Author's Notes:

Hey everypony! It's your favorite part of King of the Dead, trigger warnings!
Author's warning: Chapter 25 contains depictions of emotional and physical abuse which may be unsettling to some readers.

Outside the palace, all is still and quiet, except for Hurrand who keeps kicking as many rocks as he can on our way to the Growler. The Minister, the snake, keeps himself composed. He has that same snooty look on his face, like he’s too good even for the fresh air. Hurrand bickers about how he was treated, grumbling under his breath about how they’re not even real royalty without a king.
I strain the muscles in my face to stop from smirking. We walk along the dirt path; our surroundings lit by moonlight. The empty houses and shops of Canterlot create an eerie setting. They were dark, with doors and windows left open in a mad frenzy to evacuate in case our defensive went south. Belongings littered the ground, carts were overturned as well as a few broken windows. It wasn’t too long ago that Celestia and Luna took me for a walk through this very town. I laugh internally, remembering all the scared faces. Several of those same ponies in the palace now actually greet me with joy and relief.

As we make our way along the winding path that wraps around the mountain, I notice the odd feeling in my stomach. It felt like I was escorting foreigners from these lands. Was Canterlot really my home now? These two people, I had known them my entire life, but now they felt like strangers. The houses and shops cease as we reach the end of our small journey.

I stand there watching as the pig climbs into his oven. The Minister stops and stares at me, before motioning to the Growler with his head. I don’t move and just stare right back confused.
He narrows his eyes annoyed.
“Get in with your king Raiden!” He hisses quietly. My legs walk into the Growler, despite my brain being in a thousand pieces. What was I doing? Where am I going? What do I do? My body autonomous climbs inside, as my mind desperately cries for help.

I glance helplessly at the palace and see a pair of teal eyes watching us from a window before we take off. As if I’m being kidnapped from my home, my arms and legs can't resist tucking themselves a bit closer to my body than usual. The bumps from the road only strengthen my anxiety. I don’t want to go back. I never want to go back. How can I not go back?! Reality sets in: I’m Captain Raiden, First Captain in His Majesty’s Army. I am the King of the Dead, slayer of thousands. I have no home. No purpose.

My brain starts screaming for me to run, but there’s nowhere to go. These wooden walls were my coffin, and we had set course for my grave. I had let myself forget all about Taraska. It was just myself and my people. My hands shake despite laying them across my legs as I sit on the bench inside the Growler. Part of me screamed internally for Luna to save me.

Fear. I knew fear. But this...this was different. I felt vulnerable. I felt alone. There were no guards to talk to, no princesses to worry about me. I had dismissed Celestia’s concern in her throne room about my well-being. Now, I’d kill for it; literally. I missed the sadness in her eyes when she looked at me. She was almost my family, my sister, even my mother in a weird way. They were the closest thing I have ever had to family. I belonged with them. I wanted them. And as much as I hated admitting it, I needed them.

The entire ride is silent. King Hurrand sits in the corner of the Growler with his arms folded up, with an angry scowl like an infant. His head is lowered as he looks outside one of the viewports with a furrowed brow. The Minister looks around the vehicle offendedly, as if suddenly realizing just how poor we really were. He pulls out a small black book, flips to a page and reads.

Trees sail past outside. I can’t stop shaking. I debated on climbing out of the top hatch and diving for it. But what would I tell Celestia? That I abandoned my King? What would she think of me then? What would the guards think, the refugees, my people? My soldiers would get it, but how would a pair of regal sisters understand my desire to flee my own country? Would I be a traitor? would they question how long I'd stay loyal to them? What happens when the war is over and they no longer needed me?

The Growler finally reaches the outside of our city. The jerking motion as we stop, makes my blood run cold. I almost scream as my head snaps forward. There was no comfort inside the vehicle no matter how frantically my eyes search. Neither Emeris or Lucretia knew I was here. Fourth Battalion was the King’s personal guard. First Battalion was mine, with Emeris and Lucretia commanding Second and Third Battalion. 4th always stayed with the King and they were all monsters. I had no friends, no sympathy, no concern.

4th Battalion was made up of the lazy, honorless, self-entitled kissasses of Taraska. If you didn’t mind sucking up for the rest of your life, you joined 4th and got the “honor” of protecting King Hurrand. You complimented him, laughed at his jokes or when he was absurdly cruel, you did whatever horrendous thing he asked of you. One minute you could literally be his footstool, the next you’re beating your former captain senseless after he’s falsely accused of botching a defensive for your city.

They hated me. Well perhaps they didn’t hate me, but they tormented me for Hurrand’s amusement and approval. Battalions one through three were still in Canterlot, watching over the Princesses. Even the First Captain would be foolish to mess with the King’s own personal guard. Despite being able to handle them in combat with relative ease, Hurrand would personally see to it that I paid for messing with his “friends” or so he says.

I feel naked without the comfort of my armor. Nothing to hide my face or eyes, nothing to stop a kick to the sides. While the Growler helped stave off the sense of exposure, we had arrived and it was time to face the storm. I quickly tuck Luna's scarf inside my coat sleeve.

