-Debts and Favors-

        Coalback sat in the middle of Canterlot Castle’s throne room, facing toward the two tall chairs at the other end. The room was the most beautiful setting he had ever been in.

        The roof was high, so high he could have flown inside without worry of hitting it at all. The red carpet that he sat on was plush and clean. The marble walls and floor shone with fresh wax. And it was surprisingly well lit, the daylight coming in through the stained glass windows.

        Every window depicted some sort of event, and he had taken the time to examine them. It was surprising to see some ponies in the more recent history that was depicted, the six mares he had met before. He was sure it was them but continued to tell himself that it was impossible. After all those mares probably couldn’t hurt a fly, let alone defeat some sort of chimera.

        The Princess had sent off the girls to find the other Princess, whom he had yet to even hear of. Just the fact that the Princess had an older sister confused him, he wondered what sort of power disputes the two could have between each other. And even wondered if she was simply showing off a new toy, in a sense. Some sort of sisterly competition could be playing out right in front of him.

        And that was another thing; if these two were the princesses, where were the king and queen? All sorts of questions flooded through his head at the mention, but he didn’t let them show on his face.

        The Princess of the night was sitting on her throne just in front of him, and while she had asked him to relax he hadn’t. She had been able to convince him to remove the helmet, shields and hoof coverings. But he remained still, and hadn’t moved for the last hour. And he knew it had been an hour, he had watched the sunlight moving across the floor to be sure.

        All in all, Coalback was bored.

        His gaze drifted back around the room, eventually turning to behind himself. He stopped when he spotted something he had not seen during his first inspection of the room, a piano. It was well tucked away, barely noticeable when entering. But now that he was inside and had turned around he could see it.

        Some instinctive urge pushed him to his hooves, and he began walking toward it. He approached the piano to inspect it more closely, and he was glad he did.

        The piano was a masterpiece of instrumental artwork, dark wood and sloping lines drawing the eye upward to where the pianist would sit. It only took him a moment to walk around to the keys, he couldn’t tell what they were made of but he didn’t mind that. He had never been a particularly picky person about what piano he played, as long as it was tuned properly he didn’t care.

        He tapped one of the keys experimentally, letting out a light ring as he did. He smiled to himself, remembering the days he would play on his nanny’s piano. She had taught him to play, and how to enjoy it as he did. As bittersweet a memory as it was, he floated in it for a moment and sat on the soft bench.

        He had never tried to play with hooves, but he figured that a little practice could help him pass the time as he waited for the princesses. The notes flowed out from him well, and he could feel the stress and tension that he had felt before slipping away.

The song was one he remembered listening to when he was a teenager, although it had not been on a piano then. But he made do, remembering the notes as he played them. Letting his mind concentrate on the keys laid before him. He started off slowly, with more simple patterns that grew more complicated as he went. It wasn’t long before he had finished the song, and he felt better for doing it. Like falling asleep in a warm summer cave after days of constant running, he felt relaxed.

“You were right when you said this one was different, Luna.” A gentle voice echoed lightly across the room. Coalback looked up, surprised that someone had walked in without him noticing.

Princess Luna was still on her throne, a warm smile on her face as she looked down toward him from across the room. The six mares stood near the door, their faces mixes of happiness and wonder. And in front of them stood another of the alicorns.

Her white coat gleamed, and her soft prismatic mane and tail flowed in a breeze that didn’t exist. Her crown and other regalia revealed her to be the other princess Luna had mentioned in passing.

Coalback jumped up from the stool, knocking it over in the process. He bowed his head quickly, an apology escaping his throat on instinct.

“My apologies, ma’am! I did not realize that you had entered and I-” He was cut off shortly by her warm laugh, it rung like gentle bells in the air. She spoke to him again.

“On the contrary, I quite liked your song. It was very nice.” She turned toward Luna as Coalback rose from his bow to look at them. “Come and introduce me to your guest, dear sister.” Her voice was happy, not the kind of fake mask he had seen on those who had considered themselves royalty before.

Luna had already begun to walk over when Celestia had called her.

“This, is Coalback. And we do believe he may be of very good use to us, sister. Perhaps even a solution to many problems.” She beamed, clearly trying to show her sister that she had done something right.

“Luna, this is not the time for such a thought. Have you even considered what that could mean for Coalback?” She asked, trying to drive the conversation away from some topic that had yet to be revealed.

