I'm Still Alive, And I Can Not Apologize

Chapters

Chapter One: Emerging Sin
Chapter Two: Ritual
Chapter Three: Revival
Chapter Four: Awakening

Chapter One: Emerging Sin

Chapter One: Emerging Sin

In every realm, there are tales. Stories. Legends. Whatever you may call them, they exist in every world. And in every world, some of them are true, and some of them are false. It’s not always clear on which is which, as the past is a thing constantly shrouded in mystery. Depending on the place, some moments in history can be more outrageous than others, and because of this it’s not always easy to gain the truth from deception. However, in those that are real, they always match up with events in the past.

Today I shall share with you one such tale. Whether it is fiction or not is up for you to decided. But keep in mind that there are realms beyond our own, and in those realms, what may just be children’s stories to us, are happenings that just occurred the day before.

This story begins on a calm, peaceful night. A tranquil breeze was flowing through the air, playing off a soft tune as if it were singing everything to sleep. The leaves amongst the trees in the Everfree Forest rustled quietly in the wind, barely making a sound. It was as if the whole world had closed its eyes and slumbered on this wondrous night.

However, not all sleep for the wind, and those who don’t haven’t made plans to keep this peace. Three cloaked figures made their way through the foliage, heading towards a fourth similarly hidden figure that stood quietly in a field. As the first three emerged from the brush, the fourth smiled before approaching his comrades. Once they all gathered up in a circle, one of the newcomers spoke.

“So, did you get it?” The first figure spoke. His voice was rough, and clearly had some age to it.

“Of course I did. What do you take me for, a novice?” the fourth figure stated. His voice was clear and cocky, and his attitude clearly showed his ego.

“Of course we don’t, we just wanted to be sure,” another one of the newcomers replied in a soft, feminine voice. “After all, you have messed up pretty badly before.” The fourth figure rolled his eyes before he turned his gaze back to the first.

“Well, I’ve brought my end of the deal, where’s yours?” The first cloaked figure looked at the silent third figure and nodded. Without muttering a single word, the third member of the small group reached behind him a brought out a large saddle bag. He dropped it in front of the fourth figure before he lifted up the flap, revealing a massive amount of bits. With a smile, the fourth figure turned and brought out a small satchel, then dropped it in front of the gathered three. “There, one artifact from the Canterlot Vault just like we agreed.”

“Indeed. Well done on your part. Quite honestly I’m surprised you managed to get your hoofs on it so fast.” The first figure grinned evilly as the third one grabbed the satchel in his mouth. “It has been a pleasure doing business with you once again.” He held out a hoof, which the fourth figure proceeded to shake.

“Same to you. You are after all, my favorite clients.” With that the two groups parted, a silent agreement amongst them to never speak of this moment ever again as they went their separate ways, back through the Everfree forest.

The bright morning sunlight shown through the window drapes and cast over the bed of the most recent princess. Sleeping peacefully was Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship. As of now, she was having a rather sound slumber, her dreams of running a university alongside of her princess duties being one of her more common fantasies. However, her silent resting was interrupted by the very sunlight that came through her window and, to her great annoyance, forced her to get up.

With a flick of magic the blinds were closed, but that wouldn’t really help things. Twilight knew she had to get up. If she did not then the time she spent clearing up her schedule for today would have all been for nothing. With a sigh, the purple alicorn grudgingly got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. As she entered, she got a good look at herself in the mirror.

She was horrendous.

There were bags under her eyes, her fur was all messed up, and her mane was all over the place. A few of the feathers on her wings needed to be preened too. She sighed again. This was going to be a long morning, wasn’t it?

After a few minutes of showering and freshening up, Twilight, now a bit more awake, made her way downstairs. As she trotted down the steps, the scent of pancakes filled her nostrils, forming a smile on her face. She made her way into the dining area where she could see Spike, her number one assistant, setting down plates in three separate spots.

“Morning Twilight,” the small purple drake greeted.

“Morning Spike,” Twilight replied.

“Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes.” With a small nod Twilight took a seat and prepared to eat. Spike left the room, presumably to finish those delicious pancakes, when the second alicorn of the house entered.

“Good morning Twilight.”

“Good morning Nyx.” Nyx was a small, black alicorn filly with a purple mane and tail. In a past life, she was Nightmare Moon. But she was known by that title no longer, and instead had come to be known as as the daughter of Twilight Sparkle. It had been a year since the whole fiasco with the Nightmare cult, and now thankfully most everypony had moved on. Sure there was still the odd pony that came seeking revenge, but they were quickly dealt with. Nyx had once been forced to strive for the takeover of the world by plunging it into an eternal night. Nowadays, she went to school and hung out with her friends.

Spike soon arrived with the pancakes he was making, and set them on the table, allowing everyone to grab a couple.

“So Nyx,” Twilight asked as she levitated a pancake to her plate. “Are you ready to go out today?”

Joy sparked in the young alicorn's chest. “Yep!" she said. "I did all my homework last night so I wouldn’t have to worry about it!"

