The Warrior, Necroesphere
Prologue: One Night
By: Necroesphere
*****
The Galaxy was born from the death of another
The next one approaches
A new dawn
Or will it be the darkest end we have seen.
“Necroesphere?” Luna approached the banister, looking out at her beautiful moon. Tonight she had set it full to signal the time to bring in the crops, a harvest moon. Many farm ponies would be busy preparing through the night for a long day of toiling under the sun to bring in their crops.
Luna was distracted by a flash in the night on the edge of the banister. Perched on it was a being that frightened her as well as made her curious about the worlds outside her own. Beyond him, the night was ongoing, nothing truly occurring because there was no celebration.
The being was in midnight purple armor, or so he claimed the color to be. Luna herself believed it to be a pleasant dark violet. But what flashed in the moonlight was the armour’s golden trim that flashed from the pauldron. The symbols that decorated his armor where strange, runes of languages far older than the man who wore them.
“Luna?” Necroesphere turned, his voice a cool whisper, ventilated through his masks filters and systems. Luna had never once heard his true voice, nor did she ever expect to hear his voice. “Can I help you?”
“Why are you up at this time of night? You are always sleeping if you are not needed.” Luna walked up to the banister, glancing out over the city of Canterlot. The lights were dimmed, though many ponies were active at this time of night. Many were going or coming to many of the bars within the city, though some were just enjoying themselves.
“I’ve had a bad feeling in my stomach.” Necroesphere sighed, adjusting his position. Luna noticed that he was actually on the railing, his tattered cape making it look like he had been standing. Luna almost thought he was going to fly off whenever he got the opportunity. It wouldn’t surprise her at this point after all he had done in the past.
“Surprising, given the fact that I have never seen you eat a thing,” Luna gave a slight giggle, staring at the strange being. “Necroesphere, why are you still here?”
“What do you mean?” Necroesphere asked, looking down at the princess. Luna couldn’t gage his reaction, only her own face from the reflective faceplate the warrior never took off. It was great at intimidating his opponents or just making sure nopony ever saw his own fear.
“You came here to find the source of a large power, which you did. The Elements of Harmony, right? But you stayed, though you were away for a long time... As was I.” Luna said, looking at him then looking away. She started thinking of when she had been gone, the lonely nights on the moon without anypony to talk to. Her rage had built during that time, though it also destroyed much of Nightmare Moon's resolve in the end.
“Your point?” Necroesphere sighed, making Luna blink for a moment. She shook her head, snapping out of her confusion.
“Did you ever plan on leaving our planet? I mean, you cannot do anything here and you said that you had other friends and a war to fight back in your space. So... Why are you still here?” Necroesphere dropped onto the actual balcony off the railing. He rose to his full height, standing even taller than Celestia could even stretch her neck.
Luna had found out long ago that his full height outmatched many creatures that she had met. The only thing larger were dragons and their distant cousins, hydras. Both of which Necroesphere never had any problems facing in a duel it seemed. Celestia had claimed that his first encounter on Equestria was with a dragon, who now had three claws and a confused life.
“Luna, would it be strange to say that I am here merely because I no longer want to leave?” Necroesphere asked, staring straight at the princess.
“What about your war? Your friends?” Luna questioned, remembering all his stories. Luna couldn't help but pay attention when he sat down at dinner to speak, though he never touched his food. Every time he came down from his perches, Luna made it a thing to get a story out of him. She had learned that he was far older than the country of Equestria.
“They have either died in my absence or hate me. I came here not because I had a choice, but because... because I could no longer return in the first place. I was cast out of my society. Only because of the power I held and the ideals I followed. Your sister knows this. She learned a long time ago, while you slept.”
“So, you have no home?” Luna asked, unsure if she even phrased the question correctly. “Or you have nothing to even return to.”
“I have a home, but it is here now, Luna. It may not be perfect and it may be strange... But anything... anything is better than nothing.” Necroesphere chuckled underneath his helm. He turned, leaning on the railing though he still watched Luna.
“Don’t say that,” Luna cautioned. “I felt the same way before I succumbed to my... my nightmares. Became driven by my jealousy and rage. Sometimes, having nothing makes us more humble.” Necroesphere tilted his head in thought, humming to himself. He returned his gaze back to the city, looking at the beautiful site.
