RiE Chapter 9 (WiP)

Starting this chapter I will be green texting correctly as I was an idiot when I started and was too stubborn to change until now.

"Seems I am to be arrested in the name of the Griffon Kingdom. I am to stand trial upon my arrival in Canterlot for murder."
>The guards nod at you confirming your grim words.
>Well that is horseshit. You thought the princesses have this taken care of.
>"THIS IS MULESHIT!"
>Rainbow is suddenly standing between you and the guards screaming your exact thought.
>"Dash." Twilight says sadly
>"YOU CAN'T JUST SHOW UP HERE ARRESTING PONIES ON THE WORD OF THE OF SOME STINKING GRIFFONS!"
"Dash its fin-" oh god Dash you are going to get yourself arrested as well
>"GO TELL THEM IF THEY WANT TO ARREST ANON THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME!"
>"RAINBOW DASH! WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME!"
>Twilight picks up Rainbow Dash with her magic and forces Dash to look her in the eyes
>"WHAT? ANON WOULD NEVER MURDER ANYP0NY! HOW COULD THEY ACCUSE HIM OF THAT!"
>"Dash there is more to this than you know. Calm down!"
"Rainbow its alright. The princesses would not let anything bad happen to me. Now can you please stop yelling about it? I don't want the entire town to think I am a murderer."
>At that she seems to calm down a little bit
>"Fine. Whatever. Anon what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to go with them of course. I need you to go to the Cakes and tell them that Princess Celestia requested my presence in Canterlot. I will finish their painting when I get back."
>"But Anon what i-"
"Please Dash?"
>"Fine."
>She shoots off to Sugarcube Corner. Well in that direction at least
"Star I know I told you about the lion. That is most likely what this is about. Can you go grab me some of the nice clothes that Rarity made me?"
>He nods and runs off at a speed you can only envy
>"Anon I am coming with you." Twilight says
>The look on her faces leaves you no room for argument. If you are being honest with yourself that makes you feel much better.
>Twilight should be able to help explain something to you if you don't understand.
>You smile at her and say [spoiler][/spoiler]"I am glad. I think Dash would get me into more trouble and Star can't leave his post."
>Suddenly remembering the guards [spoiler][/spoiler]"It is fine if Twilight comes along isn't it?"
>One of the guards seems to stare at her for a moment and say "It should be fine if Miss Sparkle were to join you. If anyone says anything we can call her a character witness."
>God damn why can't cops be this understanding on earth
"Twilight go get anything you will need. A book on Gryphon laws might help"
>"That is not a bad idea. I will be right back Anon. Don't leave without me."
>A few minutes later Star comes running back with a bag clenched in his teeth.
>"I got everything I thought you might need." he says panting
>A look through the bag shows your bit pouch. A few sets of clothes. Your nice suit that Rarity made special for you. He even thought to grab you a set of charcoal pencils and your sketchbook
>You smile at him and put your fist out
>He bumps his hoof into it
"Man the base while I am gone. Make sure Saddlesore does not eat my food."
>"If he does than I will eat him."
>He says the last with a smirk on his face while he salutes you
>You both chuckle as Twilight emerges from the tree house
>"I think I got all the books we will need."
>Her saddlebags are filled to the brim will all sorts of books
"Are you sure? Maybe there are some more you forgot" [spoiler][/spoiler]>you say joking
>"Hmm...Well there are a few that I thought might end up being useful but I had no room for them. If you want to carry them I can go g-"
"No I am sure what you brought will be fine. Is spike not coming?"
>"He is going to watch the library for me. I also don't think having a dragon with you would help you. It says in Gladheart's "Guide to Griffons" that griffons hate dragons."
>You were beginning to dislike gryphons on principal at this point
>Shaking you head you turn to the guards[spoiler][/spoiler] "So how are we getting back to Canterlot?"
>"We will have a private car on the train."