In reality, Nyx never did finish her homework. She had the habit of procrastinating her work to the very last moment, then to do it all during the pitch blackness of night. Sometimes the wee hours of the morning, if she was too tired.

It seemed to work so far, and it was so hard to start her homework early. Why stop now?

“That’s good to hear," Twilight smiled. "After all, we don’t know when we’ll be back."

“Where are you two going anyways?” Spike asked as he cut into his second flapjack.

“To the Castle of Nightmare,” Twilight answered. “We’re gonna be exploring it to get an idea of what renovations will need to be made.”

“Renovations?”

“Yep! Remember that meeting Twilight went to a few nights ago?” Nyx asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, the ponies of Ponyville have finally decided to give the castle to me for whatever purpose I saw fit. As long as it didn’t involve the taking over of Equestria of course.”

“Yeah, like we need a repeat of that disaster," Spike proclaimed with a roll of his eyes. "You know, it's kind of weird to realize that it’s already been a whole year since it happened.”

“I know what you mean Spike,” Twilight agreed. “It still feels like it was only a few months ago when I found Nyx in the Everfree forest.”

“You’re telling me,” Nyx said. “I still have nightmares that Spell Nexus is gonna barge in and say something like, ‘It’s time to initiate phase two of your glorious plan my queen!’”

Spike and Twilight laughed a bit, causing Nyx to laugh as well. This is how things were supposed to be. Just Nyx, Twilight, and Spike as one happy, little, family.

But, all good things must eventually, come to an end.

The Castle of Nightmare was a place that most ponies tended to avoid. After all, it onced housed a cult that managed to revive the greatest threat Equestria has ever known. And yet, despite its original purpose, it did act as a shelter for an entire town’s worth of ponies that had all lost their homes. Still, for the good it did, ponies couldn’t forget the evil it had served as well, so it remained abandoned and purposeless.

It was the perfect place for them.

“Yes, yes, this castle will do nicely,” said a hooded pony, his rough voice echoing off the walls.

“Indeed. No one will bother us here.” said a second hooded pony, her voice soft, yet sinister. “And the residual magic is strong. Some powerful spells must have been used in this place.”

“Well, lifting a castle in underground cavern up to the surface is no easy feat. The fools that constructed this place have given us the tools we need to begin. Obsidian, find a place to set up the ritual!”

With a nod, the third pony walked off, his instincts guiding him to the largest concentration of magic he could find within the castle.

“Well, while he does that, why don’t we make sure we have everything we need?” The first pony rolled his eyes but nodded. Setting down their saddle bags, they began searching through their supplies to make sure they had everything.

Oil soaked powders from Zebrica? Check.

Paint? Check.

Candles? Check.

Special Package? Check.

“Well, that’s almost everything,” the hooded mare said. “Obsidian should have the final ingredient.”

“He does. That large sack on his back tells me he picked a good one.”

“I hope so. We wouldn’t want him to be weak as a colt upon his resurrection would we?”

“No. We need him to be at full strength as soon as possible. Come, let us see what Obsidian has found.”

The two ventured into the lower levels of the castle, finding their companion at the very lowest level of the dungeons. He had set the large sack that he had carried on his back on the ground, where the strongest presence of residual magic could be felt.

“Excellent job Obsidian! Sometimes I feel like you do a better job at finding magic than I do!” Obsidian grunted in thanks, and the hooded pony began to set everything up. “Soon my king, soon you shall return to us. Soon you will live once more.”

Author's Note

And that's the rewrite of chapter one. Hope you all enjoy!

Edit: As you will see, I've taken some helpful comments to heart, and added a bit to chapter one. Most were small edits, but the biggest one I got from Toothless the Night Fury's helpful comment down below.

Chapter Two: Ritual

Chapter Two: Ritual

The twittering of the birds, the clear blue sky, and the bright warm sun were just a few of the factors that made today, a beautiful day. There was a slight breeze in the air, carrying the scent of the fresh goodies of sugarcube corner all over town, drawing in customers. The lush green of the park was accompanied by a set of freshly planted roses, tulips, and the like. The statue was freshly cleaned, as someone had the audacity to paint a moustache and a monocle on it the previous night. And although no one could prove it, there was an air of certainty that a certain spirit of chaos was the culprit.

Twilight noticed all of this and more as she and her daughter made their way towards the edge of town. Nyx walked alongside her, both excited and apprehensive about their destination. The Castle of Nightmare was, after all, the seat of her throne when she tried to overthrow Equestria. But that's also why she was partly excited. Renovating the castle from something from a sinful past, to something for a hopeful future would almost be symbolic, especially to Nyx. Finally, finally the prejudice against her had lessened, finally she was accepted. Maybe it was time her castle was accepted too.

As they approached the path that lead up to the magnificent structure, Nyx had a brief flash of all that had happened there. The palace rising from the earth, the pleading of ponies to bring back the sun, and Twilight's plummeting figure, a noose tied around her neck. The visions left just as fast as they came, and Nyx couldn't help but shiver.

