Twilight hummed as the tacpad switched to the next page of her book. For the last two hours, the Princess of friendship had been reading through the literature Dean had provided her with a feral hunger. Never before had she received something so incredible and life changing. Something so otherworldly and futuristic that it made every discovery made by ponykind entirely moot. This ‘something’ was a fantasy book of epic proportions.
The Lord of the Rings had enthralled her. Its writing style was somewhat complex, but also very easy to understand. A normal pony would find the descriptions drawn out, or the pace to slow, but not Twilight. She flipped through pages at a record rate, so much so that the tac-pad occasionally had trouble keeping up.
Her ears were perked to their highest as she read about Frodo Baggins getting stabbed by the ring wraith. She had silently pleaded that the hobbit would survive, and her sigh of relief was genuine when he was healed by Strider. That was a half an hour after she had started reading.
Twilight flipped the page once more and began to read. As her eyes consumed the words before her, her muzzle scrunched up into a scowl. Her blood began to boil as the Elf, Glorfindel, rescued Frodo and rode him to safety. Twilight had seen mention of the Elves throughout the book, but thought nothing of it. She had assumed that the main contingent of characters would not stop at this 'Rivendale' for safety; they had to know that the Elves were evil. Gandalf had mentioned them being fair and wise, but Twilight knew better. There would be a point where they met the Elves and found them killing and enslaving innocents. They would have to move on from there to complete the quest.
But as she read, Twilight's demeanour became more confused by the sentence. The Elves had let the group into their home, and prepared a FEAST!!??
Twilight jumped to her hooves and began pacing back and forth. There was no way that the Elves could be depicted as good in Human literature, it was unfeasible!
Twilight stopped as a sudden thought came to her head. Thousands of years before Equestria was created, humanity had lived on Equis, as did all the other races. According to legend, the Elves had lived in harmony with the various species, including Humanity. Could it be possible that Dean's world had somehow formed a depiction from that long ago? Were their two worlds truly interconnected in some way?
Twilight was on the verge of a mental breakdown, but she needed answers. She looked left and right, trying to find something to give her inspiration, but found nothing.
She suddenly froze. There was one creature that could give her answers, but she refused to even look at him again. That... monster, had tried to rape her. He, along with the rest of his kind had enslaved her kin and were beginning to execute them simply because they existed. No, she couldn't, she wouldn't do it!
'But you might be on the verge of something here.'
A voice subtly whispered in her head. She knew it was her subconsciousness, the thing that had kept her company for the last two years and kept her alive and well. She scowled and shook her head.
"No! I won't go down there and talk to that horrid creature! The things he's done--"
'But something changed. It can't be a coincidence that Dean's book has good Elves mixed in with other creatures, including humans. Maybe the two worlds are connected in some way. We already know that Humans are the only sentient inhabitants of his planet.'
Twilight paused and slowly looked down. The vibrant light of the Tac-pad shone up at her. The miniscule words floating across the screen mocked her, confused her, and made her want to scream. Twilight sighed and closed her eyes for a second and concentrated. A second later, she reopened them and moved for the door of her room.
"Fine. But this better be worth it."
The door opened and closed, causing silence reigned through the room. A tree branch tapped against the window, its attempt at passing through the glass barrier interrupting the hushed setting. It was as if the room itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
A sudden noise broke the quiet atmosphere. The sound of hoofsteps slowly stepped towards the centre of the room where the tac-pad lay, forgotten. The little device was the only source of light, as the curtains were closed, but that didn't stop a shadow from falling over its little form. Magenta coloured fur slowly came into view, then a horn, and then a purple mane with a turquoise streak. Starlight Glimmer slowly tilted her head down to regard the technologically advanced device before her.
She had entered the room upon seeing the Princess leave. Even though it was on the second story, it was really no problem to get up. Whatever the Human had left behind, it would surely come in useful for her plans. Her lies and deceit had worked wonders, but if it wasn't for that blasted ape, she would have succeeded long ago.
