The Syndicate - 4: Welcome to Canterlot (dead)

EDIT: October
This series is being dumped. I hate the direction it went, but hey, it was my first story, so learn and move on. I have other ideas for this that I think are much better, so at some point I will likely re-write it. I will leave in some of the same characters and story elements, but the situation is going to change completely.
That being said, read on if you want, I probably won't be deleting these chapters, but just know that it won't be finished, and instead will be redone later on.

Chapter 4: Welcome to Canterlot
This chapter has not been fully proof-read, but has been revised for a new direction for the story
Last edited/revised August 23rd 2012

>You and the seven other ponies, riding along in the royal carriage being pulled by four pegasi, approach Canterlot
>As you come around the side of the large mountain, you're met with a glorious sight
>Canterlot, a city that's home to the rulers of the land, is build into the side of the mountain, even portruding outward more than you thought possible
>You're more excited than confused or curious by the things you see anymore; you've given up questioning how any specific thing or location could exist in this world
>The carriage brings you around the city, giving you a fantastic view
>As you come around Canterlot Castle, the carriage goes in for landing next to Canterlot Tower
>A couple of the ponies seem a bit confused as to where they landed
>AJ:"Hey what gives, why 'er we landin' back here?"
>Twi:"I told them to land us here Applejack, I wanted to show something to Anon before we met up with the Princess."

>You all disembark from the carriage and head through a couple large doors, taking you into a grand hallway right in front of the tower
>This place was definitely fit for royalty
>As you and your seven companions walk down the obscenely large corridor, you notice very large stain-glass murals along the walls
>One of them in particular cathes your eye, and it just so happens to be the one Twilight had walked over to
"What the.. those six ponies look just like all of you.."
>PP:"That's because they are us, silly!" exclaims Pinkie Pie with a hearty giggle
>Twi:"That's right. The six of us reprsent the Elements of Harmony, an ancient power we uncovered and used to defeat truly evil foes, like Nightmare Moon, and Discord, the god of chaos. This one here shows Discord being sealed away once again by the Elements."
"The.. god of chaos? You're joking, right?"
>RD:"Oh he was a tough one alright, you should have seen all the crazy things he was doing! Of course he was no match for us in the end though."
>Twi:"Well, nothing stands a chance against the power of friendship, Rainbow, so of course he wasn't a match for us!"
"I.. I don't.."
>Twilight giggles "Don't worry about it Anon, we can go over the details later, we better go see the Princess now." she says as she begins walking back down the hall way
"Well sure, but.. This is why you brought everypony else along huh? If you think we can use these elements against the Syndicate, why not just go straight to them?"
>Twi:"Anon, we can't just use the Elements of Harmony whenever we want, against whoever we want. Even if the Syndicate does have evil intentions, it doesn't mean we can use the Elements on them. They're meant for much bigger threats, and even then, Princess Celestia has them locked up here."
>VS:"I guess we'll just have to let Celestia in on the details and see what she has to say then."
"I almost wish I could have seen the extent of Miro's power. Knowing how quickly I'm getting a hold mine, who knows what he could be capable of. If only we knew, maybe the Princess would just warrant the use of those Elements."
>Twilight looks back at you with a raised eyebrow
>Twi:"I'm starting to get really curious about what you're holding back from us Anon."
"Soon Twilight..."

>As you and the others begin walking away, you notice Pinkie Pie still observing the mural
>RD:"Hey Pinkie, you comin'?"
>PP:"Yeah yeah." she says, now turning to the rest of the group and bouncing along
>PP:"I just kinda miss Discord is all."
>Everypony is shocked at her words
>Twi:"Pinkie Pie, how could you say that!?"
>PP:"Umm, hello? Do you not remember the chocolate rain?"
>Twilight grimmaces, everypony else mostly just rolls their eyes
>PP:"Anon, would you have stopped somepony who could make chocolate rain!?"
"Chocolate rain huh? Actually that sounds pretty awesome. What else could he do?"
>Pinkie beams, giving you a smile big enough to ruin worlds "Cotton candy clouds!"
"Wait, seriously? Why would anybody wanna stop that!?"
>Twi:"Anon, he did a lot more than that. He's not called the god of 'chaos' for nothing, he was effectively destroying this world and our friendships."
"Makes sense I guess. Sorry Pinkie, as much as I love the thought of cotton candy clouds that rain chocolate, I'll have to side with Twilight here."
>Pinkie simply pouts at you and starts walking ahead, you and the others following