“You okay?” Twilight asked, her voice full of concern.

“Yeah,” Nyx reassured her. “Just, bad memories.”

“We don't have to do this today if you don't feel up for it.”

“No, I want to. Besides, if I don't face it now, it'll just bug me later.”

“Alright,” Twilight said, still a bit worried. But they continued on their way, reaching the gates within a matter of moments. The chains holding the iron entrance closed where held steadfast by a single lock. Twilight had the key to this lock, and so she unlocked the lock that locked the locked gates that had been locked for such a long time. Ugh, saying lock sounds all weird now.

Stepping into the courtyard, the two alicorns saw that nothing had changed since they had last been here. Everything had been left just as it was. And yet, Twilight felt a sudden, ominous pretense as it were. A shadow, just out of sight, watching them, keeping track of their every move. A quick look around revealed nothing, but Twilight couldn't shake that feeling.

Someone was here.

“Maybe we should come back later,” Twilight suggested. Although she couldn't confirm it, she felt as though something was about to happen, but whether it was good or bad she couldn't be sure. Normally she would investigate, but she didn't want to put her daughter in danger.

“Oh come on Twilight, I know I got a little scared at first, but we set aside a whole day for this!”

“I know but-”

“It's just our past experiences here freaking us out a little. Let's just get this done, then go out for ice cream.” Twilight stopped and raised a brow.

“Since when did you become the activities planner?”

“Since this place gave me the jitters.” Twilight couldn't help but laugh. Nyx was right, there was nothing to worry about. No one was here, the castle was just playing tricks on her mind. And so the mare and the filly walked in through the door to the main hall.

Unbeknownst to them, someone had seen them, and she was not too pleased. Doing as she was told, the stranger activated her magic, and teleported to the basement. Ghast was not going to like this.

The old decrepit halls of the Castle of Nightmare were certainly a terrifying sight. Though only a year had passed, somehow the palace looked almost as run down as the Castle of Two Sisters. Weeds and plants grew from the ceiling to the ground, and patches of stone wall and roofing had either crashed to the ground, or were missing entirely. Strange how fast places like this age.

Nevertheless, Twilight and Nyx were trotting silently down the halls of which they had ventured so long ago. It was strange, being here again.

“Man, what happened to this place?” Nyx inquired. “It looks like no one's been here for decades.”

“Well, this place is rather close to the Everfree forest, so that may explain nature’s rapid takeover in this place,” Twilight answered. “Still, I wouldn't have expected it to be this bad.”

Something wasn't right, Twilight knew that much. Even with her explanation, she knew the Everfree didn't grow this fast. Perhaps residual magic leftover from powerful incantations cast here had accelerated plant growth, but that brought up the question, just how much residual magic was in here? Amounts of said leftover power could be dangerous in large quantities, and reacted wildly to certain spells. Perhaps coming wasn't such a good idea.

“Nyx, I'm not too sure how safe this place is.”

“What do you mean Twilight?”

“There might be a lot of magical residue here, and I don't know what'll happen if we decide to cast spells. Even telekinesis might set something off.”

“Then let's just not use magic.”

“Nyx if we stay here then-”

“Please Twilight?” Nyx interrupted, giving her the biggest, saddest puppy dog eyes she could muster. Twilight immediately felt an arrow of adorableness pierce her heart, and she could not resist.

“... oh alright.”

“Yay!”

“But we need to be careful. No using magic unless I say you can, or you absolutely have to, okay?”

“No problem!” The two mares wandered onward, Twilight still feeling apprehensive about it all. But as long as they didn't use magic, everything should be fine…

Right?

Everything was finally set up. The ritual circle was drawn, the powders were placed, the candles were lit. Now all that was left was to begin.

He grinned evilly at the sight before him. Finally, after years of plotting, everything was finally coming together.

“Soon my king, you will arise once more.” His evil chatter was heard only by his stalwart companion, who stood silently behind him, a large sack on his back.

“Ghast!” a familiar voice cried. A mare, cloaked much like the others were, rushed into the small chamber. “We have a problem.”

“What is it?”

“That princess of friendship and her brat are here.”

“What?” Ghast turned to the newcomer, a snarl on his muzzle. “Why?”

“No idea.” With a huff, Ghast turned and paced about the room, thinking deeply. “What should we do?”

He contemplated the situation. What to do? Twilight was definitely the last pony they wanted to be here, but perhaps things weren't as bad as they seemed. Yes, perhaps they could use this to their advantage. Ghast began to laugh maniacally at his own genius.

“Ghast?”

“This is perfect!” Ghast proclaimed. “The greatest threat our king has ever faced, and now she is present for his revival! Once he awakens, he shall hunger for the deaths of those that put him down. And what better way than to welcome him to the world of the living than to give him the mare that was responsible for it all?”

