The Lion and the Unicorn

Chapters

2. Meeting the Natives
3. Of Books and Men
4. New Discoveries
5. Old Tales
6. The City of Gold
1. A Rude Awakening
7. Of Emirs and Thieves [Unedited and Unfinished]

2. Meeting the Natives

Screaming wouldn't be a natural sound for cautious animals to take any more interest in than putting as much distance between themselves and the source as possible. For one small pigeon however, the sight of a small purple equine and a human kicking themselves back from each over whilst screaming their heads off was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The pigeon made itself comfy in its nest and watched the chaos below unwind.

Twilight found herself once again pushed against the tree as the ape like being continued to slide itself backwards. “Stop!”

It yelped in surprise as it fell backwards into the river.

What would have been an amusing sight was one of worry to Twilight as she moved herself onto her hooves and slowly trotted forwards. There was splashing as the creature sat itself up, coughed out water from its mouth, and brushed a surprised fish from its tunic. It sat there in the river gasping for air whilst its eyes stared at the unicorn with a mixture of surprise, fear, and disbelief.

“Um, hello?” a sheepish Twilight said.

“H-h… You can… talk?” The creature replied in the most ungraceful of ways.

“Um, yes. So can you.” Twilight stated.

“I-I can?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, right,” the creature unsurely agreed.

“So, um... My name is Twilight Sparkle, what’s yours?” Twilight asked, now unsure of herself. The creature regarded the unicorn suspiciously as you would a bag left at the front door.

“Robert,” he finally whispered. “You’re… You’re a small, purple, talking unicorn?!”

“Yes, yes I am.” Twilight let out an awkward smile as she attempted to take another step forwards. The creature leaning further back into the water made her stop again. “It’s okay; I’m not going to hurt you.”

“A small, purple, talking unicorn,” muttered the creature.

“You had a nasty fall. Are you okay?”

“Fall…” the creature whispered to itself. Its eyes darted around until they dilated in realization. “Fall, that’s it! I fell and hit my head and now I’m seeing little purple unicorns that can talk!”

“Um, essentially, yes?”

“Well that’s good. I guess I’d better get back to camp and take a lie down,” the creature gave a nervous chuckle as it lifted itself out of the water and attempted to walk back to the shore. Twilight winced as he slipped back in.

“Anyway,” the creature said as it crawled out of the river like an amphibian that had one too many at the local. “Best be off then. See you around, or not, please?”

“Who are you talking to?”

It wasn’t Twilight who asked that. Both froze and slowly turned to see another creature of the same species as the half-drowned one. He wore similar clothes with, to Twilight’s surprise, the same sun mark on his tunic.

“Oh, um Frank, I was… I was just talking to myself. You know, as you do? There are no talking unicorns here!” Robert answered, immediately regretting the words before they left his mouth.

“Rrrright.” The creature known as Frank gave his friend a look of worry. It was at this moment a confused Twilight spoke up.

“Um, excuse me? I’m here,” Twilight said. Frank however paid no notice of her, “Hello? Talking unicorn over here.”

Robert, however, was paying attention to the unicorn that was now waving her forelegs in the air. He let out a small squeak, quickly pulled himself out of the water and began to scurry back downriver.

“Hold up,” Frank stopped him, “Where’s Sir Neville’s horse?”

It was at that moment a third voice came galloping up behind the group. “Oh, goodness, oh goodness, oh goodness. Please be okay.” The horse stopped next to Twilight and looked expectantly at its former rider.

“Relax, he’s fine,” Twilight muttered.

“Is he? Oh thank goodness! If he had hurt himself I wouldn’t know what to do!” The horse turned to Twilight and attempted what she thought to be a smile.

The unicorn flinched back at the sight of its unnaturally disfigured head.

“Well it’s good to see that the thing has half a brain,” Frank said as he pushed the still soaked Robert towards the two equines. “Go get him.”

“My name’s Joey, who are you?” The horse asked. Twilight glanced over to the two creatures. The one called Frank leant against a tree with his arms crossed and a bored look. Robert, however, moved about as much as a statue and had gone as white as a bag of flower.

“I’m… Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you.” She smiled politely and held out a hoof to shake. The taller equine simply stared at it.

“What’s got into him?” Frank asked.

Robert gulped and tentatively moved forwards and grabbed Joey’s reins. “C-c-come on, boy… let’s go.”

“Oh, got to go, see you around then.” Joey said as the twitching Robert led him away as quickly as possible.

“Wait!” Twilight suddenly shot up and trotted close behind. “Please, I’ve got nowhere else to go. You’ve got to let me come with you.”

“No!” Robert screamed, he ran. Quickly he was nothing more than a brief speck of white legging it back the way he had come, screaming and occasionally stumbling over rocks and branches.

Frank sighed and picked up Joey’s reins. “Come on boy,” he said and clicked his teeth.

“It’s no use talking to them,” Joey said as he was lead along the riverside. “They can’t speak.”

“Yes they can,” Twilight said as she fell into place by the horse’s side.

“No they can’t. All the Two-Leggers do is make noises like ‘tick-tick’, which means go,” the horse responded as he happily trotted.

“But, he just spoke! You mean that you don’t know what he’s saying?”

Joey stopped to the surprise of the “Two-Legger”. The horse ignored its silently cursing master and simply twisted his head to Twilight.

“I’ve never seen any pony like you before,” he stated.

“Come on you useless lump of meat,” Frank muttered as he finally prized the horse from its place and continued to walk.

Twilight disappeared in a flash of light and blinked back into existence in front of the Two-Legger. “Don’t talk to him like that!” she said. Joey reared back and neighed loudly with the sudden appearance of the unicorn. Frank, however, paid no attention to the unicorn and merely pulled Joey back under control.

“What’s got into you today?” he scolded as the two continued past the confused unicorn.

Twilight sighed and followed the two at a slow pace.

“So where are we going?” Twilight asked as the trio reached the edge of the tree line.

“There,” Joey replied. Before them was a large camp of tents stretching along the seafront. At one end was a small town of yellow brick and sand coated buildings. Vast amounts of colour from tents, flags, rugs, sheets and other fabrics were dotted throughout. Between the tents, more “Two-Leggers” walked and talked, some practiced and generally everyone did everything you would imagine doing in a military camp.

Twilight stayed close to Joey as they made their way through the maze of tents. Twilight took time to study these new creatures. Many wore armour of one form or another. Those who weren’t wearing armour wore simple tunics with trousers, chainmail and helmets, however, were never too far away. One thing struck her though; they all wore on their cloths the same sun motif that Robert and Frank wore.

It also struck Twilight was that not one of them paid any attention to her at all. It wasn’t even the normal kind of ignoring. They showed no recognition of her existence at all. She even went as far as to stand right in front of one and attempted to pull as many faces as Rainbow Dash. Failing that in more ways than one, she reached a hoof out and poked the creature. She achieved little more than startling it and causing it to fall from its seat and into a neat stack of wooden bowls.

Frank led Joey to a tent and hitched the horse to a wooden stake outside before disappearing inside.

“So what do you do here?” Twilight asked the horse who helped himself to a nearby dry shrub.

“Oh, oh, I stand here outside Master-Legger’s sot stable and look good,” the horse happily replied, “These Two-Leggers come out and they clean my clothes and make them all shine and nice. They also brush my mane and wash my coat; they’re really good at it too! And then they dress me up all nicely and Mr. Master-Legger sits on my back and we go and play with other horses and their Mr. Master-Legger’s! Oh it’s really fun! Sometimes it’s just us and another horse with his or her Mr. Master-Legger and there are these really long wooden sticks and they try knocking each other off. And then sometimes it’s a big game where there are lots of horses and Two-Leggers, and they all try to hit each with their shinny sticks! Oh, oh, when we’re not playing sometimes I neigh like this, ‘neiigghh’! Oh, and sometimes I clop my hoof on the ground like this!” Joey began to tap his right hoof on the ground repeatedly and showed no signs of stopping.

“Okay,” the bewildered unicorn replied. There was an awkward silence as Twilight watched the horse tap his hoof; Joy took no notice of this. To her relief it wasn’t much longer until Frank left the tent and looked around the camp.

“Hey, have you seen Robert?” He asked another Two-Legger. Once he got a response, he began to walk always towards the stone buildings.

“Joey, I’ll see you later,” Twilight said and began to follow. Joey nodded, his eyes never leaving his tapping hoof.

“Catherine, are those buns done yet?” A shrill voice called over a rough outdoor kitchen.

“Yes Miss Margret. I’ve put them out to cool,” replied a young woman with about as much enthusiasm as a funeral. She looked at the dozen fresh brown buns that’s only real use was throwing at something and sighed.

“Don’t be so glum, Catherine. I thought you liked adventures?” Miss Margret replied. She was a plump woman. Her grey hair and wrinkled face that was cratered with warts and moles combined with her knowledge of the culinary arts being slightly better than her knowledge of sub-atomic physics made her the perfect candidate for the Kitchen Head. Catherine couldn’t have been a greater opposite. Her figure could be accurately represented by an ironing board with two grapes taped to it and a brunet wig.

“I do, Miss Margret,” Catherine replied, “It’s just that I didn’t expect to travel for months just to end up cooking for a bunch of ungrateful slobs.”

“Now you don’t talk about these fine boys that way.” Miss Margret waved a wooden spoon in her assistant’s face. “They are out there doing what needs to be done, and it’s an honour to help, an honour. What would you be doing if you just stayed at home in Albion, huh?”

“Not sweating like a mule for one thing.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Well, good then. You can help with the dishes now,” said Miss Margret as she turned to a pile of gruel cover bowls.

“Miss Margret!”

“What is it now, Catherine?”

“One of the buns has disappeared.”

Twilight devoured the bland bun quicker than Pinkie Pie eats cake. She immediately regretted doing so. She suspected that they didn’t even use wheat in the thing. Nerveless it was enough to satisfy her hunger for the moment.

She followed Frank towards a tight cluster of tents and watched as he asked a man in brown robes and a strange doughnut shaped hairstyle if he had seen Robert. The man nodded and pointed inside one of the tents.

“Farther,” Robert shakily began.

“Yes my child?” Farther Brian, a kind looking elderly man asked. His cheeks were rosier than a florist and his amber eyes looked as old and as wise as tree sap. He also wore brown robes and had a wooden necklace with the sun motif hanging on the end.

“What-” Robert cut himself off as he checked his wording carefully. “What would cause… someone to see something that isn’t there, hypothetically speaking that is?”

The Farther Brian looked at the young man who was lying on a camp bed with a wet towel on his head. “Well, a number of things really,” he began. The old man starched his head and briefly wondered what ‘hypothetically’ meant. “Spirits, ghosts, demons, being possessed that sort of thing. Why do you ask?”

Robert gulped. “No reason.”

“So what’s wrong with you?” All attention was now on Frank who stood in the tent’s entrance.

“He fell from a horse and hit his head,” Farther Brian replied, “A nasty bump too. Add that to almost being drowned and sunstroke, and you have the makings of a serious panic attack, apparently.”

“Yes, but is that horse really that scary?” Frank asked. Robert had by then stopped listening as he had noticed a purple head peeking around his friend.

“No!” He gasped, shooting up from the bed and attempting to put as much distance between him and the equine.

Frank glanced towards the old man who simply shrugged.

“Anyway, Sir Neville wants to see you. It’s about the… Horse!”

Robert whimpered at the sound of the last word.

Twilight would have normally felt bad for the creature. However his cowardliness in the face of her presence was only fuelling her frustration. Unless this was some trick by Discord then they must all simply be ignoring her or playing some kind of cruel joke. The original theory seamed most logical.

“I’m telling ya Miss,” said a large bolding man in armour that seemed to offer as much protection as hard cheese. “we ain’t stealing ya buns.”

“Well someone did. You must have seen someone,” said Catherine.

“Nope. I don’t know anyone who’d want any of those buns, ain’t that right boys?” A group of equally thuggish warriors around nodded in agreement.

“Fine,” she huffed, “But I’ve got my eyes on you gentlemen. Good day.”

“An’ we’ve got our eyes on you to ma’am,” one of them called as she stormed away.

Men, she thought. Always the same, it didn’t help that she was one of the youngest women in the camp. She sighed, and stopped. She could have sworn that she saw a purple pony walk between those two tents… “I need to get out of this sun.”

Twilight followed the Two-Leggers back to the tent where Joey still stood tapping his hoof. Robert spent the entire journey shaking and telling himself that Twilight didn’t exist. The unicorn simply walked behind and remained quiet.

The temperature inside the tent was immediately noticeable. It felt to Twilight like going from her oven and directly into the fridge. “Ah, Robert,” A man in fine clothes said. He placed a metal helmet onto a table holding an assortment of well-maintained armour and swords before turning to the others. “I suppose that you can guess why you’re here?”

“I-I-Is it about the horse sire?” Robert stammered.

“Yes.” The man’s attitude immediately darkened. “What I want to know is what were you doing riding him in the first place?”

“W-Well… You see, after the tournament I was taking him back here when, when-“

“Out with it boy!”

“It was Sir George and Lord Grimsby! They spotted an Aysyrrasin scout and they chased after him! They ordered me to get on your horse and come with them! Please, I’m sorry Sire, it won’t happen again!”

Sir Neville watched Robert plead. He laughed. “Get up boy; I never said you were in trouble.”

“But-“

“But nothing. Just don’t do it again without my say so. Now, go and find wherever it is you’ve put your backbone.”

“Joey,” Twilight asked the horse. “What’s an Aysyrrasin?”

The stallion looked up from his hoof to the unicorn. “Eye-sigh-raisin? I don’t know what an Eye-sigh-raisin is. Oh, oh! Is this a riddle?”

Twilight sighed. It was going to be a long day.

The alien sun slowly soared across the sky and began to blaze the sky in an orange glow as it dipped above the mountains where Twilight had awoke. By now the unicorn had enough. Robert was currently resting alone in a tent and she couldn’t take being left without answers any longer. She burst though the flap, leaped up onto the bed and before the Two-Legger could scream she wrapped his mouth in a purple aura and sealed it shut.

