Nightmares - 1
Aegis woke in a cold sweat, another Nightmare. He was often plagued by them, never allowing a full nights rest. Yawning he looked around his room. It wasn't anything to brag about. Quite the opposite really. He lived in the poorest part of Canterlot. Like the rest of his home it was devoid of any form of decoration. Just a bed on one side and a desk on the other. There was a window in-between which provided a good view of the castle. There were no carpets, only wooden floors.
This particular part of Canterlot was not well known to those who didn't live within the confines of the city walls. It was far enough away from the main gates for travellers and tourists to miss it completely and the local populace generally avoided due to its rough inhabitants and alarmingly high crime rate. Well high in comparison to the rest of Canterlot. It wasn't too much of a problem, just enough to drive people away.
Aegis had an odd feeling, something was wrong. It wasn't something he could explain. Whenever he got this feeling something bad would happen. He sat up and willed himself out of bed. He knew that whenever he ignored it he'd regret it later, one way or another.
Aegis walked up to the window and with a grunt of effort, pushed it open. The wind ruffled the earth ponies long black mane as he peered out into the streets below. Torches lined the streets illuminating the broken down wooden homes of the districts residents. It wasn't a pretty site. Most, if not all, of the windows were boarded up the paint of all the homes had chipped and faded with time and poor maintenance. There was broken glass scattered about, left behind by some drunken pony most likely.
There wasn't anything particularly wrong with this scene, at least not by slum standards, but the feeling was still there. Something was wrong, very wrong. Aegis stared at the scene for a few minutes before he realised it. There were normally a pair of royal guard patrolling the area, but they were nowhere to be seen. Aegis closed his eyes and listened, he had expected to hear the tell tale hoof falls of the pegasi and his unicorn partner. He remained that way for several moments. Nothing, nothing but silence. He didn't like it. There were generally several patrols in the slums. They would check in on one another every hour when their routes crossed. If they were missing there should be guards swarming the area, yet there were none to be seen.
Aegis withdrew into his bedroom and closed the window. Making his way downstairs he began to think. Why were there no guards? There's always a patrol in the area.
Aegis stood in the hallway facing his front door. A glance at the clock told him it was a few minutes to 5. Not long until sunrise he thought I know I should stay here but... Aegis opened his front door, the hinges creaking in protest and looked upon the street once more. It was eerily quiet save for the sound of torches crackling softly in the dead of night. There were several reasons, all good ones, as to why he should just stay put. But you know what they say: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I have to find out what's wrong. With that thought, he stepped outside, locking the door behind him. One never could be too careful.
The night was cold, which was unusual considering magic was used to regulate the temperature within the city. Aegis cautiously looked around. This part of the city was dangerous to any unwitting enough to let their guard down and he wasn't about to let somepony get the better of him. Content that the coast was clear, Aegis made his way across the street and into the alleyway. Having lived for as long as he could remember, he knew better than to stick to the streets at night.
The maze of alleyway might have been mapped out in his brain. He knew every twist and turn and hiding place amongst them. His grey coat blending into the shadows of the night, allowing him to remain hidden. After all, the only other ponies out at this hour never had good intentions. So staying out of sight was probably best.
With a practiced ease, Aegis slipped from shadow to shadow checking the main street constantly from the cover of shadows but still no guards. At 16 he'd used routes like this a lot more than he should have needed to. But such was the life in the slums.
He'd been walking for about ten minutes now and there was no pony in sight. What's going on? It's not just a lack of guards; it's a lack of... Anypony! Aegis didn't like this. He didn't like it one bit. What could have happened to the other ponies? Sure most of them should be in bed right now but at 5AM there should surely be on or two early risers out and about. There should definitely be somepony around in a drunken stupor.
His search soon turned into an investigation of sorts. He started by checking all of the local 'hang outs', as one might call them, of the homeless ponies. Basically the spots that provided the most protection from the elements. They were numerous and ranged from condemned houses to parks that only parents with absurdly low parenting skills would allow their foals near.
One after the other he checked for the tell tale signs of the homeless. He found all the usual signs of residence, scattered belongings of the various occupants, bedrolls and other make shift mattresses. But no ponies.
In one of the afore mentioned condemned houses was a steel drum, its contents still ablaze in an effort to ward of the unusually cold night. Over the fire hung a pot, the questionable brew within still bubbling away having finished cooking some time ago.
