New Friends and New Enemies

Chapter 6 Political Discord

Thanks to Admkline for editing my story chapter.

It had been over a week since the visitor from the stars had crashed landed in the Everfree Forest, as well as the fiasco with Queen Chrysalis resulting in the destruction of his craft. Markus had been stable and was getting stronger. Damage control over some of the rumors that had spread thanks to Prince Blueblood had been thankfully minimal. All that had gotten out was the fact an alien was found in the forest in a battle with Chrysalis who after being injured was now healing inside Canterlot.

The Elements of Harmony had been summoned back to the castle. For Twilight, to say the last week had been chaotic would have been an understatement. First meeting an alien from outer space, watching him get hurt by the Changeling Queen, herself being transformed from a normal unicorn into an alicorn and becoming a princess to boot, her coronation, followed by the near constant torment of Discord who was taking pleasure in attempting to drive a wedge between her and her friends.

As a result, Alicorn Princess Twilight Sparkle had chosen to remain living in Ponyville. Other than being able to fly, very little had changed for Twilight. At first the residents of Ponyville had started treating her with much more respect but that had mostly faded as Twilight's desire to be treated as the same as ever became more widely known. Still it was humorous when one of the ponies called her “Her Highness”. Given she was a foot taller than most other ponies, some ponies had taken to calling her... “Her Tallness.”

Twilight was thankful for the help from Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to help refine her flying as well as wing and feather care. There were still some times she preferred walking to flying. As she and her friends came into the castle, she couldn't help but see her brother Shining Armor look at her and she could just see the pride in his eyes. In Ponyville things were still normal but in the castle she had all the respect due a princess. Rainbow Dash was zipping around overhead as she said, "Still gotta work harder if you wanna beat me in a race Twilight!"

Luna approached the group. Spike who had been riding on Twilight's back hopped down and they all
bowed to Luna as she asked, "How's the flying going?"

"It's going alright, I still can't beat Rainbow Dash in a race yet."

"You know your highness I could always let you win," Dash said getting a look of shock from Twilight.

"I'm not a filly,” Twilight said to Rainbow. “You let me win I'll have you thrown into the Canterlot dungeons," she joked.

"Oh?" Rainbow asked, flying in front of Twilight. "Is that a promise?"

"Sounds kinky,” voice said from a piebald gryphon female. “You bring the bit and bridle Twilight, I'll bring the crop."

"Gilda!" Rainbow Dash was blushing and shocked to see her gryphon friend, despite the way she had acted when she was on the end of Rainbow Dash's pranks by accident. Things had been smoothed over between Dash, her friends and Gilda. Luna was smirking at the implications.

Gilda smiled as Dash came over to greet her, "Gilda it's good to see you again," Rainbow said, hoping to change to subject.

"Likewise Dashie, Now let me greet the new princess." Gilda approached Twilight and she produced a formal bow, lowering her head and spreading her wings. "On behalf of the gryphons I bid you greetings
your Highness."

With a slight blush that she couldn't help Twilight replied "Thank you Gilda." When Gilda lifted her head up Twilight smirked "I still can't believe Rainbow never told me you were part of the nobility."

Looking over at Rainbow Dash Gilda said "Dash, I told you I never had any fun." Coming up to Twilight she continued "Remember that. Be sure to take advantage of whatever enjoyment you can. In time it will become harder and harder to actually find enjoyment."

"I'll remember that. So what brings you and your father the ambassador to Equestria?" Twilight asked.

"Oh you already know, it's your special guest. Half of Equestria already knows. Next week I would assume everyone would know. "

That shocked the lot of them as Gilda said "My father's meeting with Celestia, and you'll find out soon enough. In a nut shell, the changelings are spreading rumors that Celestia and Luna have fallen under the control of a monster from outer space." The statement floored everyone, even Luna.

"Say what?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “And you believed them?"

"Well the changeling was disguised as you Dashie," Gilda explained. She lifted up her right front talon, showing her that three of her claws were broken off. "Let's just say their... imitation of you was less than perfect and leave it at that. My uncle the king dispatched our strongest fighters and fastest flyers to the various communities around our territories to keep things civil while my father was dispatched here to find out exactly what is going on. I decided to join him. Our king may not entirely like the Pony Empire, but he has no desire to see a continent wide war erupt and hates the idea of being tricked into trying to start one."

It was so easy at times for Rainbow Dash to forget Gilda was a predator, a hunter, and a killer. She landed nervously and swallowed hard. Twilight shuddered at how far Chrysalis was going for her revenge.

