Questions and Initiation

Artorias was walking through the Chasm of The Abyss with his great grey wolf companion by his side and their weapons at the ready. Moments later, he saw a lot of black and white sprites in the area. Some were as tall as a small child and some were as tall as himself.

Suddenly, all of the black and white sprites locked their white glowing eyes and glided towards him in a ghastly manner. Just as Artorias was about to act, all of the sprites vanished with a dark blue equine figure fading away into distortion.

And he woke up.

Artorias was panting heavily and drenched in sweat because of his dream.

''It was just a dream , and I know how it ended. But, I could've sworn I saw Princess Luna in my dream.'' he said with a bewildered expression.

He quickly took off his leather tunic, revealing a muscular body underneath it and a stab scar on his chest.

It was still at dawn, so there was plenty of time for him to prepare himself for the day ahead...

'I guess I should get myself cleaned up and head towards the gardens to meet up with the girls.' he thought.

He entered the bathroom, took a bath, shaved, and washed his leather tunic and pants to rinse it of sweat and dead skin. It was nice to get clean. While he waited for his garments to dry, he thought about what he should tell and show to the girls.

'Hmm perhaps I could show them my weapons, gear, and other equipments...oh! and of course my hand-to-hand combat skills and miracles. Twilight and the rest of her friends would love that...I sure hope the princesses could join us as well.' he thought.

With his tunic and pants dry, he quickly put them on and walked back out to his chambers. He quickly tidied his bed, cleaned his armor, but instead of putting them on he decided to leave them on his chamber.

"I don't think I am going to wear you today." he said to no one in particular while tapping on his armor's pauldron. After setting them neatly, pieces-by-pieces he retrieved his greatsword and satchel then went out to the gardens.

On his way there, he passed by some guards who gave him curious looks but also firm salutes. Artorias nodded in response and kept walking towards the gardens, until he heard a soft voice behind him

"Good morning Artorias."

He turned around, and saw Princess Luna standing there with a smile on her face.

"Good morning Princess Luna." he said while bowing politely.

"I've got to say, you look different without your armor."

"Oh? how so princess?"

"Well, you look a bit smaller and more...*ahem* muscular, and I can see you perfectly now." she said with a small blush

Artorias chuckled at this, "It is because of my job princess."

"May I ask where are you going at such an early hour?"

"I am heading to the Royal Gardens to meet Miss Sparkle and her friends, because they've got questions on their minds." he paused "But, since you are here would you like to join us? I assume you still have a lot of questions left unanswered."

"Oh that would be wonderful!" she said with a happy tone. "Walk with me Artorias." she said with a smile. "Oh, and please call me Luna."

"As you wish, Luna" he replied with a smile.

Shortly they reached the gates that leads to the gardens. The gate was guarded by two unicorn guards and upon seeing them, immediately saluted and opened the gates with their magics and with that done; Artorias and Princess Luna entered the Royal Gardens.

After they are quite distant from the gates, they strode through the gardens. During their walk, Artorias and Luna shared some small talks and jokes with each other; occasionally giggles and laughters could be heard from the pair. Suddenly, she stepped in front of Artorias...staring at his eyes.

"Artorias, may I ask th- you something?"

"Yes, you may Luna. But before that, do you mind if we find somewhere to sit?." he replied with a smile.

"Of course I don't mind. I am getting tired anyways." she replied sheepishly.

After that, they found a large tree with bright-colored flowers. Then they sat down next to each other underneath its leafy shelter.

"So, what was your question Luna?" Artorias asked

"What was that dark place in your dream last night? it was shrouded in a very dark and evil aura."

'So, she was really in my dream.' he thought

"That...was The Abyss." he said with a dark tone

"What do you mean?" she asked with a confused tone.

"It is not just a typical abyss, it is a place of darkness, malice, and hatred. Nothing could survive and traverse the abyss without getting killed or corrupted by its everlasting darkness..." he said while holding back his anger, remembering what he the Abyss had taken from him.

Then, Luna spoke softly "Could you tell me more about this?"

"Luna, are you sure you want to hear this? my world is filled with death and violence...the story I am about to tell is not for the weak-stomached." he warned her.

