Tales of the Forgotten: Eternity

Epilogue - Forsaken Hope

August 14th, 2027 5:00 P.M.

Canterlot, Equestria

The capital of Equestria, Canterlot. A beautiful city that welcomed all species to visit, it is a home to high society of Equestria and those of noble blood. At least until recently this city was that. Now it was a fortress with soldiers stationed at every street corner and every storefront and home boarded up or now garrisoned by several different units within the solar and lunar guard. Along the sides of streets, barriers and blockades had been erected to slow any advances made within canterlot. At strategic points of the city mini-supply bases were created to do repairs to weapons and armor while also doubling as a medical area to help take care of would be wounded.

Yet all the preparations were still incomplete as far as I could see as I looked down at the city from a room provided to me and my daughter in the canterlot castle. Those who were to be a part of my squad in the coming war were also placed in the guest rooms of the Canterlot castle, including the lunar and solar guard that was to accompany us. As I watched the city, sprawled out below me under the balcony, I couldn’t help but feel nervous not because I was going into the enemy's territory, no it was because my daughter the one I care so much for and love as such was going with me. The one thing I can’t live without anymore was going to be fighting alongside me in greater danger than ever before and I don’t honestly know if I can defend her.

I’ve gotten into countless fights and I’ve seen her defend herself and maim many creatures to the point they’re unrecognizable and yet I still feared for her safety. In fact she is a lot stronger than I am and her inborn instincts will cause her to defend what she desires, what her natural greed deems her own. A dragon's greed extends beyond just treasures and belongings although I want to believe it is more than greed but I don’t know how I could explain it or even make myself believe it is more than that.

I look back to my daughter and wonder, where would she be without me? Or better yet where would I be without her? Perhaps that question is better left unanswered especially with how everything played out at certain points of our life together. A small time passed and she noticed me staring at her. Although no words had been spoken she somehow knew exactly how to comfort me, seeming to know what I had been thinking and what weighed heavily on my heart. She had walked over and hugged me tight, wrapping her wings around us. I brought my arms up and returned the embrace as I put my head into her shoulder trying to think of what to say before she broke the silence.

“I’ll be okay Dad, you know that.”

“But it doesn’t make me worry any less, you’re my daughter. My only family, my only daughter. The one thing I cherish over anything else in this world.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“What about Michael, Dad?”

“He’s a different kind of family Faelen, you are my daughter I chose you explicitly you bear my last name and I’ve been there to watch you grow from a sweet young dragon into a beautiful dragoness.”

She pulled away from me, although her scales were a deep maroon I could still feel the heat from her blush radiate from her. I motioned her to bend down and as she did so I planted a kiss on her forehead. “You will always be my daughter Faelen, and when the day comes or if it comes when you marry the creature of your dreams, I will be there for it. Although I will make sure they know not to hurt you.” I chuckled and gave her a wink. She rolled her eyes as she stood back up and walked over to an armor stand near the corner of the room.

She continued to look over the armor supplied to her by the princesses while I turned to my own set of armor. Although I had insisted that my standard armor was more than enough, they chose to ignore me and have a custom set made. Whereas most of my squads armor was made in the design of the personal guards armor of Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight, mine was unique in the fact it was a un-affiliated design as I held no allegiance to any of the princesses let alone to Equestria.

To the world I was known by many names and many titles, but primarily I was known as the Traveller. A creature with no home, one that wandered that seemed to have no real goal but to hunt bounties that plagued a town. Once the bounties were gone, I disappeared without a trace. That one mysterious name had traveled far and wide and without my knowledge even to Equestria. Stories began to crop up here and there about me some to fear me and some to love me but my description remained the same, a mysterious creature that wore strange armor covered by a black woolen cloak.

This armor was directly from one of those stories, this story was a tale that rivaled Nightmare Moon. I suppose it suited me in reality. The base leather was a dark gray accented by silver. On the left breast was a glowing silver star that carried the source of magic for the armor, luckily for me it was a harmless magic that allowed the armor to be more flexible while keeping its strength. On the back of the cuirass in the upper right corner was a depiction of the me from the story wearing the armor before me but I was much larger, the nails on my hands were sharpened to a deadly point and my hood covered my face and then some, glowing eyes peered out from the shade of the hood. Covering the trimming of the accent of the armor were tiny black symbols that I recognized as runes used to provide magic to those without the ability to cast magic. The hoods trim though had a quote from the story, but in an old language not known to me. It said “Fear the Traveller”. My normal cloak only covered the right side of my body but was tossed up as the right arm was cast out with sword in hand ready to strike.