Pinkie Pie had stopped jumping around as Gilda turned to ask Luna "Is it true? Is the being from the stars actually a human out of ancient times?"

Looking to the Elements of Harmony, Luna finally had to admit "He appears to look like a human but that is about all we know. Chrysalis attempted to steal his vessel. When he destroyed it a number of her changelings killed and she vowed revenge. She injured him very badly and for the last week he's been unconscious. Right now he's in an isolated part of the castle in a secured room healing and being tended to."

The approach of a guard attracted everyone's attention. "Princess Celestia wishes to see you all now."

The guard escorted them all to the meeting chambers where Celestia and a few guards were meeting with the gryphon ambassador. Like Gilda he was piebald with a golden body. Unlike Gilda he had a leather eye patch over his right eye and a number of scars on his body showing he was a skilled fighter just as much as he was a skilled diplomat.

The group bowed in greetings as the gryphon bowed in respect to Princesses Luna and Twilight Sparkle as well as her friends. "It is a pleasure and honor to meet the newest princess of Equestria. I
only wish it was under much more... pleasant circumstances." He lifted from his bow pleased to have seen Twilight and Luna at least return the bow. "Now your Highness, from what you have told me this
is what happened. The craft descended from the stars. The alien then fought a manticore and was injured protecting three fillies. When the Changeling Queen attempted to steal his ship he destroyed it. In retaliation she injured him greatly and vowed revenge and it seems that she is attempting to spread lies to cause trouble to get her revenge. Only after you got the alien back to your castle did you discover he was a human."

"That is correct Ambassador except that Luna and I were sure he was human while in the ruins."

The Gryphon ambassador gave a thoughtful “hmmmm”. "Well this could have been worse if my daughter had not been there and realized that the changeling was not her friend. I suggest you get ready for a diplomatic onslaught. While I am sure that the ponies have their own myths of humans, we gryphons have our own ancient tales of humans stealing our eggs, training us to guard their gold and to eat their enemies."

"Father that is used to frighten hatchlings into being good," Gilda said.

"Very true, but if humans do exist then there has to be some form of truth to all the old myths around them. As I pointed out not all of those myths are good."

"Remember Ambassador that time distorts all legends and lore" Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yes that is true your Highness. As much as it pains me to insist I must see the human if only to have my own physician confirm how badly he is injured to be able to allay any and all concerns my king
has about the state of affairs here." Celestia bit her lip as she looked to the doctor.

"He should be waking up in the next few days. I would much rather let him have a chance to wake up on his own. Preferably by himself," the unicorn stallion swallowed hard.

*************

The room where Markus rested was empty. The doctors who had been treating him fully exposed to his blood had not come down with any sort of illness so the quarantine spell had been dropped. Markus
currently laid in the bed sleeping. Then without warning he opened his blue eyes, looking around the room as he tried to sit up only to get a lance of pain shooting through his ribs. A week had not healed
him. He would be bed ridden for at least another week as his bones continued to knit.

He could see the drapes were pulled to offer him some privacy, not that he would be getting up. The rooms decor was nice, done in earth tones on the ground and the lower parts of the walls while the
upper portion of the walls and ceiling was done with sky tones. A number of pictures hung on the wall of Celestia and Luna. He inhaled as deep as he could before pain caused him to stop. He was laying on a very firm almost flat bed. He could feel tight bandages around his chest holding his ribs in place to keep them from moving. His head rested on a pillow as he lifted up his arms and could see his wrist
computer and defense bracer was still in place. Tightening his right fist he watched as three blades sprang out of the device over a foot and a half long. When his fist relaxed the blades retracted into the
device. The wrist blades were his last line of personal defense.

Checking his wrist computer he saw at least a week of time had passed. The computer had also been recording voices anytime that someone was in the room so he could review conversations he had
missed. He heard someone approaching the door as he laid his arms down beside him and closed his eyes. Cracking an eye he looked around. It took a little bit but one of the cabinets had started to open up, and out of a secret passage came a white unicorn with a very unpleasant look on his face. The translation spell was still working or had been reapplied as he heard the unicorn speak as he approached the right side of the bed he laid on.

"Why couldn't you have just died out there? All you have done is bring chaos to our world." The voice was almost one of disdain. "Now... my aunts have to deal with all the trouble you have brought to
our world. You should have died when Chrysalis attacked you. Maybe you still will you monster."