She shuddered at this, but nodded " I want to know more about you in person." she said with a smile.

Artorias nodded before continuing, " I was sent by my king, Lord Gwyn to stop the Abyss' spread in a city called New Londo. There, I was supposed to meet up with three red-robed healers or sorcerers you may call them . Upon arriving at the city, it was chaotic in there. People ran for their lives, bodies littered the streets, and so on. Upon meeting up with the three of them, they instructed me to go to to the deepest bowel of the city to find and kill the city's corrupted leaders- The Four Kings and they also told me to beware of the Darkwraiths-the former knights of New Londo who fell into the Abyss' corruption just like their leaders." he paused "After pushing through the city, I encountered those Darkwraiths since they were corrupted I had no choice but to kill them." he said with a sad tone.

Luna noticed his change of tone, she sat closer to Artorias and draped her wings on his shoulders "Artorias, are you okay? we can always drop the question if this made you feel uncomfortable." she said with a soothing voice.

Artorias was surprised by the sudden embrace, but returned the embrace nevertheless "I am okay Luna, besides I have to get over this eventually." he said with a smile.

They broke the hug, and he continued.

"So, after I made my way through the city I finally reach the bowel where The Four Kings resided. I was no match for them, they got me pretty bad and I was at the verge of death until a black primordial serpent known as Darkstalker Kaathe offered me, my people, and my land a second chance and in exchange I made a covenant with him and the Abyss...if it was not for my promise to my loved ones, I chose death instead of making that blasphemous covenant." he said while clenching his fists, anger visible from his eyes. After he regained his composure, he continued.

"But, I was not that stupid. After making the covenant, I turned against them and hunted the Darkwraiths ...cutting down their numbers tremendously and I nearly buried my sword into Kaathe's temple." he said while pointing at his divine greatsword "But, the wretched serpent managed to escape and I was forced to deal with The Four Kings again. After a gruelling battle, I somehow ended up in the abandoned streets of New Londo and made my way towards the three sorcerers. Upon arriving , needless to say they were shocked at my condition; I was barely alive at that point; but I told them that things are taken care of." he let out a deep sigh before continuing " Then, they told me even if I managed to stop the spread of the Abyss and defeating The Four Kings and their minions there were no guarantees they will stop there. So, they flooded the city...murdering thousands of innocent people and confining the dark forces therein." as he said this, a tear rolled down his cheek.

Luna was about to cry as well, Artorias noticed this and pulled her into an embrace "Luna, do you still want me to continue? I don't want my past to plague your mind." he whispered into her ears.

Luna looked into his eyes and nodded. He smiled and broke the hug.

"When I got back to my city, Anor Londo, I got an intensive medical treatment, and my city awarded me with this silver pendant." he said while pointing at his pendant "which is capable to deflect darkness, especially in magic form...and also a new title 'Sir Artorias the Abysswalker' " he said proudly.

Luna smiled at this, she thought that was the end of it. But...

"And that was my first travel into the Abyss."

Luna's jaw hung in the air...

"What?! how many times have you *gulp* been there?!" she said with a panicked tone.

"Two times." he paused "But it was during my second trip, that everything changed."

"H-how so?" she stuttered

"Before I continue, are you sure you want to hear this? because this will get a lot more worse than my first travel." he warned her for the last time.

She nodded and he continued.

" Years after my first travel into the Abyss, a neighboring kingdom known as Oolacile was being attacked by a primeval man known as Manus. After further investigations it appeared that Darkstalker Kaathe, fooled the sorcerers in Oolacile to upturn his grave. Then, they tortured him into madness until there was nothing left but rage and desire inside him. Being a primeval man, he's got powers even beyond our comprehension. His rage formed a new Abyss, and turned the citizens of Oolacile into crazed mutated creatures." he said.

"After my kingdom, Lordran, heard of the dire situation they sent me to deal with the matter." he paused "I brought my great grey wolf companion, Sif to aid me in my mission. After fighting effortlessly through Oolacile, we got to the Chasm of the Abyss; the place where you showed up in my dream." he paused " Then, we came across large ghostly figures; which no doubt you saw last night. I tried to attack one of them; but it was futile...their numbers grew and they overran me and my companion, when things got too heated, she got incapacitated; and I feared for her safety. So I used the power of my greatshield to cast a protective barrier around her." he said while looking over to Luna, who was listening intently.

