The Slumbering Servant.

Chapters

Through the looking glass
Through Everfree, to moon's redemption
The Slumbering Servant
Zakari
Ticket Master(Black Shield DLC included)
Dragon Gale!
Honor
Deficiency
Meeting the village people
The Gala
The humiliating tale of...Gigglesnort
Enter Spectre: the TRUE god of chaos
The Day of The Black Betrayal
A presence I've not felt since...

Through the looking glass

Three days. It had been three days since Twilight Sparkle and her friends used the elements of harmony to turn Nightmare Moon back into the kind Princess Luna. Since then, Luna had returned to Canterlot to rule beside her sister. Twilight returned to her new home in Ponyville. While at first reluctant to leave Canterlot, she was now grateful that Princess Celestia ordered her to make friends. She never realized how wonderful having friends could be!

But, you saw the first episode. You already know all of this. Right?

Lately, she's been spending alot of time with her new friends. Yesterday, she helped Fluttershy with her animals and the day before that she was with Rarity at the spa. They would go on picnics and on walks around the town. They would see what treats they could get a sugar cube corner and even helped Applejack around the orchards.

But, as much as she loved her friends, she was making today her day. She'd see her friends later, but right now she was going to sit down and spend a good few hours reading one of her many books. And one of the benefits of living in a library, is having a nearly endless selection. Twilight had books on pretty much everything, from spell books to encyclopedias. She did not lack variety.

But there was, of course, a problem. She didn't know what one to choose. She has read every single book in that library, from front to back. As much as she loved them... they were getting a little old.Twilight had spent more than twenty five minutes trying to make up her mind, and was still at a loss. She continued to walk from shelf to shelf, hoping that something would catch her eye. Nothing did.

" Come on, there has to be something here." She mumbled to herself. " Ancient Equestrian history"? Read it. "Dragon age, tale of the darkspawn"? Good, but I'm not really in the mood for fantasy."The horrifying tale of Princess Molestia"? Sorry, but I don't want to be scared either." She sighed." Isn't there anything newer, anything I haven't read?"

Spike watched her from his spot on the stairs and gave a small chuckle. Over the years, he's noticed a pattern to her behavior. Whenever there was something she couldn't figure out or accomplish, she would talk to herself. It's starts out with small comments, then spirals into full blown conversations. Speaking of the purple unicorn, Spike saw the all too familiar eye twitch of frustration. Time to bring her back to sanity.

"Twilight, you're doing it again." He said, walking down the stairs.

"I'm doing what?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Talking to yourself."

"I...I don't talk to myself."

"Yes, you do. Come on Twi, you know you do it." He crossed his arms. She sighed.

" Ok, you're right, I do. I admit it. But it's only to help me concentrate and keep my thoughts from jumbling together. It's just my way of organizing my mind." Spike decided to switch topics now.

" What are you trying to do anyway?" Twilight smiled.

" Delighted you asked,Spike!" She turned back to her books before speaking again." As you know, after coming to Ponyville, I've made quite a few knew friends. And lately, we've all been spending alot of time together. Going on walks , having picnics, those kinds of things. But, as much as I enjoy their company, today I just want to read a good book. Just like old times."

"Ok, but what's causing all the frustration?"

Twilight dropped her head in shame." I...I can't choose one!" She pointed her hoof at the shelf." It used to be so easy. All I had to do was pick one at random and then I was set. But now it seems that I've read everything there is to read here. I might have to go and get new material." She turned away from the shelves and headed for the door. "I'll be back in a little bit, Spike."

She planned to go to the book store and check out their selection. But, from what's about to happen, that will not be necessary.

Just as she reaches the door, she hears a knock from the other side.Surprised, she opens the door to see a unicorn that she has never met. This unicorn had a neon green coat and bright red mane. His cutie mark was of a mirror within a mirror. He also appeared to have a bag strapped to his side. Upon seeing Twilight, the unicorn smiled.

"Ah, good, I finally found you!" He said.

Twilight was puzzled." Y-you were looking for me? Who are you?" She asked

"Oh, sorry! I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Looking Glass, and I was trying to find the owner of this library.And from the description I was given, I think I just found her." He smiled again.

" Why were you looking for me?"

"Well, first things first. You ARE Twilight Sparkle, yes?"

" Yes, I am."

" Good. I have something for you. Something I'm certain you will be very interested in." His horned glowed with magic as he used it to open his bag. From the bag, came an old, brown book. " Miss Sparkle, I wish to make a donation to your library."

Twilight's eyes widened. JACKPOT!

" You want to make donation? That's great! Perfect timing too! I was actually on my way to the bookstore right now. Here, come inside." She opened the door wider and lead him in." If you want, you can set the book on the table there." She pointed to the table in the middle of the room. " Um...is there anything you would like to drink or eat?"

He shook his head." No,I'm fine. But thank you for asking." He smiled again. He also took notice of her collection. Not nearly as big as his own library, but still admirable.

" Think nothing of it." She paused, then spoke again."So...that book you brought, what's it about?" Her eagerness was apparent in her speech.

" Well, the book is called " The Black Betrayal". It's an interesting story about a human warrior who died defending the royal family a long time ago. Well...back when there were humans any way."

"Back when there were humans? You actually believe they existed?"

"Of course I believe they existed! This book is not fairy tale, it's a work of fact. Trust me, read the book and you will believe."

She was about to say something back when a thought crossed her mind. He said that he was trying to find her. And he made sure that she was in fact the pony he was looking for. Why go to all that trouble to make a donation to a library? Any library would have been fine, but he sought her out. And only her.

" Wait. When you first got here you said that you were trying to find me. There are libraries all over Equestria. Why bring this just to me? There's a more specific answer than just wanting to drop off a book, isn't there?"

He chuckled. "You are just as perceptive as I was told. Yes, Miss Sparkle, I sought you out for a reason. Hhm, where to begin?" He paused for a moment before continuing. "Do you know why my name is Looking Glass?" Twilight shook her head. "It's because I can see the paths of life. I can see beyond the looking glass and into prophecy, and I can see where all the roads lead. And the most important path I see...is your's."

This surprised her. " M-me? What's so important about me." She asked nervously.

" Your destiney...is glorious. You have a destiney so amazing that you can't even imagine it!"

"Me? No, that can't be right. I'm nopony, just a reader of good books."

"Really? Just a reader? Well, you could have fooled me. You know, seeing as how you're the bearer of the element of magic, defeated the villain know as Nightmare Moon and don't forget that you're the personal student to Princess Celestia. You are more than you're willing to admit. So long as you continue down this path, you will accomplish great things."

"Down this path? What does that mean?"

"Remember when I told you that I can see your path? Well, your path is directly connected to a prophecy. One, that will come to pass only if you allow it. That is why I brought the book to you." His tone suddenly became ominous. " Miss Sparkle, know that a chain of events has already been set in motion. what you do with the information is this book will determine the fates of your friends, your family, your rulers...and someone you don't even know." He walked to the door and opened it with magic. "I'm sorry Miss Sparkle, but I have to leave now. I know that you have many questions, but if you would please read the book, I promise all will be clear." He passed through the doorway. "Have a pleasant day, Miss Sparkle." With that he closed the door behind him.

Twilight watched him leave then turned to the book on the table. Now that she had a closer look at it, she could tell there was something in between the pages. She used her magic and opened the book.

On the first page was an envelope with her name on it.

Through Everfree, to moon's redemption

Twilight opened the envelope with her magic and looked inside. There seemed to be two things. One, a note, and the other appeared to be a pendant necklace of some kind. She placed them on the table and studied them. The note appeared to be like a poem or even a riddle. It said.

Through Everfree, to moon's redemption.

The door to the tomb, fill the depression.

Seek the statue with discretion.

And release he who is of loyal intention.

She understood some of it, but not all. Maybe the riddle will more make sense after she read the book. Next, she turned to the necklace. It was silver in color, with a yellow gem in the middle. And it looked like those things minotaurs have on the ends of their arms. The only difference was that this one had five digits, not four. She didn't know what, but the necklace had to serve some kind of purpose. After examining the necklace and note, she went for the book. The necklace and note were interesting, but the book was what she really wanted.

It was brown in color and very old. Rarely has Twilight seen a book as aged as this and she was very eager to see what was inside. She used her magic again and lifted the book to her eyes. Opening to the first page, it started like any other book. She began to read.

"The Black Betrayal, a story of history and prophecy. Chapter 1, the equines and the guardians."

It was around 3:00 in the afternoon when Twilight finally finished reading. Looking Glass was right, many of her questions were answered. But some were still present. The one that was at the forefront of her mind was where did the humans go? The book offered no explanation for this. All it said was that they vanished, it didn't say how or why. Another question was ,why did the humans become guardians in the first place? From what she read, the humans were given three titles over the course of history. In ancient times, when ponies first came into contact with them, they were the invaders. They came to conquer and subjugate. Then, without warning, they swore loyalty to the Equines. They were then given the title of guardians and protected the kingdom.

But why?

Why would an invading army so suddenly submit? What forced them to lay down their weapons?

And then they were given the final title. Myth.

Now, after their disappearance, they are myth. A story to tell little foals at bedtime or around a campfire. Something that ponies think about and talk about, but don't believe in. And, to be honest, neither did Twilight. There were to many whys and not enough proof. She will admit that the book did have some questions answered, but not enough to prove the existence of a mythological being.

She thought about what Looking Glass said. The prophecy that only she can allow to happen. Apparently, prophecy can swerve off into different places. It's not about what will happen, but instead what is likely to happen. And as Looking Glass said, she had some control over it. That's the part that really got her. Why her? Just a bookworm in Ponyville.

Yeah, sure she's the bearer of magic, but that's all. Why does she have control over an ancient prophecy? If it's even real, that is.

To Twilight, there was only one way to know for sure. She would decipher the book's information, solve the riddle and deduce the necklace's function. If the Slumbering Servant was real, she would find him.

"Spike!" She shouted.

"Yeah, Twilight?" He answered from upstairs.

"Come down, I need help with something."

Spike walked downstairs and stopped next to her .

"What do you need help with?" He asked.

"First, I need you to get some books for me off the shelf, anything having to do with mythology and ancient history."

"Ok, that it?"

"No, I need you to brew some coffee as well. Also, I need paper, ink and a quill. And string, if we have any."

" What do you need string for?"

"I'm putting a puzzle together." She smiled as she said this.

"What kind of puzzle has string?"

"The good kind, Spike, the good kind."

There was a pause, so Spike assumed that Twilight was done talking. She was not.

"One more thing. When you're done with all that, I need you to go and get Miss Heartstrings and bring her here for me."

"Will do." He said, from up on a ladder next to the book shelf. Twilight looked back at her book. She would find out one way or another, if this was all fantasy or reality.

If humanity had a groupy, and that groupy was a pony, it would be in the form of the mint green unicorn know as Lyra Heartstrings. She was know all over Ponyville for her obsession of us hairless apes. To other ponies, humans were a fairy tale, a myth, but to Lyra, they were real. There is not a time when Lyra isn't thinking about it. The other ponies would often say things like.

"Lyra, shut up about humans!" Or " Lyra, stop writing erotic fiction about humans." or "Lyra, stop fantasizing about having hybrid abomination babies with humans!"

But she didn't care.

In fact, she went out of her way to show just how much she believed. She had books on humans and the subject of anthropology. She had a poster of her favorite comic book known as the H-Files on her wall. The poster even had the comics classic line "The truth is out there" on the bottom. But nothing compared to her most prized possession, the thing she values the most above all else.

A severed human hand in a jar that rests upon her nightstand.

Speaking of the mint green unicorn, she was currently on her bed, reading yet another book on humans. This one was about human diets. This wasn't anything new to Lyra. She knew all about our omnivorous appetites. But while most ponies would be weary of a creature who eats meat, Lyra didn't mind at all. In fact, she found the idea of humans having sharp teeth and eating meat kinda sexy. There was an added danger about us.

And since were on the topic of sex, let's talk about Lyra's love life shall we?

The word around town is that Lyra and Bon Bon are in a relationship together. That is not true. They are friends and roommates, nothing more. It's not that Lyra didn't, once in a while, entertain the thought of them together. She was just saving herself for the right human.

Yes, you read that right. Saving herself ...for a human. In fact, if you asked Lyra if she would rape a human, her answer would be." Fuck yeah!"

....Anyway

Lyra was about to turn the page on her book when she heard a knock on the door. Bon Bon was out, so that means Lyra would be forced to answer the door. Using her unicorn magic horn(HA HA that rhymed) she put the book down on the bed and got up. Walking downstairs and through the living room, she stopped at the door and opened it.

On the other side was Spike.

"Hi, Lyra." He greeted.

"Oh, hey Spike. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Twilight wanted to know if you could come to the library. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, that's fine, I wasn't really doing anything important." She walked through the doorway and closed it behind her.

"ok, all set."

The two were near the library when Lyra spoke.

"Do you know why Twilight needs to see me?" She asked.

"Well", replied Spike "She got a new book earlier today. Then, after she was done reading it ,she started getting all this stuff together. That was when she told me to come over and get you."

" So,you don't know what she wants?"

" Nope. I guess we'll see when we get there."

When the two entered the library, they were unprepared for the chaos that stood before them. The whole bottom half of the library was a mess! There were papers and books strewn across the floor. And there were sticky notes all over, each one connected to the other by a piece of string.

'So that's what the string was for.' Thought Spike. "Twilight, what is all this?"

Twilight looked up from her notes and smiled. "Spike, glad you're back. And you brought Lyra, good."

"Hi, Twilight." Said Lyra "Spike said you needed to see me."

"yes, I did." She nodded her head.

"What about?"