Reaching down, she slowly tapped the tip of her hoof on the screen of the device. The Princess was so naive, not even thinking to explore the device's true capabilities. There could be untold amounts of information on there, not just books and silly games. If she could just get into the important stuff, she could bring it back to her Employer.
Her hoof scratched the surface of the device, and all hell broke loose.
"ORITHIAN BIOLOGY DETECTED: CHITIN, ENDOSKELEToN, COLD BLOODED! ACTIVATING DEFENSE PROTOCOL 001!"
An Arc of electricity suddenly reared up and climbed her appendage. She cried out in pain as arks of lighting seemed to shoot through her nervous system, threatening to knock her out.
Quick as a snake, she recoiled her now seared hoof and back pedalled away in fear and pain. Her eyes held tears as she tried to keep from making any noise at all, not that the device had already done that.
"FORCE SHUTDOWN INITIATED, INDEX FINGERPRINT REQUIRED: SERGEANT FORRESTER, DEAN, SERIAL NUMBER: R4299STF! FOURTY EIGHT HOURS REMAINING BEFORE PERMANENT TERMINATION!
Starlight galloped through the room, heading for the window. She could hear hoofsteps approaching the doorway, likely guards or curious bystanders. She placed her right foot down, but hissed in pain as she accidently kicked a book. Upon looking at her hurt leg, she realised that black chitin was exposed up to the joint. Her magenta fur was intact above that point, so there was still hope. Whatever that device had done, it had cancelled out her magic where the electricity had touched. Starlight would have to get that fixed up, or cover it up as an 'accident.'
'Damn the Human!'
She levitated herself out the now open window, just as a guard unlocked the door and entered the room. The window silently latched shut, and the intruder made a hasty getaway.
*****
Prince Trignar was cold. It wasn't a natural cold, but one that was caused by his surroundings. The stone walls around him seemed to leech heat away from his body should he lean against them, and the fact that he was underground didn't help. The floor was constantly damp, the atmosphere was constantly dark, and there was a breeze constantly blowing through the dungeon block. His clothes were disgusting, and the rest of his body even more so. His hair hung in a matted mess, and a scraggly beard was beginning to develop. To top it off, a magic inhibiting steel collar was wrapped around his neck, cutting him off from his magic entirely.
Trignar wasn't just cold, no. He was downright miserable.
In the time that he was down there, he had a lot of time to think. The constant silence was his only companion, and he was trying his best to ignore its tempting calls. More than once he found that words were being whispered to him, but he chose to ignore them. One might think that he was crazy, but the voices said otherwise.
The voices started on the second day, nothing more than a buzz in his ear. The guards outside his door never made a peep, not even a shuffle, so half the time he forgot they were there. He was alone, abandoned, and forgotten. Something inside him had snapped at that. For years, he had believed the Empire to be this mighty force for good. For years, he had been taught that anything that wasn't an Elf was an animal. But looking at it now, Trignar found out the truth. He was by no means stupid. Brash, impulsive, and perverted, sure, but not stupid. He had seen how the nobles in Canterlot had treated their slaves, how they left them to rot in a dark cell when not being used. He had seen the Elements of Harmony in person and the living situation they were in. Back then, he figured it was a well deserved location for them to be, but the more he looked at it, the more he realised he might be wrong. The ponies had managed to capture him, something that should not have been possible for mere animals. No, these creatures were clearly intelligent. This cell only proved that; they were treating him like his kind treated theirs.
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Trignar looked down and noticed something new. Cocking his head to the side, the Prince moved his shirt to the side, causing his eyes to widen.
Sitting on his stomach was a purple... thing. It was the size of a small pebble, but very clearly noticeable with its pulsating lavender glow. How he had not noticed it before, he would never know. Even though he knew the thing might be harmful, he was actually oddly fascinated by it. Upon poking it with his finger, Trignar suddenly felt warmth shoot up his spine, albeit for only a moment. His ears perked slightly in interest. Whatever this thing was, it was likely going to be his lifeline. Who cared if it might be a magical rumour or some new disease; it was giving him some measure of comfort in the cold, dank cell.