This was weird. It almost looked like everypony had just up and left. There were no signs of a struggle, though in a place like this you never could be too sure of that. They were always a mess. Still it didn't look like anypony had been dragged away kicking and screaming.
Counting the 'beds', Aegis figured there should have been at least 10 ponies camped out here. So if there had been a forceful abduction, the place would definitely be in much worse shape than this. The homeless ponies of the slums tended to look out for one another. He envied that, though he knew he had no right to envy them. Still such a sense of community was hard to come by around here. If everypony in the slums adopted it then they would all be much better off.
Aegis shook his head. I'm getting distracted. If these pones are gone, how many others have too? He wanted to find out, but that would mean going into another pony's home. Not something he was exactly comfortable with. He was also getting ahead of himself, what right did he have to go around the way he was? This was a job for the guards! Not that he could find any of course but still, what if he was just being paranoid? He could very well wander into an occupied house and he very much doubted that they would be pleased with him and Aegis, being the socially awkward pony he was, would have a hard time explaining his reason for being there. More because of his inability to talk to anypony unless it was absolutely necessary than for a lack of a decent explanation.
Exiting the building and stopping before he entered the familiarity of the alleyway he found himself faced with a choice. He could go home and curl up in bed and try to get some sleep, ignoring the issue and willing everything to be ok, or he could confirm or disprove his theory.
Aegis stood still for some time. He'd already made up his mind, but he had to prepare himself for any kind of interaction first. After a few deep breaths he turned from the alleyway and made his way over to the run down house on his left. Its windows, like many others, were boarded preventing him from looking inside.
Aegis stood in front of the door motionless. Raising his hoof to the door, steeling himself for whatever happened afterwards, he mustered his resolve before... knocking several times. Well it's not like he was going to just kick the door down now was it.
Met with nothing but silence he knocked again, and again he was met with silence. This went on for several minutes, he was sure some annoyed pony should have answered by now. Moving to the next house in the street he tried again, still adamant not to go breaking and entering unless he was sure he had to.
By this point Aegis had tried several houses and had the same response, nothing. Oh great he thought to himself I'm going to have to go in aren't I? He tried the door and to his surprise it was unlocked. Red flag number one. Nopony left their doors unlocked around here.
The door opened with a small push allowing Aegis to peer inside. Much like his own home, it was sparsely decorated and sported the same bare flooring. With another deep breath he entered the worn out home. The rooms on the ground floor didn't seem that unusual, this was actually a rather well kept home. Everything seemed to have its own place. And for someone who lived in this part of the city that was quite surprising.
His search upstairs, however, only proved to worsen his fears. There were three bedrooms. All of which were empty. The bed covers were ruffled but not pulled back. It was like the ponies sleeping under them had vanished into thin air. Just like the homeless ponies.
Another ten minutes of searching only strengthen his theory. All the evidence suggested that everypony had literally just vanished. What's worse is that they didn't just up and walk away, It literally looked like they'd evaporated or something.
Aegis returned to the alleyways once again, his mind racing. What in Celestias name could cause ponies to disappear? And why hadn't he disappeared along with them? There was nothing special about him. He was just your average, run of the mill slum kid. One who had the good grace of actually having a home and a level of intelligence that allowed him to survive in his unforgiving environment. Ok so maybe he was a little different than the kids his age and despite his character flaws, i.e. his social ineptitude and his compulsion to help ponies in need, he'd survived. Still that didn't explain why he was unaffected by what had already claimed to many.
A loud crash derailed Aegis train of thought. He rounded on the source and braced himself for an attack, taking a low defensive stance. He was by no means a fighter, but he'd seen enough to know a defensive posture. Fighting back however, was something he'd just have to make up as he went along. He lowered his head and closed his eyes instinctively, bracing himself for a hit.
When nothing came, Aegis slowly raised his head and peered into the darkness. He wasn't at all prepared for what he saw. Lying before him was a Pegasus. She was bleeding; her white coat mostly tainted red with blood. There was a large across her right side accompanied by numerous bruises. Her breathing was laboured and heavy and her wings were bent to awkward angles.
The golden armour told Aegis all he needed to know. This pony was a member of the royal guard. Most likely one of the pair that was supposed to be patrolling this area, though her partner was nowhere to be seen.