"Lyra, I need to know everything you know about humans."

Lyra's eyes widened. "You want to know about humans?"

"Yes, that's correct."

" Sure, I'll tell you everything, but why the sudden interest?"

Twilight used her magic and held up the book she received earlier.

"This is why. A few hours ago, a unicorn came to my library and gave me this book. Not only is it about human history, but also a prophecy." Twilight took a deep breath. "Lyra...what if told you, I know where to find the only human left in the entire world."

Lyra's heart was beating fast. Twilight knew where to find a human! The creature she waited her whole life to see! She had only one answer.

"Where?"

Twilight smiled, she knew exactly where.

"Through Everfree, to moon's redemption."

The Slumbering Servant

It was the next day. Twilight, the rest of the mane six, and also Lyra were just about to enter the Everfree Forest. Right now they were in a field that hugged the forest's borders, bracing themselves for what ever awaited them. Twilight had informed them of what they were going into the forest for, but while she and Lyra were eager, the others were not. They had hoped to never come back to this awful place.

Twilight looked to her friends. Rainbow Dash was probably the one least scared at returning. AJ was determined but nervous. Fluttershy was shivering in fear at the sight of the trees. Rarity was disgusted by the dirt and mud, muttering something about staying clean. And Pinkie...well, to be honest, she didn't look like she even knew what was going on. She just had her usual smile plastered on her face.

"Is... is everypony ready?" Twilight asked.

"I am." Said Lyra.

"I think were all ready, sugarcube."

Twilight looked to her friends again. They all nodded their heads.

"Ok, let's go."

They entered the forest slowly. The air was thick and humid. It was less like a forest and more like a jungle. Rainbow Dash walked up beside Twilight.

"So when we find this thing, what's it gonna be like?" She asked. Twilight thought about it for a moment.

"Well, I'm not too sure. Lyra could tell you more than I could." At the mention of her name, Lyra jogged up beside them.

"You called me?" She said

"Yes, could you tell the others about what were looking for."

"Oh, the human? Certainly!" She turned her head to make sure that the others were listening." Well, humans are ancient race of primates that came to invade Equestria more than five thousand years ago. But, upon arriving, they put down their weapons and surrendered."

"They...they invaded us?" Asked Fluttershy.

"Yup."

"Why?"

"No one knows."

"And then they surrendered?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"Yup."

"Why?"

"No one knows."

Dash turned to Twilight. "You lied. She isn't telling us anything."

"Wait, I wasn't done yet!" Lyra shouted." After that, they became the protectors of Equestria and all of pony kind."

"Well, I guess that's a little better. What did they look like?"

"Kind of like a monkey, but with no tail. And they are practically furless, except for a large portion of hair on top of the head. Because they have no coat, and because it's part of their culture, they wear clothes all the time. Oh, and they're omnivorous! They have flat teeth for eating plants and sharp teeth for tearing meat. Isn't that cool?"

The group stopped in its tracks. Some gave nervous glances at each other.

"Wait. We're trying to find a creature that has the ability to eat us. Twilight, most of the time I think your'e smart...now is not one of those times."

"It will be fine, Dash, I promise."

"How can anypony just kill something and then eat it? It's just disgusting.!" Commented Rarity.

The group continued on their path for several hours before they saw the outline of the old castle.

It was just as ominous as they remembered. The old castle. The group entered a minute ago and were now walking through the halls. Fallen pillars and broken objects filled their sight. Before they got any further, Twilight turned to them.

" Ok, everypony, listen up. I want us all to split up and search. Look for any kind of hidden door or chamber. Turn this place inside out if you have to. Tell me if you see anything out of the ordinary."

The group nodded and split up, each taking a different room. Twilight knew that what she was searching for was here. She decoded the riddle and knew exactly what it meant.

"Through Everfree, to moon's redemption."

Through the Everfree Forest and to the old castle. This castle, where Nightmare Moon was defeated and turned back into Luna. This is where the moon was redeemed.

The door to the tomb, fill the depression.

Twilight believed that this had something to do with the necklace. If she was right, the necklace would be the key to opening the tomb. She actually had a theory that Nightmare Moon knew about the slumbering servant and was trying to find the tomb herself when the elements stopped her. She was glad that they did. With the Slumbering Servant at her side, who knows what kind of damage Nightmare Moon could have caused.

It was a few minutes later when she heard Pinkie call her.

"Twilight! Twilight! I found something!"

Twilight ran to where she heard her friends voice. When she got there, she saw Pinkie standing in front of a large brick wall.

"What did you find, Pinkie?"

"This!" Pinkie turned and pointed to the wall. In the middle of the brick wall was a depression that matched the shape of the necklace.

"Is this it, Twilight?"

"Yes, this is it. How did you find it so quickly?"

"Oh, that's easy! I used my Pinkie sense! When my eyes roll up into the back of my head, it means that there's a hidden door nearby!"

"Pinkie sense, what is tha- no never mind! Pinkie, go get the others and bring them here."

Pinkie saluted like a soldier and took off. After she watched her friend leave, Twilight turned back to the wall. Her horn glowed with magic as she brought the necklace next to it. It was time to test her theory. She pushed the necklace into the depression. It was a perfect fit.

Suddenly the whole castle shook and the wall began to break apart. When the shaking stopped, the former wall was now a perfect archway, leading into some dark chamber.

"Twilight! Are you alright? What was that shaking?" Called Rarity, as she and the others came into the room.

"Yes, I'm fine. The cause of the shaking was that." Twilight pointed to the dark area beyond the archway. "It's in there. What we're looking for is in there." The others came beside her. "Well...this is it." She and the others slowly walked through the darkness. It was so dark that they could barley see in front of them.

Twilight was about to use her magic to create some light, when the entire room was filled with lit candles. It surprised them at first. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, they could see that they weren't in a room at all. It was more like a vary large hallway. At the end of the hallway was a pedestal...and on top of the pedestal was a very small statue.

With Twilight leading, the group slowly pushed forward. As they walked, they could see skeletons, human skeletons, all braced against the walls. Each one had a sword in their hand. Rainbow looked at them and said.

"Is that what they look like? Ok, I'm getting really freaked out here."

"Don't worry, those are just bones." Said Lyra "A live one looks much different."

"Oh, good...good."

"Getting a little scared, eh Dash?" Asked AJ.

"No! I'm not scared of anything. They just look weird, that's all!"

They were just a few feet from the pedestal now. They could see the statue resting on top. For a moment, no one did anything, they were too nervous to approach any further. Then Lyra, who could't hold her patience any longer, used her magic and lifted the statue. The very instant the magic touched it, a loud, deep voice reverberated throughout the hall.

"YOU ARE NOT WORTHY!"

The group looked around in shock.

"ONLY SHE WHO IS WORTHY MAY BREAK THE SEAL! ALL OTHERS ARE NOT ALLOWED! YOU ARE TRESPASSERS!"

Suddenly the skeleton warriors against the wall came alive. Their eye sockets glowed red and they turned their heads in the ponies direction. They began a slow walk towards them.

"Damn it Lyra!" Shouted Dash.

"Sorry!"

"Twilight, do something!"

The purple unicorn flared her magic and sent a blast of energy at the monsters. The blast knocked them down, but they quickly got back up and continued their advance. Twilight turned to the statue and screamed at it.

"Come on, we came this far! Doesn't that make us worthy?" She brought he hoof up and smacked it. As her hoof connected, a blinding flash of light shone from the statue. "Oh, what did I do now?" She said, losing hope. The light shone so bright that no one could see. Perhaps this was for the best.If she was going to die, better to not know when it's coming.

But then the light dimmed. She and the others could see again! To their surprise, all the skeletons were destroyed, their bones strewn across the floor. The ponies weren't going to die, they were saved! The group gave sighs of relief.

"Twi, what did you do?" Asked Lyra.

"I...I don't know."

Lyra was going to say something else, but her voice caught in her chest. There was something moving behind Twilight, something big. She brought up her hoof and pointed. Twilight looked confused.

"What?"She asked

Lyra pointed again. Twilight turned around and saw it. The thing she set out to find, the human! It was covered in black armor and was sitting on the pedestal. It smiled at them nervously and looked around.

The Slumbering Servant had been awakened...... And he was very confused.

"Um...where the hell am I?"

Zakari

Zakari didn't know when he fell asleep, but he did know that he was having the most wonderful dream. It involved Princess Celestia, cheesecake, and... a very soft bed. In the dream, he was bringing in trays of cheesecake to her bedroom and when he was about to leave, the princess called him over to her bed and asked him to feed her. Oh joy! There are no words that can describe what an honor this is! He was about to serve her another piece when a blinding flash of light distorted the dream and woke him from his bliss.

The first thing he felt when he awoke was an enormous amount of pent up energy. It was like he took a thousand year nap and was ready for anything! Seriously, he never felt this energized before! But, after that, the next thing he felt was fear. He remembered what happened to him. He was fighting against that murderer, Captain markus, and was defeated in battle. Well...at least he thinks he got defeated. Getting partially decapitated counts as losing, right? Now he was worried. Was Markus killed? Did anyone else get hurt? Were the princesses safe? If he somehow, through a miracle, survived his wound, then why wasn't he in the hospital? This was definitely not a hospital.

And he heard voices. They sounded female.

He sat up from whatever he was lying on and took in his surroundings. It was dark, the only light being emitted was from a few candles on the walls. And it appeared that he was at the end of a rather long hallway. He also found the origin of the voices. They were from ponies. That was actually very comforting to the black clad warrior. If anyone can help him, it would be them.

'Ah, Equines. The loyal and kind friend to the human race. They can certainly fill me in!' He thought to himself. He noticed that a mint green one( or is she teal? I don't know) pointed her hoof at him. This got the attention of a purple one, who turned around to see him. Now that he looked closer, he could tell she was a unicorn, and there was actually a pretty big group behind her. The ponies each had different looks on their faces. Some had looks of pure horror. Others, a look of interest. And the teal/mint green one had a look of...fascination?

'What's wrong with them? They act like they've never seen a human before?'

He decided to voice his confusion.

"Um...where the hell am I?"

They just stared at him, unmoving and barley blinking. Zakari raised an eyebrow.

"Um, are you guys alright? Why are you staring at me?" He asked them. For a moment, there was no answer, until Lyra ran past Twilight and stood in front of him. He looked down at her, wondering what her problem was. Then she lowered her head to the floor and bowed.

"The voice was right!" Shouted Lyra "I am not worthy!"

Zakari backed up a foot. 'What the hell is wrong with these ponies!' He looked away from Lyra and to the rest of the group, "Would anybody like to tell me what's going on!?" They just kept staring " Why won't anyone say anything?"

They acted like this was the first time they ever met a human!

Finally snapping out of it, Twilight looked up at Zakari and spoke.

"H-hi, My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends." She nodded her head to the rest of the group. "Who are you?"

Zakari placed an arm across his chest and did a small bow, then said. "My name is Zakari. A pleasure to meet you Miss Sparkle." He smiled at them. And apparently that's all that was needed to break the ice, just a show of good will. The others dropped their fear and approached, standing beside Twilight. They all looked up at him now, with more interest.

"Miss Sparkle, would you be so kind as to explain where we are and what we are doing here?" He asked, moving his finger in a circle to imply that he was talking about the room.

"Um...well... we are in the tomb of the Slumbering Servant." She responded.

" And where is that? I've never heard of that before."

Twilight sighed. "I was afraid of this. You don't know what happened to you?"

"Know what? I have no clue where I am or what's going on."

" Before you woke up here, do you remember fighting another human?"

"Yes, I do. It was Captain Markus. He murdered the King and Queen and then he...he..."

"He killed you too."

"Yeah! Or at least I thought I was dead." He touched his neck and felt a very large scar. Obviously the injury that should have killed him.

"You aren't dead. But the injury was too severe, so... they had to do something drastic. Something rarely ever done."

"What? What happened to me?"

"You...you might want to sit down for this."

"Why? Just tell me what happened!"

She took a deep breath. " 1,500 years ago, an assassin murdered the king and queen on Equestria. He later dueled with a guard and almost killed him as well. To save the guard's life, he was sealed in a statue and placed in a tomb. That guard...was you. This...is your tomb...YOU are the Slumbering Servant."

His brain finally processed the information. He has been pretty much dead for more than 1,500 years. It was too much. He slumped to his knees and took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself.

"1,500 years. Your telling me I've been gone THAT long!"

"I'm sorry, I know this is hard for you. Do you...do you need a moment alone?"

"No..no I'm fine, it's just ALOT to take in. I'll... I'll think about that later." He got off his knees. " Which way is out? I need some fresh air."

"We'll show you the way. Come with us." Zakari nodded and fallowed the purple unicorn and her friends.

The group exited the castle sometime later and was once again greeted by the trees of the Everfree forest. They left for this expedition at around noon and the sun was now setting. Their little journey wasn't really that little. It took them all day. Zakari found a tree to brace himself on. He said he wasn't going to think about it, but that was proving to be difficult. He needed to rest on something, get his bearings straight.

Twilight watched from a distance as the ebony armored human leaned against a tree. She couldn't help but feel a little responsible for his pain. Maybe she shouldn't have awakened him. He left so much behind.

"It's not your fault." Said AppleJack, coming up beside her. Twilight turned to meet her friend.

"But if I didn't release him then maybe..."

"Maybe what? He stays in the thing for all eternity? That's almost as bad as death. I know he's hurting right now, trying to sort out all that's happened to him, but that's not your fault. You gave him another chance at life! It might hurt him now, knowing that he left so much behind, but he'll get over it. The pain is only temporary. He may not admit it right now, but I think he's glad to be alive." She gave Twilight a reassuring smile.

