AiE Chapter 3: Penalty

>You feel a warm, soft, pillow wrapped around your head as you slowly regain consciousness; opening your eyes to see a large decorative quilt wrapped around your body.
>The quilt had a large golden emblem of a sun stitched into the middle, and there was an oddly drawn white unicorn with wings flying around the sun surrounded by a clear blue sky background. You raise your head to see a white bandage droop down into your line of sight; you then press your hand against your forehead to discover a thin row of bandages had been wrapped around your head.
>"Thats right...I was hit in the back of the head" you think silently to yourself as you recall your encounter with the black winged unicorn that could speak in the forest.
>It was beautiful, but dangerous as you can feel a large bruise on your chest from where it hit you with it's ...voice?
>Well whatever it was it was agonizing and painful. Taking a look around the room you see a large decorated fireplace which emitted a bright orange and red fire that lit the room, and gave it a warm and cozy atmosphere.
>There were banners hanging from the fireplace and walls that featured different designs; some had a white unicorn with wings, a sun, a black unicorn with wings, or a moon stitched in the fancy looking fabrics.
>You assume that the rare creature you saw was worshiped or either highly respected, so mabey you were in some kind of trouble for breaking a law of theirs and this is a fancy, comfortable prison?
>"Pfft yeah right" you say while dismissing the thought out of your mind as you stretched your legs out and threw the quilt off you.
>You then proceeded to leap out of the bed you had rested in only to be caught on a large chain wrapped around you left leg; causing you to crash to the floor head first, and making you curse in pain.
>As you rub your head you take a closer look at the restraint that connected you to the bed.
>It was a long black steel chain that was surrounded by a white light that faded in and out of view, and a cuff on the end of it that was locked around your ankle; leaving your left leg completely immobilized.
>You, being the level headed and calm person you always are; decide the best course of action would be to remain completely calm and ask the next available person for information.
>"HEY! HELP ME SOMEBODY!! I'M TRAPPED IN HERE!!! You shout at the top of your lungs, greatly increasing volume with every word.
>Being calm was all well and good, but being trapped in a room is being trapped in a fucking room; and imprisonment wasn't exactly a turn on for you.
>After about five minutes of repeated screaming and shouting from you the door to the room opens to reveal a white unicorn with wings, and two normal looking horses in golden armor that slowly approach you.
>The winged unicorn in the middle stood out greatly with its light magenta eyes that gave off a stern but warm feeling. Its mane consisted of turquoise, purple, sky blue, and a shade of ...green?
>Even the colors the mane had were a rarity. The creatures hair also seemed to flow freely through the air despite the absence of wind, and on the top of its head it wore a small crown with a purple stone in the middle.
>Its coat was a shade of white that reminded you of freshly fallen snow, and seemed to shine in the light of the fire. It looked at you for a few seconds before giving a warm smile, and begins to speak with a calm, motherly voice.
>"Welcome to Equestria Anonymous, I'm sure you have a lot of questions--"
"Like how the hell you know my name?
"Why can you talk?"
"Why did the other winged unicorn---"
>"Alicorn"
"*sigh*Alicorn attack me?"
"And WHY AM I CHAINED TO THE BED?"
>"I'm sorry, but we had to see if you were hostile or not, so I did restrain you and search some  of your memories...."
>This situation wasn't starting to look good at all; you knew what it saw and you had no idea how to prove you weren't hostile. The breakdowns were bad enough, but how the hell would you explain the rest?
>Evidently you were wearing a nervous expression, because the winged unicorn quickly added on to its sentence.
>"BUT I didn't find anything that wasn't...provoked or demanded."
>The white winged unicorn then dismissed the two stallions with armor that stood by the door, then proceeded to walk to your bedside, and make itself comfortable on the floor.
>"Let me introduce myself Anonymous, my name is Celestia and the world you are in is called Equestria. Now lets make an agreement; I will answer any questions you have, and you will do the same for me. Does that sound fair enough?"
>You silently nod your head in agreement as Celestia begins her long explanation of the different types of pony and animals found in Equestria.
-----

>After an hour long explanation you begin to understand; this place was filled with talking ponies, fire breathing dragons, wild animals you've never seen before, and magic.