The cool breeze sweeps into my coat as I exit. What was once a nice, cooling sensation, was death creeping across my face. The light from the moon reflects beautifully off my coat. None of it matters. Soon that moonlight will be nothing more than a painful reminder of the things I’ll never have again.

The entrance to the city is covered with guards. They have sniper nests set up, barricades, checkpoints, everything. Hurrand spared no expense turning the city into a fort. The night hides every face under their helmet, reflecting the emptiness of their souls for joining the 4th. My skin crawls as every head turns to face me upon exiting the Growler. It’s too quiet. The night is tense. Anyone who shifts in their armor stands out even more so than the destroyed homes.
The silence is worse than if they all laughed at me. They watch my every movement as the King and Minister walk in front, past the first barricade. I stay a few steps behind the Minister. His black coat smells old and musty, as the very bottom is torn to shreds from years of dragging on the ground. He wears the exact same outfit that I do, granted mine had recently been cleaned in Canterlot. If I get lucky, he might not consider trading with me.

The empty city reminds me of the horrors I had witnessed here. The houses haven’t been cleaned up yet. The only difference was all the sniper nests and random barricades made from debris. My eyes can’t help but take in all the senseless destruction. Lives had been ruined, families had been slain, the monster of war had been hungry here. All the bodies had been cleared out and that was all. Every house was either in ruin or used for a new structure of some kind.

We pass by a sniper’s nest. A soldier pokes his head out from the top along with his spotter to watch me. Various puffs of hot hair drift out from every helmet. Every breath echoes inside those empty helmets of theirs. A chorus of doom, courtesy of the 4th Battalion. I tried to focus on the moonlight. I thought of Luna and that gorgeous smile of hers. A warmth spreads throughout my body briefly. The smell of burnt wood, blood and dust smothers any happiness I had left. The smell of...home.

This place was toxic, and it was eager to infect me. I try to picture the walls of the palace, the guards wandering the halls, giving me their grateful head nods and subtle smiles. The beams of civilians who thank me for saving them. The warm, inviting halls, the endless amounts of food, the positivity. It all slowly begins to fade from my mind. I want to run and hide in the debris. I want to curl up into a ball on the ground. There was literally no one here who cared about me. After being surrounded by loved ones for a few months, I begin to realize just how much I cared. It was too late now. Even if I screamed for Luna to save me while on my hands and knees, she won't come. No one will come. I was undeniably abandoned in hell.

While the Minister and his Toilet paper enter the double doors to the castle gate, I hesitate outside for a minute. Neither of them even notices I’ve stopped. I look up at it’s old, foreboding figure. It has numerous scorch marks, missing stones, and it’s covered in dust. It’s clearly neglected and drains you of all hope. It almost looks abandoned if it weren’t for the few windows that had lit candles. Even then, there were only a single window on each side, as Hurrand had them all sealed up.

I take a deep breath before pushing the doors open. The steps upstairs feel like one foot after another into my grave. The throne room was even more devoid of life than I remembered. The room could easily hold three hundred people. It was lit with four candles, with all the windows sealed up with stone. It felt like a torture chamber than anything, as it was commonly used for that very thing. The King sits on his throne, as the Minister picks up a scroll on a nearby table and begins reading it. I try to quietly walk along the walls, hoping to slip into my room unnoticed.

The stone floor in front of the King had chipped stone, dirt, claw marks, and even old blood. I was not the only one to receive the King’s Blessing, or so we called it. I had to watch two of my soldiers whipped to death for trying to speak up on my behalf, for trying to defend my own worthless existence. Two of the finest women to serve under my command had been torture dolls for Hurrand and a few barbaric guests until they inevitably bled to death. Or maybe it was the lack of food and water; you never really know.

I make it to the hallway entrance before Hurrand calls me over. I'm a fish caught on a hook. Why update him on the entire war, he’d just point out mistakes or downplay my involvement like he always does. I turn around and slap on my stone-cold face. If he thinks I’m permanently miserable, maybe he’ll leave me the hell alone.

He strokes his chin, staring across the throne room in thought. I stop ten feet away from his chair. I say nothing, hoping he’ll do all the talking and be done with it. A few awkward seconds go by. I’m caught off guard when the Minister speaks.

“So, what have you learned about Canterlot so far? Do they have any weaknesses?”
I know I’m not going to get away with a “No.”, and I’m sure as hell not going to cough up any real information. I had to play my cards just right.

“From what I can tell, the princesses possess powerful magic, as do a third of their citizens. I have yet to find a way around it. Some kind of mass disease would work though, they stay together in large bunches constantly.” I leave out the idea that the princesses would easily conjure up some kind of antidote or cure, assuming we even found a disease that would affect their species, but it sounded solid...or so I thought.

The Minister laughs to himself.
“Oh Raiden, you really do think me a fool, don’t you? You actually thought I’d assume you were still on our side? Of course, you developed a fondness of those ponies. I mean you don’t defend a kingdom from the Og Nag just to turn tail and betray them.”

