Just another Pony.

Just another pony- Chapter 23- Back to reality.

“Please.... wake up Ty..... Please.....”

I slowly opened my eyes, to a hospital bed?

“.....Twi?”

“He's awake!” Her eyes widened as she hugged me tight.

“Ugh... how long was I out?”

“21 hours! I never left your side!”

“Really? Thanks Twi. What knocked me out?”

“You don't remember? That lightning that Gilda hit you with! It had a lot of abnormal effects!”

“Wait.. the lightning knocked me out? But I woke up! After just a few minutes!”

“Is that what you remember?”

“Yes...”

Just then, the rest of the girls and Spike walked into the room.

Shy walked up to me.

“Oh, I was so worried! When you started falling....”

“Well I'm fine now.”

Apple Jack walked up to me, “Ah was worried too when RD told me that you taken that fall.”

“Wait.... I actually hit the ground?”

“Ah'm not surprised that you don't remember. You hit pretty hard. Ah'm surprised that ya don't remember less.”

I remember Twi catching me.... must have been another trick.

Then Rarity came up to me.

“Thank Celestia you're alright darl-”

Then she saw my eyes narrowed at her.

“-ing?”

I quickly blinked and shook my head, making sure my eyes were normal.

“Sorry Rarity.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. It was just a dream.... just a dream...” I trailed off.

“What was just a dream?”

“Please. Just leave it. Wait! Is Dashie alright?”

“Right here! Why wouldn't I be? YOU were the one that was hit by lightning.”

“Ugh, nothing.” I have to remember, it was just a dream.

Twi started speaking again, “Ty, just a reminder. There will probably be a party waiting for you at the library.”

“What? Why?”

“You know Pinkie Pie, she looks for a reason to throw a party every day.”

Just then I saw a pink earth pony bounce towards me.

“Yep! Anything to make a friend smile! You looked really hurt, and we can't have that!”

“Uh, Pinkie?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Please just meet us at the library.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” She said as she bounced off. Seriously, where does she get her energy from?

“Come on Ty, you can catch up with the rest of the girls after we check you out of the hospital after a few tests.”

****

The gate keeper, watcher of all, was sitting in his throne. The throne of time. With two 'entities' in front of him.

“I have watched over you ever since you came to be. One of you has been doing good so far. The other one, I don't know what to do with.”

“And what in the hell does that mean?”

“Your questions will be answered soon, Thunder Bolt.”

“And why the hell am I here?”

“I will answer your questions. As you know, Tybalt is in serious danger.”

“Yeah, and?”

“You know how much you distract him, I presume?”

“So?”

“We can not have that.” He said as she shook his head.

“And why not?”

“You are full of questions. If you must know, Tybalt will need all of his strength for these next few weeks. I can not allow him any distractions.”

“So? What are you going to do with me?”

“Why don't we find out?”

The gate keeper waved his staff, opening a teal portal to an unknown land.

“Step through this portal until I contact you.”

“And why should I?”

“Must we do this the hard way?”

“Fine. I'll go.” The stallion got up from his chair, walking through the portal. He was soon out of sight, just like the portal.

“Now for you, Thunder Runner.”

“What are you going to do with me?” She asked.

“I.... am not sure. It seems that everything that Tybalt makes resists my power also. That means that one day he will have a son. The stars have foreseen it. That son will either be the savior or the breaker of the gates. I know that you are the embodiment of his good traits, while your friend Thunder Bolt is the embodiment of bad. I regret to tell you that I can not allow Thunder Bolt to return to Tybalt for the time being.”

“And where does that leave me?”

“Good can not exist without bad. I regret, but you must leave for the time being.”

“What?”

“You need not worry. You will have a choice. You may either go to a world, or stay here with me.”

“I..... will choose to stay with you.” She said apprehensively.

“That is your choice?”

“Yes.”

“Then come with me. Your host is in immediate danger.”

“What? By 'host', I presume that you mean Tybalt?”

“None other.”

The two walked through the generously garnished hall, coming to a stop at a door.

“What does this door have to do with Tybalt?”

“Step in, and you will see.”

The door was entitled 'The tables have turned'.

She cautiously stepped in, where the massive hall changed to a French town. She was floating, like a ghost. She saw the date on a massive belltower: 1220 AD. This was long before the Tybalt that we know today.

Then the fires started.

Fires started around the entire town, there were screams of guards, men, women, and children scattered around.

The city was being attacked.

She went to the gate, where she saw a British army. At the spearhead, she saw someone who looked very familiar; Tybalt. Except an ancestor.

“Men! Charge!” She heard, as the general Tybalt thrusted his sword into an enemy. General Tybalt (We'll just call him Tybalt for now) jumped over a pile of bodies, raising his sword high.

