Black steel struggled against the four guards holding him, and very much nearly got away once again as he was pushed to the doors to Celestia's hallway. The white mare was already waiting at the end of the walk, in her throne, and locking eyes with him, the black stallion kept calm, walking to the inevitable.
"Black...Steel..."
He didn't speak.
He knew what happened, but, something was wrong. He didn't do it.
"You murdered a pony, hmmm, yes, not very common, but will earn you about thirty years in prison. Well, using the forbidden arcane arts!!!", Celestia bellowed, standing.
"Sister, please.", Luna begged to calm her sister.
Celestia sat back down, and let herself slightly relax.
"Do you have any idea what you have done?"
"No! Unfortunately, your royalty, I DO NOT!"
Celestia scoffed, then gritted her teeth audibly, up the nerve to speak.
"If you are so stupid, in inhumane as though to not even know what you did, and do so, anyway, then I don't see why you should be stricken down now!"
"What did I do?!"
"As I had said, you murdered a pony over an ancient arcane ritual alter! You did it, why do you deny it?! I saw you, Luna saw you, as well as the ENTIRE guard!"
Black Steel Took a breath and huffed his lungs empty.
Celestia sighed in response to the unspoken words, then stood.
"Guards, let him go."
The guards obeyed without question.
"Now leave."
Again, they obeyed without question.
As the doors close, Celestia began pacing.
"Where did you get the information of these forbidden arts?", she asked harshly.
"Listen. The most I know, is that somehow, I flew five hundred kilometers to Canterlot to murder someone, somehow made an appearance, then got back to Manehatten for a glass of tea, thirty minutes before it happened.", he retorted sarcastically.
Celestia was upon him like a pissed mother about to smack her foal, but stopped, putting her own head inches from his.
"Listen to me, and listen good. These magics are dangerous enough without anypony knowing of them. They were made specifically for taking down vast and powerful foes, much like Discord himself."
"Your point?"
"My point is that if you do not tell me where you got this damned information from, it will not only mean the end of your life, but I will erase you from existence here and now!! Never born, never thought of, NEVER, EVER EXISTING!!!!", Celestia bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice.
Black Steel stared her dead on.
"...Fine...", Celestia rose her head away from him at last, "You wish to be that way, then so it shall be."
Celestia's horn glowed brightly for a few seconds before she nearly lost her balance, and used a massive amount of magic to teleport the two into another room, of which was a resemblance to the throne room, only more ancient looking.
Black Steel looked around only slightly, "Where are we?"
"Oh? Getting a bit uneasy? Not going to plan? Well, this is MY field, peasant!!", Celestia spat, "The only place accessible by me alone, and my sister. To get here, is by our magic, due to it's distance away. If it is assassination you wish, you have lost, your plan will fail, and will never exist along with you."
"Just one problem with that, Princess, the fact that you are barking up the wrong tree. My own reputation speaks for itself! I've loved Luna once, and swore into the night guard, I've protected Equestria twice, and swore to keep protecting Equestria. If you think for one second that I'd turn my back on, not only the world I love, but the mistress I love, then you are sadly mistaken, and I am ashamed to say that I even thought of accepting you as my own sister in law!"
Celestia scoffed, and stomped her hoof, "Do not mock me!"
"Then quit! As I've said, I've had a clean slate all my eleven centuries of life! No shady actions, no mysterious meetings, Nothing! As I said before, my reputation speaks for itself."
Celestia snorted, then neighed unroyally in anger, then stopped. She sat where she was, closed her eyes, and tilted her head back slowly.
she looked back at Steel, "You deny this? With proof from the entire royal guard, which had witnessed your murdering, and practice of dark arts?"
"Every. Bit. Of it."
"Fine! Fine. I shall give you a chance to prove your innocence. Should you be lying, mess up in anyway, step wrong, or even look at anypony funny, I may just end it then and there."
"Understood."
A loud bang rang through the empty halls, reverberating in the room. At that instant, Celestia froze, her mane even drooping lower.
Sensing something off, Black Steel used two spells. One to quiet his feet as he approached the princess, and another to shield them in a cloaking field.