His companions thought on this. True, Ghast was a little crazy, but his insanity often brought forth strategies that could not be refuted as anything less than perfection. After all, it was he himself who figured out how to break the three of them out of their imprisonment.

“Very well, shall we fetch them?”

“No, our king rather enjoys the hunt. Trapping them first would be an insult to his majesty. First we shall revive him. Prepare the final ingredients!”

The third cloaked pony stepped forward, ripped open the sack on his back with his teeth, and let loose the corpse that was within it. It was the body of a stallion, one who had disappeared from the royal guard long ago. The carcass had been well preserved, and now was the time for it to serve its purpose.

Ghast brought out a small satchel that contained only one item. Pulling it from its contents, Ghast set the red tipped curved black horn on the ground above the pony remains, and began his work.

“Damnatorum spiritu vocat te ad me venire aperietur vobis,” Ghast began, speaking an ancient tongue no longer understood by anyone. “Nunc ab inferna effugere ligaturis me venire quatiuntur confinia. Apprehende cadaver feci. Nunc revertetur a morte, et cum apud vos es quondam, obumbratio!”

Whispers of the damned could be heard, flying rapidly through the air. They told the horrors of the afterlife they suffered, but no mortal was meant to understand what that eternal hell was like, so their quiet cries were impossible to comprehend. Even so, few words did manage to form into cognitive pleas for help.

‘Release us!’ one begged.

‘Endless suffering!’ cried another.

‘Must escape!’ proclaimed a third. Ghast continued to chant, not pausing for a moment. As the whispers grew louder, the ground began to shake, and the entrance to hell opened.

Author's Note

There we are, another new chapter for this story. I hope my writing is getting better than the last time I wrote something for this. Let me know what you guys think in the comments!

Chapter Three: Revival

Chapter Three: Revival

They had been walking through the halls for nearly half an hour now, the quiet stones being the only things listening to their conversation as to just what this castle could be repurposed for. Thus far, they had encountered nothing. Apart from the random bits of rubble, and the occasional wild critter, nothing was out of the ordinary.

So why did Twilight still feel so uneasy?

“Come on Twilight!” Nyx called out, drawing her mother's attention. The lavender mare hurried along, trying to keep up with her little filly as they explored deeper into the fallen palace.

Twilight still felt that something wasn't right. She had felt this feeling before, but from when exactly she couldn't recall. She just knew that something was wrong, but what?

The old stone walls, broken in some areas, rose high into the air, where some sections of the ceiling let them reach onwards to the roof, and beyond. Twilight walked amongst these walls, still cautious of something she could not see. It irked her how unnerved she felt in this place, far more than she thought she would be.

“Twilight? Is something wrong?” Twilight blinked. Yes, something was wrong. Something was incredibly wrong.

“No, I'm just a-”

BOOM!

A thundering blast resonated loudly throughout the castle's stone halls. The noise surprised Nyx, but only confirmed Twilight's fears.

Something had been wrong. And now, whatever it was had happened, and Twilight wasn't sure if that was good or not.

The rocky architecture cracked, the force of the shockwave coming from below having rocked the foundations of the entire castle. She could hear ceilings collapsing in some far off area, and another, more powerful blast caused the entire structure to shudder.

“RUN!” Twilight cried. Everything started coming down, the residual magic present having weakened the castle so much, the entire thing was starting to collapse. Old statues were crushed under falling blocks of stone, tapestries came off the walls, and pillars crashed down like dominoes.

Nyx moved as fast as her little legs would carry her, but she wasn't fast enough to escape the falling rubble. Seeing this, Twilight gripped the little filly’s tail with her teeth, and tossed her onto her back, now gunning it down the decrepit hall as a wave of ruin followed behind them. Nyx looked back, and saw Twilight was only a few trots ahead of the collapsing castle.

“Faster Mom!” Nyx hardly ever called Twilight “mom,” and when she did, it was only when she was terrified. Like the time Celestia was unknowingly taking her away so she could become Nightmare Moon, or the time when she and the crusaders accidentally pissed off a particularly angry pack of timberwolves. Clearly this was one of those times.

Twilight knew the rubble was gaining on her. She needed to think of something, and fast, otherwise she, and her daughter, were going to die.

Just ahead, the path split up three ways, a hallway to the left, a hallway to the right, and a door Twilight was quite familiar with. Seeing no other choice, Twilight dove for the doorway, just as the collapsing ceiling caught up to her.

Unlike what many believe, Hell and Tartarus are not the same. Tartarus is a harsh domain, created to imprison immortals and living creatures that had yet to pass on into damnation. Hell was the place those prisoners went once someone managed to kill them.

That, and the fact that Hell was far worse.

Demons and nightmares that called this realm home feasted and tortured those who believed that the rules didn't apply to them. In this place, the horrid monsters of the living world, were like small kittens in comparison, tiny and powerless.

It was just the place Ghast was looking for.