He sighed, and continued "So, I proceeded deeper into the Abyss. When I got to Manus, I was no match for him...he quickly overtook me with the Abyss' dark powers, corrupting and turned me into an advocate of darkness. Manus, 'awarded' me with control over dark magic and after that my corrupted body committed atrocities beyond my worst nightmare; I destroyed homes, killed the innocent..." He sighed deeply as he felt tears began to well up in his eyes when he remembered he was trapped in his own body and committed atrocities under Manus' grasp.

As for Luna, she understood this very well...she was once Nightmare Moon after all.

"Until one day, I was saved by an unknown warrior. After a grueling battle; he pierced my heart with a divine sword...this purified and fixed me entirely, even my equipments and armor are restored as well...but most of all severing my connection to the Abyss" he paused "But , my control over some of its dark powers still remained inside me; I vowed to use them for good instead of what I've done when I was in Manus' grasp." he replied solemnly. "And, that's how I ended up here." He said while getting up on his feet and stretched.

When he looked at Luna she was not in a good condition, she was already in tears. He sat down beside her and pulled her into a warm embrace while stroking her flowing mane, she immediately locked her forehooves behind his neck...hugging him tightly.

"It's alright Luna, it's alright." he said in his most soothing voice. "I warned you, but why did you want me to keep going?" he said while looking at her eyes.

"I *sob* just wanted to help you out *sob* because when I *sob* entered your dream last night, I felt *sob* your feelings...your losses and your sufferings." she said with tears flowing down her face.

He smiled and cupped her chin, "You already did , I've kept these feelings to myself for ages. Thank you Luna."

She smiled, and gave him a gentle nuzzle on his cheek. Then, they broke the hug.

'Eheheh, she is really nice and sweet.'

"You are amazing Artorias, I've never seen somepony with such determination and bravery." she said with a warm smile "but, I've got to ask about those 'dark powers'." her eyes now filled with wonders and curiosity.

"I will explain everything once Miss Sparkle and her friend arrived here, I don't want to spoil it any further." he said with a mischievous grin.

She glared playfully at him. Before Artorias could do anything, he heard wing flaps and a soft thud behind him. He turned, and saw Princess Celestia standing behind him with a soft smile.

"I see you two are getting along just fine. Hello Artorias, hello Lulu." she said with a smile.

"Hello Celestia." he said politely.

"Hello Tia." Luna said with a smile.

"May I ask what are you two doing here?"

Then Artorias took the initiative and spoke up "Celestia, me and Luna are waiting for Miss Sparkle and her friends here because they have questions in their minds...would you like to join us as well?" he asked politely.

"Oh that would be lovely, besides I assume you have questions as well?" she said with a smile

"Indeed, I am a stranger in a strange land." he said nonchalantly.

Celestia smiled at this, "Very well...but first I have to rise the sun and Luna have to lower the moon."

Artorias was dumbfounded by this, sure his world was and still is filled with magical things. But to rise the sun and lower the moon? that was just out of his comprehension.

Suddenly, Celestia's horn glowed with golden energy , Luna's horn glowed with blue energy and their expressions changed into an unbreakable concentration. Slowly but surely, the sun crept out from behind the mountains and into the sky and the moon disappeared behind the mountains.

Artorias stood there, struck with great awe and curiosity. "B-but h-how?" he asked dumbfoundedly.

Celestia and Luna chuckled at this, "I am the Princess of The Sun, it is my responsibility to rise and lower the sun. And Luna is the Princess of The Moon, thus it is her responsibility to rise and lower the moon."

"It is amazing and beautiful." he said, astonished.

"Thank you Artorias." the replied in unison, smiling.

Then, hoofsteps could be heard in the distance. Shortly, Twilight came into view with a bunch of writing equipments stashed inside her saddlebags with her friends in tow .

