The night was young and the moon was out in it's full view. The sleepy town of Ponyville was in sight as a bloodied brown pegasus hobbled his way to it's outskirts. He was running from somepony else, somepony that wanted him dead. He had been running for days and had been attacked by ponies in armor at every turn. The last ambush had clipped his wings and made him flightless. Earlier that year he was as happy as the next stallion. He had a good life and a happy home. Now it was all gone and his family was last in the fires of his new found hell.
He had made a mistake and they payed for it with their lives.
"Hell hath no fury like a mare's scorn." He said through labored breaths.
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All of his troubles started with her. He had seen this vixen at a Canterlot bar one night. Ironic that she was a unicorn musician by the name Lyra. He never did care for music, that is until she showed him her’s. He had asked her out and to his joy she accepted his offer.
They had spent the last three months together and enjoyed every bit of it. But all of that changed when a rumor from his last lover surfaced. Story told, he was cheating on Lyra with another unicorn. When the news hit her from the renowned cellist Octavia, Lyra went into a rage.
She was waiting at their apartment and confronted him when he came home. He told her this was a lie and set off to find the source that threatened to divide them. Lyra had tried to stop him, but he was out of the door before she could say a thing. Eventually he found a gray earth pony with a dark red mane in the park. Her name was Sonia and she was the source of his problems.
He went to talk to her, but he was attacked from behind and knocked out.
The last thing he saw was Sonia smiling at him darkly, "Good night, Haven."
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Haven hurried to the town, when he heard Lyra's voice calling for him. He wasn't sure if she was one of the ponies after him or not. But he wasn't willing to take the chance, Haven survived Cassius Nightshade and the frozen tundra of the Crystal Empire. The pegasus wasn't going to die by the hooves of one of his lovers and her cultists. The dying pony had made it to an apple orchard, Sweet Apple Acres. He fled inside and weaved from tree to tree, when he was somewhere in the center he found a tree and rested for a moment. Finally having time to rest, he fell asleep soon after and his dream turned into the memory of his escape.
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Haven found himself in a dark room after meeting Sonia again. No light found it's way in, except for the keyhole in a steel door. He heard the sound of the tumblers cascading into place.
The door opened and a bright light filled the room. Haven went to cover his eyes, but a bolt of electricity hit him. His muscles screamed out in pain and he convulsed on the ground.
A black pegasus stood in the doorway with a purple pegasus pony in a lab coat and glasses.
Her cutie mark was a book and a magnifying glass resting on it. She approached carefully making almost no sound with her steps.
"Haven? Where is his journal?"She asked in a soft voice.
"What...uh... journal?" He asked struggling to regain control of his body.
She walked over to his side and leaned in, "The journal of the Nocturnal Guardian. Cassius Nightshade's journal."
Haven smiled, "You... need to... talk to Prin...cess Luna. He is her... son now."
The purple pegasus stepped back and looked to the black pegasus who zapped Haven again.
"Sparky! What the hell!"-She scolded the the zap happy pegasus.- "Where can I find the journal. If you don't answer to me Flamearch will kill you. I don't want to see that happen. Please Haven, give me the town or even a city." She pleaded.
After a few minutes of twitching Haven replied, "Ponyville. Go to Ponyville."
"Thank you." She turned and walked out.
Sparky walked over to him after closing the door behind the purple pegasus.
"I was told to kill you after she was done talking to you. Flamearch loves her to death and wanted your death to be done behind her back." Sparky smiled as a blade made its way down his foreleg from a special device.
Haven let him get closer to the point where Sparky was just over him. He lifted his hoof and Haven head butted him in the stomach. Sparky staggered from the blow then Haven turned around and slammed his back hooves into the smaller pegasus head, causing Sparky to bounce of the wall and collapsed to the floor. As he fell his blade sliced Haven in the side cutting deep from the weight of the limp pony. Haven leaned on the wall examining the wound. It was bad, but not fatal. Using his training and wings Haven flew to the ceiling and walked upside down using his wings to defy gravity's hold on him. He made his way out to the main hall. He saw many ponies hurrying about from one end of the large room to the other. They were getting ready for something.