“Now Robert, you are going to listen to me.” She hissed, a bit harsher than she intended but she had his attention. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia and Element of Magic. I am lost here on this world because of an evil spirit and I need to find a way back. For some reason you’re species is the dominant one I see around here and you are the only one who can see me so you are going to help me. And no, I’m not a ghost, spirit, evil demon and you are not hallucinating or possessed. Have I made myself clear?”

Robert nodded rapidly.

“Good, now I’m going to unseal your mouth and you are not going to scream, alright?”

Again Robert nodded. Twilight let go of the magical clasp.

Nothing happed.

“Oh, I thought you would scream?”

“You told me not to,” the Two-Legger replied.

“Yes, I did.” Twilight made a quick mental adjustment to her plan. “Look, I think we got off on the wrong hoof… err, foot this morning,” she said. “Can we just start again?”

Robert regarded the unicorn for a few moments considering his options. He made a quick glance to the door and back again, though considering how she removed his mouth, a living nightmare that his heart was still racing over, he didn’t want to see what the mare would do if she was really angry. Reluctantly, he nodded.

“Good,” the unicorn chirped as she climbed off the bed and gave a sheepishly apologetic look. “Okay, as I said, my name is Twilight Sparkle. I am a unicorn. You somehow know that, but I’m afraid that I haven’t seen any species like yours before.”

“I’m Robert, Robert of Amingham,” he said. Slowly getting use to the idea of talking to an invisible purple unicorn. “I’m a Man, Human that is. We are Human.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Robert. As I said I’m trapped here. Trapped by an evil spirit called Discord who is doing unthinkable things to my homeland and I need to get back.”

“But how?” Robert interrupted.

“I’m not sure. Discord likes to play games and he said that somewhere on this world there is a way back, though making it so that only you can see me must be his way of making it more difficult for me.”

“I don’t know about that,” said Robert. “I mean, if everyone here could see you...” He didn’t want to finish that sentence. Truthfully he wasn’t completely sure what would happen, and he didn’t want to find out any time soon.

“Well, as I was saying, I need help, and you are the only one who can help me.”

After a moment of silence Robert could only reply with, “Right.”

“Good, now, where do we eat around here?”

Twilight looked at the ‘porridge’ on the end of her spoon. Calling it porridge however may have been too kind. It looked as if some poor pony had already eaten it and then regurgitated it. Twilight had been annoyed earlier when Robert had attempted to give her hay. Perhaps she had been too hasty, he may have been only trying to spare here from this.

“Try not to think about it,” said Robert as he slowly ate his. “It helps if you hold your nose.”

Twilight sighed and took a bite. She suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore.

Twilight unstrapped her stone tablet from her side and laid it on the ground. She didn’t feel as if she could cross anything off yet. Instead, she added the word ‘edible’ to the ‘find food’ point and smiled. With a yawn she attempted to make herself comfortable on the straw and cotton pile what was her bed. It wasn’t much but the only alternative was the floor.

As sleep slowly overcame her Twilight’s thoughts turned to that of her friends. Where were they? She hoped that wherever they are they were having a better time than her. They sure would have interesting stories to tell when they got home. If they got home…

Robert too decided it was time for bed, and before he drifted off to sleep, he had one final thought. ‘Why me?’

Author's Note

Thanks to OnederMan for proof reading.
I couldn’t help but notice the two dislikes. I’m sorry if you feel inclined to dislike my story, but please, could you at least let me know why?

3. Of Books and Men

Chapter 3: Of Books and Men

==============================

Flags fluttered in the dim glow of torchlight. These flags were black and the white sun motif in the centre was stylized with each of the eight beams of light twisting to the left at a ninety degree angle half way up their stem.

A shadow moved though the light as a black cloaked figure hurried past armour-clad guards and into a large tent. In his hands was a plain and unassuming box. He hurried into the tent and bowed before a man sitting on a regal stool.

“My Lord Grandmaster, please forgive me for this intrusion,” the cloaked figure said.

“What is so important that you must disturb me at this time of night, Grand Librarian?” the Grandmaster asked. His voice was one that could make rock tremble with anxiety. His black hair was neatly swept back and a trimmed beard presided upon his strong chin. He wore black robes with the same sharp sun motif that donned his banners and his men’s armor.

“Grandmaster,” said the Grand Librarian as he placed the box out before him. “There is something you should see.”

“Is that what I think it is?” It was a statement rather than a question. He could recognize that aged oak box with its well-polished surface and brass hinges anywhere. The Grand Librarian nodded and slowly lifted the lid. An unnatural red glow filled the room and wrapped it in an uneasy darkness. “What’s happened to it?”

“I do not know,” replied the Grand Librarian. “It began this morning. I’ve looked though all my books and they provide no answers.”

The Grandmaster raised himself from his seat and walked closer to the box. The rare sight of a small smile spread across his lips as the red glow bound around his eyes like a juggling dragon. He reached out and gently closed the box before grasping it in his arms as if he were a mother grasping her child.

“You can leave it with me,” he said. “I’ll keep it safe. Go back to your books and find me an answer. I will study the artifact myself.”

“Of course, Grandmaster.” The Grand Librarian bowed. “If you require anything, I’ll be in my tent.”

“Yes, I’m sure you will,” the Grandmaster half-heartedly replied. He had lost all interest in the robed man. The Grandmaster’s hands stroked the boxes surface as the retired to his seat. “I sense that this is the beginning of something big,” he said to no one in particular. He was the only one in the tent.

Robert slowly opened his eyes and let out a long yawn. It was early morning. A light sea breeze fluttered though the tent’s fabric as the sun already began to heat up the land. He looked around the small tent and found it to be empty. Frank’s bedding was empty, and apart from a scattered pile of fabric in the center, nothing was out of place. He gave a sigh of relief and allowed himself a lie-in. Perhaps it was all just a bad-

“Hello.”

His eyes shot open to meet the deep purple eyes of Twilight Sparkle. She smiled. Two bowls of food levitated in a purple glow to her side. “Good morning,” she said. “I brought you some breakfast. It’s probably not much better than last night. I don’t even know what it is.”

The bowl lowered itself into Robert’s hands as he sat staring blankly at the unicorn. Twilight stared back with a frown.

“Remember that talk we had last night?” she asked.

“How could I forget,” Robert muttered.

Twilight made herself comfy on the floor and watched as Robert took the first bite of his food. As he didn’t choke it out, Twilight hesitantly placed a spoonful into her mouth. It wasn’t as bad as before.

“So, today I was wanting to get some answers. Do you know where the nearest library is?”

“Library?” Robert looked at the unicorn over his gruel full spoon.

“Yes, a library, or at least someone with some kind of books about magic and stuff.”

“Magic?” It was then Robert’s mind finally clicked into the realization that this formally mythical creature before him was capable of magic. “Magic!?”

“Yes, magic.”

“No-no-no-no; you don’t understand Magic is-it’s...it’s impossible.”

“And I’m a talking unicorn. Guessing by your reaction is that really a valid excuse?”

“I guess not,” Robert muttered. “Just don’t summon any demons or curse any of us please?”

“And why in Equestria would I do that?”

Robert was saved from having to explain as Frank, dressed in his armor and his sword by his side, swung back the tent’s door and looked in. “You’re awake then. Get your stuff and load up the wagons. We’re moving on today.”

“What?!” Robert leapt to his feet. “Since when?”

“Since the King said so. We’re marching south. We’re here on a mission, remember? Not just to have fun,” said Frank. He picked up a sword and tossed it towards his friend. “You’ll need that. Oh, and it’s best if you stop talking to yourself; People may think that you are crazy.”

“I think I already am,” Robert muttered to himself as Frank left.

“So,” Twilight broke the silence, “I’ve been meaning to ask. This is a military camp of some kind. Why are you here? Are you fighting with something?”

“You could say that,” said Robert. He rose to his feet and proudly gestured to his linen covered chest. “We are Crusaders.”

“Crusaders? Like the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

Robert raised an eyebrow at the unicorn. “I’m… not sure… Anyway, we are men who are sworn to take back the holy land from the Aysyrrasin heretics in the name of Solaris!”

“Solaris?” Twilight asked. She was slightly disturbed at the human’s enthusiasm.

“Yes, Solaris. You know, the creator of all, bringer of the day, the Almighty Father,” Twilight stared at him blankly. “Anything?”

“Well, Princess Celestia brings the day where I’m from, and she says that it was her mother who created the world.” Twilight replied.

Robert’s eye twitched, his brain considered his options and rebooted itself. “Close enough,” he said with a shrug. “Now, um, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get changed.”

“Oh, sorry.” Twilight blushed a little as she backed out of the tent and into the early morning sun. The camp was busy with men in armor lowering tents and placing gear into wagons.

“Excuse me,” Twilight said to a nearby black stallion. “Where can I find a bathroom?”

The horse cocked its head. “Bathroom?”

“Yes, you know, somewhere to wash and brush my teeth.”

The horse chewed on some dry grass, “Brush… teeth?”

“You know what, nether mind.” Twilight muttered as she went in search of any form of sanitation. Her hoof stepped into something soft, warm and moist.

She looked down.

She screamed.

“Catherine, have you seen the soap?”

“No, Miss Margret,” Catherine called back as she loaded a pile of pots and pans into the back of a cart. “It should be with the other washing up stuff.”

“No it ain’t,” the older woman called back. “And a bucket and towel is missing too!”

What they didn’t know was that, hiding behind a nearby tent, Twilight was franticly scrubbing away at her foreleg with the commandeered soap. At least she hoped it was soap. It seemed to do the job. She had been scrubbing for about an hour when she was finally disturbed.

“Twilight? What are you doing?” Robert asked as he made his way behind the slowly disappearing tents.

“Doesn’t anypony, horse or human here understand simple hygiene!?” Twilight asked. Her horn glowed as, for the fifth time, she attempted to purify the limb with a burst of purple flames.

“Hy-what now?”

Twilight gave him a deadpan stare. “Please tell me you’re joking.” When Robert didn’t reply the unicorn sighed and turned back to her foreleg.

“You do know that soap is made from…” Robert slowly trailed off.

“Yes I know what soap is made off,” Twilight muttered, “Lye and oils with some other ingredients.”

“Um, yes. Of course it is.” Robert gave a faked chuckle.

The unicorn didn’t notice. She sighed, dried her leg and slowly stood. She should have expected as much. She remembered stories that Shining Armor told her of his time training. She couldn’t believe that camping would have been that bad, especially with the Royal Guard’s budget. This was probably worse.

Shining… Her mind drifted to thoughts of home again. Her brother, Cadence, Spike and her parents, she hoped that they were alright. Last time Discord escaped, her parents were barley affected beyond having their home turned upside down along with the rest of the street.

She shook her head. There was time later to worry about home. First she had to find a way back. It was then she realized that she had no idea where to even start looking. If only she had some-

“Books!”

“What?” Robert asked.

“Books, I need books!” Twilight turned to him with more enthusiasm that he had ever seen. “Please say that there are some books nearby. Good books, books with facts and knowledge. Books that can help me get home.”

“Umm… I think Father Brian has some books like that,” said Robert. Twilight made a sound of pure glee and disappeared in a cloud of dust, galloping between the remaining tents.

Robert sighed and began to follow.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

He stopped and turned to meet a glare from a brunet haired woman. It was at that moment, his brain decided, that he had never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

“So you are the one who’s been stealing from the kitchen,” said Catherine.

“I-I It, I… Who-“

“Don’t play dumb with me, just give me back the stuff you stole and I’ll let you go.”

Robert glanced down to the bucket of water and almost dissolved soap.

“Yes, that stuff,” Catherine said.

Robert nodded and picked up the bucket, soap, and towel and held it towards Catherine who snatched it back from his hands.

“Now if I ever catch you or your book loving friend stealing again then I will get angry, understand?”

Robert weakly nodded. He never would have thought that something so dangerous could be so attractive.

“Good,” she huffed before turning and walking away leaving Robert staring after her. It was a short while after she disappeared when he shook the thoughts from his head and went off in search of the unicorn.

Twilight wasn’t hard to find. A purple horned pony amongst the dirt and sand landscape stood out well enough for Robert to see her digging though the carts of the United Friaries of Dewnenshire.

“Found them!” she triumphantly called as a cartload of books and scrolls floated around her.

“Do you mind keeping them down?” Robert asked with a hush. “We don’t want to be drawing any attention.”

“Oh, sorry.” The Unicorn giggled as she lowered all but one book back into their place. She made herself comfy on the cart and opened the largest tome she could find.

“An’ did þos fēt in alden time.

Ƿalkest upon Ælbions mountains ȝrēne:

An’ Ƿas þē hōly Lamb of Solis,

On Ælbions plēsent æcers sēn!”

“I knew it wouldn’t be that easy! Why do you have to speak the same language but not use the same alphabet?” Twilight sighed slammed her head into the pages out of despair.

“It can’t be that bad, all we need is to find someone to read it,” Robert suggested.

Twilight yet out a muffled “yes” from the pages, she lifted her head and smiled. “That’s it! I know a translation spell that will work. I just need you to read the first couple of paragraphs for me.”

“Read… yes, of course,” Robert let out an uneasy chuckle as the book was shoved into his hands.

“I need you to show me the words as you read them,” said Twilight.

Robert cleared his throat and gulped. “Err… There once was a… a Duck! Yes, there once was a duck that… that… umm-“

“Robert?”

“Yes Twilight?”

“Do you know how to read?”

Robert answered. Never before had he heard anyone shout in anger as loud as Twilight did.

“I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry!” Robert stemmed from his new place on the ground.

“How could you not know how to read!?” Twilight yelled, glaring down at the pathetic human from the cart.

“I never needed to read before!”

“That’s no excuse! What did they teach you at school?”

“School?”

Twilight let out a frustrated scream. Robert could have sworn that her mane started smoking. Twilight sighed, her anger had ran out and twisted itself into sorrow as she collapsed into her hooves and then let out a sob. “I-I just want to go home.”

Robert clambered to his feet. He never had to comfort a pony before, the closest experience he ever had was comforting his little sister when her favorite toy broke. Slowly he reached his had forwards and tapped her on the side of her head.

“Calm down Twilight. I’ll help you find your way home. I promise.”

“B-But, no books…”

“All we need to do is find someone else who can read.”

Twilight sniffed her final sobs and looked up at the human. “Yes, yes. Your right.”

“Robert, are you feeling alright?” The human and unicorn both shot round to see a concerned Father Brian.

