Undying

by HonourablePegasus

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Adventure
Length: 16850

A dark future, a mysterious curse, and a quest to end an eternal night.

Five hundred years ago, Equestria suffered a cataclysmic blow of mysterious origin, shrouding the land in shadows and eternal moonlight. The Princesses have disappeared, leaving the Ponies terrified and confused. In a bid for safety, they build a massive fortress large enough for all of Ponykind.

In this dark and bleak future, a mysterious curse has appeared within the sanctuary of Fortress Luna. Stricken with it after an unfortunate encounter with a wandering Exile, Aegis Dare must now venture into the heart of Old Equestria, the Cursed City of Canterlot, in search of a cure…

But what is waiting for him in the once shining city?

Warning: There will be blood, death, and gore.
Inspired by Dark Souls

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-11-22 17:03:47 UTC

Initium

I was dreaming.

Dreaming of a time of peace and harmony.

Love and life.

A white unicorn, or maybe a Pegasus, appears before me in a flash of blinding light.

“Bring back the Sun…” She would say, but I never got to ask her what she meant.

Then light around me fades, and the colour vanishes from the world, replaced with a faint silver light as the Moon hangs in the sky.

A shadow with glistening white teeth blacks out my view and descends upon me.

I scream, terror filling every fibre of my being, and then…

I wake up…

Aegis Dare woke with a start, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.  He had been having the same dream for several moonlit days. “Every day, I wake up to see the same dark room and the dreary darkness outside...” He said softly, getting out of bed and stretching. He was an effeminate looking Pegasus with a snow-white coat. The layers of his mane closest to his head were jet black, while the layers on top were a pale strawberry pink. In his younger days, he was often mistaken for a filly.

“Going to the watch, Aegis?” Another pony asked.

“Yeah,” Aegis said. “What will it be today? Shades? Changelings? Maybe a Manticore?”

“Oh gods, don’t mention any of those things. I would like to sleep this time.”

Aegis grinned. “Not my fault if you have nightmares. Why not think of that good-looking mare over in the western wing?”

“Why am I not reassured?”

“It’s your problem, then,” Aegis said, walking out the door into the night air.

It had been five hundred years since a mysterious event devastated Equestria. The Sun vanished from the sky, and an eternal night sprang up in its place. Somehow the crops still grew, and life still flourished. The ponies built a massive fortress where towns and cities were once their home. The old days of great innovation and art were gone. Flights of fantasy were replaced a serious and grim focus on the present and near future. Anyone from those old glory days were either dead or missing, provided they were somehow still alive. And the only reason anyone knew this was because of Spike, the resident Loremaster. He was also a dragon and the one who trained the Captains in swordcraft. And so, on this moonlit day, Aegis paid his old mentor a visit. He slipped in quietly while Spike wasn’t looking and moved his quill from where it was.

“I need to write this down…” Spike said, reaching for the quill. He reached for it, only to find that it wasn’t where he left it. “Put it back, Aegis. Your games got old years ago.”

“Still sharp as ever, Gramps,” Aegis said, grinning to himself.

Spike shook his head. “You are such a child… At least you can still smile, even in this dreary age.”

“Positive thinking. It gets one anywhere.”

Spike grinned. Aegis’ mentality proved infectious sometimes, but he was glad to have the Pegasus around. Being the only one who remembered the Sun was a depressing thought, and nopony knew Spike’s past. Everypony only saw the here and now, focusing on what they could see. Aegis was different. His mind was prone to wandering, and he often wondered what was outside the walls of their fortress home. Spike had raised him from a foal after his parents left the fortress on a scouting run and never came back. Since then, Aegis developed quite an imagination, often listening to stories of brave knights led by the fearless Shining Armor. When he turned 13, Spike began training him in swordcraft, using those stories of Captain Shining Armor to spur the young Pegasus on.

“You ever thought about settling down with a nice mare? It’ll do you some good, hotshot.”

Aegis laughed. “You haven’t called me that in years, Gramps.” His expression turned serious for a moment. “Have you heard the rumors?”

“Of what? From the southern district? It’s so far away, it might as well be its own city…” Spike asked.

Aegis nodded. “They say there’s some kind of curse. A strange mark appearing over ponies’ flanks.”

“That’s not a curse. It’s called a Cutie Mark, and you be sure to tell them that. This is why it pays to listen to a Loremaster, especially one who knows what he’s talkin’ about.”

“No, not their Cutie Marks. Though, they’d probably think that’s unnatural as well, since they don’t have a Loremaster over there. This curse manifests itself as a thin black ring and the victim’s Cutie Mark turns black,” Aeigs said.

Spike grabbed a book and began flicking through the pages. “What happens if the victim’s Cutie Mark was naturally black?”

“It only affects one side, or so the rumors say.”

An hour later, Spike had read through every book he had. “Nothing on this curse. Must’ve manifested recently.”

Aegis yawned, despite having plenty of sleep. “Which means you don’t know.”

Spike nodded. “Exactly. But this is seriously bad. There’s only one being I know of who could make this happen, but he’s been trapped in the ruins of Canterlot for the past four hundred years.”

“That’d be Discord, the spirit of chaos. I remember the stories about him. Do you think he could have got free somehow?” Aegis asked.

Spike frowned as he went back to his writing. “For everypony’s sake, I hope not.”

Aegis left Spike to his writing after that, but he thought about this ‘curse’. What did it mean for his home fortress? And most importantly, how does it spread among the ponies? He kept thinking about, even on his way to the dining hall for breakfast.

“What are ya thinkin’ so hard about, Aegis?” A dark blue, almost black, unicorn asked, taking a seat next to him.

Aegis shrugged. “Just thinking about this curse that’s got our neighbours in the slums so worked up.”

“They get worked up when the midnight frost doesn’t water their gardens for them.”

“What if they’re right this time, Jazz?”

Before the conversation could continue, they heard a call from the doorway. “Aegis Dare, Smooth Jazz! You two are on watch in ten minutes.”

“I hear ya, Captain. C’mon, Aegis. And don’t worry about that curse. Ain’t nothin’ but somepony had a little too much booze.” Smooth Jazz said, slipping her harmonica into her breast pocket as she left. Aegis wolfed down the rest of his breakfast and followed her.

“I’m not convinced, Jazz. We’ve heard of curse scares before but this is new. Why would they make this up?”

Smooth Jazz shook her head as they turned the corner and opened the door to the northern ramparts. “Aegis, I’m gonna say it plain for ya. You think too much, and it’s always about some wild fantasy. Look out there, out beyond this wall. It’s nothing but darkness and misery.”

“And what have we got here, Jazz? Getting through the day just to wonder how we’ll get through the next one? Gramps won’t be here forever. Even Dragons get old and die.” Aegis said, raising his voice.

Jazz frowned. “Then maybe you’ll get your head out of the clouds and down here where we need you. Stories are just stories. There’s nothing out there beyond that wall. From here to the ruins of the old cities there is nothing!”

Aegis shoved past her. “Whatever. It’s not like I can prove you wrong.”

“This is how you end an argument?” Jazz asked incredulously.

“We’re on watch, aren’t we? If you want to keep talking, then walk.”

“Damn it, Aegis.” Jazz said. She sighed and continued. “I’m just tryin’ to look out for you. Ponies already think you’re weird-”

“I already know what they think of me, and if they think that I have no purpose here, they can look up my records and kiss my lily-white flank.” Aegis said angrily. “So what if I’m a dreamer? Is it wrong to dream? Is it wrong to have hope in a world where hope has long since abandoned us?”

“It is when you have a parent who clings to it so much that after three years of hoping the Sun will rise, she jumps off the side of the fortress because she can’t handle the eternal night and living in a world where day and night look the same!” Jazz yelled.

“There we go with your mother again. Jeez, Jazz, let it go.” Aegis said.

“I shoulda known you wouldn’t understand. You never do.”

“Jazz, I understand better than you think. I’m your best friend, and frankly, the only one who puts up with your nonsense. Do you think I would be here arguing with you if I didn’t understand?”

Jazz said nothing. She merely sat by the ramparts, pulled out her harmonica, and began playing.

“Look, Jazz, I’m sorry.” Aegis said as he sat next to Jazz. She put the harmonica down and looked him in the eyes. Into his sparkling sky blue eyes.

“Damn, Aegis. I can’t stay mad at you, can I?” She said, grinning to herself.

Aegis stretched out. “Doesn’t seem that way. If it helps, Gramps often calls me a foal.”

“I’d never guess why…”

Aegis laughed. “You may be right.” He spotted a single individual heading for the gates. “Are we expecting any messengers to come through here?”

“Oh crud.” Jazz said, grabbing a nearby spear. “HALT DOWN THERE!”

The figure stopped moving.

“STATE YOUR BUSINESS, STRANGER! BE WARNED, WE HAVE WEAPONS TRAINED ON YOU!”

The figure said nothing.

Aegis shifted his sword within reach of his right wing. “ANSWER, OR WE WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO ASSUME HOSTILE INTENT!” He turned to Jazz. “I’m gonna go down and see about this joker face to face. If he makes any hostile moves, fry him.”

“Gotcha, Aegis.” Jazz said, not taking her eyes off the figure outside the gates.

Aegis flew down and faced the stranger. He was wearing a long black hooded cloak. “Aegis Dare, candidate to be the next Captain of Fortress Luna. An honour to meet you.” The stranger said in a strange hissing tone.

“The pleasure is mine. Now please, state your business.”

“I’m here to seek some supplies for my journey. You see…” The figure removed the cloak. On his flank was a thin blank ring surrounding his blackened Cutie Mark. “I’m cursed, and I need to go to the western asylum before I…before I… ungh…” He collapsed and started twitching uncontrollably.

“Are you alright? GET MEDICS DOWN HERE NOW!” Aegis yelled. “It’ll be ok. We’ll fix this.”