“I’m staying for this. This is the something I was talking about. I may never take off my armor, but this world has shown me that the universe isn’t so bad.” Necroesphere chuckled to himself. His cape fluttered in the breeze, unveiling his swords strapped at his waist. “Here, I never need worry about anything truly bad happening.”
“What about the incident with Discord?” Luna asked, staring into the garden where the Draconeques was frozen. It had been less than 4 months since the deity of chaos had freed himself. Luna herself had been gone on out of realm business to the dragon kingdom and Necroesphere was wherever he had been.
“His is a natural force that balances out yours. If you could live in harmony with him, all would be fine actually. Balance is a thing of nature, something I’ve strived for...” Necroesphere turned, walking into Luna’s room. “Just like you and your sister balance each others natures out.”
Luna stared blankly at the warrior as he left her room. Where he was off to now, Luna was unsure, yet she couldn’t care as long as he managed to stay out of trouble. Though, for Necroesphere, trouble was the one thing that never seemed to be missing around him.
She turned back to the night sky, smiling as a shooting star flew across, lighting up the sky for a moment. She frowned, not knowing why a shooting star had appeared in her night sky without her consent. She scratched it off as some sort of haphazard accident from her talk with Necroesphere and went back into her room.
Luna walked over to her mirror, preparing herself for a night of court. She floated the crown to her head, something she had been gifted with a long time ago. Her mother had given it to her shortly before she had joined the rest of their ancestors in the ethereal plains. Luna had worn it when she assumed the throne with her sister as a memento of what their mother had stood for.
Though, she had ruined that when Nightmare Moon had been let loose on Equestria. Luna knew that wearing the crown was no longer honorable, but it was something that made her happy to know it was around. Anypony would attempt to steal it if they knew the magical power or the price it would fetch for some rich aristocrat.
“Lulu, are you here?” A voice called from the hall outside Luna’s room. There was only one pony who addressed Luna with such a title, one pony she cared deeply about.
“Tia! Why are you still up at this hour?” Luna called, opening the door with her magic. It took very little energy to do so, especially with the amount of energy that Luna had. It was more taxing for her to lower the moon than it was to do menial tasks.
“I can’t sleep,” Celestia sighed, throwing herself onto Luna’s large and plush bed, spreading herself out. Luna glared at her sister, though Celestia didn’t move at all. “There is still reports and diplomats coming in from across the world, complaining about Discord having gotten loose. Some are demanding we keep him locked up in a better place.”
“And your response to that?” Luna inquired, enjoying the chance to gossip. Though she didn’t really know what the word actually meant.
“That as long as we have Necroesphere and the Elements of Harmony around, Discord won’t stand a chance now that we know his tricks.” Celestia giggled, rolling over. “Luna? Why is your bed so soft? Mine feels like a boulder.”
“Have you actually checked your bed since Discord got loose. Maybe he turned it into a boulder.” Luna suggested, giggling as well.
“That won’t work, silly. You know that Discord’s magic was reversed once the Elements sealed him away again. Besides, Necroesphere confirmed that all his magic was undone. Do you distrust our guest?” Celestia rolled on her side, putting a hoof on her head.
“No... speaking of him...” Luna began, biting her lip.
“He was just in here, right? Did anything happen?” Celestia asked, concern coloring her voice as her brow furrowed. Luna gave a light smile at her sisters concern. It was nice especially after the events leading up to the rise of her darker side.
“Nothing bad happened... Though he told me something very interesting. Celestia, why did you never tell me he no longer could return to his home?” Luna sighed, going to the edge of her bed and resting on the side.
Celestia’s face froze before her mouth opened slightly as though she wanted to speak. Luna looked at her sister, growing concerned herself. “Say something, Tia.”
“What should I say, Luna?” Celestia asked, looking down at the bed. “I... Nothing happened this time. But what could I say to you? That Necroesphere left and only came here because he had no reason to go elsewhere. The truth is, he only came here to find a place where he was needed. What he instead found was something more. I gave him a home, a place to live.
“I also gave him console and said he could be a part of our family... To let him know that he could stay for as long as he wanted.” Celestia sighed, getting up from Luna’s bed. “I need to go. And so do you. Night Court will soon be in session and I can guarantee there will be diplomats looking for you.”
