Undying

Though he had recovered somewhat, Aegis remained distant and cold. Sure he would smile and make a joke, but it was always a hollow, token gesture.  Spike grew concerned about it, and decided it was time for a talk.

“Aegis, we’ve got to talk,” Spike said.

“Why? There’s nothing wrong with me,” Aegis replied, being uncharacteristically polite.

“Yes, there is. Aegis, I know what it’s like to lose a home, the only place you ever feel truly welcome. And I know the pain of losing a friend,” Spike said.

“Yes, your stories. But have you ever hated somepony so much that you think death is too good for them? That they should pay in more than blood?” Aegis asked, slipping far too easily into a dark tone.

“I have, and it’s a dark road. If you go down that path, there is no going back. You’ll become a monster worse than the one you slay.”

Aegis grinned. “And you’re going to stop me? From avenging Jazz? You can’t. It won’t matter how many times you kill me, because I’m going to go on and end Sombra.”

Spike sighed. There was no dissuading Aegis from this path. “Then do what you have to do. What do I know when I’m just an old ancient relic, right?”

“Gramps, you’ve been like a father to me ever since my parents either died or abandoned me, but you can’t do this forever. If I become a monster, then so be it. I’m finishing this quest and I’ll avenge Jazz,” Aegis said. His words were harsh, but they were true. Aegis was determined to put an end to something that started five hundred years ago. Something he never wanted to be a part of.

Sombra watched from his lofty position above the city. They would arrive soon, within a week to five days. He would destroy the last Princess of Equestria, then fill the world with darkness and misery, enslaving everypony to his will. But, the newly rebuilt city of Canterlot stood in his way. Perhaps he ought to level it to the ground again, like he had done before.

“I hope you offer me a better challenge, Aegis Dare. The curse you carry is not the mark on your flank, but the hatred inside your heart. It will lead you to me, and you will bring Princess Twilight straight to her doom. I couldn’t have planned this better. It’s perfect! THIS IS MY GLORIOUS RETURN! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Aegis, you know that revenge doesn’t solve anything. It’s a needless cycle of violence and hate. Equestria rose above it, and so can you,” Twilight said.

“I can’t. Equestria didn’t rise above the cycle of revenge and violence,” Aegis said in return. His eyes no longer sparkled like they used to. Instead they were dull and lifeless, a sign that his innocence had long since passed. “You just ignored it completely and now it’s come back to bite you.”

“I just don’t want you to become like him,” Twilight said. She wanted to tell him how attached she had become since they met, but where he might have listened before, he would only brush her off now.

“Is that your way of saying ‘I love you’?” Aegis asked.

“Maybe. Is it working?” Twilight asked.

“Not the way you intended. It’s only making me even more sure of what I need to do. He won’t leave this world alone until we put him down for good.”

Sometime later, Spike and Twilight discussed Aegis’ most recent change in attitude.

“Can’t we do anything? I possess powers that have long since left this world, yet I can’t stop this one Pegasus from throwing his soul away.” Twilight said, frustrated at her apparent lack of power.

Spike simply gazed into the distance. “Nothin’ we can do about it. He’s gonna charge on in, focused on his one goal. But this time…it’s gonna cost him more than a little drop in sanity. This one will take everything away from him. I’m certain of it.”

Rarity listened, trying not to give herself away. If Twilight and Spike couldn’t stop Aegis pursuing his newfound desire for revenge, then she would try to talk him out of it. Then something came to her. A memory that she’d never seen before…

She saw herself and Twilight talking to one another, but she couldn’t hear the words. Twilight glanced off into the distance with a sad look on her face, like she’d lost somepony important.

“This is… I remember now. The Elements were destroyed, and Sombra won.”

As if in answer, the scene changed and Rarity saw Sombra standing over the defeated Elements. Twilight had frozen, unsure of what to do. Shining Armour ran at Sombra, trying to buy time for the Element Bearers to get away, but he was defeated. The other five also attacked Sombra. Rainbow Dash yelled something, but Rarity couldn’t make out the words. Twilight ran, and didn’t look back. The scene faded to black as Rarity snapped out of her trance. Equestria suffered its greatest loss since Discord, and it didn’t seem like there was anything they could do without the Elements. But Rarity didn’t have the heart to tell Twilight that there were no more Elements of Harmony. She curled up and cried…

The next morning, or what passed for morning, Rarity decided she’d speak with Aegis. He sat still, staring out into the distance.

There has to be something wrong with me, He thought to himself, musing on his changes of personality and trying to figure out which one he really was. I don’t know myself anymore. I want to kill Sombra for what he did, but then that would make me no better than he is. I’m hurting everypony around me, but I can’t stop myself either. It’s all messed up…

“Aegis, how are you feeling?” Rarity asked.

“I can’t keep a straight thought in my head. Jazz would want me to avenge her, or maybe she wouldn’t. If I lose my nerve, I’ll  try attacking everypony again, and I can’t hold myself back anymore. How am I feeling? Like I’m dead and nopony told me,” Aegis said, flipping back to depression and melancholy.

“This can’t be good for you. Just try to let go. We’re all immortal, and we can all help you if you’d let us.”

“Why bother? I finish this quest, then what happens? It’s… it’s all so wrong.”

Rarity slapped Aegis across the face. “Pull yourself together. I didn’t see you fall apart when you found me in Canterlot, or when you fought the Black Knights. Don’t you dare fall apart now.”

Aegis simply stared in shock. After a moment, he spoke again. “I guess you’re right. I haven’t suffered as much as you have, but I’m not as strong as you are. I’m just… I’m just a nobody who got thrown into this. You, Twilight and Gramps were all heroes. You fought evil on a regular basis.”

Twilight had been listening, and she understood his reactions. But there came a time when his angsting got tiresome. She walked up to Aegis, and grabbed him by the collar of his now tattered leather armour. “Listen to me. We’re not the heroes anymore. Our time is over, and this is just the clean-up. This is where we find out who wins, if only for the sake of getting some closure. Like it or not, you’re the hero now, because you got saddled with it. So don’t sit here feeling sorry for yourself when you can do something about it.”

Aegis got up and walked away, leaving Twilight and Rarity alone. I’m no hero and I don’t want to be one. It’s just some idealistic notion that foals cling to so they can feel some sense of hope in a world without it.

“How’d it go?” Spike asked as Rarity and Twilight found him not far ahead.

“He’s stubborn. Once he gets a mood in his head, the only thing that will make him let go is when he just spontaneously flips,” Twilight said.

“He’s either brooding or thinking about how he doesn’t have anything left,” Rarity said, idly flicking a rock.

Spike rolled up another leaf and lit it. “Well, think about it. The kid lost his home and all his friends. He’d never left the Fortress before, and he’s trying to deal with it. I’m not defending him, but at least try to see what it’s like. We can soldier on, but it’s still a fresh wound for him.”

“Thanks, Spike. I hadn’t factored THAT in before…” Twilight said in a sarcastic manner. “Didn’t he want to be a hero once?”

Spike breathed out a cloud of smoke. “Just like every other foal. But when you get to be the hero, it’s never what you imagine. He’ll come around. In the meantime, we’re losin’ time. Lead on, Rarity. We’re right behind you.”