“Father. Yes, of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” Robert said with a nervous chuckle.

“Oh, are you? It’s just that you are talking to a book.”

“Talking? No, no I wasn't. I was just trying to read it.”

“Ask him to read it,” whispered Twilight.

“I didn’t know you could read,” said Father Brian.

“I can’t,” Robert admitted, “but could you possibly teach me?”

“Teach you? Well, yes I could. But not now though. Remind me next time we set up the camp for a long peaceful period.” Father Brian lifted the book and stowed it away neatly before raising the cart’s back.

“When will that be?” Twilight asked. Robert asked the Father.

“Well, I’m not sure. His Majesty is about to announce where we’re going. It would be good to finally get Solaris’ work done. Oh, and between you and me,” he added in a whisper, “those horses have their eyes on you.”

It was true. All the nearby horses were staring at the trio with a looks that Twilight could only read of interest and confusion.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” One nearby stallion asked.

Twilight’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, she gave a nervous chuckle, “Yes.”

Author's Note

Bonus points for whoever can translate the text for Twilight.
Does anyone else think that this deserves an Alternative Universe tag because of the episode “Keep Calm and Flutter On”?

4. New Discoveries

Chapter 4: New Discoveries

==============================

It is a fact universally acknowledged that horses do not talk. For Robert, the concept of universally acknowledged fact became further warped and meaningless as he watched his unicorn companion converse with one of the camps' stallions. Within one day his simple view of the world was picked up by the scruff of its metaphorical neck, thoroughly shaken by the hands of insanity and then dunked in a bath of unwanted imagination.

He felt as if he drank too much of Farther Brian’s Bitter Brew, only without the side effects of headaches and dizziness.

“So… you can talk with horses?” asked Robert.

“Yeah,” the unicorn sighed. “He was just wondering if I was okay. They all saw my outburst and were curious about why I was talking to a ‘two-legger’.”

“Two-legger?”

“It’s their name for your species.”

He watched as the unicorn continued to tread across the dirt with her head down. Part of him felt sorry for the creature. If what she said was true, then all she wanted was to go home, where ever that was.

Another problem that was plaguing Robert’s mind was that unicorns do not exist. At least, they no longer exist…

He remembered back to when he was a child in his village. Father Brian, or Brother Brian as he was known then, always came to the village centre every Saturday afternoon to teach the children. He told them stories of ancient heroes who slayed dragons and rescued damsels in distress.

Robert never did find the meaning of the word damsel.

Other stories he told were from the Book of Solaris: how Solaris created humanity in his image and how he gave them many animals as companions. Horses were chief among these, and of all horses, unicorns where the most grand companions of all. Farther Brian always described them as majestic and fierce beings, protecting the weak and the innocent from evil, wand who were all-powerful, loyal and brave.

Robert never imagined them to be so… purple.

He remembered the day he asked Farther Brian why no one had ever seen a unicorn, ‘Unicorns, my dear boy,’ he replied. ‘The reason why we no longer see them is because they all… moved on. They sacrificed themselves to the darkness so that we may all live in peace.’

The stories were true. He knew they were because that’s what everyone said. But if they were true then how was Twilight here? The many questions that sat impatiently in that back of his mind finally broke thought the wall of ignorant bliss and bombarded his frontal lobe with questions like, ‘who is Discord, some sort of devil?' and ‘Is this Equestria the afterlife?’.

He rubbed his head and sighed, attempting to shake off the philosophical induced headache.

Twilight was also having her own thoughts as she trotted along; head down and ears flopped to the side. She didn’t care where she was going, a part of her hoped that she would just trip over and land on the answer. She hoped those books would contain some knowledge, folktale or story that could point to a way home.

What is the way home anyway? She thought to herself. It’s not like they would just say, ‘Here’s a portal to Equestria; have fun!

She stopped moving when she found herself corned between a large crowed of humans, all of whom seemed to be looking in the same direction.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked her human follower.

“It must be the King’s Speech,” Robert said in a hushed voice.

Twilight nodded and slowly made her way through the crowds and hopped up onto a cart to get a better look. At the front of the crowed a man sat upon a magnificent stallion. He wore regal robes of a deep red with offsets of purple over gleaming chainmail and plate armour. To the left of his hart the sun motif was proudly sown and to the right was a punching lion. He had short reddish hair and beard. Tucked under his arm was a regal helmet with a golden crown infused with protective steel.

“Who’s that?” Twilight asked.

“That is King Edmund the Lion,” replied Robert with a bulging smile. “He’s the one leading this campaign. He’s one of Albion’s gratis kings, up there with Arthur and Alfred.”

Another man on horseback rode up. His hair was darker than the darkest black whilst his armour gleamed in the sunlight. The fabric covering also seemed to absorb all light excepted for the embroidered white eight pointed sun with each point bending sharply to the left. His appearance was neater than anything Rarity could ever hope to envision and his eyes were so piercing that they could turn a cockatrice to stone.

That was just the horse. Its master was almost identical apart from two key features. One, he was human and two, he was far more imposing.

“And who’s he?” Twilight asked.

“That is Grandmaster William de Sable of the Holy Knight Brotherhood of Solaris’ Temple… or The Knights Templar for short.”

Robert went on to talk about other men who rode next to the king but Twilight had lost interest. Instead she was focused on the Grandmaster. There was something about him that worried her. Looking at him made her feel colder and his eyes seamed to dance with a red glow.

“Did you see that?” Twilight asked.

“See what?”

“His eyes. The Grandmaster’s eyes.”

“You don’t want to be looking in his eyes Twilight,” Robert hissed. “I once heard that a lieutenant of his lost a battle and was summoned before him. All what the Grandmaster did was stair at him, he didn’t say anything, he just stared. The lieutenant spent weeks shivering, mumbling to himself, having nightmares and then he just disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Twilight asked. She couldn’t take her eyes of the man. Her eyes begged to be allowed to blink but she didn’t want to risk losing sight of the human. To make matters worse she didn’t even know why. Twilight hated it when she didn’t know things.

“Yes, vanished without a trace. Never to be seen or heard from again,” said Robert. “Although, it could just be a story…”

Twilight had stopped listening. Time seemed to slow as her eyes finally won over her irrational brain. They closed and opened again.

The Grandmaster was looking right at her.

He wasn’t just looking in her general direction or right though her as every other human besides Robert had. Instead the Grandmaster looked her right in the eyes, his face remaining cold, emotionless and less readable than a white wall. His horse looked over too and after for a brief moment surprise and confusion washed over its face before it eventually took the hint and gave her a deadly glare.

Twilight was frozen. Her body was more ridged then when she was turned to stone. She asked her mind for instructions but only received a response of ‘we’ll get back to you’. One part of her mind was however working into overdrive. It screamed at her to get away. Twilight agreed and sent an almost instinctual single to her horn. There was a flash of light.

Twilight had disappeared.

Catherine stood in the shade of a group of heavily loaded carts. She looked around nervously as she clasped a bag to her side. She watched to see if anyone was looking, she was fortunate that most of them were focused on the King’s speech and when everyone’s attention was elsewhere she disappeared under a sheet. She smiled to herself and pulled out a rugged book from the bag as well as an inkwell and a wooden box containing a quill that would have been far too expensive of a common serving girl.

She let out a sigh of relief as she opened the book to the first blank page and placed it carefully on the ground. She opened the inkwell and gracefully dipped in the quill before removing it along with the perfect amount of ink. She pondered briefly of what to write before putting the quill to the paper and wrote the words ‘Dear Diary’ in handwriting that would make the greatest of artists give up their trade.

She smiled to herself and basked in the cool shade as she moved to write the next line. As the quill hit the paper a sudden loud pop echoed above her followed by a short scream. Her makeshift tent collapsed on her along with several boxes from the carts.

Catherine leapt back from the cluttering mess as the cloth wisped over her head and rolled into a large ball. As she lay in the sand, dazed and confused, the chiming of glass hitting the ground caught her ears.

Her eyes shot wide open.

“Oh no!” she scrammed. Shooting up the young woman hastily lifted her most precious book and quill away from the spilt ink and franticly checked to see if they were damaged. Once she was sure that the book was unblemished and the quill still in perfect condition she gave a sigh of relief.

Relief, however, quickly turned to anger as she glared at the moving mound under the former shade providing cloth. She carefully placed her book, quill and what remained of the ink to the side and turned to the clumsy, idiotic man who caused this mess. She was about to give him a piece of her mind when a purple hoof shout out from under the cloth.

A hoof was the last thing she thought she would see, let alone a purple one. Catherine watched as the mound of cloth lifted itself from the ground and fell from the being beneath it. The young woman found herself looking at a purple pony that stood just above half her height. Its mane was cut in an odd fashion and on its forehead was a horn—

“I really need to think about where I teleport too,” muttered the unicorn as she rubbed her head. She looked up and met the eyes of Catherine who had an expression that held a mixture of great surprise and disbelief.

There was a moment of silence.

The two began talking at the same time.

“You’re a talking unicorn!”

“You can see me?”

“Yes, I can talk.”

“Yes, I can see you.”

Both paused.

There was another moment of silence before Catherine broke it with a delightful squeal. The unicorn didn’t have time to react as she found herself swiped into a strong hug.

“I can’t believe it! A real live unicorn fell from the sky! It’s just like I’ve always dreamed!”

The unicorn struggled under Catherine’s grip. Soon a meek voice spoke the words, “Can’t… breathe…”

“Oh, sorry,” Catherine replied sheepishly as she released the unicorn from her grasp. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just that I’ve always wanted a unicorn ever since I was a little girl... and... Oh boy. Please don’t tell anyone I said that.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m okay,” the unicorn sighed. “And you are the only other human I’ve meet who can see or hear me.” The unicorn paused, and then added, “Well at least I hope you are the only other one I’ve seen.”

“Really?” Catherine asked, “Why can’t anyone see you?”

Her mind was working in overdrive. In front of her was a creature that she had always dreamed of. Sure it wasn’t as grand as she had imagined, but it was far cuter, and best of all it talked.

She briefly wondered if those falling crates knocked her out cold and that this was a dream.

“I wish I knew,” said the unicorn, oblivious to Catherine’s pondering. “It’s probably something to do with Discord. I’m Twilight Sparkle by the way.”

“And my name is Catherine. It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Sparkle.” Catherine smiled and gave the best curtsy she could whilst sitting.

“Likewise, and please, call me Twilight.”

After that Catherine got the first questions in and the two went into a discussion about where Twilight was from and how she was stuck. Catherine for the most part listened patiently and nodded in understanding. The unicorn was thorough in her story telling and left the woman with no questions. That was until Twilight reached a point that Catherine couldn’t go unanswered.

“Wait, so you’re the one who’s been stealing from the kitchen?”

“Kitchen? I-I—“ The unicorn stumbled over her words her eyes darted around as if to avoid that question. She spotted something in the corner of her eye. “Is that a book?”

Catherine this time went on the defensive. She shifted herself between the unicorn and her book and gave her best poker face. It was obvious she had never played the game.

“Book? What book? There are no books here.”

“Oh my gosh! You can read, can’t you?” Twilight said as a smile beamed from her face. “Please, you have to teach me!”

“I thought you said you were a librarian?” Catherine asked, still reluctant to move but reassured slightly by the fact that no one can hear the unicorn.

“I am, and although our languages are somehow spoken the same I can’t read yours.”

Catherine sat in silence. She had always kept the fact that she could read a secret, even from Miss Margaret. After all, a serving girl who could read was bound to raise some questions. Questions she didn’t want to answer.

“Please,” Twilight pleaded, “I know it’s a long shot but I need to find a way home. Maybe the answer is in a book. They always have been before, but I can’t find it if I can’t read. Do you have any idea what that’s like for someone like me?”

Catherine was silent for a few more seconds. She let out a long sigh and moved her book and quill back in front of her. “Very well, Twilight,” she said, thinking she would regret this, “I will teach you how to read Albish... How will this work?”

“Don’t worry too much. I have a spell that will help.”

“Spell?”

Robert wasn’t sure what to think. The pony who haunted him for the last two days was finally gone. She didn’t walk off somewhere nearby or disappear for a few minutes. This time she just vanished in a flash of light and this time was nowhere to be found.

Perhaps she was gone for good.

Part of him was relieved at the possibility; he could know get on with is life without being insane. But another point at the back of his mind was worried. He didn’t even know why.

Unicorns do not exist. Or at the very least no longer exist. These great questions that were filling his mind were more unwanted than the purple myth herself. He was just a simple farm boy from a village no one ever heard off. And yet, he was the only one who could see her.

Why couldn’t it have been Sir Neville? He thought. He’s the son and heir of an earl! I’m just the boy who feeds his chickens!

Robert rubbed his eyes. Twilight can’t exist. At least she’s gone now. At least, he hoped she was. He still had the headache from the unwanted questions that he managed to wrestle back under control whilst explaining to the mare the leaders of this campaign.

And yet, no matter how much he wanted that thing gone, a part of him missed her.

Robert sighed and sat himself down on a conveniently high rock. He didn’t know why he felt that way.

“Robert? Are you oaky?”

The farm boy looked up to see his only friend Frank look at him with concern.

“I don’t know, Frank,” said Robert. He held his helmet in his hands as the two sat.

“Are you still talking to yourself?”

“No… I never was.”

“Then who were you talking to?” Frank chuckled, “The Invisible Empress of Reme?”

It is of some importance to note here that the Invisible Empress of Ream wasn’t actually invisible; it was just that no one had ever seen here. If it wasn’t the Emperor’s word and the fact that she has children, many people would say that she didn’t exist. Due to this, two conflicting rumours spread about her. One group says that she must be the greatest beauty to ever live. Others say that she was the ugliest woman to ever live. This discussion eventually caused riots in the imperial city killing hundreds…

Robert let out a small chuckle of his own. “No, it wasn’t. Although it probably would make more sense if it were.”

“Now, you’ve got me interested,” Frank said. “You’re… You’re not seeing your dead grandmother in things again?”

“No, no, no… It’s… complicated.”

“Suite yourself,” said Frank. He looked out towards the blue waters of the Meridian Sea. The last supply ships were leaving as the warriors and support carts were slowly gathering into their groups. “We’re leaving in a bit. Maybe you would finally do something.”