I try not to panic. He had a system, a game to play and now was the time to move my pieces just right. I'm so overwhelmed with emotion, I can’t focus though. Okay it was time to be old Raiden for a while. I just had to make it a bit longer. When I get back to Canterlot, I’ll find a way around this problem. I'll tell the princesses everything. I'll beg them to let me stay. I'll do whatever it takes, I just have to get through this moment. I can do this!
“I’m a warrior. I kill. Nothing else.” I prayed he’d buy it. I let my face go numb, hoping my mindless soldier act would do the trick. The Minister turns around and stares at me. He waits for me to flinch, to get nervous, to do anything. I keep staring. I let my mind wander all over. If I tried to brute force my way through the tension, I’d lose. I think of what my next strategy in the war is, what I'll say to Luna, anything
The Minister tries to play his mind games that he’s obnoxiously good at.
“Fantastic Raiden. Then I’ll be sure to send Celestia a letter explaining that you’ll be staying here from now on then. We’ll need someone to manage the kingdom’s defenses. I’m sure Lucretia and Emeris can handle the small skirmishes that will pop up.” He stops and watches me, analyzing every little detail. His eyes wander all over my body, looking for the tiniest tell of emotion.

My heart crashes to the floor. He could easily be serious. It would be his best move; keep me here so they can indoctrinate me all over again. There’s no way I could smuggle a message past the 4th Battalion. They’d read anything I send, and the Minister would probably tell me it was sent and just burn the letter anyways. The fire in me says not to give up hope, and deal with this one step at a time. I let the depression consume me a bit, using it as material for my act.

I don’t make a single move. I just look onwards mindlessly. The perfect drone. The Minister watches me for a bit longer before going back to his papers. Alright the Minister has been dealt with, now the King. What did he want? What game was he going to play? Hurrand never had intricate plots or ploys. He just knew how to get a reaction out of me. I feel my heart beat faster and try to calm down or he’ll see my temples start to pulse and my farce would be discovered.

I remember walking down the hallway with Luna. I loved how goofy she was with me. Her silly trot, her gentle light laugh. My nerves float away as I swim in an endless reservoir of warmth. Passing her in the hallway. Those teal eyes. That look...her look. The one she gave so well. She pulled me out of my shell and gave me a comforting hoof to stand with.

Hurrand sits there for a few more minutes with a displeased glare.
He exhales angrily.
“Screw this.” He motions at the double doors and I hear four sets of armored footsteps approaching. I try to convince myself it’s something else, but it’s not. I know what’s coming. There was no one to save me now. Hurrand wanted answers that I didn’t honestly have. I always had Emeris and Lucretia around, even if they couldn’t do anything, at least they were there.

Hurrand still stares across the room with obvious agitation.
“I’m going to give you one last chance Raiden. How do we take Canterlot?!” I need something to tell him, but honestly what chance did we have against three Alicorns and a boat load of magically inclined citizens? Wait...what did Zaran say? Was he making it up when he told me there were amulets that block dark magic? It doesn’t matter, I found my lie.

“I read that there were amulets that block magic, but there’s no mention of their location. Without a way of getting around Alicorn magic, they could simply pick up our units and toss us.”
He covers his face with his hand in annoyance then nods to the guards. Someone kicks the back of my knee. My leg buckles and collapses. Before I regain my footing, I get stomped in the back. I hit the floor and grit my teeth angrily. I wanted to fight back, but it would just be worse and pointless.

Block out the pain. Don’t think. Don’t give them the satisfaction.
Hurrand sighs and rolls his eyes.
“Raiden…I'm tired of this castle! I'm tired of its walls, tired of its dust and dirt! I want a new one! I want a new kingdom!" His face is red and shakes violently. He speaks slowly but with all the wrath he can muster.
"And I get, what I want!” I say nothing. I’m done trying to play my way out of this. He rolls his head along with his eyes dramatically. I get a kick in the side by a metal boot. I can’t help but let out a nasty groan. My hand instinctively covers the wound. It was right below the ribs, nice and sensitive. My brain screams at me to crawl away from the threat, but there’s no point.

I get kicked in the same spot but down a bit so it’s my stomach this time. The point of his metal boot drives in deep. I almost vomit. I’m winded and pant heavily. Sweat starts to build on my forehead. My arms want to start trembling with adrenaline, but I do my best to stave it off. Before I’ve even caught my breath, a hand clenches on my hair and pulls me upright. An arm wraps around my neck choking me.

Hurrand knows I can’t talk but asks again anyways just to be a dick.
“What is their weakness?! How do we get past them?! They’re weak right now from all the fighting, it’s now or never!” he roars. I do the only thing I can do; I give him the middle finger. Another hand grabs mine and bends my finger back so far, that it touches my wrist. I would have screamed if I could breath. A nasty crack fills the air as my knuckle bursts. I thrash around as my body tries to flee. My cheeks burn and my mouth pops open in a silent scream of agony.

