Tales of the Forgotten: Eternity

The darkness beckons to us all at one point in our lives.

Six weeks later...

I walked among the halls of the hospital towards Michaels room where he rested on his bed still under the effects of the coma he had slipped into six weeks ago. Sweat drenched my clothes and my hair as it hung limply on my shoulders because I had taken out the ruby hair ring and put it on Michaels right ring finger. I had put it there when the nurse left the first night so that he would know I was there for him even if not physically. I had Twilight bring my equipment three weeks ago so that I could train in the morning and now I was on my way back to his room after a training session with Faelan.

I woke to the same sound of the door opening to signal the arrival of Fluttershy who had been coming every other morning to see him. Sometimes she would be accompanied by our friends or the dragons that were Michaels friends. They occasionally left gifts for him and whispered kind words or blessings of hope for him to wake soon. Usually after I returned from training they would be gone but this time was a little different as I stopped at the entryway to the room as I heard Fluttershy singing to Michael.

The light shone through the window onto Michaels face that revealed how skinny he had become and his skin nearly ghost white. She sung for what seemed like forever as I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I walked over to his bedside and sat down with my forearms on the edge of his bed. It wasn’t much longer before she had finished her song but by now I could tell she was on the verge of tears as well. How much she cared for him touched me as she had hardly even known him for a couple days.

“I remember meeting you at Lester Middle School over in Okinawa, Japan, “ I started “when we were just in sixth grade, barely starting to learn about the world. The day was overcast during the beginning of the first quarter of the school year and I had gone to my first class where you sat all alone because everyone else had outcast you. I asked around as to why you were left alone like that and everyone seemed to have the idea that you were just an annoying kid.”

“You pushed everyone away because you thought that their joking was nothing more than them being bullies to you. I didn’t really have much to do with you and I just went with the flow and outcast you as well, ignoring you and hating you for no reason at all other than to try and fit in. I hung out with Zachary and Jazmine as well as their friends. The days kept going by and you had started giving me a reason to hate you after I tried to make amends, but rightfully so after the way I had treated you, you denied me.”

“I remember almost giving up but I kept trying and eventually you started softening up and allowing me in. Eventually we became friends but when everyone figured out I was your friend they started to hate me so I went and betrayed you, I betrayed one of the best things that had ever happened in my lives simply because I wanted to be accepted by groups that mean nothing to me now.”

“You forgave me even though I didn’t deserve it after what I had put you through, every insult and every scar I gave you. I even swore that I would kill you for fuck sakes and you still forgave me! It wasn’t until my seventh grade year when Zachary died I finally saw and felt what you did, emptiness and nothing but pain because you had been alone for so long that being alone felt so much better.”

“After his death you seemed to rise into his place but never quite fit his seat but create your own alongside his and Jazmines in my heart. I remember the first time I actually called you my brother and you were slightly taken aback at how I could consider you as such. It was simply because you were the only one I could confide in with all my secrets and mistakes, to understand me and love me even at the darkest times. You were able to forgive people who hurt you where as I wasn’t able to forgive even the smallest insult towards me.”

“There are so many things that I can never repay you for within my lifetime but I will be damned if I let you fall to this. Wake up soon little man, we’re all waiting for you here.” I leaned down and kissed his forehead, with tears slowly rolling down my cheeks. I went on for hours about how we used to explore and play outside on Okinawa all the way to the time I had surprised him by coming to stay with him and his family for a month for his fifteenth birthday. Eventually I dozed off with my head in my arms at the edge of his bed.

??? ???, ????, ????

???, ???

I woke up floating above my body in the hospital as it lied there sleeping at Michael’s bedside. I looked over to the clock sitting above Michaels bed, Midnight. By now most of Equestria was resting sound asleep in their beds without a care in the world, dreaming of hopefully good things to stay the bad dreams to come. I floated myself down to the floor and walked through the halls of the hospital and out the front doors where I saw Luna sitting outside, staring up at the moon.

“So this wasn’t by chance was it?” I asked as I stood next to her.

“No, twas not by mere chance. Thou art able to feel him, art thy not?”

I closed my eyes as I felt his magic starting to reach out to me again, this time stronger than the times before. I nodded, “He’s trying to contact me again, by the power he’s exerting to do so I think he’s in Limbo right now. We don’t have long before he exits the tomb, Luna.”

She sighed, “We should start mobilizing the military, should we not?” she asked as she looked up at me. I shook my head.

“Mobilizing now wouldn’t be of much use, mobilize any unicorns able to cast barrier spells. Have them work together to create the strongest barrier possible over the entrance to the tomb to make it harder for him to escape and buy us some more time. Have them test the barrier first then have them cast it when he exits Limbo.” I suggested.