"Good morning Princess Celestia, good morning Princess Luna, good morning to you too Artorias." she said with a huge grin.

"Good morning." they replied warmly.

"Darling, where is your fabulous armor?" Rarity said while trotting up to him.

"Oh, I don't think I am going to need it today so I left them in my chamber." he replied casually.

Rarity deflated a bit, but nodded.

"Okay, now that everypony is here shall we begin Artorias?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Okay, lets...but before I begin my world was filled with death and violence. So my answers and the things I will tell you is not for the weak-stomached. Are you sure you want to proceed this?" he warned them.

"Of course Artorias, but if it gets too violent I will ask you to stop." Princess Celestia added.

"Okay then, but lets wait for Miss Sparkle to ready her utensils." he said while glancing at Twilight who was readying her quill and paper. This made the ponies snickered.

"Watch it Twilight, don't let your eggheadiness get to you." Rainbow Dash said mockingly.

"I am not an egghead Rainbow, this is an exclusive knowledge. We can learn about his entire civilization from him! besides eggheadiness is not even a word." she shot back.

Rainbow just stick her tongue out

"Okay Artorias, before we ask our own personal questions we'd like to know more of your world and civilization." Twilight said. "Oh and please call us by our names, no need for formalities." she smiled.

"Okay Twilight, but before I begin I suggest we take a seat first...this will be a long story." So they laid down on the grass. For some reason Princess Luna laid down beside Artorias who was leaning his back to the tree.

"So, it all started when my world was unformed..." with that, he began his history lesson. He told them about how the first flame changed everything , the war with the Everlasting Dragons and how the Four Knights of Gwyn was formed, the Age of Fire, and finally his trips and demise to the Abyss (with toned down fight scenes) and Twilight writing every piece of information that came from his mouth.

"And so my friends..." he got up and stretched "Was the tale of Artorias the Abysswalker." he said nonchalantly.

He looked around to see various expressions from the ponies. Twilight and the two princesses were dumbfounded with a silly look on their faces, Fluttershy had fainted when it came to the war with the dragons plus Artorias' trips and demise to the Abyss, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity were speechless. And Pinkie Pie was just being Pinkie Pie.

'Lets just hope I didn't kill their brains.' he mentally face-palmed.

After regaining their composure, it was Twilight who spoke up "Well, your world was definitely something Artorias. I just can't imagine that basically you rise from the dead." this is followed by nods of approval from the rest of the ponies.

"Well, I have no idea either." he replied while chuckling.

"So, anypony else hungry? cause I am pretty hungry." Rainbow said.

"I've got that covered!" Pinkie Pie said. Out of nowhere, she took a bunch of different cakes complete with eating utensils and a bowl of berry punch. Soon, a picnic was ready for them.

Artorias looked at the scene with a very bewildered expression.

'It's like she has an invisible inventory bag.' he thought.

"She is just being Pinkie Pie." Twilight smiled sheepishly.

"Well? dig i--"Pinkie was cut of with a hoof on her shoulder.

"Darling, I say, let Artorias eat first." Rarity said "Go ahead darling."

'I am hungry anyways.'

Artorias extended his hand, and took a plate of chocolate fudge cake. Everypony in the area watched with great curiosity, even Pinkie looked very nervous. He sliced it with a knife and eat it.

"That, was the best cake I've ever had in my life!" he exclaimed with joy. This made Pinkie to tackle him into a hug.

"Eheheh, easy Pinkie." he said while patting Pinkie's back.

Artorias motioned for the rest of them to eat (which they complied) , after they finished their meals Artorias gave them the green light for their questions.

It was Pinkie Pie who raised her hoof first.

"Okay, Pinkie Pie what do you have in mind?" he asked

"Well I know you love my cakes and berry punch but what is your favorite pastry, cheese, chocolate...or yeah something like that." she said with her signature smile.

Artorias thought about this for a moment " Well, for starters I am an omnivore. So that means I eat meat, vegetables, and fruits to survive. But you are right I do love your cakes." he said with a smile. He glanced over to Twilight who was busy writing the information on a piece of paper.