“Of course we have.” Luna said defiantly. “We have thought long this last night of only this. And it is exactly what he needs!” She gestured to him animatedly as she tried to explain. “This single stallion has been through more hardships in the last five years than even you or I have in centuries. He needs something that will help him grow past those dark days. And this is the exact opportunity that could give him that!” She finished, and Celestia looked down at her gilded hooves before answering.

“And you are sure that this stallion could be trusted with such a task?” She turned to look at her sister.

“There is no doubt.” She said, a confident smile on her face.

Celestia nodded slowly, turning to look at the mares behind her. They looked to her with confused faces, laced with worry. They had never heard the princesses talk like that. Then Celestia turned to Coalback, and spoke to him in an authoritative tone.

“Coalback, I have a very important favor to ask of you. And if you accept it, then I would be in your debt.” Her eyes burned into his, a small amount of pressure pressing against both their eyes. “I need you to protect these six mares from dangers that I fear may be approaching us. The Elements of Harmony are very important to all of Equestria. Can you do this for me?” She asked, leaning forward to better hear his answer.

Coalback looked to the side in thought, his mind fighting against itself at the sudden news. Some part of him told him to flee, take the armor that was given to him and run for the hills. But a stronger force held him back, he had never been able to tolerate an unfair fight against a defenseless opponent. And it held him in a stance like a statue, arguing with his morales and his instincts.

He looked toward the six mares behind the god-like Princess. They were looking toward him, mixed expressions of fear and hope on their collective faces. His gaze fell again to his hooves, more jumbled thoughts ripping through his mind. But it was obvious that that single thought had decided it for him. He looked up suddenly, his face set in a determined frown.

He bowed low, crossing his forelegs in front of him. “Ego sum virtus tua, Caesar.” He said, his voice carried a sense of finality to it. He lifted his head and looked directly at her. “My strength is yours, your majesty. I accept.” His deep voice echoed around the rooms, as if to show that he would not sway from his decision.

The princess smiled. “You would do this? Put yourself in danger for ponies you do not even know?” The princess had a sound of praise and sadness mixed into her words. Coalback looked up at her with the same look of determination.

“Princess, I would not be alive today if I did not. I would end my life before I let myself become something that would look to leave those in need without it.” He said, the words seemed to set the princess at ease however.

“Very well,” She turned to the six mares behind her. “Go and prepare for your train, girls. It has been a long and stressful few days for all of you, and you deserve to rest in your own homes tonight.” The mares bowed subtly and were ushered out slowly. “Coalback will meet you at the station in half an hour, don’t worry.”

The girls left and the princesses turned their attention back to Coalback. Celestia began by trying to console the confused look on his face.

“I’m sure you must have many questions right now, but-”

“Just one, actually.” Coalback interrupted, his manners dropping almost instantly. “What are ‘The Elements of Harmony’?”

---

        The Canterlot Train Station was not the most extravagant or amazingly beautiful station in Equestria, but it was a nice building anyway. The ponies milled about in large crowds, the large city being one of the more active ports of trade and travel. Anypony ranging from a traveling tourist, to a budding entrepreneur eventually made their way here. The main building was separated from the actual train tracks by a thin stretch of garden, and many ponies crossed from the open tracks to the building on the varied paths leading through it.

A group of six mares talked in a huddle at the main train station building. The smallest of them, Fluttershy, cowered among them as she used them as shields from the crowds. Pinkie Pie bounced happily, and Rarity flipped her hair occasionally. They were all talking excitedly to each other, most of the time directed toward Rainbow Dash. They had missed her and were eager to plan activities for when they returned home.

        They all laughed at some undecipherable joke that must have gotten through the collective chattering. Rainbow stopped and waved into the crowd over her friends heads, they all turned to try and see what had captured her attention.

        A very large cloaked figure approached their group, his grey speckled face peeking out from under the deep blue of the cloth. A large bag hung over his side, presumably full of his old clothes and things that the Princess had given to him. He approached the group slowly, having to make his way through the crowd to get to them.

        “Coalback! There you are, we were starting to get worried.” Rainbow called, all of the mares facing him now.

        “I’m sorry, the discussion with the princesses went on longer than she had anticipated. And I had to go collect my things.” He said, his voice shaking barely perceptively.

        “Coalback, is something wrong?” Rarity spoke up, picking out the shake in his voice easily.

        “N-no, I...I’m just not very comfortable in crowds. I’ll be better once we’re out of here.” He said, turning around to look into the froth of ponies behind him.

        “Don’t worry, we can get on the train now.” Rainbow said, waving a couple of tickets at him. “We already have your ticket too.” The group broke into a short line as they moved out toward the train.