"Your right. And I'll be there to help him through this."

"I know you will, sugarcube. You're just that kind of pony."

The two stopped talking for a moment and just watched the human. Twilight thought about approaching Zakari and trying to talk to him to get him to feel better, but it seems a certain pink pony beat her to the punch. Before she could stop her, she saw Pinkie walking up behind him. This could only end badly.

Zakari was still leaning on the tree. The pain of leaving everything behind was becoming numb. It was still there, but the shock of the whole situation had slightly worn off. Right now, he wanted to be alone with his thoughts, and it appeared that those ponies understood. He looked back at them and noticed something missing. Wait...wasn't there a pink one too?

"HI!"

"AHHHHH!" Zakari jumped back, his heart beating a million miles a minute. Well...he found the pink one!

"My name's Pinkie!" She shouted.

"Ugh...don't you know it's rude to sneak up on others." He said, slightly panting.

"Well, I did think it would be kinda rude, but then I saw how sad you were about whatever you were thinking about and I thought a surprise would get you to stop thinking about whatever it is that you were thinking that made you sad in the first place!"

He blinked...then twice. "...What?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just trying to cheer you up! You seem really down about something!" She smiled at him.

"Well, that's because I am down." He rested his head back on the tree.

"Well, you know what cheers me up?"

"Ugh...no." He sighed.

"A party!"

"That's nice." He didn't even look up from the tree.

"Do you like to party?"

Now, some might question why Zakari doesn't just snap at her and tell her that she's being annoying and that he want's to be left alone? Well, Zakari understands that the pink pony is just trying to make him feel better. And to snap at someone who just trying to cheer you up is rude and inconsiderate. Well that and the fact he's got no balls whatsoever. And so he kept his irritation bottled up inside and put on his best smile.

"Yes Pinkie, I like to party."

She shouted with joy. "Oh fantastic! I'll start planning right away!"

"Yes...you go do that."

"Go? How would I plan your party if I just go? I need your input! duh!"

"Ugh...fine. What do you want to know?"

Twilight just watched as Pinkie and Zakari talked. She was certain that, given all that's happened to him, he would tell her to buzz off. But he didn't. Instead, he swallowed his anger and remained polite.

"First, what kind of snacks do you like?" Pinkie pulled out a note pad. From where, I have no idea.

"Well, I don't know, um..."

"Let me be a little more specific. Do you like cake?"

"Yeah, I like cake."

"What kind is you favorite? Chocolate? Vanilla? Marble?

He thought back to the dream he was having a little bit ago. "I...like cheesecake."

"Ooooh, cheesecake! Yummy!" She scribbled it down on the note pad. That was actually impressive considering she has no hands or fingers. "So, do you like large parties or smaller, private parties?"

"Um, well I guess smaller parties. I really just like to hang out with close friends..." And now he was thinking about it again. All the things left behind, his friends were among them. "Excuse me,Miss Pinkie." He walked past her and to Twilight.

When Twilight saw Zakari coming her way, she was glad. She had some good news for him.

"Hi, Zakari." She said, somewhat softly.

"Hello again, Miss Sparkle. I wish to say something."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I wish to thank you for releasing me from the statue. I...I may not like having left the world behind, but it beats being dead. Though, I'm not sure what to do with myself and I have so many questions, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

"Well, I'm glad. When I released you, it was never my intention to make you feel bad."

"I know. And...thank you again.

He smiled at her and she smiled back. There was a slowly forming connection between the two. She then remembered the good news.

"Oh, I have good news!"

He looked puzzled. "What?"

" Before we left, my friends found some things in that room you were in." She used her magic and lifted up two things."I think these belong to you."

He cracked a small smile. She was right, they were his. The two things she lifted up was his helmet...and a certain katana with a yellow handle.

Ticket Master(Black Shield DLC included)

Zakari and Twilight were walking along the path to Sweet Apple Acres. They had just gotten back from Canterlot, after a chariot ride that lasted a few hours. During the ride, they somewhat discussed Twilight's new authority and Zakari's new position. He was now pretty much a warrior servant who answered only to Twilight and the princesses.

But Twilight didn't want that. She didn't want to control him, she only wanted to be his friend. She tried to talk Zakari out of it, but he was adamant. He would serve her, fight for her, and if necessary...even die for her.

And she didn't want any of that! She didn't want any friend of her's dying for her. She didn't want power over another individual. All she wanted was to have someone to share good times with. Someone to have laughs with, to do things with. Parties, picnics, even just talking. She wanted that...not power.

She looked over at him. He didn't notice and kept walking.

"Something you need, Mistress Sparkle?"

Scratch that...he did notice

"No, I don't need anything." She said, somewhat softly.

He didn't say anything back, he only nodded his head to acknowledge he heard her. An awkward silence stood between them. There was tension there and he could feel it. They walked for a few more minutes before Zakari spoke again.

"Mistress Sparkle, are you alright?"

"You know I'm not. I don't like having this control over you. I want you to be free, not forced to obey."

"Mistress Sparkle, I am free."

"No you're not! The Princess ordered you to do this. She told you to obey my commands. That's not freedom, it's slavery."

"I'm more free than you know, Mistress. If you only knew the whole story, my submission would make perfect sense."

"But I don't know! I don't know why you're acting like this, I don't know what you and the Princess talked about, I don't know anything because you won't tell me!"

"I can't tell you. I promised the Princess that I would not disclose details until the time is right."

"And that's the part that really bugs me. You're hiding something form me."

"Yes, I am."

"And you admit it!"

"I'm sorry, Mistress. If I could tell you, I would. You will know soon, just not today."

She thought for a moment. "Wait, the Princess ordered you to follow my commands, right?"

"That is correct."

"Fine, then I order you to tell me."

"That will not work. Royal orders go above yours. You can ask me to do alot of things, just not that."

She looked at him, then huffed."Fine. But can you at least drop the mistress title thing."

"Is that an official command?"

"...yes."

"Then it will be done, Miss Sparkle."

"That too! No miss or mistress. Just call me Twilight...please."

"...Alright." He have a loud sigh.

"Hey, come on, don't act like that. Friends call each other by their first name, right?"

"...yes."

"And we are friends, right?"

"...yes."

"Then there is no reason you can't just call me Twilight."

"I...guess so."

"Good."

They walked for a few more minutes before the conversation was started back up again.

"You know, most would consider having a badass warrior doing your bidding to be quite the perk." Said Zakari.

"well, I'm not like most. I don't want power over another. And I'm perfectly capable of doing things on my own. But, if I do need help, I'll ask not order."

"I see." Zakari was glad for the helmet, it covered his smile. The first test Celestia put in place and Twilight was passing it with flying colors. The test of humility. Before all the secrets are revealed, she will go through many such tests.

The two saw Sweet Apple Acres in the distance, and Applejack running to greet them.

"Howdy, you two. Glad you're back!"

"Good to see you too, Applejack." Twilight responded. Zakari didn't speak, instead he bowed quickly in acknowledgement.

"So, what did the Princess want? Something important I take it?"

"It was, in a away. She wanted to see Zakari."

"Really? What about?"

"That's the thing...he won't tell me."

"What? Why?"

"Ask him." She tilted her head in Zakari's direction.

"What's going on? Why won't you tell Twi anything?"

"I'm sorry, Applejack. I swore to the princess that I would not discuss details." Zakari responded.

"Hmm, alright then, don't go into detail. Just tell us what you can WITHOUT the details."

Zakari sighed. "Fine, short version then. Twilight is important and needs to be protected. Therefore, I have been put in charge of helping her in anything she deems important and to protect her from danger. I am under her command now."

"Command? Does that mean she can tell you to do stuff?"

"That is correct."

She thought about this for a moment, then turned back to Twilight. "Well, if that's the case, just order him to tell you."

"Already tried that, it doesn't work."

"Why not?"

"Royal orders go above mine. The princess made sure he couldn't tell me."

"Hmm...well I don't know what to say, Twi, other than if he princess wants to tell you, she'll tell you. Until then, remember that it's the princess we're talking about. She wouldn't steer us wrong. That should put you at ease."

"Yeah...you're right. It's just...I don't like not knowing something."

"Oh, I already knew that about you, sugarcube."

The three of them walked along the path for a while. It was getting around lunch time, and Twilight was thinking about stopping at one of the small cafes for a sandwich.

The group suddenly heard someone call Twilight's name. They turned to the direction of the voice to see Spike running up to them. He stopped in front of them, panting.

"Twilight! Letters...came...for...you...two!" Spike pointed at both Twilight and Zakari.

"Really, let me see them." Spake gave Twilight the letters. She examined one and gave it to Zakari. They both opened and read their letters.

"Let's see." Started Twilight " The Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala is to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot, on the first of September. You, Twilight Sparkle are cordially invited and will be given two tickets so that a friend may accompany you." A second later, Spike burped and in the flame was two tickets.

"The Grand Galloping Gala!" Shouted Applejack "That's one of the biggest events of the year!"

"I'm invited?! That was so nice of the Princess. Wow, I've never been to the Gala, have you Spike?" Spike shook his head. She turned to Zakari. "What about you."

"She...she remembered." He said, somewhat surprised.

"Remembered what?"

"Back when my kind walked the earth, the Black Shields would perform at the Grand Galloping Gala. For one hour, the most talented Black Shield warriors gave a martial arts demonstration with both weapon and hand to hand techniques. Each one performing with their own style or weapon. At the very end, the guests were moved to the courtyard for the finale. There, they would watch as 30 warriors fought in a mock battle. Well...in the letter, the Princess has asked me to perform my own demonstration."

"Wow, Zakari, that's great! I look forward to seeing you perform, I'm sure it will be spectacular!"

"Yeah...if I can get over my stage fright."

"Ah, don't worry sugarcube, you'll do fine, I'm sure." Commented AJ. She then turned to Twilight. "And, uh, while we're on the subject of the Gala...who are taking?"

"Well, I haven't-"

"Because, I could really make some good money selling my apples there. There would be so many ponies that I may just get enough money to fix that saggy, old barn."

"Oh, well I guess You-"

"Whoa!" The group looked up to see Rainbow Dash flying towards them. She hit the ground next to them. "Are you talking about the Grand Galloping Gala?"

AJ raised an eyebrow. "Rainbow Dash! I thought you were too busy to help. What were you busy doing?"

"I was busy napping. And I just happen to hear that Twilight has an extra ticket."

"Well...yes, but-" Twilight started, but was cut off

"Oh, please Twilight! I have to go! The Wonderbolts perform at the Gala every year! If I could go, I just might be able to meet them and make a good impression. They might even let me join!" Rainbow gave Twilight puppy eyes.

"Now hold on!" Shouted AJ. "She already said that I was going."

"No, I cut her off. That means she didn't."

"That's not fair! Twilight, tell her you're taking me!"

They both looked at her, and she backed up slightly. "Well, I did say that Applej-"

"Oh, come on, please Twi!" Rainbow pleaded." This could be my chance! Everything I've ever done has lead to this. If I went, I could finally achieve my life's dream!"

"Oh, enough of this!" Shouted Applejack"Twi, who's it going to be?" They both looked at her and she backed up slightly.

"Um, I-I don't know! Um, ok, whoever has a better reason to go gets the ticket."

"Getting money to fix the farm!" Shouted AJ

"Living my life's dream!" Rainbow also shouted.

Twilight looked to one then the other. "Wow, um, those are pretty good reasons." Her stomach then growled. "You know, I can't possibly make a choice on an empty stomach. So, uh, I'm gonna get some lunch and then think about it."

Rainbow and AJ watched as Twilight and her companions walked away. Rainbow then turned to Applejack.

"I'll hoofwrestle you for the ticket."

"You're on!"

They twisted their hooves and glared at each other.

Twilight, Spike and Zakari took their seats. They decided on having lunch at one of the small cafes back in Ponyville. After he sat down, Zakari took off his helmet and placed it on the ground next to him. He tried getting comfortable on the stool, but it was doing nothing to help his back. It was also a little small for him.

The waiter came by and was about to take their orders, when he saw Zakari. He was surprised, having never seen anything like him. Zakari couldn't help but notice the stare out of the corner of his eye.

"You know, it's impolite to stare." He said, not even looking up from his menu. The waiter shook his head and regained his composure.

"I'm sorry sir. Are...are you three ready to order." He asked.

"I am." Said Twilight. "I'll have the daffodil and daisy sandwich, please."

The waiter wrote down the order, then turned to Spike." And you sir?"

"Hmm, do you have any rubies?" Spike asked.

"No, sir."

"Oh, well then I'll have the hay fries. Extra crispy."

The waiter wrote down that order too, then turned to black clad monkey creature. "And...um...for you, sir?"

Zakari thought for a moment. "Do you have any steak?"

"Uh, n-no we don't serve that here, sir." He backed away slightly.

Zakari arched an eyebrow. "Oh, that's a shame. I guess I'll have the onion soup." He grinned a bit, showing his canines. "But don't make us wait. Other wise...I might need to find something else to eat."

The waiter nodded his head, ran off to the kitchen.

Twilight looked at Zakari. "Was that really necessary?"

He smiled."No, but it was funny. Before I got sealed into the statue, I used to do it all the time to ponies. Well, the ones that I knew didn't know much about humans, anyway. It didn't work with the ponies who were accustomed to us and our ways. Those ones knew I was only joking."

"It was a little mean if you ask me...but yeah, it was kinda funny."

The was a silence between the two, then Zakari asked. "So, do you know who you're taking to the Gala yet?"

"No, I don't. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both really want to go. But I don't want to sadden one by choosing the other."

"Well, I have an idea." Said Spike. "Maybe...you could give the ticket to Rarity. And maybe...tell her it was from me."