“I was there at the liberation of Hassiaf, you know.”

“Yes, but you just sat behind whilst I was the one to storm the city.”

“Sir Neville asked me to look after Joey. If it weren’t for him…” Robert paused. He looked into the back of his helmet ad sighed. “What was it like?”

There was a moment of silence as Robert waited for the response. He didn’t move. His eyes remained fixed on the distant sea yet never focused on anything. Finally Frank said, “Nightmares are more comforting that battle.”

After a minute of silence Robert finally decided to speak. “Do you remember the stories that Farther Brian used to tell us?”

“What about them?”

“What would… Unicorns do if they were still here?”

Frank looked at friend and raised an eyebrow in confusion. He thought of an answer and then said, “The world would be a better place... Come on, let’s go. We don’t want to keep Sir Neville waiting.”

Frank left. Robert slowly stood and looked at his helmet again. He made up his mind. If Twilight was real, then she must be important. And he is the only one who can help her…

He suddenly wished that he never left home.

If Twilight was to say that the first meeting between Robert and Catherine was awkward, that sentence would be marked down as the biggest understatement in the history of everything ever. If Pinkie was to try and bake a cake to represent it, the cake would be at least five miles tall and wider than the world’s entire adult dragon population standing head to tail. The cake would also require Equestria’s entire supply of icing that has ever been made or will be made, and would also be decorated by mountains engraved with strawberry and chocolate sprinkle flavour enchantments…

Twilight’s stomach growled at the metaphor. With the lack of good food around her she would be willing to eat Sugar Cube Corner itself, mortar and all.

Twilight was telling Catherine stories about Equestria when Robert found them. The following conversation went like this…

“Oh, it’s you,” said Catherine.

Robert stopped all movement and stared at Catherine with a look of panic, confusion and what Twilight presumed was the human equivalent of Spike’s expression whenever he sees Rarity after a day at the spa.

The conversation remained in this silence for a time that felt at least ten times longer than it really was.

Twilight was the one to break the silence. She let out a nervous cough and said, “Catherine, this is Robert. He’s the one who found me. Well, I sort of found him but… well…”

“Yes, I know who he is,” said Catherine with a scornful frown and a voice dripping with spite, she successfully supressed a giggle when she saw Robert finch at her words. “He’s the one who’s been stealing from the kitchen.”

“S-S-Stealing?” Robert muttered.

“Umm… Catherine, I already said it was me who took the food,” whispered Twilight.

“I know,” Catherine replied. “I just like to see his squirm. How’s the reading anyway?”

Twilight looked down to the kitchen ledger that she was practicing reading. “I think that whoever did these sums doesn’t know how to count to anything above the number ten.”

The sound of Robert attempting to speak brought their attention back to him. “I-I didn’t steal from the kitchen… It… You can see Twilight?”

Catherine was about to give another sadistically playful answer however the unicorn cut her off. “Yes she can,” said Twilight. Catherine sighed yet continued to scorn at the man. “Isn’t it great? She even taught me how to read!”

“You can read now?” Robert asked. A delightful smile formed on his face. “So you can go home?”

“Once I find a way, yes.” Twilight let the joyful thought flow though her and gleamed a smile in response not caring that Robert’s answer sounded overly joyful. “Of course I would love to study your society whilst I’m at it. I have so many questions.”

“Well, I would be glad to answer as many as I can,” Catherine said with a smirk. “And I’m sure Robert here would also help.”

The word Robert rolled of her tongue like a poison from a joke shop. Twilight was the only one to catch the mischievous side of it.

“First he has a war to help win,” a voice called. Three heads turned to see Sir Neville ride up on…

“Joey?”

“Hi, Twilit!” The horse called.

“It’s Twilight,” the unicorn replied. Catherine watched with confused interest whilst Sir Neville, dressed in his armour, turned to Robert and began speaking to him. Twilight, however, remained focused on the stallion.

“Oh, sorry,” said the horse. “I’m not very good with names.”

“It’s okay.”

“So what have you been doing? I’ve been having a great time, don’t you just like the look of these clothes? Oh, and this shiny metal sheet!”

“Yeah, sure…” Twilight said as she observed the blissful stallion’s armour and cloth covering that had both the sun motif and what appeared to be a chicken resealing with a flower sown into it. “You do know what you’re getting yourself into, right?”

“Of course I do!” Joey exclaimed. “Don’t you find it fun exploring new places? After all before this all I used to do was… Oh, sorry, got to go,” Joey said as his master spurred him on with Robert walking by his side. The young man looked back briefly at the unicorn and kitchen girl before they disappeared into a mass of matching warriors.

“So… What was that about?” Twilight asked.

“They had to go.” Catherine shrugged. “Everyone is moving out south towards Ashetilon.” She paused before giving the unicorn a questioning look. “So… you can talk to horses?”

“What does everyone asks that?”

In the overbearing sun, the marching mass of steel and cloth glinted and shimmered much like the sea that they followed. Clouds of dust rose from the feet and hooves of its participants leaving a trail along the coastline. One cloud, however, was moving the wrong way.

The Grandmaster galloped upon his black steed towards the supply caravans at the back of the marching line. Few he passed paid him any attention as he weaved between carts and waggons towards the order’s black standard.

He approached a cloaked man sitting in the back of a cart with a large tome spread open in his hands. “Grand Librarian, something urgent has happened,” said the Grandmaster. The Librarian looked up from his book and gently bowed his head.

“Is it to do with the amulet, sire?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” whispered the Grandmaster. “But it is an urgent matter that must not be shared with anyone else. Am I clear?”

“Of course, sire.”

The Grandmaster didn’t trust the Grand Librarian; he didn’t trust anything, not even his own mother who never told a lie in her life. What he did know was that the Grand Librarian was low on his list of the least trustworthy things. No matter what he wanted the Grand Librarian would see it done to the best of his abilities, and so far he has never been wrong.

“Good,” the Grandmaster said. “I’ll get strait to the point. There was a unicorn in the camp.”

“A unicorn?”

The Grandmaster shot the Librarian a glare. “I know what I saw, Librarian. It was a unicorn.”

“I didn’t mean to insult you, sire. Has anyone else seen it?” the Grand Librarian calmly replied.

“No, it was standing in the middle of a crowd and no one paid it any attention. I suspect it has something to do with the amulet.”

The Librarian nodded in agreement. That was another thing that the Grandmaster didn’t like about the Librarian, he never revealed what he was thinking unless he said it aloud. Nothing could startle him or make him cower. He instead always kept a calm appearance and took his time to speak. “I suspect it does, sire,” he said. “But the appearance of a unicorn is troubling. Do you know what it says in the Lost Chapters of Isaac, my lord?”

“Yes, Librarian, yes I do. I read them myself after what it took to acquire them for you.”

“Then, what do you wish to be done, sire?”

The Grandmaster thought for a moment. He looked out around the carts and matching guards yet failed to see any sight of that purple creature. He turned back to the Librarian and said, “I want you to find it. Use whatever you need. Just find it.”

“And what then, sire?”

“Then, Librarian, I want it dead.”

5. Old Tales

Chapter 5: Old Tales

==============================

“You mean to tell me that this war is just because they believe in something different than you!?”

Catherine almost fell out the cart as she reeled back from the unicorn’s fury. “Don’t look at me like that,” she said, slightly concerned by the smoke beginning to emit form Twilight’s mane. “I wasn’t the one to start this war.”

Twilight stood fuming on the back of the cart. She gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes shut. She looked as if she was about to explode when she stood straight and took in a deep breath. She exhaled whilst moving her left hoof out in front of her, letting the stress and anger escape with her breath. She sighed.

“You’re right,” she said. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I can’t believe that you would go to war over something so… trivial. There hasn’t been a war in Equestria for at least a thousand years.”

“Really? There seems to be one at least every month here,” Catherine said. A flash of disbelief shot across the unicorns face.

“How can you do that? I mean, yes your species is omnivorous, but not even Gryphons fight that much?”

“I don’t know why. Sometimes because of a lust for money or power, other times it’s to fight injustice. And some men are just evil,” Catherine sighed. “After the siege of Hassiaf I helped to tend the wounded and clean up the dead… I was always told that the Aysyrrasin heretics were monsters and demons… but they just looked like anyone else.”

Twilight felt a tug of guilt at seeing her newly met friend’s mood fall into dejection. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories,” she said.

Catherine shook her head and sighed, “No, it’s fine. It’s just the way the world is. I was just expecting… I don’t know what I was expecting. But at least I got to meet you.”

“Is that really the only good thing about this?”

“Twilight, meeting you was one of the best moments of my life,” Catherine said, Twilight would of thought that the woman was over exaggerating if it wasn’t for the sincere tone of her words. “And that only happened a few hours ago.”

“Wow, am I really that important to you?” Twilight asked, “I mean, sure, some things in life are bad, they can really make you mad-”

“Sometimes they want to make me swear and curse too,” Catherine bitterly interrupted. “But yes, ever since I was a child I’ve always wanted a unicorn as a friend. As I grew older I came to realise how foolish the idea was. But then you showed up, and while you did cost me a pot of perfectly good ink,-“

“Sorry.”

“-you’ve been more friendly than anyone else I’ve meet here,” Catherine finished. She turned her attention back to the slowly moving baggage train. “To tell you the truth, I’ve only ever had one friend.”

Twilight moved to sit next to Catherine and attempted to make herself as comfortable as possible in the limited space. “I know what that’s like. When I was growing up my only friends was my Brother and my foalsitter,” She said.

Catherine scoffed. “Yeah, your foalsitter who was a princess and went one on to marry your brother and rule an Empire. What is a foalsitter anyway?”

The long hot days and the not-quite-as-long-but-still-long-and-rather-annoyingly-cold nights quietly passed by. Whenever Twilight got the chance she would sneak around the carts in search for any book to read which was remarkably easy as no one could see her.

Each book she found was another insightful look into this world. She read of legends and history of great leaders and vast empires. Some held scientific and medical knowledge that made Twilight cringe at its inaccuracy. But none of them held any answers. None of them spoke of Equestria or offered anything that could help her get home.

It wasn’t all bad. The more she read the more she came to understand these humans. They were in many ways much like Equestria before Discord first arrived, working together in the name of a greater good, but still watching their backs for a knife, poisoned dart or falling rock. There was one book, however, she longed to read above all others: the Book of Solaris, the so called ‘holy book’ of all Solarians, although Twilight still wasn’t sure how a book could be holy, not even the ones Celestia wrote were considered that highly. Although she never admitted it to the princess she did enjoy her mother’s own books more.

There was one slight problem Twilight encountered; no one seemed to have a copy of this book. Both Catherine and Robert could recount stories from the book, but neither of them knew the whole thing word for word and even in the places they suggested to look not a single copy could be found.

“I could have sworn that monks - Monks, of all things - would at least have one copy on them. I mean, it’s their job after all!” Robert said late one night as the trio sat around a slow burning fire.

“I remember that there was one kept in the chapel back ho- back in Basingstoke Castle,” Catherine added. “It’s not much use now, I know, but they do exist.”

Twilight gave a hefty sigh and looked up from the book that lay in the sand. “It may not even have any answers. Just like everything else here. Most of them are just diaries, journals and ledgers anyway.”

Robert shifted anxiously when Catherine glanced at him. She rolled her eyes as she turned back to the unicorn. “It will be okay Twilight. Who knows, maybe when we next get to a city they will have a lot more books, maybe a library.”

“First we have to siege the city and then hope that it and the books stay intact. Even then they will probably be in another language…” Robert trailed off when he felt the deadly glare of Catherine’s eyes seeping into him. He gulped. “I-I mean, sure they will. And it will be fine. Who in their right mind would burn a library of all things?”

“Thanks,” Twilight dryly remarked. The desert itself was wetter than the sincerity of her words. “I suppose I should have expected as much. Discord said that he left a way home. He didn’t say that it would be easy to find. If anything he would have made in the last place I would… look…”

A glimmer of an idea formed in Twilight’s eyes. “Twilight?” Robert asked. “Are you okay?”

“That’s it...” Twilight said, “Of course! How could I have been so stupid?!”

“I still don’t-“

“When Discord took the elements of Harmony he hid them in the place I first read about them! If he’s done the same thing then he would have hidden the way home… right… where… he put me in… this one…”

“I’m sure that he wouldn’t have done that,” Catherine said. She moved to Twilight’s side and placed her hand on the unicorn’s fetlock in the hope of providing some confront. Twilight stiffened at the contact but let out a sigh and relaxed, lowering her head into the comfort of the old pages. “Twilight,” Catherine continued. “No matter where the way home is, I promise you Twilight, that I’ll help you find it. No matter how long it takes.”

Twilight felt something swelling within her. It was a familiar feeling. The fire felt cold compared to the feeling’s warmth. A large smile formed on her face from its comfort and her eyes quivered as they attempted to withhold tears. “R-Really? You would do all that just for… me?” she asked.

“Of course Twilight,” Catherine replied, “It’s what friends do.”

It was at that moment Twilight realised where she had felt the feeling before. The first time was when her friends came to saver her from Nightmare Moon. That was the moment when she first discovered friendship and now even here on a distant wold with strange creatures she had found it again.

“Thank you,” she said. Catherine yelped as a purple glow enveloped her and pulled her into the unicorn’s forelegs. After the shock she chuckled and returned the hug.

“It’s no problem Twilight,” she said. Her eyes turned over to Robert whose own eyes darted around unsure of what they should be looking at. “And I’m sure that Robert will also help.”

At the mention of his name the startled human fell off the small rock he sat on. “W-Who, me?”

“Yes, you,” Catherine deadpanned as she and the unicorn released each over and turned to the man. Robert now found two large purple eyes looking expectantly at him, and another set of smaller yet stunningly beautiful hazel eyes glaring at him with a look that said “Say yes or I will kill you”.

“I-I…” He gulped, “I would love to Twilight.”

The feeling returned to Twilight again. Her lips rose with a smile and a purple glow formed around her horn.