With that, Celestia left, leaving Luna to contemplate her feelings. For her part, Luna was stumped over Celestia’s reaction to it. She wasn’t going to go nuts again over the fact that Necroesphere was staying, though there was probably more to Celestia’s reaction than just that. Something that Necroesphere had neglected to state.
She soon planned to find out the reason why.
Chapter 1: Descent into Light
Chapter 1: Descent into Light
By: Necroesphere
Sometimes, the light isn't up
it is located straight down.
In the friendship of those around you.
Necroesphere caught his sword, his opponents falling like stalks of corn around him. Even though he was surrounded, Necroesphere felt no fear from his opponents who could not even scratch his armor. He pulled out a pistol, executing two aliens who were still struggling to stand back up.
Spinning, he discharged the rest of his pistol into his enemies, dropping all but a few. The clouds shifted, one of the two moons casted a bit of light across the battlefield. Smoke drifted in from nearby building fires, the city around Necroesphere crumbling from bombings. More fighting was occurring across the city, squads trading fire with the soldiers of the resistance.
“Surrender, Necroesphere!” One of them called out, aiming a gun at him. “Really, you think we can’t deal with you? You won’t stand a chance in a few minutes.”
“You keep stating that, yet I have not seen anything of note. You are weak compared to my power.” Necroesphere stated, raising his sword to parallel to the ground. The soldier shot at him, a hail of bullets clattering against Necroesphere’s armor. With little motion, Necroesphere closed the distance in an instant to meet the soldier face to face. “I’m giving you mercy. Now run.”
He picked up the soldier from the collar, tossing the alien away. The soldier crashed to the ground, running away in fear of the towering warrior behind him. Necroesphere sighed, checking his gauntlet as more info rolled in on the battles raging across the planet. Nothing was going well for his own forces, yet he refused to give up so easily. It only took one man to shift the tides of a war.
…..
“Luna...” Celestia glanced up at the sky, watching the pink cotton candy clouds float closer and closer. It was the work of the being, Discord, and his chaotic force of nature. Luna nuzzled her sister, her Elements of Harmony jingling around her neck. “If this doesn’t work, you must run. Ok?”
“But what about you?” Luna questioned, tears in her eyes. She flapped her wings to make her point that even were she to run, it wouldn’t be enough. Celestia looked down at her little sister, a small smile on her lips.
“Don’t be afraid, Luna. Mother and Father would be proud of us. For doing this for them, you know. For the ponies they cared so greatly about.” Celestia soothed Luna. Deep down, she knew that her final duty in this world would be protecting Luna, for it was her last promise to her mother.
“Tia, I won’t let you throw your life away!” Luna shouted, stepping in front of her sister. “I cannot lose you too! Not in such a short time since we lost our parents.”
“Lulu, this is of my own free will. Please, accept this as the ultimate thing I can do to ensure your safety. If this doesn’t work, please... go on without me. Do not mourn. Watch the Sun and the Moon wisely and ensure that the ponies grow to be proud of their creations. Unite them as they try and build their new kingdom.”
“Tia, please...” Luna got out through tears.
“Very touching you two. Very touching indeed. I’d be crying, though to be honest, I don’t really care.” A cackle shook Luna to her core. It was the same laugh that had killed her parents. Luna turned slowly, staring at the dark being that stalked forward from where he had just landed.
Discord leered at the two ponies, noticing their new jewelry. He laughed again, popping behind the two and wrapping his arms around them. “Well, what are these new baubles? I hope you don’t plan to scare me with these jewels, because let me just tell you, I am color blind!”
Discord released the two, floating away, kicking in the air as he cackled. Luna gritted her teeth, bracing herself for any magical spell the being of Discord was going to attempt. Celestia stepped forward, her crown lighting up.
“Discord, you will answer for your crimes against all the ponies you have wronged,” Celestia said calmly, floating into the air despite not having wings. Luna floated beside her, energy coarsing through her body. “Your reign of terror ends here.”
“No, I think it ends... never!” Discord shouted, lobbing a sphere of energy at the sisters. The blast consumed them, surrounding them in a hail of chaos, though nothing happened to Celestia and Luna, who were safe inside a protective field.