Aegis panicked, he considered leaving the Pegasus there but quickly discarded the idea, scolding himself. He was never one to leave a pony in need of help, but what could he do? It was obvious this pony needed medical attention, but the best the he could deal with were minor cuts and scrapes and these were definitely more severe than that.
The only hospital in Canterlot with the sufficient facilities to help the poor Pegasus was the royal palaces infirmary. His last visit to the palace had been a... less than pleasant experience but there was little other choice. It also meant taking the main streets, not something he was fond of doing but time was of the essence here if he wanted to save this ponies life.
Aegis moved over to the injured guard and carefully forced his head under her, hoisting her up onto his back. Satisfied that the guardspony was secure, Aegis turned and broke into a full gallop. The sound of his hooves against the cobblestones echoed into the night.
He now had two things to worry about: The fact that everypony had all but disappeared and his more recent problem, the dying Pegasus on his back. Could this night get any worse? Aegis winced at that last thought. It was never a good idea to tempt fate.
As if on cue something darted past his vision, causing him to slide to a halt. Quickly scanning the area he found nothing, maybe his sleep deprived mind was playing tricks on him? Then again he was often sleep deprived and he'd never hallucinated before.
"Oh you're not imagining things" The voice was female, but somewhat warped, like she was speaking in two different pitches at once. A quick glance to his back told him the Pegasus was still unconscious. So where had the voice come from?
"Why I'm right here Aegis!" It knew his name! "Oh I know much more than that my boy" Oh great Aegis thought so it's a mind reader! "That's one way of putting it"
Now Aegis was annoyed, he didn't have time for these games. Doing his best to ignore the voice he broke from his stationary position in a full gallop. Something that only seemed to amuse the mind reading entity.
"Trying to run? It doesn't matter where you go. I'll find you eventually!" The voice descended into maniacal laughter. Fear was slowly encroaching on him as he ran through the deserted streets of the slums. The voice was getting louder as it spoke to him. "Run little pony run! A chase makes things so much more enjoyable!"
Aegis looked behind him, something he soon regretted doing. A mass of what could only be described as pure darkness was chasing him. Even light seemed to actively avoid it, and it was getting closer to him! Running at full speed and dodging discarded trash bags and other items blocking his path, he felt the mass closing in on him. A glance behind him confirmed his fears. It was practically on top of him.
A thought occurred to Aegis. Was this thing responsible for the disappearance of the ponies in the area? If it was then there was no telling what else it could do. Thinking later, running now!
In a desperate attempt to lose it he turned a corner, which proved to be a mistake. With the Pegasus on his back he couldn't take the corner at full speed without her falling off. He'd actually had to slow down allowing the shadowy mass to close final distance between them.
Aegis world went black. He was still running but he didn't seem to be going anywhere. The sound of laughter surrounded him. "Gotcha" the voice called. Before Aegis could form a reply the voice began to scream. "What? What is this? What are you doing to me?"
There was a sudden flash of light and colour flooded into aegis world once again, his hooves finding purchase on the cobblestones. Without missing a stride Aegis continued running. What the heck just happened? It clearly had him, he was sure it was over but it just... backed off screaming? Not one to look a gift pony in the mouth, Aegis redoubled his efforts and pressed on.
After several twists and turns Aegis entered the market place. Battered stalls were lined up on either side of the street; it would be another hour before the stall owners came to set up shop for the day. Or at least they would if they were around to do it. No pony in the slums had much money, so the store owners were usually hard pressed to find ponies to buy their wares.
One of only times he would willingly go up to another pony was when he was shopping. Aegis would often visit the stalls nearest to the end, since everything there was cheaper. Disgusting and often spoiled, but that was about all he could afford.
Reaching the end of the street, he passed through a small gate that lead into the 'middle class' areas of Canterlot. The contrast was astounding. The houses were all made of white washed stone that seemed to glow in the moonlight, the streets were clear of trash, the place seemed... perfect. Not a thing was out of place.
Aegis broke from his admiration of the area as he remembered why he was here in the first place. Sightseeing would have to wait for later; right now he had to make it to the palace if he wanted to help the Pegasus and Celestia only knows where that... thing had gotten to.