"Well might as well get on with it than" you say picking up your sack of clothes
>You and your escort made its way to the train station and eventually onto the private car
>It drew quite a bit of attention and eventually one of the guards had to go stand and block the door going to your car from the one in front of you
>As soon as you sat down Twilight levitated a book on gryphon law to you and told you to "Start reading"
>It took an hour or so for you to calm your nerves enough to be able to half understand what you were reading
>The guards were mostly silent during the trip. One did start talking to you for a bit before Twilight chided you for being distracted.
>A few hours after that the train started slowing and a bell tolled announcing your arrival in Canterlot
>You never found anything of use but Twilight said she found some sort of precedent that could be used to argue your case
>The guards stand and motion you to stand between them. The make Twilight follow behind them
>Your nerves are on edge as you are marched out of the train
>And right into a group of 15 guards Who stand there staring at you before a familiar face approaches you
"Shining Armor. Nice to see a friend face here to greet me." you say trying to sound as calm as possible
>"I am sorry it had to come to this Anonymous. I was hoping that we would be able t-"
>"BROTHER!"
>Twilight jumps from behind you and comes around
>"Twili? What are you doing here?"
>Uh oh Shining Armor does not sound pleased at this
>"I wanted to help Anon. He IS my friend after all."
>He sighs and looks at both of you sadly.
>Turning motions to the guards who take positions around the three of you
>Once they take their positions he starts walking
>"It is too late for that. His case has been pleaded by Celestia and Luna. Tomorrow they will call for him to testify. After that the verdict will be given."
>Twilight gasps. You feel like your heart just stopped.
>Where you expected nervousness or depression you are greeted with anger welling up from within you
"So that's it? I don't even get to be here for my trial? I am expected to show up and answer questions?"
>You have never been one to get angry easily. It usually just makes any situation worse. This however pissed you off beyond belief.
>"Anon the Princess only kept you away because she was hoping it would not resort to this. However the gryphons were being extremely pushy. However she will tell you about this when you arrive."
>O
>Still angry you stalk off after him an angry glare plastered on his face
>Twilight stands there gaping for a moment before trotting to catch up
>He leads you to a set of 3 carriages and an open topped cart
>"We were going to take you in a carriage before we realized you were too big to fit in them."
"Why could we not take a chariot?"
>You ask anger creeping into your voice
>"We did not want to put you in any explicit danger. There are certain ponies who would like to see you fall."
>He makes the motion that Star taught you means "observe the sky"
>Looking up you see gryphons perched on rooftops and flying over. All of them with their eyes on you. None of them look happy either.
>Shining Armor and Twilight hop into the cart with you while the rest of the guards jump in the carriages
>Once everyone is aboard the carriages Shining Armor shouts the command to move out
>Your little caravan starts its long and slow trek up the sloped thoroughfare that leads to Canterlot Castle
>Ponies and gryphons eye you with curiosity or contempt as you go by
>"Anon are you OK?" Twilight asks.
>That's right she has never seen you mad. None of these ponies have. You have not been mad since you arrived.
"N-"
>You whip your head around an start to snap at her. But you stop yourself. None of this was her fault. All she wanted to do was help.
>Forcing yourself to calm down you try to comfort her
"Sorry I am just a freaked out. I didn't expect any of this."
>She places her hoof on your hand and nods "Anon I am here for you and I know the princesses would never let anything happen to you."
>Would they? Would these to ancient creatures really sacrifice who knows how many years of political peace for the sake of one creature that does not even belong to this world?
>This thought plagues your mind until a single illuminating ray of rationalization shines through your fears, doubt, and anger.
>Luna would not sacrifice you for the sake of peace. She was your friend and cared for you. If these griffons intended to harm you she would step in.
>If all else fails you can always turn to Lu-
*SMACK*
>The feel of something hard striking the side of your head knocked you out of your thoughts.
>A scream of "TAKE THAT CHILD KILLER!" went up from a gryphon to your left
>Gryphons now line the streets with bewildered ponies struggling to make it through.