“But,” said Robert. The glow and smile fell. “I can’t, Twilight. I’m sorry. But I just can’t.” Twilight felt another feeling in her chest. This one rapidly crashed into what remained of the previous feeling and crushed the remnants into a fine dust. “You see, I’m sworn to serve Sir Neville until he releases me of service… or the day I die. I can’t just run off and help you. I could be seen as a traitor, or a coward, or a deserter, or-“

“That’s it?” a cold and harsh voice interrupted. Catherine looked at the man through fiery eye slits and spoke through gritted teeth. “You aren’t willing to help just because you care more about what others think of you then a friend? A unicorn of all things!”

“I-I... Please, just-“

“No. You were there at the start, you were the one who kept her safe, you-“

“Catherine.”

The woman stopped and all eyes turned to Twilight. The unicorn was about to say something else when she turned her head away and sniffed. A few drops of tears landed in the sand and on the pages of the book below.

“It’s… It’s okay,” said Twilight. Her voice wavered as she attempted to regain control over her quivering lips. She sniffed again and looked up to Robert who was still reeled back from Catherine’s words. “I understand that… that honour and promises are something that you can’t just break. You… you sort of remind me of Rainbow Dash in that way.”

“Twilight,” Robert muttered, “I’m… I’m so sorry-“

“It’s fine. You don’t have to explain.”

“No, but, my family. If I leave Sir Neville then… then they may get evicted. They’ll have nowhere to live… and I’ll never see them again. Twilight, I am so sorry, but I can’t risk that. Not even for you.”

The group fell into silence. The nearby sounds of other conversations and merrymaking provided an uncomfortable soundtrack to the moment. Robert wasn’t sure what to do. He just sat with his head down as a feeling of disappointment fell upon him.

He wasn’t aware of the purple glow that surrounded him until he was suddenly pulled into the grasp of the unicorn. He flinched from the sudden hold. He twisted in an attempt to free himself. It was useless, but then he came to realise that instead of attacking him, Twilight was giving him a hug. Robert froze as confusion flowed through his mind. Hesitantly he raised his arms and clasped them around the back of the purple mare.

“I said that I was okay, didn’t I?” Twilight said with a final sniff. Robert almost melted into the unicorn’s hug. It was a strange feeling. The last time he had a hug was from his mother and sister just before he left for the crusade. This hug was different in a way more so than the fact that he was being hugged by an extremely dexterous formally-mythical horned pony. The hug gave him a sense of warmth and a strange tingling sensation.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

The startled two pulled away from each other and whipped their heads around to see a confused and worried Father Brian standing above them with a large object warped in cloth securely held beneath his arm.

“Uh… Father… I, I was-“

“We were just playing charades, Father,” interrupted Catherine.

“Oh, right,” said the older man. “I’ve never been one for any of these new-fangled foreign games. But anyway, it’s good to see you finally breaking out of that shell of yours. I told you that coming on this most holy of adventures would be good for you.”

Robert gave a nervous glance to Catherine who simply rolled her eyes.

“I recognise you, you’re that kind girl who makes that excellent broth.”

“Thank you, Father. And my name is Catherine.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Now, Robert. I came here to take up on that offer to teach you how to read. If you don’t mind that is.” Father Brian said as he moved to sit next to Robert. Twilight gave a yelp of surprise as she suddenly found the large man sitting on her tail.

Catherine attempted to suppress a snigger as she watched the struggling mare. Father Brian took the cloth covered object out from under his arm and laid it gently on the ground. His hands moved with greater care and delicacy then an artist who was painting the finishing touches onto his masterpiece as he lifted the cloth from the object revealing a large and well-worn book.

“This is my favourite book. It has some of the greatest stories and legends held within it.” Father Brian said as he brushed his hand over the cover and gently opened the book to the first page. “It’s a shame that these stories aren’t more commonly known. Now where to… I’m sorry but I think I’ve sat on an ant hill or something. The ground feels like it’s moving under me.”

Father Brian lifted his generously sized rump letting Twilight’s tail free, and consequently sending her to the ground like a raggedy doll fired from a slingshot. Father Brian gave Catherine a confused look as she rolled on the ground in tears of laughter.

“Just ignore her,” Robert muttered.

Father Brian shrugged and began his lesson. Twilight brushed the dirt from her coat and made herself comfortable to the side. Twilight looked up and watched the two go through their lesson with a smile. In an odd way the sight reminded her the times that Celestia would read to her in front a warming fire. Twilight could still feel her mentor’s soft wing gently resting other her providing her with a feeling of warmth and safety.

It was a feeling that she longed for again.

“This one is one of my favourites,” father Brian said as he began to read. “There once was a unicorn mare. One of the most beautiful creatures to ever live. One day she met a handsome man who she immediately fell in love with. There was only one problem that kept her from loving the man. She was still just a unicorn. She was so desperate to be with the man she loved that she climbed to the tallest mountain and called out to Solaris for aid. And Solaris heard her pleas and bestowed upon her a golden chalice and whoever drank wine from it will have a single wish of theirs fulfilled. The unicorn accepted this gift and following the Lord’s instructions she wished to become human. And it was done.”

Twilight was listening intently. She had read of other magical items in the humans’ books but none like this. The possibilities! With this chalice could she get home? The idea boiled up within her like a kettle that had been left on the stove for too long. Fluttershy would disapprove of such a thing, but now if what the old man said was true then there could be a chance that Fluttershy could show Twilight her disapproval in the comfort of her home. Catherine gave the unicorn a knowing glance. She had the same idea.

“The unicorn, now a woman, fell deeply in love with the man whom shared her affection,” Father Brian continued. “They had two sons, Vinacent and Eldron. One day they were out playing when they discovered where their mother had hidden the chalice. They knew what it was and together decided to try it. Vinacent went first. He drank from it and due to his love of all animals he wished that he could talk to them. It was done and Vinacent went on to have a romantic relationship with their dog, but that’s a whole different story… Eldron took his turn and drank from the chalice. He, however, was hungry for power and knowledge. So that’s what he wished for.

“Eldron, wicked and corrupt, set out to conquer the world. Cities fell to his army of machines born from the depths of his stained mind. He ruled over the land with an iron fist, enslaving the people to work at building a great city for him. Vinacent saw the horror and torment caused by his brother and united an army of man and animals against him. The battle was long and hard, but in the end flesh and blood triumphed over machine. Solaris was pleased in Vinacent’s work and asked him to hide the chalice in a place where only those worthy of its power could find it. And it was done.”

“Ask him where it was hidden,” injected Twilight. Robert nodded and asked the old man.

“Well, they say that it was under the Holy City itself,” replied Father Brian to Robert. Twilight had taken the opportunity to get a closer look at the book. “They say that many have tried looking for it and failed. But I did hear that the Templars did find something before the Aysyrrasins attacked.”

“So who would know where it is now?” asked Twilight. Again Robert translated her question. Father Brian just shrugged.

“I wouldn’t know boy. It was just a rumour anyway. If you really wanted to know, ask one of the Knights. I’m sure that they will know, if they want to answer that is.”

The Templar’s part of the camp was very much like the rest of the camp. The embers of fires slowly died down under the star splattered sky. The tents and flags fluttered and rustled in the in the cold wind of the night. Twilight wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination but the night felt colder and more forbidding in this world. She had spent a few early nights in this world looking at the stars above. There wasn’t a single constellation she recognised and, although they were undoubtedly beautiful, these starts just didn’t carry the same grace and awe-inspiring warmth that the stars over Equestria do.

It served as another unwelcome reminder just how far away from home she truly was.

Twilight trotted up to the largest tent. Two guards in black armour stood on either side of the opening. Neither of them took any notice of her as she passed between them and into the tent. The immediate warmth sent a relaxing wave over her as she looked around.

The walls were lined by flags and carefully positioned touches with the odd rack of armour and weapons. In the centre sat a large table with, to Twilight’s delight, maps, books, quills and other items that wouldn’t look out of place in Celestia’s study, although it wasn’t as neat and organised as the Princess'. Twilight briefly wondered how they were able to transport all the items in the room, but her curiosities were interrupted when the tent opened and voices flowed in. Twilight instinctively hid behind a rack of armour and surcoats as three figures stepped in.

“…land and have slayed my people,” said the first man. Twilight recognised him as Sir Neville.

“I am aware of how serious this is, Sir Neville. I know your father well and I know that he will hunt down the perpetrators and bring then to justice. I just have to hope he doesn’t end up starting a war whilst I’m away,” said the second man, his voice was strong and regal. Twilight recognised him as the king of Robert’s country.

“I know, my Liege. With all due respect, I should have been there to stop it. The list of the dead…”

The King placed a hand on Sir Neville’s shoulder. “You are going to be a great man one day, just like your father. But sacrifices must be made. You can’t protect everyone all the time. I suggest you return to your tent and sleep over it. We have a busy day tomorrow anyway.”

Sir Neville was about to continue arguing but closed his mouth and gave a small bow. “Of course, Your Majesty. As you will,” he said. The king gave a nod and Sir Neville left.

The third man now let himself known. “Feelings like that will lead him to trouble someday,” said the man. His voice’s accent was different than any others, it sounded sillier to that Griffin chef she once met. She peaked out to see who it was, only for her heart to stop at the sight of the Grandmaster standing in the tent.

“He’s just a boy. He’ll grow up fast,” said the King as he walked around the table. The Grandmaster moved to the other side and stood opposite the king.

“Yes, I’m sure he will, but please, may we get on with this?” asked the Grandmaster. Twilight didn’t dare breathe, let alone move as she sat frozen behind the rack. She remembered her last encounter with the Grandmaster, the last thing she wanted was a repeat inside his very own tent.

The King and Grandmaster talked over a map for what felt like an hour. She would have been interested in studying what they were saying but the words seemed to wash over her as she tried thinking of what to do. She didn’t even know if any clues to this secret place under the Holy City would be here. Truthfully she didn’t even know where the city was or what its real name was.

When they finally left Twilight remained still for a few minutes longer. Once she was sure that they had left she let out a long sigh of relief and her exhausted hooves collapsed under her. She wanted to go to sleep but the ever present fret that they could return forced her to act quickly.

She leapt up on the table and began scanning the books for anything that may be of use. She found nothing.

With a disgruntled sigh she sank down to the hard oak surface and held her head in her hooves. It was just her luck.

Her horn tapped something metal. She looked up to see a set of keys lying under a few scraps of paper. Twilight picked them up in her hooves and curiosity took over. ‘Something as important as the location of a secret vault would be kept somewhere safe,’ she thought to herself. She looked round the tent and found a large chest in the corner, and to her luck it had a large lock on its front.

Fin a flash Twilight teleported to the chest and placed the key into the lock. She let out a squeal when it fitted perfectly. She froze. She was about to look though someone’s privet chest in search for information that may not even be there, her mind was screaming at her, ‘Is this right?’

‘It must be,’ she argued back. ’It’s worth the try, and anyway, it’s not like I’m stealing anything or trying to blackmail him.’

Twilight took a deep breath. She didn’t even want to look as she turned the key and heard the chinking of unlocking bolts. She slowly opened the lid and looked inside at the neat piles of letters, scrolls and books. She let out a long groan as her head sank onto the edge of the chest. “I wish Spike was here.”

She started looking though each of the letters, starting with the most recent and taking care not to read anything too private and to put them back in the right place. The letters passed and they were nothing more than correspondences with lieutenants and other commanders as well as plans for battle and secret doings that Twilight had no interest in.

Then there was one letter that caught her eye.

To Grandmaster William de Sable

16th Hellios, AS 1193

The items and documents stolen by the Aysyrrasins from the dig site in the Holy City arrived by carriage in the heretic citadel of Damarus on the night of the 16th of the 6th month, year of our sun 1193.

My attempts to retrieve the key will attempt soon, it is currently being stored in the great treasure house. I will send a response upon my success.

Yours faithfully

Master Severus

It wasn’t much, but it was the biggest lead she had so far. Twilight leapt up onto the table and looked over the maps that lay about. They were crudely drawn and must surely be inaccurate compared to modern Equestrian maps but sure enough the helpful ‘We are here’ mark left by the map owner as well as the large city clearly labled ‘Damarus’ to the east made it easy to understand.

The tent opened. Twilight’s head snapped up to meet the surprised eyes of the Grandmaster who stood still in the tent’s doorway.

There was a few seconds of awkward silence. The Grandmaster drew his sword and drive forwards. Twilight panicked. She grabbed the letter and map and in a flash teleported far away.

Twilight was in a hurry. She grabbed a bag from the tent she shared with Catherine and stuffed it with blankets, food and, to her disgust, a water skin. She also carefully placed the folded map and letter inside. With that all set she took a deep breath and hoisted the bag on to her back.

Finally she left a note next to the gently sleeping Catherine. She watched her friend as a ping of gilt stung her heart. “I’m… sorry. Goodbye,” she whispered as she turned to the tent’s door.

“Twilight?” The unicorn winced and froze at the sound of Catherine’s voice. “Twilight, what are you doing?” the human asked as she yawned and sat up in bed.

“I’m going to find that book,” Twilight said defiantly. “And I know that you said that you would help me, Catherine. I’m sorry, but I’m going alone.”

Catherine quickly blinked the sleep from her eyes. “Are you crazy? Don’t you know how dangerous it is out there?”

“Yes, I do. That’s why I’m going alone. I can’t put you or Robert in danger for me. Besides, this isn’t the first time I’ve gone alone into dangerous places and I do have a map.” Twilight let a reassuring smile on her face as she slid the map out of her bag to show the woman.

“You know that’s not going to work on me, right?” Catherine gave a skeptical frown to the pony, Twilight backed out of the tent and turned to the east. Catherine soon exited after with a blanket wrapped tightly around her. “Now you come back to the tent, Twilight. It’s freezing out here and who knows what lurks in the darkness.”

Twilight hung her head in thought. “No,” she said. “This is my problem, not yours. I can’t put you in danger to help. You said how dangerous it was yourself-“

“I don’t care about danger, Twilight. You’re my friend and I’m coming… Where are you going anyway?”

“You’re as stubborn and loyal as Rainbow Dash,” Twilight chuckled. “I’m heading to a place called Damarus. It’s a city to the east. Thank you, Catherine. I really do mean it. You are a good friend, but I’ve got to get home, and I will have an easier time on my own. I am invisible after all.” A tear escaped Twilight’s eyes as her horn began to glow. “Goodbye, Catherine.”

In a flash, Twilight was gone.