“You can’t…I need to…aagh…you need to get away…ungh…while you can…”

Aegis tried to keep him calm. “Easy. Uh, breathe. Just-”

“GO!” The stranger yelled, his eyes clouding over. His speech degenerated into babbling.

“SEAL THE GATE! WEAPONS READY!” Aegis yelled. But he took his eyes off the stranger for a moment, and didn’t see him get up again. When he turned back, the stranger leapt at him, knocking him to the ground. “Gah!”

The stranger began swinging his forelegs wildly, slobbering and roaring like a beast. Aegis tried holding him back, but to no avail. He went to fight back, but the stranger proved stronger. The first blow to the head thankfully removed Aegis’ ability to feel pain. All he could do was wait until the world turned black…

I see sunlight.

Does sunlight still exist in this world?

Where can I find it?

No answers come for these questions, but I have to find out.

A cure for my condition?

Life slowly returned to Aegis’ body. He awoke to a dull throbbing and the smell of dried herbs.

“About time you woke up. You gave us quite a scare,” Spike said. In his clawed hand, he held a glass of a dark green mixture. “You’ll want to drink this. It’ll take care of that headache.”

“I feel like I was dead…” Aegis said. Then he saw Spike’s reaction. Half-sorrow, half-intrigue.

“You were. You died three cycles ago. Pretty badly messed up, with your skull caved in and half your bones reduced to gravel. Then your wounds just closed up on their own, leaving healthy skin and flesh behind. After that, you got up and started saying something about the Sun will cure us all, and then you started twitching. I had to knock some sense into you, then I gave you some of that mixture before you passed out again.”

“How am I alive?”

“Check your flank. It’s on the right side,” Spike said. Aegis rolled over onto his left side and threw off his blankets. And sure enough, there it was. A black ring around a blackened Cutie Mark. He seized the glass with both his hooves and downed it in one gulp, coughing and spluttering as it went down. “Take it easy, hotshot,” Spike said, as Aegis finished coughing, “You’ll choke if you drink it too fast.”

Aegis was completely shocked. “I’m cursed? But then, what will happen now? Am I to be sent away? Never to return?”

“Calm down,” Spike said, putting a hand on Aegis’ shoulder, “you’re going to an asylum in the west, to be with others who have that brand. Or, we have an alternative. Say something happened on the way? Like a little…accident?”

“That’s against the law.”

“There’s a chance at a cure. You said so yourself. But it means going into the ruins of Canterlot, and they’re pretty big. And full of nasty things who have more of a temper than me. And there’s more.” Spike said, holding up a mirror. Aegis gazed into it and brushed aside his mane, finding a star-shaped marking on his forehead in the exact spot where a Unicorn’s horn would be. “That marking appeared after you passed out .”

“Why is it there? What is it, anyway?” Aegis asked. He was determined to find out anything he could about his new condition.

“Don’t know,” Spike said, as he began packing a doctor’s bag full of medical  supplies and a few other items that Aegis didn’t recognize, “but we’ll find out.”

“We?”

“Yep. I’m goin’ with you.”

Aegis shook his head, immediately wishing that he hadn’t. “They need you here. They need your stories.”

“The elders wanted to be rid of me and my ‘aged fantasies’ long before you were born,” Spike said.

“Your medicine.”

Spike shot him down again. “There are doctors here.”

“Your experience.”

“Aside from you, who fights the way I taught them to?” Spike asked. “No, they don’t really need me. I left the formula for that mixture with the apothecary, so the only thing I can offer them that they’ll need is already taken care of. Besides… I feel like I’m being called home.”

Aegis seemed puzzled, but he didn’t question it. It was enough that Spike was going with him into the hell that was once Equestria.

Exile

My fate is forever changed…

I see ruins of a once proud civilization…

I see ponies who were once great artists, musicians, and explorers…

Now, they are lost to all, and their minds decayed to nothing…

But can they be restored?

I suppose only time will tell…

“Wake up, Aegis. We’re nearly there.”

Aegis had been sleeping for the past three days as he was transported in a barred and reinforced automated carriage to the western asylum, where he would spend the rest of his days. Or so they thought. Unbeknownst to them, Spike had planned an escape, and was now putting things in place to rescue Aegis from the asylum.

“You should have fried him, Jazz,” Aegis said softly. He realized that he would never see his home again. Whether he was successful or not, he was an exile. That single solitary thought nearly broke his heart. “Now… well… now I will never hear your voice or see your smile ever again…”

The ponies operating the rusted relic conversed among themselves, but Aegis caught snippets of what they were saying. From the voices, it sounded like a male-female pair.

“It’s not right…”

“He got what was comin’ to ‘im”

“Just because you didn’t like him…”

Aegis sighed. “Time to play my part.” He got up on his hind legs and threw himself at the rear door.

CRACK! The door splintered as Aegis collided with the wood. He reasoned that his strength might have been enhanced by the curse, or the wood was rotting. One of the two. Regardless, he reared again, only this time to be greeted by swords.

“Finally…” He hissed, leaping over the drivers. They spun around, swinging their swords at Aegis’ knees, but he vaulted over the blades. He smiled at them with a disturbingly feral smile. “Want to know why you can’t beat me?”

The drivers glared at him. They couldn’t kill him, since he’d just get back up, but he could take a lot of punishment and still live. They charged at him, swinging wildly. Aegis slid under their blades and leapt onto the male’s back. “You just don’t have the range of movement when you hold a sword in your mouth, and you lack the agility to fight like I do.”

The female tackled Aegis to the ground, but he threw her off easily. The mark on his forehead flashed underneath his mane and his eyes glowed bright blue as a piece of wood broke off the carriage and floated in front of Aegis, surrounded in a magic aura that was the same colour as his eyes. “Shall we?”

Spike walked up to the drivers. “I’ll take it from here. Aegis, you’re going to the asylum, even if I have to knock you out and drag you there.” The dragon winked at Aegis.

“You’ll have to catch me first, Gramps!” He yelled, sprinting off into the night with Spike hot on his heels. Once they were a sufficient distance away, they stopped. “I don’t think that was part of the plan.”

“No, but it worked a lot better than the original plan would have,” Spike said.

“How so, Gramps?” Aegis asked.

“Because those two would have died, and unlike you, they wouldn’t get back up. Anyway, do you know what you did back there?”

Aegis thought for a moment, and realized what happened. “Yeah, I felt like a part of me, an invisible wing or hand, was reaching out and grabbed hold of that plank of wood. “

“That was telekinesis. When I last did research into it, everypony with telekinesis always described it as an invisible hand reaching out to grab the object they focused it on. Princess Twilight also used it to defend herself on occasion by compressing air and shooting it at her foes.” Spike noted Aegis’ excited expression and quickly added. “I wouldn’t try it, hotshot. It’s a difficult spell, and Princess Twilight tended to shoot nearby objects at her foes more often than compressing air into tiny balls of pressure.”

“Does that work better?” Aegis asked.

“Considering it takes less energy to pick up something and throw it than it does to actually make the projectile, yes. Unicorns last longer by shooting rocks than shooting lightning bolts. But it’s not a matter of power or longevity. It’s about how wisely you use your power.”

“Words to live by. Where to?” Aegis asked, eager to get going.

“Don’t be in such a rush, hotshot. If you go blindly rushing in, things tend to get messy,” Spike said. He then pointed towards the mountains. “That way. When you see a city wrapped around the mountain, that’s Canterlot. It’s called The Cursed City now, because ponies these days are so intelligent…”

The road was long and their destination always seemed to be out of their reach. Aegis hoped that he was doing the right thing, and thought that Spike’s decision to leave was surprisingly out of character. Spike didn’t get along with the elders, but he had never wanted to leave before. Aegis decided to press for answers.

“Why did you say you were being called home, Gramps?” Aegis asked.

“I just said it was a feeling,” Spike replied.

“Why?”

Spike sighed. “Because it has to do with my past. I have told you stories about the past, but I never told you my past. And we’ll leave it at that.”

Aegis stood in front of Spike, refusing to let the Dragon past. “No, we won’t. You’re hiding something, and if there’s one thing I learned from the elders, secrets can get a pony killed.”

Spike frowned at the Pegasus. “Oh, and what makes you think you deserve an answer like that out of me? Just because I raised you after your parents died does not mean you can pry into memories from five hundred years ago. Seriously, Twilight, just leave it alone!”

“Twilight?” Aegis asked, puzzled.

“Nothing. Let’s just get moving. The sooner we get there, the better.”

They didn’t speak again for a solid hour, by which time, Spike was holding a golden necklace with a blazing red ruby set into the heart shaped pendant. His eyes were filled with sorrow and longing.

“Gramps? Are you ok?” Aegis asked.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah… I was just remembering somepony special to me. She was beautiful and elegant. She was also selfish and stubborn at times, but her heart was always in the right place. I gave her this ruby, and she said that she would treasure it always,” Spike said.

“What was her name?”

“Her name was Rarity. And she certainly lived up to her name. Nopony will ever be like her.”

Aegis leapt onto Spike’s shoulders. “Hey!” Spike exclaimed, keeping a hold of the pendant

“You’ll see her again someday, Gramps,” Aegis said.

“Maybe… Now get off. You’re not a foal anymore,” Spike said, grinning to himself.

Aegis and Spike couldn’t help but smile. I wonder, Twilight… Is this how you felt when I was in Aegis’ place and you in mine? Spike thought to himself. He may yet find out.

They stopped to camp in what used to be Ponyville. There were still a few liveable houses in the deserted town, even though nopony had lived there in hundreds of years. Needless to say, new tenants had moved in. And they didn’t take kindly to strangers.

“Back off!” Aegis yelled, throwing one of these tenants, a Timberwolf, into a fireplace. He charged into another, breaking through the wall of a destroyed house. The Timberwolf snarled at Aegis, who simply flared his wings open and tackled the Timberwolf to the ground.

Spike had his own problems. He had faced Timberwolves before, even far back into his youth. His face remained stoic as he fended off several Timberwolves. “We’re just passin’ through! Can’t you understand that?”

