The Lunar Knightby Phoenix43ChaptersResurgenceInsurgenceAllegianceRise and FallFor Every ActionThere's an Opposite ReactionMind Games and Ticket ScreamsResurgence'It's always the same things over and over, repeating in my mind for centuries. At first I could ignore them but now, as a statue, I can't ignore them any longer. Maybe I don't belong, maybe the Princess of the Sun should've finished me when she had the chance. I'm to chaotic for this world, but then there's no balance, to have harmony you need disharmony. To have order you need chaos. This world might be the exception, maintaining perfect balance for a millennia. Now I'm here, the last human on the planet Equus. Biding my time until my eventual release, only question is; What am I going to do with my new found freedom? Do I seek to amend my wrong doings of the past, or do I take vengeance on the one who locked me in this stone tomb? Only time will tell, and with it, an answer. "I've waited so long for your return, I only have hope that you'll listen to reason." A voice says to a statue of a human, "Princess Lu-no, Nightmare Moon is returning, and I need your help to stop her. My student says she's going to try and defeat her using the Elements of Harmony. We both know that unless she can represent the values of each element, or she finds other ponies who exhibit the qualities of the Elements, then the night will last forever. Please, I need you to help me. If not for me, then help and free Luna." The statue's mortar begins cracking. "You listened!", The voice says shocked, "You heard right, if Luna stays attached to Nightmare Moon for too long then she'll become so corrupted that the Elements won't separate her from the darkness. Meaning that, and I deeply regret this, more so than you, Luna will perish if the Elements are used against her!" The mortar cracks even more, nearly reaching the statue's head. "Please, I don't want to lose her again, it was hard enough the first time because it was my fault. Do not let her death be your fault, I know you would try and save her! So, DO IT!" The voice shouts is exasperation. The statue responds by cracking entirely, and releasing a magnificent electric blue light. When the light fades, a human is left standing there, standing at about 6'2" tall and wearing a black t-shirt with blue jeans on. It also has on brown boots and a black hoodie with the hood up, covering its eyes. "Celestia. It's good to see you again, but I believe you needed me?" The creature asks, standing upright revealing its full height of around 6'4" tall. It reaches up to its hood and pulls it down revealing a handsome looking man, with Blonde hair and Electric Blue eyes and whitish tanish skin. "Yes Garrett. I need you to report to ponyville and assist my personal student, Twilight Sparkle, in her quest to find the Elements of Harmony, well that's your job. Hers is to make some friends and learn the magic of friendship. None the less, you are to watch from the shadows, and only intervene if Nightmare Moon makes an appearance. Also, only use your lunarkinesis if it's absolutely necessary." Celestia finishes. "Normally I'd decline, but since my superior isn't here, as you wish, it shall be done." Garrett says giving a salute before turning around. "Wait, Garrett. I could just send you there myself, otherwise you'll never make it there on time." Garrett puts a hand up to his chin in thought, before nodding to Celestia in approval. She charges her horn for a few seconds, and points it at Garrett. She sends a small sphere of energy at him that, upon hitting, exploded outward in a blinding white light. The gardens only occupants shield their eyes, and once the light clears, only one Princess Celestia is left standing alone in the Gardens. A scorch mark left where the human once stood. "Hurry Garrett. Keep Equestria safe." Celestia says, unaware of the black tendril advancing upon her. "Mwuhahahahaha! This is going to be easy." Author's Note This story is my first total canon fucking, while SCP-[RETRACTED] is entering the canon universe, this one's fucking the series from the start. I'm also trying cliff hangers, either by suspense, or by speech. I was digging through my future story list and this came up, along with one for the Count of Monte Cristo, but that will come at a later date. I can only hope that I please enough people to get at least 5 likes, nothing to crazy, just a goal, that I set for myself on each story I post. What else is there to say, it's the first chapter, so there's not much for me to say, other than my writing style is that of Alexandre Dumas(translated, I'm no good with French names), the author of The Count of Monte Cristo(again, translated). Now that I've put something here can I go now, I've another chapter to work on. Yes! Hit that next button, you don't need to read this any more. Go on, Get! -Phoenix43 Insurgence"God, I never get used to that, even though Luna sent me everywhere like that. Now then, which way is Ponyville." I look around, "Or I guess you could send me inside the building with the most ponies in it. That works." I say as I try and use the shadow walk technique Luna taught me. 'I see why this is meant for pony use, this is taxing work, it must be easier for them to merge into the shadows' I think as I work through exhaustion. It's not easy changing the structure of your entire body from solid, to almost nothing. "I welcome our great ruler of Equestria." 'Luna!' "Princess Celestia!" 'I mean Celestia, Dammit!' [Gasp of a large crowd] "She's gone!" A startled fancy voice says. "Oh no." An uptight, but smart, sounding voice says. Mwahahahahahahaha! A dual toned voice laughs, "Greetings my little ponies." 'Ha she said it!' The voice says as it materializes into the shape of Nightmare Moon. "How I've waited so long for this moment, to see your Sun loving faces again." Nightmare says with enough venom to kill a dragon. "Why aren't you bowing? Is my crown not royal enough for you now that I've been bone the past thousand years. Do any of you know who I am, has nopony seen the signs?" Nightmare questions. "I did!" Uptight voice says, "You're the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon." [insert gasp here] "Very good, and you know what I'm going to do?" Nightmare asks. "Your going...to.[gulping noise]" Uptight begins. "That's right. I hope you enjoyed today's light, because now the night will last, Forever!" Nightmare Shouts as she disappears from the room, just as uptight says, "I've got to find the Elements." and she runs off. "Wait, she knew about the Elements... So, she's Celestia's pupil, a unicorn. Interesting, I call Magic." I say through the shadows. I move through the streets with ease due to the moon creating a dark shroud of cover. I follow Twilight to this tree, which she enters, along with five other ponies. "Ah Fuck it, I obey Luna anyway not Celestia, so sorry, if they panic that's their fault." I say annoyed now that I couldn't confront her one on one. Something about those last few sentences doesn't sound quite right. I find a dark corner of the main lobby and hide there, biding my time. I was about reveal myself then and there but the blue pegasus, with the gay flag of a mane, was putting on quite the entertaining show. "And just what are the Elements of Harmony, huh? Are you a spy?!" The blue pegasus accuses. "The Elements of Harmony, are tools used to purge any being of the darkness in their heart and soul. I say through the shadows. "Who's there?, and how do you know so much about the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight asks. "I've seen so much over my lifetime, empires rise and fall, wars breakout, even Celestia's rise to power. Although; I still think my crowing achievement is watching them get used before my own eyes." I say with respectful venom towards the end. I stay hidden for a little while longer. "Um, excuse me, I was wondering... if you could, maybe, stop scaring me?" *squeak* "That is if you don't mind?" A timid voice says, trying to sound brave, but still full of fear. I take my leave and exit the library, before I re-manifest myself. I put some effort into it as it takes more effort to leave the shadow plain, than to enter it. My hands emerge first, followed by my head and the rest of my body as I pull myself out of the shadows and back into reality. Once I'm out I reach my hands to my hood and pull it off, doing my best to not look intimidating. I knock on the door to the library and wait. "Look, this had better be important, because we're waiting for some...thing to appear, and I've got to stop Nightmare Moon." Twilight answers. 'Damn, I expected her to be wearing jeans, not a purple school girls outfit, with black tights and shoes. Breasts are a bit on the smaller side, but they fit her.' "Hello? What are you staring at?" Twilight demands. "Nothing, but I can help you with your mysterious voice problem, because I'm the voice. Name's Garrett, pleased to meet you. I know where the Elements are at, but you're not going to like it." I say. "Why's that, I bet we could take on any threat you throw at us!" A brash voice says. I walk into the library, and take a look around to find the voices origin, my search end when the voices owner shoots into my face. "I can think of one thing you'll be afraid of." I tell the girl with rainbow hair. She's wearing a jean jacket, with a white shirt under it. She's also wearing a pair of sweatpants and running shoes, the only thing I find odd about her is what sounds like fabric stretching and about to break. I don't want to embarrass her by saying it's coming from her measly A-cups, insinuating she's using something to disguise their actual size. "As if, I'm Rainbow Dash! Nothing scares me!" Rainbow triumphantly declares. "Everfree Forest." I say flatly, seeing all color drain form everybody present, "The Elements of harmony are located inside of the Everfree Forest." "So that's where they are, thank you for being so foalish." Author's Note So the last chapter was short, who cares about that. All I care about is getting these chapters out in a reasonable manner and fashion. Fluttershy's more challenging to write than she seems. I also have decided to make the ponies human, with a few differences, the unicorns use runes etched into their hands allowing them to use magic. The Earth ponies have runes on their thighs and hands, allowing them to access their strength, and access the magic of the Earth. Finally, the Pegasi, they have runes on their backs and hands, allowing them to fly and control the weather. Of course, the Alicorns have all of the runes, and Garrett, Garrett has no runes. Lunarkinesis is a variant of a self taught fighting skill only humans can learn. Side note; The characters keep their colors from the show. Now that I'm done with that, and sense this is the second chapter. You may now let the criticisms fly, constructive or otherwise. I won't care what negative things you say, it only helps me know what to change and what not to change. Also, Cliff Hangers Away! Allegiance"So, let me get this straight. You know where the Elements of Harmony are, and you're willing to help us for no reason?" Twilight asks. "Yes, well, not really. I only want to see Nightmare pay for what she did. So no more waiting, Let's go find us those Elements!" I say just as I realize something very important, "Before I forget, there's six Elements; Honesty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty, and... and... Fuck! I knew it! Gah!" I shout as I swing my left arm into a nearby bookshelf. I clutch my hand and mutter a long chain of curses in Latin so I don't have to explain what they mean. "Now now dear, don't beat yourself up over that. I'm sure it can't hurt that much, after all, you do look tougher than most ponies do." A posh sounding voice says trying to comfort me. I was about to say something, but Twilight started to leave the library and head towards the Everfree forest. I say nothing and merely walk out and follow her. "Now where do you two think you're going? You can't just leave and wander off into the Everfree Forest, alone, and At Night!" Rainbow Dash shouts. "Simmer down sally, Ah'm sure that this here feller can handle himself. Now how 'bout y'all stop stallin' an go help Twilight. Ah may not know her, but Ah never leave a friend behind! That's the truth!" A farm girl says, wearing a flannel over-shirt, black undershirt, blue jeans, brown boots and gloves, and a stetson sitting atop blonde braided hair. I notice that her build is relatively pear shaped, and very muscular. The rest of the girls nod and follow her into the forest to find Twilight.'Perfect, while they go on their little tirade, I can go and make Nightmare Moon pay for harming Luna.' I think as I begin to morph with the shadows once more. "Ugh. Why did I decide to watch over these ass hats? I don't know them, I'll outlive them, so I don't care for them, yet here I am, watching them like a guardian angel." I hiss through the shadows in fury. I may not like it, but there's definitely something special about those girls. I just can't place a finger on it. I re-manifest myself in a tree perched near a precipice, just barely able to keep the girls in sight. "This looks like a good spot to rest, maybe now we can find out just what we're up against." As soon as Twilight said that, the entire precipice shook, and began to disintegrate where it stood. "Applejack help! I'm slipping!" Twilight shouts over the falling rocks. 'She has magic, why can't she just use it, unless... Oh, that's not good.' I think, dematerializing into shadows and racing over towards the bottom of the precipice. "Hang on sugar cube, Ah'm coming!" Applejack shouts as she activates her runes to hold both her and Twilight in a perpetual state of equilibrium. 'I might have to step in if this gets any worse.' "Twi Ah need ya ta listen to me, Ok." Applejack says, "What Ah need you to do is let go. Ah promise y'all won't be hurt none." She says trying to comfort Twilight. "What?! Are you crazy!? I'll die!" Twilight screams in a frantic state. "No, Ah'm not crazy, an' what Ah'm tellin' ya is the honest truth. Y'all have mah word." Applejack says steadfastly, "Now, let go." Twilight nods and releases her grip on the precipice and Applejack. As she falls she begins to scream, and in a rush, I rematerialize and jump to try and catch her. Just as I'm about to reach her, Rainbow Dash and another avian; a pink haired girl, wearing a yellow sweater, green cargo jeans, light yellow sneakers, and she had beautiful emerald green eyes, swoop in and save grab Twilight just in the nick of time. That pink haired girl, her frame is one of a 'T' shape, not by much, but just enough.' "Um Twilight, you can stop yelling. You're safe now." The pink haired girl says, barely above a whisper. "Oh, hehehe... You can set me down now." Twilight said sheepishly. I groan and begin to refuse into the shadows, but I catch something interesting out of the corner of my eye. I halt my process and make my way towards something I thought I'd never see again. An avian using magic." I say right next to Rainbow Dash who looks to me as if I'd just murdered her family and made her watch. "Relax, I won't tell your secret, but only if you won't tell mine." I say quietly, to which Rainbow frantically nods. "Good, now miss?" "Fluttershy." *squeak* The pink hair girl said, before hiding behind it as a shield of some kind. "Right, well Fluttershy, could you give us some privacy, please? We need to discuss something important." I say and she happily obliges and flies away, "Alright look, to you I'm just a normal non magical being correct?" I ask, earning a nod. "Well, when I enter the shadows, I'm using a form of magic similar to yours, only I can do it. Well, that's true now but back when Celestia and Luna were young, my 'talent' was quite common, not so much now. Long story short, we're quite similar you and I. Heed my advice, or don't. But you've got to stick together with those like you, friends, family, loved ones, it doesn't matter. Just never ever try and play hero because you've got magic and flight on your side." I say before turning around and walking towards the head of the group. [Lazy excuse for a fight] "Alright you six, Nightmare will be expecting us. Twilight, you and your friends go and find the Elements of Harmony. I'll hold off Nightmare Moon as long as I can. Now, GO!" I shout as I jump over Rainbow and Fluttershy, who both were around seven feet above the ground, and merge with the darkness. "You heard the man, let's go save the Sun!" The group gaily cheers as they begin to sprint towards the old and deteriorating castle. "Bene fortunae mi amicae." I say before hastily entering the castle's foyer. I quickly begin my search looking for Nightmare, only to be halted by six cries of pain. I immediately rush towards the group. I eventually reach them, in what appears to be the remnants of the castle's throne room. As soon as I enter I'm greeted to the sight of the girls broken and bloodied. Twilight appeared to have the worst of it; her arms were compound fractured, bones protruding from flesh, and a bleeding skull. Yet despite that, she still stood, defiant of the Nightmare's power, and unfazed by her pain. "Ha! You really think you can defeat me? Don't make me laugh." Nightmare says. Nightmare is Navy Blue, covered in True Blue armor, revealing her cleavage and rump in order to distract her foes. Her figure is an over hourglass, with large breasts and an equally large ass. Not willing to take this any longer I materialize behind her, and succumb to rage. "She may NoT be AblE to, But I cAn!" I say in a pained rage. I catch a slight glimpse of myself in Nightmare's armor. My hair has turned white, my eyes from blue to red, the 'whites' to black. "Oh, and what have we here? A Human!? I thought I'd wiped them all out, no reason to leave the deed unfinished." I say nothing except to raise my right hand. "What do you plan to do with that? I hope you know who you're dealing with!" Before she could say anything else, there's a resounding hard crack heard throughout the throne room, echoing around the halls, sounding of death himself. "You, you hurt me. No one may harm thine visage! Now you shall perish!" Nightmare says as she fires a large midnight beam towards me. I choose not to dodge it, and pay the price. I'm thrown into the far wall of the throne room. I stand up and create a small black sphere in my right hand. "Hmm. Impressive but that won't do much." I throw it at her, and begin to merge with the darkness. Nightmare is hit by the Dark Pulse, and barely flinches. She begins to laugh and gloat, only for me to appear and punch her right between her avian insignias, practically grounding her for a while. To prevent her from gaining an edge, I repeatedly merge in and out of shadows and darkness; delivering an unrelenting barrage of attacks. "ENOUGH! YOU WISH TO PLAY GAMES, THEN WE'LL PLAY!" Nightmare shouts in a rage, firing a wave of light throughout the throne room. With no shadows or darkness to shroud myself in, I'm revealed and quickly encased in Nightmare's magic. "Any last words before I snuff you for good human?" "I have one question?" 'Time to play my ace in the hole.' I quickly begin charging the energy from the moon into the palm of my left hand. "And what is your final question?" Nightmare asks. "What would you do if I told you, you just lost to a human, who was holding back?" I say smirking. "I'd kill you where you stand. Wait, what's that small orb in your hand?" Nightmare asks. "Oh this? It's your demise." Nightmare looks at me and then bursts out laughing, "This tiny thing. Oh, That's Rich! You actually believe..." She releases me due to her laughing fit. Instead of say anything, I lean forward, and thrust the small white orb into Nightmare's chest. Before the sphere collapses, I open my right hand and point it towards Twilight and her friends. 'Make it count.' As soon as the sphere collapsed, Nightmare and I are enveloped in a large explosion. I'm thrown backwards towards the thrones, but caught by someone, and Nightmare is thrown, armor flaking off, towards the throne room entrance. She impacts the wall with enough force to breakthrough the wall and slam into the ground, creating a small crater. "Garrett! What happened to you? You look like you went to tartarus and back!" Twilight says, worry in her voice as she sets me down. "No time! Use the Elements!" I shout, standing up. "But they were destroyed, we can't use them." Twilight says, "Wait how are we standing?" "I'll tell you the second one later, but the Elements exist within you all, don't monologue it, when Lun-Nightmare Moon re-enters the room, blast her with the Elements. The group nods and each tap into their 'Harmonic Essence' creating the new Elements of Harmony. "Where is that Human? HE WILL MEET A PAINFUL DEATH!" Nightmare says. "I'm here, and may I say Luna, topless is a good look on you. Alright girls, Hit It!" I shout. Nightmare looks behind me at the light, and for the first time ever, shows fear. I turn as well, and see the Elements of Harmony begin to unleash their glory, at first the six are only lifted up, but then a rainbow connects them together. The rainbow that connected them together grew and shot upwards, arching and flying towards Nightmare Moon. It hits just below her and begins a swirling vortex of harmonious magic. The blast barely hits me, but the calming nature of it soothes my rage, returning me to normal. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Nightmare says as they vortex closes around her. As her cries fade, so to does the vortex, the girls land back on the ground and the Sun begins to rise. "Now then, can I please get an explanation as for what's going on here?" Twilight asks. "Yes, I'd like one as well. Because, I distinctly remember telling you to not interfere, or use your powers. Unless needed." *gasp* "princess Celestia!" The girls say, bowing in the process. I ignore it and walk forwards. "Ah yes, Princess Celestia, and here I thought you know where my loyalty lies, not with you. But with her." I say pointing towards Luna's form emerging from the rubble. "The Elements didn't work! Get ready to use them again gi-" "If you so much as lay a finger on Luna, I will make sure you can never do magic ever again. Got it." I threaten Twilight as she enters a fighting stance. "Alright, please don't hurt me." She relents from the silent death threat battle. "I won't, but I need to reacquaint myself with someone whom I've gone well over 900 years without." I say walking to the (somehow) fully clothed Luna. "Come now Princess, let's take you home," I say picking Luna up in a bridle fashion, "Celestia, if you need me, you know where to find me." I say, merging with the shadows. "Princess Celestia. Do you know why Garrett is acting that way?" Twilight asks. "Well my student, I have some things to tell you, all of you. And they all involve a young human boy, a beautiful girl, and a jealous sister." Author's Note Slight nitpick; If you dislike the story, could you explain why you didn't like it? I'd greatly appreciate any and all help I can get. It helps my writing grow. I'll also be starting a poll for this story (comment voting), there are a few ways this could go down, good/evil/neutral. Vote which "path" Garrett should take. {For example; Let's take Good Now make an unspecified ending and let the others decide[by voting.] and if yous has the most votes after, oh, lets say 9 weeks, your "path" will be chosen and credited [if you allow it to be credited.]} Brief ability list: Shadow Walk is what it sounds like, Garrett fuses with any objects shadow, and is able to move so long as another shadow is present. Dark Walk like the shadow walk, but with darkness (can only be done at night). Dark Pulse a large, but weak, attack. Made of negative energy. Used to disorient opponents and cause them to let their guard down. Creates small explosion. Lunar Impact a small (racquetball sized) sphere of lunar energy, Delivers bone shattering force and damage to opponent, also causes a large damaging explosion. The damage is then used to heal himself, or others. Using Lunarkinesis causes Garrett's appearance to change. Also; IE11 is only .5 seconds slower than CHROME 34 (the most recent version), and a whole 2 seconds faster than Firefox 41 (also the most recent version) goodbye slow IE meme, you shan't be missed. I'd say I did pretty good on this chapter, after all, I remade it about an hour and a half (it's what, 3:33 AM, so around 2:03 AM[eastern standard time] I work best at night anyways). If it sucks, I won't be offended. I just looked through it once and said "Eh. It's good enough." Rise and FallAuthor's Note Before you read this chapter; I want you to know now, IT IS NONESSENTIAL FOR THE STORY! People say this box is the bane of their existence, I love it! I can use it to tell people that the next chapter is the turning point of the story, and the official voting block. Now in the last chapter I told you how to vote (comments), but now you get to! It's nothing major, okay that's a lie, it is major. You will be voting on which path Garrett will follow. Will he follow the path of Annihilation, Immortality, or Serenity? It isn't hard to determine which word goes to each path (Evil/Neutral/Good). So voting starts now, and ends when I post the winner. [I might start a blog for the voting process] For clarity, Italics (no " " around words) mean flashback/Celestia telling story[this chapter only]. Italics (with " " around words) mean speaking during flashback. Bold words mean one of the Main 6 is asking a question/making an inference/interjecting their thoughts into the story. Finally, Normal words (unaltered) in the flashback means Celestia's answering a question, or it's back to the normal story. And finally, Bold Italics mean Garrett is speaking while using Lunarkinesis (after losing control). Side note - 1. past tense writing, easy. Keeping it, bout damn near threw my laptop across the room. If you have an OC named Platinum Shield, I'm sorry. I picked two words and said 'This looks good.' (This is also how I wrote this chapter [with little care]) I officially hate flashbacks; it's next to impossible to convey emotion, it's told from one character, and you can't and "X" I said bitterly, I don't like how it's all entirely left up for interpretation (I like to keep some details concrete). It also annoys me how to show external events (such as coughing) you have to use asterisks. Finally, flashbacks just get on my nerves; they're past tense, until you speak and then it's a constant switch between past and present, to show a character is performing and action, you *use these damn things*, proper speech rules apply to the one telling the damn thing, while everyone else appears as a quoted segment, and last but not least, they almost serve no purpose to advance the plot or help establish character personalities. Yes this chapter ends on a cliffhanger, I need to stop that, but anyways, tell me what you think about it. Also don't forget to place your votes for the next chapter! Rise and Fall "Twilight, I want you and your friends to know that, despite what Garrett may claim, I am not a whore, nor am I a tyrant. But I am one of the reasons he is in this state. For you see, a long time ago, Garrett wasn't a noble or a knight, no; he was an outcast." Celestia says motherly, "And when Luna and I first met him, he was lost and scared. We stood up for him, took care of him, raised him like our own son. If only we realized back then that he suffered from a serious mental condition; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." She finishes solemnly. "What's post traumatic stress disorder? Is it some kind of sugar disorder?" Pinkie Pie asks, earning harsh glares from the other girls. "It's quite alright girls, she's done nothing wrong. PTSD is a serious mental condition in which something, someone, or some altercations of any kind cause a sudden and serious flashback. This becomes a problem as the victim tends to lash out at what triggered the event, sometimes needing to be tranquilized in order to safely insure others are safe. Garrett's PTSD is triggered by three things; knives, crossbows, and wingblades. But that's beside the point, I was going to tell you all of how Luna and I caused is ultimate demise." Celestia says looking out of a window with a tear in her eye, glistening in the sunlight. Our tale begins here actually; on a bright and sunny day. The birds were chirping, the sun shining, and not a single cloud to speckle the crystal blue skies. Nothing could shatter the serenity of the day, that is, until two young and beautiful women decided to leave the castle. "Come on Luna, you can't stay inside these walls all your life." "Of course I can Tia, watch me." Luna said defiantly. My response was to grab her in magic and take the chariot into town. Once we arrived, and after another bout of telling the ponies not to bow, we headed off to have some fun around the place. The one thing that bugged me, were these things that looked like ponies, but they weren't. "Lulu, do you know what those hairless beings are?" "No dear sister, we have no notion what they might be." We cut our venture short there and asked around. Turns out they were called humans, a race formerly used as slaves for work in the fields. Even though they didn't like it, they put up with it, because the ones that did usually ended up as a meal for the animals surrounding the town. It was horrible, knowing that those humans had to live in constant fear of death, well, all but one did. "Was it Garrett?" "Yes miss Pie. Now Garrett was different back then." He lived in secrecy, only coming out to get what he needed before leaving until the next day. After spending time in the town, Luna and I decided enough is enough, we had to know who this mysterious human was. When asked, only one pony knew where to look, and while she was right, the sight we saw will never leave our memories. "Dost thou see it sister? A human performing magic!" "Yes I see it, but I just don't believe it." But sure enough he was using magic on a thug robbing a young mare. Only back then, he wore a full bodied black hooded robe, and had a black and red trimmed side cloak. Along with this, the hood hid his face from view. At first we observed him from afar, but Luna insisted on meeting him. So, on one of his outings into town, we decided to lose our commoner disguises and ask him as royalty. Now, when we did this, like everywhere else, the towns ponies and humans bowed, yet Garrett merely nodded before walking on his merry way. "Didst thou not see who we are? We are thine Princesses, you should've shown us respect." "I know who you are, Princess Luna. I've known for awhile now, but I don't care for ponies I don't respect." If he had said this anywhere in private with us, we would've had a nice laugh about it, but he chose to say it in front of the entire town. "Did you hear him, the nerve!" "Bite me. I shall say what I choose, and whom I say it to." We were taken aback, no one had ever said something like that to us before. I must say, it was quite the welcome change of pace. "Yes, but what of your secret? Surely thou must know we hold it like thine self?" I don't know why Luna said that, but it was what caused his rise to glory as Luna's personal guard, though at the time, he didn't know it. "What happened next? Did Garrett learn some respect?" "Please Twilight, show some tact. During that time frame he was homeless, and needed help. Now as for what happened next, I'll start with his meeting with our parents." This was Garrett's most important meeting of his life, and the first thing he did was spit on our fathers face, and tell our mother to 'get bent' whatever that meant. I still remember hearing Luna and the guards laughing their asses off. But that's not important, it was the aftermath that counts. "Son, do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? You're lucky I don't come down there and kill you myself." "Oh come now, he was only messing around with you Solaris, I think he'd fit right in as one of the castle guards." Luna and I jumped into the air at that statement, all we needed to hear was our fathers approval. "Very well Nocturna, but should this fail, note it's on thine own shoulders this frivolity had failed." Even though it was a warning, Luna, mother, the guards, and myself included all shouted in approval knowing we'd all be earning not just a new guard, but a new heir to the throne, after Luna and myself. "So does that make him a prince then? That actually sounds pretty cool." "No miss Dash, he refused the option to succeed our father, seeing that he'd die in around 72 years. That made him at least 16 years of age, humans only lived to an average of 88 years. Well, I say he refused, in secret he accepted. Now, onto the moment our parents found out he could do magic." "I don't see why they keep me around sometimes, I mean maybe as a novel concept." "I don't know either, but quit beating yourself up over every Celestian damn thing and enjoy your break, wait never mind. It seems that your rival wants to fight." And sure enough, the guard was right. Garrett's main rival, Platinum Shield, had challenged him to a brawl. "But I can't do magic, surely an Arcainian such as yourself would know this." "I care not for your excuses human! I will have this brawl, and you will grant me this fight." When word broke out that a guard and noble were to have a brawl in the coming night, every pony and human showed up to the Everfree stadium to witness it. When the fight started, Platinum fought fairly, then he started to use his magic to take the upper hand. "Lulu, Platinum is breaking the rules of the brawl." "Tia, please. Garrett may be down, but he shan't lose to the likes of Platinum." We both turned back towards the fight ensuing, well more like everyone gathered to start shouting in disapproval. "Dost thou see that Tia? Garrett's visage is changing." "Come now Lulu, surely you jest." It was at that point that Garrett started laughing like a mad man. He opened his eyes, nay, that thing opened its eyes; black and red orbs made to pierce the soul. He then opened his left hand and revealed a small white sphere. "Is that all? An appearance change and a small orb. This fight will be over after my next attack." "You under estimate me. This tiny little orb could kill you, and all I have to do is hit you with it." to our surprise Platinum walked up to Garrett and said he could have a free hit. "Tell you what, you can have a free hit to the face, and I won't kill you instantly." If only he had headed Garrett's warning. After acknowledging his opportunity, Garrett didn't hit him, but he uppercutted Platinum with that damned white orb. I pity whichever poor fool ends up on the receiving end of that forsaken orb. That orb had two uses, as a simple knock back and heal, or it could be used to take a ponies life away in an instant. Platinum suffered from the latter and payed dearly, while Garrett didn't take his life, his left arm and leg were blown clean off of his body. I still remember the fiendish laugh of Garrett, followed by the screaming of the crowd. "So what happened next? Also, what year was this?" "Now now Miss Pie. I will explain what happens, as for the year, it was 100 years before Luna was banished to the moon." Now we rejoin the story at Garrett's court case. "We of the Shield family, in the Platinum House, find the human, Garrett; guilty of all charges presented upon him." The judge looked at Garrett, and insteads of getting an objection, he nodded and let the verdict stand. Garrett was deemed guilty of attempted murder, became a convicted felon of the state, and had a term that would last longer than his life would allow him to live. Well, I shouldn't say Garrett went down quietly, no. He pulled a trump card that nopony present saw coming. "This case is vitrified on the case that not only am I a knight to her majesty; Princess Luna, but I am also a Prince of Equus, as stated by King Solaris and Queen Nocturna!" He shouted just before the hand cuffs were locked on his wrists. While I was not there, nor was Luna, the entire event was documented. Back at the palace, we heard the news and ultimately made a startling realization; Garrett declared what had been speculated around the castle. When we asked our parents they confirmed that he was now an immortal, and like us, a guardian. I guard the sun and the future, Luna the moon and dreams, and Garrett the night itself. After some time, he saw the corrupting abilities of his powers,he saw what power does; corrupts, he saw the corruption of Luna long before anypony else did. I only wish he'd have told us. "Um what about the whole beautiful woman, a young man, and a jealous sister thing you stated earlier?" "Oh, my mistake Miss Dash, you see, Garrett is the young man. Luna was the beautiful girl, and I the jealous sister, as for how, that I'll explain soon." "Garrett, I have to ask you something, do you think Luna's been acting strangely as of late?" "Yes, she's been acting strange, but no stranger than you M'lady. Remember as I've said; Power corrupts all, even saints fall into its dark grasps." "I'm well aware! You keep saying that damn phrase over and over! So stop, please, it's annoying!" "As you wish M'lady, is there anything else you require?" "Yes. I need to ask, and be honest. Do yo think I'm becoming jealous of Luna?" "I won't say much, but yes. You do seem to become very irate at the mention of her name. If that's all you need, then I'll be off." I hadn't said it back then, but I'd go back and force myself to ask how to change our relationship. Only I hadn't and paid for it dearly. Over the next few years, Luna's attitude worsened and so did mine, while she became resentful and bitter. I became vengeful and scornful. Soon, the inevitable happened, Luna turned into Nightmare Moon, and against my better judgement, I was elated about it. Until she came and assaulted me, claiming that my days of tyranny were over. At that moment I realized that Luna was gone, only that nightmare remained, but even through all of this, Garrett fought Luna, he held her back to a stalemate, all without having to use his magic, or Lunarkinesis as he calls it. Throughout their entire fight, he tried to get through to Luna, but once that failed he told me to do the unthinkable. "What was it? Surely it couldn't be that bad." "Miss Pie, he asked me to use the Elements of Harmony on my own flesh and blood." *sob* "I couldn't bring myself to do that. I-I-I couldn't do it! The moment Equus needed me, I l-let it down." *uncontrollable sobbing* "Princess, you still did it in the end and that's what counts. You proved then and there that no problem is too large for you to handle." "T-thank you Twi-light. that means a lot to me." "What happened next?" "Right of course, sorry Miss Jack, let's re continue this tale." "Garrett, I cant! I won't! She's still my sister!" "At the moment, no, she isn't. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can end this." I looked at Garrett and nodded reluctantly, I didn't want to do it, but i needed to be done. Not for me, but for Equus. When Nightmare moon saw the Elements of Harmony, she laughed and fought me without hesitation. It was heart breaking, knowing my own sister would try and kill me without mercy. So for that one moment, that moment that is etched into my memory for an eternity; Luna was no more, Nightmare Moon needed to be stopped. "Nightmare Moon! For attempted treason and acts of terror against Equus, I hereby sentence you to banishment." I had hoped she'd see reason, but alas, she hadn't. I ultimately used the Elements of Harmony to seal Nightmare Moon on the moon. Yet only one hundred years later, I'd use the Elements again. This time on Garrett. For why, I was clouded by guilt, rage, and sorrow. I blamed Garrett, stripped him of his rank as lead guard, and attempted to remove his title of Prince of the Night. "What'd ya go do thar fer?" "Miss Jack, you must realize that my sister was now locked on the moon, Garrett hardly consolidates with me, I guess in a fit of rage I confronted him and accused him of Luna's predicament." "Garrett! Come out here, Now!" "Yes M'lady? Have I done something wrong?" I didn't say anything, and for the first time ever, I wrongfully attacked some one unprovoked. It wasn't intentional, but I was a nervous wreck, and when I started to attack Garrett he didn't retaliate. Instead he managed to enrage me even more, despite only having good intentions. "Attack me all you'd like. You need to blow off some steam, everyone does. No one is ever truly perfect." "I AM THE PINNACLE OF DIVINITY! I AM PERFECTION, YOU ARE CORRUPTION!" I hadn't meant to say those things, but I did, and they hurt me to this day. I live in fear of the monster I became. "Then finish me off, purge the imperfection." "I AM GOING TO END YOU!" After I said that, I used the Elements of Harmony in a fit of rage. When the beam connected to Garrett, it originally did nothing, but then my rage corrupted the beam. It turned from a rainbow colored light into a beam of black and green hatred and rage. The beam turned him into a statue, with a look of horror, yet serenity plastered upon his eyes. "What happened next? To the humans, if you don't mind?" "I don't mind Miss Shy, the humans went extinct. To put it bluntly, when the corrupted beam from the Elements dispersed, it sent a wave across Equus. This wave corrupted anything it touched, and while it only caused slight disruption, the planets humans, however, were not so lucky. The humans had no magical essence to protect against the blast. Over the following years, the humans slowly started to mutate into the animals that inhabit this forest and the planet." "Does that mean Garrett will mutate over time as well?" "No Twilight, Garrett wont mutate, he managed to trap enough harmonic energy inside of his statue to prevent an immediate mutation, or any mutation." "Um, speaking of Garrett, where is he?" "I know where he is young Rainbow, but this place is very sacred to him. I expect all of you to be on your best behavior, you are guests in this place, be respectful." *sound of magic charging* "I am not responsible for your actions." *magical release sound* "I'm only in charge of myself... Good luck, and may the stars favor your travel." For Every Action"Have you ever been suddenly taken away from everything you once knew? For some the answer is no, but for others it's yes. These ponies, however, know not what total loss is nor do they grasp the concept of death. Now that I've returned from a time not akin to theirs, how would they react knowing the truth of the past? Would they share no thoughts, or would their world's ideals shatter? I don't know that, nor do I wish to see the results of my reintegration into this time period. Should they accept me, would it be for my actions today, or would it be out of