Chapter 0: Opening the Door
“You will not survive this.”
“Ah. Good to know you have the utmost confidence in my abilities.”
“I was just stating the obvious.”
The sound of hooffalls echoed through the torch-lit hallway as shadows danced across the inlaid stonework. The flickering flames cast their light upon the path, although, much to its current occupant's chagrin, the torches only seemed to illuminate the path only a few meters ahead, leaving him ignorant of his progression toward his goal. With a slight huff, the gray-amber stallion turned his head to see if he could gauge his position based from where he began, only to find a similar phenomenon occurring behind him.
“You know, at first the theatrics were welcome. It actually added to the whole gravity of the situation, making this way seem all dark and foreboding.” The stallion began, his tone dripping with annoyance. “But now that the initial effect has worn off, it’s actually become more of a bore, really.”
“……You could always turn back.” Replied a slightly feminine voice.
“Oh come now.” The stallion chuckled, continuing his unhurried pace, “If I made it this far, I might as well see it through till the end.”
“But why you? Out of all of us, why do you have to be the one to cast yourself as the martyr?” bellowed the voice, “What insanity would drive you to play such a role?”
The incensed words caused the stallion to halt mid-stride, his gaze steeled toward the shadowed path before him. After a pregnant pause, the stallion lowered his hoof with a sigh and cast his gaze slightly upward. “Surprise? Would you kindly show yourself?” He began as a weary smile formed across his face “All this “talking to incorporeal” routine is wearing a bit thin, don’t you think? If anyone saw me right now, they’d probably think that I was a nutter or something.”
“……Sorry.”
The light in front of the stallion started to twist and coalesce into a single point, causing the space around it to become a shade of black noticeable even against the unlit portion of the hallway. Slowly, a transparent, hooded figure began to appear behind the point until its entire form became solid. As the light returned to its’ original placement, the stallion's smile softened as his friend came into view. “Now isn’t that better?”
The now visible mare stood in front of the stallion, wrapped in a deep royal purple shroud that seemed to flow around her as though carried by a gentle breeze. In a blaring contrast to the dark coloring of the rest of the cloak, the hood was spun in muted yellow with an ornate, dark red “X” pattern along the edges. Additionally, a series of swooping black lined flowed from the red design and over the crest of the neck until it began to bleed into the rest of the darkened shroud, stopping only at a cut out portion along the nape of the mare’s neck where a tuft of white feathers and golden mane jutted outward. Even from his minimal knowledge of fashion, the stallion could notice the hypnotic beauty of the shroud. It’s almost like a sunset. He mused as the mare’s face began to show underneath the hood...or at least what was supposed to be a face. Instead, the stallion beheld the ghastly form of a bleach-white skull with hollow, dark sockets foe eyes.
“Surprise, You know that I can’t take you seriously if you don’t put your face on.” The stallion said with a slight smirk.
“…..Alright. But only if you promise to give me your reasoning behind this madness.” The skeletal mare replied with an annoyed tone. In a sudden burst of light, the mare’s face formed into a more equine form. While her coat retained the color of her previous form, her mane billowed out into a dazzling gold, cascading down the sides of her face with a slight curl. Her eyes quickly took on a shade of pale purple that shone with a brilliance that seemed to contradict her solemn expression. “Better?”
“Very.” The stallion answered with a smile.
“So you were saying?”
“Oh yes.” He began wistfully. “Surprise, I have lived a very long time.”
“That’s an understatement.” the mare interrupted.
“Well. Yes. And because of that, I have had the privilege of seeing many sights that many mortals have never seen. I’ve seen entire civilizations rise and fall, seen cities I helped build with my own hooves crumble into dust, I’ve even watched children that I’ve sired age and become little more than names on crumbling gravestones.” Letting out a brief sigh, the stallion continued. “And for even all of that, I can never really say that I have stood for anything.”
The mare tilted her head slightly, her eyes asking him to elaborate.
“For almost as long as I can remember, I have been little more than a shell of a pony, letting the wind carry me from place to place, doing what I pleased, never really allowing myself to stop moving. At least until I found you lot.” He snickered. “Did you know that out of all our little band, I have always felt the most powerless?”
“What?”
“It’s true. Ban is the strongest being I have ever met and commands the entire western plans. Pall is not only the spirit of the Everfree, but is revered as a saint amongst his kind. Fenix has enough charisma to turn a beaten down populous into a veritable army and create nations. The girls..” He began with a shake of his head. “…they have more magical potential in a single strand of hair than I have in my entire body. And you?....I don’t even want to try that one. All I have is a dearth of experience and a remarkable ability to not die. ”
“Turner.” The mare said softly, her face betraying a hint of worry.