>Reaching up you feel the spot where the rock struck your head. A warm stickiness greats your fingers.
>Within seconds more rocks and street debris is flung at your cart accompanied by screams of "MONSTER!" and "Murderer!" along with a plethora of threats and curses.
>After the shock of the attack a blue shield surrounds each of the carts like a protective bubble as they continue on not even momentarily slowed by the events of that occurred.
>A glance up shows Shining Armor's horn glowing answering the question of where the shield came from.
>Twilight uses her magic to pull a shirt out of your bag and dab the wound.
>The cut did not hurt very much. What hurt is that among those gryphons were ponies chanting their curses.
>This depresses you more than you would have ever thought.
>Suddenly a cold, and dark realization sweeps over you snuffing out one of the few shreds of hope you had left.
>Luna was forced to stay out of the trial. She wont be able to protect you.

---Celestia PoV----
>You are Princess Celestia and you just received word that anonymous has arrived.
>You inform your guards to bring him to your council chambers
>It has been one month since your last meeting with Anonymous.
>However you have not been lax since then. You spent a week scouring the hidden vaults of Star Swirl's wing.
>After failing to find anything on how to contact his world or even any way to find how he was able to find it in the first place you gave up on bringing another human to Equestria.
>To say you were upset would be an egregious understatement. You had hoped that bringing more humans would have let you finally ensure the safety of your people.
>Yet those hours amongst moldy tomes and rotted parchment were not wasted.
>While searching for a way to find his world you came across arcane notes older than you by far.
>Notes dating back to the days of legend about how the Unicorn lords first forged the elements of harmony under the orders of King Rhadamanthys.
>Your father.
>Hints and whispers of possibilities led you deeper into the vaults and finding the spells that control emotions.
>Those powerful spells that could destroy the mind of the subject or even the user if used improperly.
>When your other option failed you decided to test if this humans power followed the basic rules of emotion magic.
>To test that you first had to determine what type of emotion it would fall under.
>You reach inside yourself and examine that pool of energy that is your stored magic.
>You pull out the slightest strand and strip as much of your natural magic away from it as possible.
>It is a rainbow of colors in your minds eye. Yet a blue streak that reminds you of the Element of Loyalty and its bearer
>You felt along the strand and end up coming to a conclusion. Hope.
>The core of this power is hope. It is hard to tell through the other emotions that bind this together. Love, trust, fear, sorrow, and many others join that emotion as well.
>Carefully you teased and tested attempting to find a way to control it and perhaps even replicate it.
>You dare not recklessly delve into these magics as the last group of unicorns to do so became what are now called changelings. Helplessly dependent on these magics to survive.
>After that was Sombra. His magics consumed his mind as his emotions ran out of control. Soon he was a creature of hate and greed.
>However by the time of the arrival of the delegation from the griffon Kingdoms you had managed to work out two ways of influencing it
>If you focused your magic you could follow the thread of power that links you to Anonymous and it would let you know his approximate location and mood.
>It was hard to do so and required quite a bit of magic for something you could find out through easier means.
>The other ability you found by manipulating the power with other emotional magics.
>Specifically that of despair. When used against the power you were receiving from Anonymous it instantly blocked his power. It even seemed to feed off it so you will have to be careful.
>Had the Gryphon delegation not arrived and demanded your presence you might have discovered more.
>Soon however they will be gone and you will have much time to yourself to work on this further.
>Your mind turns to the Gryphons.
>This is all a power play and everyone knows it. This has nothing to do with anon other than him being a focus for it.
>Luna's disturbing actions when rescuing Anon still haunt you. Luna could be mean but she was never cruel.
>Even as Nightmare Moon hers was a cold hatred. She harmed only those who stood in her way and even then she only harmed them enough to prevent them from stopping her.
>Her anger seems almost passionate since this human arrived.