>By now you've all reached the end of the corridor, opening into a large room at the castle entrance
>Twilight trots off up the grand staircase in the center of the room, to a large door with a couple royal guards posted at it
>As the rest of you walk up the stairs, the guards move to the sides and the doors open
>The doors open right into another large room, much more elegant that what you've seen before
>You quickly realize this is a throne room
>You and Rarity are both admiring the design of the room, not noticing who stood before you
>Twi:"Princess Celestia!"
>Cel:"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, how wonderful it is to see you and your friends again."
>After a moment her gaze shifts over to you
>Cel:"And you must be the human Twilight spoke of."
"Ah, yes." you stutter, holding an arm across your chest and giving her a quick bow "My name's Anonymous, it's an honor to meet you Princess."
>Cel:"Well, you're much more well mannered than the last human to come here, that's for sure."
"So just who was the last human to come through here anyway? How long ago wa-"
>You're cut off as Celestia responds with a question of her own
>Cel:"You had a run-in with that Syndicate right? And I take it you met their leader?"
"Uh, well.. yeah, we did, that's why I'm glad you brought me here."
>Cel:"Then you've already met the most recent human to pass through here, though that was almost a century ago."
>Everybody but Vinyl and Rainbow are shocked at the first half of that comment
>You're shocked at the ladder
"A.. century ago!?"
>Cel:"Close enough, yes. I didn't think humans typically lived that long."
"That's because we don't... He didn't look a day over 30 years old when I saw him."
>Cel:"It is entirely possible the magic of Equestria has stopped him from aging, maybe even you as well. If that's the case, you both could very well have the ability to harness the kind of power that Alicorns such as myself have."
"If that's even a remote possibility, wouldn't you see him as a threat?"
>Cel:"Well, we haven't really been keeping tabs on him you know. I watched as he slowly began making a life for himself, and building together his Syndicate over the years. We mostly just let him be, we didn't think anything sinistar of him or his orginization. Though I believe you are here to tell me otherwise, hm?"
>Before you can respond, Rainbow Dash lifts into the air butts in
>RD:"That's right Princess, that guy i-"
"Rainbow, stop. Leave this to me."
>She closes her mouth and pouts at you, before landing back on her hooves
"He invited Rainbow, Vinyl and I into his office to discuss a 'business proposition.' We figured it was a trap, but I decided to go anyway. Long story short, he asked us to join his Syndicate, and threatened to kill us if we refused."
>Cel:"He threatened to kill you? Something doesn't add up here.."
>Vinyl looks up at you "Anon, pl-"
"Vinyl, I'm not going to withold any information here. She has to know exactly what's going on."
>Vinyl sighs and sits down
"Vinyl Scratch here had a previous incident with the Syndicate, and was apparently still on their bad side. Miro, their human leader, mentioned he didn't want people like us running free if we weren't on his side, so he decided if we wouldn't join him he'd just get rid of us. He started with Vinyl, using his power to lift her into the air and choke her. Thankfuly a little plan I had worked out with Rainbow Dash had allowed us to escape before it was too late. And, unfortunately for Miro, he confirmed to us Vinyl's suspicions that he was holding her friend Octavia captive."
>Cel:"Octavia.. I seem to remember a mare by that name performing at some royal events here.. You say the Syndicate are holding her prisoner?"
>You look over Vinyl who's still sitting down, now hanging her head low, noticabley upset
>With your telekenisis, you drag her over next to you and crouch down beside her, wrapping an arm around her in a hug before looking back up to Celestia
>Vinyl is surprised at the sudden movement, but brings out a little smile when you crouch down at her
>As soon as she's settled, she rests her head on your shoulder
"That's what Miro said anyway. Vinyl and Octavia were good friends, she just knew something was up, and it seems like she was right."