self pity on the creature with no place to go? "How can one live in another time so unlike their own, yet find comfort knowing they can never return to loved ones long deceased? I know not these answers, nor do I care. What matters now is for me to accept my past, and embrace my future on this planet, in my great opportunity of life, I need to accept my fate and take it in stride. All I need to do is find my calling in this timeline, and adapt. "Perhaps the things we need most aren't physical, but rather personal items. Buildings are replaceable, lives are not, so I shouldn't dwell on the past or present, instead, think to my future." I finish saying to myself, as I write along to my voice, setting my quill and journal down next to me and my statue basin. I then grab my rucksack and place the items inside, "Those are some interesting thoughts Garrett, what caused you to say those things?" I hear a voice say from in front of me. "Gah! Oh, Twilight, sorry, I didn't notice you there. Along with your friends. Is something wrong? Celestia only sends people to me if there are no other foreseeable alternatives." I say in confusion. "Cut the crap wise guy! We know who you are, and where you're from!" Rainbow Dash interjects. "Do you now? Alright, let's see what dear O'l Celly told you six." I say snidely, hoping they'd catch on to my sarcasm. "Rainbow, darling, you can't just barge in here and provoke ponies like that. Now, tell the nice man you're sorry." Rarity says. She is an alabaster colored Arcanian, wearing a white revealing dress, showing off her impressive hourglass figure. She also has a royal purple swirled mane and tail, with high heels that match. I never will understand why, even though their feet are hooves, these ponies wear shoes. "It's quite alright ma'am, I'm just a little caught off guard, people don't normally get to belittle me and walk away unscathed." I say with a little more malice than I'd have liked, "Anyways, did any of you need something, or are you going to stand around here being useless?" I say in hope to get a response, the results are more than desirable. "Useless? I am not useless! I was going to ask you if it's true that you're a prince, but nope! You had to go and call me useless, well let's see how you like it! You stupid little dipshit!" Rainbow shouts in a barely contained rage. "Ooh, is that the best you've got? Anyways, if that's all you needed and/or wanted, then yes, I was and still am, technically, the Prince of the Night. Here's a few other things; No, Lunarkinesis is not magic, after using it I can heal any damage done, even if I depleted my energy reserve. I can replenish my reserve in two ways, moonlight and negative emotions, the latter of which comes at the cost of my emotional stability. The final point to note about Lunarkinesis, is that t has to recharge after a large amount of your energy is used. No, I can't fly. I'm an omnivore, if I ask for meat, then I'd better damn get it. I think I look good in my outfit, even though I have more. I normally try to keep to myself, and I don't like social gatherings, unless, they are small and I know everyone in attendance. Finally, I think I'm showing the proper amount of compromise in a situation such as this." I drone with a rather placid tone. "Easy there pardner we was jus' stopping by ta check on ya, well, more like we was sent here ta speak with ya 'bout what you'd do if y'all was ta be kept here with us.' That's 'bout all she wrote there pardner." Applejack says hesitantly. "Oh, is that all... Wait what!?" I shout, "Stay here!? As in, live with one of, or all of you? Explain!" I shout in a bewildered manner. "Calm down there sugar cube! We only need ta know this if a certain event arises in which y'all would need ta stay here in Ponyville with one of us. Would ya kindly give us tha courtesy?" Applejack asks sincerely. "I'll answer this once and only once, if it ever comes down to it, then yes, I'll stay with one of you." I say with a smirk, "One!" I reiterate my point in an attempt to make sure they get the message. The group seems to get it and starts to debate whom I'm getting stuck with. I decide to wait it out, by walking over to my pedestal and siting down on it, and listening from afar. The slight breeze makes it challenging, but I was able to hear most of what they were saying. "Garrett... Garrett? Where the heck are you!?" Twilight calls out bewilderingly. "I'm over here Twilight." I call out. Twilight and the others walk towards me each with a contempt smile on their face. "Alright, we've decided that you'll do a bi-weekly rotation among the six of us. You'll be with me for two weeks, then Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and last but not least, Rainbow Dash." Twilight says pointing an arm at her friends as she calls their names out. "You sure you got that?" "Sure, you first then the rest. I got it, I got it." I say doing my best punk-kid impression, "Lets go already, this place is so depressing." I say grabbing my satchel and walking ahead of the group. "Wait! Do you know where you're going?" Twilight asks. "Yes." I say making a right through the nearby foliage. "Then you do know Ponyville is the other way, right?" Twilight says smugly. "Not one word about this." I growl as I rejoin the group. We walk for what seems like an eternity, with the girls having to stop every hundred yards or so, just to let me catch up to them, they may be faster than me normally, but I've got a little human intuition on my side. While we're walking through a rough patch in the forest I take advantage of this opportunity, and climb up a nearby hickory tree. As I climb up the forty foot tree, using my height and small body frame to my advantage, I notice the girls caught up in what appears to be a lotus grove. I choose to ignore them and finish my climb, once I find a sturdy route to use as a pathway. I start jumping from tree to tree, keeping the girls in my line of sight, and trying to make as little noise as possible. I stay in my treetop free-run course, all the while, as I stay nearby the girls the rest of the way back from the Everfree. Now, after about the fifth time of the girls having to wait for me, I had told the girls to only wait for me at the exit of the forest, which they happily obliged to. Presently, I'm standing just overhead of the girls right on the edge of the forest. I take note of how they seem to be lazing around, waiting in astute boredom. So, in an act of good clean family fun, I decide to jump from my pine tree to the nearby oak tree, grabbing onto one of its many available branches. I repeat this process, each time I go from pine to oak, getting lower and lower to the ground. Once I'm on the ground I walk out of the forest, I'd have left those girls there if not for two things; One, they're the Elements of Harmony. Two, the pink one was on the verge of crying. I sigh to myself and walk back towards where the girls were, stopping just short of their field of vision, but keeping them in auditory range. "*sniff* W-W-where d-do y-you think he went? D-do you think he left us because he f-f-feels like we-we've b-b-betrayed him? Or maybe,*sniff* i-i-it's due the fact that he hates us and only wanted us gone?!" Pinkie Pie wails, as she tries to fight back another wave of tears. "Ah don' think so Pinkie. Ah'm sure he's still coming, he don' seem quite like them types O' fellers keen ta break a promise." Applejack says as she attempts to reassure her friend. It was at this moment that, and after losing my internal battle, I made my presence known to the group. "She's right you know. Besides, if I wanted any of you assholes gone, you'd all have been dead a long time ago." I say walking into the group from my hiding spot near the brier bush. The girls reactions ranged from confused and shocked, to wondrous and quizzical. "How'd ya manage ta do that? Y'all were b'hind us this whole trek." Applejack says in shock. I simply smirk and say nothing. I simply raise my left pointer finger to my mouth and press it over my lips, similar to how people would ask for silence when I was a kid. "Shh, what I do and how I do it is not of your concern. But what I do need is for one of you to show me the way to Twilight's house. As so that way I can acquaint myself with my temporary living area." I say quietly, the girls hesitantly nod collectively, and say their parting blessings/words of malice to me. I shrug in response to their harsh insults, simply because I don't know what they mean and I'm a guard, it would look bad on my record. I start walking in the direction that the girls pointed me. My walk was relatively uneventful, that is, until a certain purple Arcanian decided to join me. "Hey Garrett, wait up!" Twilight calls out from behind. The mare I'm living with, Twilight, is the pupil of my quote-unquote enemy, Princess Celestia. "So Garrett, what's it like being the last of your kind?" "Really Twilight, I haven't even settled in yet, can we at least get to your house first? " I desperately plea. "Hmm, oh, right. He he he... Yeah. Right this way, follow me!" Twilight says as she bounds ahead of me towards the settlement nearby. The trip into and through the town was rather uneventful, except for everyone barring their doors and hiding from my mere presence, shame, knowing that I'll pretty much be doing the same thing. That seems to be my life cycle; hide away until I'm needed, repetitions from old transferred to new. While I plaguing myself in self-loathing, I barely noticed the giant oak tree we were standing in front of. Choosing instead to focus on the cool autumn breeze blowing the grass around, flattening it, but not killing it. "Garrett, I'd like to welcome you to the Golden Oaks Library, and my house!" Twilight beams with pride. I look up and respond, to make it look like I was paying attention. "This... this is a tree, no? Yet, it's also a building. How is it still standing despite being almost completely hollowed out?" I ask in resounding fascination. "Magic. They also use magic to keep the building fireproof and safe during the most severe storms." Twilight replies, "Well go on, get in." She says ushering me inside the building. Inside I'm left in total awe, a tree that's still living, yet has been hollowed out to make it a library and a house.'Is that a basement?' I was about to walk across the room and investigate what's behind that door, but Twilight had other plans. "No disappearing on us this time, I still have some questions for you, and so does my mentor." Twilight says shutting the door and pulling me next to her by levitating me over encased in a magenta hued aura. I was about to speak out, until I saw Celestia standing next to the table in the middle of the room, and Luna sitting on the horse head statue resting atop the table. Twilight set me down gently, and by that, I mean she slammed me onto the ground head first. That earned everyone a free ticket to hear my long chain of expletives for a good five minutes. "Are you done yet?" Twilight asks, "We only want to ask you some questions." she deadpans. "Fine, I'll stop, but until this Q and A is over, you three keep your nick names. Got it Twicunt. You to Molestia, same goes for you as well, Little Miss Lunacy." I say in defiance. They sigh in defeat and I slightly smile at my mini victory. "I'll start, what did you do when you were still considered a prince of Equestria?" Twilight asks right up-front. "Well Twicunt, when I was still considered an 'active' prince, I kept to myself, and intervened in situations where the tension was electrifying. After my twentieth year as Prince of the Night, King Solaris put an enchantment on me, one that would let me live forever, I 'unofficially' resigned my power. With that done, I quickly joined Luna's royal task force, we called ourselves 'Gladiatorus Lunarum' better known as the Moons Gladiators, or the Gladiators of the Moon." I tell her mindlessly. "Any other questions?" I say sounding as bored as possible. "As a matter of fact, yes, I do have more questions. We'll start with this one, what is it like being the last human on the planet?" Twilight says not fully realizing what she'd said, and how it just impacted me. "Well... I... Hmm, I don't know." I say solemnly. "What?" Twilight asks in slight shock. "I don't know. Just, I mean, how would you feel if someone just told you 'Hey, I know you're from the past and all, but, how does it feel knowing that you've officially got nothing to live for?' It really does smack you in the face with reality." I say flatly, "But if I had to give you a truly honest answer, and not a fake honest answer, I'd have to say that being told I'm the last survivor of the human race forever is a very rude awakening." I say scornfully. "What I mean is this; I'll openly accept my fate, but I am still going to keep up the facade I've built up from over 1,316 years ago." I tell Twilight in a serious tone. "I have a question." Luna begins. "Go on," I interject, "Ask away." "Alright, even though thou art residing here, wouldst thou still wish to be our personal guard? Or at the very least, reinstate the Gladiatorus Lunarum?" Luna asks "I'll do this, and only this. I will hereby swear my loyalty to the Gladiatorus Lunarum, but only under my former rank, also; I will still be the 'unofficial' Prince of the Night. Is that a good enough answer for you?" I ask at the end of my rant. "Almost, where whilst thou reside?" "Among the Element Bearers of course." I say courtly. "Alright Molly, your turn, and then the Q&A is done, and I can get some sleep!" I cry victoriously. "Fine. My question is this; what are we to do if you decide to turn against the Element Bearers?" Celestia asks authoritatively. "Well, that could go one of two ways; the first, is that I'm able to remove only one of the new bearers, and since all six either have to be alive, or be willing to relinquish their bond to the Elements. Thus rendering them useless due to their 1,000 year cool down. The second, well, you both know how that goes; I remove every bearer from their elements, and destroy the source of their power. I think we're done here." I say, leaving an awestruck Twilight in the wake of the flash from the Princesses' teleportation out of the library. "Finally, now to get some shut eye." I yawn at the end to add emphasis. "Would you really do that?" Twilight squeaks out. "What?" I respond. "Betray us. Like you said, would you really betray us?" Twilight asks, tears welling in her eyes. "No, it takes a lot for me to hate someone, even if they are my arch-nemesis. I don't have a reason to revoke my trust from you or your friends, now don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you." I say giving a soft smile at the end, showing Twilight that she can trust me, and I can trust her. As Twilight walks away and up the hardwood stairs a thought crosses my mind. 'For now. I can trust her.' Author's Note Look, I know I said I'd do a chapter vote, but after I uploaded Serenity, I was disgusted. I not only loathed that chapter, but it was a mockery of my abilities as a writer. So instead of chapter voting, you can vote on specific events you want to happen , or if you want me to add your OC (no Mary Sue/Gary Stu), but please note that I'm writing the chapters my way. I know it sounds like I'm pissing and moaning like a little four year old, but bear with me. Please comment on anything you see wrong with this chapter (and my other chapters as well) along with ways to improve as a writer. Now, I think I've taken enough of your time; I hope you enjoyed the newly* detailed update to 'For Every Action'. This chapter went through five revisions and two deadline reschedules. I did have fun with Garrett's anger filled rant, hitting all the basic elements you'd see the main characters ask a human in these kinds of stories. I also included five references in this chapter, see if you can find them all. First one to spot all five references gets to add their OC and their own personal story request!** I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that you all have a wonderful New Years! AND AS PROMISED, I UPLOADED THIS ON CHRISTMAS!!! *Note; that this was/is a redo and completely fresh chapter, the newly applies to the six or seven times I've edited this chapter, and/or was delayed when writing. **Note; OC must have a full and complete character description, meaning; any abilities, Cutie Mark (If it has one!), colors used, personality, race, species, you know the rest. (No Mary Sue/ Gary Stu characters! If yours is[and it's unavoidable], I will need to know their limitations/weakness/Mary Sue type power you're willing to remove.) There's an Opposite Reaction'Life is mysterious, isn't it? How do we form our bonds of trust with some so easily, yet others will never develop with some. It puzzles me to think that or trust may be genuine in some, but to them, we are disposable, but there are those who you'd never talk to but it turns out they would've been better to trust insteads. Are we on a path destroy ourselves, or save ourselves? I have no room to talk, but just imagine if we knew who to trust and who not to before we ever met someone. Maybe life would've been more exciting if I never trusted the Princesses. Maybe I shouldn't have trusted the Minotaur chieftain when they visited the castle, then Sarah could've lived a bit longer. But that's how life works, always changing and never dull, you just have to live it to the fullest extent you can. 'Still, I can't but think "What if..." What if I never met the Princesses? What if I never got these powers? What if I wasn't there to stop the Minotaurs? Would my life had been different, or is everyone's life already predestined? I'd like to think it isn't.' I finish writing in my journal and place the quill back in the inkwell, I stand up and walk over to the dresser next to my bed, the old floorboards creaking as I walk. I reach the dresser and open it up, grabbing my hoodie and putting it on over my shirt. I do a once over using the dresser's mirror. I finish looking at myself, since I'm not very impressive to look at anyways, and close the dresser door, the door slamming shut in a fury. I walk back to my desk, and close my journal. Once I've finished my morning routine I get ready for my favorite part, sleep, I walk over to my bed and lay down on top of it. I close my eyes and let sleep embrace me. Only, that doesn't happen since I live with the worlds loudest alarm clock. "Garrett! Get down here!" Twilight yells. 