"Well Artorias" Princess Celestia spoke up "It is actually quite strange knowing you could eat both meat and plants at the same time. Usually, sentient beings here only eat one or another."

"Oh, I see...thank you Celestia." he smiled and she nodded.

The next one, was Rarity "Darling, I noticed that your armor is shaped into something I am oddly familiar with, but I just can't put my hoof around it. Could you perhaps tell us what it represents?"

"Ah, sharp eyes Rarity. My armor represents a wolf." he said. "Why did i chose a wolf? because they represent my personality."

"And what do they represent in you darling?" she asked again.

"Will of unbendable steel. Just as tirelessly a pack of wolves will pursue their prey, and that's just how tirelessly I am to complete my missions and duties." he said proudly.

Rarity nodded and sat back down. Next, was Fluttershy.

"Um, I have a question too...if that's alright of course." she said while hiding behind her mane.

Artorias smiled "of course it's alright Fluttershy, please ask away." his gentle tone with her surprised everypony. He was always calm, but there was usually a gruffness in his voice that was currently absent.

"Okay, um I was wondering what kind of animals you had on your world..." Fluttershy stopped hiding behind her mane, awaiting his answer eagerly.

"We had basically everything you have here; such as dogs, cats, birds, and so on. We also had dragons of all shapes and sizes, but they were descendants from the ancient dragons. Oh! and we also had shiny lizards that have rare ores attached to their backs for some reason."

"Um, what kind of animals do you like?" Fluttershy asked, this stopped his heartbeat.

Artorias maintained a smile that will soon be replaced by sadness. After he regained his composure, Artorias sighed deeply "Wolves. My favorite animals are wolves Fluttershy."

"Wolves? but they are fierce, it's not very easy to tame them, why are they your favorite." she said while inching closer to him, perhaps she felt a hint of sadness in him.

"One day, while I was heading back from a mission, I came across a small cub in a forest. It was a cub of a great gray wolf, a massive wolf that towers over me. So, seeing it so defenseless I took it with me back to the castle where it stayed with me. I trained her to fight with a greatsword and she became very good at it. I named her, Sif. She was one of my closest friend, howling for me in battle, and fight with me using her sword. Our bond was strong, and I don't think I could have lived this long without her."

"During my traversing of the Abyss, she followed me. But, when things got to heated, I feared for her safety. So I used the power from my shield to cast a protective barrier around her, thus shielding her from the everlasting darkness and corruption of the Abyss. After that was done, I don't know what happened to her. She may have escaped, she was strong, and I believe she may still be alive, even today." he stopped and took a deep breath to stop his tears from flowing out of his eyes. Then he continued.

"But, I may never know. And that fact makes me wish I could have said goodbye..." during his explanation Artorias grew sad, remembering all the times he had with Sif, and how good she had been to him, only to realize that he left her alone in the Abyss, with only a sword to protect herself. "Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. That's why I love wolves than any ot-" he was cut of when Fluttershy hugged him in a comforting hug. The rest of the ponies followed swiftly even the princesses. Artorias was surprised by this act of kindness. He was only there for a short time, but they treated him with kindness he never felt before. He returned the hug, and after a minute they broke the hug.

"Thank you, I needed that." he said with a warm smile to the ponies. They smiled warmly at him, and nodded.

Next, was Rainbow Dash.

"Do you have any other weapons with you? I mean I know you have that gigantic gleaming sword on your back. By the way, why is it gleaming like that?" she asked.

Artorias grinned and held his greatsword with both hands "My sword is enchanted with a divine blessing that allows me to strike harder against the servants of darkness" he said proudly.

Wow, that.is.AWESOME! but if you have any other awesome toys with you... would you mind if you show us?" she asked again, waiting for his response.

"Oh, I can show you my personal favorites." he said while getting up. Artorias' mood was restored in an instant, with a huge grin he reached for his satchel and pulled an elegantly curved sword from it, and hold it in a safe position.

Rainbow's eyes widened when she saw the sword, "That thing looks bucking awesome! what is that by the way?" she asked with a sheepish smile.