>Celestia ponders over it all for a few moments
>Cel:"Normally, I'd be a bit skeptical of all this, but I know I can trust the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and since Loyalty was with you, I can believe your story. That being said, the best I can do for now is give you shelter here in Canterlot Castle."
"Thank you Princess, but I don't plan on hiding from the Syndicate, at least not for long. The situation is only going to get worse over time, I'd rather end it as soon as I can."
>Cel:"I see.. Well, let's leave it at that for now. I have other business to attend to, but we can go over this some more tomorrow if you'd like. Now, will you all be staying here tonight?"
>Everypony happily nods
>Cel:"Alright then, I'll be sure to have enough rooms ready tonight. Everypony meet me back here before sun-down."
>All of the mane6 respond together "Thank you Princess!"
>As they all start to walk out, Celestia turns to you and Vinyl
>Cel:"Vinyl Scratch, was it? I do believe my sister Luna is a fan of yours, she will be pleased to hear of your safety. Perhaps you should meet with her tonight?"
>This immediately puts a big smile on Vinyl's face
>VS:"Princess Luna, a fan of my music? Ha, that'd be great!"
>Cel:"Good! Well, I won't keep you up any more. Go ahead and take a tour of Canterlot, have some fun and relaxation for the day. I'll see you all this evening."

>With that, you and Vinyl leave the throne room and catch up to the other six, who are walking toward another exit from the front room
>Following them outside, you find yourself in a sculpture garden
>There's all kinds of large well-crafted sculptures around, and there's even hedge mazes!
>One sculpture seems to catch your attention, seeminly drawing you in
>You can't take your gaze off of it, as you slowly walk closer and closer
>VS:"Yo Anon, you okay man?"
>You stop just a few feet in front of it, still unable to take your eyes off it, when Twilight steps in
>Twi:"Yes Anon, that's Discord."
>Her comment snaps you out of your trance
"Yeah, I thought so. It's pretty detailed, is it life-size?"
>Twilight chuckles "Well yeah, that is the actual Discord. Using the Elements of Harmony turned him to stone."
"Wha- This is the real Discord? Then.. then why the hell is he on display in a scurlpture garden? Couldn't somepony just break him open or something out here?"
>Twi:"Haha no Anon, the Elements sealed him in an eternal prison. No force can break him out, he'll be here like this forever."
"Whoa.. Hey, maybe we can turn Miro into stone and add him to this garden huh!?" you say with a laugh
>VS:"And all this time I thought you just wanted to kill him; now you wanna turn him into a statue and put him on display!?"
"You know, I almost think this would be more fitting for him. Especially if he ever uses his power to it's full potential, he could easily be considered a big enough threat to be worthy of a stone prison."
>You begin to walk away after saying that, only to see something out of the corner of your eye
>At the same time, you feel a sharp pain in your head for only a moment
>You crouch down and clutch your head in your hands
>VS:"Anon what's wrong!?" Vinyl says running up to you
>Twilight has turned around, looking at you now; the other five had been walking ahead
>Noticing the pain had lasted only a moment, you point a finger at Discord
"THAT MOTHER FUCKER JUST WINKED AT ME!"
>Twilight is surprised at first, but soon has to try to hold back laughter
>Twi:"You mean Discord? He winked at you? Yeah, very funny Anon."
"Why would I make this shit up!? A really sharp pain went through my head for a moment too, at the same time... You sure that seal is on tight enough?"
>Twilight giggles, but can see that you're serious
>Twi:"There's no way it can't be, but.. I'll bring it up to Celestia tonight. For now let's just move on."
>You glare at the Discord statue as you walk away, but nothing more happens