        As they walked Rainbow Dash sidled up beside Coalback and began talking to him. “While we’re on the train you can tell me some more about yourself, I’m really excited to hear more about your home.” Her words brought a small smile to his face, but which quickly dropped as he voiced his own comment.

        “I also have questions for you, I want to,” He paused in the middle of his sentence to find the words he was looking for. “get a few things straight.”

        Rainbow nodded, happy that he was finally going to cooperate with her curiosity. Pinkie jumped up and down a moment later, pointing excitedly to a particularly colorful train engine.

        “There it is!” Her bubbly voice called out. “That’s the train to Ponyville!” She hopped forward, actually hugging the train attendant in front of one of the cars. She greeted him happily and talked with him for a moment, laughing with him at some joke she had made.

        “Does Pinkie know him?” Coalback asked.

        “Probably, she practically knows everypony in Ponyville.” Rainbow said matter of factly. “When we get on the train it’s my turn for a question.” She said, bumping him with her shoulder as she hurried up to the train.

        They approached the door, and the now much more cheerful attendant checked their tickets for them. They entered the car, it was simply decorated but was laid out comfortably. The benches were padded, and faced toward each other in repeating patterns. The windows were closed, but let in plenty of light.

Coalback hadn’t actually noticed, but it was still early winter. The air holding a distinct chill to it, perhaps the castle was kept more temperate than he had thought. In fact now that he was looking for it, the ponies outside let out small puffs of fog as they breathed.

The girls walked forward, situating what luggage they had brought with them. They settled into a section that was across from all of them, letting them all sit near each other. Rainbow Dash patted the seat next to her in an indication for him to sit with her. He walked over and tossed his slightly bulging bag onto the compartment above the seat.

“So here’s how this is gonna work,” Rainbow said as he sat down next to her, letting out a small clicking sound from his ankles as he did. “We’ll ask a question, then you, then us, and we just continue like that. Sound good?” She said, he nodded.

“So first question; what was, um, Ah-mare-ih-kah, like?” She said, sounding out the name carefully.

“It probably could have been considered one of the nicer places to live. There weren’t any warlords or famines, like in other places. But it was also one of the most stubborn and unforgiving places in the world. If you were even slightly off in the eyes of others around you, you became a target. Words were their weapons, and they wielded them well.

“In some places, if you angered someone, they could have you put in jail with just a look. That was the main reason I left, I was a scapegoat for everything from soured crops to building fires. No one wanted anything to do with me once they found out who I was.”

The rest of the girls looked at him with mixed expressions of pity, awe, and sadness.

“That sounds terrible.” Applejack spoke up. “Just outright blamin’ ya fer things that have nothin’ to do with ya. That’s outright rude, that is.”

“It’s alright really, it was all superstition driving them anyway.” Coalback shrugged it off. The train let out a long whistle and a moment later it lurched forward. “But despite all the crime, it had a certain beauty to it. The cities had buildings that would reach higher than the clouds, thousands of meters into the air. And there were so many lights that you couldn’t even see the stars! Even from space, the cities stood like beacons in the darkness.”

Coalback pulled back his hood, and let his black mane flow out. The space around his eyes, where the dark splotches never stretched to, made his green eyes much more noticeable than they should have been.

“So now it’s my turn.” He said, looking across at them as the landscape behind the windows started to speed past them. “The Princesses said that you six were ‘The Elements of Harmony’. What does that mean? And why are they important?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of The Elements of Harmony!” Twilight spoke up. “They are only one of the most powerful defenses that Equestria has ever had. Sealed away and then cured Nightmare Moon? Saved the world from Discord and his reign of Chaos?” She said, trying to spark some recognition in Coalback. He shrugged. “We are a link that increases the power of the Elements, making them some of the most powerful relics of magical power in all of Equestria.

“They are represented in all of us, and bound by our friendship. Laughter, Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty, and Magic.” She gestured to each of the mares in turn, finally ending with herself. “They have protected Equestria in dire times, keeping peace for over a thousand years.”

Twilight looked at him, confident in her explanation. But Coalback just looked at her. “You lost me at friendship.” He said, drawing an exasperated sigh from all the mares. “You can’t seriously be telling me that you six, sweet, little ponies have saved an entire nation.” He said, almost laughing at the idea.