Seeing that his words wouldn’t make any difference, he relaxed his body, took in a deep breath, and brought forth a single beam of emerald green flames from his maw. The Timberwolves scattered, fearful of the fire, and rightfully so. Their inherent magical defences are meaningless compared to Dragon flames. Taking the opportunity, Spike sprinted through, grabbing hold of Aegis as he ran.

“Hey! Warn me next time!” Aegis yelled, indignantly.

“Didn’t you see the fire? That WAS the warning, hotshot…” Spike said. “Ponyville’s a bad place to camp.” He looked back only once, to take one last look at the biggest tree in Ponyville. The tree that had been his home five hundred years ago.

They only stopped running as soon as they had reached an old railway track. Plants had grown over it, as well as various mushrooms. Aegis prodded one with a stick, like a child would.

“They’re just mushrooms, not Timberwolves in disguise…” Spike said.

“I’m not taking chances out here,” Aegis said in response. He continued eyeing the mushroom. Spike rolled his eyes and plucked it out of the ground. He uprooted a few more and fashioned a pot out of a large nearby stone.

“I’ll show you what to do with these. These aren’t poisonous. Heck, even if they were, it wouldn’t bother you much, would it?” He grinned slyly at Aegis as he began cutting the mushrooms with his claws. He began taking some bags of herbs out of his travel bag, having switched from vials after realizing how fragile they were sometime after preparing to travel to Canterlot, and lit a fire under the stone pot.

Aegis sat by the fire, trying to catch the flames with his telekinesis. He thought back to his friend, Smooth Jazz, and the home he believed he would never return to.

“Hard to cope with, isn’t it?” Spike asked, correctly guessing what Aegis was thinking.

“How do you manage, Gramps? What stops you from becoming a wreck?”

Spike cast a spell to draw water from the ground to fill the stone pot. “I learned to deal with it a long time ago. For the first ten years, I wouldn’t leave the house. I stayed and cried. The next seventy years, I wandered around as an angry, depressed sword-for-hire, protecting Equestrians on their way to safety. After that, it just became another memory.” As the water boiled, he threw the mushrooms and herbs in, but he did not lose his melancholy expression. “The thing about Dragons is that we remember long after everypony else has forgotten. It’s truly the only thing I curse about being a Dragon.”

“Why?” Aegis asked.

“Because it’s one thing to remember a friend. It’s another thing to spend the rest of your life regretting that you were ever friends in the first place or wishing you were dead because you outlived that friend. A life measured in thousands of years is a terrible curse, Aegis. Remember that…”

Aegis wanted to talk more, but his hunger and a need to sleep won out this time. Once the mushroom stew was ready, the two of them ate what they could and slept lightly.

The closest to morning that ever came was the sky turning a dark pale blue, a shade that stayed until it turned black.  When Aegis awoke, Spike was preparing  some food. Aegis didn’t know what it was, only that it was white with a yellow spot in the centre.

“Morning, hotshot,” Spike said cheerfully.

“Morning. What is that?” Aegis asked.

“These are eggs. Chicken eggs, to be precise. There heaps of them runnin’ around. Logically, there’s nests nearby, too. Got lucky and found a few.”

“You eat eggs?” Aegis asked, repulsed at the thought.

“So did the Equestrians, five hundred years ago. You should brush up on your history,” Spike said, sliding the eggs off the stone slab into Aegis’ bowl from the previous night, except it was cleaned since then.

“We’re not far, are we?” Aegis asked, tentatively sniffing at the fried eggs.

Spike happily scarfed down his eggs, immediately looking to see if he had any more to cook. “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”

Aegis frowned. “Are we or aren’t we?”

“We’ll be there by the time the sky turns black again. Fortunately, there’s nothing around here that will try to kill us. Not until we get into Canterlot itself, anyway…”

I remember the time when the Sun set for the last time, and eternal night took its place…

“Spike, take this and run. This is my last letter to Princess Celestia. Inside are all my notes and a theory on how to stop all of this.”

“Twilight, I don’t understand. What’s happening?”

“Neither do I, Spike. Please, keep this letter safe for me.”

“Don’t send me away. Let me protect you.”

“I appreciate the thought, but you have to go. Find a place to hide and keep that letter safe. Trust me.”

That was the last time I saw Twilight, and to this day, I still have that letter. Still unopened. Still waiting.

“Is that it, Gramps?” Aegis asked, pointing out the city wrapped around the mountain.

“Yep. The Cursed City of Canterlot,” Spike said with a sad tone in his voice. “It used to be so beautiful…”

Undead City

The City of Canterlot. Never before has any Equestrian city been so quiet, until now.

CLANG! Swords clashed in the streets as our heroes fought their way into the city. Aegis had begun to rely heavily on his telekinesis, since it allowed him to move faster and more freely than having a blade on his wing or in his mouth. The other plus was the ability to improvise small rocks and sticks as makeshift projectiles, as his very difficult to kill enemies found out.

“These creeps don’t stay down, do they?” Aegis asked, becoming increasingly frustrated at the seemingly never-ending supply of crazed ghoul ponies. Spike took notice of this.

“Check their flanks. They’ve got the same markings around a black and faded Cutie Mark,” He said, cutting a few more down in the process. “This fight is goin’ on way too long. Time to cut our losses.”

“A Captain of the Guard never runs, even if he is merely a candidate,” Aegis said. Spike grabbed him by his sword belt. Aegis’ sword clattered to the ground as Spike clambered up the sides of the buildings. “Wait! My sword!”

“Leave it! No sense in risking your life for a piece of metal!” Spike said. He was small for a dragon, since he was only a little taller than the Elder when walking on all four legs. But it was a good blend of size, strength and speed, perfect for the urban combat necessary in Canterlot. Some had a theory that his actual size was much greater than he let on and he was using magic to compress his size down. Aegis often felt this was ridiculous. For one, where would all of that mass go? How would he incorporate it into his body? And furthermore, how would he get rid of it in order to shrink his size down? It didn’t add up. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on Spike’s oddities, especially since they had to escape a horde of undead ghouls. And Aegis no longer had a sword.

They were fast. Fast enough to keep up with Spike. Definitely an unsettling sign. “Persistent bastards… GET LOST!” Spike roared, flames pouring from his mouth and lighting the city in a brilliant green light.

In the light of the emerald fire, Aegis saw a single pony who wasn’t a ghoul being attacked. Without thinking twice, he broke free of Spike’s grip, snapping the leather belt holding his sheath in place, and dived down into the alley to save the pony. “LEAVE THAT PONY ALONE!”

The ghouls screeched as Aegis slammed one into a wall, splattering brains and blood everywhere. Aegis hissed and landed a strong kick to another ghoul’s shoulder, resulting a dull crack and the pitiful moaning of the injured ghoul. The final ghoul charged, but Aegis simply stepped aside and shoved it into a nearby trash can, pummelling it until it stopped shaking. “They won’t stay dead for long, but it will be a while. Are you alright?” He asked the pony.

“Please, don’t hurt me,” The pony said.

“I promise not to hurt you,” Aegis said. He took a closer look at the one he just saved. It was a female pony, but she was unharmed. “Doesn’t look like they did much more than scare you. Do you have a name, Miss?”

“My name? I don’t remember…my name.”

“Hey, hotshot! Trouble’s still after us, in case you’d forgotten!” Spike called from the rooftops. Aegis nodded.

“It’s not safe here. Please, come with me,” He said.

“Can I trust you?” The mare asked.

“Yes. My name is Aegis Dare.”

The mare got to her feet and ran behind Aegis, proving surprisingly fast. They sprinted through the alleys until they found a small plaza where Spike was waiting for them.

“Took your time, hotshot,” He said, though his eyes widened at the sight of the mare as she stepped into the moonlight. Her coat was a silvery white and her amethyst mane hung low around her shoulders and face. Her cutie mark was three diamonds, but one side was blackened and surrounded by a black ring. “Aegis, this is Rarity.”

“You seem familiar. Have we met before?” Rarity asked. She didn’t quite know why this dragon was so interesting.

“A long time ago, we were friends,” Spike said. He bowed before her, hoping to trigger some memory of who she was. “My name is Spike.”

“Spike? I think I’ve heard that before. I wish I could remember, but I can’t. All I remember was waking up lying in that alley and then the sky lit up with green fire.”

“It’s been five hundred years, Miss Rarity,” Aegis said. “It’s a really long story.”

“And this isn’t the place to tell it. Let’s find somewhere to bunker down for a while,” Spike said. The screeching of the Ghouls wasn’t far away, and even if Aegis and Rarity would simply revive after death, their common sense still dictated that they should take shelter.

They hid in an apartment away from the ghouls. The fortunate thing about Canterlot was how it was designed to withstand anything short of the mountain collapsing.

“You said Canterlot was in ruins. The place looks fine to me. Well, except for the ghouls,” Aegis said.

“It was ruins when I left. Somepony rebuilt it…” Spike said, deep in thought.

Rarity looked around the apartment. From her actions, Spike gathered that some of her personality may have surfaced. “Is there a shower or a bathtub around here?”

“In the bathroom,” Spike said. He whispered to Aegis, “She seems to be getting her memory back, but there’s something off about her.”

“How so?” Aegis asked in an undertone.

“I don’t know… But I want to find out.”

Rarity came out from the bathroom. “There’s no water here. I guess it hasn’t been fixed yet.”

“Rarity, do you recognize this?” Spike asked, holding up the ruby pendant that he treasured.

“Enjoy your Fire Ruby, Spike.”

“No, I want you to have it, Rarity. It’ll just be dinner to me, but with you, it will last forever.”

A single tear rolled down Rarity’s cheek. “Spike? Is that you?”

“Yes, Rarity. It’s me, only older,” Spike said with a warm loving glow in his eyes. “I guess I’m not so cute anymore.”

“You’ve grown so much. I can’t remember everything, but I remember you and Twilight- Twilight! Is she ok?” Rarity asked, going from comforting nostalgia to horrified panic.