“Your power does not effect us!” Luna yelled out, her feelings at balance. “Give up Discord. You cannot win.”
“Ha, I am still not scared of those silly baubles. You two are no where in my league of power. You will fail! You will... what are you doing?” Discord froze, his right eyebrow shooting up.
Celestia and Luna’s eyes were glowing, a bright white in the darkness looming above. A shockwave knocked Discord away, though he was already backing away from the energy. “Hold on, before you do anything, can I have one last word?”
“And what would that be, Discord?” Celestia asked, her voice as loud as thunder and full of strength.
“Well then...” Discord stuck a pose, taking a deep breath. “Yoooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuu’ve been-”
Before Discord could continue his line, a massive rainbow shot from Celestia’s crown, slamming into the being of Chaos. Luna watched as the deity didn’t pay attention as he turned to stone. It was the worst sight she had ever seen and was something that she would never want to happen to anypony who didn’t deserve it.
Once Discord was sealed, still holding his note, a massive blast exploded from the sphere surrounding the sisters. It blinded Luna, who forced her eyes shut to stop the light.
…..
Necroesphere looked up at the ceiling of the great chamber, a massive energy spike registering on his HUD. “Is something wrong?”
“No, not that I think,” Necroesphere answered, turning back to his conversation. Or, his trial. “So, why am I here?”
The Emperor rested in his throne, leaning on his arm as he looked down upon Necroesphere, prepared to cast judgement when he felt ready for it. “Why is Galax still aloud to reign and cause this terror. This war and the losses involved are on you, Necroesphere. My son’s death is on you!”
“No, Emperor! You rushed to this battle and allowed your overzealous son to enter the battle before he had proper training.” Necroesphere responded, gripping the golden bar in front of him. The chamber around him basked in blue light from the fake sun hanging over the chamber.
Many other members of the Council and their pupils sat in waiting, all silent as Necroesphere challenged the Emperor yet again. “How dare you? You have always been like this! I am through! You are banished from this sect, from every sect! Leave in the next hour and never return.”
“Why?” Necroesphere shouted, his rage building.
“You have failed this Empire to many times! Our strongest enemy has been on the end of your blade to many times, yet you allow him to get away!”
Necroesphere didn’t deem a response to that, as he had explained multiple times before on deaf ears it seemed. He merely turned around, stalking through the halls of the ship before finding the hanger.
“Are you really leaving?” A feminine voice asked. Necroesphere turned, spotting one of his battle-sisters, Callin.
“I have no choice. Unless you’d like to ruin the Empire with rebellion. No, I make my choice and that is to leave.” Necroesphere responded, wings jutting out of his armor. “Goodbye. Maybe one day I will meet you on the battlefield again. Until then, stay alive.”
Necroesphere hit a nearby panel, throwing himself out into the vacuum of space, activating his jets. Before long, he was going towards his last notice, the energy signature that had randomly occurred. Towards a planet named Equestria.
…..
“Lulu! Are you ok?” Celestia asked her sister, looking down at her little sister. “Uh... Why do you have a horn? Wait... uh... why do I have wings?!” Celestia looked onto her back, great white wings stretching out. “Just like mother and father’s?”
“Tia, oh... my head. What happened?” Luna looked up, holding a hoof to her head. “Why do you have wings? Wait, me... horn? What?”
Luna stretched her legs, raising herself to a height that was new to her. “Why am I so tall? Why are you so tall? Wait? Where is Discord?!” Luna spun, facing down the Chaotic being. He still stood in his stone prison, unable to move except look somewhat funny in his current state.
“He is beat,” Celestia stated, putting a wing around Luna. “Let’s go, Luna. We are done here. Our duty now is to the ponies and rebuilding. It is what mother and father would want, Luna. Please, don’t let their sacrifice and this victory mean nothing.
“Thank you, for letting me see the error of my way sister,” Luna smiled, feeling her head. She expected a bump from the pain she was feeling, but not the one she had currently. “Uh... is this a horn?’
“I was wondering when you would notice that,” Celestia giggled, ruffling her wings. “I’ll teach you how to keep it clean and how delicate and sensitive it can be. But only if you teach me how to actually work with these wings.”
“It would be my pleasure, Tia.” Luna smiled, watching the sun set in the distance. “And I have all the time in the world now.”