>It sounded like a dream, or something out of an RPG. This world, the alicorns, the ponies, the way you got here, and how your life had drastically changed so fast, none of it seemed real, to lose everything and find something amazing in its place like this just seemed too unrealistic.
>Who's to say you aren't just in a coma from blood loss?
>Or hallucinating from the pain of your injury from the car?
>Or that you even saw a cloaked man who could teleport and slow down time?
>Maybe you had finally snapped and this was your minds way of shutting down. Putting your hand on your forehead you exhale deeply as you sort out your thoughts.
>This was way too much to take in on one sitting, but your best bet for now should be to calm down and take it slow. You take notice to Celestia; who had patiently been waiting for you to reply or voice your concerns.
"Sorry, I'm just having a difficult time accepting this..."
>Celestia(C): "I know this is a lot to grasp; but this place is very real, so please respect this world as you would your own."
"I understand, but I do have some questions for you."
>C: "Yes?"
"Is there any way for me to be sent back to Earth?"
>You asked this question out of pure curiosity; it wasn't like you had anything there to return to.
>Celestia's face looked expressionless as she looked you straight in the eye and explained.
>C: "Anonymous, you were sent here by a black gate spell; which is a type of magic that requires a heavy toll to work, and the effects are quite powerful."
"Toll? You mean I paid something in exchange for it to work?"
>C: "Exactly, In your case you had to give the spell an existence in your world for it to make you one in this world, and once your existence in one world ceases it is impossible to make another one."
"So I'm stuck here forever?"
>C: "Or until you perish."
>You weren't expecting a miracle, and it wasn't that hard accepting that you will never see Earth again.
"Okay, I can live with that."
>You see Celestia's face turn from expressionless to one of utter remorse, it looked like she was on the verge of bursting into tears.
"Whoa, whoa, what's wrong?"
>As she spoke her voice began to break, she wouldn't look you in the face, but you could see a small tear glistening in the firelight as ran down the side of her face.
>C: "You really...didn't have anyone you could love, or cherish, or even call your friend did you?"
"Oh... you really saw some stuff, huh?"
>You really didn't know how to react to this situation. On one hand you felt violated having your memories searched and picked through by a magical talking alicorn. On the other hand she just showed you more compassion and sympathy than the people who watched you burn to death in the middle of the street.
>It was ludicrous to believe that someone you just met an hour or so ago knew so much about you and actually cried on your behalf, and she seemed like she was sorry and actually felt bad for what you went through.
>So in the end you decided to thank her for showing you kindness by hugging her gently. At first she recoiled from the sudden embrace, but then calmed down and melted into your arm.
>She felt surprisingly soft and warm as she rested her head on your shoulder, and her mane felt smooth and sleek as it brushed against your arm. You sat there for a few minutes; uncomfortable with the contact you were receiving .
>You really weren't used to this sort of thing, but it didn't feel terrible...just a little akward.
"Thank you celestia, I know you didn't mean any harm, and if everyone is as kind as you are, then I'll make it just fine."
>The white alicorn suddenly pulled back, and a slight red blush could be seen going across her face.
>C: "*ahem* Well Mr.Anonymous, im sorry to leave so abruptly, but I have some matters to attend to regarding your punishment, so if you'll excuse me we will have to continue our conversation another time."
"Wait, punishment?! For what!?"
>Your demand for an answer went unnoticed as she quickly exited the room; closing the door behind her with a light golden aura, and leaving you sitting in the now empty room.
>You had no idea what you could be punished for, or how severe it would be considering the fact that you didn't know any of the laws around here. After a few minutes you scruff your hair and begin to get out of your bed.
"*sigh* I gotta take a leak..."
>You get up from your bed halfway before you're stopped in midair and pulled to the ground by a familiar device strapped to your leg, hitting your head for the second time that night.
>Celestia had ran out of the room before you could ask for the chains to be removed.
"Damn you Celestia..."
-----

>Morning had come fairly quickly as you lay still on your comfy guest bed, you had way too many questions that had gone unanswered.
>Like how you managed to perform "magic"?
>How to perform a black gate spell?
>Why were you being punished?
>What kind of punishment you would receive?
>Where would you live from now on?
>What kind of work would you be able to do?
>But most importantly when would you be able to eat?