The actual armor simulated it almost perfectly and the cloak that it had was a black dark enough to hide anything moving through the night. The inside of the armor had a minimal amount of fur in order to keep me warm with the coming nights I’d spend awake along with the coming fall and winter months. This armor had to of cost a fortune to make not only due to its magical properties but because it was made explicitly for me by the armorer of the Princesses themselves.

Once I put on this armor, the first time I will shed another's blood in this armor it won’t be for my own gain. It will be to defend not only Equestria but all of Equus. Whereas my normal leather armor was tainted with the blood of so many creatures that were both good and bad. So many sins have been committed in this armor that I will never be able to rid myself of nor will Faelen be able to rid herself of.

My mood had fallen as I recalled what the story called me, The Traveller wasn’t an ordinary creature, it was the grim reaper himself given form outside of the realm of Tartarus. The Traveller murdered a village of over sixty creatures in the story and to be honest it didn’t differ much from what really happened. The amount had increased as the story had been told but in reality it was a village of thirty-six creatures. Ten Gryphons, eighteen Changelings, and eight Minotaurs.

It wasn’t a job I took pleasure in but it also wasn’t one that I had taken alone but luckily it was a year before I had adopted Faelen so she never had to witness the deaths of that day. The offerer of the bounty had brought together multiple bounty hunters or heroes as he took to calling us. It was Pneumbra the Minotaur, Vus the Pegasus, Taenth the Dragon and lastly, me. The reason we were called heroes by the Earth pony who had hired us wasn’t to boost our confidence but because of why he wanted us to eliminate this village. The others they took it on blindly while I asked questions and because I asked questions was the reason why the bounty took a turn for the worse.

I remember standing over the mound of Changelings and Gryphons as I watched Pneumbra and Taenth take care of the minotaurs while Vus had died on the initial attack by a magical shredding rune implanted around the outskirts of the village. Had I not asked anything, I believe Pneumbra and Taenth would likely still be alive today and willing to answer my call to arms I sent out to the lands of Equus. When the last minotaur was killed by Taenth ramming her arm through the minotaurs chest and ripping out his spine in the process, I felt a strange presence surround the village. Taenth and Pneumbra didn’t notice it as they went to regroup with me, my eyes went wide as I realized what was happening. I jumped down the pile of bodies and started running away from the town as fast as I could, both Taenth and Pneumbra doing the same. It was too late. In an instance we were surrounded by a sea of crimson that expanded as far as the eye could see, while I could feel the magic in the air casting an illusion spell the other two could not.

Although it wasn’t as many as they thought it was, it was still far overwhelmed by them. The one that lead them was the one who hired us, he told us it was nothing personal that he was just tying up loose ends primarily because I had been sticking my nose where it didn’t belong. This battle, was where the story came from and I can bet the one who had told it was one of the few that survived. Our enemies this time were regular Earth ponies and Pegasi but that was our mistake, we took them lightly. It was also their mistake that they took me lightly.

In the end I stood over the body of the Earth pony who had hired us with my boot on throat, my sword cast to the right as blood dripped from it. Blood had covered a good portion of my body enough to make me look demonic in the light of the blood red moon caused from the illusion. My hood was on over my head and I held my hand in front of me, each finger separated as I held something in my palm. It was one of the crimson soldiers hearts that I had cut out and now I stood over their leader thinking of ways to make him suffer.

In that sea of death that surrounded me I heard a scream then something rapidly retreating from the area. I ignored it as I felt their leader squirm to try and reach for a weapon just out of his reach. “I have travelled to hell tonight, and now you will as well.” those were the final words I spoke that night as I brought the heart high above my head and brought it down as hard as I could into his skull, crushing it almost instantly.

As the final part of that memory played I was brought back to the present as someone knocked on the door to our room. I opened the door and looked down at the two ponies who had knocked on the door, they were dressed in formal attire.

“We were ordered to retrieve you and the dragoness for dinner.” one spoke elegantly but with caution trying not to strike any nerves with me.