Robert was having a nice dream. It was odd in a way. He was with his family, only, he wasn’t at home even though the dream world felt more homely than home. There birds were singing in the trees where squirrels and other small woodland critters frolicked.

And then there was a voice. A soft and heavenly voice that called his name from afar. There, on yonder hill did he see the shadow of the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Catherine. She called to him and glided across the sea of grass. But the sun grew hotter, the voice became louder, and soon the angle was a fiery demon – a good looking one he would add – reaching out for him and screaming with a voice to shake mountains, “Robert!”

His eyes shot open, the dream appeared to have come true.

“Wake up you lazy badger or I swear that you will regret sleeping ever again!”

Or not…

“I’m up, I’m up,” muttered Robert as he sat up from his cot. “What’s going on?”

“Twilight has run away,” said Catherine.

Robert had to make sure that he heard Catherine correctly. When she repeated herself a smile attempted to brake on his lips. Half his mind however fought to keep it down, in the end it won out. “What do you mean she’s run away?”

“As in she has gone. She’s run off into the night heading for Damarus!”

“What? Why would she do that?” asked Robert.

“She says that she doesn’t want to put us in danger.”

“Well, that’s good.”

“This is nothing to joke about, Robert,” Catherine said almost too loudly. Frank turned and murmured in his sleep behind her.

“I think we should take this outside,” suggested Robert. Catherine nodded in agreement.

It was about an hour of explaining and arguing back and forth enough to make tennis fans bored until Robert finally found himself in a highly unwanted position. “You know I can’t let you do this! He’ll kill me if he finds out!” he hissed.

Catherine ignored him as she finished strapping a hastily prepared bag of supplies to Joey’s saddle. “I am going and you’re going with me,” she said.

“Are you mad? It’s freezing and the land is filled with Aysyrrasins who will kill us or enslave us or do other really, really bad things to us.”

“That’s precisely why I’m going after Twilight. If she’s in danger she will need our help.”

“She’s invisible! And what would you do anyway? Flail your hands at them! You are just a wom-“

Robert didn’t get to finish his sentence before a loud slap sounded followed by a sharp yelp that was heard throughout the camp.

“You are getting on this horse with me and we are going to follow her! Understand?” Catherine yelled.

Robert’s head span like a wonky wagon wheel as he stumbled off the ground and clasped the large throbbing red hand print on his face. His eyes made the mistake of meeting Catherine’s.

He gulped.

“Okay,” he said as he stumbled defeated towards Joey and mounted him.

“Well?” Catherine asked as she gave an inpatient look at the young crusader. Robert returned a look of confusion as the gears slowly turned in his head. He lowered a hand that Catherine accepted and she heaved herself onto the back of the saddle.

Robert turned to the front and gave Joey a comforting pat, followed by several others. “Okay… Here we go; we’re just stealing my Lord’s horse and going after an invisible unicorn…” he said with a nervous chuckle.

“Stop stalling and get going!”

Robert raised the rains and then froze. This was a terrible idea, he told himself.

Catherine sighed and leaned forwards. “Joey,” she said. “I don’t know if you can understand me, but Twilight is in trouble, and she needs our help.”

Little did she know that something amazing happened that night. It wasn’t a sudden rain storm that saved a burning orphanage, nor was it a gaggle of Vikalinn raiders getting washed ashore of an unknown paradise after being lost at sea. Instead, at that very instant Joey became the first horse since the depths of time itself to understand what a human had said.

’Twilight’s in trouble!’ the horse thought. He suddenly reared up and let out a loud neigh, startling his riders and making them hold on for their lives. He leapt out of his paddock and galloped off thought the tents. “I’m coming for you, Twilight,” he called.

Catherine didn’t know this as she called, “Twilight went that way!”

Author's Note

It’s long overdue but it is finally here. Thank you all for your patience, please feel free to leave comment. I do enjoy them.

6. The City of Gold

Chapter 6: The City of Gold

==============================

The Grand Librarian was an old man. He had seen many things in his life. He had travelled far and wide, to all the corners of the known world. He had seen many people, read many books, and had more knowledge than any other man of his time. But he had never seen a man as angry as the Grandmaster was now. If he didn’t know better, the Grand Librarian would suggested that his lord had gone stark raving mad.

“It was right here! On this table! It looked at me, and when I tried to attack it, the thing attacked me with some kind of light and ran away!” yelled the Grandmaster. He hadn’t stopped moving around the table and gesturing at it since the Librarian had arrived.

“I understand, sire,” the Librarian said hesitantly, “But with all due respect, the guards haven’t reported any sightings of this… unicorn. Nor have they overheard any rumours or stories about it.”

“That’s why I asked you to devise a way to see it.” Along with the words some foam escaped the Grandmaster’s gritted teeth. “I judge that you have made progresses?”

“As a matter of fact, my Lord, I have,” calmly replied the Librarian. He reached into his large sleeve and removed a small vial containing a clear blue liquid. “In the folktales of the Pollarains, there is a story of a man who could see and communicate with mystical beings. It is also said that a sorcerer devised a concoction to allow anyone to see these mystical beings. This is the result.”

“And you want me to drink it?”

“I’ve already tested it my Lord. I can assure you that it is safe for consumption.”

The Librarian remained calm in the face of the Grand Master’s glare. As always, whenever something new was presented to the Grand Master, he had entered a staring contest with it. And as always, it stood a good chance of losing. It, in this case, being the vial. Finally the Grand Master held out his hand, and the Librarian was more than happy to hand it over. The Grand Master wasted no time in downing the concoction before making a face resembled a melting death mask.

“It tastes like stale urine,” he finally gasped.

“Well, that is one of the ingredients,” answered the Librarian. “Along with ash, sand, sea salt, a number of different herbs, sweat of a dying man, horse se-“

“That’s enough,” snapped the Grand Master. “I honestly have no idea how you people can come up with such things.”

“Not everyone has the right mind for the job,” offered the Librarian. The Grand Master’s glare was more than enough to make him believe that he should shut up or something very bad would happen to his person.

“How do we know if it works?” he asked.

“Well, can you see a unicorn?” said the Librarian.

“If I could, I wouldn’t be here debating it.” The Grand Master steadied his hands on the table and let out a sigh. “Just… Just get enough for my personal men to have. I’ll inform them all myself of what’s happening in the morning.”

“Of course, my Lord. By your leave.” The Librarian gave a short bow as the Grand Master waved him off. As he exited the tent into the cold night he turned his mind the ingredients, or rather lack of them. He let out a long sigh as he started walking towards the nearest corral.

It was times like this that he hated his job.

There were few defining features around beyond sand, rock and dirt. It was depressing for Twilight. The few features that did break up the monotony of the landscape were the occasional dead shrub and tree. She had walked all night, which was a mistake itself. Now her eyelids were so heavy she expected, if properly tethered, they could raise the sun. The early morning rays that washed over her face almost made her believe that.

She slowly trotted up a rocky hill and looked over into the valley painted red in the early morning light. She was surprised to see on the other side a sea of stone pillars and columns that jutted out of the sand like matchsticks scattered in a sandpit. Twilight remember reading that this land is the great crossroads of the world. Ships and trade caravans have travelled these lands for centuries. Civilizations and empires had risen and fallen, and these ruins were the remains of one such civilization.

Twilight clambered down the hill and came to rest under the shade of an old broken pillar. She lifted her water skin in her magical glow and let the cool liquid flow down her dry throat. Next she brought out the hard loaf of bread; she tapped it with her hoof and instantly knew that back in Equestria would be a crime to feed it to ducks, let alone for pony consumption. Anypony caught trying to sell this as food would definitely get at the very least a very hefty fine.

Twilight snapped off a clump of bread and placed it in her mouth. Spending a month living on the stuff, along with some helpful tips from Robert and Catherine made eating the stuff easier, but it wasn’t any more enjoyable. She almost broke a tooth or two.

After a short rest she walked further into the ruined city. The wind blew through the ancient half-buried walls. Around each corner Twilight half expected to see ghosts of ancient humans going about their undead lives.

Twilight soon passed through a crumbling stone archway and into a wide avenue surrounded by continuous rows of broken seats. It didn’t take long for Twilight to realise where she was. This must be a hippodrome; she remembered that they were popular in ancient Equestria before stadiums and race courses came into popularity.

Standing in the ancient stone stadium, Twilight began to feel the weight of history bearing down on her. On this dirt track in ancient times, great athletes galloped gallantly for glory. She closed her eyes and could almost hear the sound of their hoofs hitting the ground over and over. Drawing nearer in their speed and the crowd cheering, “Twilight, Twilight-“

Twilight’s eyes shot open just in time to see Joey skid to a dusty halt in front of her, kicking up a large brown cloud as he went. The unicorn coughed and swished the dust away with her hoof only to see the stallion’s face, plastered with a large smile just inches from her muzzle. “Hello Twilight!”

“Joey? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked.

“We’re here to help you, Twilight,” Catherine answered as she slid off the horse and landed unsteadily on the ground. “What do you think you were doing running of by yourself?! I warned you about the dangers around here!”

“Well, I’m sorry, but maybe I didn’t want you getting hurt by those dangers!” Twilight snapped back. The two females glared at each other until a weak cough by Robert caught their attention.

“Umm, so now that you’re here, can I go back?”

“Yes!”

“No!”

Both females scowled at the opposite for their answer, neither willing to back down. A cold war had fallen across the baked ruins like an unwelcome winter storm. An emotional arms race was building up between the two combatants and both sides were balancing on the brink of battle. Only one spark was needed to send them over the edge and spiralling down into a unicorn-on-human fight.

Twilight’s mind raced for an answer. A tactical pre-emptive strike seemed to be the best option. Catherine’s face twitched. She must have had the same idea.

And then, there was an argument.

“I told you to stay back at the camp!”

“I can do whatever I want! You’re not my Lord or Lady!”

“But it’s dangerous! You could have been hurt!”

“So could you! I know that you are not immortal!”

“I know that, but I have magic! I’m the most-”

“In a fight against merciless Aysyrrasins, anything could happen!”

“Swords are easy! I can disarm them before they even knew what hit them!”

“But how much fighting have you done!?”

“More than you! Besides, I’m invisible!”

“Robert and I can see you! It isn’t impossible for anyone else to!”

“I can teleport! I can levitate! I can fire blasts of pure energy!”

“But you can still be in danger!”

“So can you!”

“Nnneeeiiigggghhhh!”

Both were broken out of their bubble of argument by Joey’s sudden input. “Umm… Sorry,” the horse said as he smiled sheepishly and moved out of the space between them.

Catherine and Twilight turned back to each other. For Twilight though, the rage was gone, replaced only by a sense of disappointment. Catherine frowned.

“Twilight,” she said, “in the stories you told me, what would have happened if you had faced Nightmare Moon alone?”

Twilight knew what she was doing. The unicorn turned her eyes to the ground. Catherine was right; she knew it. Part of her still didn’t want to admit it. “I… I wouldn’t have been able to stop her,” she meekly said.

Catherine kneeled down in front of the unicorn. “And what about when you were fighting Discord?”

“Only by remembering our friendships and sticking together we were able to stop him,” Twilight said in a near whisper. Catherine smiled and gently placed her hand under the unicorn’s chin and brought her face to face. Twilight still refused to let their eyes meet.

“And what about the Crystal Empire? What if Spike didn’t go with you?”

“Then… We would have lost…” A tear fell from her eye. “I… I’ve been so stupid. I’m sorry, Catherine.”

Catherine simply hugged the pony. “I know you have. But we all make mistakes. I promised you that I would help you, and if you think that I’m going to spend another minute in that camp slaving away in a kitchen to feed a load of ungrateful men, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Twilight hugged Catherine back. All the memories of her adventures with her friends in Equestria came pouring into her. For the first time since she arrived, Twilight cried. Tears fell from her eyes and soaked Catherine's clothing as the human hugged her and rubbed her back. “There, there, it’s okay,” Catherine said comfortingly.

“I-I’m sorry…. I just miss them,” Twilight said between her sobs.

“I know you do, that’s why we’re going to help you get back. Isn’t that right Robert?”

Twilight looked around to see Robert turn his head away shyly. “Well… I-“

Joey gave a harsh whinny.

“Okay, okay.” Robert sighed as he dismounted the stallion. “Twilight I... I just... I want to help, I really do,” he said, his feet digging into the sand as he attempted to find a stable place to stand.

“It’s okay. I understand,” Twilight replied. “I know that you have to think about your family and your loyalty, among other things. I don’t know what Rainbow would do in your position... I don’t know what I would do. But I do know that your heart sometimes makes better decisions than your brain.”

Robert finally had sat down on a old stone slab. “My father did that once,” he said quietly. “I... I promised him that I would always be there for my family... but now I’m here in this sand, facing death each day all because of some childish dream of being a knight. I’m just a farmer! My father was one and his father and his father. I... I was never meant be anything more that one, too.”

“Robert, I-”

“No, Twilight... I... I can’t go back now. It’s morning and they know I’ve gone and taken Joey with me. I’m a thief, a deserter, a... a craven. They’ll kill me if I go back.”Robert said, a tear running down his cheek.

Twilight truly felt sorry for Robert. Part of her was mad at Catherine for dragging him out here. “Robert,” she said as she rested a hoof on his leg. “I never asked for you to come... But I promise you, if I find a way home then I will do all I can to help you get home and be safe. Just as much as you’ll help me.”

Twilight looked towards her as she gave him an honest smile. “I don’t know how you’ll do it, but what choice do I have?” he gulped and his lips curled upwards into an unsure grin. “I’ll... I’ll help. Thank you, I guess.”

He did not expect the sudden hug.

Twilight looked over the small sand coloured stone wall. “It’s true,” Robert gasped, “The city is made of gold.”

“Don’t be silly,” Catherine replied. “It just looks like gold, doesn’t it Twilight?”

Twilight looked down the hill to the high yellow walls that rose out of the green land by the large river. The city surely did look like gold in the light. Its walls were higher than Canterlot’s yet inside there were many towers and spires that seemed to be competing with each over to see who could reach the sky first. Large green and turquoise domes rose between them from the red and gold buildings within.

“Well, it is obviously made out of some sort of gold coloured stone. Or it could just be yellow sandstone or even gilded stone,” she said.

“Well, either way I’ve seen nothing like it,” Robert said.