>Soon realizing it's mid-afternoon, you all decide to stop for lunch at a cafe
>Rainbow Dash mentions the Wonderbolts show that's taking place here in a few days, and recommends you all stay until then
>You agree, but only if you all leave back for Ponyville afterward as soon as possible, because the Syndicate is no doubt going to discover you there after the show
>Before sundown, Celestia finds you all liesurely hanging out in the Canterlot gardens
>You all straighten up and bow at her arrival
>Cel:"Well I hope you all had a fun day here so far. I have arranged for you all to stay in our royal suite. It has a few bedrooms, and plenty of beds and space for all of you."
>Twi:"The royal suite!? Really Princess, yo-"
>Cel:"No arguing Twilight, I will provide only the best for the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, a famous DJ, and an alien. Believe me you'll find it hard to argue once you see the room." she finishes with a chuckle
>An alien huh? Is that all you are to her?
>Fantastic. Shouldn't be too surprising though you suppose
>The mane6 seems to enjoy the idea, but you'd rather have a little more space to yourself
>You figure you'll just take one of the bedrooms and call it good
>After a short conversation, Celestia mentions having to lower the sun and turn in for the night
>You didn't think it was true, but you ran out of 'whats' to give a while ago; it's just another one of those things you don't question

>Celestia had told you, Rainbow, and Vinyl to wait in the gardens for a few minutes, but didn't say why
>Soon it became clear, as a dark shrouded figure descends from the top of Canterlot Tower down to the three of you
>Dash chimes in before you get a chance to think about it
>RD:"Princess Luna!" she exlaims, as the dark alicorn lands before the three of you
>Luna:"Good evening, Loyalty. We are pleased to see you once more, and to meet your companions."
>Rainbow beams at Luna "Oh, yeah, so thi-"
>Luna:"Vinyl Scratch." she says, cutting off Rainbow and looking down to Vinyl
>VS:"You got it! It's an honor to meet you, Princess Luna." Vinyl responds nervously
>Luna:"Oh no, the honor is all ours, we just love your music."
>Vinyl blushes at the comment, no doubt ecstatic that she has a fan in royalty
>Luna turns her gaze to you "As for you, human."
"Anon."
>Luna cocks an eyebrow
"My name is Anon. Pleasure to meet you princess!" you finish with a sheepish grin
>Luna giggles "Yes, it is always a pleasure to meet a friendly alien. And if you have already made friends with the Element bearers, then you may find a friend in us as well."
"Glad to hear it Princess."
>Luna:"Please, just refer to us as Luna." she turns to Rainbow "Loy- ..Rainbow Dash, you are performing before a Wonderbolts show in two days time, correct?"
>RD:"Uh, yeah why?" she answers nervously
>Luna:"We would very much enjoy watching your performance. We would also like to have Vinyl Scratch here perform at a private after party. What do you say?"
>VS:"Are you kidding me, that'd be awesome!"
>Luna:"Fantastic, the fun has been doubled then! We cannot wait. However we must now take our leave, for we have important business to tend to. We look forward to seeing you three again in two days time."
>Luna immediately takes flight as the three of you wave

