Pyroneus Dawnlight: The Gatekeeper of Worlds

Chapter Four

The Canterlot Assassin

Twilight Sparkle is a perfectionist when it comes to Princess Celestia. She worries far too much what could (but more likely never would) happen if the Sun Princess did not approve of her actions. She also had adopted a nervous twitch, which persisted through the train ride to Canterlot city the next morning. I had elected to simply fly there and wait at the train station, but everybody had agreed (even me after I thought about it for a moment) that if someone had seen me, I would cause quite a commotion.

I had met Twilight’s dragon assistant, Spike, for a brief moment in the morning, as I had stayed in her home for the night. All he could do was looked surprised at my presence. I do have that effect on everyone, and most times it’s not a good effect. Spike, graciously, was content to trust Twilight when she told him I was a guest; I may be immune to it, but Dragon Fire can still teleport me. Upon beginning our journey, I had decided to lower the fins on my head, so nobody could see them, an act which I normally only did when I slept. My wings remained folded, effectively hiding them unless you looked closely. But my eyes had drawn stares, as did my unusual color scheme. I have a distinct lack of ability when it comes to visual stealth (silence, while a virtue, is nothing when you look like me), and this was going to be very difficult to pull off. Most people are content to go about their business and not even give a second glance, notall. And as per usual, the train ride to the capital was long and overtly boring. But boring is nothing for me; I spent millennia alone, and I knew how to keep occupied.

When we reached the station, the feeling of tension eased ever so slightly; we had entered the home stretch. Unfortunately that’s when things began to go very wrong. For the first few moments we had seemed in the clear, and then that I noticed people were gazing towards us. I was unsure as to whether my wings had been noticed, or my eyes were the cause. Neither apparently, because the Royal Guard swooped in a moment later; two winged men dressed in golden armor pulling a chariot with three more men.

The first one, the lead officer (his armor was more ornate), strode up to us. “HALT. You are being ordered to follow us quietly. Any attempt to resist will be met swiftly. Now march.”

Well if that didn’t cause a commotion, then my hair is made of cheese…… and I don’t have hair.

The two men pulling the chariot flew off. I assume Miss Sparkle was wondering why they were arresting us, because she stated, rather loudly, “My name is Twilight Sparkle, I am here to meet with Princess Celestia to discuss an urgent matter. Why are you taking us in?”

The officer in front just kept on marching, but the ones behind us piped up. “Your big purple friend here caused a bit of a panic on the train. The captain wishes to speak with you, I guess it’s to determine if you are a threat. You should be on your best behavior.”

Ha, as if I was going to take orders.

But Twilight certainly seemed interested. “Did you say the captain? As in Shining Armor?”

The guard nodded, and everyone sighed in relief.

I know that name…..

“Shining Armor is my brother, remember? Why he’s still here I’m not entirely sure, he should be in the Crystal Empire.”

Ahh yes, I remember now, the one who married Princess Cadence. This may go over well after all.

As we marched on, I spared a moment to take in the city, not bustling like an ordinary cityscape, but quiet, just like Ponyville. There certainly were taller buildings here for one thing. Most of these seemed to be shops rather than homes, and I assumed from the feelings in the air that every Equestrian here had their own house. The city of royals was full of an air of the finest class, expensive pastry shops and art museums abound. There was a guard assigned to every block, though mostly for show; I doubt they were going to be attacked any time soon. I soon came to regret that impression.

BOOM!

A pastry shop I had only glanced towards exploded, sending shrapnel and cake flying for at least 200 feet. All the city-goers screamed, as did the rest of my ‘group’, and the guards all scrambled to defend.

They’re quick to action, I’ll give them that.

The source of the explosion was revealed a moment later in the form of a robed figure, moving too fast to find its shape, and firing a light machine gun, armed with a grenade launcher attachment.

I was unaware these weapons even existed on this world.

Stranger still, the robed figure did not seem to notice when a guard began sending stun spells in his/her direction. The guards were not very good shots, and I really didn’t want to delay my meeting with the Princess. I fired a single magic bolt and the robed figure crumpled, stunned into the dirt.

Lead the target, you never miss.

Not that I could blame the guards, they don’t get much opportunity to test their skill, which I supposed was a good thing.