>Thanks to conversations you have had with her you know that there were prayers that one of you heard and the other didn't.
>What did Anonymous whisper to her in his prayers that could make her harm those gryphons without even thinking about it.
>Deep in thought you slowly make your way to the council room.
>Reaching out with your magic you strum that ethereal cord that binds you to Anonymous.
>The reverberations are quick and violent. He is close and his emotions are violently shifting.
>He is nervous above all other things. Fear mingling with guilt and doubt in his mind. None of this surprises you.
>What does surprise you is the anger. It bubbles like acid under his other emotions.
>Something tells you this conversation will not be pleasant.
>As you reach the doors you steel yourself and walk in.

-Anon PoV-
>You are currently Anonymous and you are seated at a familiar table waiting on Celestia to show up and answer some goddamn questions.
>Desperation to know what is going to happen to you is your primary concern.
>Celestia made it clear that what you did was worth an instant death sentence to them.
>As you sit there silently lost in your worries the Celestia graces the room with her presence
>She still looks as awe inspiring as the first time you met her. Yet she seems...tired.
>Taking her seat she stares at you, her eyes roaming all over your face trying to read you.
>When she sees the blood just above your temple she shakes her head sadly
>Her horn glows momentarily and you feel a warm tingling sensation above your temple and the pain from the cut fades
>"Was that from the guards?" she asks hesitantly
"No that was from the crowd of griffons and ponies chanting how I am a child murderer. They decided to start chucking rocks at me as we went by."
>"I am sorry Anonymous. I did not intend for this to happen. I can tell you are troubled about what has occurred since you have left. Shortly after you have left the gryphon ambassador arrived like we expected. Sadly we did not expect him to bring the gryphon kings small council with him. As you have been meeting with Luna I assume you know that they refused to meet with me while she was present."
>You are shocked that she knows about those meetings.
>However you were not as shocked as Twilight who seemed to be trying to decide if she should stare at you or the Princess
"I-I was aware."
>"After she was banished" she winces at her own word choice "from the meeting they immediately demanded you be turned over to them for trial. I, of course, Refused. You are sworn to me so it is my duty to protect you as it is yours to protect me. They did not take this well. Finally I relented to their demands enough that you were to be tried but only if you were tried here. I also made the stipulation that should you be punished I must agree to the punishment before it occurs. I made it abundantly clear that imprisonment and death were not to occur and neither would you be forced to leave Equestria."
>Relief washes over you. The princess is not going to throw you under the bus. You are not going to die.
>As that knot in your stomach is released you realize exactly how tired you are. That exhausting run, he weight of your fears and angers.
>Visibly you sag as you lean forward and lay your head in your hands as a shudder goes through your body.
"What is it going to be like in there?"
>"At this point they should just ask you to describe everything that has happened since you arrived until Luna saved you. I would suggest you be truthful with them. After that they will decide your guilt and suggest a punishment."
>Sounds simple enough
>"Princess do you have any idea what kind of punishments they may decide upon?"
>Twilight has concern showing all over her lavender face
>"I have several but none are pleasant."

-Luna Pov-
>Raising the moon for another lonely night you stare at the multitudes of stars that glitter in your sky
>It has been over a thousand years since they have been replaced in whole
>Celestia merely renewed them with power whenever they dimmed and replaced the occasional star that refused to light
>These stars will not last more than ten years before she lost control of them and they would fall
>After that she would be lucky to keep more than three or four in the sky for a year
>She didn't know the ancient starfall magical rituals to renew the sky
>Much like you don't know the rituals she uses for the sun.
>Your parents taught you those unique rituals when you were barely out of fillyhood. You were given instructions to never tell another soul how to fulfill them.
>This was to prevent you from trying to steal the others domain from each other and to prevent the other ponies from trying as well.
>It is beyond time to call forth a new night sky. The stars themselves seem to be calling to you for a reprieve
>Next month is the Summer Sun Celebration. Everyp0ny will be awake the night before hand. Perhaps then would be the perfect time.
