The arrival of the small army at Canterlot was not met with fanfare or great joy: it was not even met with the respect or even the cordiality that Sol had hoped for. Instead, they were met with anger, confusion, and fear: fear not only of this small but efficient force, but of these three heroes, whose exploits had yet to become the stuff of legend, and for now were only tales of three powerful and dangerous ponies who went where they pleased, saving what they liked... and in Sol's case, destroying what did not please them.
But Sol was quick to humble herself, as much as it pained her to do so: she begged an audience with the Baron of Canterlot to explain her intentions, and promised that her forces would remain under the care of his noble guard, at the safety of the city's edge. She and her siblings allowed themselves to be shorn of their weapons and armor, even if Morgan couldn't help but resist when the guards searched her.
The guards asked to shackle them, and the three allowed this: but by mere accident, Titan snapped his manacles like they were so much straw, and soon after, Morgan broke free of her own. The soldiers were stupefied, not knowing what to do... and, tired of the game, Sol easily removed her own shackles without damaging them in the slightest, giving their word that they would not hurt the Baron... and making it clear that had they wanted to, they could have already reduced even this mighty city to rubble.
The guard knew they had little choice: reluctantly, they guided the three onward, understanding that not all the force in Equestria could stop them if they chose to force their way forwards. Taking away their equipment had done little to handicap any of them, least of all mighty Sol, who commanded magic unlike they had ever seen before in the merest flick of her horn.
At the Baron's mighty castle, they were met by dervishes clad in mighty armor and mages with all manner of spell at the ready. Sol paid them all little heed, and Morgan was haughty as Titan only tried to reassure the Baron's forces that they meant no harm. But Titan's reassurances meant little when no bind was able to restrain any of the three, no enchantment seemed to have power enough to take hold on them for long.
They were eventually led to a great and wide chamber, filled with soldiers and with the Baron perched high above, on the safety of a balcony. He asked them what they were doing here, why they had come with such a force, and Sol replied calmly: "To save you."
It was a strange answer, and not one that the Baron had expected: Sol took the opportunity to speak, talking about powerful and dangerous enemies that had taken root in Equestria, and how ponies had to band together if they were to have any hope of survival in this difficult and treacherous world. She spoke of creating a unified Equestria, a country under one banner and not made up of dozens of baronies that spanned from singular cities to encompassing enormous, uncharted territories.
The Baron was little intrigued by the ideas of equality and unity: he ruled the Canterlot Barony, and was envied by all the other rulers for the fact he had taken possession of such a mighty and important castle in the history of the unicorns and their ever-growing rule. But Sol played upon his fears with ease: fear of any threat to his rule, fear of monsters more dangerous than greedy but lazy dragons, fear most of all of these three heroes in front of him, who might turn against him and bring his mighty castle down around his ears.
In the end, he agreed to help, to allow them to use Canterlot as a base of operations, and to allow them the privilege of taking over an abandoned property in the city, to be converted into a garrison for their soldiers. They were little things in the grand scheme of Sol's, perhaps, but important steps nonetheless in their quest; in her quest, to unite Equestria. After all, now they had a place where they could claim residence, where they could stay... and access to all of the vast stores of knowledge hidden here in Canterlot.
Sol, to the surprise of her siblings, promised to be satisfied with the generosity of the Baron, and that she would not seek another audience with him for at least a week. The Baron was relieved by this... but Sol knew that a seed of interest had been planted as well. She would bide her time, and wait for the Baron to summon her again, to ask how her plans were going, as she knew he would: then she would make another request, something simple and small. She would be patient, and calm.
And ultimately, she would see these Barons all ousted by their own hooves, and replaced with someone who could be trusted to rule these ponies and do whatever was in their best interests... no matter what the cost.
No comments:
Post a Comment