“She tried to stop Discord from sealing the Sun, but I’m afraid she couldn’t do it. Even with Celestia and Luna fighting alongside her. He won and levelled the city. I was so afraid that you’d all died that day.”

“What about Fluttershy? Applejack? Rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie?” Rarity hit panic stations. Aegis was confused.

“Dead. Every one of them,” Spike said, tears rolling down his face. “They tried fighting against Discord and got killed for it.”

“Gramps?” Aegis asked. This was the first time he’d seen Spike cry.

“I just need a moment. I’ll see if I can find something to eat while I’m at it,” Spike said. He slipped out quietly, fluid like water.

Rarity turned her attention to Aegis. “How do you know Spike?”

“He raised me. My parents died when I was young, and Gramps took me in. He taught me how to read, write, and how to defend myself,” Aegis said. Rarity held him steady and brushed aside his mane, something Aegis was less than happy about. “Hey! Get off!”

“How did you get this mark?” Rarity asked.

“Why? Do you know it?” Aegis asked in return.

“It’s a marking that I’ve only seen in one other place. Twilight’s Cutie Mark had a star in that exact shape and colour. How did you get it?”

“I was attacked by an exiled pony. He was cursed with the same brand as us. He lost his sense and became feral, then black. When I woke up, I was told that I had died and nearly gone feral myself. After that, everything changed. I can’t ever go home again because of what I am now, and what I’m afraid I’ll become…” Aegis said. A tear rolled down his cheek when he thought of Smooth Jazz, a friend he would never see again.

“You distance yourself from those you care about because you’re afraid you’ll hurt them?” Rarity asked.

“Yes,” was the simple reply.

“But when you weren’t cursed, you would have done anything for those you cared about, yes?”

“Exactly. I would die for them if I had to,” Aegis said.

“Then you’re a fool. If you are a truly brave warrior, then you will live for your friends. Do that, and I’ll do the same,” Rarity said, her sapphire eyes sparkling in the moonlight pouring through the window.

Of all the situations Spike had foreseen, this was the one he never considered. But if Rarity was alive, could the others also be alive? Or if they weren’t, why Rarity? How did she survive? Was she even the real Rarity? Spike kept agonizing over these questions, but one part of him wanted to believe in Rarity as he used to. The young dragon from five hundred years ago.

“It doesn’t matter. I can’t turn back the hands of time…” He said quietly.

I might be able to help you… A voice crept into the back of Spike’s mind. A deep sinister voice.

“No… You’re dead. I saw you die that day.”

Yes, I was indeed dead. But like many others in this city, I returned to life. I must thank Celestia for bringing that piece of my horn here to Canterlot, because now… Well, you’ve seen my handiwork. Magnificent, isn’t it?

“Then show yourself, demon. I’m not afraid of you anymore. Because I’m no longer a child,” Spike said, addressing the voice.

No, I won’t. At least, not yet. There’s still one vital part still to be played, but isn’t Rarity charming? It took a lot of work to recreate her, especially since most of her body was badly damaged in Discord’s attack. Enjoy her company, Spike. She’ll lead you right to me when the time is right…

“Wait! Show yourself!” Spike yelled. He looked around frantically, and caught sight of a pair of glowing green eyes atop the guardtower. But before he could do anything, the figure vanished into the shadows. “So, it really was you… Sombra.”

Spike returned to the apartment to the sound of running water and Rarity’s singing.

“We got water running,” Aegis said with a very familiar look in his eye. A look Spike knew well.

“Hold on there, hotshot. You’re far too young for her,” Spike said.

“I’m old enough,” Aegis said indignantly.

“Now that sounds familiar. There’s nothin’ you can say that I haven’t already heard. I said most of it, too,” Spike said, ruffling Aegis’ mane. “I never told you who you remind me of, did I?”

“Not once in nineteen years,” Aegis replied, stretching out on a couch lined up against the wall.

“You remind me of myself,” Spike said. “All of your actions prove that much.”

“Am I really that much like you, Gramps?” Aegis asked.

“Oh yeah. But that comes with the bad things, too. Like not listening to your elders,” Spike said, a sly grin creeping across his face.

“You boys aren’t fighting, are you?” Rarity asked. While Aegis and Spike were talking, they didn’t hear the shower stop.

“Not at all. Actually, I was saying to Aegis that he was too young for you.”

“He’s nineteen, isn’t he?” Rarity asked.

“And you are five hundred and twenty one. Yes, that’s a very small age gap,” Spike deadpanned. A sign that the old ‘Gramps’ persona was fading, like he was coming to life after a long sleep.

“Do I get a say in this?” Aegis asked.

“We can sit here and argue all night, but that isn’t going to do our health any favours, darling,” Rarity said.

“I agree,” Spike said. “Tomorrow, we’re going to the inner city. And there’s worse than ghouls in there.”

“Like what?” Aegis asked.

“The Elite Guard…”

They rested for six hours, during which no Ghouls attacked. This was fortunate, since Spike took the opportunity to scavange some food and a new blade for Aegis. It was long and light, and had a slight curve along the blade.

“What is this? Doesn’t look like any sword I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s a Katana, no one really knows who came up with the design, but it’s lethal and efficient. Just be careful with it. Katanas are among the sharpest blades in the world, and they’re light, yet strong,” Spike said. He stowed it in its scabbard and handed it to Aegis. Rarity had her own gift for Aegis and Spike.

“Here. I found some leather and made this armour for you. It won’t stop lethal blows, but it should help to protect against damage and the environment,” She said, offering the leather armour to Aegis and Spike. Aegis accepted, finding it to fit perfectly. Spike, however, refused it.

“It’s a wonderful gift, but I can’t accept. My scales have grown tougher, and I’m practically wearing armour already. You should craft a suit for yourself,” He said.

“If you insist. How do you like it, Mr Dare?” Rarity asked.

“Just call me Aegis. It’s a perfect fit, but I have to ask, how did you know my measurements?” Aegis asked.

“Well, I had to guess for a certain part,” She said, causing Aegis to blush. “But everything else is exactly the same as Rainbow Dash. Well, your wings are slightly larger, but that’s easily accounted for.”

“You, uh, certainly know your craft, Miss Rarity,” Aegis said, still blushing.

The wall that divided the inner city turned out to be lightly guarded, though  the Ghouls probably weren’t smart enough to use grappling hooks or ladders, and those among the Ghouls who had wings couldn’t use them to fly anyway. Aegis scanned the area, taking note of the guards dressed in jet-black armour.

“Can’t cut through them,” He said.

“Can’t go around them, either. Too risky,” Spike said.

Rarity spotted a cluster of pots, a sly grin creeping across her face. “Such a pity we don’t have anypony well-versed in alchemy, or we might be able to create a distraction,” She said, the realized exactly what she said. “Wait, where did you learn alchemy, Spike?”

“About two hundred years ago I stayed with a buffalo tribe and learned some of their medicine, I left sometime after that and fell in with a zebra tribe far from home,” Spike said as he began making some explosive powder. “They were looking for a bodyguard, and I had a revived interest in learning. I guess a part of Twilight lives on in me and I wanted to keep that memory alive.”

Aegis motioned for Rarity to stand back a little, just in case. “Sometimes he gets it wrong. It’s usually just a face full of smoke, though.”

“Better be ready to fight, and for you two, be ready to die.”

BOOM! The explosion drew every guard in earshot towards the explosion, allowing Spike, Rarity, and Aegis to slip past unnoticed. Once past the initial wave, they got up to the rooftops to avoid the streets now crawling with alert guards, each one armed with a massive sword. Aegis noted how easy it all seemed, before getting a sudden tingling in the back of his skull. He tried to put it out of his mind, but it just wouldn’t go away,

You want Rarity, don’t you? Be honest, Aegis Dare. You desire her more than anything… A voice in the back of his mind began tempting him with thoughts

She’s enchanting, that much is certain. If I can’t deny that I want her, I have to ask why. I act like a foal around her, yet I was the youngest candidate to be Captain of the Guard, Aegis thought, as if responding to the voice. They came to a stop when they could see the Royal Palace…and an army of Black Knights out front. Spike handed Aegis and Rarity a flask each.

“Drink that. If I’m correct, you two should have felt a tingling sensation in your bodies. If that tingling turns into convulsions and muscle spasms, then you two will turn into Ghouls just like those back in the outer districts. This mixture will stave off the effects,” Spike said.

Aegis and Rarity drank the foul-smelling mixture that tasted like sour milk and rotten soybeans. After nearly bringing it back up, Aegis finally decided to ask, “How’d you come across the formula?”

“That pony who got you into this mess. Thanks to him, we have a way for you two to keep your senses, and I know all the signs of insanity. It took you longer to feel the effects of the curse, though. I wonder if positive emotions help to delay it…” Spike pondered.

“We don’t have the time to sit and wonder. So, if the city is rebuilt, then we hit the Royal Library, just like we planned…” Aegis said, shifting his blade into a position where he can easily draw it and strike.

It all went wrong. In trying to sneak in through the back, they had been caught. In trying to fight, they were defeated. In trying to die, they were kept alive. And even Aegis had given into despair. The dungeons in Canterlot had become bigger during the rebuilding, and Black Knights patrolled outside the cells.

“Hello, Miss Rarity. It has been too long…” A voice called.

“Who are you? Show yourself!” Rarity yelled.

The figure stepped out of the shadows.

“You!” Rarity yelled. She began struggling against the shackles and chains.

“Blueblood. Former Prince of Equestria and, by the looks of it, Captain of the Guard,” Spike said.

“Have we met before?” Blueblood asked of Spike.

“Once, but it was a long time ago. Princess Twilight’s Coronation,” Spike said.

Blueblood drew his sword and pointed it at Spike. “How do you know our Princess? They said that anypony who was not touched by Discord’s accursed influence died when Canterlot fell.”

“I was Princess Twilight’s assistant, tasked with an important mission that went unfinished. I was escorted from Canterlot by Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was killed in action, and Rarity was assumed dead. As you can see, she is very much alive,” Spike replied.

