Chapter 6: Enemies or Friends

They lead me through multiple hallways, until we enter what must be the throne room. The walls are covered with lavish glass murals of history. The vibe in the room shifts, as Celestia asks her guards to wait outside. My instincts tell me to run, but I know better. Luna glances at me, then to the ground uncomfortably. I rest my hand on the hilt of my sword for comfort. My eyes begin analyzing every detail they can. Celestia’s hips expand and retract faster than normal: she’s breathing harder, probably anxious. Luna shows signs of anxiety as well with her reluctance to have eye-contact. They don’t surround me, so I’m not going to be attacked…yet.

I move around the room, pretending to examine the murals. I use the reflection in the glass to watch Luna’s mannerisms; how will she act when I can’t see her face? Her gaze shifts from me to Celestia. Celestia seems to be searching for a way to politely begin. I take the murals as a chance to slowly get closer to Celestia, in case she tries anything. With their magic, I may have to strike hard and fast. Luna is in the open, within dagger throwing range of her sister. If I’m quick, I can take out Celestia with a sword strike and her sister with a well-aimed knife. How I was going to get out of the palace was a different story, but one problem at a time.

Celestia eyes me suspiciously, but begins her conversation anyways. I listen carefully to Luna’s nervous breathing. I may not get a chance to take a double look if things get bad. I’ll need to know where she is before even drawing my knife. Celestia takes in one last inhale before speaking.

“I must be honest; your King did not tell us much about your land. We were wondering what you might tell us about your people.”

I slowly nod, as I take a few more steps across the room towards the Princess, my eyes still on the murals.

“There’s not much to tell. Our people have been at war long before I was born. Life expectancy is early 30s if you’re lucky.” I eye the paintings up and down a bit, before making just a few more casual steps. Luna joins in with that same fake eager tone to learn about me.

“Why is your world like this? Do your people not want peace?” I turn to face her.

“Our world was attacked a long time ago. Since then, trust is difficult to find, with peace being nothing but a distant fairytale.”
Celestia narrows her left eye.
“What do you mean attacked?”

“According to history, massive glass orbs with some type of purple energy in them, dropped from the sky. The resulting explosions were larger than anything we could ever produce. Entire towns were erased with a single one of these bombs. Without knowing who sent them, paranoia took over almost as fast as the sickness that came with the orbs.”
Luna seems legitimately enthralled by the story.
“Sickness?” She asks eagerly.

Celestia shakes slightly in place. Her eyes grow massive as her mouth is silent; she knows something.
I continue explaining, casually trying not to act like I'm watching her.

“Mana Fever is what we call it. It starts with symptoms of a common cold. Eventually, you gradually lose control over parts of your body. The final phase is a deep sleep that you cannot be woken from. With no way to give the sick food or water, they die. When you finally pass, your body lets out all that energy in a horrific explosion. You can't even dream of the horror that a simple cough could mean someone is a walking bomb. The explosion could break down any type of wall that was not reinforced with metal.”

Luna lets out a sympathetic gasp.
“I...I’m so sorry! How could you survive in such-”

Celestia cuts her off.
“You have not brought one of these orbs with you correct?”
I face Celestia, knowing things are about to escalate.
“As I’ve said, we wish you nothing but peace.”
Celestia tilts her head back slightly, still with those wide, sunken eyes only a monster in the closet could have.
“That is not what I have asked, Raiden.”
Luna snaps to her sister stunned.
“Sister, please! That’s barely approp-”
Celestia stomps a hoof, now being much more assertive than before. Her calm, inviting demeanor is completely absent.
“Did you bring one of those orbs with you or not?!” her eyes show both fear and wrath.
I stare back. My reluctance to give her as little information as possible allows tension to flow between us. She shifts her weight a bit and turns to face me more directly. I want her on edge. It's so much harder to hide yourself when a river of emotion flows through you. She also needs to think we're more dangerous than we are. If she figures out the truth, she could easily annihilate our kingdom. Luna steps between us.

“What is going on?! Are we not here to get to know one another?” her eyes frantically go from myself to her sister. Celestia and I do not look away. She wants to know if I’m endangering her kingdom, and I want answers.
“You know what the orbs were don’t you. It was magic. Was it from here? Were we a secret experiment for you?! Did you exile your enemies into those orbs perhaps?!”
Celestia slowly shakes her head.
“If you think for one second I’ll allow you to threaten my kingdom I’ll - “

A condescending laugh forces its way from my mouth.

“Do what? Kill us all? It would be a welcome vacation! Oh wait, you'd just exile us right? Or maybe a nice reform? Are we going to hold hands and dance in a circle afterwards? You don't have the spine to exterminate us and you cannot fathom the things we could do to your kingdom! Even as we speak, I already have units hiding near your towns in case you try anything! Random poisoned wells, unpredictable assassinations! We'd reduce your entire nation to nothing out of pure paranoia!” She eats the lie right up.