"What was that?", he asked silently.
"But that's...that's impossible!", Celestia whispered.
Black Steel turned to the doorway, and examined it thoroughly, then the area around them. All around, shadows moved like skittering bugs. It wasn't a comforting sight, not here, in a dark throne room, not anywhere.
Celestia's own magic lifted them both silently, and kept them invisible as Steel's temporary shield let them out.
Neiethr spoke, neither moved. Only Celestia's magic moved, and even then, the shadows moved with them.
Casting a spell of his own, he engulfed the two of them in an anti-sound barrier. Good for secret conversations in public places.
"Celestia. Tell me, why are you so scared?"
"We're...Black Steel, as a witness to you and Luna's own loving interactions, I trust you, even as evidence shows what has happened, but...this is impossible!"
"What is impossible?"
"We are in an ancient temple far above the mesosphere of the planet! Only Luna and I can access it's domain."
"What? you mean we are currently fifty kilometers away from the planet?"
"Yes. This place is heavily garded by ancient magic, as well, like the dark arts of arcane magic I have accused you of using. If anypony could get in, it would have to be through one of us."
"So, you're saying that the impossible has happened?"
"I very much think so..."
As one shadow passed with the others, shifting through the halls, it turned, red eyes glaring directly at Steel.
"Don't worry. It knows Your with me."
"What is it?"
"A shade. They protect this place."
"There are shades in this temple? What is this place, exactly?"
"I can not speak of it. Not here, not in Equestria."
"What about a book?"
"Oh, call me a bit superstitious, but, knowing my own student...Back to the matter at hoof, we have a big problem here."
"How big?"
The shades stopped shifting, and, in fact, vacated the hall.
"They're gone...", Celestia said in shock.
"Gone?"
"Those shades no longer exist in this temple. Every single one of them is...gone."
"Princess, I can't help if I can't understand."
Across the hall, a red hooded pony walked past the hall itself, catching Celestia and Steel's attention.
"It...can't be...", Celestia whispered in shock.
said pony turned to the floating pair, and aimed it's horn down the hall.
"He can't see us..."
A ball of energy began to form at the tip.
"He can't hear us!"
Celestia moved Steel and herself to the sides of the hall, and the spells keeping them hidden dissipated to nothing, showing the two like white and black against old sand colored walls.
The pony vanished.
"This is not good...", Celestia watched both sides of the hall, "We're both in danger! We have to run, follow me!"
As Celestia took off, she was tripped by something, and went down over Steel, leaving them both to take even longer to get up. And as they did, lo and behold, they were surrounded.
More red robed figures, each blocking each side of the hall down it's entire length.
Celestia stood, and her hoof went to the wall, coming off with a blade connected.
Albeit short for her size, the sword had a deadly hum to it. Low and demonic, just like it's black metal.
Celestia twirled it once, testing balance, then held it out to defend herself.
Steel didn't know what she did, and as any alicorn's instinct would bring them to, his horn lit up with it's red aura, readying magic for use.
The temple reacted.
A jolt of energy ran through him, sapping him of his magic, and shocking him painfully as it came and went, letting him fall to the floor. Celestia turned to him, and with that, made a mistake.
A dagger was driven true to her chest, entering right in between her ribs. A lucky jab, if not planned.
She turned, and swung at her attacker, effectively striking down the mare, and leaving a bloody body to tumble onto the floor.
As her strength quickly left her, she fell back against the wall, and with her last struggling breaths, she transferred a good bit of her own magic to Steel, her streams of pure magic and life leaving her as she took her final breath, slumping against the wall like a rag doll.
And that's the result. Celestia has been killed by an unnamed pony.
Pain, nausea, a coughing fit, all that awaited him as he woke up.
The coughing fit was one that was healthy, luckily, and was to rid his lungs of something foul. Come to find out, his nausea and coughing had the same origin. The smell of rot.
Steel looked around as the none too familiar smells brought back old war memories. And to his surprise, down the hall, was a dead body, drenched in blood, as if it had been cleaved in two.
Simple.
"Celestia...where are you?", He grunted, coming to stand.
No reply.