Hurrand slams his hand on the arm of his throne impatiently. A fist catches the right side of my jaw, almost shattering it. The muscles in my back strain themselves to where I can’t move it. The hand holding my hair readjusts to keep my face steady, as I receive punch after punch to my eye. It quickly goes black from the assault. Someone plants their foot on my calf then stands on it. I squirm, allowing my left leg to flail wildly as it tries to push me away out of instinct. They dig their heel into the muscle, balancing themselves on the person holding my hair.

Despite the pain, my jaw opens wide in a silent wail of torment. A fist breaks my nose, oozing blood down my chest. I shake my head, feeling hairs getting ripped out the back. They let me fall to the ground, so they can hear my symphony of screams. My left hand grabs my right eye, instinctively trying to protect it from further harm. The fresh pain in my calf still screams at me. I roll on my back, yelling at the top of my lungs in both anger and misery.

The warrior in me sits up and I do a pathetic swing at the nearest guard to my right. It rings against his metal shin guard. He boots my face before grabbing my right hand. He yanks me forward. I quickly lose my balance and fall forward. He stomps on my hand, filling the room with a nasty sounding crunch. I scream again, staring at his boot. I try to yank my hand free, just to be interrupted by another kick to the side.

It’s in the same place below my ribs. To my shame, I desperately try to crawl away but can’t move with my hand still pinned. I twist my arm a bit, doing anything I can to free myself. Another boot comes down on my arm. Before I can readjust, I’m forced back to the ground. I feel my elbow almost give out from being sideways. They let up for a minute or so, watching me frantically crawl towards my room. I know there’s no escape, but my brain starts to take over, trying to protect me.

I get about twenty feet before they grab my ankles and pull me back in front of the throne. I claw like a wild animal, repeatedly screaming "No!" as fast and loudly as I can. Panic consumes me as one of them sits on my hamstring and wraps their arms around my leg. They pull my foot up to their chest, holding it by the sides. They start turning it to the right as far as it normally allows. I do what I can to swipe behind me pointlessly at their armor, trying to do anything. I can barely even twist my body, let alone get a decent punch.

I scream in horror over and over as my ankle quickly hits its limit and starts straining. They take their time, wrapping an arm around it for leverage as they pull. My ankle cries out for me to do something, as I feel the muscles start to give out. I wail desperately for them to stop. Pride was irrelevant as my brain told me to say and do whatever it took for my own safety. I even feel the muscles in my knee ache. I feel popping as they manually sprain my ankle.

I beat on his armor with balled fists. My face goes red, and tears stream down my face. My eyes bulge as I revert back to being an animal, desperate to escape. I beg them to stop, almost wanting to bite my tongue off just so my words aren’t used against me later. I grab a hold of his armor and shake him, but he keeps sitting on my leg, twisting away. I can’t even hear myself shriek in desperation anymore. My ears start ringing as my leg burns, while sending stabbing sensations all over.

I watch as a guard grabs my face. His fingers dig into my already sore right eye. He lifts my head up before slamming it back against the stone. I feel my throat still screaming at them to stop. I yell it as loud as I can repeatedly, knowing full-well it’s in vain. My brain doesn’t care. It does whatever it thinks it can do to save me. A few more rides from his hand and everything goes black.

I sit in the corner of my room later that night, hugging my knees despite the pain. I’m a child in a kingdom of nightmares. I have no hope, no light, no comfort. I can’t help but notice the familiar claw marks on the walls from endless nights of agony. Silent tears crawl down my cheeks as I’d give everything for a single shred of comfort. I have nothing. My room doesn’t even face the moon. I feel the darkness slowly close in on me. I sit there for hours, giving up on the idea that I will ever escape this prison.

I shake uncontrollably from both fear and pain. My face is blank as I stare mindlessly across the room. My eye had stopped bleeding a few hours ago, but it was swollen and hurt constantly. My other eye was wide-opened, darting to any sound in the hall. Will I ever be able to return to Canterlot? Will I ever see my friends...my family ever again? I was a fool. Why did I think I could escape this life? What would the princesses think of me if I turned my back on my own country? Would they look down on me? Would they understand? No, they wouldn’t. They’ve never been in my shoes before. The pain of being considered a traitor by the only ones I care about, was more than I could ever bare. There was no living on if I lost their respect.

I take Luna’s thin scarf out from my sleeve and stare at it. Its purple glow illuminates the void of my room. It brings me the only comfort I have. I ball it in my hands and hold it to my face as I sob violently into it. I would give anything to see her face again. Anything to hear that voice. Just to see her would be a relief. I keep the scarf pressed to my face as I cry myself to sleep in the corner of my cell, my room, my own personal hell.

I open my eyes, laying on my bed. A strange purple portal opens up. I do my best to sit upright, still not fully recovered. The changeling from our dungeon walks through first, looks around, and morphs into an exact copy of me. I stare at him confused. Luna walks through a second later, but immediately puts her hoof to her mouth, signaling me to be quiet. It takes the last bit of energy I have not to squeal with happiness. I agonizingly shake my clenched fists up and down like a child receiving a much-anticipated gift.