'Thank god that door muffles most sounds.' I internally celebrate. "Ugh. Fine, irriti cani." I mutter as I get out of bed. I stand up and walk over to the door and turn the old rusty knob. The hinges creak in defiance as the door requires some force to open. Thankfully, I'm not in the loft, otherwise I'd have fallen down the stairs to the library. I look around the foyer and try to find the annoying thorn in my side. "There you are. Come here, my friends want to have a word with you." Twilight says darkly. "Does it have to do with yesterdays conversation?" Twilight nods, "Ugh. Fine, tell them I'll be there soon, just need to grab something first." I say, turning back towards my desk. As I turn, I'm stopped by Twilight's magic. "No. You're going now, and that's that." Twilight says, teleporting us into the main part of the library. When the lights leave my eyes, I'm greeted to five very pissed off looking mares and one pissed off drake. "So, You want to betray us?! Huh? Do you?" Rainbow demands, earning nods from all those gathered. "Look I'm hungry, thirsty, angry, and tired. So can we please not do this, m'kay thanks." I say, only to be met by a rather angry farmer. "Fine. What do you want to know?" I ask crossing my arms. "We just want to know if you plan on betraying us, or killing us?" I start to drown out their questions, as I take out a slightly bloodstained note, a locket, and a ring from my hoodie's left pocket. The ring is black with my name engraved on the right side, along with the symbol of the Gladiatorus Lunarum. On it's left side is the year of my marriage, along with a Fleur De Lis engraved on it. And the top of the ring has the word Knights engraved in a metal band dividing the turquoise stone in half, the rings edge has an arched bridge pattern engraved into the metal. I put the ring onto my left ring finger as stated by the note. Then I open the locket to reveal a picture of my face and a beautiful young woman with long black hair, brown eyes, and a quizzical look in her eyes. "Garrett! We're in the middle of something and we need you to answer for... What are you doing?" Twilight asks. "Oh, I'm just reminiscing." I respond. "Ok, but why did you put a ring on, and it's on your left hand, but it's not a wedding ring, does that mean your a coltcuddler?" Twilight asks. "No, I'm not a coltcuddler, I don't even know what that is, wait... Do you think I'm gay?!" I ask in shock. I look back to the note, only for it to be grabbed by Twilight's magic. "Give that back, you have no right to read that!" I shout, getting restrained by a blue aura this time. "No! Stop it." I shout, fighting against the aura. "Sorry Garrett, but I'll do what my teachers have always done and read this out loud. Ahem... Dear Garrett, it's Sarah, if you're reading this then you still care for me. While it pains me that you are almost never around anymore, I regret to inform you that the Intracranial Hemorrhaging has advanced to an incurable state, I have less than four months to live, and I just want you to know that I love you. You always were my light in the dark. I may not be there for you much longer, but as long as you never forget me then I will always be happy. "It means the world to me that you never forget, that's why I enchanted your ring, while I could've used the money for something more important, like my treatment, I'd rater see you happy than worried. I wish it could've been our wedding rings, but I could only afford to enchant the ring I gave you at our wedding anniversary, the shadowcast one. I know you'll be mad that I used the money for that over getting my condition cured, but it meant so much to me. I only want you happy, and seeing that smile on your face when we're together made me the happiest person in the world, it's a shame that I won't be there to see it much longer. My only request is that you never cry, frown, or get upset. I may not have much time left on this planet, but that doesn't mean that I have to be miserable, nor should you. Please, for me, just remember me as your wife and continue to be my light in the dark." At this point, everyone present was on the verge of tears, and the aura holding me down had faded away, I noticed where Twilight's eyes were, the last message on the page. "Mortis ut partis." I say, causing the girls to look at me, "It means 'Death to us Part' the last words I ever heard from Sarah." I say, causing everyone gathered to finally crack. I'm embraced by everyone present. "H-How did she... die?" Asks a teary eyed Twilight, I wipe the tears from her eyes before I start to speak. "Have you ever heard of the midnight Minotaur raid?" The girls all nod. "So, how did the raid end?" I say, leaving it open for them to answer. "The most common ending is that a brave soldier used a strange magic and removed the threat from Equestria." Twilight says. "Well, you're half right, I only know this because I was that soldier." The girls all gasp in shock, "That's how Sarah died, and I learned what it meant to truly be blinded by rage." I say regretfully. "How did it happen? If you don't mind telling us, that is." Fluttershy asks. "I can tell you. It was during a full moon on the Midnight Minotaur raid." Flashback, yay. "Celestia, Luna! There's too many of them, we can't hold them off much longer!" "Know your place Grunt. Celestia, what do we do? As much as I hate to admit it, the Grunt's right. The Minotaurs are too powerful, we can't stop them." "Calm yourself Garrett, I'm sure we can think of something we can do." Celestia said. "Wait, you're Garrett, I was told to give this to you by your wife." The Grunt said hesitantly. I took the letter he handed me, and proceeded to read it, before I opened it I saw that the bottom corner was covered in blood. "Why is there a bloodstain on it?" I asked. "Well... I heard a scream come from the direction of your house, when I arrived the house was in shambles. I rushed in to check for survivors, since that's where ponies had taken shelter inside houses. Long story short, I found your wife, bleeding severely, and I offered to help her, but she insisted I gave this to you, along with this." The Grunt said handing me my shadowcast ring, "She said you had to read it first, I do not know if she has gotten medical attention or if it was too late." I took the note from the Grunt and ran back towards my house, when I arrived, it was in shambles. If anyone as inside of it, they were killed by the collapse of the roof. "Garrett! I don't know how to tell you, but it's Sarah, she... She didn't make it. The medic said defeated. The next thing I knew, I was angry no, furious, and I wanted Revenge, I saw the Minotaur leader heading towards the castle. All I remember after that was being surrounded in a pitch black aura, my hair turned white and my eyes changed color. "Ironhide!" I roared, the fear that formed in place of his usually stoic demeanor was priceless. "Why'd you stop telling the story?" Pinkie asks. "Because the textbooks can tell you how Ironhide ended up, but for an abridged version; I ripped his arms off impaled them on his horns, pulled his tail off, pulling out a few vertebrae in the process, then I ripped his torso off at the waist, letting him bleed out in unbearable agony. Any Minotaur that stayed behind met the same fate as Ironhide, all this happened because of the downside of Lunarkinesis." I say, trying to suppress the memory of killing hundreds of people single handily. "What is the downside? You can merge with shadows and create tiny spheres that can knock fully grown alicorns!" "Well Rainbow, lets say I missed and I was using the Lunar Impact. I'd be hit with a backlash that would break several bones in my body. I can only heal myself and others during a full moon, anger causes a self destructive form of it. By that I mean I'd be killing myself the longer I'm using the hybridized Lunarkinesis." Silencing Rainbow Dash instantly. "Well, I was going to answer your questions, and my response was going to be this, I'll treat it on a level of trust, the more I trust one of you the better off you'll be, and the opposite for the less I trust you. Sound fair?" I ask, earning nods from everyone, "Good, Now everyone here has a total of zero, except Twilight, You've got a negative score, because you read something of mine you weren't meant to." Twilight nods her head shamefully. "Now then, lets go home, and try to have a good day tomorrow, s'alright? S'alright." I say standing up and walking back into my room and closing the door. I lean against the door so I can hear what they're saying, as clearly as I can. "Alright, I'll see you girls tomorrow. And Applejack, you said you needed my help tomorrow?" Twilight says to the girls. "Yessire! Ah needed yer help with assistin' me win a bet against my brother Big Mac!" "Bye Twilight, see you tomorrow." The others say as they leave through the library door. "Alright, Spike take a letter. Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that sometimes it's best to keep secrets from others, because you probably have a reason for keeping them. The problem arises when you try to press the issue and you learn something you weren't supposed to know. This can lead to turmoil and distrust amongst friends and even destroy friendships, but maybe they can help strengthen the bonds of friendship between you and your friends. Ok, send it. Yes I'm sure. I know it sucks, just send it Spike." I hear Twilight huff as I shake my head and snort at her simplistic view on life, but is it so bad to view life that way? I shake off my thoughts as I push my bed over to the right, revealing a circle on the floor with a meditative symbol drawn into the middle. I sit down in the middle of the circle and close my eyes, clearing my mind of any distractions "Ok Twilight, lets see why you hide." I say as the circle begins to faintly glow. Author's Note This chapter was a bitch, I wanted it to be almost perfect (or damn near) and I restarted once out of frustration, another due to a corrupt hard drive, and a third time because it just sucked. The term used to describe a black colored ring is shadowcast. I know this is short, and I'm going to get dislikes for it, but I needed to get something done to keep up with my schedule, so please go 'somewhat' easy on the dislikes. This is just a little fun filler chapter before 'The Ticket Master' I don't know if I should do filler every other chapter, every now and then. You guys decide, or don't. The "Scores" for everyone Twilight: -30 Rainbow: 0 Pinkie Pie: 0 Fluttershy: 0 Rarity: 0 Applejack: 0 Spike: 0 Mind Games and Ticket ScreamsAuthor's Note Just a nice chapter to reintroduce the shows plot line and further some character development. I think I did decently enough on this one, what do you guys think? Constructive criticism is welcomed. Aside from from character development of Twilight and Garrett in this chapter, who should be further developed in the next chapter? Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, or Fluttershy? Hell, I'll even develop a background character. In Flanders Fields is a poem taken from Gen. John McCrae in 1915. All rights reserved, under the fair use act of 1976. Fact Corner! Y'all't'nt is a southern contraction that means 'y'all two won't'. This chapter contained little to no mention of tickets. Start rioting and whining later. Also yay, new chapter. Sorry if it doesn't live up to your expectations, but I almost didn't return to this, so at least I haven't abandoned it. (I also expect a few dislikes, but so long as this has more likes, I'm happy) Mind Games and Ticket Screams "Alright Twilight, lets have a nice little talk." I say as I walk over to my bed, sliding it to the left, revealing a symbol inside a circle on the floor. This symbol had a large four-pronged star with a small black circle just above each point, a smaller four-pronged star with it's points being half the length of the original star again, just like the first one, this star has circles above it's points, next, it has small spikes betwixt each point of the stars each new spike is the same length as the small star (but without the small circles above the points), and finally there is a small white circle in the middle of the symbol to give it a shuriken appearance. I turn towards the dresser that was next to the bed, and open the top drawer. Inside sits a box of tea lights. I grab the box and place a candle down on each circle surrounding the symbol, I then light the candles and sit down inside the circle. Once I sit down, I start to meditate and begin citing an incantation silently. "I pledge my soul to the gods, may they link my soul to magic's, and hers to mine." I say as the flames of the candles start to glow vibrantly. My eyes glow white as the ritual finishes. The next thing I know is that I'm back in the library, and Twilight is back on the couch reading a book by the flickering of a candle light. While I know this is her dream, I don't want to just barge in and startle her. I need to think about this creatively; how do I go about this... Duh, it's a dream, I can take any form I want to, travel where I want, or change what I want. Picking the best option, I shift my location from in front of my room just outside of the door to the library. 'Right, here hope this works.' I mentally say as I reach my right hand up and deliver three quick rapts on the door just above the decorative doorknocker. "Come in." I hear Twilight say from inside the library, following her instruction I turn the golden doorknob and pull the door open. I walk in quickly and let the door swing shut behind me. "Hello there. Welcome to the Golden Oaks Library, you're welcome to browse or read whatever you'd like." Twilight says not looking up from the book she's reading. "Thank you Twilight, I've always wondered what Equestrians considered as literature." I say as I walk over to what I hope is the history section. "How did you know my name? I never told you it before in my life." Twilight asks in surprise. "Look at my eyes, tell me you don't recognize me." I say as I turn back to Twilight. She squints her eyes and walks over to me, her book held in her magical aura. "Garrett?" She asks, soon after, realization hits her, "Garrett! Why are here?! You were turned back into stone because you were no longer needed to protect the elements." She practically shouts. "Calm down Twilight, this is just a dream. Well, it's your dream, I'm just here because I wanted to talk to you." "So you're not a statue?" "No Twilight, I'm not a statue. As for my visit, I know you don't trust me, but I have to trust you. So to alleviate this issue I decided we'll do a basic information exchange. Pick a subject and that's what we'll discuss." I tell Twilight. "Alright." Twilight says skeptically, "I want to see how well you know you're Equestrian history, Starswirl the Bearded to precise." She says triumphantly. "Ask away." I respond passively. "First question, What is Starswirl known for creating?" "The Amniomorphic Spell, or was it the Time travel spell?" I respond getting a slight gasp from Twilight, "Hold on... 22 bells, named for his beard and cape, his exact words upon getting his famous hat were and I quote, "This is the hattiest hat to ever hat!" and finally, Starswirl existed before my time. He must of passed on during my imprisonment." "Oh, well let's say that I believe you're actually Garrett, how are you here?" Twilight asks. I pause for a moment, bringing my left hand to my chin resting my elbow in my right hand. I think about how to prove I'm myself to Twilight. "Oh!" I exclaim while snapping my fingers for emphasis, "Take a look at this. When you get the chance to, look on my left hand and you'll see this symbol on my palm." I say showing her the symbol engraved on my hand. The symbol on my hand is the same as the one on the floor under my bed. "What's so special about a symbol on your... hand?" Twilight says before gasping in shock, "T-that symbol! Only Equestrian royalty use symbols like that! So that means... Garrett! How are you here?! Why are you here?!" I stop her ramblings from beginning by raising my hand up to ask her to stop. "I'm here because [for tonight only] we're linked meaning I can enter, and leave, your mind at will. As for the why, that's simply due to the fact that I might as well get to know the person I'm assigned to protect." I explain hoping it would put Twilight at ease... It didn't, not one bit. "You could've asked first! Did you even think about what would happen if I wake up?!" "Yes Twilight, this form would disintegrate, along with this dream. I'd awaken back in my room at the library, and you'd awaken back in your bed. All I ask is that you provide me with some information about yourself, then I shall be satisfied." I say calmly "After I give you what you want, do you promise to never enter my head, or my friends head's, ever again?" "I can not promise that. How else should I learn whom I'm assigned to protect?" I ask politely, "Anyways, the only information I require is simple but precise. That is simply who are you? Who is the one behind the name Twilight Sparkle? Who are you really? I don't need the answer tomorrow, or today. I just need it before I rotate to the next house in two weeks." I drone, making sure she understands what I mean. "Who am I? I'm me! The Element of Magic, personal student to Princess Celestia! I know who I am, but who are you?!" She shouts in retaliation. As she does this, the library starts to crumble around us, cracks forming on the walls and some of the bookshelves collapse in heaps on the floor. "I am myself. Who I am however, that is still unknown. I know not who I am completely. All I do know is that I am damaged, broken beyond repair and of very little use. So I ask again, who are you? Who are you behind the mask you wear?!" I shout, as the library continues to crumble around us. "Now I shall take my leave, and will be waiting for your answer to my question." With that, I activate the symbol on my hand and dissipate my mental projection, leaving Twilight alone in the collapsing dream. *gasp*......"Last time I do that for awhile. Anyways, lets see if Twilight is awake yet." I say beginning to stand up, only to collapse onto the ground."Hnng! Never mind, I'll just... Wait here for all of today." I groan. Bad thing about using Lunarkinesis is that it leaves me completely drained. I grunt as I pull myself over the dresser nearest me. 'Why does this room have three dressers?' I mentally ponder as I reach for the handle on the bottom drawer. "Alright, I've just gotta reach..." I say strained and labored," Got it!" I shout in glee over my small achievement. With a bit of work, falling, and swearing a lot, I finally got myself standing (leaning) against the dresser. "Now... What to do, what to do? Oh I know! Breakfast. I haven't eaten in over a thousand years. Is bacon still a thing?" I ask as I shakily walk towards the door back to the library. After fumbling around for what seemed like an eternity, I was able to reach, and open, the door. Much to my surprise, amusement to others, the door was pull, and pull I did. I pulled the open so fast I lost balance and fell forwards head first onto the floor, sprawling out sideways. I roll myself onto my back and look over to the stairs to see Twilight walking down them. "Oh my gosh Garrett! Are you alright, did you fall?" Twilight asks concerned. "No... I attacked the floor." I reply sarcastically. "Backwards?" She asks skeptically. I open my mouth to respond but I pause, thinking of how to respond. "....I'm skilled." I reply after careful consideration of how to respond. Twilight groans at my response, I can only give her the biggest shit eating grin I can make before I try to stand up again. Failing to do so, I opt for sitting with my back against the wall, with one leg bent and my arm resting on it. "Actually, Twilight, per your earlier question, I'm not alright. Using that dream walking ability used up what little reserves of energy I had left in me. In other words, can you be my literal crutch until tonight, please?" I ask sheepishly. "On one condition." I groan inwardly at the infinite possibilities of this 'one condition', "You have to go with me to meet Applejack today. You also have to 'carry your own weight' as it were." Twilight says smiling, clearly hoping I'd deny her terms and just stay here. "Alright, you've got a deal." I say smugly, unaware of what I just got myself into. "Excellent!" Twilight beams as she envelopes me in her magical aura, "We can go there right now." She says just before teleporting us both. We leave the library with a flash and a loud pop. I catch a glimpse of a door beginning to open right before my vision is filled with magenta light. "Hey guys, are you ready to go to Applejack's? ... Anypony? God dammit." "Twilight, I can't thank you enough for this. I really mean it, if there's any way I can repay you, just name it and I'll do it." I say while using Twilight as a crutch. "Well." She grunts, "You can start by not overexerting yourself like you did. I'd also like to see a demonstration of each ability you are able to perform using your Lunarkinesis, understood?" Twilight states through labored breaths, I don't blame her, if I had to not only hold someone up from falling and had their arm draped over my shoulders, I would scream. Not out loud of course, but mentally. "Those are terms I can agree to, now, forgive me for what I'm about to do." I say solemnly. "What d-" Twilight barely gets out before I not only purposefully drop onto the ground, but I drag her down with me. I did not use that much force, but it was face first. "Garrett!" She yells in anger, to prevent this from escalating further, I place my hand on the center of her back, where the shoulder blades meet the spine. I begin to perform a siphon of sorts, where I absorb the anger, hatred, doubt, and other negative emotions she's experiencing right now to energize myself. "I said forgive me, but I had to do this. At least I was able to siphon enough of your negative emotions to energize myself." I grunt as I stand up and do a quick stretch. "If you ever do that to me again, I will punish you personally and severely. Am I understood?" Twilight says darkly. "Understood, now then," I say doing a quick stretch, "didn't we have to go help Applesack?" I ask. "It's Applejack, and yes. Enough dawdling, we were supposed to be there by now." Twilight says walking swiftly. She's a magi, why doesn't she teleport? Eh, must not be powerful enough to do that yet. 'Weird.' I ponder seeing as how she had no problem when facing off against Nightmare Moon. "Garrett, come on! We'll be too late if you keep waiting around like that." Twilight yells from up ahead. I shake my head quickly and run up to Twilight. She slowed down to a walk so I could catch up to her. 