Last time on “Diplomacy Didn’t Work. Let's Try Diplomacy!” Quest:
>Arrived in Canterlot by crawling out of the sewers after a long journey underground.
>Scared a young child.
>Tried to climb into a partially destroyed building.
>Fell down.
>Many guards showed up suddenly.
>You tried to run, but were cornered.
>Surrendered without a fight and were immediately locked up again.
>Dragged to the palace.
>Talked with some guards on the way, trying to understand whats going on and let them know you're not a bad guy.
>Canterlot has apparently been practically under siege from monsters since all this began.
>Arrived at the palace and unexpectedly were reunited with Pinkie Pie, who's OK.
>Together, the two of you were brought to the throne room under guard.
You are Rusty Shackleford, a human with no memory who has found himself lost in Equestria.
Currently you and your friend Pinkie Pie stand before Princess Luna on her throne and she does not look happy. Under her own orders you have been captured and accused of being a dangerous creature that threatens Equestria. Why she has done so or even if there’s any legitimacy to those claims, you do not know. You are on thin ice and what you do or say next may be very important to your immediate well being.
Unsure about the intricacies of interactions in a royal setting, you decide to play it safe. You give as gracious a bow as you can muster, though you doubt you are making such a great impression with no shirt and soiled, shredded pants. Pinkie, in a display of solidarity, also gives a little bow.
When you look back up, the princess seems even more mad.
"HOW DARE YE," She bellows with an deceptively loud voice. It seems to echo around the spacious room, making your ears ring despite your respectful distance from her. "THOU HAS THREATENED OUR KINGDOM, ENDANGERED OUR SUBJECTS AND THOU HAS THE AUDACITY TO FEIGN CIVILITY? EXPLAIN THY SELF AT ONCE!"
Gulp.
"Ok uuhh," You mumble, not expecting so much... yelling. "Hi. My name is Rusty... er, well, it's not actually. You see I woke up in the Everfree forest a few days ago and didn't remember a thing. I don't know who I am or where I came from."
"But I chanced upon Ponyville." You say patting Pinkie on the head, who's nodding along. "They took me in and I made a lot of friends. With their help, I've been doing my best to help out Ponyville from all these monster attacks. I really don’t understand what's going on."
"Uh huh!" Pinkie chimes in. "It's true! Rusty has been the bestest friend and has been super helpful since he came to Ponyville!"
"DOES THOU EXPECT US BELIEVE SUCH TRIPE?" The princess shouts, splaying her wings out angrily. "WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT DECEPTION THOU ARE PLAYING ON THE CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE, BUT WE KNOW YOUR KIND ARE NOT TO BE TRUSTED! WHAT GAME ARE THOU PLAYING AT?"
"Your highness please," You plead with your hands up. "I swear I'm telling the truth. I really don't know what I've done to deserve this or what my people did or if there are any others of my kind! All I want is to know whats going on."
"THOU KNOWS VERY WELL WHAT IS GOING ON!" Luna fires back. "NO DOUBT THOU ARE A SCOUT OR SPY SENT TO OBSERVE THE DESTRUCTION THINE KIND HAS ROUGH ONCE AGAIN!"
"But that's not true!" Pinkie interrupts. "Rusty has only been nice to everyone! Twilight is even getting signatures from everyone in Ponyville to prove it! And uhh... uhhh..."
"WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TRICKS THOU MANAGED TO DECEIVE PINKIE PIE, THE ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER, BUT WE WILL LISTEN TO NO MORE LIES! TELL US NOW WHAT THINE KIND IS PLANNING!"
"But I don't know! I really really don't!" You shout back. "I'm trying to prove my innocence but you refuse to believe anything I say! I've risked my life a bunch of times protecting my friends! I gave myself over to the Diamond Dogs so that they would let Rarity and two of YOUR guards go free!"
"REALLY?" Luna is still clearly hot under the collar, but you seemed to have piqued her curiosity. "PINKIE PIE, IS THIS TRUE?"
"Yes!" Pinkie says instantly, but then looks doubtful. "I mean... I wasn't there. But I know Rusty would do everlasting he could to help his friends!"
"HAVE THE OTHERES REPORTED BACK YET?"
"No, your majesty!" One of the guards answers. "There has been no sign of Flatfoot, Bacon or Mrs. Rarity. They're overdue."
"HMPH, JUST AS WE THOUGHT! THINE KIND WILL SPIN ANY LIE THAT SUITS THOU'S NEEDS!"