She lifts me up with her magic and carries me to the portal. As soon as my feet touch it, I open my eyes, staring at the blank wall again. I do what I can to hold onto that fuzzy warm feeling of rescue. It lasts for a good five minutes before the darkness swallows me whole. I lay there for hours, just taking comfort in the fact that Hurrand’s thugs were asleep for now. Eventually I drift off once more.

I’m woken by the sunlight pouring through my window. I sit up and swing my legs over the side. What am I going to do with myself now? Wander around mindlessly? No, I couldn’t do that, it’s too dangerous. I don’t have my sword or armor. Even if I did, I could easily best any fool here, but not all of them. Ten or eleven would fall at my feet, but my stamina would give out by then. There’s no way I could spend all day in my room, could I?

My window is way too high up for me to escape, and there were bound to be plenty of guards in the hallway. Hurrand kept everything nice and basic so I had nothing to work with. My imprisonment was a taboo thing. We never spoke of it, despite me being a captain. We all just knew I wasn’t allowed to leave. I wanted one friend, any friend. I quickly stuff Luna’s scarf inside my vague mattress. No matter what, at least I’d always have it. It will be my torch of hope in the night.

As if my prayers were answered, a small bird lands on the windowsill. I don’t move and watch him, pretending he’s from Canterlot and came to check on me. I do my best to put on my tough guy act, trying to seem like I wasn’t in pain. He looks around the room curiously. I try to be casual, knowing the trimmings of my prison weren’t much. It was fine though, I didn’t honestly need anything.

He could just hang out, it would be fine. I didn’t mind. I didn’t have much, but he was more than welcome to make himself comfortable. My only friend in the world. A loud thud in the hallway sends him flying. He had no idea how lucky he was. Being able to flap his wings and disappear. I shake uncontrollably as the clanking of metal boots in the hallway gets louder and louder.

Every footstep feels like a slap to the face. Would diving out the window be such a bad idea? My room was several stories up, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t survive. I’m sure Emeris and Lucretia could take care of Canterlot without me. I get up and limp my way over to the window; my eye darting to the door repeatedly. If I was going to do this, it would have to be fast. For every wounded step I take, the boots in the hallway make two.

I’m just a few feet from ending it when the door bursts open. I make a lung for the window, but I make the mistake of putting weight on my bad ankle. I fall to the floor and try to claw my way to freedom. Hands grab my feet and my swollen ankle and drag me to the bed. I kick and scream violently, holding on to the edge of the window. My hands dart to my ankle, trying to protect it. I scream over and over. I shriek for them to leave me alone, but they respond with silence. My leg is torn between trying to free my ankle, and not wanting to injure it further.

“Don’t! Get off me! Get away!” A few more guards come in. Each guard takes a limb of mine and pins me down. Hurrand stands in the doorway with his arms crossed. He stays for a brief second before storming off. The guard near my right ankle pulls up my pant leg. It’s swelled more than I thought. He inhales a bit before grabbing it with both hands and wrenching it left and right.

My face goes read as I scream and beg for him to stop. “Please! Don’t! Just leave me alone! Please! Leave! Me! Alone!” My words cease to exist as I howl in agony repeatedly. As if on fire, my leg thrashes around, trying to escape. I feel something in my throat start to give out, as it’s already destroyed from before. The Minister stands casually by the door, “Come now Raiden, I’m sure there’s something you can tell us about Canterlot?” He yells over the commotion.

I stare at him. My brain actually tries to think of something real to tell him. Anything to end the torment. I remember watching the Og Nag descend upon the civilians as they tried desperately for Canterlot. I could still hear the screams of ponies in Ponyville, shrieking in terror. They had suffered enough. My eyes that were once full of fear and desperation, now fill with anger and rage. All I can do is roar as loud as I can at the snake. They pick me up and pin me on my mattress that was almost as firm as the stone floor. My arm gets held down with one knee, as the guard pounds on my ribs over and over. I turn my stomach to the left and right, trying to protect the already bruised area.

The mattress bobs up and down from my assault. Every single punch makes the springs squeal angrily. I see a small purple glow on the guard’s armor to my left. He lets my arm go and picks up Luna’s scarf. The Minister shakes his head, before walking over and taking it. I scream with all the power that I can.

“Nooooo!” It’s mixed with fear and rage. I needed that scarf.
“Please anything but that!” I free my right hand and try to claw after the Minister. The guards let me go, knowing I'm no threat to him. He casually walks out of the room.

I drag my body across the floor towards him, still screaming protests repeatedly. The guards leave the room one by one. They don’t look at me as I still try to desperately crawl across the floor. My begging becomes almost inaudible as my heart breaks. The desperate pleas are overtaken by horrendous sobbing. The Minister returns with the scarf and scissors. I shake my head as fast as I can.
“No no no no no, please don’t!”