“Thank you, Faelen let's go get some food can’t plan on an empty stomach can we?” I asked her, she turned around and smiled at me before walking over.

“You’re going in this sir and madam?” the pony asked again as we both nodded. “I don’t believe armor is exactly-”

“I’m a bounty hunter sir, I don’t own any formal clothes.” I shrugged as the pony rolled his eyes.

“Does the dragoness at least?”

“Nope only this normal clothing, no need for anything formal it would get destroyed within the hour I wore it.” she chuckled.

The pony was dumbfounded but was brought back as the pony behind him cleared her throat. He shook his head and sighed, “Follow me then.”

The walk to the dining hall was a relatively quiet one save the sound of hooves, and feet shuffling along the carpet that was placed throughout the castle. When we arrived at the dining hall, who was there instantly put me on edge and put my mind into overdrive as I pulled out my sword with Faelen taking a defensive stance behind me. Sitting to the left of Celestia was Queen Chrysalis and to the left of her a face I thought I had seen the last of the night I saved Michael from the hive. Queen Nephilis.

As she made eye contact with me she screamed at the top of her lungs and dove behind the cover of Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, causing everybody in the room except for the princesses, Chrysalis, and Discord to stare at us nervously.

“What are the changelings doing here Princess Celestia, let alone how is Queen Nephilis ALIVE?!”

Princess Celestia and Luna were now giving me an odd look as if I had gone crazy. “They’re here as allies in this Robert, it is only fitting we show them the same kindness we are showing you all. As for how Queen Nephilis is still alive, I can’t say I have any idea what you’re talking about.” Celestia stated as she waved a hoof at the cowering changeling behind her. Queen Chrysalis smiled as she looked at me with hunger.

“The anger, the hatred, the loathing. What brings these feelings to you human, is it the sight of changelings or simply Nephilis?”

“These feelings Queen Chrysalis come from a history between me and her, and I thought I had ended that history 2 months ago. Why don’t you ask her yourself? Ask her why she should cower away from me? Ask her why I will do everything in my-” I felt Faelen place a hand on my shoulder pulling me out of my rage as I looked around the room as the others wore varying degrees of scared and concerned faces.

“Thank you Faelen.” I whispered back to her before returning my attention to her. “She obviously hasn’t told you what she’s done to me let alone to Michael or Mistress Thyxia. She hasn’t told you anything of the hell she’s put me through or the deeds I committed the day that I killed her.”

Chrysalis’ smile faded to a frown as she looked down at the other Queen who was now wishing for me to go away. “So you are the cause of her rather odd behavior.” she looked up at me. “Even though you have a history with her know that her previous actions do not align with the changeling races objectives. Especially now, I would not be here seeking the help of Equestria if I didn’t need to, I understand that hatred and anger you feel. Even after my attempts at invading and controlling Canterlot, I was still accepted by the Princesses of Equestria to come here to negotiate a treaty and gain a powerful ally in this war.”

I looked down at my sword, “You understand how I feel Queen Chrysalis? But do you actually understand?”

“I believe I do human.”

“So you understand why I would love nothing more than to kill her over and over again?”

Her eye twitched after I said that showing annoyance. “I won’t go as far as that, as I have no clue what she has done to deserve that kind of hatred.”

I looked up at her and started walking towards them, all eyes were on me now but mine were concentrated on a certain amber changeling. I stopped next to both of them and sheathed my sword, holding a hand out to the now begging queen.

“You will never understand the anger, sadness, or suffering she put me through.” As I put my hand on her head I saw Queen Chrysalis tense up but Princess Celestia put her hoof up and shook her head. “Put Mistress Thyxia through, that she put Michael through than Queen Chrysalis.” I slid my hand along her mane then kept doing it as her crying faded as she looked up at me like a lost child. “I am angry, angrier than I have ever been before but time and time again I have been angry and in that anger I find an answer. Zachary or rather Zeke forgave me for not being able to save him from you, Nephilis, but he also forgave you in the end. It’s why he was able to finally find peace and move on, he understood I didn’t need his protection anymore. Thyxia wouldn’t have wanted me to do what I did to you that night, nor did Michael even though you tortured him within an inch of his life.”

She looked confused and distraught as I continued to speak. “Perhaps...it's time I forgave you as well Nephilis more importantly ask your forgiveness for the way I attacked you that night. I should have shown you mercy, I should have let you go with a warning. I’ll tell you something though, you aren’t the first one I’ve been merciless towards, and by far not the last, but you are the first I can wholeheartedly apologize to.”

