"I'm going out. Don't want to miss the arrival." Everen said, walking out his front door.
"Alright, we'll be out there for the ceremony." Blaze responded, waving at the front door.
Everen trotted down the street until he reached a section of roadway that was roped off. A procession of horns could be heard coming from the right. Everen looked to see a large sky chariot fly in, carrying princess Celestia. Behind it flew another chariot, this one bearing the form of a dark blue alicorn, her ethereal mane glowing with starlight. Everen was interested in the beautiful mare, wondering who in Equestria she was to be important enough to participate in the summer sun celebration. The chariots landed and the six pegasi pulling each of the chariots ran by headed for Beatrice' estate. Everen worked his way through the crowds and alleys to get to the mansion. When he arrived at the front gate, two pegasi guards began to stare him down, giving him a silent warning to back off. He returned the glare so profoundly that the guards faces wavered. Beatrice, who was on the other side of the gate, greeting the princesses, noticed this and walked over.
"Is there a problem here?" she inquired, getting the attention of the three at the gate.
"These two seem to have the intent to obscure my entrance into your residence." Everen explained, pointing a forehoof at the two.
"Let him in guards. He is always welcome in here." the alicorn said, opening the gate with her light-blue magic.
"B-but, princess, he could be dangerous." one of the guards tried to resist, but quickly ceases speech noticing the sly look on her face.
"Oh yes, he's very dangerous, and I trust him with my life." Beatrice motioned Everen inside. "Back to attention now."
They looked reluctant at first, but after a bit of thought, they turned around and resumed their post. Who were they to judge the decisions of a princess. Beatrice walked Everen over to Celestia and the other alicorn.
"Allow me to introduce Everen Shamrock, my personal student, and faithful savior." Beatrice started. "Everen, this is princess Celestia, and princess Luna." she continued, motioned to the two alicorns in turn.
"It is truly an honor to meet you both." Everen bowed to the two, his eyes lingering a bit longer on Luna.
"Beatrice has told us much about you." Celestia said.
"Charmed." Luna added, her voice sending a chill down Everen's spine.
"So, Everen, would you mind joining my royal guard for the day? After the ceremony, that is." Beatrice asked. "The three of us need to have a private council, and we need a bit of extra security."
"I would be glad to join your forces for today." Everen nodded his head in approval. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you princess Celestia, and you, princess Luna." he stared at Luna for a couple of seconds before turning his gaze back to Beatrice. "I'll return here immediately after the celebration."
"Good, if the guards give you trouble again, you have my permission to deal with them as you see fit." Beatrice lowered her voice so the other two couldn't hear her.
"Thank you princess." Everen matched her volume, not wanting to leave a bad first impression on Luna, and Celestia.
Everen bowed again to the alicorns,before moving towards the gate. As he walked past the guards he gave them both a silent warning through a glare. They shuffled nervously under his stare, finding him very intimidating even though they were quite taller and more muscular than him, and they sighed with relief when he had moved to the market, making his way to Crazy Cam's stall.
"Hey Cam, I need the low-down on somepony." Everen said, getting right to the point.
"Alright, who is it?" Cam asked, grabbing a note pad.
"That navy blue alicorn who flew into town with Celestia, princess Luna." Everen explained, looking left and right, keeping an eye out for certain ponies.
"Lets see, seven bits." Cam's eyes gleamed with the prospect of procuring profit.
Everen handed over the bits without a second thought.
"Princess Luna is Celestia's younger sister, as such she is a natural born alicorn and is, therefore, immortal." Cam began to explain, reading off of his note pad. "Luna turned evil and was banished to the moon for one thousand years. She escaped exactly one year ago, in the evil form of Nightmare Moon. She was defeated by six friends at the castle of the two sisters, and returned to her former self. She has been seen seldom since, but she has been known to visit the dreams of her subjects and help them to solve personal issues they have. As well as taking over her previous role of raising and lowering the moon and stars."
"Hmm, that is sufficient information. Thank you Cam, I'm gonna go buy some food, I'll seeya around." Everen said.
"Sure thing pal, you're still my best customer you know. If you need any more details on Luna, come on back and I'll have something more to tell you." Cam promised, ready to send out his spies in a moment.
"Thanks for the offer, but I've got one of my feelings again. I don't think you'll be my info broker for a long while." Everen started, looking towards the southern horizon. "I think I'll be leaving town."