He holds up the scarf and starts cutting off pieces of it little by little.
“How. Do. We. Take. Canterlot?!” I bang my fists on the ground and flail my legs the little bit that can. I let out a mix of anger and sadness. That scarf was the last thing keeping me together, but I would never betray my family. The silky pieces float gracefully through the air, landing in front of me. I curl up into a small ball on the floor. There was no point anymore, so I just sit and shiver.

The Minister looks at a fifth guard who stands at the door. The guard whispers in the Minister's ear. He stares at me.
“You have...visitors.” The Minister’s eyes bulge with fear. He grits his teeth before looking at me then back to the guard. He motions to me with his head.
“Get him up…” The guard actually does his best to help me up with care. He can’t even look me in the eyes. He lets me use him as a crutch as we stand up. The Minister storms off. I hobble to the door and look to the left and right, seeing four guards at both ends of the hall. My leg screams at me to stop, but I can’t. Agitating them further will just result in more beatings. My knee almost quits, and my ankle can’t really take any weight. It’s red and swollen. I loosened the laces in my boot to accommodate earlier, knowing they’d most likely make me walk at some point. I basically hop as fast as I can manage, trying to keep pace with the guards behind me. I’m torn between not wanting to risk further injury and being defiant.

My right eye is so swollen I can’t see, and the massive headache isn’t doing me any favors. My sides feel like I’ve been force-fed rotten meat. They scream for me to coddle them. It’s a long walk to the throne room, and to my surprise the guards don’t mess with me on the way there. Who were my visitors? It couldn’t be Emeris or Lucretia, or anyone from Taraska. There would be no point. Could it actually be the sisters? Why would the...Hurrand even allow that?

I’m led into the throne room, where the Minister and his lapdog stand. They look worried and impatient. Hurrand growls with annoyance when he sees me. They whisper to each other nervously, while keeping their eyes on my face. The Minister sighs.
“We don’t have time to do anything. It will be fine, they won’t risk offending us.” Hurrand nods, and they both begin walking towards the double doors. I’m shoved in their direction, hopping along desperately.

When the doors open, the sun is almost blinding. My strength is already almost gone. My left leg wasn’t in the best shape as it is, but it’s now working double time. I hunch over a bit as I hop along. My back starts screaming for me to stop as well. I’m a complete mess. My right arm almost drives me insane. I should have found a way to make a sling for it. I see a black and blue figure, accompanied by a slightly larger white figure, standing at the end of town. They start trotting towards us. Our little party comes to a halt.

I stand in front of Hurrand and the Minister as the Princesses trot into view. I was so happy I could have broken down. Celestia’s endlessly long wavy hair, Luna’s cute little walk, the way she doesn’t bend her knees as much as everypony else. Both sisters are completely grim.

As they reach us, Luna’s already troubled face morphs into one of horror and pain. She sees my swollen eye, my fat lip, she notices how my right arm dips a bit from my sprained shoulder. She gawks at my ankle that is now much larger than the other, as well as a nice, deep red from the swelling. She scans my face, her eyes about to burst with anger. She grits her teeth; her mouth starts twitching. Every few seconds, she stumbles a bit in place before stomping the ground in both rage and shock. Celestia gawks at me for a moment before regaining her composure. She slaps on a clearly fake smile for the King.

“King Hurrand, how is every-” She’s cut off by Luna’s sharp, demanding tone.
“What did you do to him?” Celestia’s head snaps to her sister.
“Luna. That’s enough.”
Luna shoots her an angry glare, before attempting to restrain herself. I can’t resist staring at the ground. Yeah, that's right Luna, your wonderful general is nothing but a punching bag. Shame floods my stomach. I was supposed to be a strong warrior. I was supposed to be tough as steel. Now she knows the truth. I’m just a piece of meat in Taraska. Sorry to be such a disappointment.

The Minister laughs dismissively.
“Oh come now! Raiden was simply injured in a training accident!”

Luna glares at him so hard, I could literally hear him shift around nervously behind me.
“That’s not what it sounded like from out here!” she screams.

Celestia glares at her again.
“Sister, please! That is quite enough!”
Hurrand exhales annoyed.
“Well, tell them Raiden!”

I tremble a bit. I wanted to scream. I wanted to give them a reason to pull me away. Was I seriously going to ask these two to solve my problem? I’m sorry princesses, I can’t deal with my own problems, please come rescue your general you trusted your kingdom to because he can’t handle a single king and some guards.

Every last part of my pride is torn apart. My mouth goes on autopilot.
“It...it was a training accident.” I say, just barely above a whisper.

Hurrand shrugs with a nasty smile on his face of triumph.
“See? Was just an accident, no reason to fret!”
Shoot me. Stab me. Burn me. I didn’t care, just get me out of here already. I can’t take being humiliated in front of her. Anyone but her.

The Minister slaps a hand on my left shoulder, which was slightly better off than my right,.
“You really should be more careful Raiden!” he lets out a condescending chuckle. He knows he can get away with humiliating me now.