Blueblood motioned for the Knights to release them. “We will take you before the Princess. Then we will find out if your story is true…”

The Truth

The throne room was almost empty aside from a figure sitting on the throne, obscured by shadows. Blueblood and the Knights led Spike, Rarity and Aegis before the one they called ‘Princess’ and forced them to bow.

“Your Highness, this is the dragon who claims to be your assistant before Canterlot was destroyed.”

“Where was he found?” She asked, her voice sounding familiar to Spike.

“They were captured in the Royal Gardens, trying to break into the Royal Library,” Blueblood said. “Speaking of which, we really should put the Naming Committee to work on some new names.”

“Put it on the agenda, right underneath restoring sanity to the Naming Committee. Now, please remove the dragon’s muzzle. If he is as loyal as he claims, then he will not be a threat.”

Blueblood removed Spike’s muzzle and stepped aside, giving Spike leave to speak.

“My thanks, your Highness,” he said.

The Princess seemed to be bored. “Dispense with the pleasantries, please. You are aware that every moment you spend talking is time you take away from restoring sanity and sunlight to Equestria?”

“Then I’ll make it simple for you, Princess,” Spike said, growing annoyed with her tone and responding in kind. “Five hundred years ago, I was given a letter by Princess Twilight Sparkle with instructions to keep it safe. And so I have kept it, waiting for the day it will be useful. If you’ll kindly remove these shackles, I will provide said letter as evidence of my claim.”

“Nopony would dare speak to their Princess in such harsh tones. However, you claim I gave you a letter, then we will see,” The princess stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight, “if your claim is true.” Her lavender coat seemed lighter in the moonlight and her mane was tied back instead of left loose like it had been when Spike last saw her. She was roughly at Princess Celestia’s height and her horn had grown longer.

The Knights removed Spike’s shackles, and he reached into his bag, drawn swords reminding him not to try anything funny. He produced a letter marked with Princess Celestia’s Royal Seal. Princess Twilight opened the letter and read it, her expression softening somewhat when she finished.

“If this letter is a forgery, then it is the best I have seen. As last remaining Princess of the Canterlot Court, not that it matter since half the Canterlot Court is either a mindless Ghoul or one of my Black Knights, I find your claims to be true. Welcome back to Canterlot, Spike,” Princess Twilight said. “How do you like it?”

“It’s missing a soul. Otherwise, it’s just cold stone,” Spike said.

“You’ve become quite a philosopher since we last saw each other. Captain Blueblood, please release the others and take them to my study. I wish to speak with them in private,” Princess Twilight said, motioning for the Knights to put away their weapons.

The study was a decent sized room with two walls completely lined with books, a window, a desk with a lit candle, and what looked like a doctor’s bag. Aegis paced around the study, anxious and somewhat angry. “You could have told me that you were the assistant from your stories, Gramps.”

“Oh? And what would that change? Aside from that groove in the floor,” Spike said. “The past doesn’t matter. It’s our future that matters.”

“What else have you kept secret?” Aegis asked angrily.

Spike grinned. “Now this is definitely familiar. I remember Rainbow Dash saying the same thing to Princess Celestia when they found out that she kept Sombra’s horn,” He gave a cackling laugh that sounded far too familiar to Rarity. In fact, his next words sounded very unlike Spike. “You should see your face right now. It’s hilarious.”

“Don’t say that. Don’t even laugh like that!” Rarity said with a horrified look on her face. One which Spike understood.

“Did I scare you?” He asked.

“Who wouldn’t with that laugh…” Aegis added in an undertone, immediately being nudged in the ribs by Spike. “Ow.”

The door opened and Princess Twilight walked in. “I’m glad to see the three of you getting along nicely,” She said. Her tone was completely different from how she had acted in the throne room.

“Swimmingly,” Spike said. “I seem to have perfected my Discord impression.”

“And ate all the gravel in Equestria while you were at it…” Princess Twilight deadpanned.

“That’s truer than you think. But it was actually a small rock farm,” Spike replied.

“Well, I walked into that one… Now for why I wanted to speak with you. In that letter, I said that I had discovered the truth behind Discord’s attack on Canterlot. You remember King Sombra, don’t you?” Princess Twilight asked.

“I’ll never forget him…” Spike asked.

“Well, if you recall, Princess Celestia brought his horn back here for study. She also brought back some of the Crystals. Sombra somehow managed to reconstruct a body for himself using the crystals, but it couldn’t sustain him for long. Discord was the only one who saw what was really happening and made his move. We couldn’t see that he was trying to help until Sombra had forced Luna to bring eternal night. Then he sealed Celetia in the sun and Luna in the moon. As for myself, well…” She lifted her dress to reveal a blank patch where he Cutie mark should be. “He took my Cutie Mark, along with half of my power.”

“How monstrous,” Rarity said. Princess Twilight took an interest in Rarity for the first time.

“Amazing. Even Princess Celestia couldn’t reconstruct a being this closely. Whoever made you took great pains to make you look exactly like Rarity.”

“But I AM Rarity,” she said, growing quite worried at Princess Twilight’s comment.

“You are very much like my late friend, but no matter how much you look, sound, or act like her, Rarity is dead. She died five hundred years ago protecting Spike,” Princess Twilight said. “I’d say you’re a fake, but you’re not. You’re a clone of Rarity implanted with her memories and personality.”

“So, what do we do? We came here looking for a way to cure Aegis of his curse and bring back the sun,” Spike said.

Princess Twilight inspected Aegis, perhaps a little too eagerly. “Hmm…I haven’t seen anypony this lightly built since Rainbow Dash.”

“Have you heard of personal space?” Aegis asked, backing away.

“Why? Am I being too grabby?” Princess Twilight asked, flashing a cheeky grin.

“Yes. I’d almost think you’re enjoying this,” Aegis said.

Princess Twilight returned to a serious demeanour for a brief moment. “You try being celibate for five hundred years, then tell me that you can resist the urge to cop a feel.”

“You’re serious?” Aegis asked.

“Yes. Now, if I could ask you to take off your armour, please,” Princess Twilight said, her eyes lighting up once again. Aegis sighed, but stripped off his armour regardless. Princess Twilight scanned his form, eyes lingering over his right flank. “Interesting. Black ring and around a black Cutie Mark.”

“Yes. I believe everypony has established that…” Aegis deadpanned.

“Different colours and gender, but definitely Rainbow Dash. Good to know she’s been reincarnated…” Twilight replied in an equally deadpan tone. “Now hold still. I need a blood sample.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Aegis said, laughing nervously.

Princess Twilight levitated a needle from one of her doctor’s bag. “It’s not a joke,” She said.

An hour later, Aegis had not yet forgiven Princess Twilight, and was quickly coming to the conclusion that he hated her, though even he admitted that his reasons were highly childish.

“Aha! I’ve found it! The secret to this so-called curse!” Princess Twilight said excitedly as she raced in and grabbed several books off the shelves, stuffed them into a saddlebag, grabbed her doctor’s bag and began herding the three out of the study and down to the lab, which she had personally requested while rebuilding Canterlot.

“I thought I was crazy, but no. There is a way to cure it after all because this curse,” She cast a spell to simulate the effects of sunlight on the blood sample she took from Aegis, “cannot withstand sunlight. Simplicity in itself, really.”

“Genius. Now how in Tartarus do we actually get the sunlight?” Spike asked.

Princess Twilight’s face fell. “I didn’t think of that.”

“Wonderful. We’re back at square one,” Aegis said. Then he thought of something. “This Sombra guy would know how to reverse everything he’s done, right?”

“One would assume so. He was trapped in a glacier for a thousand years and he still remembered Princess Celestia. Why shouldn’t he remember something that happened five hundred years ago?” Princess Twilight asked.

“I wonder if he remembers the ‘Wife Missile’ manoeuvre, courtesy of Shining Armor,” Spike said, immediately being nudged in the ribs by Princess Twilight.

“Well, what if we find him and make him reverse everything he’s done?” Aegis asked, prompting Spike to burst out laughing, though his laugh still sent shivers up Rarity’s spine.

“And how do you plan to do that?” He asked. “Sombra is a master at setting traps and using our fears against us, and he does not give in to threats.”

“When I gained this strange immortality, I said that the Sun would cure us all, didn’t I? Then our mission is clear: We bring back the Sun!” Aegis said with a determined look in his eye. “If I didn’t believe we could do it, I’d be rotting in some asylum with other ghoul ponies.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Loyalty is a wonderful thing, Aegis, but it won’t solve this problem. In order to bring back the sun, you’ll have to become a winged unicorn like Twilight,” He said.

“No, the answer is staring you in the face, Gramps. Princess Twilight is already a winged unicorn, so we just get her Cutie Mark back, and then she can raise the sun,” Aegis said.

“That would be a great plan, except for two things. King Sombra has reclaimed the Crystal Empire. This is bad enough, but we still have point number two, which is nopony can find it. I have sent scouting team after scouting team and nopony has seen the Crystal Empire in five hundred years,” Princess Twilight said.

“I think I know the way. I’m not sure how or why, but I know where it is,” Rarity chimed in.

Princess Twilight compiled a mental list of everything. Satisfied, she said, “What are we waiting for, then? We have a lead, a guide and a plan. I’ll take care of everything, so you three just go and get ready.”

“You’re letting us go after the mess we made getting into the Inner City?” Aegis asked.

“You didn’t do that much damage, it was easily repaired, and you just wanted to talk to me. Given the circumstances and the fact that my Knights would have sliced you into Pegasus cutlets, I’d say you’re justified this once. Oh, and I’m going with you,” She said.

“Hey, you can’t just drop that on a pony. How about asking?” Aegis protested, as if there wasn’t enough evidence that he was similar to Rainbow Dash.

“Ok, let me try it another way. As Royal Princess, I order you to accompany me to the Crystal Empire. Happy?” Princess Twilight asked, walking away to get supplies for their quest in order.