Aegis had been running for roughly an hour and his pace had slowed as he struggled for air. The sun was creeping over the horizon, bathing Canterlot in its rays while the moon retreated out of view on the opposite side of the sky to make way for the dawn.
The shadow and the creepy voice that came with it were nowhere to be seen. He began wondering if he'd imagined the whole thing. He still couldn't pass it off as sleep deprivation it was far too real.
He looked back to his passenger. She was getting weaker with every passing moment, it was amazing she'd made it this far. There were guards on patrol in the area, something that both relived and hindered him. On the one hand it meant that he could assume that only the ponies in the slums had been affected. On the other hoof he'd had to avoid them altogether since explaining the situation to them would only waste time. Something his passenger was short on. The light from the sunrise wasn't helping him much and he was unfamiliar with the alleyways around here. The only thing he was certain of was the general direction he was headed in.
He wasn't far from the palace now. Only a few minutes before he reached the front gate. A thought struck him, how did he explain himself. Exactly how DID you explain a scruffy looking Earth pony from the slums carrying an almost dead Pegasus anyway?
Looking upon himself he realised just how bad this situation would seem to anypony else. Aegis coat was now also wet with blood, turning it from ash grey to dark crimson. There was a light blood trail marking his path. If the guards picked up on that it would be impossible to explain. Several morbid thoughts crossed his mind; most of them involved the dungeons and never seeing the sun again.
Aegis shook his head. He wasn't sure how much time Pegasus had and wasting time on little details wasn't going to help. She'd been drifting in and out of consciousness mumbling some incoherent sentences, something about a nightmare. Aegis didn't really think much of it though, more focused on staying out of site and reaching the palace. Not far Now he thought as he turned another corner.
This was the richest part of the city and, though he didn't have time to sight see, his surroundings were stunning. The buildings may as well have produced their own light for Celestias sake! The stores sported wares he'd never seen before! The stores had no shutters, since crime in this section of the city was non-existent. This also explained why there weren't as many guards patrolling the area.
The Castle loomed over head, its towers seemingly touching the sky, the banners flowing despite the lack of wind astounded him. Some sort of magic he presumed. The roofs of the all the buildings were shining in the moon light. Aegis wondered if they were made of pure gold.
Aegis shook his head again. This was no time for thinking. He had to get this pony some help. Though it would probably get him into trouble, again, he never could turn down a pony in need. More often than not he'd come out with an injury or two. He even knew it would happen sometimes. He wasn't gullible; it just wasn't in his nature to say no.
Rounding the final corner, the palace gates dead ahead, Aegis felt the Pegasus on his back shivering. She's lost too much blood; she must be incredibly cold! If I take any longer, she's not gonna make it. He wasn't about to let some pony die because of he was too unfit. His muscles screamed in agony as he mustered all the strength he had left and ran towards the gates.
He wasn't 10 metres from his destination when he tripped on one a protruding cobblestone, sending him sprawling on the ground and the Pegasus flying from his back. She landed a few hooves in front of an obviously shocked pair of guards.
Both guards looked confused for a second, unsure of what to make of the situation, before the unicorn started yelling orders to her partner. He promptly scurried off as the unicorns horn began to glow, bathing the injured Pegasus in a yellowish light. Magic wasn't something Aegis knew much about, in fact he knew nothing at all. But it was a safe bet she was using some medical spell.
Aegis lay there, his body ached still it felt good to help another pony; it was his special talent after all which showed in his cutie mark, a red cross unusually found on medical ponies. While some perceived it as a sign of medical training, it actually meant he would always help anypony who needed it. It was annoying when people would ask him for medical help, only to rant at him when he explained, but he figured he'd just have to take it all in stride since it wasn't likely to stop anytime soon.
There was still a problem though. How had that Pegasus got so badly hurt in the first place? And what happened to everypony? Most of all, what the hell was that shadow? It seemed too real to be something his fatigue brought about. Just what had happened there?
Before he could think on it further, a pair of guards either side of him helped, or rather forced, him to his hooves. In front of him stood a grizzled old Pegasus, clad in the standard uniform of the Guard bar the rank insignia on the chest. Aegis wasn't sure what rank he was, but it was probably somewhere pretty high up the chain. He stood at least a head taller than him, which wasn't surprising given his age. Still that didn't make him any less intimidating.