Soon enough, Haven saw the pegasus that questioned him, walking past some other ponies pulling a chest. From her angle and speed, Haven could tell she was heading for a fire red unicorn. The second he turned to look at her, he spotted Haven on the ceiling. He fired a massive ball of flames at him from his horn. Haven stopped flapping his wings and entered a free fall just before the hit. Fire scorched him and caused several severe burns before he cleared the blast area. Haven spread his wings and glided out of the room to the night sky outside the main building of what appeared to be the a massive fortress. He had little time to take in the sights however, because the red unicorn was still sending fireballs his way. The unicorn was accompanied by a few archers that fired arrows in an attempt to knock him out of the sky. Haven missed being burned to death by the fire, but an arrow found his ribs and missed his heart by inches.
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Haven awoke in a cold sweat after an apple hit him on the head. Most of his wounds ached and were slowly bleeding from exertion. He was hungry and so very tired from the chase.
The moon was still out and it appeared he had only slept for an hour. He took the apple and ate it in a few bites not caring about the taste. Using the tree as support he lifted himself to his hooves and began walking to a barn that sat over the horizon. He was on the move for about 30 minutes before Lyra called to him. Haven turned to see her gallop towards him with reckless abandonment.
He tried to run but was too weak to go very fast. Eventually tripped over a stone that sat on the dirt path and slid for a few feet. This gave Lyra enough time to catch up to him.
She stopped at his side and tried to help him up, "Haven, What happened you?"
"You set me up to die." he groaned as he kept from making eye contact.
Lyra looked him in the eyes and saw signs of extreme exhaustion and fatigue on him. His wounds made her sick and his breathing worried her. She could see he was fighting just to stay conscious let alone walk. Lyra was astounded that he could run from her at this point.
"Haven, I love you. Why would I set you up?" She asked helping him sit under a tree.
"You thought I was unfaithful. Well, I found out it was a trap and I was held hostage by a cult. They wanted some journal that belonged to Cassius Nightshade." Haven's breathing became heavier.
"The prince?" Lyra asked taking a seat next to him trying to heal what she could.
Haven nodded, "They were going to kill me, but I got out. Lyra, I told them it was in Ponyville.
We need to warn the town."
"And we will Haven, but you need rest." Lyra said placing a hoof on his leg.
"HAVEN, WHERE ARE YOU!?" called a voice in the distance.
A faint light glowed from down the path as the pony got closer.
Haven leaned in and kissed Lyra.
After breaking the kiss he spoke quickly, "You need to go. Whatever happens Lyra, I need you to live."
Lyra shook her head as tears rolled down her muzzle, "I'm not leaving you here to die."
Haven looked to the approaching light, "If you don't everypony will die, If they get that journal then everything the princesses worked for, will be lost. Lyra please, I love you. I can't let you die too, go and live your life for both of us."
Lyra held her head down and hugged Haven. With a flash of her magic she teleported away. Haven looked to the barn and saw another flash of light. Lyra was going to watch what he knew was his last moments in Equestria. The light in the distance grew brighter and the fire red unicorn stepped through the clearing of trees. He seemed as angry as anypony could ever be.
"You are a very troublesome pony, you know that. I still can't figure out how you survived the Nocturnal Guardian. I will give you this, you are strong for a pegasis. Now, do you wish to plead for your life?" he said as he stomped his way to Haven.
Haven smiled as he whipped a small trail of blood from his lips, "I would like you to answer a question."
The unicorn looked at the broken and dying pony before him and smiled back, "Very well, I will humor you. What do you want to know before you die?"
Haven leaned back on the tree, "Who are you and why do you want this journal so bad?"
The unicorn drew his sword, "I am Flamearch. I want it for the power it can give me and the skills it can teach me."
Haven raised and eyebrow, "Why didn't you ask Cassius to teach you himself?"
Flamearch stomped a hoof, "Because, he was killed by Mother Mare."
Haven went to speak again, but Flamearch stabbed him in the chest without warning.
The enchantment on it began to burn him from the inside out at a slow pace, Haven felt more pain than ever before. He tried to scream, but nothing came out. His eyes went wide as he looked to where Lyra was hiding. A tear rolled down his one of his eyes, as his body turned to ashes and drifted away with the wind. Haven had survived the wrath of Nightshade, the changelings invasion, his walk in the frozen tundra of the Crystal Empire, he even found his true love.
His last thought was that he would die happy knowing he lived the last of his life with the mare he loved and died trying to do the right thing like Spring Bash. The last of his ashes blew away and Flamearch stood in place. He looked to Ponyville and with his mind made up.
Lyra watched the murderer of her fiancé. It took everything in her power to not go after him. Instead she collapsed and burst into tears on the barn roof. The sun was rising on a new day as the ashes of Haven danced in the dawn sky.