"Nice try, loverboy." She turned back to Zakari. "Say...can I use that official command thing?"

" Depends, what's the command?"

"...Solve my problem."

He shook his head. "Sorry, can't do that."

"What? Why?"

"I can fight for you, I can lift heavy things for you. I'll even take a punch to the face for you. But you can't ask me to solve problems. That requires brain power...which I don't have." He smiled slightly at his own joke. "But, in all seriousness, I don't know how to help you on this. Not unless you'd like to give up your ticket so that both can go."

She looked down and sighed. "I...was thinking along those lines. But...I don't want to give up my ticket. I was looking forward to spending time with the Princess. The Grand Galloping Gala is one of the only times that I would be able to talk to her alone. And there are so many things that I wanted to talk to her about."

Zakari was about to respond, but suddenly, his helmet began to shake violently. He bent over and picked it up off the ground. Just as he was about to look inside it....Pinkie Pie popped out.

"HI!"

"AHHHH!" The helmet, with Pinkie's head poking out, landed on the table. Zakari...landed on the ground.

Pinkie pulled herself out of the helmet and stood on the table. "HI!, Zakari!"

The human was panting and holding his hand to his chest. "God, Pinkie, you scared the shit out of me! How the hell did you do that?"

"Oh, a mare has her ways. Speaking of which..." She turned to Twilight. "Did I hear you say that you have a ticket to The Grand Galloping Gala?!"

Twilight's ears went down and she sighed. "Oh, Pinkie, not you too."

"I have always wanted to go there. It is THE party of all parties! Please Twilight, you have to give me that ticket!"

Twilight wondered why it was always her that got into these messes.

Due to Pinkie's loud mouthing, most of Ponyville soon heard of the extra ticket. Everypony in town began asking for it. Some were even willing to give gifts and bribes. The more time went on, a small mob began to form. Every pony followed Twilight, even the mayor!

Twilight also issued another command. She ordered Zakari to carry her and Spike on his back...and run like hell! They weaved through the town, through alleys and over bridges. Even going so far as to climb the buildings and run on the roofs like some Assassin's Creed reject.

They were eventually able to ditch the mob, and returned home. Upon entering the treehouse, they found that all of Twilight's friends were there. They were there to say sorry for forcing her to choose, then they gave up their right to the ticket. Seeing as how none of her friends could go, Twilight decided to write to the Princess and tell her that she would be sending back the tickets.

Imagine her surprise when the princess sent back the tickets...plus extras. Now, they can all go and no one would get left behind.

And that's all Twilight ever wanted...for her friends to be happy.

After all that's happened today, Twilight was eager to get to bed. She walked up the stairs, turned off the lights and plopped onto the covers. She closed her eyes and let out a yawn. When she opened them, she saw Zakari kneeling by her bed. His helmet and sword were by his side. His eyes were closed.

"What...what are you doing?" She asked.

"Protecting you."

"By sitting next to my bed?"

"Not sitting, sleeping."

"You're just going to sit there...all night?"

"Yes."

"You don't have to do that."

"Are you sure, cause I can stay right here all night."

"I thank you for the dedication, but this is really not needed. I don't think anypony is going to hurt me while I sleep."

"I see. Well...I guess I can go sleep in the corner." He got up.

" Wait. You don't have to sleep in the corner. I can move over and make room on the bed."

His face blushed slightly. "That would be...just no. I'll take the corner."

He walked over to the room's corner and sat down again. She watched him, then got under her covers.

"Are you going to be warm enough? I have a spare blanket."

"I will be fine, don't worry."

"Ok." She looked at him one last time before closing her eyes. "Goodnight, Zakari."

He closed his own eyes. "Goodnight...Mistress Sparkle."

She threw a pillow at him.

Dragon Gale!

"Are you ready"

"Yeah."

"Do it!"

It has been three days since the ticket incident. During that time, Zakari has bonded more with Twilight and her friends, and were eventually told of Zakari's new position in Twilight's life. One day he and Twilight had to convince Applejack that accepting help from someone is NOT a sign of weakness. The day after that, Zakari had a little tussle with a griffon named Gilda, after she got in Fluttershy's face and roared, sending the poor, timid mare into a panicky mess. Gilda then got 20% of Zakari's boot up her ass!

Which brings us to today. Right now, Twilight and Zakari are in the field next to the Everfree forest. Last night Twilight had a theory about humans and magic, and now they were trying to test it. Zakari stood with his sword at the ready. Twilight was holding onto his back, with her hooves wrapped around his shoulders.

Her theory was this. According to Zakari, humans don't have magic. We are born without it, and have no way of using it. Unless someone else gives it to us. Twilight believed that just because humans don't have magic, that doesn't mean we are incapable of using it. So now she is holding onto his back, trying to get as close as possible. The closer she is, the more easily the magic will transfer. She was essentially using him like a conduit. She would pour magical energy through her body and into his, then he would release it.

She began to focus her energy. They both glowed purple for a moment, then the glow died down.

"How do you feel?" Asked Twilight.

"I...feel good. Really good. Is this what magic feels like? I can feel power pulsing through my body, just looking for a way out. I've never felt this strong before!"

"So you can feel the magic? That's good, it means my theory was correct. Now focus on something in your head, like fire or a gust of wind."

He nodded his head and closed his eyes. Focus.

"Remember to breath."

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

"Now, transfer the energy to your sword and release it."

"Right!"

He imagined himself moving the energy and putting it in the sword. As he did, the sword began to pulse, like it had its own heartbeat. He brought the sword over his head...and cut downwards.

"Ahh!"

Nothing happened. The energy was released, but had no effect. It just...dissipated.

Another failure.

"I don't understand what we're doing wrong. Even if humans aren't born with magic, there is nothing to indicate that they can't use it! You should be able to perform even a simple spell. At least something to show that it worked!"

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what went wrong!"

"Ugh...it's ok. I just can't stand not figuring something out. You should be able to do a spell, but I just don't know what the problem is. I'm not blaming you."

"I know. I'm just sorry to disappoint." He sighed. "Look, we've been doing this for a while. Lets go into town and get some lunch, then come back and try again."

"Well, I'd hate to leave a test unfinished, but I am getting hungry. Ok, a quick lunch, then we come right back."

Zakari nodded and picked up his helmet, and placed it on his head. The two then walked the path back to Ponyville.

As the two entered the town, they noticed that a large crowd was forming in front of City Hall. They all seemed to be crowding around a stage.

"What's going on here?"

"I don't know. Maybe a performance."

The two saw their friends near the front. They went up and greeted them.

"What's going on?"

"Don't know, we just got here." Responded Dash.

"We saw the crowd and decided to check it out." Commented Pinkie

Suddenly, a loud voice comes from the stage.

"Come one, come all, come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" Fireworks shot from the stage and into the air.

Zakari turned to Twilight."You were right, it is a performance."

It turns out that this unicorn, Trixie, is a bit of a show off. She claimed to be the most powerful magic user in Equestria, even going so far to say that she vanquished an ursa major. Near the end, she challenged that anything you can do, she can do better.

"Most of the mane six took that challenge, including Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack. Trixie used her magic and showed them all up. The group decided that a challenge by true magic user was the only way to wipe that smirk off Trixie's face. So, they urged Twilight to the stage. She declined, saying that she didn't wan't to be a show off like Trixie.

At the end, Trixie walked off the stage with another smug comment about her superiority.

It was nighttime now, and Zakari and Twilight were back home. Twilight had several books on the table, all of them opened. She was trying to figure out the reason for whatever's blocking Zakari's ability to use magic. Zakari was drinking coffee and sitting in the corner, skimming through a small romance novel Twilight lent him.

Zakari took another sip of his beverage before putting it down on the floor next to him. He brought the book back up to his eyes and flipped the page. He was actually quite intrigued by the story. It was about a human man and pony mare that fall in love, but soon have to deal with bigots and nutjobs that try to tear them apart. The story appealed to him and his slight fetish for inter-species relationships.

As he flipped another page, he noticed that his coffee rippled. He didn't think anything of it, so he went back to reading. Then it did it again. On the third time, he could feel something shaking the ground.

"Hey, do feel that too?" He asked, looking at Twilight.

"Feel what?" The ground shakes slightly. "That...was that an impact tremor?"

The shaking begins to intensify. Soon, the whole house is shaking.

"What's going on?!" Zakari shouted.

"I don't know!"

Suddenly, they heard something crashing and screams. Zakari puts on his helmet and straps his sword to his side. He and Twilight rush out the front door to see an a giant bear like creature tearing the whole town apart.

"What...what is that!" Shouted Zakari.

"That's an ursa minor! What's it doing here?"

"looks like it's ripping up the place!"

The ursa slams its paw into a building, sending into shambles.

"We have to do something, before it kills some pony!"

Zakari looked at the rampaging ursa, then down to his sword.

'There is no way I can fight that thing, not by myself.' He thought 'But..I have to try something.'

He had a quick flashback of the field from earlier. 'No, that won't work. We still don't know how to get it right. But..there's not much we can do already, might as well take a chance.'

"It's at least worth trying." He said to himself.

"What did you say?" Said Twilight.

He turned to her. "Twilight, get on my back." He lowered himself down to his knees.

"What? Why?"

"Remember what we were doing earlier, in the field?"

"Yes, but what does that-wait I get it! But, we couldn't get it to work."

"I know, but it's the only option I see, now hurry!"

She climbed up onto his back and locked her hooves around his neck. He stood up and unsheathed his sword. Twilight's horn glowed and she began the transfer.

He could feel the magical power move from her and into him. He felt it course through his veins. He began to focus the energy, moving from his body, to his arm, and finally into the sword. The ursa was making its way to them, smashing everything in its path.

'Remember to breath.'

Inhale

Exhale

Inhale

Exhale.

He felt that familiar pulse from the blade. The sword also began to shake a bit.

The ursa was closing in on them now, roaring and growling.

Zakari closed his eyes and raised the sword above his head. The sword began to glow with white light.

Inhale

Exhale

Inhale

"DRAGON GALE!" He cut straight downwards, the blade released the pent up energy in the form a massive, unstoppable gust of wind. It rushed forward, hitting the ursa. The ursa was unprepared for the blast, and it was sent flying back. It got up, shaking its head, only to be hit again and again by gusts of immensely strong wind.

Soon, the thing was skidding backwards and being pushed out of ponyville. The ursa finally admitted defeat. It gave a loud roar and then ran for the forest.

Zakari was panting, he never had to fight an ursa before. He got down on one knee and let Twilight off. They both stared at the destruction caused by the bear like thing. Houses destroyed, shops wrecked, and even city hall was not spared.

They could only hope that no one got hurt.

Sadly, their hopes were too optimistic.

Honor

The two unicorns known as Snips and Snails, after minutes of running, came to a stop in a large field. The town knew, they knew it was them that lured the ursa into Ponyville. They didn't dare stay, fearing what might be done to them.

"What...what are we gonna do, Snips!"

"I don't know! We...we just keep running and go as far as possible."

"We can't run forever! We gotta stop sometime!"

"We'll stop when we know they can't find us. Not Ponyville or our parents."

"But...but I miss my mom. And my dad. I don't want to be away from them forever." Snails started to cry.

"Neither do I, Snails, but we can't go back. Not now or ever. If we did, they'd throw us in the dungeons, or something worse."

There was a pause, then Snails looked at Snips. "Snips...I'm scared."

"So...so am I" Snips started to cry too.

The two hugged each other. They didn't know what else to do. They heard rustling in the grass and turned their heads. There stood Zakari. The two had seen him around town but never approached. The black armor made him scary enough, but now he looked like a demon ready to drag them back Ponyville. He removed his helmet, and sat on the ground.

"You two, we need to talk."

They took a few steps back.

"Look, I know I might be scary to you, but trust me, I'm not going to hurt you. All I want to do is talk."

The two looked at each other, then back to Zakari. They slowly made their way over to him.

"I know that you two aren't bad. I know that you two are sorry. I know that you two aren't malicious beings...just really stupid kids."

"We know! We're sorry! We didn't mean for the ursa to destroy stuff, we just wanted to show everypony how cool Trixie was. She said that she beat an ursa before, so we didn't think there would be a problem!"

"Yes, I saw earlier that you two were quite adamant in your belief of her abilities. But...even though you're sorry, you must still hear what I have to say. You are very, VERY lucky that the ursa didn't do more damage than it did. It could have wiped out that whole town. Some ponies got hurt. Some cuts, others broken bones. But...most got out in time without a scratch."

The two sighed in relief.

"However..."

The two gulped.

"This incident was not without casualty."

"W-who. Who..."

"Who was killed?"

"...yes."

"Do know a pegasus mare named Scootaloo?"

"Yeah...was she the one?" Snips started crying harder.

"No, she wasn't the one killed. But...she is an orphan now."

That was it, they lost it, they broke down. Zakari patted their shoulders.

"Now, you're probably wondering what your punishment is going to be. The answer is nothing. You did cause this, but not on purpose, not with the intent to harm. That's why I'm going to write to the Princess and ask her to pardon all charges. You knowing what you've caused is punishment enough."

"Thank you!" Shouted Snails.

"Thank you, we swear we're so sorry!' said Snips, who couldn't stop crying.

"There is one more thing." Said Zakari. "you're going to do the honorable thing and come with me back to town...and you're going to talk to Scootaloo. You're going to tell her what you did and why she now has no parents."

"No! Please no! Not that!"

"I know it's hard, but it has to be done." He stood up.

"But, what if she doesn't forgive us?!"

"Oh, she probably won't. But you should still tell her you're sorry. Maybe someday, not any day soon, but someday, She'll find it in her heart to forgive you."