“No, I’m not!” Aegis called after Princess Twilight. “Can you believe that mare? She just butts in on our journey with no invitation, and she thinks that she can call the shots?”

Spike chuckled to himself. “I think you like her. Why else would it annoy you so much?”

Aegis blushed. “I do not like her. I hate her! That…that…gah!”

Rarity giggled. “You’ve gone bright pink. Aegis is in love.”

“Shut up! I am not in love!” Aegis said, though he was convincing no one.

“Whatever you say, Rainbow Dash,” Spike said. “She said the same thing when she had a crush on Twilight, too. Hell, she said it when she had a crush on Pinkie Pie.”

The next day, they were cleared and Princess Twilight did indeed accompany them on their journey, much to Aegis’ chagrin. The duty of protecting Canterlot in her absence was left to Captain Blueblood, who took to his new job with much enthusiasm.

“Now, isn’t this lovely?” Princess Twilight asked, though the real intent of her seemingly innocent question was to aggravate Aegis, since she knew how easily she could push his buttons.

“Oh yes, lovely. Why don’t we just bury her at the side of the road?” Aegis asked.

“Why don’t we bury you instead?” Spike snapped. “You obviously like Twilight, so just get over it.”

“Oh, you do, do you?” Twilight asked, batting her eyelids seductively.

“No. Absolutely not. With all due respect, Princess, I would sooner date a manticore,” Aegis said.

“Oh really? And call me ‘Twilight’,” Princess Twilight said.

Rarity tried hard not to laugh. “You two make such a cute couple. But you should kiss already. Oh, I bet that’s what’s got you all worked up, isn’t it?”

“There must be a little bit of Sweetie Belle in you, too. I guess that’s what was so different,” Spike said.

“I hate all of you…” Aegis said under his breath.

“So, Twilight, after what you went through, how can you still smile like that?” Spike asked.

“A secret Princess Celestia shared with me. Keep the memory of your friends alive,” Twilight said.

Rarity spotted an overturned wagon. “Can we use that? It’d be faster than walking.”

“What the hay did you put in that formula, Gramps?” Aegis asked.

“It shouldn’t have this kind of reaction. Unless… Wait, do you remember anything you’ve said about Twilight?” Spike asked.

“Yes, I do. And I still hate you all,” Aegis said. It clearly wasn’t the herbs doing this.

Twilight offered her own explanation. “She’s reverted to a child-like state because of the mental stress associated with finding out that she’s actually a clone of Rarity.”

“Do you happen to speak Equestrian?” Aegis asked dryly.

“She’s snapped,” Spike said.

“Well, how in Tartarus was I supposed to know that?” Aegis asked.

“Just help me tip it back on its wheels,” Spike said. Aegis responded by using telekinesis to flip it over, flicking dirt and mud at Twilight. That was a mistake.

“Excuse me, Mr Dare. I believe this is yours,” Twilight said as she smacked Aegis in the face with a mud pie.

“What was that for?” Aegis asked angrily.

“Next time, you’ll be more careful, won’t you?” she said.

“It was an accident. I didn’t plan on it, and I want this to be over as soon as possible so I can get on with whatever shreds of my life there is left. It probably won’t mean much to you, Princess, but I’ve lost my home, my friends, and I can’t ever get them back. Unlike you, it’s still pretty fresh in my mind. I haven’t had hundreds of years to get over it like you have,” Tears started welling up in Aegis’ eyes, “so you’ll forgive me for my outbursts of emotions.”

Twilight drew him close to her, as Princess Celestia had done for her once, enveloping him with her wings. “Then don’t think of how you won’t see your friends and family again. Think about how you’re going to forge a new path for yourself. The future is as endless as you want it to be,” She said soothingly

“Aren’t they such a cute couple?” Rarity said.

Spike turned to her and said, “You think so? Hate to break up a charming moment, but at least get on the wagon.”

Aegis, Twilight and Rarity got on the wagon, but as Spike was about to start pulling it, Twilight caused it to move on its own.

“All we’re missing is Applejack telling us how you shouldn’t use magic like that,” Spike said.

“Applejack can bite me,” Twilight said. “It’s only because I wasn’t concentrating on the spell that I got caught anyway.”

“Princess?” Aegis said. “I want to apologize for my earlier rudeness. Things just tend to pile up like that…”

Twilight smiled at him. “It’s no trouble. Would you like some advice?”

“Yes, please,” Aegis said.

“Don’t try to shoulder your burdens by yourself. You’re not as alone as you think,” Twilight said, before becoming aware that Rarity was nuzzling her tail. “Um, Rarity, could you stop that, please?”

“But it’s so soft,” Rarity pouted.

“True, but you’re not a foal. You’re a grown mare,” Twilight said.

“So, Twilight, how does it feel to be Celestia?” Spike asked jokingly.

“Stressful. What’s our next stop?” Twilight asked.

“We’ll find out when we get there,” Spike said.

Turning Point

Three days since they left Canterlot, and Aegis’ mood had not improved. In fact, it had gotten worse. Rarity tried cheering the others up, but nothing worked. Twilight was too focused on the task, thus putting aside the excitable perverted side she likely inherited from Celestia, and Spike was just being distant.

“It’s been three days, if my reasoning is correct,” Twilight said. “How far are we to a town or some form of settlement?”

“Ask our navigator,” Spike said, not taking his eyes off the book he was reading.

“Are we going the right way, Rarity?” Twilight asked. “And please stop nuzzling my tail…”

“It’s fuzzy, but… We need to turn right here,” Rarity said, pointing towards the mountains.

Aegis practiced with his telekinesis, shooting stray pieces of straw from the wagon into the distance. Twilight took an interest in this.

“This curse gave you an ability to use magic, didn’t it?” She asked.

“Telekinesis. Is it true that you could compress air into projectiles?” Aegis asked. He clearly hadn’t given up on trying to learn that spell.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I can. But I prefer not to, because those tiny balls of pressure punch through flesh. And they don’t stop until hit something that won’t break on impact. To this day, I have used that spell only once and it is very dangerous, so I won’t teach you that spell. But I will teach you other spells you may find useful,” She said.

“I’m grateful for the help, Princess. I’m still not gonna kiss you, though,” Aegis said.

“What if I knew how to permanently restore your sanity when you become a Ghoul? Would you kiss me then?” She asked playfully.

“I might, but do you know how to do that?” Aegis asked.

“I have no idea,” Twilight said.

Aegis sighed. “I should have known… You just enjoy toying with me, don’t you?”

“Maybe a little. Don’t be so serious, Aegis. Spike was telling me how you often daydreamed about brave knights and how you had a sense of humour,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, I did. It’s one reason I wanted to learn how to fight. Gramps told me that I needed a better reason than that. So I decided that I wanted to protect my friends and my home. But I never knew what heroes gave up for the strength they needed,” Aegis said. He threw the last piece of straw away. “It’s not like I’m a hero, anyway.”

“Well, Spike wasn’t always a hero, either. None of us were heroes until Nightmare Moon returned,” Twilight said. “Heroes are just ponies willing to do the right thing, no matter what.”

“I guess. Say, what happened to Discord? He was sealed within the Canterlot ruins, wasn’t he?” Aegis asked

“Yes, he was. When I formed the Black Knights and started rebuilding the city with the intent on finding a way to restore sanity to Equestria, Discord exiled himself after finding Canterlot in ruins. I never thought I would feel pity for Discord, but I do,” Twilight said.

“Sombra killed Fluttershy, didn’t he?” Spike asked.

Twilight nodded. Tears started to flow down her face. “Yes, he did. When Discord saw Fluttershy… die the way she did, he went berserk. Anypony who didn’t die was either lucky to escape or left cursed, and they all blame Discord when he was just caught up in all of this himself.”

Aegis growled. “That monster…”

They arrived at a deserted town, where they intended to find a new wagon, or even a carriage. But the town wasn’t as deserted as they thought.

“Anypony else get the feeling that there’s eyes on us? Watching us from all sides?” Aegis asked.

“Eeyup,” Spike said, sounding like a more gravelly Big Macintosh. “Diamond Dogs.”

“Why Diamond Dogs?” Twilight groaned.

“We must be the first targets they’ve had in a while. They’ll be setting up an ambush behind that second building to the right,” Spike said, casually picking up a rock.

Aegis tried to clear his mind, like he had been trained to do. “Can’t keep the thoughts out…” He said in an undertone.

As they walked by the second building to the right, the Diamond Dogs leapt out at them, swinging blades and claws. Spike’s sword flashed out like lightning, slicing the off the sword arm of one of the Diamond Dogs. “Sorry, pal, but you brought that one on yourself,” He said.

The Diamond Dog growled, showing that they too were affected by the curse, and were now Ghouls themselves. Aegis levitated the sword from the ground and fired it at another Diamond Dog, pinning it to the wall.

Rarity hid behind Twilight, who stood firm and created a whirling barrier of rocks, knocking away the Diamond Dogs.

“Nice trick,” Aegis said. “Telekinesis?”

“Everypony thinks that Telekinesis is worthless outside of mundane tasks. Well, they can eat their words!” Twilight said, launching several rocks at the Diamond Dogs. Each one impacted heavily, spraying the scenery with blood.

Spike fired several fireballs at the Diamond Dogs, roasting one in emerald flames. “Toasty…” he quipped, somersaulting over another and bisecting it vertically, blood spraying over Spike’s face. “Gah! Disgusting…”

Aegis, meanwhile, was beginning to enjoy himself too much. He swung his katana in wide arcs, cutting down many of the Diamond Dogs in his way. “This is too easy… Give me a challenge, dammit!” He yelled, spinning one hundred and eighty degrees to impale a Diamond Dog on the end of his blade.

Spike looked around for more of the persistent bastards, but there were none left but those on the blood-stained battlefield. He wiped blood out of his eyes and off his sword. “Let’s go before they decide to pull themselves together. That is, if they can…” He said, not noticing Aegis turn his blade against them.