“Although you will never be able to trust me fully, at least place trust in the princesses that I am an ally to all living creatures not under Grimoire Dusk’s control. I will commit deeds in this war that others cannot bear if need be in the name of Equus.” I grabbed her front right hoof as I felt her try to jerk away from me but I held on tight as I stood up. “I will bear your hatred Nephilis, I will bear the burden of the sin I committed.” She charged her horn with a fire spell causing the others in the room to go on the alert.

“NO NEPHILIS!” Queen Chrysalis screamed. It was too late as the room was filled with a vibrant light surrounding both me and Queen Nephilis, she had created an eruption of green flame around us as I continued to hold her hoof tight. She was screaming in fear with tears streaming down her face as she shot bolt after bolt at me, scorching my armor and skin but doing nothing more.

I will bear this pain I thought as I watched the struggling changeling desperately try to escape from me. I will bear your wrath. My wrath. I pulled her closer to me as I wrapped my arms around her head and placed her against my chest. I will defend you all, even if it kills me. The bolts of fire magic had come to a halt as I did so while she cried furiously into my chest but the fire on my armor had not faded while the wall was starting to dwindle.

Even if it calls for me to lose my humanity. Those in the room were all looking at the both of us scared out of their wits, even the princesses and Chrysalis. Most of my armor had been burnt to a crisp while other parts remained relatively unscathed from the volley. I looked at Queen Chrysalis with a frown, “Queen Chrysalis I have a request to add to this treaty if you would hear it.”

She was brought out of her stupor as I spoke. “How did you survive that?!” she exclaimed as she pointed a hoof at me.

I looked down at the changeling who was sniffling now as she allowed me to hug her. “It isn’t that I survived Queen Chrysalis it's that she survived. Perhaps you don’t see the damage done to her own body and mana pool from expending that amount of magic in one fowl swoop.” She directed her attention to Nephilis, her hair had been burnt up to the middle of her neck and there were scorch marks littering her own body. Her chitin that had been a vibrant amber color was now a splotchy mixture of amber and dull yellow.

“This is what I had expected to happen and lo and behold it did. This makes it easier to make the request.” I looked her in the eyes and let go of Nephilis before kneeling onto a knee. “Queen Chrysalis, I request that you place Queen Nephilis under my command.” I heard her stomp her hoof nearly cracking the chair beneath her.

“Never! Why would I agree to a request like that?! Especially after you blatantly stated that you were the one who murdered her!”

I looked over to Nephilis who was equally confused. “Her power will be needed, most of those on my squad save for two know my real self thus can’t work with me on certain operations that will require certain mindsets. Queen Nephilis however, she knows more about me than I care to admit she dissected a part of my mind and knows things about me that no one on the face of this planet or Earth know.” Queen Chrysalis glared at Nephilis in clear disgust. I put up my arm to protect her from Chrysalis.

The seeds of distrust have been planted I thought.“This is one of the many acts she has committed not only on the soil of the Badlands but in various places in Equestria. I offer a chance at redeeming herself in a way that will benefit us all.”

“I see.” Chrysalis stated as she put a hoof to her chin thinking on the matter no doubt.

“Would you rather her be at your side where she could plot to kill you or her be at my side furthering our efforts to end this war as quickly as possible?”

I watched as fear flashed ever so briefly across her eyes as she looked up to us, “How do you expect her to obey you if she fears you so much already?”

I smiled, “She may fear me, she may hate me, but out of everything she will trust me. Even if it is slow she will learn to trust me, her life is already in my hands at this point, it has been since I walked through those doors.”

She looked a bit impressed, “So that rage was an act?”

“Yes and no, I told you that in my anger I can find an answer at first the rage was real believe me, everyone here wasn’t taken aback by me yelling but how the very feeling in the air changed.” I pointed out as she nodded.

“That is true. From this point until this war is over Queen Nephilis shall reject her royal status and control of her hive will come under me. You are a queen no longer Nephilis, you will follow every order that...” she pointed her hoof at me trying to recall my name.

“The Traveller.” I stated flatly as I heard someone in the back of the room gasp at the mention of the name.