Snips and Snails jumped back as Zakari unsheathed his sword.

"Relax, I already said I wasn't going to hurt you." He held the blade sideways so they could see it better. "Do you know what this kind of sword is called?"

They shook their heads.

"This is called a katana. Back when my kind walked beside yours, there was a group of warriors who used these swords. They were legendary not only for their ability in battle...but also their sense of unbreakable honor. When the time came for me to join the royal guard and Choose my weapon, I chose the katana. It was my way of showing that I too had honor, integrity, and principle."

"I...I don't think I can do it."

Zakari sighed. "Walking the honorable path...it's not easy. Doing the right thing...is difficult. But, there is a little girl in that town who is distraught. She's in pain. You did something to cause that pain...and now you're going to make it right."

Some time later, the three reentered Ponyville. Twilight and the others were waiting for him by the bridge. Zakari told them what he told Snips and Snails, and asked if they would watch over the two as they apologized.

The group found Scootaloo near town hall, crying. Zakari urged the two unicorns to go to her. They did. They talked to Scootaloo, told her what they did. She was furious, shouting her hatred of them for all the town to hear. She even tried to attack them, but was held back by Rainbow Dash.

The two unicorns were escorted away by fluttershy, while Zakari and the others talked to Scootaloo. She had a right to be angry, and she expressed that.

The talk went on for a few hours before everything settled down. Scootaloo was going to live with Rainbow Dash for a while, till they can find a place for her. Zakari went home with Twilight and sat in his corner. As he closed his eyes, he hoped that, even if Scootaloo didn't forgive Snips and Snails, she at least would't hold hatred in her heart.

Deficiency

It's been one week since the ursa incident. Most of the town had been repaired and things are returning to normal. Well, for what passes for normal in Ponyville, anyway. They were close to finding a new home for Scootaloo. A sweet couple agreed to take her in and all that's left to do before she moves in is to smooth out the details. Zakari also had a talk with Snips and Snails' parents, warning them to be on watch for possible depression.

Currently, Zakari was sitting on Twilight's bed, thinking. Lately, he has been feeling under the weather. He's been woozy, his skin has paled a little, he has little strength and low energy. He knew what the reason behind this was and dreaded telling Twilight and the others.

It was time to have the meat talk.

Or it would be if Zakari had the balls to tell them.

And that's why he's sitting on Twilight's bed, thinking of how to break it to his friends that he's really missing the taste of BBQ chicken wings. He knew the subject of ponies eating meat was...frowned upon, but he hoped they would understand that he was a special case.

He figures that Fluttershy would be the most understanding, seeing as how many of the animals in her care could be classified as carnivorous. She would understand that it's just nature taking it's course...right? When the time came, would she stick up for him?

He had different thoughts on how the others would react. Rainbow Dash is loyalty incarnate, she wouldn't turn her back on him. At least....that's what he hoped.

Pinkie would probably be traumatized, call him a monster and never speak to him again. Her hair might even go flat.

Applejack would tell him it's just plain wrong and to take that kind of thinking far away from town.

Rarity. She would most likely call him a brute or barbarian.

And Twilight... She was the one he was most afraid of offending. She was his closest friend.

His best friend.

With the others, it would hurt to have them dislike him, but with Twilight, that would be a cut too deep.

Back during his time, the whole eating meat wasn't an issue. While ponies were forbidden, the king and queen allowed humans to eat meat without repercussion. Zakari got up off the bed and headed downstairs.

No more stalling, just get it over with.

The ponies were all down stairs, waiting for Zakari. He asked Spike to go get them all and bring them to the library. They were not informed of why they were called and were starting to wonder.

"So, what are we all doing here?" Asked AJ

"Don't know. All Spike said was that Z wanted to talk to us." Responded Rainbow

"Z?"

"Yeah, we've been hanging out lately and one day I called him that. He doesn't seemed to mind."

"I think I know." Said Twilight.

"Well, don't keep us in the dark."

"Have you girls noticed how...unwell he's been?"

"He's been unwell?" Asked Fluttershy.

"Yeah, I've noticed." Said Dash "The other day, it seemed like he couldn't keep up with me....well, it's hard for anyone to keep up, but with him he seemed to be sluggish, like he was out of energy."

"Exactly! I've noticed that he seems to be suffering some kind of illness. Paleness, loss of energy, feeling sick to the stomach." Said Twilight. "I've asked him if he was alright and he said yes. But, I can tell...it's getting worse. I'm worried for him and I hope it's nothing too serious."

Zakari got off the final step of the stairs and addressed them. "Hello all, thank you for coming on such short notice."

"what's this about?" Asked Spike.

"Well, as you probably observed, I have not been all myself lately. My skin has paled, I have little energy, and I feel nauseous. The reason for this isn't actually an illness as you might guess, it's something else."

"what?"

"Humans are omnivorous. That means we can eat almost anything, but..."

"But what?" Asked Twilight.

"We have a preference...for meat."

They stayed quiet.

"And that's why I'm sick. Meat is high in protein, and my body is dire need of it. Without it, I'll continue to get sicker and...I could even die."

The group was silent for a moment, then Dash said. "Is...is that it?"

"What do you mean"Is that it?"

"I was expecting something different."

"Yeah,so was I." Said Twilight. "Was this what was bothering you?"

"Well...yeah!"

"Why would that bother you?"

"Because...you know...you're herbivores and eating meat it looked down on."

"Yeah, for ponies, but not other races."

"W-what?"

"yeah dude" Said Dash. "If you need to eat meat to live, we're not gonna hold it against you."

"Really?"

"Why would we? I mean, I was friends with Gilda and she ate meat. I've seen her do it. And I was fine with it."

"Well, what do you know."

"What?" Asked Twilight.

"Nothing, it's just...I thought of this going a very different route."

"Zakari, this is who you are. We aren't going to fault you for being you. You're a meat eater, it's in your nature. I don't see why you shouldn't be allowed to eat meat. You aren't gonna go around murdering ponies for meat are you?"

"What? NO!"

"So, you're going to stick to animals like fish and chickens."

"Yes!"

"Then I don't see a big issue."

"It's nature, the food chain." Added Fluttershy.

"So, you girls don't hate me?"

"Zakari, we could never hate you. You're our friend."

"So...I can go get some meat?"

"Of course." Said Twilight.

He sighed in relief. "Oh thank God! I'm not gonna die of protein deficiency!"

"Well, actually Zakari, there are some plants with a decent amount of protein in them. You don't have to eat meat to-"

"Too late!" He ran out the door.

Meeting the village people

Today was the day. Today, he would finally toss aside his shy and introverted nature and go meet other residents of Ponyville!

Right after his morning coffee....and bacon for breakfast....and brushing his teeth....and cleaning the library...and....

'Damn it, Zakari! Man up! stop being such a pussy and go outside! Talk to the ponies, get to know them!'

Zakari sighed. Ever since he was a child, he had always been shy. It took a while for him to open up to others. That's not to say that he didn't have friends, it just took a while. The only reason he ever had any semblance bravery was because he joined the military. They broke him down, then rebuilt him.

Partially.

His drill instructors did their best, but he will always have that shy voice in the back of his head.

He went downstairs and noticed Twilight at the table, reading. What else did you expect her to do?

"Excuse me, Mistress Sparkle?"

She sighed. "What did I say about calling me that?"

"Sorry. Twilight."

"Better. So, you need something?"

"Yes. I...would like to go outside."

"Um...ok"

"May I?"

"You're asking me...if you can go out side?"

"That's correct."

"Ugh, you don't have to ask me. If you want to go, then go."

"Are you sure."

"Yes!"

"Oh....then I guess I'll see you later!"

He walked out the door. Twilight watched him leave, then turned back to her book.

Right when he stepped outside...he got lost. He never went outside without Twilight and she always lead the way. He usually just followed her. But now he was on his own and he didn't know where to start. He looked to the left and then to the right. He decided on right and started his walk.

He walked for about five minutes before coming to the small bridge at the end of town. This was near where the ursa was defeated and sent back in to the forest. He crossed the bridge and leaned up against a tree. He sighed. There weren't really any ponies worth talking to. Sure, he could go up to anyone of them and strike up a conversation, but going around and talking to ponies at random for no reason seemed kinda weird. What would that be like? Hello Equine, would you like to talk to me? Tell me, a complete stranger from a totally different species, all about yourself!

No, he needed a good reason to just go up and talk to someone. This isn't Skyrim, god sakes.

As he leaned against the tree and thought about his situation, something fell from the sky and hit him directly on the head. It bounced off and rolled to the ground. He looked down at it.

It was a muffin.

Where did that come from? Was it raining muffins? Oh Shit! Did Discord get loose? It was the sworn duty of any Black Shield member to destroy that Abomination should it ever escape! He looked around and unsheathed his sword.

But no, Discord was not there....but there was a certain pegasus with a grey coat, blonde mane...and googly eyes.

"Oh, hello." He waved at her.

"Sorry, I dropped my muffin." She flew down from the tree and picked it up. She brushed it off before devouring it.

There was a moment of silence between them before Zakari spoke.

"So...um...I'm Zakari! Nice to meet you."

She turned around. "I'm Derpy Hooves. Nice to meet you too!" She gave him a smile.

He noticed that she had a bag at her side. "So, what's that?"

"Oh, they're muffins."

Of course.

"I...I've never seen anything like you before." She said. "Wait! You're that monkey thing that saved the town!"

Zakari....forever to be known...as monkey thing.

"Yes...the monkey thing. I'm not actually a monkey."He took off his helmet. "I'm human."

"Cool!....what's a human?"

"We were a race a sapient creatures descended from the primate line. We came to Equestria about seven thousand years ago to conquer your kind and enslave them. Then, for some odd reason, we gave up and became your protectors. Somewhere between then and now they disappeared and now I'm the only only one left."

"Oooooh...........want a muffin?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Why not?"

After talking for a while, they parted. Which sucked, because after getting to know her, he really liked Derpy. She was nice, funny, had an endless supply of muffins...and she knew what it was like to be the outcast. During their chat, she told him about how hard it is being different. Growing up, the others would often make fun of her crossed eyes. It didn't help that those same eyes messed with her vision and made her clumsy.

She knew what it was like to not be the same as everyone else. Thus, Zakari and Derpy became quick friends.

He decided that he would try a store next. Maybe purchase something and start a conversation with the owner.

So he walked back into town and went up to a nearby stall. That turned out to be a stupid idea. This particular stall belonged to a flower selling pony mare named Rose Luck.....and we all know about Rose Luck.

Said pony had her head underneath her stall, attempting to pick up a basket. When her head came back up, it was greeted to the sight of Zakari's helmeted head.

"Excuse me, miss, can I purchase-"

"Aaaaah,monster!!" She screamed and took off, knocking down some of her flowers in the process. She pushed other ponies aside and left a dust trail behind. Zakari just stood there, wondering what the fuck just happened.

"So....that was interesting."

Next stop, Sugar Cube Corner. Opening the short door and ducking inside, Zakari was greeted by the sight of Pinkie at the counters. She smiled when she saw him.

"Hi!" She said.

"Hey Pinkie, how are you?"

"I'm doing great! Did you come to get some treats?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Good, cause we got something new that I want you to try!" She made her way to the kitchen. "Be right back!"

She came back a minute later with a tray of cupcakes.

"Cupcakes? Don't you already serve those?"

"Not these ones! Try one!"

He picked up the cupcake from the tray and took a bite. At first it tasted like any other cupcake, but then he hit the filling.

It was cheesecake! The cupcake had cheesecake filling!

"Pinkie...these are heavenly! You are the best!"

"Oh, I didn't make them. I just gave Mr and Mrs Cake the idea after we talked in the Everfree! They made them!"

"Well,tell them I really like these."

"Will do! Hey, Mr and Mrs Cake, he likes them!"

"I didn't mean right now, but ok."

A few seconds later a pair of ponies came out of the kitchen. They were the Cakes. They met with Zakari and he told them how much he enjoyed their food. The group spent some time talking about various desserts and their favorite treats. A little after that, Zakari learned that Mrs Cake was expecting and he congratulated them and wished them happiness. Now only if he could start his own family...

While they talked, a group of fillies walked into the shop.

They called themselves...The Cutie Mark Crusaders. And they finally found what they were looking for.

"There he is. I told you I saw him come in here!" Said Applebloom.

"I could have sworn I saw him near a tree!" Responded Scootaloo.

"Oh yeah, doing what?"

"It looked like he was eating."

"He's alot bigger than you said." Said Sweetie Belle

"What, getting scared?"

"No!"

"Come one, girls, we're wasting time! If we wanna get our marks in sword fighting he's the one to help us!"

The three went over and tapped his shin. He looked down at them.

"Oh, hello. Something I can help you with?" He said.

"Hi Zakari!" Shouted Applebloom.

"Hello, young one." He met Applebloom before whenever he and Twilight visited Applejack, so he knew her. He also met Sweetie Belle. The one he really didn't know too much about was Scootaloo .

"Can you teach how to sword fight?!"

"Yeah, can you!" Sweetie also said.

"Um, well...you see, sword fighting is dangerous and I don't think that your paren-" He caught himself before going any further. Remember what happened to the orange one. Then, he had an idea. "Well, I guess I could teach you a few things. Nothing too dangerous, at least."

"Great! Where will you teach us?"

"There's a field not too far from here where I practice. Follow me."

He gave a wave to Pinkie as he and the fillies went out the door.

The three fillies and one human stood in the field next to a tree. Yup, he's once again next to a tree...get over it.

"I wonder what he'll teach us first?" Said Sweetie Belle

"Probably some cool attacks that'l beat anypony!" Applebloom responded.