“LOOK OUT!” Rarity screamed. The group just barely dodged Aegis’ attack.

“What’s gotten into you, hotshot? Are you out of your mind?” Spike asked angrily.

Aegis turned to face him with a feral smile on his face, and his eyes had gone almost blank, “Give me…a real fight…” He said in a hoarse whisper.

Spike raised his blade. “It’s like that, is it?” He asked.

Aegis growled and lunged at Spike, aiming for his chest. Spike leapt out of the way, countering by taking off the Pegasus’ wing. Aegis’ screamed in pain and briefly seemed to regain control of himself, but he turned around and continued his assault, this time swinging wildly in attempt to hack off any one of Spike’s limbs. Spike kicked Aegis away, knocking him into one of the houses.

“I don’t get it. He shouldn’t be feral yet…” Spike said, trying to work out Aegis’ sudden dive into insanity.

“Do you think it has something to do with how he’s been feeling lately?” Twilight asked.

“Stop talking…FIGHT ME!” Aegis yelled, bursting through the wall of the house and charging at Spike.

“Never wanted to do this…” Spike said, vaulting over Aegis and driving his sword through Aegis’ spine. “You didn’t leave me any choice.”

The last thing Aegis saw before everything went pitch black was Twilight’s horrified face…

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!” Aegis screamed, pain flooding his body. “What the hay… GAH!” He said through gritted teeth.

“You feeling better?” Spike asked.

“I AM IN UTTER AGONY! SO NO, I AM NOT FEELING BETTER!” He yelled. “WHAT IN CELESTIA’S NAME HAPPENED ANYWAY?”

“This isn’t the first time this happened, is it?” Twilight asked.

“The first time was when he got the curse. This makes the second time he’s died,” Spike said, ignoring the currently writhing Aegis.

“So what exactly happens if he dies often enough?” Twilight asked.

“Please…somepony answer…” Aegis said in a pleading tone. He looked frightened and sickly, but this time, Spike didn’t have a remedy.

“You don’t remember?” Spike asked.

“No, I don’t. But maybe it’s better that I don’t know anyway,” He said.

Twilight put a wing around him. “Don’t worry. We’ll stop Sombra, then there will be a place waiting for you in Canterlot,” She said, trying to cheer Aegis up.

“Thanks. It may not be home, though. I don’t think I can ever go home at all,” Aegis said.

Spike closed his book. “Home is where the heart is. It’s where you go to rest. Without a home, you’re nowhere…” He said in a poetic fashion.

“What is that book you’ve been reading all this time, Gramps?” Aegis asked.

“You won’t like it. It’s a sad story without a happy ending,” Spike said.

“What is it about?”

Spike sighed and prepared to tell part of the story. “It’s about a brave knight who fought alone against a cruel tyrant. He won many battles and faced incredible odds, but he triumphed over his foes. But the tyrant had been hatching a plan of his own, and though the knight was never defeated, he lost many friends and many lovers in his quest. When it came time for the knight and the tyrant to meet in battle, the brave knight was gone. The body remained, but he was a bitter and twisted shadow of the noble warrior he once was.”

“What happened to him?” Aegis asked.

“He lost, and the tyrant had him executed, but not before showing the knight his destroyed village,” Spike said, tears starting to run down his face.

Aegis stood up, keeping his footing on the moving carriage. “I’m done. I don’t care about this quest anymore. I just want to go home,” he said.

“You can’t quit. That’s against Royal orders that I gave you to accompany me to the Crystal Empire and finish Sombra permanently,” Twilight said.

“I don’t care about your orders, Princess. I’ve played along long enough. First, we’re looking for Canterlot to see if there’s a cure there, all the while Discord was the enemy, then we find out that it’s actually Sombra who is responsible. Well, you three can go ahead and finish this quest if you want, but I want nothing more to do with it!” Aegis said, his voice becoming progressively louder. He took off, flying at top speed.

Spike turned to Twilight. “You’re the only one of us who can catch him. I’ve got a feeling he won’t like what he finds when he gets there, so please, follow him and bring him back if you can,” Spike said.

Twilight nodded. “Alright. But this doesn’t mean you can order me around, though,” She said.

“Still the teacher…” he said dryly.

As Twilight flew after Aegis, Rarity seemed concerned. “Are we gonna follow them, Gramps?” She asked.

“No. We’re gonna continue on. Twilight can find us when she needs to. And don’t call me ‘Gramps’. I tried to get Aegis to stop that, but he doesn’t…” Spike said.

Aegis heard nothing but the roaring of the wind as he flew in the general direction of Fortress Luna. He could almost feel the sound barrier start getting narrower, until he was flung back by it, crashing into the ground. Not one to give up, he brushed himself off and took off once more, only stopping to rest. All the while, Twilight was catching up.

After several days of non-stop flying he found his home, Fortress Luna, in ruins. He broke down at the sight of dead ponies and ruined buildings. Amid the rubble, he heard a weak voice.

“Aegis? Is that you?” The hoarse voice said. Aegis began digging through the rubble to find the source. It was Smooth Jazz. She was badly injured, and from the looks of it, she had been like that for a few days. It was a miracle that she was still alive.

“What happened here?” Aegis asked.

“Some kind of…dark shadow… It was terrifying…glistening white teeth, and red eyes…” Jazz said. Aegis checked her flank. Neither side had that black ring or a blackened Cutie Mark.

“And the others? Did they make it?” Aegis asked frantically.

“They’re all gone, Aegis… They got away…” She said. She wouldn’t last much longer.

“That’s a relief. When did this happen?” He asked.

“Two days ago…I’m glad…I got to see you…one…last time…” She said as the life faded from her eyes.

“Jazz? Don’t die on me. Please, wake up, Jazz. JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZZ!”

Twilight caught up with Aegis at the Fortress. She stared in horror at the death and destruction. “Oh my… I’m sorry, Aegis,” She said.

“Spare me your pity,” He said, his tone scathing and harsh and his back turned to Twilight. “This used to be my home, and now it’s rubble. Some of my friends were here, and now they’re buried. Jazz was a good mare. WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE?!”

“Dying is inevitable. Only an Alicorn is truly exempt from these rules,” Twilight said.

“And where do I fit in? While I have this curse, I can’t die either,” Aegis said.

“I don’t know, but we’ll find out,” Twilight said.

Aegis turned to face her, hatred and rage burning in his eyes. “Why am I so special? Why am I so much of a threat that Sombra would target innocent ponies because of me? WHY?!”

Twilight backed away. “I don’t know, Aegis. I really don’t know.”

“I suppose I’m just an unfortunate victim, is that it?”

“Stop it,” Twilight said.

“Sombra just did this because he’s an evil bastard, right?” Aegis continued.

“Please stop,” Twilight said

“Or maybe-”

“STOP IT!” Twilight shouted, slapping Aegis across the face. “I have no idea why he did this, but we move on. It’s all we can do.”

Aegis broke down. “Where did I go wrong, Twilight?” He asked, crying tears of pain and sadness.

“None of this is your fault, Aegis. It’s just bad luck that you got caught up in things which shouldn’t be your problem,” Twilight said.

“Now what do I do? My whole reason for going on this insane quest to begin with is gone,” Aegis said.

“Come with me. Help me bring back the sun,” Twilight said. Her voice sounded strangely inviting. Aegis didn’t know why, but he found himself entranced by her voice alone. Before either of them knew what was happening, he leaned forward…and kissed Twilight on the lips. The minutes seemed to pass slowly, as if time had stopped. Then he realized what had happened.

“I’m sorry,” Aegis blurted out. “I shouldn’t have done that. I just… well..”

“It’s alright. I guess, sometimes we need a little comfort, even if it’s not what we expect. I actually rather enjoyed it. So, what do you plan to do now?” Twilight asked

“That offer of learning magic… Is it still open?” Aegis asked.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, it is. When do you want to start?”

“As soon as we leave. I need to get away from here…” Aegis said.

Willing to Learn

“Concentrate, Aegis. Use that mark on your forehead as a focus point,” Twilight said as Aegis attempted to channel his magic. Telekinesis came easy, especially once he likened it to controlling an invisible body part, but magic in itself was a different story. He tried to focus on the marking, but nothing happened.

“This is ridiculous,” He said, giving up in frustration. “I can’t concentrate on something I can’t even feel. If it were something like a gemstone or if I had some feeling when I channel the magic, that might just help.”

Twilight sighed. It was one week since Aegis discovered his home destroyed, and he had been trying to figure out why Sombra would destroy it. Twilight sent a message ahead to Spike, via the same method Princess Celestia used to send messages to her through Spike, explaining their delay. Since then, they had holed up in a cave for the purpose of teaching Aegis how to channel magic, a feat that would be impressive if only he could figure out how to channel it. Things had also been tense since Aegis had kissed Twilight, adding another layer to his frustrations.

“What am I doing wrong?” Aegis asked.

Twilight shrugged. “Overthinking something, maybe? Too much going on in your head, I would wager. Just let it all go and try to clear your mind.” She winked and added playfully, “Or you could just think of me.”

“I’m trapped in a cave with a horny princess and severe psychological issues. What can go wrong?” Aegis deadpanned. A quick whack on the head from Twilight swiftly silenced him.

“Cut the sarcasm, buddy,” Twilight said. “Focus.”

Aegis sighed and returned to his attempts to channel magic. “I might be able to focus without the massive headache…”

“No complaining,” Twilight said sharply.

This time, his eyes glowed and flames surrounded him. At first, he panicked, unsure of what to make of it. Then, he smiled and burst into maniacal laughter.

“I’ve done it! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I DID IT!” He said, ecstatic over his newly discovered Pyromancy, but it was quickly doused by Twilight and a jet of water.

“That’s quite enough of that. Do you remember how you did it?” Twilight asked.

“I think so. I felt a passion inside, and I pulled it to the surface,” Aegis said.