The Pegasus starred at him for a few moments before his stoic expression turned into one of disgust and anger.
"I am Captain Storm fury." Nailed it Aegis thought in triumph"And you have some explaining to do boy. Come with me."
Aegis was worried. He'd been left in a small dark room, with nothing but his thoughts. Surely they didn't think that he'd injured the Pegasus. Though admittedly he was covered in her blood, on top his usually messy mane and dirty fur. Hey life in the slums wasn't exactly grand. It was easy for him to seem suspicious. On the other hoof he'd brought the injured Pegasus to the palace, which had the best hospital in all of equestria! It was also right next to the guard barracks, so they now thought he was either very helpful or very stupid and if the look the captain gave him was anything to go by, it was probably the latter.
He sat in the far right corner of the room trying to think of something to tell these guards ponies, who were most likely not going to be eager to listen.
The room was quite literally empty save for aegis. There was a window which on the left side of the room was letting in the rays of the now risen sun.
A sudden noise from outside made aegis jump. He slowly looked up to see it slightly ajar and a stern looking set of crimson eyes staring right at him. Aegis curled in on himself slightly as the door opened, revealing none other than the good captain Storm Fury flanked on either side by a female Unicorn and a male Pegasus. These weren't the same two he'd literally dropped the Pegasus onto earlier he thought. I wonder if she's alright. Aegis was hauled from his trail of thought as the captain grabbed him by the mane yanking him, quite painfully, to his hooves.
A yelp escaped his lips as he looked upon the captain. This is definitely NOT good he thought to himself. The captain glared into his eyes before throwing him at the feet of his companions. The pair of them smiled a somewhat twisted smile before rearing up on their hind legs and proceeding to slam their fore hooves down on Aegis' defenceless form. He screamed in pain as the flurry of blows continued.
He begged them to stop, his voice growing weaker with each attempt. Just as he felt his consciousness begin to slip, the assault relented. The two ponies backed away as Aegis vision darkened.
A wave of cold washed over him preventing him from slipping into sleep that he so desperately wanted. The captain stood towering over him with an empty bucket. It's contents apparently dumped onto his beaten form.
"Oh we're not finished with you just yet" the captain said punctuating his sentence with a terrifying smirk.
The words alone were enough to terrify Aegis who just lay there, unable to move. His gaze never left the captain as he drew a knife from his side. The Pegasus held the knife between his teeth for a moment before rearing up, transferring the knife between his hooves and slamming it down into aegis flank.
Pain more intense than Celestias sun shot through his body as Aegis let out an agonised yell. This only seemed to amuse the other ponies, the captain more than the other two. He seemed to take a strange mirth in the ponies anguish.
"How does it feel boy? I told you I'd find you" The voice was not his own, but that of the shadow that attacked, or at least he assumed that's what happened, him earlier.
Aegis could give no reply as the captain twisted the knife causing a fresh wave of pain and a renewed scream to emanate from aegis mouth. Aegis felt tears stain his cheeks as he began to sob uncontrollably. He pleaded to the deranged Pegasus, begging him to stop. All he got from him was laughter, which was echoed by the two other ponies in the room. The captain removed the knife and moved up his body. Aegis was still sobbing as the captain moved the knife over to his throat.
Aegis woke up screaming. He was in the middle of the room, bathed in sunlight from the window. It had been another nightmare, but this one was different. He'd felt everything as if it were real, the things he saw burned into his memoires. It wasn't uncommon for him to remember them but that nightmare in particular had terrified him to the point of screaming. The pain, the laughing the twisted smiles and the blood. And that voice. That Celestia damned voice. It was following him, just like it promised. The last thought made Aegis shiver.
The door burst open to reveal two ponies. One he recognised as the guard captain, the next was a unicorn he didn't recognise. The captain spoke first. "Just what are you yelling about boy?"
Aegis stared into the captains eyes. It was just a dream he told himself Just a dream. "Umm nothing... just bad dream I guess" His usual social awkwardness taking hold causing him to divert his gaze from the captain.