"Whoa, OK, I'm sure there's an explanation for that." You say, backpedaling mentally. "Maybe the diamond dogs went back on their word. Or maybe something happened to them in the caves. I could probably help show where I last saw them if we search for them!"
"AND WALK RIGHT INTO THOU'S WAITING TRAP? WE THINK NOT! WE SHALL SEARCH FOR THEM OUR WAY!"
Dang. Luna really doesn't trust a thing you say. And now you're starting to feel worried for Rarity and the others. Where could they be? Are they OK? Whatever the case, you decide to change track.
"OK, you don't trust me. But please tell me; you keep referring to my kind. Are there more humans? All of the ponies I've spoken with say I'm the first they've ever seen."
"YES...," Luna says, raising an eyebrow. "YE ARE THE FIRST WE HAVE SPOKEN WITH IN AGES. BUT WE STILL REMEMBER THE PAST AND WHAT ATROCITIES THINE KIND COMMITTED IN THE NAME OF CONQUEST!"
"If you say I am the first of my kind to appear in these lands for ages, then with all due respect your majesty, your anger is misplaced. I did not know my kind had ever came here in the past, but you are treating me as if I am no different to them. I am not they, I have no interest in conquest. I only wish to help ponies and figure out why I am here. I am deeply sorry for the sins my kind have inflicted on yours and your land, but I am not responsible for that, nor these monster attacks happening now."
Luna seems taken aback by your sudden eloquent speech. You look to your side and see that Pinkie is also giving you a strange look.
"I... WE STILL DO NOT TRUST THINE KIND. HISTORY HAS TAUGHT US THAT MUCH. YE MAY VERY WELL BE INNOCENT IN ALL THIS. BUT WE CAN NOT HELP BUT FIND THOU'S REAPPEARANCE... SUSPICIOUS! ESPECIALLY AS THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME TACTICS THINE KIND HAS USED BEFORE!"
"Please, princess. I don't know a thing about my species. I don't know a thing about MYSELF before a few days ago. I only want this whole disaster to end, so that everyone is safe."
Luna doesn't say anything and looks off to the side. She seems to be thinking about something really hard. You decide to press further.
"Please, tell me. What were my people like? What happened?"
"TIS A LONG TALE," Luna says, still not looking back up. "LONG AGO WHEN THE WORLD WAS STILL YOUNG, THINE KIND APPEARED SEEMINGLY FROM NO WHERE. WE AND OUR SISTER BELIEVED THAT OUR TWO PEOPLES COULD COEXIST IN FRIENDSHIP. "
"BUT THERE WERE... DISAGREEMENTS. ABOUT MANY THINGS. THINE KIND DID NOT KNOW THE WORLD. YE HAD AMAZING FEATS OF TECHNOLOGY AND BELIEVED THAT MADE THOU ABOVE OTHERS. THERE WERE DISPUTES AND BEFORE LONG THERE WAS ALL OUT WAR. WE HAD MAGIC AND NUMBERS, THOU HAD TECHNOLOGY AND TENACITY. DESTRUCTION WAS DEVASTATING, FOR BOTH SIDES."
"EVENTUALLY, THINE LEADER AND OUR SISTER CELESTIA CAME TO AN AGREEMENT. SINCE THAT DAY, THINE KIND HAS NOT BEEN SEEN IN EQUESTRIA SINCE."
"How do monster attacks equate to technology?"
"WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW, BUT THINE KIND WERE ABLE TO MAKE THE VARIOUS CREATURES RESTLESS. EVEN THE MOST SECLUSIVE OF BEAT WOULD MAKE ITS WAY TOWARDS CIVILIZATION. WE SUSPECTED IT WAS THOU'S WAY TO TERRORIZE THINE ENEMY."
"Huh." So that's the story of your people. Pretty... dark. You look over at Pinkie, who is looking at you curiously. But then she smiles up at you and you can't help but give a little smile back.
"Princess." You say. "Luna. What can I possibly do to prove I only wish for peace."
The dark blue winged pegasi look back up at you from atop her throne. She motions with her hoof for you to approach her.
Mindful of where you are, you slowly approach the throne on its raised dais. You look over your shoulder once and see the guards have stayed where they were, believing the princess knows what she's doing. Pinkie waves to you.
As you get closer, you get a better look of Princess Luna. Her brilliantly dark mane and fur, her large wing and long horn. She seems bigger then the other ponies to you, but not by much and you still dwarf her. Nonetheless, you feel more then a little intimidated approaching her here at her literal seat of power. She motions for you to lean in close and when you do she whispers in your ear.