As they talked, they saw Zakari reach up into the tree and pull three sticks down. He then tossed the sticks in front of them.

"Um...what are these for?"

"You said you wanted me to teach you how to sword fight. Well, this is how you're going to get started."

"With sticks? I thought we were gonna take turns using that!" Applebloom pointed to the sword strapped to Zakari's side.

"No no no no no! That is way too dangerous. You girls are no where near the level to be using this. If you ever want to wield a real sword, you gotta start with the basics."

"...Sticks?"

"I'll have you girls know that every warrior who has ever lived started the same way that you're about to. By swinging a stick!"

This lasted for only about five minutes before the crusaders walked away, saying that life was too short. To be honest, he was kinda hoping they would give up. Teaching was not his thing.

As they left, Zakari sat against the tree. It was high time for a nice nap and this tree would do wonderfully. He took off his helmet and placed it at his side. Same with his sword. He closed his eyes and let sleep over come him.

He woke up about an hour later. It was late midday and the sun would be setting soon. He picked up his things and began his walk home. He thought about the day he had. All in all, it was pretty good. He said he was going to meet some new people...um, ponies...and he did! He wasn't as much of a pussy as he thought. Good for him!

When he got back to the library, he noticed that it was quiet.

"Twilight? Spike?"

"Hey, up here!" Spike called from the top of the stairs.

"Hey Spike, seen Twilight?"

"Yeah, she left a while ago to get some tea from Zecora, she should be back soon."

"Zecora? Doesn't she live near the Everfree Forest? I hope Twilight is careful."

"I'm sure she will be."

"...Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, what's gonna happen to her, she going to get Turned into stone by a cockatrice?"

Yeah, like that would ever happen. I'm sure she's fine.

The Gala

"So, are you ready for the big night?"

"No."

Twilight and Zakari were walking over to Rarity's. It was the night of the Gala and everyone was ecstatic ....except Zakari. The girls might get to party, but he has to worry about performing. He was nervous.

"Oh, come on, it will be fun."

"For you, maybe."

"Are you still worried about the performance?"

"Um...yeah!"

She turned to him and looked him in the eye. "You're going to do great. You have nothing to worry about."

"Ugh, I know. Still doesn't make me any less jittery."

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Twilight spoke.

"You know, I'm really looking forward to spending time with the princess. I haven't seen her since Fluttershy abducted Philomena."

That whole incident happened about a couple weeks ago. During a small party for the princess, Celestia brought her bird, Philomena, with her. When Twilight and Zakari showed up, Twilight was surprised to see that the bird remembered him. That's when he told her about pheonix immortality. While Philomena may not have looked the best then, it was only because she was going through her rebirth phase. If only they could have told Fluttershy in time. Poor mare thought that the bird was sick and took it with her to make her all better. The bird was eventually returned to Celestia, but not after Philomena decided to have some fun at Fluttershy's expense.

"Hope you have fun. You know, this is going to be the first time in a long time that I've gone without my armor. Rarity made me a suit for the Gala and she insisted that I wear it. And by insisted...I mean threatened. That girl can be frightening when she doesn't get her way."

"You have a suit? If it came from Rarity, I'm sure it's impressive."

She was right. Rarity, after taking some measurements(very humiliating, by the way) crafted Zakari a suit of the highest caliber. Pitch black over shirt and pants, pure white shirt to go underneath and a dark yellow tie. Zakari never owned a suit this nice.....well, actually, he never owned a suit before. But if he did, it wouldn't be this nice!

"Yeah, it's waiting for me at Rarity's. She also made me a pair of silk pants and shirt for when I go on stage. Something light to move in so I don't get tired or hot."

As they walked, they heard someone calling them from behind.

"Hey! wait up!"

It was Pinkie. And she was dragging a small trampoline behind her.

"Hey, Pinkie." Greeted Twilight. "Your ready for the Gala tonight?"

"Yup. Even got my trampoline!"

"I'm not even going to ask." Said Zakari.

you know, while I've got your attention, let's go over another thing that happened lately.

Zakari and Twilight discovered the power of "Pinkie Sense". Pinkies ability to seemingly predict the future. Both were skeptical of this and tried to refute Pinkies claims. This whole thing ended at a swamp where Fluttershy was dropping off frogs. Pinkie said that something big was going to happen there, and that Fluttershy could be in danger. Pinkie was right...there was danger there.

A GOD DAMN HYDRA!

When the group found Fluttershy at the bog, everything seemed to be fine...until a hydra showed up. It chased them around until they came to a cliff. While AJ, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy were able to jump to the otherside, the cliff broke slightly and created a larger gap, stopping Zakari and Twilight from jumping. They thought it was all over...until Zakari mentioned that Twilight could teleport. In hindsight, he doesn't know why they didn't do that earlier!

seriously, in that episode, why didn't Twilight teleport? She didn't even have to jump!

The three arrived at Rarity's soon after. Spike was waiting outside to greet them. He waved.

"Hey guys!" He said as they walked up to the door."The others are already inside."

Zakari and Twilight went inside while Pinkie set up her trampoline.

Rarity saw them enter and went over to them.

"Oh, so glad you could make it! The others are over there, getting their hair done!" She pointed to Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. They waved. Twilight walked over to them as Zakari and Spike stayed by the door.

"Hey Spike."

"Hey. So, you ready for tonight?"

"Yeah."

Rarity approached them. "Oh no you're not! You still are not in your suit!" She scolded. She used her magic and brought Zakari's suit over and pushed it into his arms. "Now, go put this on!"

He sighed and headed for a secluded room to change. He stepped out a few minutes later wearing his brand new suit.

"So, how do I look?" He asked.

"Good, good....except..."

"Ugh, except what?"

"Your hair, darling! You're not wearing it like that are you?!"

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"Oh, darling, ignorance must really be bliss. Come along!" She used her magic and pulled him into another room to do his hair.

A little while later, they stepped out. Instead of his usual ponytail, his hair was now draped over his shoulders.

"There! Now that's much better!" Rarity said as they walked out.

He went and stood by Twilight. She smiled at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing, it's just...you look good in a suit."

"Oh, um...thanks." A small blush formed on his face.

The group arrived at the Gala and left their carriage. The Gala itself was really quite a sight. Guests, far too many to count, streamed in and out of the main walkway. There were banners and posters and paintings. There were stalls for food and drinks and even stands that sell trinkets and gifts.

"Right there seem like a nice place to set up my stall." Said AJ

"The garden isn't too far from here, by girls." Fluttershy flew into the air.

"Yeah, I should go too. I want to catch the Wonderbolts before their act."

"The Princess is probably in the throne room right now."

"Oooh, and I bet the her nephew is with her! I must find him before some harpy get's their claws into him!"

"Let's PARTY!"

As the girls left to do their own thing, Spike turned to Zakari. " Oh man, I thought we were gonna do stuff together!"

"Don't worry, buddy, I'm still here. Come one, let's get something to eat."

The young dragon nodded in agreement and walked beside the human warrior as they searched for food.

The two spent the next few hours talking to guests and mingling with the crowd. After a while, they wanted a break from the packed castle and went to a quiet doughnut shop. As the two ate their treats, the rest of their group entered the shop. When the dragon asked what they were doing there, the girls told the two of how their vision of the Gala did not live up to their expectations.

The Princess was to busy to have a true conversation with her pupil. Her nephew, Princes Blueblood, was a complete, stuck up dick, so there went Rarity's chance at love. For some reason, the animals in the garden did not warm up to Fluttershy, and this caused her to have a major tizzy. Applejack made almost no money at her stall. Rainbow lost any chance at talking to the Wonderbolts as the party got larger. And Pinkie's definition of party turned out to be vastly different than the Gala's.

All in all...they were disappointed.

Seemed like the only good thing to happen to them tonight...was the open doughnut shop.

As they talked, Rainbow brought up the topic of Zakari's demonstration, to which Zakar nearly spat out his doughnut.

He had almost forgotten. He had to go get ready. He stood up and ran back to the castle.

"Would all guests to the Gala please come to the main courtyard, there will be a special presentation there in five minutes."

Zakari stood in a changing room, resting his head against the door. It was almost time. In a few minutes, he would go out there and perform combat moves that haven't been seen in more than a thousand years. And he was nervous as fuck!

He was nearly knocked down as the door opened. It was Twilight. She came to wish him luck.

"You're going to be fine." She said.

"I know..."

"But your'e still a little nervous."

"...Yeah."

"Just don't worry about it. Let it slip from your mind, then go out there and show them what you can do!"

"Yeah...YEAH, you're right! Just don't think about it."

There was a moment of silence before Zakari spoke again.

"Say, Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"Before I go out there, can you answer a question for me?"

"Um...sure, I guess so."

"Well, I was wondering...do these pants make my ass look fat?"

In the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by party guests, stood a large, square stage. There was a long carpet that lead to the stages steps and was roped off.

Suddeny, the crowd goes silent. Walking down the carpet was a creature that they have never seen before. Clad in yellow and black clothes that appeared to be silk, the creature took nervous but determined steps. At his side was a sword, one that was in no design that they were familiar with. Long, mostly straight, yet curved as well. It's guard was circular, and silver in color. The grip was adorned with golden cloth.

They watched in fascination as the creature moved past them and slowly made it's way up the steps. The creature stood in the middle of the stage now, not moving.

This was the band's cue. They began to play.

As the music started, Zakari took the weapon at his side and held it out. Then, slowly, he unsheathed his blade and tossed the scabbard to the floor.

Suddenly the music picks up it's tempo, and in a flurry of steel, the show begins.

The humiliating tale of...Gigglesnort

It's been a week since the Gala. After returning home, Twilight and Zakari haven't really spent much time with their friends. So, to make up for that, today they're having a little get together. All of their friends have been invited to the library and they would be arriving soon.

Twilight was setting up some drinks on the table."Hey, Zakari, can you bring me some more cider from the basement?"

"I'm still not speaking to you." Zakari grumbled.

"I said I was sorry!"

Let me elaborate. A couple days ago, Twilight had the bright idea to try summoning magic.

She summoned a tentacle monster. She got away just fine, Zakari however...

"I got probed. No amount of sorry will ever be enough. You should consider yourself lucky that I was able to get my sword...and that the tentacle didn't go any deeper than it did."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Twilight went over and opened it. Rarity was on the other side.

"Hello, darling, I'm heeeere!" She sang.

"Ah, Rarity, great to see you! Come on in." Twilight let her in and closed the door.

"Why thank you. Hello, Zakari."

"Hi, Rarity." He said, somewhat angrily.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" She asked.

"Oh nothing." Twilight said, nervously.

"Easy for you to say!" Zakari shouted." You wren't the one getting a tentacle shoved up your a-" He was cut off by another knock at the door. He sighed, then walked over to the door and opened it. It was Fluttershy this time.

"Oh, hello." Fluttershy greeted with a smile.

"Hello, Miss Fluttershy." He returned the smile. No matter how peeved he was, he couldn't be mad at Fluttershy. That's just impossible. Fluttershy went inside and and stood by Rarity.

After a while, the others arrived. The group told jokes, drank and ate snacks and overall just had fun. Sometime later, the girls decided it would be fun to tell goofy, embarrassing stories of themselves.

They went in turns. First was Rainbow, then Twilight, Rarity, AJ, Pinkie, then finally Fluttershy. After Fluttershy told her story, the group turned to Zakari. They gave him a "Well, what are you waiting for?" look.

"What?" He asked.

"Well, what's your story?" Said Rainbow.

"I ain't telling you story."

"Come on, dude, that's not fair."

"She's right." Said Twilight. "We all shared something very personal and humiliating. You listened to them and now it's only fair that you tell us a story about you." She gave him a look.

He looked at them and sighed. Fine, if he must.

"Ok, here's one." He started. "When I was about five years old, my dad gave me a little nickname. I was laughing at something and when I laughed...I snorted." He looked at them again and noticed a slight smile forming on their faces. "Well, my dad heard this and and started calling me...Gigglesnort."

He could hear them holding back their laughter.

"And ever since then, my dad has called me his little Gigglesnort. Now, while this was all sweet and adorable when I was a child, it was not when I got older. Even into my teen years my father would say. "Hey, Gigglesnort!" And it really started to get on my nerves. It was embarrassing enough when my friends in school heard it, but he even said it when I went off to boot camp. My drill instructor caught wind of this and EVERY SINGLE TIME he would call me Gigglesnort. God, that was just...I can't even describe how embarrassing that was. I would be lining up for training like all the other soldiers and my drill instructor would yell "Gigglesnort, front and center!" or "Drop and give me twenty, Gigglesnort!" God, I hated that!"

He looked to his friends. There was a smile forming on heir lips. They were trying to hold back their laughter. Then suddenly...the damn broke. They all (except Zakari) bust into laughter.

"Ugh, screw you girls, I'm gonna get more cider." He stood up from his spot on the floor and went over to the table. He noticed that there was no more cider left and that meant he had to go into the basement. He walked over to the basement door and went downstairs. Even down here he could hear them laughing.

As he reached the bottom step, he felt something coil around his ankle. He looked down to see a slimy, green tentacle.

He unsheathed his sword." Not this time, buddy, I'm ready for ya! You're not gonna drag me into the rapey shadows!"

It was the next morning. Zakari had awoken early. He left the library and headed for Sugar Cube Corner. He was going to get a cup of coffee and a banana nut muffin to start his day. As he walked, he heard someone yell "Hey!"

He looked up to see Rainbow Dash. "Good morning...Gigglesnort!" She shouted, with a grin plastered to her face.

Zakari facepalmed. He should have never told them that fucking story.