The clank of a deadbolt unsecuring caused his eyes to widen in fear. He quickly glanced down and realised that the thing on his stomach would be visible through the thin fabric of his shirt. Cursing mentally, Trignar realised he had less than a second before a pony entered his cell. The damned creatures would likely try and take his newfound source of warmth, and he couldn't allow that.
Quick as a snake, and acting on impulse, Trignar yanked the purple thing from his body. He expected some measure of pain, but it never came. Instead, the little lavender pebble seemed to slide off like ice on marble. He didn't have time to think about it as he quickly stuck it in the most conspicuous place he could find: Down the back of his pants. The thick material would definitely hide the purple glow from prying eyes. He just prayed that the guards didn't decide to pat him down or probe him.
The door opened, it's rusty metal hinges screaming in protest at the sudden abuse. Trignar's ears folded back and he winced from the sheer volume of the door. He was soon forced to close his eyes as well as light flooded into the previously dark cell. He was able to hear the sounds of talking and the occasional raised voice before a set of hoofsteps clopped into the cell. Trignar slowly squinted and tried to blink lightly in order to adjust his vision accordingly, and slowly but surely, he began to make out shapes.
"Stand up, Elf." The voice was gruff and aggressive. Trignar found himself snarling in agitation, but that was soon turned into a grimace of pain as the butt of a spear slammed into his side. He doubled over in his sitting position and hacked aggressively. His head swam as he threatened to vomit, but he knew he wouldn't be able to.
Ever so slowly, the youngest Prince of the Dark Elves stood upon wobbling legs and opened his eyes. Before him was the now lit cell as well as a pony guard standing off to the side. His scowl and glare bore holes through Trignar's head, but he ignored it. What really caught his interest was the nervous looking lavender Alicorn standing a few metres away. He sneered.
"Come to finish the job yourself Princess? You could just have your guards, or better yet, your pet Demon do it for you." Trignar received a kick in the shins for that one, causing him to grunt as his leg flared in pain.
"Speak only when spoken to, Elf." The guards voice was strained, like he was trying his best not to murder the pointy eared, bipedal being before him.
"Or what?"
The guard moved to strike him again, likely harder than before, but the Princess held up a hoof, causing him to stop. Her nervous look was replaced by one of stoicism as she analysed the battered Elf.
"L-leave us, Corporal, I can take it from here." Trignar watched as the soldier gave a huff before turning on his heel. His glare switched to the Princess as his ears stayed trained on the Prince.
"I must advise against this your majesty, the Elf is dangerous." The pony side eyed the Prince.
"It is fine, I can deal with him if anything gets out of hand, plus, you will be right outside the door." Twilight raised an eyebrow as the guard seemed to relent. With a grumbled 'fine' and half a bow, the pony corporal trotted out the door before closing it behind him. Twilight's eyes did not leave Trignar's as the metal contraption screeched once more. Once the door was closed, everything was silent. Twilight lit her horn and an oil lamp appeared beside her, it's flame causing shadows to flit across the walls. Trignar noticed the Princess's nose curl at the smell of the room. Seeing as he didn't have a place to relieve himself, he had taken to doing it in the corner, like a savage. Trignar's sneer widened as his ears perked up.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Alicorn bitch. What could you possibly want with a captured member of royalty such as myself? Did you come so that I could finish what we started in the tent. Maybe-" Trignar felt his mouth seal shut temporarily, his airways sealed along with his ability to speak. For a moment he panicked, but after a few seconds, the glow disappeared and he could breathe once more. His gasps broke the heavy silence that had fallen across the cell, and he glared daggers at the pony before him.
"Before you say another word, I have a question." Twilight's voice was monotone, but the Elf could see the anger in her eyes. He shivered slightly as he realised he was entirely at her mercy. He would have to play this smart.