He stepped into… No, he didn't step into Hell. Not even he was crazy enough to do that. Rather, a projection of himself, stepped into the world of the damned. He found himself on the shore of a volcanic river. The ground hurt to stand on, the countless little pebbles feeling like sharp teeth biting into his hooves. The air burnt his lungs like acid, and the smoke made it hard to see. Experiencing all of this, Ghast couldn't help but grin.

“Such pain from just standing here. Incredible,” Ghast observed as he began his search. “This place should make our king able to stand up to anything in the living world, including those damn princesses.”

Trotting onward, Ghast looked this way and that, trying to find one very specific soul. The ritual should have placed him in its general vicinity, so where was it? He saw volcanoes, demons, and untold horrors, but not the soul he was looking for. It was almost like he was playing a really horrific version of “Where's Waldo?”

“Damnit! Where the hell is it?” Just then, something caught his eye, and Ghast smiled. “Ah, there you are.”

When one is dragged into hell, you are forced to lose many things. One of those things just happened to be your body, which often times leads to you turning into some sort of oddly colored sphere, which represents your life force. Your soul.

“Hello my king. Enjoying your time here?” The soul did not respond. Though the damned were allowed to speak, the demons did enjoy screaming victims, some souls no longer had anything to say about the hand they had been dealt. “Well, if you think you're done here, I say it's time we leave.”

As Ghast went to grab the soul, a gigantic winged monstrosity landed right next to him. It looked as though a bat, a slab of meat, and Shamu the orca had all participated some strange, cross species orgy. And yes, that is about as horrifying as it sounds.

It roared angrily, infuriated that some random intruder was trying to steal its lunch. Ghast could only give it a passing glance.

“You are in my way,” he remarked. “Die.”

There was a loud noise, almost like a blade cutting through flesh and bone, and almost immediately after that, the demon dropped dead. Ghast chuckled as he grabbed the soul and left for the living world.

Ghast opened his eyes, his point of view returning to his true body just as his projection deposited the soul on the other side of the room. The orb hovered aimlessly, no purpose in its mind, nor any process to even function.

“That it?” his hooded partner asked.

“Indeed, our liege’s soul. It was far easier to obtain than I thought.”

“So I guess Hell isn't as bad as it seems?”

“Oh no it's worse. I suppose I just got lucky.”

“Well, I'll see it myself once I manage to die.”

“You plan on dying?” Ghast asked as he guided the soul to the runes he had drawn up.

“No, but I have no doubt that one day something is gonna kill me.”

“Right…” Ghast checked over the runes, making sure everything was ready. The first set of runes, the ones used to open up the doorway to Hell, had burned away like they were meant to. The second set were all ready to go, and he couldn't help but chuckle. “Now, let the real magic… begin!”

With the help of his partner, the ritual began once more. This second phase didn't require incantations or chants; the runes, and a good supply of magic, were all that were needed. The soul hovered above the corpse, drifting aimlessly, like a lost pegasus.

More whispers echoed around them, but these were not the whispers of the dead. No, these were the whispers of the reaper.

Ghast could feel its presence, the power was almost palpable. Death itself had come, and now was waiting for the deal to be struck.

“Death, you have headed my call, and now, by the power of these runes, you shall remain trapped here forever!” One could almost feel the instant regret Death felt in coming here. It may been powerful, but Ghast knew from experience that it could be tricked, and trapped. “If you desire to be free, you will listen to my offer. Only you can rebind the soul to the body before it. I demand that you do so, and in return I shall let you go.”

There was a pause. Soon however, there was a quiet grumble, and Ghast could barely keep the grin off his face. Everything could be enslaved to do your bidding, even Death.

Though none of them could see it, the cloaked, ghostly figure, sometimes referred to as the Grim Reaper, began to attach soul lines between the soul, and the body. These lines, which he was normally cutting instead of attaching, would bind the soul to the pony’s body, and bring it back to life.

Death hated doing this. It wasn't the first time Ghast had trapped him, and he doubted it was the last. Those damn runes gave off the aura of a passing soul, and he couldn't help but be drawn to it. It was trick he could never escape.

But that didn't mean he could have his revenge.

While binding the soul lines, Death could mess with how the revived soul would turn out, both physically and mentally, by burying certain aspects of the soul within itself. And so, Death took the soul’s memories, its magical power, its age, its personality, nearly everything that made that soul itself was buried deep within it, drastically changing the soul’s revived state. With his revenge complete, Death allowed the soul to be drawn into the body.

Ghast eagerly watched as the soul began seemed to be pulled into the corpse. He couldn't help but laugh.

“Well done Death. I release you!” The moment he said that, the rest of the runes on the ground burned away. But as Death began to leave, he heard its signature cackle. Ghast thought it odd. Why would Death be laughing?

Then the soul touched the body, and everything exploded.

Twilight groaned as her eyes slowly opened. The room was dark, a few stray rays of light pouring in from the doorway, now blocked by rubble. It didn't matter too much though. Twilight already knew the layout of this room. After all, she did spend time imprisoned here.