“You shall follow every order the Traveller should give you no matter how small or how large the task. If you should disobey him, the punishment will be up to him. However if you attempt to harm him, unless you were ordered to by him, he will burn you alive until there is nothing left but smoldering ash. Do you agree to these terms Traveller? Nephilis?” she asked.

Nephilis stood up and went to object but I shot her a look over my shoulder, it’s the best you’re going to get Nephilis trust me, don’t try to disagree. I thought to her, although she didn’t want to look me in the eyes the message got across clearly. “I-I agree to these terms my Queen.” she knelt down on her forelegs.

“I also agree to these terms Queen Chrysalis.” I bowed to her as I saw her charge her horn with a binding magic. She had let it connect with Nephilis but I side-stepped and negated the magic.

“I thought you agreed to the terms?!”

“Magic is harmful to humans, if I allowed you to bind me in such a way I could potentially die at least with the current state of my armor now. Let me use something else to hold the binding, Queen Chrysalis.” I pulled out the wolf pendant that Michael had given me years ago.

“What significance is this?” she asked bluntly.

“It was a gift from Michael, the one she nearly killed. The one I killed her in turn for. There are few possessions that I’d risk my life for and this is one of them, bind this so that if either of us should break the terms it will be destroyed and Nephilis killed as ordered.”

She agreed to this with a smile as she cast the binding spell again, the wolf pendant burned bright before the fire imploded into pendant causing the ruby eyes to glow as if on fire. I stowed away the now bound pendant before turning to Nephilis. “Nephilis.” she looked up at me hesitantly. “I am your leader now, and thus your ally. Show me the demon that nearly killed my brother, that’s the Nephilis we’re going to need tomorrow night. We need yo-”

The room grew cold and the air still as I stopped mid-sentence feeling a chill go down my spine, one that like I had never felt before. You could hear the breathing of everybody in the room as the torches in the room went out forcing the magic users in the room to create light to see. I felt an evil presence approaching the doors to the dining hall and with it the chill got worse and worse. This isn’t a chill, what is this? I thought rapidly as I tried to find an answer to the question. I looked over to Luna who was now standing ready to attack, her eyes scanned everything in the room and everyone as well creating a plan no doubt if it was the worst.

I drew my sword as the princesses charged their horns with magic before creating a blade of magic near themselves. Queen Chrysalis had created a blade made of green flames. Nephilis was no longer scared, she was now the changeling I had been attacked by two months ago. Her eyes were cold and calculating, ready to fight to the death you could tell she had forgotten about me. Discord stood on the ground with a peculiar looking set of armor and sword that was easily half his body size. That must be his armor from the Shadow War. I thought absentmindedly as I watched the element bearers take cover behind all of us in the corner of the dining hall. Faelen had flown immediately to me curling around me as if sensing the intent to kill coming from the other side of the doors. I drew my sword and readied myself for the worst.

Moments passed and nothing happened, slowly the evil presence had faded from the castle and eventually disappeared altogether at least to the point no one in the room could sense it. Right as we started to relax again the doors slammed open as wounded guard missing a front foreleg and an ear with a bloody gash running from the ear down to the torn off appendage. “The shield...the shield has fallen.” he managed to sputter out before falling to the ground as he finally died from blood loss.

“I-i-is he dead?” I heard Fluttershy start to cry as I glared back at all of them before pointing to Nephilis and Faelen then to the door. They took the order as it came and left the room with me following closely behind.

“Where are you going?!” Twilight screamed after us.

I stopped and half-turned to address her with a scowl that bore no remorse. “Our peace has been cut short and The Traveller walks once more to the beat of the drums calling his name.”

“You really are the Traveller? The one who killed that village for nothing?” Pinkie Pie asked as if she waited for a hopeful answer.

Her facts were distorted as the story had made them, perhaps it was better they didn’t understand the truth. I looked into her eyes as I spoke, “That I am Pinkie Pie, that’s why this is my war as much as it is yours. This is the Demons War.” the air stood still as I turned away from the ones I had called friends for so long but now they would hardly consider me an acquaintance.

“It’s better you stay away from us, us humans, we can never escape our fate. Our lust for blood, to see others writhe in pain for our amusement. No matter how much we try we will never escape our true nature. We are demons and we always will be.” With those final words I continued to the tower to don the armor that would make my name feared for generations to come.