A chariot swooped down, picked up the figure, and moved to our position. “What should we do with him lieutenant?” These were the winged guards from before.

The officer looked at the figure, still hidden in a swath of robes. “Follow behind us, the Captain will wish to see this one as well.”

He continued onwards, silent as ever, towards a building that was in view now that pastry shop was gone. It was a part of the castle, a small barracks with an office section attached to the left. The walls and roof were the same style and color as the rest of the castle, white, yellow, and purple. I heard the sounds of fire squads racing to put the pastry shop out behind us.

But why a pastry shop? What purpose did that serve? What was his target? I- Wait, was he aiming at me?

Yes, that was clear now; he had missed, and was looking around for me when I shot him.

Not a very good assassin, his target was incapable of death. Unless, no…….. Was he aiming for them? I find that rather hard to believe, they may be the Bearers, but very few know that fact.

Well whatever the case, I would find out when it was my turn to interrogate our little assassin. I had a few choice words for him, many of which he will not understand. My methods are very……… harsh, to put it gently. Though it might be a bit unnecessary if the Captain should prove successful in his interrogation, I enjoyed knowing what was going on around me.

At any rate, the questioning should prove very insightful, and hopefully this will not turn into a long and arduous task.

As we reached the building, the guards at the gates saluted and opened the door. Inside, a well-kept fountain centered the courtyard, surrounded by trimmed trees and many-hued flowers. A double stair lead to a wide balcony and on that balcony stood a bright-white-skinned man with electric blue hair.

He was watching the approach of our little group with narrowed, suspicious eyes, but they softened upon seeing his sister. “Twily!” he yelled, running down to meet her. He caught sight of me again and stopped, eyeing me as though I were some sort of demon; which wasn’t far off, to be honest. “I see you’ve made a new friend since the wedding….”

She looked at him with curious eyes and said, “Is something wrong? You seem worried.”

His eyes returned to me. “No, nothing at all, I just don’t think I approve of your new companion there. He doesn’t look like he's friendly, or very…..talkative.”

She stared at him, shocked. “AND JUST WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHO I CAN BE FRIENDS WITH?! AND WHO SAID WE WERE FRIENDS ANYWAYS?!”

Ooookay, well she certainly doesn’t like others telling her what to do.

Shining Armor seemed taken aback at this sudden outbreak of anger. I was a bit surprised; she seemed very defensive of me, and we had known each other for less than a day. It must have had something to do with the whole world-in-danger thing.

He quickly regained his composure, stating in a commanding tone, “I am your older brother, and I have every right to express my concerns with who you decide to socialize around. Maybe I don’t feel that you’re very safe near him.”

“I am not a little filly anymore; I can take care of myself!”

I believe that whole…. heartedly? Hmm, hard to describe it with that phrase..... Note to self: find more fitting phrases later.

“I guess you’re right….” he sighed, defeated. “I suppose we should just get down to why you’re here. But first, I have some questions for your friend there.”

The guard behind us added, “And some questions for this one, he blew up the pastry shop.”

The captain nodded. “I guess I will interrogate our mysterious terrorist first, then I’ll get to him,” he said, looking to the assassin and then to me.

They led the cart with the attacker away, towards a small booth, presumably the interrogation cell. “You girls can wait in the main chamber, we shouldn’t be too long. You, come with me.”

As we walked into the booth, I noticed that it was a bit dusty. I assume it does not get very much use. There was a small chair in the first section, an empty waiting room save for a door on the other side, obviously leading to the interrogator’s chamber, and then to the solitary room for the criminals. Brilliant design: the only way out was through the guards.

Of course, if the guards can’t handle the prisoner, there is no second line of defense I can see.

“Wait here, this should be quick, and you’re next,” the captain said.

Great, off to a rocky start, and I haven’t even done anything.

For the next thirty or so minutes all I heard was silence (the room was soundproofed), save for my own deep breathing. The captain finally walked out, accompanied by the two guards, and the assassin who was bound in chains. I was right in thinking it wasn’t an Equestrian; this was a schaferhund (or Diamond Dog, whichever you prefer), a great beast of a dog that was native to a nation nearby. They were best known for their sharpshooting and gem lust; however, they weren’t all the best of the best. Some were merely not as good, or just didn’t wish to shoot. The robe (SHE?) had worn was padded to make her look like an overly large man. It was laying draped across her back, tied to her with a belt.