“I’ve seen the king’s castle back home and the city around it. But that is nothing compared to this,” Catherine added.

“Well, let’s get down there and start looking,” Twilight said.

“Wait!” Catherine placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder to stop her. “Don’t you think we would be a little suspicious?”

Twilight looked between the two. Catherine's peasant’s dress and headscarf that kept the sun off her dark hair, along with her tanned skin blended in very well with the locals they saw. Robert, however, couldn’t stand out more if he was bright pink and green with a large flashing light over his head. He wore his full covering of chainmail under his white surcoat with the sun of Solaris. His sword was still strapped to his side and steel mail and white cloth covered his blond hair.

“Well, I’m invisible, remember,” Twilight said. “And you aren’t that different from them, but you, Robert; I doubt you’ll get anywhere near the gates without being arrested… or worse.”

“Gee, thanks, Twilight,” the human deadpanned.

“We could go in and find him some new clothes,” Catherine suggested.

“How? We don’t have any money.”

Catherine just wiggled her eyebrows in response. Twilight frowned in disappointment. “You’re planning on stealing them, aren’t you?”

“Not stealing, just borrowing.”

Twilight couldn’t help but let out a disgruntled sigh. She hated the idea. She knew it was wrong, but she also knew that Catherine was right.

The two females made their way down the hill and towards the grand gates. They looked even bigger and more imposing as they walked towards them. They passed rows of small huts that had grown outside the walls. Traders and vendors were on either side attempting to sell their wares to any travellers before they got within the confines of the Golden City.

“Twilight,” Catherine hissed as she slowly walked down the streets. Much like the unicorn her eyes scanned all around cautiously, hoping that no one would spot them. “I can’t understand a thing they are saying.”

“I know,” Twilight replied. The strange tongue of the locales sounded similar to that of the Saddle Arabian’s, although that was one language Twilight never thoroughly studied. They made their way through the city gates and stood in awe at the site of gold colour buildings decorated with marble, red brick and turquoise tiles arranged in geometric patterns.

Rugs and sheets with carefully sown decorations and patterns hung from rooftops and lay beside the buildings that lined the cobblestone avenue. A long flowerbed with large green shrubs and palm trees ran down the centre all the way to a large domed building in the distance.

“It’s so big,” Catherine whispered.

“The Crystal Empire seems so small compared to this,” Twilight replied. “Well, the Crystal palace is tall, but this city is… more compact.”

The city’s inhabitants paid then no attention as they made their way through the streets and towards the large domed building. They passed under golden archways and though a small well-kept garden. Large banners of green and white fluttered in the wind. Twilight had thought it odd that the Solarian’s symbol was near identical to Celestia’s cutie mark, but the sight of a near identical representation of Princess Luna’s cutie mark on the banners came as a greater surprise. ‘It can’t be a coincidence, can it?’ she thought to herself as they made their way out of the sun and into the coolness of the great building.

The soothing rhythmic sound of a man chanting echoed through the great hall at the centre. Twilight herself had never been in a room this large. Five tall pillars stood at the sides and reached high up to the domed roof that arched overhead as if it was the sky itself. On it was painted in blues and gold what must have been a blind mathematician’s idea of the night sky working of a poet's description. Around the edges red and gold walls rose up to meet it with windows and arches for galleries on the floors around the great chamber. At the far end a large window let in the sunlight onto the back of an old man in golden robes and a long white beard. It was his voice that filled the room as he read from a large book that was gently laid on a wooden stand in front of him. Large cushions rested under him and incenses filled the air around with a sweet smell.

“I’ve got an idea,” Twilight said as she walked over the tiled floor and up the podium to the man. Her horn lit as he read, the light washed over him and the unicorn before spreading to Catherine. Twilight focused on the strange writing in the book and the words that he spoke. Before long she began to understand them.

“…Said, ‘I am the bringer of the day and the night, for they both must exist for there to be harmony. Fear not the sun that burns in the day, for my night guides you and keeps you safe from the darkness. I am the Lord Munass, and you are my children…’”

As much as Twilight wished to continue listening she turned and walked back to her companion. “I… I can understand them,” she gasped.

“Yes. It was magic,” Twilight proudly replied. “Now let’s go and find some clothes for Robert.”

It wasn’t hard to find the market. It was a long maze of stores under long arched roofs. Catherine was soon running off like a foal in a candy shop to see all the sights, sounds, smells and to sample the tastes. She grew very fond of a sweet called Tarqis Delight. The shopkeeper, however, was less than pleased that she took all the free samples.

Soon, to Twilight’s dismay, Catherine was able to acquire some suitable clothing for their metal-clad friend and made their way back towards the city gates. Twilight’s fascination never ended as she got as close to the people as she dared, watching their lives and eavesdropping on their conversations, so long as they weren’t private of course.

“I’m telling you, they brought something big into the treasure house,” she heard one man whisper to another. Twilight stopped trotting and listened some more. “It all came from the Holy City; they reclaimed it from those Solarins. Walid sent out a message saying how it was unlike anything he’d ever seen before-“

“And look where he is now,” The other man replied. He had a big black beard and wore green robes. “Whatever it is, once it’s in there, there is no way to get it out. I will not lose another good thief on a fool’s errand.” The two turned and walked down an alleyway.

“Catherine,” Twilight said to the confused woman. “Go and find Robert, I’ll meet you back here in a bit.”

Catherine looked ready to argue but only nodded and continued to the gates. Twilight followed the two into the dark confined spaces between the buildings. She stepped past rats and beggars in ragged clothing and out into a quieter street. She saw the two men disappear through a door and close it behind them. She looked around for anyone watching before she moved up and placed an ear to the door.

“But what about Walid?” said the first voice, muffled by the distance and the door. “He’s just a kid.”

“He knew the risks. The first rule is not to get caught. He broke it and now his fate is up to the Emir.”

Twilight lit her horn and in a flash teleported inside. A group of men were sat in the dark in a ring of pillows and cushions. A tea set was in the centre along with burning incense. Some men were dressed in fine blue, gold and red silks and opposite them sat others who only wore rags and dust covered tunics. “I still say that we should try breaking in,” one of the poorer ones said.

“Yeah. Just because it’s never been done before doesn’t mean that it can’t be done,” another added.

“No, no, no. It’s far too dangerous and risky. There are guards everywhere,” an older one added.

“But Walid-“

“Forget about Walid,” the man in green said. He seemed to be the leader. “I will have no more talk of this. You all know the rules of our creed, the first of which is do not get caught.”

That was the end of it for the group. They went on to talk about items that they had stolen from the town’s people. Twilight silently left them and trotted back towards the gates in deep thought. If this treasure room was the same one in the letter, then how in Equestria would she get in? Magic could work, but without knowing what was on the other side, she ran the risk of getting trapped inside a wall or object. She turned back to the main street, at first ignoring the laughter and clatter of hooves as armoured men on horseback rode past. A scream, however, diverted her attention to the two horses in the middle of the group.

“Oh no,” she gasped as she saw Catherine hogtied on the back of one and Robert bound behind another, being forced to run after the horse or otherwise be dragged through the street. And Joey was simply being led along behind, as absent minded as always.

Twilight could only watch as they were lead away and towards the large gates of a citadel that rose above the town.

Author's Note

Sorry it’s late. And an extra special thank you to my proof reader Legofan24.

1. A Rude Awakening

The Lion and the Unicorn

Story by Feather Book

Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening

It was hot.

And bright, in fact it was too hot and bright for Twilight’s bedroom in a late winter’s morning. More importantly, the purple unicorn couldn’t feel her sheets or bed. Under her felt like sand, and above the warmth of a summer’s morning sun shone down on her…

Twilight opened her eyes.

She was not at home. Twilight lay on a land of sand and dirt with small shrubs scattered about under the clear blue sky. To her left hills rose out of the ground and to her right the ground rolled down with deep valleys towards a distant sea.

Slowly the unicorn lifted herself upright and took another look around. She blinked repeatedly, rubbed her eyes, and then sat. “I don’t think this is Ponyville.”

“You know for Celestia’s student I would have thought you would say something more imaginative, Twilight Sparkle.”

Said unicorn twisted around in horror at the voice what she never wished to hear again. Before her on the dusty ground sat a familiar draconequus on a deck chair with a cocktail in one hand and a pair of sunglasses in the other. A overlay joyful smile was spread over his face.

“Discord!?” Twilight yelled, startled to see the mismatched being of chaos in the flesh for the second time.

“Yes, I know who I am,” the draconequus chuckled before forming a serious frown, “It’s good to see that you remember my name after you turned me to stone.”

“How did you escape?” said the unicorn calmly.

“That’s none of your concern, Twilight. What you should really be worried about is where you are now.”

“No! I’m not going to play any of your games again. Take me home!”

Discord chuckled, “Now where would the fun be it that?” Twilight remained silent as Discord lent forward until his head nearly touched the unicorn’s, “I could have been harsher after what you and your friends did to me.”

“My friends? Discord, if you have hurt them-“

“They’re fine Twilight; I haven’t hurt a hair on their heads. All I’ve done is simply scatter you.”

“Scatter?” questioned Twilight as she backed away.

“Yes scatter.” Discord disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared with his arm over the frustrated unicorn’s neck. “As you may have guessed, my little purple friend, this isn’t Equestria. In fact this isn’t even the same universe as yours.”

Twilight teleported out of the draconequus’ grasp. “Universe? That’s impossible.”

“It is possible, and you and your friends have been sent to entirely different worlds throughout them all.”

“Them… all…” Twilight collapsed to the dirt as the words sank in. She was alone, on an alien world in a different universe, and her friends, they were lost too. “That’s… that’s not fair! You can’t do that!”

“I can and I have. And I haven’t been unfair to you Twilight, I chose each world. I was planning to send you to another, fairly similar to this one in many ways, but there were complications, so now you’re here!” Discord leant into the unicorn’s ear and whispered, “and I’ve also made sure that there is a way back, for all of you.”

Twilight’s ears picked up with that sentence. “You gave us ways back?”

“Of course! Where would the fun be in seeing you mope around alone in a desert for the rest of you pathetic, and undoubtedly short, life?”

“So where is the way back?”

“Oh, well it’s in a place that you have to find yourself. Good try though.”

“Thanks,” Twilight muttered, it was worth a try.

“Now I’ve got to be going, there are five other elements to see. Good luck, Twilight, it’s a shame that you have to miss all the beautiful chaos I’ll be making.”

“No, Discord, wait!” Twilight cried, but it was too late. The draconequus snapped his fingers and in an explosion of light, vanished, leaving the unicorn alone in the sand.

“Okay,” she sighed. “Okay, Twilight. Everything is fine. You’re just stuck far away from home, on a distant world in a faraway universe with no idea how to get back,” she let out a nervous chuckle, “And Discord has escaped, trapped you here, and your friends, yes, don’t forget them, they are lost too. Probably in worse places than this…” By now Twilight was beginning to hyperventilate.

“No! No, Twilight, keep calm. Don’t panic. Think, Twilight, think. First I need to find out where I am.” Twilight looked around at the barren landscape. The high hills rolled upwards and were littered with dry shrubs and small trees that offered little shade. It was then twilight noticed how hot she was. She wiped the sweat from her forehead before adding, “And I need to get out of this sun.”

Twilight looked out towards the clear blue waters of the sea that stretched from horizon to horizon. She made her decision and began to trot down the gentle hills towards the highly inviting waters.

The journey seemed to drag on and on as Twilight walked into the sunrise. The glowing orb rose higher into the sky and continued to bake the mare. The sun also felt different, despite the heat it also felt colder, it didn’t have the same kind of warmth as Equestria’s. It was another reminder to Twilight that she was a long way from home.

Slowly she made her way down a steep hillside and into greener land around a small river that had carved its way deep though the hills. Trees in the valley were sparse yet their leaves provided adequate shade from the sun.

The river’s water was crystal clear and gleamed in the sun light, irresistible to Twilight’s parched lips. She lowered her head to the riverside and cautiously took a sip. It wasn’t the best water she had, but it was clean and cool, not to mention it was real water. At least Discord hadn’t sent her somewhere uninhabitable.

“Right, first things first Twilight. I need a list.” She looked around and found a large clean rock. She brushed a thin layer of dirt off and with a purple glow of her horn began to etch a plan into its surface.

“One, find out where I am,” she muttered to herself as she inscribed the rock, “Two, find Civilization… No, wait what if I find Civilization before-“

She took a deep breath, and sighed. “Keep calm, don’t over think this, just keep calm. Okay.” She inscribed at the top of the rock the words ‘In no particular order’ and smiled in satisfaction. “Three, find food. And finally four, get back home.”

With her list of immediate needs complete she broke the engraving away from the rock and fancied it to her side with vines. Twilight nodded with a smile and set off downriver in hope of finding anything to tick off her list.

The miles slowly passed and eventually Twilight collapsed in the shade under a tree. She couldn’t be more than half a mile from the sea but her legs, and stomach, refused to continue. She hadn’t eaten since yesterday, breakfast was spent arguing with a god of chaos and walking through a near desert.

“Oh, Spike, please be okay,” she groaned. Her stomach growled; it missed the dragon’s pancakes.

There was little grass, the small shrubs nearby didn’t look at all appetising and the nearby flowers, beautiful as they are, were unknown to Twilight. With a sigh she reduced herself to scavenging of unknown plant life. The flowers weren’t all that bad.

Hoof steps! Twilight’s ears picked up the fast approaching sound of galloping hooves. She wasn’t alone, there was another pony! She leapt to her own hooves and searched for the source of the sounds. “Hello! Is anypony there?”

The she saw the source. It wasn’t a pony but a horse. He was brown with a matching mane. He wore a strange outfit consisting of a brown saddle attached to straps that wrapped around his body and muzzle with bronze plates at the joints. A green and red cloth hung along his back under the saddle.

“Excuse me?” Twilight asked.

The horse quickly mumbled to itself in a strange language as he galloped past and leaped over a rock before disappearing thought the short trees. Twilight watched him go and sighed in annoyance.

“Hu? I wonder why he was in such a hurry.” Twilight didn’t have long to wait for an answer.

A loud neigh came from behind. Twilight turned to see two more horses charging thought the trees. They wore full white gowns over chainmail. But that wasn’t what startled her the most. On their backs sat strange beings wearing similar cloths to the horses.