The captain arched an eyebrow at him wearing a look of suspicion on his face. "Must have been one heck of a nightmare you to scream like a girl"
Aegis thought it best to NOT antagonise someone who could probably take him down faster than he could say horse apples, so instead he went with a simple nod. "I guess you could say that"
"Hmff, well anyway you have some explaining to do. Let's start with why you injured one of my pegasi and how for that matter. I doubt a street punk like you could do it in a fair fight"
Dumbfounded by the captains accusation aegis stood there with his mouth agape. Aegis knew they might think something along those lines but hearing it out loud annoyed him, causing the normally shy pony raise his voice a little. "You think I did that? If that were true then why would I bring her here?"
"Guilt maybe. You realised what you'd done afterwards and felt real bad about it" There was a sarcastic tone to the captains voice. "That or you're just stupid".
"I am NOT stupid! Nor am I responsible for the injuries to that guard!"
The captain turned to his unicorn partner. "Well?"
Aegis had been too focused on the captain to notice the unicorn's horn glowing. The light receded as she spoke. "He's telling the truth. Either that or he's an incredibly good liar, which I doubt"
"Very good" He returned his attention to Aegis "Looks like you're telling the truth. Follow me boy. The princess would like to see you".
That was something he wasn't expecting. Following the captain out the door the group turned left and headed for the throne room. "Why does she want to see me?" Though he already knew the answer.
"Apart from you and the guardspony you apparently rescued, everypony in that broken down district has disappeared. No one knows how or why either. Needless to say we've kept it from the rest of the city. Wasn't exactly difficult either, since no pony goes there to start with. We're preventing traffic in or out. Not that there's any to come out anymore but it's good for appearances. The official story is that there's been an outbreak of... what was it again? Ah yes Horse pox"
That stopped him dead in his tracks. "So it was only the ponies in the slums that were affected?" Was that shadow responsible for all of this? It seemed like a plausible explanation. But how could it have done that? "And how did you know I was from the slums. I didn't tell you that!"
"We knew where that pony was assigned so we assumed that's where you came from. Which, by the way, you just confirmed" Stopping at the end of a corridor he turned to Aegis still bearing a stoic. Aegis wondered how long it took the guards to learn that trick, as well as how good at poker he was. The latter was something he wasn't keen to find out, since it would probably involve him losing a few bits. "I'm gonna leave you in the capable hooves of Truth finder here. I've got some things that need seeing too"
Aegis hadn't paid much attention to the unicorn; she had the standard white coat of the royal guards with a cutie mark depicting a piece of graph paper covered in erratic lines. Her mane and tale however, did not conform to the guard standards. They were blonde decorated by a single red streak. I wonder how she gets away with that Aegis wondered.
Truth finder gave the captain a salute which was returned in kind before moving in the opposite direction. "Come on then, you're with me" Aegis fell in step beside her, accompanied by his shyness once more. He thought about his imminent meeting with the princess, it was likely she wanted answers from him. He had few to give besides what she probably already knew. His investigation had been cut short after finding the Pegasus and sprinting here... while being perused by an unknown, evil and downright scary mass of sheer darkness.
Aegis thoughts were interrupted when his head met something solid. Taking a step back and lifting his head, he found himself face to face with a large set of solid oak doors. The ones he'd just tested the integrity of with his skull.
From his side he heard Truth Finder laughing, which only furthered his embarrassment. If anypony could see him blushing through his gray coat, they were tactful enough not to mention it.
"Y'know, knocking is usually done by hoof, not by head" Truth Finder said.
"Eh heh... guess I was just lost in thought. Where are we anyway?"
"The throne room. Come on now; let's not keep the princess waiting"
A quick nod to the guards from Truth Finder and the door was opened before them.
Aegis had heard rumours of the throne room's splendour but what he saw was beyond his expectations, which was impressive because they were pretty damn high to start with. The walls of the room were decorated in beautiful tapestries of historical events, some of which he recognised though most he'd never heard of.
The throne sat in the centre of the room, there were no jewels but there were some beautiful carvings around its edges. It seemed to be a heavily nature themed carving, with leaves and branches and such. Above the throne were two banners one with a picture of Celestias cutie mark and the other bearing Luna's. Light poured in from the stained glass windows, adding to the majesty of the room. The colours played off one another as they painted the marble floor in a host of colourful patterns.
Aegis was awestruck, which was evident by the look on his face. He was soon snapped back to reality by laughter, both from in front and beside him.