"Why would you leave?" Cam asked, concerned that he might lose his favorite customer.
"I don't know, it's one of MY feelings. My intuition is rarely wrong, but the details always take time to work out." he elucidated, starting to walk down the street, looking for something to eat.
"Yeah, guess you're right." Cam's purple eyes drifted downward, disappointment clearly visible on his face.
Everen cantered along, in search of food. He spotted a vendor selling apple cider and apple pies, and walked over to buy some.
"Two bottles of cider, two small apples pies, and one bottle of wine." Everen says, pulling out his bit pouch.
"Ten bits." the vendor states, putting the food and drinks on the counter.
Everen gives him ten bits and takes the pies and the cider, putting them in a bag for later. Then he teleported the wine to his bedroom. Everen walked off towards the stage that was set up for the ceremony.
Celestia and Luna were approaching the stage. The summer sun celebration was about to begin. Everypony gathered around the stage, awaiting the royal sisters. The alicorns walked up on stage, their horns took on the glows of their respective magic. Luna flew up high and then came back down, lowering the moon as she returned to the ground. Celestia then flew up into the air, pulling the sun with her. When Celestia had landed the ponies gathered began to cheer loudly, praising the talent and power of the princesses. Celestia and Luna were then escorted back to Beatrice mansion by a group of ten unicorn guards, the lead one having a white coat and a deep blue mane. Everen made his way back to the mansion as well, which was slow going as he had to work through a dense crowd that had built up behind him. When Everen made it out of the crowd, he trotted quickly so he wouldn't be late for anything. When Everen arrived at the gates this time, the guards immediately opened the way for him, not wanting to see what would happen if they didn't.
"Where are the princesses now?" Everen asked the guard on the left.
"In the throne room. But Beatrice told us to direct you to the guards room. It's down the first right hall third door on the left." he said rapidly.
Everen walked into the mansion and followed the guards directions to the guards room. When Everen opened the door to find the commander of the royal guard arguing with the captain of Beatrice personal security force. Everen picked up one of the chairs that lined the walls of the small circular room with his magic. He threw the chair across the room, which shattered against the side opposite Everen. Everypony looked over at the unicorn in the doorway, stunned.
"Now that I have your attention, what's all this about?" Everen asked, an undefinable gleam in his emerald eyes.
"This soldier thinks that his guard station outline is better than the one we use." said the captain of Beatrice' security force, a brown pegasus with a gray mane.
"Because my strategy makes better use of the increased number of soldiers." said the other, the blue-maned, white unicorn from before.
"Let me take a look at these strategies." Everen said. "I'll determine which you should use."
"What makes you so qualified?" the pegasus asked.
"I took a standardized commanders war and battle strategy test. And I got a two hundred eighty nine out of three hundred." Everen explained, grinning.
The two commanders were awestruck, that test was a combination written and field test. Getting a two hundred fifty was incredible.
"Go ahead and have a look." the white unicorn said. motioning towards the table in the center of the room.
Everen cantered over to it, looked over both strategies quickly, and looked at the blue-maned stallion. "Your plan is better." Everen said shortly.
"Thank you." he replied.
"But your strategy has one hole in it. It says you need a partner. But, the way it stands, you wouldn't have one." Everen said, his eyes gleaming again.
"Oh, um, well, would you be my partner?" he asked, scratching behind his head.
"I'm glad you asked, I'd be happy to." Everen said. "Now then, everypony to your stations!"
The guards all left the room, moving to their posts. Everen and the white unicorn went to their guard route together.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Everen Shamrock." he said, holding out a forehoof.
"My name is Shining Armor." he said, shaking the hoof.
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise." Shining Armor replied.
"So, you're from Canterlot, my uncle lived there for some time before returning home to stay. Except that he moved back to Canterlot last year because he's getting married." Everen stated, wanting to get to know his partner more.
"Yeah, I've got a little sister who moved to ponyville. She's Celestia's personal student." Shining responded, welcoming the conversation.
"Oh, that's really impressive she must be very skilled and intelligent." Everen said. "I'm Beatrice' personal pupil."
"She is very talented, and that's cool that you get to study under an alicorn too." Shining said.
"Hey, do you want an apple cider and a small apple pie? I brought an extra." Everen took out the two ciders and pies.