'Didn't need to do that, I'd have caught up just fine.' "You know Twi, can I call you Twi? Anyways, you need to slow down, relax. You're yet still young, enjoy life while it's here." I say after I catch up to Twilight. She looks confused as she continues walking, that or she ignored what I said. "*sigh* Twilight, I want you to look around you, what do you see? Life, it's everywhere, but it doesn't last long for most things. How old are you? It serves no purpose to lie, I'm only going to prove a point." I say as we walk down the dirt road to Applejack's place. we walk in relative silence as Twilight thinks about my question, the breeze is a welcome change. It dampens the crackling heat of the morning sun and blows leaves off of the trees and carries them away on their formal dance of flight. As I'm admiring the beauty of the country side, Twilight eventually groans. "Fine! If it's just to prove a point, I'm twenty five and a half years old, happy?" She says fuming in silent anger. "I'm almost never happy. To compare our ages, I'm physically sixteen years old, but my actual age in the thousands. Humans can only live to be 85-95 years old, whereas ponies can live to be only 60-75 years old. There are exceptions to every rule, but you're in the prime of your life. So take it slow and enjoy what fate has given you." I say calmly as I turn to face her. I start walking backwards as I start to talk. "And what's that, the world shittiest pep-talk?" Twilight asks sarcastically. I laugh and shake my head. "No my dear, it has given you the greatest gift of all... The gift of life. Think about what I have said here today, when we get back to the library, we can discuss things further." I state, turning around again and walking forwards. After a rather enjoyable walk, we finally reach Applejack's humble abode, Sweet Apple Acres. I look around and see row after row of apples, seeing as I hadn't eaten breakfast today, I reached an arm up to the tree nearby us, and picked myself an apple 'They won't miss one apple.' I think, as I remove the apple from the tree. "Come now Twilight, your friend is probably waiting for us as we speak." I say biting into the apple, goddamn was this thing sweet, I never knew apples could taste so good. Twilight and I walk down the main road to the orchard and stop in front of an old tattered barn. I kept looking around the dilapidated state of the orchard, tools are broken, the plow is rusted, barn roof is caving in, and the well in front of the barn has all but collapsed. "Come on Twilight, let's go find Applejack." I say flatly as I turn away from the poor state of the farm. She also had the same idea as she started to walk away from the farm. "Cheer up Twilight, I'm sure we can find someway to help out here." I say encouragingly. She nods as we continue walking, her distraught-ness state of mind is interrupted when we hear a familiar voice howling in excitement. "There y'all are! Was certain y'all weren't 'bout ta show up, glad y'all came when ya did! Ah've got jus' enough work fer y'all't'nt be idly dawdling around. Fortunately fer y'all, Ah'll be helpin buck the rest of the eastern orchard. If'n we hurry on up y'all might get a reward fer the trouble." Applejack yells beckoning us towards her. We both walk towards her slightly confused. "What's troublin' y'all now? Oh right! Ah said reward, ya see Big Mac made a bet with me that if I was able to buck the entire east orchard by this evening, then he'd put on one of Grannies old girdles, and walk down stirrup street!" She finishes with a laugh. "Don't celebrate now Aj, I can call you that, right? Anyways, bets like this go both ways, so if you lose, then you would be the one wearing the girdle." I say matter-of-factually. Her look of confidence leaves her face immediately. "Aw crap! Ah didn't realize that! Please, y'all have ta' help me. Ah'll do anything, just don' let me wind up in a girdle!" Applejack pleads. Not wanting to se a proud farm girl, er farm mare, start bawling her eyes out, I decide for Twilight and myself. "Fine, we'll help you. Just stop your groveling, it's rather unbecoming of a proud mare like yourself. You said buck the apple trees, as in kicking them?" I ask hesitantly. "Exactly like that, why d'you ask?" "I was just curious, and as much as I'd like to help, muscle wise, I'm only as strong as a newborn foal. But somehow a human baby is pound-for-pound stronger than a fully grown ox." I start rambling at the end of my sentence, "Anyways, I might be a big help in this instance, but I'll do what I can. Twilight... You can just use magic, so... Go nuts! Levitate every apple off of the trees so we'll be done quicker!" I shout to them as I start running off towards my 'self delegated' section of the orchard. Once I'm far enough away from them, I find a sturdy looking tree and climb up to its canopy. Once I'm there, I nestle back into a comfy looking nook, and fall asleep almost instantly. "Garrett! Where are you Garrett!" I hear, bringing me out of my pleasurable slumber. Glancing around, and see all of the trees barren of their apples. "Where in tarnation did y'all scamper off to!" I hear Applejack call from my left, deciding to not be a bother any further, I decide to make my whereabouts known. "Up here young Applejack." I say getting her attention. She turns to my direction, and looks up. I decide to jump out of the tree, and land in front of Applejack, startling her and nearly making her fall backwards. "There y'all are. We've been looking fer ya since noon. Twi had little ol' Spike search the orchard fer ya. Now c'mere, lets get y'all back to the farm house fer lunch. Twilight said she had important news to tell you when she saw you." Applejack says grabbing my hand and dragging me back towards the farmhouse. After my futile attempts to get out of her grip, we eventually returned to the barn and a distraught Twilight. I decide to still my tongue and wait for her to speak first. "Garrett... Do you know how long I had Spike and Applejack searching for you? Longer than needed, I almost wrote a letter to the princesses saying I lost you. So please, from now on, let me know where you're going to go." She says in a disappointed tone. "As you wish m'lady. What of this news you wished my ear for?" I respond. "Oh right!" Her does a quick 180. "I got a letter from Princess Celestia, it was talking a bout the Grand Galloping Gala, a very famous event that I'm cordially invited to, and I get to bring one guest with me. Are you interested?" "Sorry to say, but I've already gotten that invitation, denied the RSVP. If I went it would only work and kissing up to the uppity nobles whom all think they should be royalty. Bastards demand treatment as such most of the time. However, Luna all but demands I have to be there." I reply. Twilight and Applejack look at me confused. "Let me explain. Luna is the princess I serve under, so she's like my boss. The boss said that if she has to go, I have to go.Understand my resentment now?" They both nod. "Good, now about that spare ticket. Have you any idea of whom you shall entourage with?" I ask courtly. If I'm going to this damn thing, better brush up on the rules of chivalry. "I haven't the foggiest idea of who to take." "Ya jus' have ta take me Twi! Why, Ah could sell the Apple family products to the people of Canterlot. Ah'll be able to bring enough revenue and profit to finally fix up this here farm. Ah'll be able to fix the ol' plow, an even Granny Smith's saggy ol' hip. Please Twi, you jus gotta take me." I'll admit, the delivery was a bit bizarre, but the intentions were pure. "Did you say the Grand Galloping Gala?!" Rainbow Dash asks while crashing into the ground. "If you give me the ticket, I can finally meet my idols and show them my stuff." "Ms. Dash, the idols of yours. Who are they?" I ask, stopping Applejack from escalating things. "What?! Have you been living under a rock or something!" I just give her a passing glance. "Oh, oops. Anyways, my idols are the Wonderbolts. They're the best fliers to come out of cloudsdale, and the Grand Galloping Gala is the perfect opportunity to wow them. If I perform well enough, they might even let me join them on the spot." Rainbow boasts. That's not really worth trip to Canterlot over. Sorry, letting my bias get in my way, but even then, I'm sure I could just get her a personal meet'n'greet with her heroes. Why does the name Wonderbolts sound so familiar? I'll ask Luna about it later. "Wow. Those are both pretty good reasons, let me go think about it over lunch. I told Spike he could have a treat today since he's been such a big help. Garrett!" Twilight yells as she starts running down the dirt path towards town. 'she's charging a teleport out of panic?' I think to myself. Before I sprint off after her, I decide to taunt Applejack and Rainbow a little. "Oh, don't forget about this you lovebirds." I say holding a ticket in my left hand, "Twilight might give it to someone else." I say before turning and sprinting down the dirt path. After a long and refreshing run down the path, I rejoin Twilight and Spike at an outdoor cafe. Once I get within vocal range, I call out to them. "Hey guys! Can I trouble you two for the company?" I ask. They both nod and I sit down next to them. "Garrett, do you ever have to make choices that can hurt people close to you?" I give her an 'are you serious' look. "Right, sorry. Then, how do you know if it's the right choice or not?" Twilight asks sorrowfully, placing her head on the table. "Twilight, the decision you make here today, so long as it's an honest choice from the heart, I'm sure your friends will understand and accept your choice." I tell her, while I pet her head with my right hand. I decide to pick up a menu with my free hand. "Waiter! Can I have the Bloody Mary on rocks, crushed if you please." I say to the nearby waiter, who takes my order down and looks at me curiously, as do Spike and Twilight. "What? Lets be real here, I'm a lunar guard. You two are lucky I'm even awake right now, so I'm gonna treat myself and see if your alcohol is anything to scoff at. Sue me." I say leaning my back against the table. "That aside, don't you think you could rephrase your sentence a bit dude? I don't think it had your intended impact." Spike says gesturing to Twilight. I was about to respond, but the waiter brought out a flower petal sandwich, deep fried hay, and the only thing I recognized, a Bloody Mary. "Here you are, enjoy your meal." As soon as he finished his statement, I took an immediate swig of my drink, and the result was flavorful but underwhelming. It wasn't as potent as I'm used to. I also took note of the clouds forming in the sky. I stand up, push my stool in, and grab my drink. "Where are you going?" "Inside my friend. It's about to, how-do-you-say, shit storm." I say pointing upwards. As if on que, the heavens opened up and the downpour started. "Um Ms.? Are you going to be eating your food in the rain?" The waiter asks Twilight. "What do you mean? It isn't raining." She looks around, to find herself in a little circle of sunlight. She looks up with a scowl on her face. "Rainbow Dash. What's the meaning of this?" Twilight asks, clearly annoyed. I decide to not stick around for the impending train wreck. So I simply flair up a small barrier made of pure energy. The white crackling Lunarkinetic energy field should be enough to protect me from the rain long enough to get to the library, but first. "Twilight, where are you keeping your extra ticket?" I ask her, interrupting her talk with Rainbow. "Does it look like I have pockets? It'sin my bra." "That's what I thought" "Why'd you want to know th-AH! Weird, still why'd you want to know... How'd you get that?" Twilight asks as I show her the ticket I stole using Lunarkinesis. "Magic. But for now, I'm just going to hold onto this. I have a letter to write. Care to come with me?" I offer. "Yes, you don't know how relentless my friends have been trying to get that ticket." Twilight sighs while walking alongside me. I have some idea, well one of those ideas is my boss, so I guess I have the level ground. "Twilight, Take my hand." I tell her, apparently this must be something big, because she started furiously blushing. "This is something humans do sometimes, and besides, I'm only going to transfer my Lunarkinetic shield to you, since you don't have an umbrella. Call it my act of kindness for the year. She hesitantly grabs my hand, and promptly recoils it when an unknown white crackling energy starts to envelop her hand. She even starts panicking and tries patting herself down trying to stop it. "Calm down young one, that's just a small bit of Lunarkinesis. I merely created a small shield to protect you from the rain. However, it only lasts for around thirty minutes, so let us depart for the library post haste." I tell her as I start to walk in the direction of the library, leaving a flustered Twilight behind at the cafe. When I look back at her, I see her walking behind me a fair distance, and Spike walking right behind me. "Did you have to do that? It took me forever to get used to other ponies, now we're probably back to square one again." He says disappointingly. I take this moment to ask a question I meant to ask earlier. "Tell me, Spike, what did she mean her friends are relentlessly asking her for this extra ticket? I only know of Rainbow and Applejack. One of those two has a good reason, she's just emphasizing it incorrectly." I ask Spike. We walk a little ways in silence, I keep looking back at Twilight, no longer blushing profusely, but intensely studying the Lunarkinetic field. When I look back ahead of me, I see the library come into view. "Well, Aj and Rainbow know shortcuts throughout the town, so they got back long before you did. But, along with, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, Twilight's been at wits end. Now I want to know something." I nod my head. "What do you plan to do once we walk inside the library, knowing full well that you could be jumped at any time." I ponder his words carefully before responding. "I pan on writing a letter, that, or I'll just bring her friends together and let her decide once and for all which of them should go with her to Gala." I tell him firmly. He nods in agreement, and drops back to see Twilight. I don't hesitate, and instead quicken my pace towards the library. I pass by a small selection of vendors, street performers, and even a peculiar building modeled after a carousel. Making a mental note to visit that place later, I find myself at the door to the library, Spike and Twilight a fair distance behind. Deciding it best to wait, and making sure nobody can hear me, I pass the moment by through a song I used to sing for myself when I was alone in the gardens. I take a slight breath, clear my head, and start singing the first verse in a melodic baritone voice. "In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, The dead were loved, and now we lie In Flanders Fields, in Flanders fields And now we lie in Flanders Fields. "Garrett that was beautiful! Who knew you could sing like that. But why did that song feel so upsetting?" Twilight asks. I jump in shock at the sudden appearance of Twilight and Spike. "How much of that did you hear?" I ask, praying that they only heard the ending. "From when you mentioned the larks flying. Why do you ask?" I sigh, as I look towards the setting sun. "I'd have hoped you heard much less. That song is something I sing to myself when I'm alone. The emotions used in the song are enough to fully charge my power reserves. At least promise to not tall anyone about that song. I don't need any of you looking into the meaning of it." They both nod hesitantly. That's the best I can do I suppose. I turn around and grab a hold of the door handle and turn. The handle clicks as the door opens, and the frame creaks as the door is pushed into the dimly lit library. Dimly lit? I question. Twilight wastes no time in entering her house, not question why the lights are off. "I've had such a challenging day to day, I can't wait to sit down with a good book, and read to my hearts content." She says, casually. She illuminates her hand in a purple aura, and soon after, a switch on the wall illuminates in the same sparkling purple aura. I hear a small click as Spike and I enter the library, followed by a flash of light. I bring my arm up to shield my eyes from the sudden lights. When I bring my arm down, I see Twilight glaring at her friends, each of them looking at her expectantly. "Ugh, I give up! You girls have been hounding me all day, all for this one extra ticket! " Twilight says with malice at the end. "look Twi, if it annoys ya so much, Ah'll give up mah chance fer the ticket. Ah'd hate to see you upset." Applejack says. Walking over to comfort Twilight "Yes dear, we had no idea how much we were forcing your ourselves onto you. So I'll give up my chance to live out my dreams as well." Rarity says regretfully. She to walks over Twilight, only she brings her into a hug. "Yep yep yep. I'd hate to see anypony frown, especially one of my best friends." Pinkie Pie blurts out. joining the hug. "I'll give out my ticket to. I'm sure there'll be other chances to visit the castle gardens." Fluttershy mutters out from the large group sitting on the couch by the statue in the center of the room. Now all that remains is... Rainbow Dash. "Yes! That means the ticket is mine. Uh-huh, uh-huh, I'm awesome." She pauses after seeing the glares from her friends. "Heh, I mean." She lands in front of Twilight, "If you're not going, I ain't going. Plain and simple." She finishes. And her I though I'd have to interfere with the situation, I guess there's still things I can learn. "Well then, Garrett. Can I have that ticket you stole off of me." I hand Twilight the ticket I stole from her bra. She blushes as I hand he the ticket. She looks at Spike, who pulls a quill and sheet of parchment out of a pocket of his hoodie. "Dear Princess Celestia, I regretfully inform you that I will not be attending the Grand Galloping Gala. While I would have liked to go, I couldn't choose just one of my friends to take with me, please understand that a decision like that is one I just can't make. So, I'm returning both of the tickets you sent me, I'm sure you understand my position on this issue. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Did you get all of that Spike?" Twilight asks, finally freeing herself from the group hug. "Sparkle, got it. I'll send it right away." What happens next was a first for me. Spike blew a small ball of shimmering emerald flame onto the parchment. Look on in astute wonder, and as soon as the smoke created snaked its way out of the window above the loft, I turned back to Twilight, confusion evident on my facade. "Oh right! Garrett, Spike is a drake, as you know, but he is also psychically connected to her. So when he breaths fire on anything that he writes, it gets sent to the Princess. Once she's received it, she sometimes sends letters back. Look at how late it is! Sorry everyone, I've got to get Spike to bed. See you all tomorrow." Twilight says, getting wrapped inside another group hug. Spike sticks out his tongue and holds one of his claws in front of it. I assume he's making a gagging symbol. It doesn't last long, as he suddenly turns pale and his cheeks puff up. "Now would ya look at that, spoken like a true boy. Can't handle anything emotional." Applejack starts, but is cut off when Spike burps out a thin lilac cloud. "Whoa Nelly!" Applejack shouts in shock, as she ducks to avoid the cloud. Her hat even leaves her head. The cloud then starts to swirl into a spherical shape before transforming into a scroll. Spike catches the scroll and opens it up, reading the words written on it aloud. "My dear student, I respect your decision, but why didn't you say something earlier. If I had know it was such a difficult choice for you, I'd have never put you in that position in the first place. So to compensate for the troubles I've caused you, I have enclosed seven tickets to the Gala in this letter. Please enjoy yourself until the Gala. With love, Princess Celestia." Spike finishes, holding seven tickets to the Gala. He holds them above his head, where they are covered in a purple aura and distributed to each person present in the room. Spike looks at me curiously, wondering why I didn't get a ticket. I just look at him and smile warmly, as if to tell him not to worry. I look back to the group and see them all walking out of the door,each one waving the ticket around in a boastful manner. I wave them off and sit down on the couch. I grab a nearby book, "A History of Equestria; Volume 2", and start reading. "Garrett, aren't you going to say good bye to everyone?" Twilight asks me, breaking my concentration on the book. "I hope you all have a wonderful night, and may tomorrow bring new adventures for us as well." I say waving them off. I quickly get back into my book, I decide to skip the part about the Minotaur raid, and the fall of Nightmare Moon. 'Rise of the Solar Empire?' looks interesting, I guess I'll start here. "Twilight, I'm going to my room to do some reading." I exclaim, as I walk towards my little hole in the wall I call a room, well it's got a desk, and a bed, guess that's all I really need. "Alright, just make sure you're up in time to go shopping with me. We also need to stop at the Carousel Boutique, and Sugar Cube Corner around noon." Twilight replies. I make a mental note about tomorrow as I open the door to my room. Let the door fall shut behind me, as I walk through to my bed. I lay down, and light a nearby candle. Once the flame is lit, I begin to read its contents aloud. "Following the unfortunate banishment of Princess Luna, Princess Celestia took it upon herself to perform both royal duties of raising the sun and moon. As the years progressed, she learned how to perform both tasks without a passing thought, having them engraved in her mind so firmly, she could perform the tasks whilst in her sleep. But the solar princess grew tired of the castle, seeing any part of it filled her with unimaginable grief and sorrow." I pause, turning the page. I see that there's a picture depicting her raising, and lowering, the sun and moon. The picture was done in a mosaic format, and took up both of the pages. I turn to the next page and am met a formally stylized number one. "Moving from the Everfree." I read, "The decision to change the location of the capital from the Everfree to Canterlot was made just one year after Luna's banishment. Celestia decided that the nearby mountain range was the best strategic location for the new capital. Contrary to popular belief, the castle was not built overnight, in fact, when construction first began, all that was there were a few tents and a large great hall built just for her majesty." I stop reading and close the book. 'I'll just have to read more tomorrow, and it's getting late. I also promised Twilight that I'd go with her. I need to stop doing things like that.' I think to myself as I blow out the candle. The room is engulfed in total darkness, despite this, I move the bed effortlessly, and sit down in the circle I drew underneath it. 'Well, might as well see if I can help Luna with her dream walking. I've got nothing better to do anyways.' I groan inwardly. I start muttering the activation chant, and offer a quarter of my energy to supply the spell with. When I open my eyes, the symbol was alight and pulsating. I smirk, knowing that Luna has accepted my offer to help her. I empty my mind, and as I close my eyes, the world goes blank.