Looking around to just reacknowledge where he was, his eyes came to rest on a sight that nearly stopped his heart.
You are unfamiliar...
Steel looked down both ends of the hall, seeing nothing but the two dead bodies, one of an unnamed mare, and the other...Celestia herself, easily downed by a dagger...
Why are you here?
Steel reacted quite uneasily, grabbing the sword and quickly putting his back to the wall.
You do not know me, yet you walk my halls...
As he listened, he wasn't hearing anything. He was only thinking he was.
I am Ras'At Ma'ul. Guardian Temple of Equus.
"Well.", Steel let the sword dropp to his side, relaxing a bit, "I guess I have Schizophrenia now."
...What think you of your last moments of life?
"Probably wasted here, trying to find a way out.", he spoke to himself.
The halls beside him closed, leaving him in a box with Celestia's body still across from him.
His heart leaped, two fears coming to mind. One, that her body be thought of as just waste, and two, that he may not be so Schizophrenic as he thought...
Do not startle, stallion. I shall move her body safely to a place where she will be brought to her sister.
"What about me?", he furrowed his brow, standing off the wall.
You're presence is needed. Foreign hooves tread these halls, and you are the only one against them.
"What do you want me to do?"
You have a formidable weapon. Taking care of them should be easy. But these are...different. I can barely touch them. The only thing I can do to them, is speak. And they defy me.
"So you'd have me do your dirty work?"
I am an entity that could end this planet, and this universe, then craft it anew in my image. Saying that I need help means that if you do not help me, then this could mean the end of all living things, every planet, star, the universe.
"Then I guess I don't have a choice. So long as you send me back once I'm done."
agreed, then. I will give you passage to my most inner corridors and rooms. You will be one door from my core.
The hall opened to the right, and Steel looked down the path that changed from hallway, to walkway into huge stone doors.
"So I just follow where you lead me, and ask no questions."
Steel walked to the end of the hallway, then turned back to take one last look at the fallen princess.
"...Who was she, exactly?"
A very faithful protector while I slumbered. Should she need help, she would awake me. But she has not. Something else has, and you must stop it before it's too late.
Steel sighed heavily, then took off down the hall, flying to the door instead of sprinting to get there faster. Sword in hoof, he stood himself on his hind legs, using the black sword as a support. That is when he noticed the sword's change.
When he had last acknowledged it. It was but a simple short sword. But now it has the length of a great sword.
Taking that note quickly, he began to search the giant doors for a way in, finding nothing but two barren doors.
You may enter.
Not even a second after, the doors cracked down the center, and swung slowly open a fraction of their entire possible spread. It was much more than enough, but, now he had to fly, as the walkway didn't go past the doors.
And so he did, making it to the other walkway.
As he did so, he came to see anotehr robed figure. this time, one staring at teh closed doors before him.
Steel didn't hesitate, and charged forward.
The figure disappeared.
Stopping just before the door, Steel noticed something.
he may be being led in by those he was commanded to kill. But who would tell steel to kill themselves.
Ones who knew he couldn't kill them.
Realizing this may very well be it, he charged through the stone doors, slamming them open as he stopped just beyond the doorway, resting his eyes on a massive room, encircling a massive glowing entity in the middle. It hummed like as it it were near trillions of volts of electricity flowing through the air, even moved like so.
"Enter...", a deep voice echoed throughout the room.
As he stepped forward, the doors closed behind him.
As Steel quckily made his way down the long walkway to the entity, he was pulled back by some unknown force, and sword taken from him. A second later, a scream of pain rang the air.
Back on hooves, Steel turned to see a large robed figure standing nearby the black sword, limping, one hoof held up, like he were injured.
"Rid this place of the intruder. I can keep him from escaping only."
Steel charged said figure, and slammed into the stallion hard with his shoulder. The figure easily tumbled to ground, unable to do much with an injured hoof. Steel picked up the sword he had dropped, and approached the stallion, plunging it into his chest, turning it to make the stallion feel more pain and suffer as he lived out his last moments. For one last torturous move, Steel turned the blade to it's side, and pulled the handle handle back and down, finally killing the stallion.