>Your stomach rumbled and ached from the lack of food you had provided it, so you decided to get up. Thanks to your second round of screaming last night a guard reluctantly removed your leg binding; allowing you to freely move about the large room.
>Peeking your head out of your room you see a guard monitoring a hallway, the armored stallion took a quick look to the left and right before continuing his patrol down the hall.
>You quickly dart out the room and stealthily crept down the large white and gold hall, constantly looking out for guardsman that might spot you. It wasn't like you were supposed to be in solitary confinement, but you were pretty sure Celestia didn't want you wandering everywhere.
>You were just trying to find a kitchen so you could get a bite to eat, then you would gladly go back to your room. Making your way down another hall you came to a large golden plated door with an ivory outline, it had a small sign on it that read "Balcony".
>Your awesome powers of observation told you this wasn't the kitchen, so you retraced your steps and went another route. This time you ran into a hall full of doors going up each side; some read "Servants Quarters" and others read "Guards Barracks".
>You were passing a large door that read "Captains Quarters" when it suddenly swung open; revealing a large white male unicorn that was struggling to put his red vest on, you think you heard him say something about a migraine, but you weren't quite shure.
>When he finally does get it on him all the way you get a closer look at the vest, it was very nicely made with a silver strap that made an "x"  throughout the chest.
>In the center of the silver piece a six pointed star gleamed. You take a look at the unicorn that was holding his forehead with his hoof; rubbing his temple to ease some sort of pressure.
>He (you assume it was a he based on the color and height) had a mane and a tail that were three shades of blue, along with light blue sapphire eyes, and apparently even the whites of his eyes were a very light shade of blue.
>It amused you to no end just how colorful these ponies, unicorns, and alicorns could be. As he spotted you he leapt back and went into an offensive form, a light rose light radiated off his horn as he spoke.
>"Halt in the name of Celestia intruder!"
"Wha---?"
>"I am Capt. Shining Armor of princess Celestia's royal army! What business do you have here intruder?!"
"I'm just trying to find the kitchen---"
>Shining Armor(SA): "Oh I see... YOU WANT TO DESTROY ALL OF OUR FOOD SUPPLIES."
"Wait what?..."
>SA: "YOU WON'T DESTROY ANYTHING AS LONG AS I'M CAPTAIN."
"I just want to eat some---"
>SA: "SOME WHAT!? BLOOD!? PONIES!? YOU JUST WANT TO EAT US ALL DON'T YOU?!"
"No, I just want something small like a---"
>SA: "FILLY!? YOU SICKEN ME YOU DEMON OF THE DARKNESS."
"The fucks wrong with you man!?"
>You pickup on a object tearing through the wind behind your head and instinctively dodge a vase that narrowly misses your still injured skull.
"Sorry, but that tricks not gonna get me twice in a row."
>SA: "I WILL BANISH YOU TO THE MOON FILLY EATER"
>There was something seriously wrong with this unicorn, so you dash past him and make a break for the closest exit.
>You were running around looking for any kind of exit or escape from the crazy unicorn that was now after your life. Seeing a dead end on your left you pause for a minute only to have a plate graze the side of your face before shattering on the wall in front of you into a thousand small shards. You turn your head around to see Shining Armor in hot pursuit; throwing various objects with his rose colored magic.
"Look! I'm not trying to destroy anything! I just wanna eat something---"
>SA: "THE BLOOD OF OUR INNOCENT FILLIES WILL NOT TOUCH YOUR TOUNGE DEMON."
>The white unicorn continued to launch any object within the area that could be lifted at you.
>Tables, vases, flower pots, poles, fancy dishes, and the occasional guard were sent hurtling in your direction as you ran across the palace; dodging each one at a hairs length.
>Shining Armor then dropped all other objects he was holding up with magic except for a single plate; which began rotating violently inside of the rose colored aura. The plate then formed a red ring around it and made a high pitched vibrating noise; the plate looked like it had enough force to slice you clean in half.
"Shining, man im BEGGING you, please don't kill me."
>SA: "I WILL BE A HERO FOR VANQUISHING YOU DEMON!"
>Whatever was wrong with him, he wouldn't listen to reason; so, you have no choice but to use violence. You pull out the red jewel that helped save your life before, hoping to have a repeat miracle you quickly picture a empty white space in your mind.