“Wha…? What happened?” She struggled to her hooves. Every part of her body ached, especially her left hind leg. “Nyx?”

She looked around, attempting to catch sight of her daughter, but the darkness made it hard to see. Couple that with her splitting headache, and her chances of spotting her little filly were close to zero, but she searched anyways. Eventually, she spotted a small, curled up form in the corner of the room.

“Nyx!” she cried, running to her daughter. Lighting up her horn and looked her daughter over. Thankfully, she didn't look too hurt, though she did have a bruise on her head. Her fur was roughed up, probably from the tumble, and her mane was messy, but her breathing was fine, so Twilight summarised she would be okay. “Nyx. Nyx wake up.”

“Ugh,” Nyx moaned as she slowly regained consciousness. “Twilight? What happened?”

“Not sure. Some sort of explosion caused everything to collapse. Are you okay? Anything feel broken?”

“No, I think I'm okay,” Nyx said, testing a few limbs. “Though, my head really hurts.”

“Yeah, you've got a nasty bruise. We'll have to get that checked out once we get out of here.” Twilight looked around. While she could easily teleport them out, she did want to know what had caused the entire structure to crumble like it had. However, the blast had sounded far off when Twilight first heard it, so it may not have even been possible to get to the source anymore.

“So, we gonna go find it?”

“Find what?”

“Where that blast came from.”

“I don't think there's-”

“The explosion sounded like it came from underground, right?” Nyx asked as she walked over to a wall. She scanned the brick in front of her, smiling when she found the desired rectangle, and pressed it in. The wall drew back, and a hidden passageway was revealed. “Then let's go find it!”

“Wait, since when did this room have a hidden wall?” Twilight questioned as she followed Nyx into the hallway.

“Since always. There's actually quite a few hidden passageways inside the castle, I just never had a use for them. Spell Nexus had them created, so that if by some chance, something went wrong and I needed to escape, these tunnels would be my way out.”

“Didn't this castle use to be underground?”

“You'd be surprised at just how complicated the Diamond Dogs’ tunnels can be. They've got rock lifts for their mines, kind of like an elevator. These tunnels were made the same way, so that when the castle came up, they were prepared to help me escape.”

“And how come I'm only hearing about this now?”

“Because I've never needed to use them, nor has their existence needed to be brought up in any conversation since that event.”

She couldn't argue with that.

Nyx lead Twilight down through twisting halls, and splitting pathways. Their searched room by room, finding some empty, others looking too dangerous to risk going inside of, and a few having caved in completely. After about an hour, Nyx was about ready to give up, and go home.

“Are we sure it wasn't in any of the collapsed rooms?”

“I don't know, it might be. But whatever that explosion was, it was powerful, and it went off twice, meaning it could go off a third time, or a fourth, or even a fifth. I want to make sure whatever it was is either destroyed, out of power, or is at least safe to leave it be for now.”

Nyx rolled her eyes, but saw her mother’s logic. Whatever this thing was, it had caused quite a bit of damage. Who knows whether it might do it again?

Another wall was moved, revealing a mostly empty room. There was an old storage crate in the corner, a decaying desk in the back, an unconscious colt in the middle of the room, a positively ancient sc-

Wait, what was that third one again?

“Oh my Celestia!” Twilight saw the colt almost instantly and rushed over to him. Checking him over, the boy looked a little worse for wear, but no worse than Nyx. His dark grey fur was matted with sweat, his exhaustion evidenced by his heavy breathing. His black mane was wild and unkempt, a bit of it drawing across his muzzle.

Though having labored breath, Twilight couldn't spot any physical damage. While that was slightly relieving, it didn't put Twilight’s mind at ease.

‘What's a colt his age doing here?’ It wasn't anypony Twilight recognized, and considering the fact that Ponyville didn't really attract tourists, she doubted he was some colt here with his parents on vacation. Perhaps he was a relative of somepony in town?

‘Ugh, that doesn't matter right now,’ Twilight thought to herself. ‘What matters is getting him out of here.’

Twilight did take notice that, if the tunnels hadn't confused her too much, the room they were in was in the general direction of where the blast had come from. Deciding to deal with what that meant later, she levitated the colt onto her back.

“Come on Nyx, we're getting out of here.”

Without a word, the black alicorn complied. With her daughter standing next to her, Twilight cast spacial teleportation. Unlike regular teleportation, spacial teleportation allows one to teleport not only yourself, but other living beings around you. Only problem was, spacial teleportation is vastly more complicated, and far more taxing, so Twilight was only able to teleport them outside the castle.

‘Oh I hate using that spell,’ Twilight briefly thought as, in the distance, she could see her friends hightailing it in her direction.

“Twilight!” Applejack called out. “Thank Celestia! Y’all okay?”

“Yeah! We're alright.”

“Well whatever happened darling?” Rarity questioned as the five mares finally made it to their mutual friend. “We heard a large blast and then the whole castle collapsed!”