"Sure, thanks. But why did you bring more than you would eat?" Shining took one of the bottles and a pie with his magic.
"Because I had a feeling I'd have a partner on my guard route. And my instincts are rarely ever wrong." he elucidated.
"Well that must come in handy. Good instincts can save your life in a pinch."
"Don't I know it." Everen smiled, and then a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Do you have message dragons in the caste back at Canterlot?"
"Yes, why?" Shining asked, curiously.
"Because I have a dragon. She's only four now, but another year and she'll be old enough to send letters. We could keep in touch." Everen suggested, confidently.
"That'd be cool. Send me a letter when she's ready." Shining smiled, happy to be able to keep in touch with his new acquaintance. "But until then you can send letters via messenger bird."
"Alright!" Everen exclaimed, glad for the pen pal he now had.
Crash
The sound of shattering glass resounded from around the corner.
"This way!" Everen burst through the large double doors to his right. Into the throne room, where the princesses were.
At the back of the room a door to the left of the throne was kicked down with three cloak figures standing just beyond the doorway. The middle one was creating three spikes made out of blue mist-like energy. Everen sprinted in between the alicorns and the cloaked figures, conjuring his shield. He made it large enough to cover all three alicorns and himself. The blue spikes were launched at the princesses, and they all shattered against the shield and tn vanished into thin air.
"You!" the middle pony shouted, Everen recognized the voice. Azure shed his cloak and lunged at Everen.
"Me! Shield your eyes!" Everen yelled, he created a bright flash of light that blinded the three ponies in front of him, but not the alicorns, who covered their eyes in Azure and the others regained their sight, the princesses were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are they?" Azure demanded, stomping his hooves in rage.
"You think I'd actually tell you where they went? Seriously?" Everen inquired, turning his shield into body armour. "You're dumber than I thought." Everen took a set of special-made horseshoes out of the pockets of his vest and put them on, stomping one hoof hard on the floor. "Too bad Beatrice won't be able to witness this. She'd finally see the trick I've held up my sleeve for four years."
"You're a dead stallion now." Azure growled, getting up and galloping at Everen.
Azure turned and kicked Everen with both hindhooves. Everen moved so that the kick hit his left hind leg, sending him spinning in place on his right forehoof, the one he'd stomped with. As Everen spun around, he readied a hindhoof. Everen kicked Azure in the face with the momentum of his own kick. Azure was thrown backward, he flapped his wings, doing a backflip in mid-air. Azure made a diving kick, and Everen repeated his previous movements, this time uppercutting the pegasus in the the while Shining Armor was fighting the other two cloaked ponies. Shining was doing rather well, considering it was two on one. But he was losing ground.
"It'll continue like this forever you know, I'm using the momentum of your own attacks against you. Plus, because of my shield, I'm not taking any damage from your hits." Everen smirked. "You can't win."
"Urgh! Retreat!" Azure yelled, flying out the door.
The others shed their cloaks showing them both two be pegasi. One was orange with a blonde mane and solid yellow glowing eyes, the other was silver with a black mane and completely indigo glowing eyes. They took to the air and followed azure at top speed.
Everen cantered over to wall behind the throne and to the right, and knocked on a spot three times, waiting two seconds between each knock. The wall moved aside to reveal a secret room.
"Very well done Everen, you've saved the lives of three alicorn princesses today." Beatrice congratulated the unicorn. She bowed in thanks, the others doing so as well.
"I didn't do it alone." Everen said modestly, gesturing towards Shining.
"What're you talking about, you did much better in that fight than I did." he argued, praising the skills of his partner.
"Well I only had one opponent, whereas you had two. Plus I had a few tricks up my sleeves. Between my shield and the unique fighting style I've invented." Everen countered, disabling his shield.
"But that's just it, you invented a new way of combat. That's rather impressive." Shining came back.
"You both did outstanding today. You should feel proud of yourselves." Celestia interjected.
"Thank you princess Celestia." Everen said, realizing that she was attempting to cease their conversation so as to move things along. Everen and Shining bowed in thanks to the compliment.
"I believe I deserve an explanation now." Everen started, raising an eyebrow at Beatrice. "One pegasus continually trying to assassinate you is one thing, but a group working together to take out all three of you? That's something else entirely."