Very clever, it almost fooled me.

“Alright, now you, and make it snappy,” the captain said, “I don’t have all day.”

I stood, walking to the doorway, and stopped, turning to the captain. “Let’s get something straight, you and I: no one gives me orders, and I run on no one else’s schedule. You would do well to learn that very quickly.” I spoke with a very angry tone, mostly because I hated getting delayed, but partly because it irritated me that this simple mortal thought he could handle me as though I were some common criminal. If that didn’t wipe the smug look off his face, nothing would.

I have business to attend to, and this puny man will not get in my way.

“This is my city,” the captain said, “and until the change of guard happens and I finish moving to my new home, you are bound by law to obey my commands as long as you remain here. Do I make myself clear?”

That was the last straw. “DO NOT SPEAK TO ME AS IF YOU WERE A SUPERIOR, THERE IS NO SUCH CREATURE. I AM NOT BOUND BY YOUR MORTAL LAWS.” The sheer power that channeled through my voice was enough to knock his helmet off.

The guards came rushing in; apparently these walls weren’t soundproofed enough for that kind of power. “Step away from the captain, or we will take you down.”

Well that escalated quickly. Great job, now I’m going to be here even longer.

Or perhaps not, as a moment later Twilight Sparkle teleported in the room; obviously my voice carries, because there was a concerned look on her face. “What. Happened.”

Never mind, she is most definitely angry. “Nothing has happened. Your brother has made the mistake of being too hasty in his judgments. You know as well as I that we have a schedule to attend, and he is stuck up trying to assert his own dominance. When it comes to me, there is no such thing as dominance; there is only neutral or foe.”

She was still angry. “Well what about friends?”

I glared. “I have no friends. Friends always turn out to be your enemies; they only want to be around for what they can get out of you. I learned a very long time ago you can trust nobody, and you cannot rely on others. In the end it will be your undoing.” Even after seven millennia, the truth of that still stung as fresh as a hornet. Everyone turned to look at me.

“What?” Twilight asked. They all looked more confused than anything else, not expecting that kind of response.

“Look, there are more important matters to attend than my past. We have been here for two hours and have yet to meet this Princess of yours. I wish to be away from here as fast as possible, but I must speak with her first. Now, can we get a move on?”

The look on Twilight Sparkle’s face told me she saw right through my façade of cold-hearted truth. I had some explaining to do, it said. She said nothing to me, instead turning to her brother. “Shining Armor, can you just trust me when I say he isn’t a danger to the city? Please?”

The Captain of the Guard looked into her eyes, and for a moment was unsure, but finally accepted he wasn’t going to win. “Fine, but I want him out of here as soon as you’re finished.” With that, we made our way to the castle.

A short walk later we were passing the gates into the castle, very large gates that towered over forty meters into the air. The road beyond led to a very ornate building, but from what I could tell, it was held up by magic, because it quite literally hung from the side of the mountain it was built upon. A large waterfall poured out from where a river had been converted to a moat, and it ran down to the bottom of the mountain, continuing on down the valley below. The front doors were almost as large as the gates, but they were extremely detailed, carvings in the wood running in numerous circles and arcs, creating an image of two regal Equestrian women posed next to the Sun and the Moon. These were the Princesses, and they were apparently very well thought of, because the door was hand-made, and not with magic.

The opening hall reminded me of the balcony at the barracks, except this time there was one central staircase that split left and right into two smaller stairs that wound up and around to the next level. The right stair led to the treasury and the Princesses, and we were forced to pass through the hall that led to the treasury to get to Celestia. The windows were stained glass, and it appeared they were more than just simple art; they were stories, told quite vividly in multicolor glass panes. I could see these were the recreations of Twilight Sparkle’s stories. I saw depictions of Discord and Nightmare Moon, along with Chrysalis and her changelings; all were frozen in the glass with mixed expressions of defeat and horror. From what she had told me, Discord was in the Gardens, a giant stone statue where once a demon stood.

I should very much like to see what became of the former tyrant of the universe; he gave me so much trouble before he was banished, I think his humiliated state might make me feel a bit better. First things first though: we have a meeting to attend.