“General. General Raiden.” Luna corrects. Hurrand scoffs but doesn’t say anything. I can hear it in his fake laugh, he won’t risk agitating Luna any further. Celestia looks at everyone awkwardly.

“Well, as I said, we came to drop off Raiden’s equipment.” My armor is brought forward by a Canterlot guard. He glances at my face, before retreating his gaze to the ground in an awkward horror. He lowers his flank so both bags slide off. He bows his head and walks backwards behind the sisters. Before disappearing, he looks me in the eyes. I see a bit of fire in them.
“General.” He says firmly as he nods to me. His words mean more to me than he’ll ever know. I give him the best nod I can, despite my neck still being bruised.

The Minister crosses his arms.
“Very well then. If you don’t mind, we were having an important discussion that we must return to.”

Luna keeps her glare fixed on him.
“I’m sure you do.” Celestia sighs as she looks over at Luna with concern. I know she doesn’t want this to become a bigger issue, and neither do I. Her anger fills me with happiness however. Her passion towards me might be just what I need to survive. Celestia bows her head in respect and turns around. She gets about four paces before noticing Luna still hasn’t moved. Luna stands there, every muscle tense, every brain cell wanting a reason to snap.

She grits her teeth, grinding them together. Small tears well up in the bottom of her eyes as she looks at me, desperate to do anything. A small smile makes its way to my face. The pain feels distant as her every emotion comforts me like a hot bath. Her legs tremble as she stares. She takes a few gently steps backwards before turning around. She keeps an eye over her shoulder at me, longing to free me from my cage.

Celestia stops and trots back over to me.
“Oh silly me, where are my manners?” She rests her head gently on my shoulder, nuzzling me ever so slightly. Before she pulls away she whispers a small message in my ear.
“Stay strong.” She slaps on her smile again and walks away. Luna swipes at a rock angrily with her hoof, sending it flying. It crashes into some debris a ways away.

The walk back to the castle is both peaceful and arduous. A guard carries my armor to my room. There’s something familiar about them. I don’t dare try to point it out. I know it’s neither Emeris or Lucretia. Was it another one of my soldiers? Did they slip in during the meeting to keep an eye on me? The corners of my mouth twitch happily, but I manage to keep a blank face. I could literally hug whoever it is. They’re female, and don’t act as aggressive as the other guards, despite trying to fit in.

As we enter the long hallway to my room, the guard looks behind her. When no one is there, she slings my gear over her right shoulder, and helps me to my room. They get me to my bed and set down my gear then close the door and walk back over to me.

“Sir...I don’t know-”
I look up at them with cold gratitude.
“Thank you, but if they see you acting like this, it will be your head. You need to go.” I try not to let myself get emotional. I so badly wanted a friend. They have already done enough. I had to act tough for them. I wanted them to think I was better off than the truth. They nod a few times. At least we understood each other. “Stay strong sir.” they whisper as they leave. The door closing is my cue to chuckle to myself. My soldiers never stopped impressing me, even after all these years.

I wake up the next morning by loud banging and shouting. There’s a huge commotion in the throne room, but I don’t risk poking my head out. I hear a female voice yelling, but I can’t make out the words. Trembling in fright, I'm worried they found her out. I look at my gear. Could I help her? Probably not. I was in no shape to move. My ankle was becoming unbearable. I could no longer even have my boot on, so I wouldn’t be much use in a sword fight.

I grip my mattress with both hands angrily. I was so tired of being useless. The clanking of armor and a lot of yelling float down the hallway. Several doors slam open down the hall one by one. I stare at my door in confusion as I hear my name being called a few times. Who was it? Lucretia? Did she seriously come back with the third Battalion? No. There was no way. That’s bold, even for her. Plus, they would have moved me as soon as the fighting began.

I stare at the door anxiously waiting to see who was making all this racket. My jaw drops as I hear who it is. The sound of hooves against the stone tells me all I need to know. I chuckle in shock, still not fully grasping it all. My door slams open, and I burst out with enthralled laughter. She stands at my door, powerful as can be, knowing Hurrand is powerless before her.

A massive smile crosses Luna’s face when she sees my reaction. She swallows, trying to contain her excitement.
“Can you walk? “she says sympathetically. I sigh and look to the floor before shaking my head. I’m surrounded in a purple aura as Luna carries me with her magic. She casually walks along the hall with me in tow. I end up turning around, being carried by a strange translucent blue carpet she’s conjured.

Guard after guard charges her, never getting within ten feet. They’re pushed back by an invisible force. They throw plates, knives, rocks, arrows, anything. Every item crashes into an invisible wall and falls to the ground. Luna never flinches or even slows down. She tries to keep her royal expression, despite blatantly defying every order being yelled at her. I hated the feeling of being a puppet, but seeing the guards struggle so valiantly and in vain made it excusable.

She clears her throat.
“I apologize Rai- General Raiden, I would simply fly out of here with you, but I don’t want to be rude.” Don’t want to be rude? Yeah, right. She’s parading around the castle just to show that she can. She secretly tries to torment the King with her power, and I enjoy every second of it.