>You knew you were rushing but you didn't have long before shining nutcase decapitated you; so you visualize a orb, any orb it didn't matter as long as it would keep you alive. You suddenly see a large deformed orb form from the strands of energy your visual arms had provided, you also notice your visual right hand was black, but you didn't have time to wonder why.
>Opening your eyes and focusing on your right hand, you see flames erupt from the jewel and surround your arm. You turn to see Shining Armor and the plate which now had a large red ring emitting small stands of electricity around it.
"Don't say I didn't warn you Shining."
>SA: "BEGONE DEMON!"
>Shining Armor launches the plate at super high speed; slicing the walls to rubble as it came shooting at you, you then threw your arm forward and released the pent up energy that was held up inside. Releasing a fireball in the shape of a skull from your hand that caused whatever it flew by to burst into flames.
>As the two forces collided they sent out a cataclysmic shock wave that knocked you and Shining Armor backwards violently. The force destroyed the hallway completely, leaving you buried in a wall and Shining Armor twenty meters away in a ditch unconscious...or dead.
"Heh, damn unicorn."
>You may be completely exhausted now, but it was worth it to get him to stop trying to kill you.
>???: "IF ONLY IT WERE SO SIMPLE."
>You hold the jewel up to see it had turned completely black with a red marking in the middle. It then suddenly burst into black and red flames that wrapped around your right arm. This time you could feel the flames as they began to burn your flesh off, scalding your right arm with an intense heat. It was as if someone were stabbing your arm slowly with a thousand white hot needles.
"AAAAUGHH!!!!"
>The pain was too much to bear, and on top of your exhaustion the only releif came when your mind had tolerated enough and decided to shut down.
-----

>There was a crowd gathering around what little remained of the hallway that exploded earlier. The part of the walls that weren't dostroyed completely either had been cut to rubble, or burned until absolutely nothing but charred piles of ash remained.
>Upon hearing about the explosion princess Celestia had immediately rushed to the scene, temporarily abandoning a letter she was preparing for her most faithful student.
>When she arrived two golden armored stallions approached her with a report.
>Guard 1(G1): "Princess Celestia! It appears that our Captain Shining Armor had another severe migraine and went on a rampage."
>Celestia (C): "Was anypony hurt or injured?"
>Guard 2(G2): "No princess, nopony was hurt, but..."
>C: "But what?"
>Both guards shifted uncomfortably inside their armor, and looked away from princess Celestia.
>C: "Well!?"
>G1:"W-well... it appears that the human you wanted us to keep an eye on wandered out of his room...and came across the captain in his unstable state."
>C: "Where are they now?"
>G1: "They both received first aid and are getting ready to be carried to the infirmary."
>Princess Celestia galloped down the halfway destroyed hall until she saw two stretchers containing Shining Armor in one and Anonymous in the other.
>They were both being carried by four ponies each, while the other ponies began to cleanup the wreckage. Princess Celestia bulldozed past the stretcher that contained Shining Armor; causing his limp body to hit the wall and then the floor.
>C: "Wait! I'd like to take a closer at Anonymous before you carry him to the infirmary."
>The guards that had been left by Celestia caught up to her and watched as she examined Anonymous's unconscious form. The princess looked over Anonymous twice before taking a look at his arm and shaking her head.
>G2: "Is there something wrong princess?"
>C: "I didn't want to believe it, but I guess this proves it."
>G1: "Proves what princess?"
>Princess Celestia sighed deeply before looking up at the ceiling, her hair flowing in a non-existing breeze.
>C: "Anonymous's arm is in this state as a result of black magic, which is a dangerous magic that can only be weilded by a black caster."
>G2: "Black...caster?"
>C: "Yes, they were mentioned in old tales as doom bringers, and the appearance of one now is like a bad omen."
>G2: "So...what should we do?"
>C: "Don't worry about a thing, I have it under control, so please assist with the cleanup."
>"Yes princess Celestia!" The two guards said in unison.
>As princess Celestia walked away she was deep in though, hoping that what she was warned about when she was young wasn't true.
>Hoping that this didn't spell the end of Equestria as they knew it.
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End Of Chapter 3: Penalty