Celestia snarls at me, with those massive angry eyes. She begins panting with anticipation and rage. Luna trembles a bit as she tries to play diplomate between volcanoes.

“Alright...let’s all calm down. This has gotten a bit out of hand hasn’t it?” A yellow glow appears around Luna’s hind heels, as she’s pulled towards the door. She screams at her sister to stop, with what I presume to be a few insults I’ve never heard of as well. In just a few seconds, the doors are flung open; Luna is dragged out, with the doors slamming shut again. They glow ominously with yellow. Looks like I may have to fight my first Alicorn. I was no match for her. If I had any hope of surviving, I’d have to lure her into a sense of security, and take her out when she drops her guard. I hear Luna pounding on the door angrily, calling out to her sister.
I lower my hand from my sword.

“I’m sorry...I’ve just never been so close to getting answers before. And no...we don’t have an orb. No one’s seen anything like them since.”

Celestia stops panting. The anger from her eyes diminishes quite a bit, but she’s still suspicious. I make myself sound depressed.
“I’m sorry for how I acted. It’s not easy being in such a different place. “ I lower my head for effect. She sighs and stomachs her pride.

“Raiden, I will tell you what I can, but for security reasons it won’t be much. Also it will probably raise more questions than it answers. I hope you understand.”
I nod with a fake sense of gratitude.

“Anything helps.”

She lowers her hind legs and sits on the ground. A look of shame comes over. I do my best to raise my hand to my sword as casually as possible. When the moment is right, I wouldn't be able to waste it. She could easily have some form of magical shield up to stop projectiles. The only logical plan, was to go in for a hug, then slip my knife into her throat. I could easily play the part of a depressed soldier in need of a friend.

I clear my mind to stop myself from shaking. Celestia begins explaining.
“An...associate of mine discovered a way of traveling between alternate worlds. Some had only minor differences, others were the complete opposite. I had heard of the orbs you described from a particularly nasty realm.” My arms cross and my right hand slowly wiggles out my extra knife from my left gauntlet. Repeated head nods and random vocal noises are sure to draw her attention away from my hands. I turn my back to her, pretending to be deep in thought. The dagger is now fully free and sits nicely in my hand. I spin it around so I can tuck it from sight when I go in for a hug. Any second now and I’ll have my chance. I'll just need to stage an emotional break down so she'll let me get close. Repeated quick, but silent exhales make it sound like I'm tearing up.

Celestia inhales before glancing at my head, then returning them to the floor.

“The problem is if your world was attacked by them, then they’ve figured out how to cross dimensions as well.”

I fall to the floor and cup my hands around the eyeslits in my helmet. My shoulders bob up and down. Celestia sighs and I hear the clicking of her hooves behind me as she moves closer. Luna crashes through a window without a mural. Infuriated, she lands next to her sister. Luna stomps on the ground over and over as they start having a screaming match. I take the opportunity to conceal my dagger. I could most likely take out the pair later on, but they were probably the only ones who knew how to work these portals. I begin walking out of the throne room to leave the sisters with their argument. Luna gets out one last scream of frustration and storms past me, almost knocking me over with an accidental bump.
She says nothing. I see another opportunity in front of me and take it. Celestia walks up to me from behind.

“I’m sorry, she’s just upset.”

I can hear Luna stop just inside a hallway to the right, just barely out of sight. I turn my head to Celestia.

“I’d be upset too if I was forcibly dragged from my own throne room like a rag doll.” Celestia narrows her eyes at me.

“She’s my sister...” She grumbles. I raise an eyebrow.

“She’s also a princess and an adult.” Celestia lets out a small sigh of annoyance. We say nothing as we walk forward,
out the doors of the throne room. Luna's hooves click quietly as she tries to sneak down the hallway.

“Feel free to explore the town outside.” Celestia finishes her sentence with a small shake of her head and an eyeroll. With that, she turns around and closes the doors behind her. I look over and see Luna watching me, a brief smile on her face.

Yes, that's right, come little spider. Nothing like spreading a bit of animosity between rulers. Perhaps she will eventually tell me what I need to know. She turns her head forward and trots down the hallway. I follow her from a distance. For some reason I felt drawn to her. A few winding corridors later, I find her on a balcony. She’s facing the entrance already as I get there.

“Are you following me?” She says with a mixture of curiosity and amusement, raising an eyebrow and turning her head to the left a bit. A microscopic smile hangs on the corner of her mouth. I just realized how great it would have been if I had thought of something to say once I caught up with her.
“I apologize. I just...wanted to talk.” She huffs a bit, and then turns around.
“Anything in particular?” She’s impatient for me to leave, I get it. I walk up next to her. “I’m sorry for how she treated you.” Luna does her best not to kick the ground with her hoof, but it doesn’t last for long.
“Why are you apologizing?” She says with confused irritation. I chuckle lightly.
“Because no one ever apologized to me for the same thing.” Her mouth straightens into a flat line, as she tries not to vent about Celestia. She’s still trying to act as royalty, despite the disrespect she was shown; I admired it.
Luna’s eyes travel to the ground before looking forward.
“She’s my sister...and the princess.”

