~Taken~
February 12th
8:00 am
Twilit Castle Throne Room
Prince Ventus
The hunk of silver a local blacksmith fashioned into a crown for me weighed heavily on my head. It was a beautiful piece of art, a full circle of silver with emeralds studded within it, the one above my eyes cut in the shape of my cutie mark - a leaf. I only wore the thing because it helped bring hope back into the eyes of the ponies gathered in our safe zone. I was offered a more full set of regalia, but declined. "I am in more need of a suit of armor than a crown and jewelry." I had told them.
Right now I was assisting Twilight with her duties as the head royal of Equestria. Luna, for all intents and purposes, no longer existed due to the amount of time she spent holed up in her chambers, coming out only for meals and to raise and lower the celestial bodies. Aria had joined Fluttershy and the rest of her friends for the day, leaving me alone in the Throne room with Twilight and Aegis, the changeling ambassador. His eyes lit up suddenly, as if he received good news.
In fact, he had. "Princess Twilight and Prince Ventus," I already hated ponies calling me that. No wonder Twilight wanted to stay a librarian for so long. "I have just received word from my queen. She is apparently waiting outside the force field with a… Mi Amore Cadenza. I hope I said that right."
"Cadence is here?" Twilight's expression brightened up at the sound of this name. She called for guards to let them in, and I wandered over to the balcony just above the throne room. I saw a mass of ponies and changelings, hundreds if not thousands large, enter Twilight Town. Three figures themselves made their way into the castle, and I returned to the throne room to see Twilight doing the most ridiculous of dances.
"…hooves and do a little shake!" she finished chanting with a pink alicorn. I presumed this to be Cadenza, or 'Cadence' as Twilight called her. Just behind her was a white unicorn who was missing a foreleg, the stump bandaged up as best it could. Finally, Amethyst the Changeling Queen was busy comforting a worried Aegis. "I hope I didn't interrupt… well, whatever in Faust's name that was." I said, causing the alicorn mares to giggle. The unicorn instantly glared at me, and walked over to me with his horn lit.
"And just who are you? A spy for the demon? There aren't any alicorns in Equestria with green fur!" he said, taking a defensive stance.
"There is now. My name is Ventus, Prince of Equestria. And you would be..?" I severely disliked my title, but it seems he is a soldier type; he'd only listen to nobility.
"Shiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiing…." Both Twilight and Cadence whined. The unicorn was taken aback by the double onslaught of feminine voices, and straightened his posture.
"Fine. I am Shining Armor, Prince of the Crystal Empire, Husband of Princess Cadence and Captain of her Guard, and brother to Princess Twilight Sparkle." He said in an almost monotone. It took much self-restraint to keep from laughing. "So… you really are an alicorn? Not a changeling or anything?"
"Yup. Right here and in the flesh." Came my reply. We laughed together, and the arriving nobility told us of their struggle to arrive as if it were an enjoyable adventure. Things were looking up for once. And of course, I just had to think that.
A great shockwave blew through the castle, followed by a tremendous sound of an explosion. I instantly took to the air, looking out the window as to what had happened. Canterlot Castle, in the far distance, had grown. Vines, crystal, and black sludge were visible from miles away, and a resounding dark cloud blocked out the sky, covering it in every direction. A scream from behind me told me Twilight was in danger. When I landed on the floor, it was too late. She had vanished into the floor, a small pool of darkness all that was left. Canterlot castle, in the meantime, sprouted six barriers around itself.
"Ventus!" came Aria's cry as she ran into the throne room. "Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash have all just vanished! We were enjoying a lunch when these pools of darkness took them!"
"DAMN IT!" Shining Armor shouted. "That rotten Despair! She'll pay for taking my sister!" he promptly ran out the door, myself giving chase. As we ran through the hallways and out the front gates of the palace, Aria, Aegis, and several soldiers from Twilight's Guard followed us. We ran straight for the barrier, and passed through it. Our destination? Canterlot.
"Now, where are all of you running off to in such a hurry?" A cackling voice said nearby. A wall of a soft, pink substance was put up in front of us, stopping the entire company in our tracks.
"Cotton candy…?" I muttered to myself, pulling off of the sticky substance.
"I go on a three-month vacation to visit an author friend of mine, and I come back to see all the glorious chaos around me! If I knew you missed me that much, I would have come back sooner." A long shape emerged from the forest. I had never met him in person, but the equine head, lion's paw, eagle talon, and random other body parts told me who this was.
"Discord. As if we didn't have enough problems." I shook my head to try to regain my senses. "Captain Armor, Captain Sentry, how fast do you think you can get rid of this stuff?" I called over to the guards. They shook their heads, unsure.
"Now, is that any way to treat a guest? Even one who is, as you must know, so dear a friend to the Elements of Harmony?" Discord sneered. "Or does the title not fit you so well, Prince Ventus?"
"How do you know my name? I've never met you in my life."
"My friend has a glorious invention known as the internet. Don't ask me about it, it would only confuse you." I was already confused, but he continued. "I'm simply here to visit my good friend Fluttershy. She wrote to me saying she'd be staying at the castle nearby."
"She's not there anymore." I replied, slightly surprised that Fluttershy was a close friend to Discord. She didn't seem the type to hang around him. "The demon Despair just kidnapped all of the element bearers. We're going to save them." This visibly shocked the chaotic god.
"Fluttershy… has been kidnapped?" He asked again, as if he didn't want it to be true. I nodded. "And Despair is the one who did it?" Another nod. "Where is she? Tell me now." His voice was growing darker, and darker.
"She's at Canterlot Castle. We're heading there now." I replied. Discord's eyes actually seemed to seethe malice, as his voice grew almost demonic.
"Allow me to lead the way. Nopony, demon or not, hurts my dearest friend." A serious Discord? That was scary. On our side? The collection of ponies cheered at his proposal, as he flew overhead, dispelling his cotton candy and clearing the way as we charged Canterlot.
~End of Chapter~
Author's Note: A shorter Chapter, only as a preview for what is to come. The finale is starting, folks, so hold on to your hats (or any other loose clothing) and hang on for- #2** (Transmission interrupted)
ThOsE fOoLs ThInK tHeY cAn StOp Me.
ThEy Do NoT uNdErStAnD mY tRuE pOwEr.
WhEn LoYaLtY, gEnErOsItY, lAuGhTeR, hOnEsTy, MaGiC, aNd KiNdNeSs FaLl
DeSpAiR iS aLl ThAt ReMaInS…
CoUrAgE? iS aLrEaDy BrOkEn!