"Can you help my sister?"
"I'll do whatever I can."
"Thank you." Luna whispers back into your ear and then turns to address the others. "OUR....GUEST WILL COME WITH US. YOU ARE DISMISSED!"
The guards who escorted you in the palace give a brief sideways look at each other, but then immediately snap to and leave you with Pinkie and Luna.
"The two of you, follow me. Please." Luna leads the two of you from the throne room and out a separate door, deeper into complex of long halls and stained glass. Pinkie rushes to your side, happy as a clam.
"See, I told ya!" She shouts with glee. "You didn't do anything wrong and the Princess saw that. Everything worked out."
"Not exactly." Luna says, leading you up a long flight of stairs.
"What do you mean?" You ask, but she doesn’t say anything until the three of you reach the top landing. Before you is a very large, ornate double doorway. There are four guards set on each side of it, who give a grips salute at the sight of their princess. Luna turns to the two of you.
"Listen. Pinkie, I trust you. But I need both of you to promise me, to SWEAR to me that what you see in that room you will not reveal to anyone else under any circumstances. No one!"
"Pinkie promise!" The pink pony says as she does a funny little gesture with her hoof and winking her eye. You don't get it.
The two of them are looking at you.
"Rusty promise." You say, trying to replicate what Pinkie just did. When in Rome after all.
Luna nods at the two of and and opens the large double doors with magic. As soon as the three of you quickly enter, she immediately closes it behind. The three of you are in a large bedroom, draped in dark colors, making it all seem rather cozy. At the far end is a large plush bed that is a mess, with the sheets and pillows on the ground near by.
Standing off to one side, nose deep in an open book on a table is a very large white pony. Like Luna, she has both wings and a horn, but instead of Luna's dark colors, this pony is a brilliant white with a flowing mane and tail of rainbow sherbert. You think you're just a bit taller then her, but only just.
"What's wrong?" You ask quietly.
"Just... just try not to scare her." She whispers back and approaches the larger pony. "Sister? Are you feeling better today? You have visitors."
The large looks up from the table, the book following with her, some loose pages stuck in her chewing teeth. She lazily seems to take notice of Luna and leans her neck down to her height. The blue pony raises a hoof and gently brushes the side of the others face, until she sneezes loudly. The book flops noisily to the ground, some of the pages flying loose. Raising her head, the larger pony trots over to another side of the room and begins rubbing her back up against a wall.
You walk up to Luna, who hasn’t moved from where her sister left her. Pinkie stalks over to Celestia.
"What uh... what happened?" You say quietly, watching Pinkie miming the larger pony's actions and rubbing on the wall along side her. "Did she receive something strange? Or was it a progressive thing?"
"I know exactly what happened." Luna says, wiping her face. "When all this trouble started, my sister went with a group of our most veteran guards as an emissary to your people, to see if you truly were to blame again. They didn't return for days. A search party eventually found her, alone in the forest like... THIS!"
Celestia is leaning down to Pinkie and seems to be nuzzling her mane, making Pinkie giggle.
You skirt around Luna and gently approach Celestia as she starts chewing on Pinkie's hair. She notices you get closer with on eye, but doesn’t seem to care and just stands there chewing away. You tentatively put your hand on her powerful neck and when she doesn’t flinch or anything, you give her a more thorough inspection.
You look all around her neck, face and head, running your hands through her short fur, checking for any scars or weird marks. But you don't find anything. She leans over and starts nipping at the tatters of your pants fabric.
You gently but firmly push Celestia's head away from your pants. She leans up to your face and yawns, blasting you with a torrent of stinky breath, making your turn away. You look her over one more time but don’t find anything. You turn back to Luna as Pinkie takes over and starts petting the white pony on the wing.
"I don't have a clue what's wrong with her." You say, honestly.
"I understand," Luna says very quietly. You notice she look really tired, unlike the angry assertive princess that was giving you the third degree only moments ago. "I was just hoping that....you might know how to bring her back."
"Well...," You start, thinking your words over carefully. "I don't know what caused this. But for the last few nights, I've been having reoccurring nightmares. I think they might be some skewed memories. They all involve this blue unicorn. I think she... did something, to my head. It might be related."
"With magic?"
You nod silently, not really wanting to talk about this too much. Luna furrows her brow. "Hmmm."
A sudden POOF behind you almost makes you jump right out of your skin. You and Luna turn around to see some green fire dissipating by Celestia and a heavy rolled letter flops to the ground her her hooves.