“There. There. I was getting off topic a bit. *A-hem* Now as I was saying: Long before I met all of you, I was fighting the good fight, as it were. However, over time, I began to feel more and more tired of all the fighting. I became so jaded that I began to think that no matter what amount of good I would do, it would be pointless in the grand scheme of things. For every soul I would aid, dozens more would perish outside of my vision. I would be the eternal butler, cleaning up whatever mess ponykind would create. And so, I withdrew myself from the world and became lost within my own devices.”
Until you and the rest found me again.
You showed me what I could be, what I once was. You made me remember how beautiful this world can be; how amazing a simple act of kindness can be. You made me remember what it was like to stand for something again. And for that, I am eternally grateful.” The stallion finished with a wide smile.
“But.” The mare started.
“Ah Ah. I wasn't finished.” The stallion interrupted. “However, that made me realize how important you all are to me. Even more so, how important you all are to the world. Imagine what would happen if the world suddenly lost Fen or the girls, just when things are finally starting to form some semblance of order. Me? The world survived without my interference for over 300 years before you all found me again. I'm sure it will be fine if I finally left it for good….not that there's a chance of that happening, of course. Besides, this ‘thing,’” the stallion began, motioning towards the door. “requires someone to observe it so that it remains imprisoned, but in the same measure, requires someone to observe it so that it is rooted in this plane of existence. I would think that somepony like myself would make an excellent warden, don't you agree?”
A pregnant pause haunted the hallway before the mare spoke. “So you would become the eternal sentry instead of the eternal steward?”
“Eternal Sentry, eh? Not that bad of a title, I suppose. Although now that I think about it, I probably should have brought a book or two. Oh, well.” Still wearing his smile, the stallion trotted past the stunned mare.” Well now that you know my reasons, can you drop the illusion now?”
After taking a second to absorb the stallion’s words, Surprise turned around and floated in front of him, impeding his path. “So how long did you know?”
“I had some suspicions after a few minutes, so I made a mark on the stone.” He said, pointing to a scuffed part of stonework on the floor. “It wasn’t until I passed the mark for the third time that I figured out the trick. Also,” he began with a smirk,” It helped that you just admitted to creating one.”
The mare blinked at the revelation and soon let out a deep, soulful laugh. ”OOO. You’re good.” After wiping the sides of her eyes, Surprise closed her eyes, her face contorted in mock concentration. Suddenly, the shadows and torches disappeared from the hall, revealing a pristine hallway, illuminated by the rays of the setting sun as they passed through a tall window. Less than a few meters away lied a tall, obsidian door. While it lacked any ornate decoration, the entire structure radiated with oppressive magical energy.
The stallion let out a low whistle. “Impressive as always, Surprise.”
“I try.” The mare quipped with a slight shrug and a smug grin.
Slowly, the pair made their way towards the door, the dense magic growing more and more foreboding as they approached. When the two stopped in front, the stallion rose his hoof and placed it on the handle, only to have it met by a pristine white hoof. “Wait.” The mare said with a sorrowful look.
“Surprise?” The stallion started as he looked towards the mare. “Before I go I just want to tell you that you were fantastic. All of you were. Absolutely fantastic.”
The mare blushed at the stallion’s omission and snatched her hoof back quickly. With a slight chuckle, the stallion opened the door slightly, allowing just enough room for himself to go inside. After setting a hoof inside, he turned his head around and smiled at the mare.
“And you know what?”
The mare shook her head slowly, the blush still radiating off her cheeks.
“So was I.” The stallion stated, stepping past the door and shutting it behind himself.
The mare stood silent in the passageway, committing the stallion's last words to her memory. Much to her dismay, she felt a tear form on the side of her eye. Wiping it away with her hoof, she let out a hearty laugh and turned away from the door.
“Goodbye Ț͖̮ͩͬ̎̽i̙̦̓̐̏̉͝ͅm̭̘͓͚̹̩̿͆͘e̛̜̺̞ͭͧ̐ ̣̌͒̎͐͋T̤͖͈͕u̶̫̮̫̜̓ṟ̲̺̻̜͑͋͒͋̍̑ņ̬̜̲̽e͎͓͕̱̫̻ͧ͝r̺̹͛̎͒.”
Author's Note
Bleh. Not sure if I'll get around to actually updating this anytime soon. Tell me what you think in the comments.
EDIT: Many thanks to Ryan Darling for the edit