Resurgence'It's always the same things over and over, repeating in my mind for centuries. At first I could ignore them but now, as a statue, I can't ignore them any longer. Maybe I don't belong, maybe the Princess of the Sun should've finished me when she had the chance. I'm to chaotic for this world, but then there's no balance, to have harmony you need disharmony. To have order you need chaos. This world might be the exception, maintaining perfect balance for a millennia. Now I'm here, the last human on the planet Equus. Biding my time until my eventual release, only question is; What am I going to do with my new found freedom? Do I seek to amend my wrong doings of the past, or do I take vengeance on the one who locked me in this stone tomb? Only time will tell, and with it, an answer. "I've waited so long for your return, I only have hope that you'll listen to reason." A voice says to a statue of a human, "Princess Lu-no, Nightmare Moon is returning, and I need your help to stop her. My student says she's going to try and defeat her using the Elements of Harmony. We both know that unless she can represent the values of each element, or she finds other ponies who exhibit the qualities of the Elements, then the night will last forever. Please, I need you to help me. If not for me, then help and free Luna." The statue's mortar begins cracking. "You listened!", The voice says shocked, "You heard right, if Luna stays attached to Nightmare Moon for too long then she'll become so corrupted that the Elements won't separate her from the darkness. Meaning that, and I deeply regret this, more so than you, Luna will perish if the Elements are used against her!" The mortar cracks even more, nearly reaching the statue's head. "Please, I don't want to lose her again, it was hard enough the first time because it was my fault. Do not let her death be your fault, I know you would try and save her! So, DO IT!" The voice shouts is exasperation. The statue responds by cracking entirely, and releasing a magnificent electric blue light. When the light fades, a human is left standing there, standing at about 6'2" tall and wearing a black t-shirt with blue jeans on. It also has on brown boots and a black hoodie with the hood up, covering its eyes. "Celestia. It's good to see you again, but I believe you needed me?" The creature asks, standing upright revealing its full height of around 6'4" tall. It reaches up to its hood and pulls it down revealing a handsome looking man, with Blonde hair and Electric Blue eyes and whitish tanish skin. "Yes Garrett. I need you to report to ponyville and assist my personal student, Twilight Sparkle, in her quest to find the Elements of Harmony, well that's your job. Hers is to make some friends and learn the magic of friendship. None the less, you are to watch from the shadows, and only intervene if Nightmare Moon makes an appearance. Also, only use your lunarkinesis if it's absolutely necessary." Celestia finishes. "Normally I'd decline, but since my superior isn't here, as you wish, it shall be done." Garrett says giving a salute before turning around. "Wait, Garrett. I could just send you there myself, otherwise you'll never make it there on time." Garrett puts a hand up to his chin in thought, before nodding to Celestia in approval. She charges her horn for a few seconds, and points it at Garrett. She sends a small sphere of energy at him that, upon hitting, exploded outward in a blinding white light. The gardens only occupants shield their eyes, and once the light clears, only one Princess Celestia is left standing alone in the Gardens. A scorch mark left where the human once stood. "Hurry Garrett. Keep Equestria safe." Celestia says, unaware of the black tendril advancing upon her. "Mwuhahahahaha! This is going to be easy." Author's Note This story is my first total canon fucking, while SCP-[RETRACTED] is entering the canon universe, this one's fucking the series from the start. I'm also trying cliff hangers, either by suspense, or by speech. I was digging through my future story list and this came up, along with one for the Count of Monte Cristo, but that will come at a later date. I can only hope that I please enough people to get at least 5 likes, nothing to crazy, just a goal, that I set for myself on each story I post. What else is there to say, it's the first chapter, so there's not much for me to say, other than my writing style is that of Alexandre Dumas(translated, I'm no good with French names), the author of The Count of Monte Cristo(again, translated). Now that I've put something here can I go now, I've another chapter to work on. Yes! Hit that next button, you don't need to read this any more. Go on, Get! -Phoenix43
Insurgence"God, I never get used to that, even though Luna sent me everywhere like that. Now then, which way is Ponyville." I look around, "Or I guess you could send me inside the building with the most ponies in it. That works." I say as I try and use the shadow walk technique Luna taught me. 'I see why this is meant for pony use, this is taxing work, it must be easier for them to merge into the shadows' I think as I work through exhaustion. It's not easy changing the structure of your entire body from solid, to almost nothing. "I welcome our great ruler of Equestria." 'Luna!' "Princess Celestia!" 'I mean Celestia, Dammit!' [Gasp of a large crowd] "She's gone!" A startled fancy voice says. "Oh no." An uptight, but smart, sounding voice says. Mwahahahahahahaha! A dual toned voice laughs, "Greetings my little ponies." 'Ha she said it!' The voice says as it materializes into the shape of Nightmare Moon. "How I've waited so long for this moment, to see your Sun loving faces again." Nightmare says with enough venom to kill a dragon. "Why aren't you bowing? Is my crown not royal enough for you now that I've been bone the past thousand years. Do any of you know who I am, has nopony seen the signs?" Nightmare questions. "I did!" Uptight voice says, "You're the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon." [insert gasp here] "Very good, and you know what I'm going to do?" Nightmare asks. "Your going...to.[gulping noise]" Uptight begins. "That's right. I hope you enjoyed today's light, because now the night will last, Forever!" Nightmare Shouts as she disappears from the room, just as uptight says, "I've got to find the Elements." and she runs off. "Wait, she knew about the Elements... So, she's Celestia's pupil, a unicorn. Interesting, I call Magic." I say through the shadows. I move through the streets with ease due to the moon creating a dark shroud of cover. I follow Twilight to this tree, which she enters, along with five other ponies. "Ah Fuck it, I obey Luna anyway not Celestia, so sorry, if they panic that's their fault." I say annoyed now that I couldn't confront her one on one. Something about those last few sentences doesn't sound quite right. I find a dark corner of the main lobby and hide there, biding my time. I was about reveal myself then and there but the blue pegasus, with the gay flag of a mane, was putting on quite the entertaining show. "And just what are the Elements of Harmony, huh? Are you a spy?!" The blue pegasus accuses. "The Elements of Harmony, are tools used to purge any being of the darkness in their heart and soul. I say through the shadows. "Who's there?, and how do you know so much about the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight asks. "I've seen so much over my lifetime, empires rise and fall, wars breakout, even Celestia's rise to power. Although; I still think my crowing achievement is watching them get used before my own eyes." I say with respectful venom towards the end. I stay hidden for a little while longer. "Um, excuse me, I was wondering... if you could, maybe, stop scaring me?" *squeak* "That is if you don't mind?" A timid voice says, trying to sound brave, but still full of fear. I take my leave and exit the library, before I re-manifest myself. I put some effort into it as it takes more effort to leave the shadow plain, than to enter it. My hands emerge first, followed by my head and the rest of my body as I pull myself out of the shadows and back into reality. Once I'm out I reach my hands to my hood and pull it off, doing my best to not look intimidating. I knock on the door to the library and wait. "Look, this had better be important, because we're waiting for some...thing to appear, and I've got to stop Nightmare Moon." Twilight answers. 'Damn, I expected her to be wearing jeans, not a purple school girls outfit, with black tights and shoes. Breasts are a bit on the smaller side, but they fit her.' "Hello? What are you staring at?" Twilight demands. "Nothing, but I can help you with your mysterious voice problem, because I'm the voice. Name's Garrett, pleased to meet you. I know where the Elements are at, but you're not going to like it." I say. "Why's that, I bet we could take on any threat you throw at us!" A brash voice says. I walk into the library, and take a look around to find the voices origin, my search end when the voices owner shoots into my face. "I can think of one thing you'll be afraid of." I tell the girl with rainbow hair. She's wearing a jean jacket, with a white shirt under it. She's also wearing a pair of sweatpants and running shoes, the only thing I find odd about her is what sounds like fabric stretching and about to break. I don't want to embarrass her by saying it's coming from her measly A-cups, insinuating she's using something to disguise their actual size. "As if, I'm Rainbow Dash! Nothing scares me!" Rainbow triumphantly declares. "Everfree Forest." I say flatly, seeing all color drain form everybody present, "The Elements of harmony are located inside of the Everfree Forest." "So that's where they are, thank you for being so foalish." Author's Note So the last chapter was short, who cares about that. All I care about is getting these chapters out in a reasonable manner and fashion. Fluttershy's more challenging to write than she seems. I also have decided to make the ponies human, with a few differences, the unicorns use runes etched into their hands allowing them to use magic. The Earth ponies have runes on their thighs and hands, allowing them to access their strength, and access the magic of the Earth. Finally, the Pegasi, they have runes on their backs and hands, allowing them to fly and control the weather. Of course, the Alicorns have all of the runes, and Garrett, Garrett has no runes. Lunarkinesis is a variant of a self taught fighting skill only humans can learn. Side note; The characters keep their colors from the show. Now that I'm done with that, and sense this is the second chapter. You may now let the criticisms fly, constructive or otherwise. I won't care what negative things you say, it only helps me know what to change and what not to change. Also, Cliff Hangers Away!
Allegiance"So, let me get this straight. You know where the Elements of Harmony are, and you're willing to help us for no reason?" Twilight asks. "Yes, well, not really. I only want to see Nightmare pay for what she did. So no more waiting, Let's go find us those Elements!" I say just as I realize something very important, "Before I forget, there's six Elements; Honesty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty, and... and... Fuck! I knew it! Gah!" I shout as I swing my left arm into a nearby bookshelf. I clutch my hand and mutter a long chain of curses in Latin so I don't have to explain what they mean. "Now now dear, don't beat yourself up over that. I'm sure it can't hurt that much, after all, you do look tougher than most ponies do." A posh sounding voice says trying to comfort me. I was about to say something, but Twilight started to leave the library and head towards the Everfree forest. I say nothing and merely walk out and follow her. "Now where do you two think you're going? You can't just leave and wander off into the Everfree Forest, alone, and At Night!" Rainbow Dash shouts. "Simmer down sally, Ah'm sure that this here feller can handle himself. Now how 'bout y'all stop stallin' an go help Twilight. Ah may not know her, but Ah never leave a friend behind! That's the truth!" A farm girl says, wearing a flannel over-shirt, black undershirt, blue jeans, brown boots and gloves, and a stetson sitting atop blonde braided hair. I notice that her build is relatively pear shaped, and very muscular. The rest of the girls nod and follow her into the forest to find Twilight.'Perfect, while they go on their little tirade, I can go and make Nightmare Moon pay for harming Luna.' I think as I begin to morph with the shadows once more. "Ugh. Why did I decide to watch over these ass hats? I don't know them, I'll outlive them, so I don't care for them, yet here I am, watching them like a guardian angel." I hiss through the shadows in fury. I may not like it, but there's definitely something special about those girls. I just can't place a finger on it. I re-manifest myself in a tree perched near a precipice, just barely able to keep the girls in sight. "This looks like a good spot to rest, maybe now we can find out just what we're up against." As soon as Twilight said that, the entire precipice shook, and began to disintegrate where it stood. "Applejack help! I'm slipping!" Twilight shouts over the falling rocks. 'She has magic, why can't she just use it, unless... Oh, that's not good.' I think, dematerializing into shadows and racing over towards the bottom of the precipice. "Hang on sugar cube, Ah'm coming!" Applejack shouts as she activates her runes to hold both her and Twilight in a perpetual state of equilibrium. 'I might have to step in if this gets any worse.' "Twi Ah need ya ta listen to me, Ok." Applejack says, "What Ah need you to do is let go. Ah promise y'all won't be hurt none." She says trying to comfort Twilight. "What?! Are you crazy!? I'll die!" Twilight screams in a frantic state. "No, Ah'm not crazy, an' what Ah'm tellin' ya is the honest truth. Y'all have mah word." Applejack says steadfastly, "Now, let go." Twilight nods and releases her grip on the precipice and Applejack. As she falls she begins to scream, and in a rush, I rematerialize and jump to try and catch her. Just as I'm about to reach her, Rainbow Dash and another avian; a pink haired girl, wearing a yellow sweater, green cargo jeans, light yellow sneakers, and she had beautiful emerald green eyes, swoop in and save grab Twilight just in the nick of time. That pink haired girl, her frame is one of a 'T' shape, not by much, but just enough.' "Um Twilight, you can stop yelling. You're safe now." The pink haired girl says, barely above a whisper. "Oh, hehehe... You can set me down now." Twilight said sheepishly. I groan and begin to refuse into the shadows, but I catch something interesting out of the corner of my eye. I halt my process and make my way towards something I thought I'd never see again. An avian using magic." I say right next to Rainbow Dash who looks to me as if I'd just murdered her family and made her watch. "Relax, I won't tell your secret, but only if you won't tell mine." I say quietly, to which Rainbow frantically nods. "Good, now miss?" "Fluttershy." *squeak* The pink hair girl said, before hiding behind it as a shield of some kind. "Right, well Fluttershy, could you give us some privacy, please? We need to discuss something important." I say and she happily obliges and flies away, "Alright look, to you I'm just a normal non magical being correct?" I ask, earning a nod. "Well, when I enter the shadows, I'm using a form of magic similar to yours, only I can do it. Well, that's true now but back when Celestia and Luna were young, my 'talent' was quite common, not so much now. Long story short, we're quite similar you and I. Heed my advice, or don't. But you've got to stick together with those like you, friends, family, loved ones, it doesn't matter. Just never ever try and play hero because you've got magic and flight on your side." I say before turning around and walking towards the head of the group. [Lazy excuse for a fight] "Alright you six, Nightmare will be expecting us. Twilight, you and your friends go and find the Elements of Harmony. I'll hold off Nightmare Moon as long as I can. Now, GO!" I shout as I jump over Rainbow and Fluttershy, who both were around seven feet above the ground, and merge with the darkness. "You heard the man, let's go save the Sun!" The group gaily cheers as they begin to sprint towards the old and deteriorating castle. "Bene fortunae mi amicae." I say before hastily entering the castle's foyer. I quickly begin my search looking for Nightmare, only to be halted by six cries of pain. I immediately rush towards the group. I eventually reach them, in what appears to be the remnants of the castle's throne room. As soon as I enter I'm greeted to the sight of the girls broken and bloodied. Twilight appeared to have the worst of it; her arms were compound fractured, bones protruding from flesh, and a bleeding skull. Yet despite that, she still stood, defiant of the Nightmare's power, and unfazed by her pain. "Ha! You really think you can defeat me? Don't make me laugh." Nightmare says. Nightmare is Navy Blue, covered in True Blue armor, revealing her cleavage and rump in order to distract her foes. Her figure is an over hourglass, with large breasts and an equally large ass. Not willing to take this any longer I materialize behind her, and succumb to rage. "She may NoT be AblE to, But I cAn!" I say in a pained rage. I catch a slight glimpse of myself in Nightmare's armor. My hair has turned white, my eyes from blue to red, the 'whites' to black. "Oh, and what have we here? A Human!? I thought I'd wiped them all out, no reason to leave the deed unfinished." I say nothing except to raise my right hand. "What do you plan to do with that? I hope you know who you're dealing with!" Before she could say anything else, there's a resounding hard crack heard throughout the throne room, echoing around the halls, sounding of death himself. "You, you hurt me. No one may harm thine visage! Now you shall perish!" Nightmare says as she fires a large midnight beam towards me. I choose not to dodge it, and pay the price. I'm thrown into the far wall of the throne room. I stand up and create a small black sphere in my right hand. "Hmm. Impressive but that won't do much." I throw it at her, and begin to merge with the darkness. Nightmare is hit by the Dark Pulse, and barely flinches. She begins to laugh and gloat, only for me to appear and punch her right between her avian insignias, practically grounding her for a while. To prevent her from gaining an edge, I repeatedly merge in and out of shadows and darkness; delivering an unrelenting barrage of attacks. "ENOUGH! YOU WISH TO PLAY GAMES, THEN WE'LL PLAY!" Nightmare shouts in a rage, firing a wave of light throughout the throne room. With no shadows or darkness to shroud myself in, I'm revealed and quickly encased in Nightmare's magic. "Any last words before I snuff you for good human?" "I have one question?" 'Time to play my ace in the hole.' I quickly begin charging the energy from the moon into the palm of my left hand. "And what is your final question?" Nightmare asks. "What would you do if I told you, you just lost to a human, who was holding back?" I say smirking. "I'd kill you where you stand. Wait, what's that small orb in your hand?" Nightmare asks. "Oh this? It's your demise." Nightmare looks at me and then bursts out laughing, "This tiny thing. Oh, That's Rich! You actually believe..." She releases me due to her laughing fit. Instead of say anything, I lean forward, and thrust the small white orb into Nightmare's chest. Before the sphere collapses, I open my right hand and point it towards Twilight and her friends. 'Make it count.' As soon as the sphere collapsed, Nightmare and I are enveloped in a large explosion. I'm thrown backwards towards the thrones, but caught by someone, and Nightmare is thrown, armor flaking off, towards the throne room entrance. She impacts the wall with enough force to breakthrough the wall and slam into the ground, creating a small crater. "Garrett! What happened to you? You look like you went to tartarus and back!" Twilight says, worry in her voice as she sets me down. "No time! Use the Elements!" I shout, standing up. "But they were destroyed, we can't use them." Twilight says, "Wait how are we standing?" "I'll tell you the second one later, but the Elements exist within you all, don't monologue it, when Lun-Nightmare Moon re-enters the room, blast her with the Elements. The group nods and each tap into their 'Harmonic Essence' creating the new Elements of Harmony. "Where is that Human? HE WILL MEET A PAINFUL DEATH!" Nightmare says. "I'm here, and may I say Luna, topless is a good look on you. Alright girls, Hit It!" I shout. Nightmare looks behind me at the light, and for the first time ever, shows fear. I turn as well, and see the Elements of Harmony begin to unleash their glory, at first the six are only lifted up, but then a rainbow connects them together. The rainbow that connected them together grew and shot upwards, arching and flying towards Nightmare Moon. It hits just below her and begins a swirling vortex of harmonious magic. The blast barely hits me, but the calming nature of it soothes my rage, returning me to normal. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Nightmare says as they vortex closes around her. As her cries fade, so to does the vortex, the girls land back on the ground and the Sun begins to rise. "Now then, can I please get an explanation as for what's going on here?" Twilight asks. "Yes, I'd like one as well. Because, I distinctly remember telling you to not interfere, or use your powers. Unless needed." *gasp* "princess Celestia!" The girls say, bowing in the process. I ignore it and walk forwards. "Ah yes, Princess Celestia, and here I thought you know where my loyalty lies, not with you. But with her." I say pointing towards Luna's form emerging from the rubble. "The Elements didn't work! Get ready to use them again gi-" "If you so much as lay a finger on Luna, I will make sure you can never do magic ever again. Got it." I threaten Twilight as she enters a fighting stance. "Alright, please don't hurt me." She relents from the silent death threat battle. "I won't, but I need to reacquaint myself with someone whom I've gone well over 900 years without." I say walking to the (somehow) fully clothed Luna. "Come now Princess, let's take you home," I say picking Luna up in a bridle fashion, "Celestia, if you need me, you know where to find me." I say, merging with the shadows. "Princess Celestia. Do you know why Garrett is acting that way?" Twilight asks. "Well my student, I have some things to tell you, all of you. And they all involve a young human boy, a beautiful girl, and a jealous sister." Author's Note Slight nitpick; If you dislike the story, could you explain why you didn't like it? I'd greatly appreciate any and all help I can get. It helps my writing grow. I'll also be starting a poll for this story (comment voting), there are a few ways this could go down, good/evil/neutral. Vote which "path" Garrett should take. {For example; Let's take Good Now make an unspecified ending and let the others decide[by voting.] and if yous has the most votes after, oh, lets say 9 weeks, your "path" will be chosen and credited [if you allow it to be credited.]} Brief ability list: Shadow Walk is what it sounds like, Garrett fuses with any objects shadow, and is able to move so long as another shadow is present. Dark Walk like the shadow walk, but with darkness (can only be done at night). Dark Pulse a large, but weak, attack. Made of negative energy. Used to disorient opponents and cause them to let their guard down. Creates small explosion. Lunar Impact a small (racquetball sized) sphere of lunar energy, Delivers bone shattering force and damage to opponent, also causes a large damaging explosion. The damage is then used to heal himself, or others. Using Lunarkinesis causes Garrett's appearance to change. Also; IE11 is only .5 seconds slower than CHROME 34 (the most recent version), and a whole 2 seconds faster than Firefox 41 (also the most recent version) goodbye slow IE meme, you shan't be missed. I'd say I did pretty good on this chapter, after all, I remade it about an hour and a half (it's what, 3:33 AM, so around 2:03 AM[eastern standard time] I work best at night anyways). If it sucks, I won't be offended. I just looked through it once and said "Eh. It's good enough."
Rise and FallAuthor's Note Before you read this chapter; I want you to know now, IT IS NONESSENTIAL FOR THE STORY! People say this box is the bane of their existence, I love it! I can use it to tell people that the next chapter is the turning point of the story, and the official voting block. Now in the last chapter I told you how to vote (comments), but now you get to! It's nothing major, okay that's a lie, it is major. You will be voting on which path Garrett will follow. Will he follow the path of Annihilation, Immortality, or Serenity? It isn't hard to determine which word goes to each path (Evil/Neutral/Good). So voting starts now, and ends when I post the winner. [I might start a blog for the voting process] For clarity, Italics (no " " around words) mean flashback/Celestia telling story[this chapter only]. Italics (with " " around words) mean speaking during flashback. Bold words mean one of the Main 6 is asking a question/making an inference/interjecting their thoughts into the story. Finally, Normal words (unaltered) in the flashback means Celestia's answering a question, or it's back to the normal story. And finally, Bold Italics mean Garrett is speaking while using Lunarkinesis (after losing control). Side note - 1. past tense writing, easy. Keeping it, bout damn near threw my laptop across the room. If you have an OC named Platinum Shield, I'm sorry. I picked two words and said 'This looks good.' (This is also how I wrote this chapter [with little care]) I officially hate flashbacks; it's next to impossible to convey emotion, it's told from one character, and you can't and "X" I said bitterly, I don't like how it's all entirely left up for interpretation (I like to keep some details concrete). It also annoys me how to show external events (such as coughing) you have to use asterisks. Finally, flashbacks just get on my nerves; they're past tense, until you speak and then it's a constant switch between past and present, to show a character is performing and action, you *use these damn things*, proper speech rules apply to the one telling the damn thing, while everyone else appears as a quoted segment, and last but not least, they almost serve no purpose to advance the plot or help establish character personalities. Yes this chapter ends on a cliffhanger, I need to stop that, but anyways, tell me what you think about it. Also don't forget to place your votes for the next chapter! Rise and Fall "Twilight, I want you and your friends to know that, despite what Garrett may claim, I am not a whore, nor am I a tyrant. But I am one of the reasons he is in this state. For you see, a long time ago, Garrett wasn't a noble or a knight, no; he was an outcast." Celestia says motherly, "And when Luna and I first met him, he was lost and scared. We stood up for him, took care of him, raised him like our own son. If only we realized back then that he suffered from a serious mental condition; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." She finishes solemnly. "What's post traumatic stress disorder? Is it some kind of sugar disorder?" Pinkie Pie asks, earning harsh glares from the other girls. "It's quite alright girls, she's done nothing wrong. PTSD is a serious mental condition in which something, someone, or some altercations of any kind cause a sudden and serious flashback. This becomes a problem as the victim tends to lash out at what triggered the event, sometimes needing to be tranquilized in order to safely insure others are safe. Garrett's PTSD is triggered by three things; knives, crossbows, and wingblades. But that's beside the point, I was going to tell you all of how Luna and I caused is ultimate demise." Celestia says looking out of a window with a tear in her eye, glistening in the sunlight. Our tale begins here actually; on a bright and sunny day. The birds were chirping, the sun shining, and not a single cloud to speckle the crystal blue skies. Nothing could shatter the serenity of the day, that is, until two young and beautiful women decided to leave the castle. "Come on Luna, you can't stay inside these walls all your life." "Of course I can Tia, watch me." Luna said defiantly. My response was to grab her in magic and take the chariot into town. Once we arrived, and after another bout of telling the ponies not to bow, we headed off to have some fun around the place. The one thing that bugged me, were these things that looked like ponies, but they weren't. "Lulu, do you know what those hairless beings are?" "No dear sister, we have no notion what they might be." We cut our venture short there and asked around. Turns out they were called humans, a race formerly used as slaves for work in the fields. Even though they didn't like it, they put up with it, because the ones that did usually ended up as a meal for the animals surrounding the town. It was horrible, knowing that those humans had to live in constant fear of death, well, all but one did. "Was it Garrett?" "Yes miss Pie. Now Garrett was different back then." He lived in secrecy, only coming out to get what he needed before leaving until the next day. After spending time in the town, Luna and I decided enough is enough, we had to know who this mysterious human was. When asked, only one pony knew where to look, and while she was right, the sight we saw will never leave our memories. "Dost thou see it sister? A human performing magic!" "Yes I see it, but I just don't believe it." But sure enough he was using magic on a thug robbing a young mare. Only back then, he wore a full bodied black hooded robe, and had a black and red trimmed side cloak. Along with this, the hood hid his face from view. At first we observed him from afar, but Luna insisted on meeting him. So, on one of his outings into town, we decided to lose our commoner disguises and ask him as royalty. Now, when we did this, like everywhere else, the towns ponies and humans bowed, yet Garrett merely nodded before walking on his merry way. "Didst thou not see who we are? We are thine Princesses, you should've shown us respect." "I know who you are, Princess Luna. I've known for awhile now, but I don't care for ponies I don't respect." If he had said this anywhere in private with us, we would've had a nice laugh about it, but he chose to say it in front of the entire town. "Did you hear him, the nerve!" "Bite me. I shall say what I choose, and whom I say it to." We were taken aback, no one had ever said something like that to us before. I must say, it was quite the welcome change of pace. "Yes, but what of your secret? Surely thou must know we hold it like thine self?" I don't know why Luna said that, but it was what caused his rise to glory as Luna's personal guard, though at the time, he didn't know it. "What happened next? Did Garrett learn some respect?" "Please Twilight, show some tact. During that time frame he was homeless, and needed help. Now as for what happened next, I'll start with his meeting with our parents." This was Garrett's most important meeting of his life, and the first thing he did was spit on our fathers face, and tell our mother to 'get bent' whatever that meant. I still remember hearing Luna and the guards laughing their asses off. But that's not important, it was the aftermath that counts. "Son, do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? You're lucky I don't come down there and kill you myself." "Oh come now, he was only messing around with you Solaris, I think he'd fit right in as one of the castle guards." Luna and I jumped into the air at that statement, all we needed to hear was our fathers approval. "Very well Nocturna, but should this fail, note it's on thine own shoulders this frivolity had failed." Even though it was a warning, Luna, mother, the guards, and myself included all shouted in approval knowing we'd all be earning not just a new guard, but a new heir to the throne, after Luna and myself. "So does that make him a prince then? That actually sounds pretty cool." "No miss Dash, he refused the option to succeed our father, seeing that he'd die in around 72 years. That made him at least 16 years of age, humans only lived to an average of 88 years. Well, I say he refused, in secret he accepted. Now, onto the moment our parents found out he could do magic." "I don't see why they keep me around sometimes, I mean maybe as a novel concept." "I don't know either, but quit beating yourself up over every Celestian damn thing and enjoy your break, wait never mind. It seems that your rival wants to fight." And sure enough, the guard was right. Garrett's main rival, Platinum Shield, had challenged him to a brawl. "But I can't do magic, surely an Arcainian such as yourself would know this." "I care not for your excuses human! I will have this brawl, and you will grant me this fight." When word broke out that a guard and noble were to have a brawl in the coming night, every pony and human showed up to the Everfree stadium to witness it. When the fight started, Platinum fought fairly, then he started to use his magic to take the upper hand. "Lulu, Platinum is breaking the rules of the brawl." "Tia, please. Garrett may be down, but he shan't lose to the likes of Platinum." We both turned back towards the fight ensuing, well more like everyone gathered to start shouting in disapproval. "Dost thou see that Tia? Garrett's visage is changing." "Come now Lulu, surely you jest." It was at that point that Garrett started laughing like a mad man. He opened his eyes, nay, that thing opened its eyes; black and red orbs made to pierce the soul. He then opened his left hand and revealed a small white sphere. "Is that all? An appearance change and a small orb. This fight will be over after my next attack." "You under estimate me. This tiny little orb could kill you, and all I have to do is hit you with it." to our surprise Platinum walked up to Garrett and said he could have a free hit. "Tell you what, you can have a free hit to the face, and I won't kill you instantly." If only he had headed Garrett's warning. After acknowledging his opportunity, Garrett didn't hit him, but he uppercutted Platinum with that damned white orb. I pity whichever poor fool ends up on the receiving end of that forsaken orb. That orb had two uses, as a simple knock back and heal, or it could be used to take a ponies life away in an instant. Platinum suffered from the latter and payed dearly, while Garrett didn't take his life, his left arm and leg were blown clean off of his body. I still remember the fiendish laugh of Garrett, followed by the screaming of the crowd. "So what happened next? Also, what year was this?" "Now now Miss Pie. I will explain what happens, as for the year, it was 100 years before Luna was banished to the moon." Now we rejoin the story at Garrett's court case. "We of the Shield family, in the Platinum House, find the human, Garrett; guilty of all charges presented upon him." The judge looked at Garrett, and insteads of getting an objection, he nodded and let the verdict stand. Garrett was deemed guilty of attempted murder, became a convicted felon of the state, and had a term that would last longer than his life would allow him to live. Well, I shouldn't say Garrett went down quietly, no. He pulled a trump card that nopony present saw coming. "This case is vitrified on the case that not only am I a knight to her majesty; Princess Luna, but I am also a Prince of Equus, as stated by King Solaris and Queen Nocturna!" He shouted just before the hand cuffs were locked on his wrists. While I was not there, nor was Luna, the entire event was documented. Back at the palace, we heard the news and ultimately made a startling realization; Garrett declared what had been speculated around the castle. When we asked our parents they confirmed that he was now an immortal, and like us, a guardian. I guard the sun and the future, Luna the moon and dreams, and Garrett the night itself. After some time, he saw the corrupting abilities of his powers,he saw what power does; corrupts, he saw the corruption of Luna long before anypony else did. I only wish he'd have told us. "Um what about the whole beautiful woman, a young man, and a jealous sister thing you stated earlier?" "Oh, my mistake Miss Dash, you see, Garrett is the young man. Luna was the beautiful girl, and I the jealous sister, as for how, that I'll explain soon." "Garrett, I have to ask you something, do you think Luna's been acting strangely as of late?" "Yes, she's been acting strange, but no stranger than you M'lady. Remember as I've said; Power corrupts all, even saints fall into its dark grasps." "I'm well aware! You keep saying that damn phrase over and over! So stop, please, it's annoying!" "As you wish M'lady, is there anything else you require?" "Yes. I need to ask, and be honest. Do yo think I'm becoming jealous of Luna?" "I won't say much, but yes. You do seem to become very irate at the mention of her name. If that's all you need, then I'll be off." I hadn't said it back then, but I'd go back and force myself to ask how to change our relationship. Only I hadn't and paid for it dearly. Over the next few years, Luna's attitude worsened and so did mine, while she became resentful and bitter. I became vengeful and scornful. Soon, the inevitable happened, Luna turned into Nightmare Moon, and against my better judgement, I was elated about it. Until she came and assaulted me, claiming that my days of tyranny were over. At that moment I realized that Luna was gone, only that nightmare remained, but even through all of this, Garrett fought Luna, he held her back to a stalemate, all without having to use his magic, or Lunarkinesis as he calls it. Throughout their entire fight, he tried to get through to Luna, but once that failed he told me to do the unthinkable. "What was it? Surely it couldn't be that bad." "Miss Pie, he asked me to use the Elements of Harmony on my own flesh and blood." *sob* "I couldn't bring myself to do that. I-I-I couldn't do it! The moment Equus needed me, I l-let it down." *uncontrollable sobbing* "Princess, you still did it in the end and that's what counts. You proved then and there that no problem is too large for you to handle." "T-thank you Twi-light. that means a lot to me." "What happened next?" "Right of course, sorry Miss Jack, let's re continue this tale." "Garrett, I cant! I won't! She's still my sister!" "At the moment, no, she isn't. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can end this." I looked at Garrett and nodded reluctantly, I didn't want to do it, but i needed to be done. Not for me, but for Equus. When Nightmare moon saw the Elements of Harmony, she laughed and fought me without hesitation. It was heart breaking, knowing my own sister would try and kill me without mercy. So for that one moment, that moment that is etched into my memory for an eternity; Luna was no more, Nightmare Moon needed to be stopped. "Nightmare Moon! For attempted treason and acts of terror against Equus, I hereby sentence you to banishment." I had hoped she'd see reason, but alas, she hadn't. I ultimately used the Elements of Harmony to seal Nightmare Moon on the moon. Yet only one hundred years later, I'd use the Elements again. This time on Garrett. For why, I was clouded by guilt, rage, and sorrow. I blamed Garrett, stripped him of his rank as lead guard, and attempted to remove his title of Prince of the Night. "What'd ya go do thar fer?" "Miss Jack, you must realize that my sister was now locked on the moon, Garrett hardly consolidates with me, I guess in a fit of rage I confronted him and accused him of Luna's predicament." "Garrett! Come out here, Now!" "Yes M'lady? Have I done something wrong?" I didn't say anything, and for the first time ever, I wrongfully attacked some one unprovoked. It wasn't intentional, but I was a nervous wreck, and when I started to attack Garrett he didn't retaliate. Instead he managed to enrage me even more, despite only having good intentions. "Attack me all you'd like. You need to blow off some steam, everyone does. No one is ever truly perfect." "I AM THE PINNACLE OF DIVINITY! I AM PERFECTION, YOU ARE CORRUPTION!" I hadn't meant to say those things, but I did, and they hurt me to this day. I live in fear of the monster I became. "Then finish me off, purge the imperfection." "I AM GOING TO END YOU!" After I said that, I used the Elements of Harmony in a fit of rage. When the beam connected to Garrett, it originally did nothing, but then my rage corrupted the beam. It turned from a rainbow colored light into a beam of black and green hatred and rage. The beam turned him into a statue, with a look of horror, yet serenity plastered upon his eyes. "What happened next? To the humans, if you don't mind?" "I don't mind Miss Shy, the humans went extinct. To put it bluntly, when the corrupted beam from the Elements dispersed, it sent a wave across Equus. This wave corrupted anything it touched, and while it only caused slight disruption, the planets humans, however, were not so lucky. The humans had no magical essence to protect against the blast. Over the following years, the humans slowly started to mutate into the animals that inhabit this forest and the planet." "Does that mean Garrett will mutate over time as well?" "No Twilight, Garrett wont mutate, he managed to trap enough harmonic energy inside of his statue to prevent an immediate mutation, or any mutation." "Um, speaking of Garrett, where is he?" "I know where he is young Rainbow, but this place is very sacred to him. I expect all of you to be on your best behavior, you are guests in this place, be respectful." *sound of magic charging* "I am not responsible for your actions." *magical release sound* "I'm only in charge of myself... Good luck, and may the stars favor your travel."