He slashed through another enemy before charging into a house that was lit ablaze.

****

“So, Ty, what was it like being knocked out?” Twi was asking me.

“I... I don't want to talk about it, Twi.”

“Why not?”

“I just... Don't. Please, just respect that.”

“Alright, Sorry.”

“No, I'm sorry for acting like that.”

“You have every right.”

“I'm still sorry.” I'm surprised that Bolt hasn't said anything, although I'm not complaining.

“Get ready Ty; we're getting near the library.”

“Fine. I actually could use a party right about now, something to lift my spirits.”

When we opened the door, we heard a group:

“Surprise!”

Then we heard, “Surprise! Oh shoot, I missed it again!”

“That's Pinkie for you.” I heard somepony say.

“Come on everypony! Let's party!” Pinkie said as she grabbed a microphone.

“Shake your groove thangs!”

I don't know what a 'groove thang' is, and I hope to Celestia it doesn't shake.

Just then, in the middle of the party, arose a blinding light. I had to shield my eyes from it. The light disappeared just as quickly as it came, except it left behind an alicorn.

“Princess!” I heard Twi say, as she bowed to the ground.

Everyone in the room bowed to the princess. Almost immediately she came up to me.

“Tybalt?”

“Y-yes, Celestia?”

“Please, come with me. You too, Twilight.”

“Y-yes, princess!”

Twi and I followed the Princess into the middle of the room, where I felt a burning white light surround me. A second (or what felt like an hour) of the burning sensation, we landed in the Canterlot castle.

“Sorry Tybalt, I forgot to warn you that teleporting can be painful to a non – magic user.”

“Thanks.” I said as I blew out a tiny fire on my hoof.

“Come with me Tybalt, I have an urgent message for you.”

“From who?”

“I have no idea. There is no signature.”

“What?” I was getting worried.

“Yes. The letter is in the royal bedrooms.” She told us as she led us behind the castle walls.

“Wow.....” I said as I admired the garnished sleeping quarters. There were golden paintings of the sun and Celestia herself. Not to mention the massive bed in the center. It had golden supports (which in retrospect would be bad, considering how relatively weak gold is.), hopefully they're just gilded gold.

“Here we go...” Celestia said as she handed a scroll to me using her magic.

I opened the scroll and started reading (to myself):

“Dear Tybalt:

You must listen to me. I could not tell you this in person. He may be listening. Hear me out: Your life may be in danger as we speak. He could take the form of anyone. The only beings that you can trust there is Celestia and Luna, for they are immune to his power. You may not even fully trust Twilight Sparkle right now, as it may have her. I will tell you when the matter has been dealt with.

One last thing! Never trust Any, and I mean ANY guar-”

The letter was cut short by a bloody hand on the paper, making the rest unreadable.

“This does not bode well.” I said as I sat down the scroll.

“I know.” Celestia said to me.

“We should go Ty...” Twi said.

I can't trust her though. I may only trust Celestia and Luna. They know that I am one of the few that resist's the gate keeper's power.

“No, Twi. Go back to Ponyville without me.”

“But I can't!”

“Just go!” I said, as my patience was wearing thin.

“...” She seemed stunned at my outburst.

“Fine. I'll see you at home.” She said as a purple bubble appeared around her and she disappeared.

“Tybalt?”

“Yes, Celestia?”

“Why didn't you go with her?”

“You know what the letter said.”

“I am afraid so.”

“You and Luna are the only ones that I can trust.”

“Yes. We are three of the few beings that resist the gate keeper's influence.”

“Then I must ask: Can I stay here, just for one night?”

She paused for a second, as if thinking.

“Of course you may. I will have the guest room prepared for you.”

“Thank you. Do you have a blacksmith that I can talk to? I want to invest in a weapon.”

“Yes we do. He is in the barracks.”

“Thank you Celestia.... Uh, where is the barracks again?”

****

Tybalt charged into the burning house, sword raised. What he found surprised him.

A family. One man, one woman, and children. The man was standing in front of them, hold his sword high.

“If you want them, you'll have to go over my dead body!” He shouted a challenge.

“Heh, works for me!” Tybalt says, as he charges at the man. He made a downwards slash, to which the man parried skillfully. The man returned with another blow. This one clipped Tybalt's left arm, making it bleed.

They were locked in a one on one. When one man attacked, the other one parried. They both had unmatched skill... until they met each other.

Tybalt kept pressing his attack, slowly driving this man back. Flames were dancing all around them.

“What? Getting tired? What's going to happen to your family when you go down? Huh?” Tybalt said as he struck a glancing thrust to the man's abdomen, narrowly missing his lung.