“Would that even work on him?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “I’m sure it will but no one can be sure. He’s an unknown figure in the grand scheme of things, we have read of the power he wields but haven’t seen it ourselves. We can only hope and pray that it’ll work.”

“That is true...we shall go with thy plan for the time being. How long dost thou believe it shall be before he doth reach the exit?” She asked.

“A couple days at the most so you need to get them out there tonight. It’s time to declare a state of emergency Luna, wake your sister and get this done.” I turned to face her fully with an expressionless face but eyes burning with anger. “Equus will not fall again to him, as long as blood pumps through my body and air fills my lungs he will not win.” I stated without remorse as she nodded before dissipating, along with the world around me.

August 3rd, 2027 8:32 A.M.

Golden Hooves Hospital, Baltimare, Equestria

I slipped straight from my dream state into full conciousness as I stood from the bedside and walked over to the window where the sun shone through bright and true. Make haste you two… I thought as I looked on towards Canterlot as the doors to the room opened behind me. “Mr. Robert! Mr. Robert! Come Quick!” the doctor pleaded as he panted heavily as a blast shook the entirety of the hospital. I went to the corner and grabbed my staff and sword and quickly strapped them to myself before going to the door. I looked back at Michael and felt my heart drop as I saw his eyes open at long last, staring right at me with a long tiredness present in them.

I smiled at him and shook the thought from my head with the help of another shockwave. I ran out the entrance to the room as a bolt flew past my head, singeing my bangs. I looked to the right where it had come from as the figure faded and reappeared in front of me and hit me in the gut with its rear hooves, sending me flying backwards. I regained my footing and charged it, catching it in the crook of my arm and slamming it into the ground. The hood it was wearing came off to reveal a khaki pony with a scraggly mane, his eyes were black with green irises and white pupils.

“It’s nearly time Robert! The show is about to start and you’ll have a front row seat!” He cackled as I picked him up by the neck and slammed him into the wall before pulling out my sword and holding it at arms length. I glowered at the colt as he continued to cackle, I brought the point to his chest and held it there for a minute before it started glowing white and I could feel the magic built up in it starting to send shocks through my arm.

“Let the light pierce the darkness so you may live again!” I yelled as I plunged the sword into the ponies chest as he stopped cackling immediately and his head shot up with his mouth agape. His eyes slowly turned back to white with orange irises and normal black pupils. A moment later a wisp of black magic flowed out of his open mouth and slowly accumulated into a small sphere above him. I removed the sword from the ponies chest and stabbed the sphere where the magic dissipated instantly.

I let the pony drop to the ground as he tried to cough up blood but couldn’t as the sword had done no physical damage to him. I dropped the sword at my side as well as the pain from holding it became too great, the magic built up in it faded away. There goes four months worth of build up… I thought sadly as I picked the sword back up and put it back into my scabbard. Another shockwave rocked the hospital, this time causing pictures and various items to fall from their place on shelves and the wall.

I ran down the hall towards the stairs and used the rail to descend quickly to the first floor where an explosion had blown the doorway into rubble. There was a young dragon with jet black scales with wisps of smoke coming off of it, it’s eyes were pure white with wisps of shadow coming out of them as well. It turned towards me and reeled back before releasing a stream of fire towards me. I jumped back into the stairwell as the fire licked the walls of the stairwell in front of me.

Once the fire stopped I ran out of the entrance towards the dragon who was now retreating from the hospital as I ran after it. I slowed to a stop as the streets in front of me lay in ruin as ponies from all walks of lives stared me down with the same eyes as the pony who had attacked me in Michaels hall. The dragon that had been attacking landed behind the army of ponies who had been taken over by it. “Well fuck me sideways…” I whispered as I stood there.

Out of nowhere five dragons slammed into the ground beside me, before standing up with weapons in hand. All of them I recognized as Faelan, Spike, Telara, Nova, and Valerian. They all wore iron armor with runes embedded in them and their weapons were the same. “Try not to hurt them, they’re under a spell that is corrupting their minds. I think the dragon is the one controlling them so try to take it out as fast as possible. Telara, get Michael out of here and to Ponyville, he’s awake but I doubt he’ll be able to fight with how long he’s been down.”

“Like hell you’ll leave me out!” I heard Michael exclaim behind me as I turned around with worry in my eyes, He tried to stand but leaned up against the entrance with a pipe in his right hand, his hair hung limp slightly above his eyes as he stared me down.

I was about to yell at him but Telara was already at him and hoisted him up onto her shoulders. “Take care of business! I’ve got him!” she yelled before taking off as Michael tried to scream for her to let him go as they flew away Michael looked at me with a broken and hurt expression. I felt a pang of guilt but it was quickly replaced by anger as I turned my attention back to the army of citizens standing in front of us.