"So. I bet you two are excited huh?" you ask sarcastically
>RD:"Well gee, that's an understatement Anon."
>VS:"For real, I can't believe Princess Luna wants me to perform at a private after party for her, this is gonna be crazy!"
>The three of you decide to head up to the suite and check it out
>The rest of the Mane6 had already gone up there
>Upon reaching the double doors of the suite, you open them up; Vinyl standing at one side of you, Rainbow floating on the other
>The doors open up to a large living room, filled with the finest couches and chairs and tables
>Along the back of the large room was a single step up, a hall-way leading left and right and a large kitchen in the center
>The kitchen was split to two sides with an opening in the middle; well, it was mostly on the left side, the right was a bar
>Through the opening in the middle of the kitchen you could see another room open up behind it, that looked like a dining room with a large table, and big bay windows on the back wall, where you could tell there was a balcony with what looked to be a rather stunning view
>A couple of the large couches in the front living room had been folded down
>Fluttershy was curled up on one, covered in blankets, sleeping soundly
>Pinkie Pie was sprawled out next to her, occasionally kicking her legs in her sleep
>Dreaming like a dog. You all couldn't help but chuckle at her
>Applejack emerges from one of the hall-ways and spots you
>AJ:"Ah was wonderin' when you three'd show up. Two of the three beds have been taken, 'cause Twilight and Rarity just absolutely 'needed' their own..." she lets out a sigh and rolls her eyes "We figured Anon could have the third, considerin' he's the guest of honor here an' all."
>RD:"Wait so me and Vinyl don't get a say in this!?"
>AJ:"Hey, that's what ya git when ya show up late!" Applejack says, giggling at Rainbow
>VS:"Eh, whatever, I'm good on a couch." Vinyl chimes in, trotting over to a free still-upright couch and flopping down on it
>Yeah, she was tired. Hell, everybody was, you'd got up early enough to come here, had an incident before even leaving, then spent the whole day wandering around Canterlot
>AJ:"Well ahm gonna turn in for the night, ya'll don't stay up too late now."
>With that, Applejack moves to another fold-down cough and claims half of it
>RD:"You know, I think I'll do the same, I'm beat. Enjoy your bed Anon." she says with a smirk as she hovers over to Applejack and takes a spot next to her
>It looked like Vinyl might have already passed out, but you couldn't tell
>You were beat as well, but you wanted to get a look at this place first
>You take a stroll through the middle of the kitchen, getting a look at what was stocked behind the bar
>After eyeballing the liquor collection, which confused you considering this was a suite for royalty, you decide to head through the dining room and out onto the balcony
>The view was indeed stunning; you could see for miles and miles; even catch Ponyville in the distance
>You take a seat on a lounge chair to relax and enjoy the view; mostly of the stars, which you could see a lot more of from here than you could from Manehatten

>After a couple minutes, you hear one of the doors open, and out comes Vinyl; goggles on top of her head
>She looks straight off into the distance, admiring the view like you were
>A few moments pass, and she turns to you, slowly walking over as she admires the stars
>VS:"I always forget how beautiful it is here.."
"Sure is somethin' else..."
>Vinyl took a seat next to you, the two of you enjoying the peaceful night-time atmosphere together, neither of you barely speaking a word
>Not really something you could have done in Manehatten, that's for sure
>Minutes that felt like hours pass by, and Vinyl eventually gets up with a yawn
>VS:"Whelp, I'm gonna go inside and crash."
"Probably a good idea." you respond, getting up and following her in
>You both walk through the kitchen, Vinyl flopping back down on a couch and you turning into one of the side hall-ways
>The hall wraps around behind the kitchen, leading to a large bathroom and the one open bedroom
>As you turn the corner, you peak back into the living room and spot Vinyl resting her head on the arm-rest of the couch she claimed, eyes half-open, looking in your direction
>You lock eyes with her and give a small grin before continuing to your room
>The suite was on the top of a tower, allowing for skylights in each of the bedrooms above the over-sized beds
>There was also a large window on the wall opposite to the bed, giving another view of the landscape below
>You neglect to close the bedroom door all the way, instead just heading straight to the bed and diving onto it
>After just a few seconds, you're comfortable, eyes closed
>As soon as you relax, you faintly hear the door close, and feel something squirm it's way onto the bed with you
"Just can't get enough of me, can you?" you whisper sarcastically, not moving or opening your eyes
>You get no audible response; just the feel of someone else in your bed getting comfortable
>You open your eyes and turn toward Vinyl, who was curled up facing away from you
>She gives a little smile when you shift over beside her and wrap an arm around her
>The only thought you had was that you were happy to not be alone, and you had a feeling Vinyl felt exactly the same
>There was nothing else to it...
>... right?