"A bit bloody, but filled with revenge, comrade. For completing your task of simply taking down this enemy, I give to you the rights and title as a protector, and friend of the Rara'Duad. Wear it well, for it will gain you pardon for your considerations by law."
"What do I have to do next?"
"I am delighted to say that you have already completed your task. Having slain their leader, they retreat, but, sadly, this leaves me no way to send Celestia and you back, separately."
"What do you mean?", Steel turned tot eh core.
"Each of the red robed ponies are leaving, and disabling my ability to send my own defenses after them. I can not send anything out from my own province, except by one way only, and clearly, I have no way to transport a body."
"So, you're asking me to take Celestia with me, back to Equestria."
"True. I congratulate you for figuring out the rest."
A column rose next to the walkway, and the stone shifted, allowing a passage to open up inside the stone, which went on farther than the column's volume allowed.
Looking down the hall, the body of Celestia lay, still dormant, still untouched, save for the stench of rotting blood. The robed figure, however, was no longer there. Not even blood.
"I will...Take her with me. I must, not because she needs to be brought back, but..."
"It is understood that you are emotionally stricken, and reading your thoughts, I understand. I shall open the last remaining passage to Equestria."
A swirling vortex tore the fabric of space at the end of the walkway, showing what was on the other side. A vacant room, decorated in white and gold. Celestia's bedroom.
Steel didn't waste any time, Getting Celestia's corpse out of the side hallway, and down the walkway. But, as he stepped through the vortex, he felt a transition between him, the princess, and the temple, something definitely affecting him, making him feel empowered. Stronger.
The weight, which was Celestia, definitely became lighter, and with the ease brought to him, he quickly, and gently set Celestia down on her bed with his own magic, a darkened purple holding her form and gently lowering her onto it's soft confines.
The doors were opened as Luna walked in, speaking with a guard. For a few seconds, they spoke, and walked, until they noticed there was somepony there.
"So, should anything arise against...Steel? Celestia?!"
Luna reared back, and galloped to Celestia's bedside, fear gripping her very core.
Steel didn't say anything, but passed a glance to the nightguard, who nodded, and left in a gallop.
"Wh...what....what happened???", Luna began to tear up.
"Luna...", Steel set a hoof on her shoulder, "I do not know who did it, but I swear upon Celestia' very own deathbed, that I will make sure that justice is brought forth."
Luna coughed once, then broke out into tears, wailing loudly as the whole situation collapsed in front of her.
"Black Steel!", Shining Armor galloped in.
"Yes, Captain?", Steel replied.
Shining armor took a glance at Celestia, noticing the red handled dagger quickly, and then turned back to Steel, anger welling quickly.
"What happened?", he demanded, his voice shaky.
Steel looked down, and shook his head, "Maybe one of the first attempts to do the impossible, and end life altogether."
"Soldier, you have fifteen seconds to explain, or I will strike you down here."
Shining armor was holding back his tears, and failing slowly, but he would probably be able to hold his cool for a good long time.
"Celestia is connected to a temple which keeps balance over Equus itself, the planet. This temple has been recently invaded by what I would think would be a cult of red robed figures bent on bringing down Celestia, and the temple. Should they succeed, they could destroy this entire universe."
Shining Armor stared at Steel briefly, then turned and left.
Steel turned to the two sisters at Celestia's bed, and noticed the black blade leaning against her bedstand.
Beckoning it over with his magic, he noticed the dark purple glow this time. His magic has changed, and so has his mind. Steel has seen more than one thing this day, than any other, that has left him with more to worry about than Celestia, Luna, and the royal guard altogether.
Just like some of the cliche stories he's read before, the fate of the entire world may very well rely on him.
I will say now, that this was inspired by a very peculiar little animation that someone made. You can easily tell what I'm talking about when I mention that Spitfire had an injured wing, and was flying on Winona, who was shaped like that flying dog from a never ending story.
Not only was the animation beautifully inspiring, but the music was perfect. After a few days, I listened to the Doctor Who song, "I Am The Doctor", and came back here to finish chapter one.
That's this story in a nutshell.
Geronimo.