"This, is a katana or more specifically the Uchigatana." he said while stepping back from the ponies and gave it a few elegant swings, startling them. "This devil is a devastating weapon for those who liked to move swiftly and inflict tons of damage." Rainbow's smile turn into a large grin when she heard this. "But, it must be frequently repaired. Because it's blade is not that resilient." He said while putting his sword down.

"Could you, you know umm teach me how to use it later? and probably do some demonstrations?" Rainbow asked sheepishly.

'I could use some exercise' he thought

"Well, I'll get to that later. I still have some more things to show you." he smirked

Then, he pulled out a large bow and some feathered arrows seeing the astonished reaction from the ponies, he chuckled.

"This, my friends, is known as a longbow. As you can see, it is not meant for close quarters engagements but just put some of these babies here." he said while pointing to the feather arrows "your opponents will never know what hit them in long range." he said with a smirk. "By the way, I was ranked the third on my kingdom's top archers."

"So, who is the second and the first?" Rainbow asked.

"A human, named Pharis and one of my best friends 'Hawkeye' Gough." he replied casually.

"Oh, I see...what's a human by the way?" Rainbow asked, Twilight's quill managed to get snapped in half in her fury of writing. So, she quickly took another quill and paper.

"Hmm, that's a bit difficult to explain. Let's just say, they look exactly like me but they are smaller and can't live as long as my kind can do." he said

"Oh so, you are not a human? So, what is your kind known as? and how long have you lived?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Umm, let's just say me and my kind are demi-gods. Because we are more powerful than humans but we are not as powerful as a god.Except for me and some of my friends, most of my kind sees humans as a setback, a threat to the Age of Fire. But they are wrong; I am amazed of their willingness to do anything for the ones they loved, their unrelenting hope for the future even when the universe has none to offer, and their unrelenting strength and fighting spirit; even when they are knocked down they still have the strength to stand up and fight once more. " he said with a hint of pride "And I think I already lived about three thousand years." he said nonchalantly.

All jaws dropped simultaneously, and an awkward silence fell upon them. After a while, Princess Celestia spoke up "That means, you are as old as us." she said. "Yet, you looked so young..."

"Well, I could say the same thing about both of you." he said while looking at both Princess Celestia and Luna.

"Okay then, back to the topic." he said sheepishly. He reached for his satchel and took a pile of green-flower-shaped weed from it.

Rainbow looked at the pile with utter confusion.

"I know, this is not a weapon...but these green blossoms here adds a boost to your stamina recovery. But only temporarily. Very useful in long, hectic missions." Artorias said. The ponies nodded in acknowledgement.

"Um, Artorias what is that? I know it's a pendant but what does it do?" she said while pointing at his signature silver pendant.

"Oh, this pendant is my defense against dark magic. When activated, it emits a bright light that will ward off all kinds of dark magic." he said

Rainbow nodded in acknowledgement and sat back down. "Thanks for the info Artorias." she said with a smile.

Then, it was Applejack.

"Yes , Applejack?" Artorias said.

"Well, y'know ah was wonderin' how could ya stuff them items into such a tiny lil' bag?"

"Ah, excellent question Applejack." he paused "Where I came from, this is known as an inventory bag. It has been heavily enchanted by Seath the Scaleless. So, basically my bag can store anything inside it."

Twilight's ears perked up on this "Wait, Seath the Scaleless? Isn't he the dragon who aided you in the war against the Everlasting Dragons?"

" Correct. In fact he was a good friend of my old king, and he is really good at magic." Artorias said "But his body is deformed due to the side effects of his experiments."

"So basically, it is a bag with no bottom?" Applejack asked again.

"Yep, it is." he said nonchalantly.

"That's amazing." Twilight said "How long did it take him to cast such an enchantment?"

"I'd say about three minutes? give or take a couple of seconds of course."

Twilight dropped her quill, and the princesses mouths hung open after hearing that. "Three minutes? are you serious?" Twilight asked. When Artorias nodded, Twilight quickly picked up her quill and wrote very quickly.

"Not even me or my sister could cast such powerful enchantments under ten minutes!" Princess Luna spoke up.

"Well he is very good at magic." Artorias said while rolling his eyes.

"Interesting, very interesting indeed." Twilight said while writing the information down.