Twilight dove to the side as the horses thundered past, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.

“What were those?” She gasped. Another horse galloped past with another strange rider. This one however looked less steady than the others, it wobbled on the saddle and its cries of “No, no, wait!” made her sure of this.

His mount leaped over a rock only for the riding creature to fall with a cry and land on the ground with a clang and a thud.

Twilight sat under the tree fixated on the unmoving creature. Slowly once she was sure that nothing else was coming she crept forwarded. The creature’s appearance reminded her of a monkey. It had two arms and two legs with hands and feet, it lacked a tail. It wore a mettle cap over a dull blond mane. It had a tanned face with a nose, mouth and two closed eyes. She leant towards its face and listened to the creature breathing. She still wasn’t sure whether that was a good sign or not. The rest of its body was covered in chainmail with a white tunic over the top. On the tunic was-

“No, no it can’t be!” Twilight fell back in surprise at the sight of a highly familiar symbol. An eight pointed sum was stitched to his chest. “No, it must just be a coincidence. Lots of ponies have similar cutie marks. It’s not the same as Celestia’s, the points are straight after all.” She laughed off the thought.

She continued to observe the creature. It had a dusty cloak around its back and at its side a sword hung in a plane sheath.

Twilight hadn’t seen any creature like it before. She quickly recalled all as many books as she could, form the Atlas of Amazing Animals to Zebrica: A land of the Bizarre, none of them made reference to anything that looked like this.

The creature groaned. Its eyes opened and Twilight found herself looking into the dazed small orbs. There was a moment of silence as they both looked at each over unsure of what to do next.

Then screaming began.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading. Even if you didn’t read it thank you for taking time to click on it.
This isn’t my first story, however I am notoriously bad at proofreading and spelling so please, if you see any mistakes would you kindly point them out. And of course let me know what you think.

Thanks again.

7. Of Emirs and Thieves [Unedited and Unfinished]

Author's Note

I am sorry that I never finished this chapter. This is it in it's current state as it has sat on my computer for the last three years. It is roughly about half finished, but has had some editing done by my friend Legofan24.

This story is cancelled and for that I am sorry. But, if you are still interested in what would have happened next then please check out this blog post here.

Thank you to everyone who had read this in the past. I am so sorry that I vanished for so long, but reading your comments still makes me smile. And don't worry, I'll get back to writing soon. I have so many new ideas currently in progress for you to all enjoy! :twilightsmile:

7. Of Emirs and Thieves [Unedited and Unfinished]

Twilight grappled through the streets. She could hear Catherine’s angry shouts over the cries and muttering of the crowd that stood to the side and watched. Twilight weaved between the spectators as they closed together behind the riders. Some were cheering and others merely shrugging and moving on with their day.

Twilight could see the dust from the rider’s horses between the gaps in the crowd. She turned one corner but missed her footing and collided with a man sending them both tumbling into a market stall.

Pain shot through her side and back as she attempted to clamber out of fallen stall. Broken wood, straw and lofs bread fell from her as she attempted to stand, shocking the watching crowd. Twilight looked back at the man she had bumped into. He appeared to be okay, although his eyes were wide with fear as they focused on her horn.

Twilight ignored him and turned back to the road. She took a step forwards only for a burning pain to shoot through her hoof. She let out a small gasp and winced. She tried again but thought better off it as she looked up to the flat rooftops of the buildings around. She lit her horn and then frowned as she levitated a bread bun off of it before teleporting onto the roof above. She quickly found a next roof along the road and in a flash teleported again. She looked up to the castle that sat on the hill and teleported along the buildings below it towards the gate.

One the final roof she stopped and looked up to see the riders entering into the castle. She lit her horn once more only to fall to the side as the roof gave way. She cried out as her hoof became stuck dangling though the flat, sandy rooftop. She choked on the dust and sand that had filled the air. As it cleared she saw a figure move across the darkened room. Her eyes took their time to adjust, she was only just able to make out a man staring at her from the shadows. The wood creaked some more, she turned back to her trapped hoof and gulped as it gave way.

The pain of landing was only soothed by the darkness that overtook her.

Catherine wasn’t scared; terrified was a more appropriate word that came to mind as she was thrown down onto the dirt by the fiends who and captured her. They were an odd bunch of men with mismatched armour over their bronze skin.

They reeked of horses too. Judging by their scruffy beads and clothes, she wouldn’t be surprised if they lived in a stable.

“What is going on?” a commanding voice boomed as Robert was thrown to the ground next to her. She gasped his name and leaned over to him only for a scruffy boot to kick her away.

“We found these two spies in the hills, Grand Vizier,” one of the thugs said.

Catherine looked up, a tall man stood over them. He wore long crimson and gold silks that flowed about him like a neat waterfall. A black pointed beard peeking out from a hooked face with two beady brown eyes glaring out of the shade provided by a over-sized turban.

“And this one has the mark of enemy,” another thug said as he prodded Robert’s back with his sword. Robert remained still, he hadn’t moved at all.

“Stop it!” Catherine yelled at the thug as she got to her knees and was quickly kicked back down.

The thugs let out a bark of laughter. “This one’s got quite a mouth.”

“Calm yourselves,” the Vizier commanded, silencing the thugs instantly. “The Emir is the one who decides their fate. Guards, take them inside.”

Catherine was suddenly pulled up by two large - and fortunately better smelling - men in armour. She and Robert were dragged through marble halls lined with fine hanging silks and ornate carvings of stars amongst straight lines that crossed the pattern like rays of light. They passed more guards dressed head to toe in full mail armour with ornate plates on their chest and arms. Even their faces were hidden behind chainmail that hung from their green plumed helmets. Servants in fine clothes stood to the side as they passed, and all bowed low to the Grand Visar who closly followed them.

This palace would have left her in awe if it wasn’t for the threat of death hanging over them. Images of themselves on the chopping block filled her mind as she was pushed down next to Robert in front of a large wooden door. Robert let out a low groan as he slowly lifted his head.

“Robert?” she hissed.

“Catherine?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Are you okay?”

Robert’s slowly blinked for a few moments before he softly groaned. “Their swords…”.

“What about them?”

“They’re… curved.”

Catherine wasn’t sure if she wanted to slap him or hug him. A sharp tug at her bound arms painfully reminded her that she couldn’t.

The doors before them were opened as she and Robert were dragged to their feet. She felt the sharp, cold point of a sword press against the swell of her back. She carefully stepped forwards.

The room itself was large with pink and white marble tiled floors that were polished more than a mirror. Bright sunlight flowed in from the open windows, a gentle cooling breeze delicately fluttered the emerald drapings. To Catherine, it appeared that whoever designed the room used all the tricks in the book to make it look more impressive than it already was and it pointed the impressiveness to whoever sat at the far end. In this case it was a rather fat, middle-aged man wearing a green robe interwoven with gold thread. He sat on a pile of cushions surrounded by three young women ready clasping fruit bowls and wine goblets. The man himself paid the girls, the guards or even Catherine and robert any attention. His eyes were focused squarely on the piles of papers in front of him. He held a fine quill between his sausage-like fingers. Catherine wondered how such fine and delicate movements were possible for him as the quill carefully flowed across the paper.

A guard gave a small cough. The man let out a little startled yelp as he looked up. His wide eyes darted disinterestedly between Catherine and Robert before glancing back at his paper. “You don’t happen to know a word that rhymes with fate, do you?” he said in a peevish silk smooth voice.

Robert’s armour softly jangled as he trembled before the man. A bead of sweat flowed from his brow. Catherine gulped and suggested, “Date?” She was faintly aware of the sudden questioning look Robert was giving her.

“I’ll explain later,” she whispered to him. He only gulped and nodded in response.

The man hummed to himself. “Date? Date? That might do. Please, have a seat and help yourself to some grapes.” He waited a moment and then glanced back up at them. “Why are you standing like that?”

“It’s these ropes,” Catherine said, she carefully shook her bindings. “And… um… the swords in our backs… they’re… um... cold. Cold and pointy.”

“Really? Well, that won’t do. No, it won’t do at all.” The man clapped his hands which were donned with so many gold rings that they clanged like a blacksmith’s anvil when he pressed them together. The two guards looked at each over but hesitantly moved forward to cut Robert and Catherine’s bonds.

The Grand Visar snaked his way to the man’s side. “My Lord,” he hissed. “These are the two spies that we found.”

“Spies?” the fat man repeated. “They don’t look like spies to me. All I see is a scared boy and a lovely young woman, with even lovelier voice.”

Catherine frowned but forced a smile across her lips. “Thank you... your Lordship.”

Robert looked at her with a bewildered face. “You know what they are talking about?”

She just nodded.

The fat man smiled. “You’re more than welcome, my dear. I am Emir Amitiza.” He opened his arms up wide, gesturing to the walls around. “Welcome to my home.”

“It’s a nice place you’ve got,” Catherine said kindly.

Her nodded approvingly. “Indeed it is. You have good taste, my dear. Tell me, why did my guards find you snooping around outside?”

“Well… We… We were…”

“Spying?” the Grand Visar offered.

“No! No, we were here with a trade caravan.” Catherine forced her smile wider as she studied the two men’s faces.

Amitiza’s smile only became more genuine. “Oh, I do love traders. You surely must have many stories to tell. Please, where is it you have traveled to my fair city from?”

“Um… The north. Yes, the north.”

The Grand Vizier's face curled into a twisted grin. “Surely you should know what city?” he said.

“Yes, of course I do!” Catherine gulped. “We… We were from…”

“Kara-Kun?” the Grand Vizier suggested.

Catherine froze. She was sure it was a trick. She could see it in the gleam of his eye. The fact that her knowledge of geography was only as good as the directions to the market from her home in Albion didn’t help.

“I… I don’t know,” she whispered.

The Grand Vizier’s smirk darkened. “See my lord! They are spies, and not good ones at that! I can tell you that from their accent and the boy’s tongue they come from the lands of Albion! I recommend you sentence them right away, my lord.”

Amitiza’s frowned and sighed softly. “I see… Very well, take the boy to the dungeons. But… You, my fair lady, your tongue is like that of honey on a cool summer's eve. It would be a great crime to silence it. As such, I ask of you, would you do the honour of staying here in my home?”

Catherine was momentarily speechless, “M-Me? Here?”

“Oh yes, you would make a great addition to our family.” The Grand Vizier was about to protest, but a wave of Amitiza’s stubby and gem covered hand silenced him.

“I… But…” Catherine's mind was racing with thoughts. She couldn’t abandon Robert, but then again, a life in the splendor of this palace was far more appealing that sitting in a dark cell for Solaris-knows-how-long. Besides, she thought, if she was out here then she would be able to free Robert, somehow. She gulped. “Very well… I accept your most generous offer, your majesty,” she said as she gave him a curtsy.

“Ah, splendid!” the Emir said as he stood up and walked towards Catherine, his jewels and the bells on his shoes jangling like a traveling circus as he moved. He placed his two rosy gold coloured hands on either side of Catherine's face and said. “Oh, I can’t wait until the first reading. Guards, please escort her to the others.”

Twilight’s head pounded as if Pinkie Pie was having a party amongst her frontal lobes.

“Ah, good. You’re awake,” a voice said. Twilight shot her head around. She was in a small room, dimly lit by streams of sunlight seeping through a closed shutter on the window, and the large rug that had been hung over the hole in the ceiling. She winced at the memory as her eyes fixed on a dark figure sitting in a corner.

“Who are you?”

“So you do talk,” the man said as he slowly stood and opened the shutters, flooding the room with light. He was young with slick black hair and a well trimmed beard. “Please forgive me, I am Godefroy de Châlus, at your service. And you may be?”

“I’m… Twilight, Twilight Sparkle,” she said cautiously.

“An interesting name for an interesting being,” Godefroy said. “Tell me, you are a unicorn, no?”

“I am a unicorn,” Twilight said slowly. She tried to stand but pain shot through her hoof, sending her crashing back to the bed she lay on. Her head swirled like a stormy sea and her body was drained of energy. “What happened? Where am I?”

Godefroy glanced up at the hole in the roof. “You are in my home. Forgive the mess, it was tider before your… unexpected entrance.”

“Sorry.”

He waved Twilight off and leaned over to a small kettle by a fire. He poured the steaming water into a wooden mug. “Would you like some tea?”

Twilight nodded gently and sighed. She took a sip from the mug as her mind slowly began to go over the events of the past day. She remembered the ruins, she remembered walking into the city. The learning of the language spoken here. She remembered-

“Robert! Catherine!”

“Quiet! Please!” Godefroy hissed as he rushed to the window and glanced out. “We do not want anyone to know about you. A unicorn is not a common sight.”

“I’m sorry, but my friends!” Twilight said. “They were captured!”

“You must mean the two who were dragged through town? I’m sorry. They’re in the Citadel now. There’s no way in or out.”

“Not for you, maybe,” Twilight said. “Very few people can see and hear me. And if I do meet someone who can, well, I have my magic to help.”

“Magic?” Godefroy asked.

“Yes,” Twilight said. She tried gently lighting her horn only for it to fizzle out as pain swelled in her head. She rubbed her temples and sighed. “Perhaps I’ll show you in a bit.”

Godefroy carefully scratched his beard as he looked at Twilight’s horn. “Then, perhaps we can help each other.”

Twilight glanced up at him for a moment. “I’m happy to help, but, what is it?”

He quickly darted over to a bookcase and searched through the old tombs and papers. “In the Citadel they are holding something that I need for my research. And, of course, they are now holding your friends too. But! You don’t know where to go and I cannot get inside.” He pulled out some folded sheets of paper and lay them out on a table. “Fortunately, it appears that we have the solution to both of our predicaments. Perhaps it would be in our best interest to assist each other?”

Twilight looked over at the table. “Those maps, are they of the Citadel?”

“Yes, all we need is a plan,” Godefroy said with a smile. Twilight smiled in return but frowned.

“Godefroy, thank you for the offer but… I must ask. Why are you taking this so well?”

He looked up. “Oh… Well, you see… I’ve always seen odd things. Things that shouldn’t be. I guess I’ve kind of got use to it.”

“Yes, that makes sense.” Twilight smiled at him. “Okay, so… What is it they have?”