“Yeah, it was awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, before a glare from her compatriots instantly made her regret opening her mouth. “I mean… you sure you aren't hurt?”

Twilight rolled her eyes but smiled anyways. “I'm fine Rainbow. Thank you all for checking on us.”

“So um… do you… know what happened?” Fluttershy shyly inquired, clearly worried.

“No… but I have a feeling it has something to do with this colt.” It was only now that the other five mares noticed the small colt on Twilight's back. In the light of day, Twilight was able to take notice of things she hadn't before.

For one, the colt was young, very young. Though technically she was only around a year old, Nyx gave the appearance of a filly of the age of eight. If that was true, then this colt could be considered to be a five year old. Furthermore, like one would expect, he didn't have a cutie mark.

“Who's this?” Applejack asked, inspecting the boy.

“No clue,” Twilight replied. “I hope to find out more once he wakes u-”

Suddenly Twilight gasped in pain and nearly collapsed. Acting quickly, Aj rushed in and caught her.

“Twi, you sure you're okay?”

“No, I think I might've sprang my ankle.”

“Here darling lean on me,” Rarity said offering support. “Applejack dear, do you mind carrying the colt for her?”

“Not at all.” Gripping him by the scruff of his neck, Applejack lifted the small colt off of her friends back and onto her own. The elements of harmony lead Twilight back to her castle, the large crystal structure standing tall in the small town.

“Oh I can't wait until the little guy wakes up!” Pinkie exclaimed jubilantly, bouncing with every step. “Then, I can learn his name, we can become friends, and I can throw him the best welcome to Ponyville party ever!”

And so the so affectionately called, mane six, retreated into the castle of friendship, carrying with them, an ancient king.

Author's Note

Yay! Another chapter! I think I'm getting better at this third person narrator type writing, but I know I still have a ways to go if I want to use it properly.

Anyways, now the story can truly begin. I'm sure you can all guess who this colt really is, and he's the focus of this story!

So what do you guys think so far? Leave your opinion in the comments! Critiquing and helpful advice is always welcome!

Chapter Four: Awakening

Chapter Four: Awakening

To say Twilight was exhausted was an understatement. The lavender alicorn sat tiredly at the head of her dining room table. Her magic was completely expended from yesterday's escapades, leaving her tired, groggy, and generally just not feeling good.

Oh the hardships of being a magic wielder.

“Here Twilight,” Fluttershy said, approaching with a bowl of soup. “I made you some celery soup, and mixed a couple of herbs in. It should help with your headache.”

“Thank you Fluttershy,” Twilight replied as the food was set down before her. Grabbing a spoon with her hoof, she didn't have enough magic to lift it with telekinesis, she took in a small spoonful of the brew. “I don't know what I'd do without you.”

“Anything for a friend.” The cream colored pegasus sat down next to Twilight, staying close just in case her spiking headaches or her still sprained ankle bothered her further. “So, how's the little guy you found yesterday doing?”

“Still asleep, and showing no signs of waking up.”

That colt had been unconscious since Twilight found him underneath the castle. He had been set up in one of the guest rooms, and Twilight's friends were on constant watch just in case he woke up.

As of now, Applejack was the mare sitting by his bed, and her eyes hardly left the boy. She would check his temperature just in case it turned out he had caught something, and constantly made sure he was comfortable. A while ago, he seemed to be struggling against some kind of nightmare, but he was resting peacefully now.

Posters had been put up around town, but none had yet to claim him. Twilight had sent word to Princess Celestia, notifying her of what was going on, and to ask for help in finding the colt’s parents. By now, several cities and towns had been notified by Celestia herself, but so far the search had turned up nothing.

Twilight groaned, causing Fluttershy to rush to her side.

“Twilight are you okay?”

“Yeah… just this headache.” That didn't really soothe her worries.

“Her, eat some more,” Fluttershy said feeding some to Twilight. “It'll help you feel better soon, I promise.”

It occurred to Twilight that her friends were taking care of her like she was having a hangover, much as they had after the Canterlot wedding, when she had gotten drop dead drunk with Cadence while the two lamented on how stupid Shining Armour was for not noticing how weird his bride to be was acting. Then Shining Armour defended himself, and proceeded to get drunk too.

Ah, good times.

“Sorry you girls have to do all this.”

“It's no trouble Twilight. We're happy to help.” Just then, Applejack came rushing down the stairs so fast she nearly rammed into the table.

“Applejack? What are you-”

“Twi, he's awake! The colt’s awake!”

Darkness.

That's all he could see. Darkness.

Then he opened his eyes.

The world was blinding, until it wasn't, and then he realized he could see. The first thing he saw was a light purple ceiling way above. He felt himself lying on a soft mattress, and covered in equally soft blankets.

‘Where am I?’ he questioned. The ceiling wasn't familiar, and neither was the bed he laid upon. Looking around, he found that he didn't recognize the walls, the furniture, the decorations. Nothing.