Even so, all of the man's air rushed out of him, leaving him gasping for air.

But he still wasn't going down.

“I will fight for my family! I will die here or I will kill here!”

“Let's make it the former!” He punctuated the sentence with attacking another time, to which the bleeding man parried.

The sound of metal striking metal filled the house, making the family cower.

Tybalt struck the man's right arm, causing the man to drop his sword.

Then he heard the man's wife call out, “Boris! NO!”

“I hope that you said your prayers to your family!” Tybalt said, as he lobbed off the head of 'Boris'.

Tybalt walked up to the family, his sword still dripping the blood of his foe. He raised his sword to the woman, ready to bring it down....

But he couldn't.

He couldn't bring himself to do it. He may have lost his innocence long ago, but he still wasn't this evil. To strike down a defenseless woman and her children... he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He lowered his sword and slowly left the house. The last thing he heard what one of the children running up to the father, sobbing.

As he walked out, he saw saw some of his men walking towards him.

“Captain Tybalt, sir! What should we do with this house?”

Tybalt took one last glance at the house before saying...

“Burn it to the ground.”

“Yes sir!” One of the soldiers said as they lit a torch and through it through the only unburned window. Within minutes, the house was breaking apart. No one heard the screams with in, as the only thing that mattered was the battle.

Thunder Runner couldn't believe what she just saw. Tybalt's ancestor....

She saw something rise from the ashes of the burned house. It was a transparent man. The one that she saw struck down. It appeared to be talking to something.

As she went closer, she saw that he was talking to the doom bringer himself- the devil.

“Retribution. He must not be forgiven!” She heard him yelling.

“Slaughtered. Slaughtered! My entire family! I must have retribution! He must die! No, everything must be taken from him. Make him feel what I felt; hopelessness. Die, Die!” He screamed.

The devil spoke in an extremely deep and raspy voice.

“If you want revenge... sign here. He will fall. All I need is your soul. You will become more powerful than anyone has ever imagined.”

“Powerful enough to kill him?”

“And everything that he loves.”

Boris took the contract without hesitation. He immediately signed it, to where the devil laughed and returned to the underworld. He took Boris with him.

The world started fading away. Thunder Runner found herself back at the door.

“Do you see now?”

“But... that wasn't Tybalt!”

“The devil didn't tell him that. You are correct, that isn't the Tybalt that we know today; but he is part of his bloodline. Boris wanted retribution for his family, by ruining a being called Tybalt. What he didn't know was that he is ruining an innocent’s life. The devil is keeping that fact from him, letting him feed on his hatred. His malice. I may be the gate keeper, but I'm no angel from the power above.

He does have two people on his side though. Neither of them knows it too. One of them, you have already met. The other has yet to unmask himself.”

“Do you know who these two are?”

“Not quite. I know their stories, but I don't know who they are now.”

“That's confusing.”

“Time always is. Time is running short though. Soon, the true evil will unmask himself, and in Tybalt's time of need, his second ally will appear.”

****

I walked through the castle, and thanks to Celestia's directions, I made it to the barrack's blacksmith.

“Good afternoon sir.” I said as I entered the sweltering forge.

“Greetings. How may I be of assistance?”

“I have a question. What do ponies use for self defense as a weapon?”

“Well... unicorns use magical crossbows, but all the other ponies use these things called 'Spike hooves.'” Well then, that's a self explanatory name.

“So, what exactly are they?”

“They are an instinct moderated weapon. They are attached to your hooves, and they are enchanted to where they only come out when you want them to, and they stay in when you want them to. One warning though, they're bonded to you, so once it's yours, it's yours.”

“That will work. What is your name, anyway?”

“My name is Sturm Brightblade.” The unicorn said.

“Well, Sturm Brightblade, I would like to order a pair of 'Spike Hooves'."

“Good on ya. I just need the measurements of your hooves, and I should have them ready by tomorrow.”

“Damn, unicorn magic is fast.”

“You're telling me.”

He took the measurements of my hooves and got to work.

“Before you start, how much are these?”

“120 bits.”

“A fair price. I'll have the bits by the time you get done.”

“Good.”

I walked back through the castle (I had to ask another guard for directions) and finally found myself in the guest bedroom. For a guest bedroom, it was fantastic! There were marvelous paintings of the sun and moon, with gold representing Celestia and the sun, with sapphire representing Luna and the moon. I climbed into the (incredibly) spacious bed. Even with all of these luxuries, it still took me a while to get to sleep. The events of today played around in my mind, exploring all possibilities.

Author's note: Sorry for the 'bad Tybalt' scene. I just had to find a way for Boris to want revenge. I will try to focus a little more on action now that we got events in motion. Cheers!