I turn my head to Luna.

“A princess. Not the only princess. Unless I’ve been misinformed.”
Luna nods, I see her restrain a pleased smile.
“You are correct.”
I hesitate for a moment.
“You don’t have to act with me. I know it bothers you.”
Luna snaps at me.
“I’m not acting like anything!” She turns to face me.
“You hardly know me, which goes for pretty much everypony in this castle. I’d prefer it if I wasn’t treated like an open book by a total stranger!” I nod and awkwardly look out across the land.
We stand there in silence. I know how she feels, but I won’t dare speak ill of my King. I completely get her wanting to act as royal as possible, since I’m doing the exact same thing.
She looks down sadly and sighs.
“I’m...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. It’s just frustrating-” She cuts herself off before she goes on a rant.
I check behind me. No guards patrolling, no one to overhear.
“I...can relate.” We stand once more in silence. I do my best to lighten the mood.
“Does she ever do that thing, where they ask for your advice, then do exactly the opposite?”
Luna giggles a bit.
“Why even ask what I think if you’re going to throw it away? Sometimes I just lie and say the opposite just so she secretly does what I want.” My armor clanks loudly as I can't resist letting my head drop in hysterics.
I do my best to mimic the King.
“I like your idea for finding a cure, but I think it’s best just to watch it run its course.” Luna laughs a bit harder. Her voice tickles something inside my chest. I get nervous and my lips curve around each other. Luna does her best to make fun of her sister with a deeper voice than her own.
“Now Luna, I know you want to go save the town, but I think sending a less experienced, less powerful pony instead is a better idea. Why don’t you just wander around for a bit?” I snort, which makes her laugh uncontrollably. Tears form in her eyes as she howls. She has to lean against the balcony for support. Her smile makes me start shaking. I do my best to make it look like part of my laughing fit as well. As she smiles, her eyes gaze into mine.

I can’t help but tremble. My eyes bulge as I’m overpowered by her alluring stare. A violent jolt comes over me, as I’m clobbered with her presence. She blinks rapidly, her eyes searching mine. As if it couldn't get any more awkward, my solution is to let out a mix of a gasp and a squeal before looking at the sky.

“Would you...like to go for a walk?” her voice is shy as she speaks. Something so beautiful and is still shy. My jaw locks up, so I nod. Just like I do for all royalty, I stick my arm towards the hallway, letting her go first. She gives me a colossal smile as she pridefully trots by. As she passes me, her tail leans over and gently drags against my chest piece. Was it intentional or an accident.

On our way down to the palace grounds, my mind goes blank. I want nothing more than to just talk with her, but everything I come up with sounds bland and boring. She bites her lip gently a few times, looking at everything but me as we walk. Was she nervous too? Couldn’t be, she was a princess, what could she be nervous about?

As we move, she breaks into a goofy royal walk, lifting her legs up as high as they’ll go, and pulling her head back, to look as stuck up as possible. Her eyes grow wide and serious as she furrows her brow. She looks over and breaks her straight face in a light-hearted roar of amusement. I watch her for a few brief seconds before chuckling again. She watches me rub my hands together nervously. I’m still wearing my gauntlets and begin to realize just how weird it must look. She grins.

“Trying to keep your skin nice and smooth?” I hold up my hands.

“Best way to polish your armor is to be socially awkward apparently.” She stumbles a bit and tries to stay standing as she falls against the wall laughing. I’m horrified at what I just said. She tries to move forward but is laughing so hard, she falls into me. I catch her and help her to her feet. She stops laughing and springs up immediately, plastering on her serious face. She clears her throat.

“Thank you.” she says without eye contact.

I nod, staring at the ground then suddenly crash into a table in the hallway. She’s overcome with laughter again. She shakes her head, with that perfect white smile of hers. Once again, I wrestle with my hands. As we keep walking, my head stays low; she’s just so beautiful. We’re one last doorway from the outside. I hear Celestia’s voice echo down the hallway.
“Luna...please join me in the throne room.” Luna and I exchange disappointed looks.

“I have to go. If she asks nicely, it’s usually important. Even if it’s just sister crap.” She bumps my stomach gently with her horn.

“Don’t be a stranger alright?” She whirls around. Her mane and tail brush against my armor. She trots off happily down the hallway. I’m intoxicated. I can only stare as she leaves. I’d give anything for just a few more minutes. My wide eyed stare is concealed with horror as she looks behind her one last time, giving me a glowing smile. She turns a corner and is gone.

I stay a few more days, claiming it was part of protocol. They could be in serious danger, and I had no way to warn them. To my alarm, there’s no reports of the Og Nag. That wasn’t possible. How do a few thousand Og Nag, in full view of their palace, just slip away? They weren’t intelligent, and they certainly don’t have any type of magical abilities. There were no reports from my soldiers of where they went either. They were out there though and these ponies were defenseless.

If only I had the time to fully explain just how much danger they were really in.