At that point the unicorn was close enough to his right side for him to attack. Fearing his life was in danger he reacted. Markus lashed out with his left hand to grab hold of the unicorn's horn and yank him close. The unicorn, not expecting to be attacked screamed for help while Markus brought up his right hand. Tightening his fist, the blades from his gauntlet sprang out in sight of the unicorn's right eye. Markus relaxed his hand and yanked his fist right under the jaw of the unicorn. Clenching his pointer and pinky fingers brought out the two side blades which sprang out at an outward angle that would not cut the unicorn's throat. But the blades did cut his skin making him scream in despair.

With a pained insane gleam in his eyes Markus snarled "You... were saying?" He could feel a trickle of the unicorn's blood run over his hand. Feeling the blades the unicorn stop struggling as the door burst open revealing Celestia, Luna, a few guards and others he didn't recognize through the haze of pain he felt. Instantly Celestia said, "Blueblood, how did you get in here?"

"Through a secret passage to kill me!" Markus yelled. It was at that point that everyone realized the seriousness of the situation as Blueblood struggled to escape. "All I have to do is clench my fist and the middle blade comes out!" His voice was clearly pained as he coughed up some blood which splattered on Blueblood's face.

After a few tense moments Celestia said, "I know you are in pain and I know you are scared. Despite the attitude of of my nephew I do not believe he intended you any harm."

Looking over at Celestia, Markus swallowed as blood ran down from his nose and said, "Computer, audio playback of last voice entry from now." The wrist computer on his left hand opened up and played back word for word everything that Blueblood had said from the moment he entered the room in his own voice. In that instant the tension in the room rose several notches. The Gryphon ambassador kept himself and his daughter back. Slowly Celestia entered the room and stopped while still a good distance away.

"Nephew, did you say those words? Remember you have never been able to tell me a lie I couldn't see through." The emotional tone in her voice was clearly on edge. She could see the human gripping Blueblood's horn so tightly she thought he might succeed in breaking the horn off.

"Yes auntie I said those words...but I didn't intend to actually harm him." Blueblood was almost panicking as the blades with their edges behind his jawbone prevented him from pulling back or lifting up without cutting himself more.

Addressing the being who held her nephew's life in his hands she spoke. "I believe my nephew intended you no harm. But he also has violated my direct orders that he was not to come into this room. I assure you my nephew will be disciplined harshly for his disobedience. I'm...begging you to let my nephew go."

The words did not fall on deaf ears. Markus looked at her and he held Blueblood's horn tightly. He flexed his hand and slid the blunt back of the blades along his neck. With preset hand commands the blades opened wider allowing him to slide his hand away from Blueblood's throat and pushing his horn away to control his head before passing out. The blades also retracted into the container.

Once Blueblood was free he scrambled back as he shouted, "Guards drag this monster to the dungeons!"

An order that was instantly countermanded by Celestia.

"Belay that order. Doctor, will my nephew be alright?"

"Auntie he hurt me!"

"If you had obeyed my instructions you would not have been hurt! Doctor!" Her patience was at an all time low. The diplomatic situation had tested her to her limits and now this.

The unicorn doctor came up to check the prince. He said after a quick examination "Minor flesh wounds. He will be alright."

"Guards,” Celestia ordered “Escort my nephew to his chambers and keep him there until further notice."

The order shocked Blueblood. His auntie had just...grounded him! Two pegasi guards came up to escort the prince to his chambers as he was forced to endure the cuts.

Holding their tongues Gilda and her father suppressed a twisted pleasure at seeing the royal brat of a unicorn get what was coming to him. Even the pegesi guards were pleased to a point but their pleasure remained behind the stoic indifference of their orders.

Now that the drama was over the unicorn doctor and the gryphon physician both came over to check out the passed out Markus. "I wish there was some way to remove that device from his right arm,"
Celestia had said.

"Not without removing his arm in the process" The unicorn doctor said. "Perhaps we should have told the prince. That might have kept him out of here."

After an hour the gryphon doctor approached his people's ambassador. "I am convinced this being is in no way, shape, or form able to do much of anything. He has a number of broken ribs and some minor internal bleeding. After this fiasco I will honestly be surprised if he survives at all, Ambassador."

"If doctors and magic are of no help indeed, let me treat him in his time of need." said a voice in a rhyming patois. Zecora the zebra shamaness stood in the doorway in a black cloak with her eyes glowing yellow. Beside her were the three Cutie Mark Crusaders and a Royal guard. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had gone to get Zecora as her shamanic magic was a more subtle form of healing magic. One performed through potions and oils.

"Sorry your Highness,” the guard said. “She said she might be able to help our... visitor."

Her talents well known to Celestia and Luna. They nodded as Zecora came into the room to tend her patient.