Enter Spectre: the TRUE god of chaos

Zakari was currently standing on the library's table. Not five minutes ago, the worst, most terrifying thing that could possibly happen...happened. There was a spider in his corner. A few minutes ago, Zakari was about to eat his lunch and sit in his corner. As he sat, he looked to his right to see the biggest spider he has ever seen in his entire life.

So, he promptly jumped up, screamed like a little girl, ran over and got on the table...and screamed some more.

Twilight and Spike heard the commotion and came downstairs. It was then up to them to take care of the vile beast.

Twilight lifted a piece of tissue paper that contained the eight legged freak and threw it out side. she then turned to Zakari.

"You know, I don't mind getting the big spiders for you, but you have to at least TRY with the little ones." She said.

"That wasn't little, did you not see the size of that monster?!"

"You're overreacting. That thing was tiny."

"Tiny my ass! That thing could have killed me!"

"Weak." Spike commented.

"Hey, I don't need any bullshit from you too."

Zakari got off the table. He couldn't finish his lunch, seeing as how, when he flipped the FUCK out, he threw his sandwich on the ground.

Poor Zakari. Can't even eat a sandwich.

It was sometime later. Twilight and Zakari decided to take a walk to Sweet Apple Acres and visit Applejack. On they're way there, they couldn't help but notice that the clouds looked...pink.

"Come back, you!"

The two looked up to see Rainbow Dash chasing after a fast moving pink cloud. It was headed in the direction of the orchard.

"You know we're going to have check up on this." Said Twilight.

"It's always us, isn't it?"

"Yup."

The two stopped walking and started running to Sweet Apple Acres.

Princess Celestia sat on her throne. She had sent a letter to Twilight and was now awaiting her and her friends arrival. Only a few hours ago, one of the most dangerous and hated enemies of Equestria had escaped from his prison.

Discord.

She needed Twilight and the other elements if this threat is to be contained.

Suddenly , the door to the throne room was shoved up open, and in walked Twilight and her friends.

"Princess!" Twilight shouted. " I got your letter!"

"Twilight, thank you for coming. I need you all to follow me, there isn't much time."

Celestia rose from her throne and lead the group through the halls.

"It seams an old foe of mine, one I thought I had defeated long ago, has escaped. His name is Discord. He is the spirit of chaos and disharmony. Before Luna and I stood up to him, he ruled in eternal state of unrest and unhappiness. Eventually, Luna and I used the Elements of Harmony and sealed him in stone."

"Princess, what does that have to do with us?" Asked Twilight.

"You and your fiends used the Elements and your bond with one another to defeat a mighty foe. I need you to wield the Elements of Harmony once more and defeat Discord. You are now their avatars, they will only work with you and your friends. Now, only you can halt what he has set in motion."

Twilight looked to her friends. "I'll help, but what about the rest of you?"

"Shucks, sugarcube, I'll stand by ya."

"Darling, you would have to order us NOT to help. Of course I'll assist."

"I wouldn't be loyalty incarnate if I just left you to do it by yourself!"

"You don't need to ask, Twilight."

"I guess I can forgo my love of chocolate rain to help. I'll go load the party cannon!"

Twilight turned to Zakari. "What about you?"

"You are giving me a chance to prove my mettle against a being with god like power. How could I possibly resist?" Said Zakari.

Twilight turned back to Princess Celestia. "Looks like we're all in."

"Good." the princess responded. She walked over to a large door. It opened, revealing a large case. "I'm confident that you can defeat Discord, with these." She opened the case. The group gasped as they saw that the case was empty. That case held the Elements, and now they were gone.

"That door is protected by a powerful spell that only I can break." Said Celestia "This doesn't make any sense!"

A loud, ominous chuckle was heard throughout the halls. "Sense, oh what fun is there in making sense?" Said a dark voice.

"Discord, show yourself!"

"Did you miss me, Celestia? I've missed you. I't quite lonely being encased in stone, but you wouldn't know that would you? Because I don't turn ponies into stone!"

"Enough! What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?!"

"Oh, I just barrowed them for a teensy little while."

"Oh my god! Would you just fucking tell us already!" Zakari shouted.

"Geez, no need to curse. Fine, I'll tell you, but I'll only tell you...my way. To retrieve your missing elements, just make sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan, then find the elements back where you began." With that, his voice faded.

"Prick." Zakari muttered.

"What do you think he meant by twists and turns and the like." Asked Applejack.

"Well, twists and turns could mean that he plans to deceive us in some way. And back where you began could mean several things."

"Twists and turns...twists and turns! I think I know!" Shouted Twilight.

"Well?"

"The castle labyrinth! That's what twists and turns must mean. He must have hidden the elements there!"

"It's a good a place as any to start."

"Ok, so we'll head there first."

"I have faith in all of you. Please, do whatever you can to stop Discord." Said Celestia.

"Don't worry, Princess, we won't let you down."

"I know you won't. Good luck."

Twilight nodded her head and beckoned her friends to follow her. The group left through the door to the hallway and headed for the gardens.

The beginning of the maze was only a few meters in front of them. They each took tentative steps, being careful.

"Are you ready?" Twilight asked. He friends nodded in agreement. "Ok."

She took another step. As her hoof landed on the grass, a flash of light erupted in front of them. As they shielded their eyes, a large form appeared in front of them, laughing.

"Ha ha, oh you should see the looks on your faces! Priceless!" The one laughing was none other than the draconequus himself. Discord.

"You!" Zakari shouted. He pulled out a dagger and flung it at Discord's head. It missed, just barley.

"Hey, no need to go throwing stuff!"

"Fuck you!" He pulled out two more daggers and threw them. Discord moved his head left to right to dodge them.

"Where are you getting those knives?!" Shouted Twilight.

"'I'm a walking arsenal! I got weapons everywhere!"

"Stop! Stop!" Discord held up his claws and paws.

"What do you want?!"

"I came to make sure there was no cheating."

Zakari halted is knife throwing. "Cheating?"

"Yes. You see, there are going to be rules for our little game. First and foremost..." He snapped his fingerclaws and in a flash of light, both Rainbow's and Fluttershy's wings were gone, along with Rarity and Twilight's horns. "This is the first rule of our game. No flying and no magic. The second rule is, everypony has to play or the game is over and I win."

Zakari growled and unsheathed his sword. He was about to strike Discord when his blade disappeared.

"And THAT is rule number three. No cutting your way through the maze, monkey."

"PRICK!"

"Would you listen to the mouth on that one. Well... good luck everypony!" And in another flash, Discord disappeared.

As Discord left, Zakari turned to the girls. "I hate that fucker."

"So, no flying or magic. It's ok, we can still do this." Twilight took a step into the maze. "Everypony ready?"

The group followed and entered the first part of the maze. As the last hoof met the ground, large bushes spread from the ground, sectioning off the friends. They were now all in their own version of the maze.

"Is everypony all right? If you can hear me, head to the center of the maze! We'll meet up there!"

Everyone shouted their agreement and took off.

Discord lounged on a cloud high above the maze, twirling Zakari's katana in his claws. He looked down to see said human running through the maze. Discord had intended to corrupt Applejack first, but that one...the monkey...he sensed something...wicked.

Instead of corrupting him, perhaps he could serve a greater purpose as a servant of chaos. Yes...that would do nicely.

Discord ginned and made his way down to the maze.

Zakari stopped running and leaned up against the maze's leafy wall. Seemed like he'd been running forever and needed a bit of a breather. He pulled of his helmet and took in gulps of cool air.

"Here, have some cool water." Said a voice, which then handed him a water bottle.

"Thanks!" Zakari took the bottle and began to chug it's liquid contents. It was only when he was about halfway through that he opened one of his eyes and saw Discord next to him, grinning. Zakari coughed, threw down the bottle and took a swing at the demon with his fist. Discord wrapped his claw around the warrior's fist.

"Now, now, was that really polite?" Asked Discord.

Zakari growled before answering. "What do you want?!"

"Hey, that's not a respectful tone to take with your new employer."

"Employer?" He wrenched his fist from Discord's claws.

"Yes, I was just up in my cloud, and I thought how great would it be if you left those fuddy duddy ponies and came to work for me? You could help me reign chaos all over and it would be just SO much fun!"

"You want me to abandon my comrades and join you? Yeah, good luck with that, dick for brains."

"Oh, come on, it could be fun!"

"If you do not leave right now, I will punch your face clean off your face."

Discord twirled his goatee, and sighed. "Fine, you leave me no choice. I guess I'll just have to show you how great this will be."

Before Zakari could react, Discord flicked his nose. Instantly, Zakari's very form began to pale and become grey. He fell to his knees, wide eyed. After a moment, when his eyes went back to normal, Discord asked him.

"So, now will you serve me?"

Zakari nodded. "Yes, my master." He rose to his feet.

"Wonderful!" Discord beckoned Zakari to follow and turned his back.

If Discord had actually been paying attention, he might have been disturbed by the sadistic grin adorning Zakari's face.

'You won't be my "master" for long.'

"Our friendship...over?!" Yelled Applejack. Discord and Zakari had just sprung the first trap. They had tricked Applejack into believing that her friendship was doomed.

"When all the truth does, is make your heart ache, sometimes a lie is easier to take."

Applejack's form became grey. Now that she was discorded, she became the very opposite of her element.

A liar.

The bushes behind her opened and Twilight walked past. Upon seeing her friend, she called out.

"Applejack! I thought I heard somepony. Who where you talking to?"

"Talking? I wasn't talking to anypony. No pony what so ever."

Twilight looked at her, confused.

High in the clouds, Discord and Zakari stood side by side. Discord was laughing his ass off. Zakari, with his arms crossed, looked at him in disgust. He rolled his eyes at his "master's" behavior.

Of course, this was the moment he was waiting for. The moment to usurp power from the chaos god.

Zakari sighed.

"Something wrong, my chaotic protege?"

"Yes, this whole ordeal has just been pathetic."

"Hmn? Pathetic?"

"Are you really the spirit of chaos? Because, I honestly don't believe it."

Discord's knit his brow in obvious anger. "Who are you to tell me how to do my job? I've been doing this since before your kinds lost their tales!"

"Please, don't be so full of your self. You are pathetic! Your idea of chaos is cotton candy clouds and chocolate milk rain!"

"Oh, and you think you could do a better job?!"

"Your damn right I can!"

"Fine! Have it your way! We'll see how well you do!" Discord snapped his finger and in a flash of white light, Zakari was gifted with the power of the chaos god.

And this is where it all went downhill.

Quicker than Discord could react, a fist collided with his snout. Discord reeled back in surprise.

"How dare you..." Discord stopped mid-sentence as he took in the sight before him.

Zakari eyes were glowing a bright shade of red. His canines were longer and sharper. His armor was now adorned with spikes on the shoulder plates, gauntlets and greaves. He was giving Discord a smirk.

"What...are you?"

"I am Spectre...and this world... is mine."

The Day of The Black Betrayal

1,500 years before the current MLP timeline,humans and ponies lived together in harmony.In those days,the two races truly cared for one another and helped each other.The ponies provided the humans with hard work and resources,and we gave them protection.For longer than anyone(or anypony)could remember,there was peace between the two.No ill will,no prejudice or resentment.

When it came to us humans,we were their protectors.Their sword and shield.Back then,no pony had to fear war or battle for we chose to make that sacrifice.Not like we needed much encouragement.We were the army,the guard and the police.

There was even a select group of human warriors who protected the royal family.They were called the Black Shields.

Though not a fully accurate title(seeing as how some members didn't use shields at all),they were still decked out in all black armor.Only the best human warriors were allowed this honor,and their loyalty was unquestionable.This story starts with one such guard, who's usual routine is about to be put on the sidelines when someone betrays the royal family by killing the King and Queen.

In front of the door to the throne room stood two Black Shield guards.The one on the right was named Zakari,and the one on the left was Fel. Zakari was new to the Black Shields, having joined only four days ago.At first, he was nervous about being the new guy, but got over that when he made an instant friend in Fel. Fel showed him the ropes and what to do if something happens. Zakari was still a little cautious, but his nervousness had since passed.

Though all members of the Black Shield Royal Guard had to wear the traditional all black armor,they were allowed the freedom to choose their own weapons. Zakari chose a katana with a silver guard and gold/yellow handle. Yellow was his favorite color,so that choice was fairly easy.Yellow always reminded him of sunshine and warmth.Much like one of the princesses.

Like many warriors,he even gave his sword a name.He called it Dragon's Day.

Said sword was currently sheathed and resting at his hip.He would often grab the handle for no reason but boredum.Don't get him wrong, he loved his new position, but guarding a door all day was...not very entertaining.

Fortunately,he had Fel to keep him company.

Fel turned to Zakari.

"So..." he said.

"So...what?"replied Zakari.

"So,I heard that Sarkey got thrown in jail...again."

"Again?What for this time?"

"Steeling someone's sweet role."

"That's it?Seems a bit much to throw him in jail for that."

"Well, it's not just that.When he got caught, he punched a guy in the face." He let out a chuckle.

"Ugh,damn it Sarkey!First he gets arrested for lollygagging, then he gets caught picking pockets, and now for steeling someone's sweet role.What the fus rho dah is that guy's problem!?One of these days he's going to realize that his position as a guard won't keep him safe forever." There was a short pause before Fel replied.

"Actually, the guard is already thinking of firing him.From what I've heard, if he doesn't change soon,the'll get rid of him by next Friday."

"Good! He's a terrible guard!Always bitching about how his cousin is out fighting dragons yet he gets stuck with guard duty.I swear, it's all he cares about...well that and now apparently sweet roles."