>Thinking heavily on it you decide that should give you enough time to get it all together. Even better you can bring Anon-
>Anon. You have been trying not to think of him. Your feelings about him are far too muddled.
>When you are around him you feel at peace. When you are not you miss him bitterly.
>Trying to fight it is useless. You are falling in love with that monkey.
>You have not felt this way about anyp0ny since...
>No you will not think about him either. You mourned him for 1000 years. It is time to move on.
>Eyes drawn to constellation that rests beside the moon as it makes its solitary trek through the sky.
>You make your way back to your chambers deep in thoughts of loss and love
>Gathering some supplies you start making notes for all you will need to restore the beauty of your sky
>One glance out your balcony to the night sky beyond.
"Perhaps it is time for a new constellation as well."

-Anon PoV-
>It is just after dawn and you are standing with legs and arms shackled together in nothing but your boxers
>You were drug out of bed before dawn and forced into these chains by two lightly armored gryphons while Shining Armor looked on with anger apparent on his face
>Afterwards you were marched into the grand council chamber and forced to stand in front of a table occupied by 12 gryphons of various color and size
>Celestia is sitting to the side of the room, face unreadable as a thirteenth gryphon walks smoothly into the chamber on his lion paws
>He is wearing some sort of strange robe with the symbol of two crossed feathers with a blood red claw resting on top
>The visible feathers and fur is a pale white of a winter snow that fades to a bright orange as it reaches the tips. His piercing green eyes seem to absorb the light from the room as he exudes an air of regal authority you have only felt from the princesses.
>Walking across the room his presence seems to calm the fidgeting and glances that had been passing between the other gryphons in the room
>He stops in front of the table and bows before the other gryphons who in turn nod
>Then he turns to Celestia and gives another, much deeper, bow before she too nods at him
>Finally he turns to you and walks close. He eyes you up and down seemingly trying to memorize the sight before him.
>"You would be the creature known as Anonymous the Human, Knight of Equestria?"
>His voice is calm and for some reason comforting.
"I am."
>Nodding at you he turns away and faces the table
>"I am Wildar but today I shall be known as 'The Keen Eye'. I am called that for I am the kings eyes and ears. It is my duty to serve as his representative and relay all that occurs here to him with perfect detail. Do you understand?"
"I do."
>Once again he nods. He then turns to the guards that flank you and waves them away
>They make their way out of the room closing the door quietly.
>"Do you know why you are here today?"
"I-I believe am here because you wish for me to tell you what happened in my own words."
>"True. Following that you will be judged." Turning he waves his claw in the air at the gryphons at the table
>"These before you are the kings own council. They shall be the ones to decide your fate. It is customary for the accused to know their accusers."
>Walking back to the table he stops before the young gryphon whose dark brown feathers seemed dipped in blue and says
>"This is Bjale Goldwing. He is the representative of the northern tribes."
>Next he presents a large tawny gryphon "This is Donnar Brighttalon of the west lands."
>The next gryphon presented is sporting black feathers and a glare that says he would kill you know if he could. "This is Vind of the southern kingdoms."
>A strange looking gryphon that has been eying Celestia lustfully since you arrived is next "This is Vhatug of the eastern mountains"
>The next one stands and says "I am called Daltor of the Riverlan-" a loud slap resounds through the chamber
>The noise came from an old battered gryphon sitting on the fir right. He is wearing some sort of military regalia that is bristling with medals and badges.
>"This is pointless and it is wasting my time. I don't know why we are wasting pleasantries on a monkey but if it must be done let it be done quick. I am Pale of Shadowlands." He then starts pointing down the line "Daegor, Eldetta, Naliz, Derat, Leona, and Rio."
>"Now that that is over can we please get on with this?"
>Wildar nods at him not showing the least bit of surprise or irritation. "As you wish Lord Pale."