"And what might that be." He crossed his arms, the loose chains fixing them clinking slightly. Twilight shuffled her hooves lightly and her wings ruffled at her sides. She looked nervous about something, causing Trignar to grow curious.
"I was wondering... if there was a point in time..." Her ears pinned against the side of her head as a heavy scowl dominated her muzzle. Trignar merely cocked his head to the side as he waited. His sneer had vanished, replaced by a small frown. Twilight shuffled a bit more before taking a deep breath.
"Was there ever a point in your history that your kind was friends with the races of the world?"
Trignar felt his mind go blank at the utterly ridiculous question. Any hate he held for the Alicorn Princess bled away as he suddenly became very, very confused.
'Why would she ask something like that? What's that supposed to mean? The Elves have lived in solitude for aeons, at least I think they did. What... What did happen before the conquest? Why is everything so fuzzy?'
Trignar stared at the ground as he tried to remember. The Princesses question had sparked something in him, and he felt he should be able to answer the question. But for some reason, he just couldn't. There was something blocking that portion of his mind, something foreign.
'Why am I just realising this now?! What the fuck is happening to me?!?'
Trignar stumbled back and leaned heavily against the wall. Ever since he had been in the company of the Princess, strange things had started happening to him. He was questioning his own reality now, something he had never done before. The feeling he was having now was similar to when Twilight had hugged the Demon. Things were starting to grow hazy, and a sense of nausea threatened to overcome him. He looked up and swore he could see a nearly invisible dark cloud above him, but he figured it was just his mind playing tricks on him. It must have been a shadow cast by the light.
"Prince Trignar?" He recoiled as he looked forward. The Princess had gotten closer and begun analysing him. He fought down the nausea and snarled, causing her to jump back.
"Fuck off with your idiotic questions, fucking slut! The Elves have always been superior! Our history doesn't matter to lowlives like you!" Trignar stalked forward, causing the Princess to stumble back and her eyes to widen. He only stopped when another chain attaching him to the wall snapped taught.
"Leave me. I do not wish to be bothered by you animals. You won't get a shred of information from me." Trignar turned his back and stared at the wall. Something in his head was whispering to him, but now there was another voice. This voice was telling him he had made a mistake, but he ignored it. The ponies were animals, nothing could change that.
"S-so be it then. I hope you enjoy your time in this dank, dirty smell. It suits you well enough." He winced at the harsh words, but otherwise didn't move. The telltale clip-clop of hooves signified the Princesses' hasty retreat, but the light remained. Trignar wondered why she had left it and turned around. What he saw next caused his eyes to widen.
A tray of food filled with tomatoes, beans, salad, and an apple, sat just in front of him. The lantern was out of reach, but the food was not. Trignar merely stared at the assortment of nutrients before his ears pinned to their sides.
'She wasn't after anything threatening. What was she after then? Why was she going to show me this... kindness?' Trignar slowly sat down and crossed his legs, his mind still not processing the events that had unfolded. After ten minutes, his stomach growled and caused a flare of pain. He figured that if the Princess was going to leave him food, then he might as well take it.
The matter of why she did it could wait till later.
*****
Twilight entered her room once more, but her demeanour was very down. Her eyelids felt tired, and her muscles felt stiff. Her ears hung downwards in exhaustion as she worked her way towards a measure of comfort: Dean's tac-pad. She sighed as she sat down on a nearby pillow. The things screen was blank, but she was sure she could figure out how to turn it back on.
After fiddling with the various small buttons, the screen finally flashed, but her smile soon turned into a frown when she read what appeared on the screen.
"SHUTDOWN PROTOCOL IN EFFECT. TIME REMAINING: 47:13:12...11...10..."
Twilight huffed and placed the device to the side. It must have been because she was gone for so long, resulting in it losing its battery. Her demeanour dropped even more as she felt another wave of exhaustion overtake her. Yawning, she slowly walked over to her bed. Dean was supposed to return tomorrow, and the device read two days, he would know what to do when he got back. Yawning once more, Twilight tucked herself under the covers and layed down. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.