“Where it fuelled the magic for your flames. What emotion did you feel?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know. It was either love or hatred, or maybe a bit of both,” Aegis said.

“Well, it’s progress, at least. But you shouldn’t dwell on the negative. Always look to the positive,” Twilight said.

“Is that what happened to Sombra?” Aegis asked.

“We don’t know, and Sombra likely wouldn’t tell us anyway,” Twilight said.

Aegis tried replicating the process, creating another ring of fire. Except this time it was pink to match his mane.

“I hope that’s a good sign,” Twilight said.

“You tell me. I, um, might have used… whateverfeelingsIhavetowardsyou…” Aegis said the last part quickly and quietly, hoping that Twilight wouldn’t pick up on it. She did.

“Maybe that’s enough magic practice for now. We should discuss these feelings, and see if we can’t fix the things that have gone wrong with you,” Twilight said, this time without  any sort of innuendo.

Elsewhere, Spike and Rarity had gotten lost. Rarity had mentally aged to teenager, and thus, Spike was having difficulty getting her to do anything.

“They’ll catch up. Twilight is taking a detour so as to teach Aegis more about magic,” Spike said, once again reading a book. Sometimes, he wondered why he carried so many.

“I bet I know what she’s doing to him, too,” Rarity said.

Spike sighed. “Paranoia. It’s everywhere…”

“He’s a sensitive soul. He just needs someone to care about him,” Rarity said.

Spike raised a scaly eyebrow. “Do you even know Aegis? Even if you do care about him, he’s either too busy daydreaming or brooding to notice. I’ve looked after him for nineteen years, so I know what I’m talking about,” Spike said. “Where exactly are we anyway?”

Sombra stood atop his tower, with the wind rushing around him. He wasn’t sure why, but it was soothing to be so far above the world, away from the common rabble.

“To think, I would have finished this five hundred years ago if it weren’t for Discord. Pity about him. He was quite the worthy foe.”

“So, about your little crush…” Twilight said. She had been sitting across from Aegis, trying to help him get through his depression over seeing his home destroyed.

Aegis blushed. “I wouldn’t call it little. I’ve tried to tell myself that it’s nothing and that I didn’t like you. But trying to lie to yourself is a futile endeavour. The true self always reveals itself…”

“How philosophical,” Twilight deadpanned. “Say it in your own words.”

“Alright then. I do love you, but I don’t think I should. I’m confused about my own feelings and why I have them. Then there’s a feeling that maybe I don’t care and I want to pursue those feelings anyway,” Aegis said.

“And if you were to pursue this romantic interest, where would it take you? How far are you willing to go?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know where it’s going to take me, but I’d be willing to go beyond the borders of our world if that’s what it takes,” Aegis said.

“I wouldn’t say things like that, Aegis. Lately, the world has a way of making it so…” Twilight said with a solemn expression on her face.

Aegis stared out at the world beyond the mouth of the cave. He smiled to himself, not a happy smile, but the shallow mask it had become.

A few days later, Spike and Rarity had stopped travelling, having no idea of where they were. Spike sighed and rolled up a leaf he had acquired some time ago, lighting it up with a tiny spark of flame. He took a deep breath and started coughing.

“That’s nasty. Why the hell did I do that?” Spike asked. Despite this, he continued to smoke.

“That’s bad for your health, you know,” Rarity said.

“I’ve done stuff that’s bad for my health before. And after five hundred years, I’ve given up caring,” Spike said.

“Well, you should care. You want to live a long healthy life, oui?” Rarity asked.

Spike laughed. “I’ve already lived a long life. And it ain’t getting any shorter.”

“Stupid…” Rarity said under her breath.

Spike shrugged it off. “Call me whatever you like. You’re different from her, y’know.”

“Huh?”

Spike stared into the distance. “My Rarity… She’s gone forever, isn’t she? Even if you have her memories, you’ve become somepony different.”

Rarity didn’t know what Spike meant by those words. “How am I different? I’m trying to act as she had. I’m trying to be-”

Spike cut her off. “You’re trying to force it. Just let it come naturally. While you’re at it, stop acting like such a brat. Can’t stand mares who think they’re better than everypony else.”

“Well, I can’t stand stallions and dragons who act like jerks!” Rarity yelled.

Spike just laughed. “How easy you are to tease. What concerns me is how you got to this stage so quickly. It’s like the curse is evolving, or maybe it’s not even a curse at all anymore.”

Their moment together was broken by the arrival of a Ghoul Dragon, and this one was full size as opposed to Spike’s smaller slightly-bigger-than-pony-size body.  Spike leapt off the carriage and drew his sword.

“Ok, big guy, we’re not lookin’ for a fight. Just back off!” Spike yelled.

“I don’t think he’s listening, Spike,” Rarity said.

The Dragon reared back and spewed oily black flames. Spike kicked the carriage down a nearby hill where the flames couldn’t reach it and leapt onto the Dragon’s arm.

“Be prepared to lose something important, pal!” Spike yelled as he ran up the Dragon’s arm.

The Dragon swung its arm, flinging Spike into a tree. Spike picked himself up and clutched his arm.

“Damn… I think I broke somethin’…” Spike said, casting a quick healing spell. He resumed his attack, this time taking a different approach. Spike’s eyes glowed as he gave a toothy grin. “Fine. I’ll match you. Let’s dance!”

Spike rapidly grew to match the Ghoul Dragon’s size. A painful process, since Spike screamed in pain until he reached full size. He was slimmer than most dragons, a far cry from his previous ‘adult’ forms. His first one was practically a giant lizard, and the second was more dragon-like, but this one was tall and slim and had a vaguely demonic appearance, which he thought was symbolic of his experiences. He roared and tackled the Ghoul Dragon to the ground, pummelling it continuously. The Ghoul Dragon kicked Spike off, leaping onto the purple dragon. Spike payed it back in kind with a vicious right hook, breaking several of the Ghoul Dragon’s facial bones.

“Hurt much?” Spike taunted. He flashed a feral grin, not that he could emote any other way as a massive Godzilla-sized dragon aside from growling and roaring. He followed up with a series of powerful blows faster than the Ghoul Dragon could keep up with.  The Ghoul Dragon swung its massive tail at Spike, knocking him to the ground and breaking at least three ribs. Spike tried to cast a healing spell, but the Ghoul Dragon got to him first, and began pummelling him into the ground.

This is it… I’m going to die… He thought, ignoring the pain and rapidly spreading numbness. Before the killing blow was made, pink flames rushed at the Ghoul Dragon, and in the middle was a familiar Pegasus. Spike grinned as he painfully resumed his healing spell. “Kept me waiting, hotshot…”

The flames dissipated as Aegis flared his wings out, hovering in place. “What a rush… Now, time to return the favour from Canterlot.”

Aegis dived at the Ghoul Dragon, flames surrounding him once again. He landed a diving kick to the Ghoul Dragon’s stomach, but it had no effect. The skin was too tough. He decided to try another approach.

Twilight watched the battle from a distance. She wasn’t going to interfere unless Aegis truly needed her help. This was his chance to show what he had learned, after all.

Aegis decided to try the air compression spell. If that didn’t work, then he didn’t know what would. He felt the magic flow through him as he attempted to compress the air into a ball. The Ghoul Dragon loomed overhead, meaning Aegis didn’t have a lot of time.  He abandoned the spell and tried to think of a way to speed up the casting time while avoiding the giant foot. Trying to compress it into a ball won’t help. It will take too much time and energy. There has to be a faster way… Wait. What if I try a spiral shape? Even if it's the same amount of energy, it’s still worth a shot! Aegis thought as he resumed casting, this time creating a vortex centred around his forehead marking. The air began to compress and come to a point. Once it was ready, he fired the spell, piercing the Ghoul Dragon’s eye. It recoiled in pain, and began searching for Aegis. But Spike was back in action.

“Surprise!” Spike yelled, punching the Ghoul Dragon in the face and knocking it down. “Nice work, Aegis. I’ll take it from here.”

“I can help!” Aegis yelled. He might believe he could help, but his body was in no condition. He had used up quite a bit of energy on his spell and he was ready to collapse from exhaustion.

“I know you can, but you need some time to recover first. Look after Rarity until I get back, ok?” Spike asked. Aegis nodded and began looking for Rarity. Spike turned back to the Ghoul Dragon. “Round two, ugly…”

“I hate it when this happens. That insensitive dragon kicks the carriage down the hill with no thought as to whether I could get hurt by the fall. Hmph, see if I care about HIS well-being,” Rarity pouted. She looked over the wrecked remains of the carriage to see Aegis falling down the hill himself.

“Aegis! Are you alright?” She said, leaping over the wreckage to catch him. “What happened?”

Aegis groaned as he attempted to sit up. “Learned some magic, fought a giant Dragon who’s been Ghoulified, cast a spell that’s taken up most of my energy, and fell down the hill because I can barely stand on my own four hooves right now. How about you?” He asked, recovering his old sense of humour.

“Guarding a broken carriage, and what’s left of the food,” Rarity said.

“Oh good. That means there’s still something to eat. And boy do I need it…” Aegis said.

The battle raged on, but this time, Spike had the upper hand. Now adjusted to his increased size and mass, he was the greater opponent. But the Ghoul Dragon had sheer stamina on his side. This battle was too even to end quickly, and time was something Spike didn’t want to waste. He rammed the Ghoul Dragon off the other side of the hill, then raced down the way he had kicked the carriage. Twilight flew alongside him, having decided that sitting on the sidelines was boring.

“Not as easy as it used to be,” Twilight said.

Spike shrugged. “Maybe I’m just getting too old for this…”

Aegis and Rarity looked up as Spike grabbed the two of them and whatever supplies he could carry.

“So, who won?” Aegis asked.

“Nopony won. We’re making a tactical retreat before he gets up. Fortunately, there is a hill between him and us, and I’m faster than him,” Spike said.

“I remember now! Full speed ahead, Spike!” Rarity yelled excitedly. “Crystal Empire, here we come!”

Time to Think

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.”