Luna trots along quickly. There’s a hint of anger in her step as each hoof strikes the ground abruptly. Hurrand is at the other end of the hall behind us. His face is furious. He grabs candle sticks and hurls them at me. They hit Luna’s shield and bounce harmlessly to the floor.
The King calls out to her.
“Raiden is supposed to stay here!” Luna snorts to herself.
“Yes, well, I’ll try to have him back before sundown, but no promises. As I said, we need his help.” Luna says in a flat tone. A subtle smile crosses my face.

Eight guards move to block our path. They raise their shields before charging us. Luna doesn’t even slow down a step, as the guards skid across the dirt, slamming against some invisible force. They groan and push as hard as they can, completely powerless against her. The sound of screeching metal boots against stone fills the halls.

We take a quick right into the throne room. The Minister tries to stand there unimpressed, but his lack of attitude tells everyone he’s not going to bother with her. He tries to goad her into doing something stupid.
“This is highly inappropriate, but I understand being the younger princess. Just so you know, there will be consequences for this.”

Luna stops and looks over her shoulder at him. Her response is mute but deafening. With one look, she gives the Minister all the response he needs. Her face says one thing: try and stop me.

The last four guards in front of the double doors charge us but fall backwards when they hit the barrier. They’re in our way for a brief second before their ankles glow purple and they’re dragged to the sides.

As we exit the castle, I have to do everything I can to avoid laughing. Every barrier from here to the edge of the city was completely demolished. Several guards lay on top of random debris, not moving. A rock gets thrown at me from the same sniper’s nest as before, but it bounces off the same invisible field covering us.

As we leave the city, I’m engulfed in Luna’s blue magic again and we take off. We fly rapidly for just a few brief minutes, landing under a nice apple tree. Luna sets me down in the shade of it. I sit down, leaning against its cool bark. Luna immediately rushes up to me, nuzzling my face repeatedly. I’m too weak to do anything but lean into her.

She strokes my head with her right foreleg, grinding her cheek against mine. She pulls her head back and kisses my forehead twice and my cheek once before nuzzling my face again. My face blushes but I don’t care; I loved the affection.
“Are you okay? Do you need anything? I can get you some water if you want…”
I shrug and try to act like I wasn't about to pass out from pain.
“I...they actually haven't let me eat or drink in days…”

Luna looks horrified, and with a flash of her horn, a carafe of water and a plate of food appears next to me. My body takes over as I scarf it all down greedily. My hands tremble as I shovel every delicious morsel into my mouth. The water is cold and refreshing. It’s all gone in just a minute. I pant profusely and lock eyes with Luna for a moment before staring at the ground in shame again. On top of having to save me from some bullies, now she’s feeding me? Could I be any more useless? I felt like some tiny pet you keep around for the novelty of it.
“Thank you…” I whisper in humiliation. She looks heartbroken and rushes to nuzzle me some more. She grits her teeth angrily upon pulling her head back.
“That does it! You’re coming back home with us permanently!” I look up at her timidly.
“Are you sure that’s wise?”
She glares and rears her head back.
“I don’t care if it’s wise! They can try to stop me - no.”
She regains herself and does her best to strike a royal composure.
“You know what? If you want, I shall take you back. Or if you want, you can go back there. I will not force anything on you.”
I look at the ground happily. I needed to be coddled for once in my miserable life.
“I...I would actually love to come -”
Luna’s horn flashes and before my brain can register it, we’re outside Canterlot palace in some grass. Luna trots in place, giddy with glee. She lets out a happy squeal before gently tackling me. My shoulders scream in agony as I wrap my arms around her. We roll down a small hill about ten feet or so, giggling like crazy. My body gives up telling me to take it easy. All the pain in the world was futile against this feeling.

We lay there embracing each other in the grass. I had never been so happy in my life. My temples throb as I gaze at Luna's intoxicating eyes, eyes I wanted to see every day for the rest of my life. I hear Celestia clear her throat behind us. We both look up at her with awkward smiles. Luna lifts her head up with a mane full of grass. She stares at her sister, before blowing a large chunk of blue hair out of her face. Celestia stares at us amused. We all share in laughter.

Celestia sighs while still keeping a smile.
“I...I know this may cause...problems, but we’ve decided to keep you here. Permanently. I...do not know the customs where you are from, but I suppose you could just assume the role of an Equestrian-”
“That place is not Taraska. Not anymore.” I stand up, remembering all the crazy things I had done to protect this place. The battles I fought. The battles we almost lost. The agony we had gone through. I was done with Hurrand. Even my knees pleading with me to sit down didn't matter.
“That man is not our king. Taraska is the soldiers who fought for your kingdom. The soldiers who were willing to lay down their lives for something greater. We brought Taraska with us. I’ll miss that city in a way, but it is not where I belong. I’ll deal with Hurrand in the future, but for now I just want to enjoy being home…”

Luna keeps me glued to her side as she carries me into the palace.