Why was he here? What was he doing here? Furthermore, just who was he? He found that he couldn't recall a single memory. He couldn't remember his name, his appearance, not even the sound of his own voice.

‘Who am I?’ Was his second question, and when the door to his room opened, he asked the third. ‘Who are they?’

Three mares entered the room; an orange earth pony, a yellow pegasus, and a lavender alicorn.

Wait, why did he know that? He had never seen them before, so how did he know what they were?

“Hey there sugarcube,” the orange one said, approaching slowly. “Ya feelin alright?”

Was he feeling alright? He couldn't recall what felt, “alright,” and what didn't. He didn't feel any ailments of his mind of body, so he supposed he did. But what if that was what, “not feeling alright,” felt like? Not knowing how to answer, he simply shrugged.

“Alright, well, can ya tell us yer name?” His name? Did he have one? He didn't remember having one. Strangely though, he did recall something starting with an, “S,” but other than that he had nothing. “No?”

He simply shook his head.

“Well that's a problem,” the orange one muttered.

“What's wrong Aj?” the alicorn asked.

“I think the little fella might have amnesia. Sugarcube, do you know who you are?”

Solemnly, he shook his head. He heard a gasp from one of them, but he was no longer giving them any attention.

Who was he, and why didn't he know? Shouldn't everyone know who they are? Why didn't he? Why didn't he know who he was? Why didn't he know his own name? Furthermore, where was he from? Did he have friends? Did he have a family? Were they worried about him? Did they know where he was? Were they looking for him?

The revelation of all of this had finally weighed on him. He had no idea who he was, where he was, or why he was here, and that scared him. What was he gonna do? Where would he go? Who would he go to? It was too much, far too much for him to handle, and the little colt began to cry.

But just as the first tear fell from his face, he felt something warm wrap around him. The cream colored pegasus had wrapped both her hooves and her wings around him, and rubbed his back gently.

“Shh, it'll be alright,” she said gently. “We'll help you in any way we can to get you back home.”

The words, though few, were incredibly comforting. He buried his head into her chest, and let the tears flow. And the mare let him, simply staying there and letting him get it all out of his system.

“What should we do Twi?” He had almost forgotten about the other two in the room. “If he don remember none, it could take a lot longer to get him home. He's gonna need somewhere to stay in the meantime.”

“Hmm… well, I don't see why he can't stay here, Celestia knows I have the room.”

“Ya sure? I mean, you've already got Spike and Nyx.”

“I know, but Spike can take pretty good care of himself, and Nyx isn't really a hoof-full, so it's fine. Besides,” the lavender one walked up and sat next to him before wrapping a wing around him, much like the pegasus, “as the princess of friendship, it's my duty to help anyone in need.”

Who were these ponies, and why were they helping him? He was slightly confused, but nevertheless grateful.

“Well, I suppose we should introduce ourselves to the little guy if we're gonna be watching over him.” The orange one walked over, a gentle smile on her face. “Hey there little guy, my name's Applejack, it's mighty fine ta meet ya.”

“My name's Fluttershy,” the pegasus said kindly. “I hope we can be friends.”

“And my name is Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the alicorn finished. “But you can call me Twilight.”

Again, he could only wonder, who were these mares? But even as he asked himself that, he couldn't help but smile.

“N… Nice to m-meet you.”

How? How had things failed this spectacularly? How?

“HOW!?” Ghast shouted, surprising his cohorts. “How did things end up like this!? How the BUCK did we FAIL!?”

“Ghast, calm down,” one of his partners said. “We should have foreseen Death's resistance. The fact that we failed to realise that it wouldn't follow our orders without a fight puts the blame on us.”

Ghast rolled his eyes. He knew that already, that wasn't what he was complaining about. Even with how things ended up, their should have at least still been a soul leftover. But after the blast, Ghast and the others had been knocked unconscious, their bodies hiding themselves within the shadows. And when they came to, there was nothing.

Nothing!

“Grah!” His partner rolled her eyes. Sometimes, Ghast could be so childish.

“Obsidian, how much further?” The silent third member of their group pointed straight ahead at a cabin not too far in the distance. She sighed calmly. They were almost home.

It took a few minutes, but eventually they stumbled through the door, where a unicorn was waiting for them.

“Welcome back! Did you guys- oh my Celestia what happened?”

The pony rushed forward and began inspecting her friends.

“Did you guys get into a fight with a dragon or something?”

“No, Death messed with the ritual when we summoned him, and there was a huge explosion. By the time we woke up, there was nothing left.”

“Nothing left? Does that mean we can't-”

“Calm down,” Ghast assured. “A soul cannot be destroyed. It's more than likely that after the ritual failed the soul was dragged back into hell. We'll just have to find another location, and perform the ritual again. Do not worry Hope, I promise you, Sombra shall live once more.”

Author's Note

And here's the next chapter! Sorry if it seems a little short, I had been writing this and had gotten stuck near the end of the chapter so I just decided to wrap it up. Hope you guys enjoy!