“Hey, we have too!” Rainbow interjected, poking him in the chest as she did. “We stopped Discord when he turned ponyville into his personal playground, we stopped Nightmare Moon from plunging the world into an eternal night! And we stopped the Changeling Invasion!” She said. Coalback looked at her, his face now finally showing recognition on it.

“So it was you six in the stained glass?” He asked, slightly exasperated. He had almost presumed that the tales were old legends, told by the glass.

The mares let out their cacophonous answer, their unanimous yes spread into varying degrees.

“You’ll have to tell me more about this sometime.” He said, knowing that information about how important these ponies were would help him in the end.

“Oh, it’s my turn now!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, hopping up and coming to sit on the floor in front of him. “How did you get that?” She said, pointing a hoof to his neck.

All the others leaned forward to look at what Pinkie had indicated, and gasped when they saw it. A jagged line of scars showed through his fur and ran around his neck, just poking up over the collar of the cloak. Coalback stiffened for a second, but relaxed afterward.

“I got that a long time ago.” Coalback said, a sad tone in his voice. “On the night my family died.” His voice silenced them, and they waited for him to continue. “My father, he tried to kill me. I had tried to stop him from doing something that only I could see was foolish.

“He saw me as a threat and attacked me.” He reached up and rubbed at his neck, his thoughts on the memory. “He was going to start a war that he could not win, one that would kill millions of innocents. I stopped him, and the rest of the family that supported him. But by the time it was over...” He drifted off, not being able to bring himself to say the words.

Pinkie Pie had lowered her gaze to the floor, her previously jolly demeanor lost at the sad story. She stood back up slowly and embraced Coalback in a gentle hug. Coalback took a moment before returning the hug slowly.

“I’m sorry...” Pinkie said, her voice sad. “That was such a sad story, I’m sorry.” Her voice was breaking, on the verge of tears.

“It’s okay, I’ve gotten over the nightmares, but their memory still makes me...sad” He picked his words carefully, and pushed Pinkie Pie away. He tried to reassure her with a smile, which she returned before walking back to her seat.

None of the other ponies felt like asking their questions, put off by the sudden swing of topics. Rainbow leaned into Coalback, trying to reassure him.

“You don’t have to keep going if you don’t want to, Coalback. It’s okay.” Her words were smooth and calming. She really did want to hear his story, but didn’t want to drive him into some sort of depression.

Coalback stretched his wing out from under the cloak, still in his armor underneath it, and pulled her in close. He smiled at her for a second, and then turned to look out the window. He stared at the passing mountainside just outside the window, eventually the others began to drift into other conversations.

Rainbow Dash just looked at Coalback, wrapped warmly in his unusually large wings. There was still so much she didn’t understand about the stallion, not even how he had made his trip to Equestria. She was still looking at him when he turned to her again.

“Rainbow Dash, can you make me a promise?” Coalback said, his words carrying a certain weight she had not expected. She nodded slowly, wanting to try and draw his mind away from the previous topic. “I have a certain...thing, that happens when I get angry or in a bad fight.” He paused, trying to tell if he had made his thoughts clear to her. She motioned for him to continue.

“If you see me, and my eyes ever-” He paused again, this time rethinking his words. “When those things happen, my eyes will change. The whites will turn black, or my irises will turn yellow. You have to promise me, that if you see that starting to happen to me, you will calm me down. I could hurt somepony if I lose control like that. Can you do that?” He looked at her, not quite meeting her eyes.

“Um...yes. Why do your eyes do that?” She couldn’t place any reason to the strange circumstances.

“I am filled with a poison that will show itself in my eyes, should it start to take affect. Do not worry.” He quickly assured her, seeing her reaction to the news. “It is not deadly, at least not for me. Sometimes I cannot resist it, and it takes me over.”

“Like that voice you talked about?” She whispered, not wanting to make this public news. He nodded.

“Will you help me if that happens?” His eyes were filled with hope, his voice laced with worry.

“Of course,” She said, determination in her scratchy voice. “I won’t let you down. Especially if this is important to you.” She leaned closer to him, feeling his heartbeat under the metal. He smiled at her.

“Thank you Rainbow Dash, it means very much to me.” He pulled his wing a little closer and continued to look out the window.

Dash leaned against him, and started to wonder if his armor was really made of metal. It was softer than that, like a hard rubber, just a little give to it. And it was warm too, like Coalback’s wing was. She could feel her eyes becoming heavier as she leaned into him, his heartbeat like a slow, throbbing lullaby.

She yawned just a little, adjusting her position to something more comfortable. She slowly let her eyes droop down as she fell into the all too welcome sleep.