Applejack chuckled at this, "Alright, who is next?"

Hearing this, Twilight immediately shot her hooves (yes, hooves) up.

"Yes Twilight?"

"So Artorias, you could use magic right?" Artorias nodded.

"If so, how did you learn to use them?"

"By reading paper scrolls, the scrolls have runes or inscription on them, that when read, are imprinted into your memory . But this required a certain amount of faith, intelligence, or both and of course the right catalyst. Because if you don't have the requirements, the spell won't work properly."

"Interesting, what kind of magic do you use Artorias?" she said while writing.

"Well there were three types of magic known in my world; they are called pyromancy, sorcery, and miracles. However there is another type of magic known as dark magic." he paused "I mainly use miracles. But I am also capable to use some sorceries and....sometimes, dark magic.But I only use it as a last resort."

"Could you tell us more about this?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Of course. I'll start with the pyromancy. Pyromancy is the art of casting fire, It requires no commitment to the gods nor decent intelligent use. The catalyst for this magic is known as a pyromancy flame. Most of pyromancy spells consist of offensive spells capable of doing massive damage; there is this one spell that caused fire pillars to erect from the ground and thus incinerating everything caught in it." he paused "But the defensive ones are also very effective; there is this one particular spell that turns your entire body into iron. It is unmatched in physical defense but your movement speed will be drastically slower and still weak to magic attacks." he paused and took a sip of berry punch to soothe his throat, he waited a bit longer until Twilight had finished her writings. Then, he continued.

"The next one, is sorcery. Sorcery, requires a certain amount of intelligence to cast." he said while picking up his staff "This is known as a staff, even though this one is kind of mangled. It is used to cast sorcery, which are the more basic spells although more complex spells could be cast as well. One basic spell in particular is known as the soul arrow are popular among most sorcerers, as it can be cast the most amount of times before needing to be recharged. There are still defensive spells; such as fall control, but it's mainly offensive and buff spells." he said, getting nods of acknowledgement from the ponies and when Twilight had finished writing, he continued.

"Next up, is my favorite kind of magic and the one I am very well versed of...miracles" he said proudly "Unlike sorcery, miracles requires a certain amount of faith to use." he said while picking up his talisman "This is known as a talisman, It is used to cast miracles. Miracles are mainly defensive,healing, and buff spells. However, there are also offensive miracles, such as the emit force; which I used to *ahem* destroy the door of the wedding hall and my personal favorite the Sunlight Spear."

Princess Celestia's eyes widened with curiosity when she heard this "So, you can use that to summon a spear made of sunlight?" she asked curiously.

"Well, sort of." He put the talisman down. "The spell itself is not actually made of sunlight, but is instead a beam of lightning that's shot from the talisman. Powerful enough to shatter the stone scales of the Everlasting Dragons, not to mention the huge amount of heat and electricity it emits."

Celestia nodded, prompting Artorias to continue his demonstration. "The last one, in my opinion is the most dangerous of all...the dark magic." he said with a somber tone.

"Based on the name, I guess they are used for evil deeds?" Princess Luna asked.

"That's a 50-50. Why? because dark magic is different from sorcery. Sorcery draws its powers from souls, but dark magic draws its powers from feelings and emotions in other words humanity."

"What do you mean?" Luna asked

"Basically humanity is not evil, its emotion. Pure and raw. When humanity is stable, we can care and create. When our humanity goes wild, when our emotions are raging and in a storm, we become monsters." he paused "So, that depends really. But most people unleashed dark magic when they are not in their 'sane' state of mental health or in other words stable humanity. Thus, making dark magic seems 'evil.' " he paused again.

"But that's the basic concept, in reality dark magic is capable of dealing a devastating amount of magic damage but also capable to deliver a bonecrushing physical damage as well. And before you ask; I only use dark magic when necessary."

Twilight was astonished by the answers she got, and asked no more questions. "Thank you so much for your information Artorias." she said with a warm smile.

"You are welcome Twilight." he replied with a smile.

Then, Princess Celestia spoke up "Well my little ponies, I think its time to let Artorias ask his own questions about us." she said "Artorias, please ask away."