Beatrice looked to Celestia questioningly. Celestia sighs in response and nods her head. Beatrice looks back to the two unicorns.
"A long time ago, Celestia banished a dangerous criminal to the Badlands." she began to explain." But before he left, he gathered a group of ponies who either shared his ideals or wanted to be a part of the vision he had for Equestria. He built up a society, a village underneath a few of the mountains surrounding the Badlands. His followers flourished for decades under the mountains, and they still reside there to this day. And ever since they settled, they've been sending out pegasi with auras that cancel out alicorn magic, to kill all the alicorns in the were three of their ranks."
"So, who exactly is this criminal, and what were his crimes?" Everen inquired, wondering what in Equestria made him so evil, that he had to be banished to the Badlands, of all places.
"I apologize, but we've all sworn to never speak of it again." Beatrice closed her eyes and shuddered.
Everen looked to the other to alicorns for confirmation. They nodded in response.
"Well then, I guess I'll never know." Everen said levitating his horseshoes back to his pockets, Luna's horn spontaneously sparking as he did so.
Please meet me in the mansion garden at noon.
Luna looked left and right, not sure where the sound had come from.
"Farewell Celestia, Luna." Everen said bowing and then turning around, heading for the door. Shining Armor trotted to catch up with him.
"So, are you seriously just giving up like that?" he asked incredulously.
"Of course not, I'll find out my own way." Everen said. "I'll be back, I've got something I need to do."
"Alright, just be quick about it." Shining replied, concern in his eyes.
"I will be." Everen assured him.
Everen exited the mansion, ignoring the guards at the gate this time. He trotted back home opening the door and walking up to his room, avoiding his parents' attention. He packed a pair of large saddlebags with the essentials for traveling. As well as packing a small backpack with his most prized possessions, a three-quarter-full bottle of liquid Ether, his cold fire, and a war strategy book. He put on the backpack and saddlebags, strapped on his scimitar, pulled on a traveling cloak, and levitated Tsunami onto his back. He walked back downstairs, lingering on the doorstep. He looked towards the living room his eyes becoming watery. He walked out the door and galloped back to the mansion, his head lowered so nopony could see him cry. When he arrived at the front gates, it was nearly noon. He trotted straight to the garden to find princess Luna waiting under the shade of a tree.
"You wished to speak with me?" Luna asked, staring intently at the stallion.
"Yes, I did. Thank you for coming." Everen said, a bit timidly.
"Consider it repayment for saving my life." Luna's eyes never left Everen.
"I wanted to ask you a few questions if that'd be okay." Everen pulled out a map.
"I can't guarantee answers to all your questions, but I'll see how I can help." Luna stood and cantered over to Everen, who laid out the map on the ground.
"Could you please tell me where the society spoken of before is currently located?" he gestured at the map.
Luna indicated four mountains on the northern border of the Badlands. "Under these four mountains, the center one holds the main population of the town, the largest contains the farm, the smaller mountain in the north is where they started their civilization, and the smaller one to the south is unknown to me."
"I'd also like to know just how big this community is." he requested.
"Nopony knows for sure. But we do know that they are in no small amount." Luna said, her face showing mixed emotions, making it hard to pinpoint how she was feeling.
"And now for my final question. How much suffering have you been through?" he looked immensely concerned.
"Pardon?" Luna looked surprised, the first bit of identifiable emotion she'd shown all day.
"I can't read your emotion. Which says that you've been through alot." Everen elucidated, taking a step closer to her.
Luna looked genuinely touched that someone had chosen to try to comfort her.
"I was trapped on the moon for one thousand years. And that becomes rather lonely." Luna said, looking down. She seemed on the verge of tears.
Everen moved next to her and put a tentative forehoof over her shoulders. "Hey, it'll be okay. If you ever want to talk about it, you can visit my dreams and tell me then. But right now I have to go." he said, moving towards the exit.
She looked up, alarmed. "You're not actually going to find them, are you?"
"I have to, I can feel it. There's nothing holding me back anymore." he said, sadly.
Luna was about to protest, but she sensed she wouldn't be able to sway him. "Just be careful." Luna said, wanting her new friend to be safe.
"I will be princess." Everen said in almost a whisper.
Everen exited the mansion and to the edge of town, turning around and looking back at the life he led here in Mirudloc. His eyes grew wet again and he turned back around, heading off to find a whole new world.