Out of the corner of my eye, Twilight’s head drooped in silence at those words. “Alex has been returned to his room safely and will have no visitors. That is final.”

“So, let’s assume we are to do this verdict again tomorrow,” Star Swirl chimed in again. “The throne room must be reconstructed as soon as possible, correct?”

“That is correct, and I am having all available guards pitch in to aid in the efforts,” replied Commander Shifting. “Including the Lunar Guards.”

“Is there a possibility that any of your nation’s guards can assist in the immediate reconstruction efforts?” Princess Luna asked the rest of the council. Some of them nodded, as did I.

“Our kind can,” Lord Gestal answered with a smirk. “As long as there is a…‘monetary’ value to be given in return.”

“Without a doubt, my Crystal Empire Guard can contribute to the effort,” replied Shining Armor proudly. “I will see to it myself that they aid in this rebuild.”

“Perfect,” Princess Celestia responded. “The more we have to help, the better and quicker we can see this situation is concluded. So, if there are no more questions or concerns, we would like to ask if all of you would be willing to stay in the Canterlot City district for tonight.”

“Really?” I raised one of my eyebrows, causing the solar alicorn to look at me again. “The Canterlot Castle’s guest rooms were not targeted or affected by today’s attack, were they?”

“Do not worry, Queen Novo,” Celestia replied warmly. “We will ensure the Lunar Knights are stationed on high alert for your safety, as well as everycreature else. They do take their jobs very seriously.” Celestia turned to Luna, who smiled in approval. “Isn’t that right, dear Sister?”

“Yes, yes they do,” the Lunar Princess replied. A sigh of relief washed over every other member of the council. I just shook my head and sat back without another word.

“Great to hear,” Prince Rutherford responded adamantly. “Yak wishes never to be confined to the castle’s guest room ever again. Too small and not enough room to move around comfortably.”

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“If no other comments or concerns need to be addressed, you are free to exit the dining room. Thank you for being very cooperative today, and have a good night’s rest.” Celestia nodded and stood up as each council member slowly departed from the dining room.

I silently noted Princess Celestia taking a deep breath and exhaling as she departed with Emperor Nacreous. Commander Shifting and Princess Luna started writing the orders on a parchment, sending them away to the Royal Guards and their Night Guards.

In the meantime, I shuffled over to Princess Twilight Sparkle and pulled her aside. “Princess Twilight?” I asked, the purple alicorn looking up slowly at me. “Is Alex still being kept in his room in the fourth tower?”

Twilight Sparkle, with a few tears trickling down her face, nodded silently. I thought to myself and came up with an idea. “Would you like for me to deliver a message to him?”

sniffle “C-Can you?” Princess Twilight asked nervously, to which I nodded with a small smile. “Puh-please…tell him ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be there when he needed me the most.’ I-I….”

I placed a large wing around her and pulled the smaller alicorn in for a hug. “It’s okay,” I reassured her. “I want to do this because I have my own question to ask Alex. And I noticed you may have also wanted to visit him, correct?” I suspected, as the alicorn slowly nodded. Patting her on the back, I motioned for her to leave. “Go and take care of yourself, Princess Twilight,” I replied. “I’m sure you can seek solace with Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy for now….”

The purple princess attempted to smile, nodding her head before charging her horn. Within a second, Twilight had disappeared into thin air, leaving me alone in the dining room as the other members of the council left for the Canterlot districts.

And unbeknownst to them, I would take matters into my own claws. Trotting out of the hall and into one of Canterlot Castle’s private gardens, I took a deep breath and looked at the garden. The beautiful flowers remained in the soil, slightly dancing in the evening breeze.

It reminded me of a time when life was without worry. A time when Mother Nature was quiet and peaceful, without wars or death to stain her coat of wondrous beauty.

A time when Hippogriffia thrived upon Mount Aris, enjoying a life of no worries and no regrets.

A time before my daughter, Skystar, was born….

A time…before the ‘Great War.’

Unfurling my wings, I galloped to the end of the garden and leaped into the air. Then, with one swift motion, I flew up high into the sky and turned my attention toward the tower that housed the human prisoner, Alexander Walkerson.