Artorias pondered about that for a moment, " Could you tell me more about Equestria?" he asked politely.

"Of course Artorias." she smiled. With that said, Princess Celestia told him how she and Luna ruled Equestria with peace for generations after they defeat a being known as Discord using the power of magical artifacts called the Elements of Harmony but they lost their connections to the elements shortly. Then, Celestia told him how Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon and her banishment to the moon; during this explanation, Artorias and everypony else could feel sadness brewing inside the Moon Princess; before anypony could react Artorias put a hand on Princess Luna's shoulder in a comforting manner; she smiled at him which he returned. Then, she told him how Twilight and her friends rediscovered the elements, harnessed its powers to defeat Nightmare Moon, restoring Luna into her true self, and becoming their bearers; Twilight bears the element of Magic, Rarity bears the element of Generosity, Applejack bears the element of Honesty, Pinkie bears the element of Laughter, Rainbow bears the element of Loyalty, and Fluttershy bears the element of Kindness. And finally Princess Celestia told him about Equestria's society and government in general.

After she finished her explanation, Artorias was astonished about how peaceful Equstria is and how love,friendship, and magic could solve problems which in his world will require deadly force to solve.

"I still can't believe I've been talking to world heroes here, it's an honor." he said while bowing politely

"The honor is ours Artorias." they said while smiling back at him.

Then, silence fell upon them. But Artorias broke the silence when he noticed a strange statue at the distance.

"Tell me, what is that statue?"

"That...is Discord." Princess Celestia said "Recently, he escaped his imprisonment and wrecked havoc in a nearby town called Ponyville. He scattered Twilight and her friends into corruption, but in the end of the day the power of the elements and friendship brought them together and ultimately defeating Discord and imprisoning him again." She said with a smile. "We have a plan to 'convert' him, so his magic could be used for good instead but we don't know when."

"Whoa whoa whoa! are you serious princess? I mean this is Discord we are talking about! what if he tries to cause trouble again?" Rainbow cut in.

"Don't worry Rainbow, this time we are prepared and I am sure the power of the elements and friendship will get the job done." Twilight said in an optimistic tone.

Princess Celestia smiled "I am sure you and your friends could handle the situation. But that is a matter of later times, right now lets just focus on Artorias." she said.

Artorias' expression grew into a serious expression "I actually have one demand on my mind."

"What is it that we can do Artorias?" Princess Celestia asked.

He stood up, inhaled deeply, and looked at the ponies "I lost my world, my home, and those I ever loved to death and destruction. If all of you permit me, I'd like to stay and serve as Equestria's defender. All of you have been very kind to me, never in my world I received such kindness. At least this is what I can offer in return." he said with determination in his voice.

Everypony is astonished by this. After a long silence, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna looked at each other and nodded. "Your demand is happily fulfilled Artorias." Princess Luna said with a smile.

Instinctively, he knelt before the two monarchs. Twilight and her friends formed a circle around him and the princesses, with that Princess Celestia stepped forward and laid her horn at Artorias' forehead...Suddenly her horn glowed with an ethereal golden color. Artorias felt warmth coursing through his body and embracing his soul. With that done, she pulled her horn away from his forehead.

"Rise, Artorias." she said. With that, sounds of hooves stomping on the ground and cheerings could be heard on the entire gardens.

Artorias smiled and bowed to the princesses and the mane six. And they smiled and bowed back to him.

"Now Artorias, I have to continue my daily court and Luna should get some re--"

"No sister I am fine, besides I am curious about his demonstrations." she said with a smile.

Princess Celestia nodded and walked back inside the castle with two solar guards escorting her.

"So, the demonstrations Artorias?" Princess Luna said while walking up next to him.

"Yes, but first we have to find a large area where I can do it." he said.

Then Princess Luna smiled mischievously "Please follow me Artorias."

Author's Note

And that was another chapter

I am terribly sorry for the delay guys but so far this chapter is the longest one I've ever written so far

As usual, let me know in the comments if anything's wrong and don't forget to leave a comment, like, favorite,preferences...whatever

The next chapter's coming up soon and I'll see you in the next one

-Lightning Spear