They both laughed,but it was a little hard to hear because of the helmets.While Black Shield helmets were the best protection you could get,they tended to muffle not only outside noise but your own voice as well.They covered the entire face and it was tough to speak sometimes.The pair was about to switch to a new topic when they saw someone coming down the hall.It was a Black Shield member like them.The newcomer stopped in front of them and removed his helmet.It was captain markus,their superior.He smiled at them.

"Gentlemen."He said."I need to speak to the King and Queen, I you don't mind.It's urgent."Zakari and Fel both nodded in agreement and opened the door for him.

"Thank you."He complimented,then walked inside.When he was through, they closed the door behind him.

Zakari turned to Fel."What do you think they talk about in there?"

"Ok, rule number six.We don't need to know what they talk about.If they want to tell us ...then the'll tell us.Until then, we keep to ourselves.Remember, we are warrior servants to the royal family.We do what they tell us to.We don't think about it,we just do it."

Zakari thought about this for a moment and then said"Well,if we just do what they tell us,doesn't that mean that they could get us to do something...dishonorable?"

"In most cases I would worry about that.But this is the Alicorn Royal family.When have you ever seen them do something bad?"

"Never."

"Exactly.We don't need to worry about that with them.They always steer us in the right direction."

There was another pause before Zakari spoke again.

"Say,can I ask you a personal question?And feel free not to answer if you don't want to."

"Yeah,sure,I guess.What's the question?"

"Well,I've been wondering....does this armor make my ass look fat?"

Luckily,Fel didn't have to answer.A scream shook the halls.It came from the throne room.Instinct and training took over as both guards flung open the door and rushed inside.When they reached the throne room,the scene before them was worse than anything they could have thought of.

There,covered in the blood of both the King and Queen...was Captain markus.The bodies of the two royals, and a few other guards, were lying next to his feet.He turned his head in Zakari and Fel's direction and did the most disturbing thing...he smiled.He wasted no time.He pointed his bloody sword at them.

"Well?What are you waiting for?"

The two guards didn't hesitate.They drew their own weapons and charged at the murderer.He blocked Zakari's sword with his own and kicked Fel away.Before they launched their counter,Zakari had a thought.'There's no one else here! If he kills us, no one would even know till much later.And by then he'd be gone!'He turned to his comrade.

"Fel! Go get the others.I'll stall him."Fel looked to him.

"Are you sure?!"

"Yes, just go!Hurry!"Fel nodded and ran as fast as he could. Zakari turned back to the killer.He charged at him and brought his sword over head and then down .Markus blocked the strike and elbowed Zakari in retaliation.He was sent back few feet,holding his helmeted head.He shook it of and ran at Markus again.This give and take of blows lasted for a few more seconds before Markus was able to knock Zakari's helmet off his head.It rolled about a foot away and stopped.

Without the helmet,Markus could now see his opponent in entirety.Young, about twenty.Blue eyes with bags under them, probably from long nights of training.His hair was a very dark brown.It was long too. kept in a ponytail,it reached the middle of his back. And he was apparently snarling,showing his anger by scrunching his nose.

He also noticed how short Zakari was. Five feet and four inches did not make him an intimidating figure.

Their blades struck each other again and again.The sound of metal hitting metal reverberated throughout the room.This sound was soon drowned out as another sound came within their earshot.

Footsteps.

Help was coming.The killer,Captain Markus,took too long and now he was pretty much finished.A swarm of Black Shield guards invaded the room, forming a circle around him.They brandished every kind of weapon you could think of.Zakari pointed his blade at Markus.

"This, is the end.Surrender,or face your death."Markus looked at him, then turned around view the others.

"You think If I surrender,that I'll live?HA! that's bullshit!The first chance you get you'll have me hanged or beheaded.The thing you all haven't grasped yet is that I don't intend to live past today.Death here, or death later makes no difference to me!" He viewed Zakari out the corner of his eye.Yes, he was going to die, he accepted this.But at least his last thoughts will be happy ones,knowing that ponytailed piece of shit was going down too!

He charged the guards in front of him.They brought their weapons up and moved in, preparing for the attack.But to their surprise,he threw his sword backwards. Zakari didn't even see it coming.The sword made a deep cut on the side of his neck before landing right next to him.He fell to the floor,grasping his neck.At the same time the killer had several blades pushed into his chest.

To Zakari, everything after that was a blur.He heard people yelling for a medic and felt himself being moved somewhere, but everything else was just moving to fast.He felt like his head was spinning.

He still had his hand on his neck,but he knew he was still losing too much blood.There was no way to stop it.

This was the end....or so he thought.

While the guards huddled in a circle,trying to save his life,they noticed the approach of a unicorn.He walked into the room and looked at Zakari's slowly dying body.He then spoke in slow and calming tone.

"You cannot save him,not by yourselves.That wound is too deep,and death is certain.But..I can offer you another option."The unicorn waved his hoof and his horn glowed.There was a bright flash of light.When everyone could see again, they noticed that Zakari's body was no longer there.In the place of where his body had been,was a statue.A statue so small that it could fit in your hand.

And thus begins the prophecy of the Slumbering Servant.

A presence I've not felt since...

For Princess Celestia, today was beautiful. Ever since her sister, Luna, came back, the days seemed to be even brighter and warmer than before. She was overjoyed at her sister's return, and glad to put the whole incident with Nightmare Moon behind her. Some have said that Celestia was being too forgiving. She had returned Luna's royal power and even gave her free reign to go about the castle without some one to watch her. Some would say that not watching Luna was downright foolish, but Celestia loves her sister and was willing to have a little faith. If Luna tries something again...well hopefully it will never come to that. The past is the past, and Celestia hoped only for brighter days ahead.

Celestia just raised the sun and was now making her way to her chambers. It wouldn't be long and she would have to go meet the courts and the nobles. ugh, those insufferable nobles. They have so much power and money, and what do they want? More money! She often wonders what purpose the nobles in Canterlot even serve. Seems like all they do is hoard their wealth and boast about it to anyone less well off,

When she entered her chambers, she was about to rest on her bed, but noticed that she received a letter. She went over and examined it. It was from Twilight Sparkle. That made her glad. She loved to read Twilight's letters on friendship. They always put a smile on her face and joy in her heart.

She opened the letter and began to read it. Her emotions went from joy to shock. She quickly put the letter aside and wrote her own and sent it. She then called her guards. Two of them entered the room and addressed her.

"Majesty, you called?" One of them asked.

"Yes, I did. I need you to send a chariot to Ponyville at once. They will be escorting my student, Twilight Sparkle and...a guest to the palace."

"Yes, mam. It will be done." The guards left her.

Celestia turned around and sat on her bed. The letter Twilight sent had said some very interesting things.

"So...it seems that the guardians aren't all gone." She said to herself.

Zakari and Twilight were currently in a chariot, being taken to the royal palace in Canterlot. Last night, when the group got back to Ponyville, Twilight thought it would be best if Zakari stay at her place for the night. The other ponies were so interested in Zakari that they opted to do the same. For hours, Zakari sat on the floor, surrounded by curios ponies that bombarded him with questions. Though the majority of the questions were provided by Twilight. He told them every thing he could. He told them about his people and their ways. His favorite color(yellow). He told them of his interests and hobbies. And yes, he even told them about his views of war and his carnivorous diet. The night would have been perfect if a certain mint green unicorn didn't keep"accidently" bumping his crotch. She said it wasn't on purpose, but he's not so sure.

It was during this time that Twilight also brought up the disappearance of humanity. It shocked Zakari to know that he was the last of his kind. He honestly didn't know what to think.

He also met Spike too. They're buddies now. Spike finally has someone who he can fist bump.

When morning rolled around, Twilight thought it was time to inform the Princess. She wrote her letter, explaining the latest development, and had Spike send it. It was a few minutes later when a reply was sent. It seems the Princess is sending a chariot to take them to the palace post haste. While Twilight believed that the Princess would be interested in the news, she didn't realize how interested. So the immediate sending of a chariot surprised her.

After reading the letter, Twilight went downstairs to wake the sleeping warrior for a second time. The human had chosen to sleep on the floor. Actually, all but Twilight slept on the floor that night. Anyway, she went downstairs and was greeted by a sight that both surprised her...and forced her to hold back a giggle.

On the floor was Zakari...spooning Fluttershy. Apparently, last night, Fluttershy fell asleep next to Zakari, and some time later he turned over, grabbed her, and began hugging her like a teddy bear. All without waking himself up. Fluttershy however...she was awake, but too nervous to make a sound.

Twilight walked over to the sleeping human. "Zakari, time to wake up." She whispered.

His eyes slowly opened and he was greeted to the sight of something light pink blocking his vision. He blinked, trying to correct his vision, but the pink did not go away. He pulled his head back, giving him a better view of the surroundings. He finally realized what the pink was. He had been nuzzling Fluttershy's mane. He quickly let go.

"Oh, Miss Fluttershy, I'm so sorry!"

"T-that's fine. No harm done." They both got up off the floor. Zakari did a series of stretches and Twilight could hear the cracking of his spine, neck and knuckles. She looked up at him.

"I need you to get your things ready. I sent Princess Celestia a letter a while ago, and she's sending a chariot to escort us to Canterlot. She really wants to meet you."

"The Princess requests my presence? I'm honored. I will gather my things immediately." He walked over to the table, where he placed his things the night before. As he put them on, he made a mental checklist.

"Chest piece, check, gauntlets, check, boots, check, codpiece, check, helmet, check, sword, check...1,500 year old candy bar that I left in my pocket...check. Ok, I'm good!"

"Alright. The chariot will be here in a few minutes. Fluttershy, if the others wake up later, tell them that Zakari and I had to leave for Canterlot."

"Ok." Responded the timid pony."Did the Princess say why she was summoning you?"

"No, only that she really wanted to meet the last of the guardians, as she called them." She looked out the window and saw that the chariot had arrived. "Ok, time to go. You ready?"

"Yes, Miss Sparkle, I'm ready." They left the house.

Which brings us back to them being in a chariot, flying high in the sky. Kinda got off topic didn't I.

Princess Celestia was in her throne room, awaiting her guests. A messenger had just informed her of their arrival, and it wouldn't be long now. Suddenly, she felt a tingle go up her spine.

'I sense something...a presence I've not felt since...' She was cut off in mid thought as the doors to the throne room opened. In walked her faithful student and...him. They walked up to where the stairs form on her throne. Zakari quickly got down on his hands and knees and bowed his head to the floor. To him, this was normal procedure, but it surprised Celestia and Twilight. Celestia couldn't remember the last time anyone showed her so much respect as to put their head to the floor.

"Please human, rise." Said Celestia "You need not sully your self by licking the dirt."

Zakari did as he was asked and got up off the floor. He looked at her with no expression on his face. Twilight wondered what was wrong, he wasn't acting anything like this last night. Celestia got up off her throne and walked down the stairs. She stood in front of him now.

"I...remember you. It has been so long, and yet I still remember your face as they moved your body out of this very room. The guards told me that you died, yet here you stand."

Twilight stayed quiet and watched. Celestia waited for a response, but none came.

"Why do you not speak?" She asked him.

"You did not say that I could, your highness."

"Why would you need my permission to speak?"

"That was what I was told and trained. When in company of the royal family, speak only when spoken to." He kept his face expressionless, and did not look her in the eye.

"Ah, I see. Those were the rules that my father put into affect. I loved my father dearly, but he was too strict. No one has fallowed that rule for a very long time. Please, feel free to speak as candidly as you wish, I will not punish you."

"Thank you, Princess."

"I only desire the happiness of my subjects, you included. Speak to me as you would any other."

He nodded his head.

"Now, please tell me, how are you alive after all this time. And looking as young as the day I first saw you?"

He told the Princess his story about being in the statue and how it was Twilight who set him free. Zakari wondered why the other guards would tell her that he was dead. Why would they lie? Celestia was surprised that Twilight had taken on such a journey without consulting her first. Twilight's excuse was that she did not want to disturb the Princess if the whole thing turned out to be just a myth. Twilight herself recalled that she was quite reluctant to believe that humans even existed.

Zakari also asked the princess about the disappearance of his people. But not even she knew. Apparently, one day they just vanished. One minute they were there and the next they were not. This just forced more questions into his head. He was the last of his kind, and he didn't even know how or why.

The Princess and Zakari talked like this for about an hour. Near the end, he had only one more question.

What was he going to do now?

"So, what happens now? Will I be returning to my duties?" Zakari asked.

The Princess thought it over for a moment before saying."No, I have something else for you. Twilight, could you please leave us for a moment?" The purple unicorn nodded and left the throne room. Celestia watched as Twilight left, and only spoke when she was sure that the door was closed.

Twilight tried to hold back her tears, but one fell across her cheek. It wasn't fair! She was just starting to form a wonderful friendship with Zakari and now, just as quickly as they met, they must part. She thought back to yesterday, when she first set him free. How he smiled at her, how he treated complete strangers with respect. She admired him, in a away. Sure, they could write letters to each other, and visit once in a while, but it's not the same as if they lived right next to one another.

The door opened and Zakari stepped through.

"So, I guess this is it. It was really great meeting you, Zakari. Once you find a place, write to me and send me your address, that way I can write back."

He smiled at her. She really had no idea.

"Twilight...I'm not going any where."

"W-what? But I thought that you-"

"The Princess has decided that, since you and your friends are the bearers of the elements, you need help and protection."

"Wait, does that mean your coming back to Ponyville?"

"Yes, it does."

She jumped up and hugged him. He hugged her back, then placed her back down.

"There's more to it than that though."

"What? What do you mean?"

"By royal decree, you, Twilight Sparkle, have complete command of one Black Shield warrior."

Twilight cocked her head to the side, trying to understand what he meant. She..was in command...of him?

He got down on his knees again."Mistress Sparkle...what are your orders?"