"Come now" said a melodic voice "It isn't that grand"
Aegis was now standing in front of the throne, when he'd got there he didn't know "It really depends on your view point" Turning his gaze form the decoration towards the source of the voice he soon realised who he was talking to, promptly lowering himself to a bow.
"Oh don't bother with that. From what I hear you're somewhat of a hero to one Pegasus"
He was getting confused. Just earlier he was accused of inflicting the injuries on the Pegasus now he was called her saviour?
"I didn't do that much... Umm did she make it?" This made the princess smile.
"Don't worry yourself, you got her here just in time. Hopefully she can shed some light on the situation" Celestias smile faded, replaced by a stern look not often seen on the princesses' ever smiling face. "In the mean time however, perhaps you can tell me why you were out at that time to begin with or why you're the only resident not to vanish into this air".
"I don't honestly know princess"
Celestia arched an eyebrow. That was clearly not the answer she was hoping for. "Alright, let's start with a few basic questions. What's your name?"
Aegis shrank under her gaze. He turned to truth Finder to see her horn glowing. There would be no lying under her watch.
"Aegis" he replied
"Your FULL name please" There was an edge of impatience in her voice. This was understandable considering a good few hundred ponies had just disappeared.
"Oh sorry. It's Aegis Lunaris"
"That's better. Now tell me. How old are you?"
"I'm 16 your majesty"
"16? And you managed to carry fully grown Pegasus all the way here from the far side of the city? The strength of earth ponies really is something else". Celestia paused momentarily "Ok then Aegis. Start from the top. What happened this morning?"
Inhaling deeply he began to recount the nights events. From being woken by nightmares, the strange feeling he often got, his little investigation along with his findings and eventually bringing the injured Pegasus here. Celestia listened intently sparing a glance at truth Finder every so often to ensure he wasn't deceiving her.
Finishing his tale he took another deep breath "That's pretty much everything princess. Is there anything else you want to know?"
She arched an eyebrow at him "Pretty much everything?"
"Umm well I did leave out the nightmare I had earlier, but I figured it was just trivial information..."
Celestia nodded and took a moment to process his tale; this 'shadow' was the only real lead she had. She'd never heard of anything like it. Whatever it was it was out there and it had already claimed a lot of ponies. Still at least she had something to go on now, she was grateful for that much.
"I wonder, what exactly made this 'shadow' run away after it enveloped you. The way you described it sounded like it reacted some form of magic. Though I find that rather peculiar, since earth ponies have no ability to project your magic in the way unicorns can"
"I don't know. I just put it down to luck or perhaps it over extended its powers? Though it did seem adamant that I was to blame, I really don't know what to tell you"
One final nod from truth finder assured her of his honesty. She turned back to Aegis who had suddenly developed a great interest in the marble flooring.
It was apparent to Celestia that she was being too hard on him. He'd already been through a lot and all he'd done was try to do help an injured pony, some pony he didn't know the slightest thing about no less, as well as begin assaulted by some mysterious force. She couldn't fault him for his actions and yet she was interrogating the poor boy. No, this wouldn't do. It was obvious he had no part in the disappearance of those ponies. Still the fact that he was unaffected and that the shadow creature was repelled by him was something that warranted study. She couldn't let him leave. Not just yet anyway.
"Truth Finder?" Celestia said, breaking the unbearable silence.
"Yes Princess?"
"Would you kindly show Aegis to the guest wing? I've had a room prepared for you both and while it may still be morning you two look exhausted. I strongly urge you to get some rest"
"Both of us your majesty?" Truth finder was obviously confused
"I understand you'd be more comfortable in the barracks Truth Finder, but I want you near him at all times. He is quite possibly the only lead we have in all this"
"Of course your majesty" She bowed and turned to leave "Come on Aegis". Aegis complied without a word. The princess obviously didn't like him. The most powerful being in equestria and he'd made a horrible first impression. Great.
Keeping his gaze fixed to the floor he followed her out of the throne room and into the winding corridors of the palace. Whatever it was that happened to those ponies, the princess wanted to get to the bottom of it, and he had a feeling he was about to get involved in something he wanted nothing to do with.
End of chapter 1
-Authors note thingy! I'm still looking for a pre-reader and an editor to help with my... questionable grammar and such. If you're interested lemme know! Also this is just a first draft. The only way to go is up! I guess :P