For Every Action"Have you ever been suddenly taken away from everything you once knew? For some the answer is no, but for others it's yes. These ponies, however, know not what total loss is nor do they grasp the concept of death. Now that I've returned from a time not akin to theirs, how would they react knowing the truth of the past? Would they share no thoughts, or would their world's ideals shatter? I don't know that, nor do I wish to see the results of my reintegration into this time period. Should they accept me, would it be for my actions today, or would it be out of self pity on the creature with no place to go? "How can one live in another time so unlike their own, yet find comfort knowing they can never return to loved ones long deceased? I know not these answers, nor do I care. What matters now is for me to accept my past, and embrace my future on this planet, in my great opportunity of life, I need to accept my fate and take it in stride. All I need to do is find my calling in this timeline, and adapt. "Perhaps the things we need most aren't physical, but rather personal items. Buildings are replaceable, lives are not, so I shouldn't dwell on the past or present, instead, think to my future." I finish saying to myself, as I write along to my voice, setting my quill and journal down next to me and my statue basin. I then grab my rucksack and place the items inside, "Those are some interesting thoughts Garrett, what caused you to say those things?" I hear a voice say from in front of me. "Gah! Oh, Twilight, sorry, I didn't notice you there. Along with your friends. Is something wrong? Celestia only sends people to me if there are no other foreseeable alternatives." I say in confusion. "Cut the crap wise guy! We know who you are, and where you're from!" Rainbow Dash interjects. "Do you now? Alright, let's see what dear O'l Celly told you six." I say snidely, hoping they'd catch on to my sarcasm. "Rainbow, darling, you can't just barge in here and provoke ponies like that. Now, tell the nice man you're sorry." Rarity says. She is an alabaster colored Arcanian, wearing a white revealing dress, showing off her impressive hourglass figure. She also has a royal purple swirled mane and tail, with high heels that match. I never will understand why, even though their feet are hooves, these ponies wear shoes. "It's quite alright ma'am, I'm just a little caught off guard, people don't normally get to belittle me and walk away unscathed." I say with a little more malice than I'd have liked, "Anyways, did any of you need something, or are you going to stand around here being useless?" I say in hope to get a response, the results are more than desirable. "Useless? I am not useless! I was going to ask you if it's true that you're a prince, but nope! You had to go and call me useless, well let's see how you like it! You stupid little dipshit!" Rainbow shouts in a barely contained rage. "Ooh, is that the best you've got? Anyways, if that's all you needed and/or wanted, then yes, I was and still am, technically, the Prince of the Night. Here's a few other things; No, Lunarkinesis is not magic, after using it I can heal any damage done, even if I depleted my energy reserve. I can replenish my reserve in two ways, moonlight and negative emotions, the latter of which comes at the cost of my emotional stability. The final point to note about Lunarkinesis, is that t has to recharge after a large amount of your energy is used. No, I can't fly. I'm an omnivore, if I ask for meat, then I'd better damn get it. I think I look good in my outfit, even though I have more. I normally try to keep to myself, and I don't like social gatherings, unless, they are small and I know everyone in attendance. Finally, I think I'm showing the proper amount of compromise in a situation such as this." I drone with a rather placid tone. "Easy there pardner we was jus' stopping by ta check on ya, well, more like we was sent here ta speak with ya 'bout what you'd do if y'all was ta be kept here with us.' That's 'bout all she wrote there pardner." Applejack says hesitantly. "Oh, is that all... Wait what!?" I shout, "Stay here!? As in, live with one of, or all of you? Explain!" I shout in a bewildered manner. "Calm down there sugar cube! We only need ta know this if a certain event arises in which y'all would need ta stay here in Ponyville with one of us. Would ya kindly give us tha courtesy?" Applejack asks sincerely. "I'll answer this once and only once, if it ever comes down to it, then yes, I'll stay with one of you." I say with a smirk, "One!" I reiterate my point in an attempt to make sure they get the message. The group seems to get it and starts to debate whom I'm getting stuck with. I decide to wait it out, by walking over to my pedestal and siting down on it, and listening from afar. The slight breeze makes it challenging, but I was able to hear most of what they were saying. "Garrett... Garrett? Where the heck are you!?" Twilight calls out bewilderingly. "I'm over here Twilight." I call out. Twilight and the others walk towards me each with a contempt smile on their face. "Alright, we've decided that you'll do a bi-weekly rotation among the six of us. You'll be with me for two weeks, then Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and last but not least, Rainbow Dash." Twilight says pointing an arm at her friends as she calls their names out. "You sure you got that?" "Sure, you first then the rest. I got it, I got it." I say doing my best punk-kid impression, "Lets go already, this place is so depressing." I say grabbing my satchel and walking ahead of the group. "Wait! Do you know where you're going?" Twilight asks. "Yes." I say making a right through the nearby foliage. "Then you do know Ponyville is the other way, right?" Twilight says smugly. "Not one word about this." I growl as I rejoin the group. We walk for what seems like an eternity, with the girls having to stop every hundred yards or so, just to let me catch up to them, they may be faster than me normally, but I've got a little human intuition on my side. While we're walking through a rough patch in the forest I take advantage of this opportunity, and climb up a nearby hickory tree. As I climb up the forty foot tree, using my height and small body frame to my advantage, I notice the girls caught up in what appears to be a lotus grove. I choose to ignore them and finish my climb, once I find a sturdy route to use as a pathway. I start jumping from tree to tree, keeping the girls in my line of sight, and trying to make as little noise as possible. I stay in my treetop free-run course, all the while, as I stay nearby the girls the rest of the way back from the Everfree. Now, after about the fifth time of the girls having to wait for me, I had told the girls to only wait for me at the exit of the forest, which they happily obliged to. Presently, I'm standing just overhead of the girls right on the edge of the forest. I take note of how they seem to be lazing around, waiting in astute boredom. So, in an act of good clean family fun, I decide to jump from my pine tree to the nearby oak tree, grabbing onto one of its many available branches. I repeat this process, each time I go from pine to oak, getting lower and lower to the ground. Once I'm on the ground I walk out of the forest, I'd have left those girls there if not for two things; One, they're the Elements of Harmony. Two, the pink one was on the verge of crying. I sigh to myself and walk back towards where the girls were, stopping just short of their field of vision, but keeping them in auditory range. "*sniff* W-W-where d-do y-you think he went? D-do you think he left us because he f-f-feels like we-we've b-b-betrayed him? Or maybe,*sniff* i-i-it's due the fact that he hates us and only wanted us gone?!" Pinkie Pie wails, as she tries to fight back another wave of tears. "Ah don' think so Pinkie. Ah'm sure he's still coming, he don' seem quite like them types O' fellers keen ta break a promise." Applejack says as she attempts to reassure her friend. It was at this moment that, and after losing my internal battle, I made my presence known to the group. "She's right you know. Besides, if I wanted any of you assholes gone, you'd all have been dead a long time ago." I say walking into the group from my hiding spot near the brier bush. The girls reactions ranged from confused and shocked, to wondrous and quizzical. "How'd ya manage ta do that? Y'all were b'hind us this whole trek." Applejack says in shock. I simply smirk and say nothing. I simply raise my left pointer finger to my mouth and press it over my lips, similar to how people would ask for silence when I was a kid. "Shh, what I do and how I do it is not of your concern. But what I do need is for one of you to show me the way to Twilight's house. As so that way I can acquaint myself with my temporary living area." I say quietly, the girls hesitantly nod collectively, and say their parting blessings/words of malice to me. I shrug in response to their harsh insults, simply because I don't know what they mean and I'm a guard, it would look bad on my record. I start walking in the direction that the girls pointed me. My walk was relatively uneventful, that is, until a certain purple Arcanian decided to join me. "Hey Garrett, wait up!" Twilight calls out from behind. The mare I'm living with, Twilight, is the pupil of my quote-unquote enemy, Princess Celestia. "So Garrett, what's it like being the last of your kind?" "Really Twilight, I haven't even settled in yet, can we at least get to your house first? " I desperately plea. "Hmm, oh, right. He he he... Yeah. Right this way, follow me!" Twilight says as she bounds ahead of me towards the settlement nearby. The trip into and through the town was rather uneventful, except for everyone barring their doors and hiding from my mere presence, shame, knowing that I'll pretty much be doing the same thing. That seems to be my life cycle; hide away until I'm needed, repetitions from old transferred to new. While I plaguing myself in self-loathing, I barely noticed the giant oak tree we were standing in front of. Choosing instead to focus on the cool autumn breeze blowing the grass around, flattening it, but not killing it. "Garrett, I'd like to welcome you to the Golden Oaks Library, and my house!" Twilight beams with pride. I look up and respond, to make it look like I was paying attention. "This... this is a tree, no? Yet, it's also a building. How is it still standing despite being almost completely hollowed out?" I ask in resounding fascination. "Magic. They also use magic to keep the building fireproof and safe during the most severe storms." Twilight replies, "Well go on, get in." She says ushering me inside the building. Inside I'm left in total awe, a tree that's still living, yet has been hollowed out to make it a library and a house.'Is that a basement?' I was about to walk across the room and investigate what's behind that door, but Twilight had other plans. "No disappearing on us this time, I still have some questions for you, and so does my mentor." Twilight says shutting the door and pulling me next to her by levitating me over encased in a magenta hued aura. I was about to speak out, until I saw Celestia standing next to the table in the middle of the room, and Luna sitting on the horse head statue resting atop the table. Twilight set me down gently, and by that, I mean she slammed me onto the ground head first. That earned everyone a free ticket to hear my long chain of expletives for a good five minutes. "Are you done yet?" Twilight asks, "We only want to ask you some questions." she deadpans. "Fine, I'll stop, but until this Q and A is over, you three keep your nick names. Got it Twicunt. You to Molestia, same goes for you as well, Little Miss Lunacy." I say in defiance. They sigh in defeat and I slightly smile at my mini victory. "I'll start, what did you do when you were still considered a prince of Equestria?" Twilight asks right up-front. "Well Twicunt, when I was still considered an 'active' prince, I kept to myself, and intervened in situations where the tension was electrifying. After my twentieth year as Prince of the Night, King Solaris put an enchantment on me, one that would let me live forever, I 'unofficially' resigned my power. With that done, I quickly joined Luna's royal task force, we called ourselves 'Gladiatorus Lunarum' better known as the Moons Gladiators, or the Gladiators of the Moon." I tell her mindlessly. "Any other questions?" I say sounding as bored as possible. "As a matter of fact, yes, I do have more questions. We'll start with this one, what is it like being the last human on the planet?" Twilight says not fully realizing what she'd said, and how it just impacted me. "Well... I... Hmm, I don't know." I say solemnly. "What?" Twilight asks in slight shock. "I don't know. Just, I mean, how would you feel if someone just told you 'Hey, I know you're from the past and all, but, how does it feel knowing that you've officially got nothing to live for?' It really does smack you in the face with reality." I say flatly, "But if I had to give you a truly honest answer, and not a fake honest answer, I'd have to say that being told I'm the last survivor of the human race forever is a very rude awakening." I say scornfully. "What I mean is this; I'll openly accept my fate, but I am still going to keep up the facade I've built up from over 1,316 years ago." I tell Twilight in a serious tone. "I have a question." Luna begins. "Go on," I interject, "Ask away." "Alright, even though thou art residing here, wouldst thou still wish to be our personal guard? Or at the very least, reinstate the Gladiatorus Lunarum?" Luna asks "I'll do this, and only this. I will hereby swear my loyalty to the Gladiatorus Lunarum, but only under my former rank, also; I will still be the 'unofficial' Prince of the Night. Is that a good enough answer for you?" I ask at the end of my rant. "Almost, where whilst thou reside?" "Among the Element Bearers of course." I say courtly. "Alright Molly, your turn, and then the Q&A is done, and I can get some sleep!" I cry victoriously. "Fine. My question is this; what are we to do if you decide to turn against the Element Bearers?" Celestia asks authoritatively. "Well, that could go one of two ways; the first, is that I'm able to remove only one of the new bearers, and since all six either have to be alive, or be willing to relinquish their bond to the Elements. Thus rendering them useless due to their 1,000 year cool down. The second, well, you both know how that goes; I remove every bearer from their elements, and destroy the source of their power. I think we're done here." I say, leaving an awestruck Twilight in the wake of the flash from the Princesses' teleportation out of the library. "Finally, now to get some shut eye." I yawn at the end to add emphasis. "Would you really do that?" Twilight squeaks out. "What?" I respond. "Betray us. Like you said, would you really betray us?" Twilight asks, tears welling in her eyes. "No, it takes a lot for me to hate someone, even if they are my arch-nemesis. I don't have a reason to revoke my trust from you or your friends, now don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you." I say giving a soft smile at the end, showing Twilight that she can trust me, and I can trust her. As Twilight walks away and up the hardwood stairs a thought crosses my mind. 'For now. I can trust her.' Author's Note Look, I know I said I'd do a chapter vote, but after I uploaded Serenity, I was disgusted. I not only loathed that chapter, but it was a mockery of my abilities as a writer. So instead of chapter voting, you can vote on specific events you want to happen , or if you want me to add your OC (no Mary Sue/Gary Stu), but please note that I'm writing the chapters my way. I know it sounds like I'm pissing and moaning like a little four year old, but bear with me. Please comment on anything you see wrong with this chapter (and my other chapters as well) along with ways to improve as a writer. Now, I think I've taken enough of your time; I hope you enjoyed the newly* detailed update to 'For Every Action'. This chapter went through five revisions and two deadline reschedules. I did have fun with Garrett's anger filled rant, hitting all the basic elements you'd see the main characters ask a human in these kinds of stories. I also included five references in this chapter, see if you can find them all. First one to spot all five references gets to add their OC and their own personal story request!** I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that you all have a wonderful New Years! AND AS PROMISED, I UPLOADED THIS ON CHRISTMAS!!! *Note; that this was/is a redo and completely fresh chapter, the newly applies to the six or seven times I've edited this chapter, and/or was delayed when writing. **Note; OC must have a full and complete character description, meaning; any abilities, Cutie Mark (If it has one!), colors used, personality, race, species, you know the rest. (No Mary Sue/ Gary Stu characters! If yours is[and it's unavoidable], I will need to know their limitations/weakness/Mary Sue type power you're willing to remove.)
There's an Opposite Reaction'Life is mysterious, isn't it? How do we form our bonds of trust with some so easily, yet others will never develop with some. It puzzles me to think that or trust may be genuine in some, but to them, we are disposable, but there are those who you'd never talk to but it turns out they would've been better to trust insteads. Are we on a path destroy ourselves, or save ourselves? I have no room to talk, but just imagine if we knew who to trust and who not to before we ever met someone. Maybe life would've been more exciting if I never trusted the Princesses. Maybe I shouldn't have trusted the Minotaur chieftain when they visited the castle, then Sarah could've lived a bit longer. But that's how life works, always changing and never dull, you just have to live it to the fullest extent you can. 'Still, I can't but think "What if..." What if I never met the Princesses? What if I never got these powers? What if I wasn't there to stop the Minotaurs? Would my life had been different, or is everyone's life already predestined? I'd like to think it isn't.' I finish writing in my journal and place the quill back in the inkwell, I stand up and walk over to the dresser next to my bed, the old floorboards creaking as I walk. I reach the dresser and open it up, grabbing my hoodie and putting it on over my shirt. I do a once over using the dresser's mirror. I finish looking at myself, since I'm not very impressive to look at anyways, and close the dresser door, the door slamming shut in a fury. I walk back to my desk, and close my journal. Once I've finished my morning routine I get ready for my favorite part, sleep, I walk over to my bed and lay down on top of it. I close my eyes and let sleep embrace me. Only, that doesn't happen since I live with the worlds loudest alarm clock. "Garrett! Get down here!" Twilight yells. 'Thank god that door muffles most sounds.' I internally celebrate. "Ugh. Fine, irriti cani." I mutter as I get out of bed. I stand up and walk over to the door and turn the old rusty knob. The hinges creak in defiance as the door requires some force to open. Thankfully, I'm not in the loft, otherwise I'd have fallen down the stairs to the library. I look around the foyer and try to find the annoying thorn in my side. "There you are. Come here, my friends want to have a word with you." Twilight says darkly. "Does it have to do with yesterdays conversation?" Twilight nods, "Ugh. Fine, tell them I'll be there soon, just need to grab something first." I say, turning back towards my desk. As I turn, I'm stopped by Twilight's magic. "No. You're going now, and that's that." Twilight says, teleporting us into the main part of the library. When the lights leave my eyes, I'm greeted to five very pissed off looking mares and one pissed off drake. "So, You want to betray us?! Huh? Do you?" Rainbow demands, earning nods from all those gathered. "Look I'm hungry, thirsty, angry, and tired. So can we please not do this, m'kay thanks." I say, only to be met by a rather angry farmer. "Fine. What do you want to know?" I ask crossing my arms. "We just want to know if you plan on betraying us, or killing us?" I start to drown out their questions, as I take out a slightly bloodstained note, a locket, and a ring from my hoodie's left pocket. The ring is black with my name engraved on the right side, along with the symbol of the Gladiatorus Lunarum. On it's left side is the year of my marriage, along with a Fleur De Lis engraved on it. And the top of the ring has the word Knights engraved in a metal band dividing the turquoise stone in half, the rings edge has an arched bridge pattern engraved into the metal. I put the ring onto my left ring finger as stated by the note. Then I open the locket to reveal a picture of my face and a beautiful young woman with long black hair, brown eyes, and a quizzical look in her eyes. "Garrett! We're in the middle of something and we need you to answer for... What are you doing?" Twilight asks. "Oh, I'm just reminiscing." I respond. "Ok, but why did you put a ring on, and it's on your left hand, but it's not a wedding ring, does that mean your a coltcuddler?" Twilight asks. "No, I'm not a coltcuddler, I don't even know what that is, wait... Do you think I'm gay?!" I ask in shock. I look back to the note, only for it to be grabbed by Twilight's magic. "Give that back, you have no right to read that!" I shout, getting restrained by a blue aura this time. "No! Stop it." I shout, fighting against the aura. "Sorry Garrett, but I'll do what my teachers have always done and read this out loud. Ahem... Dear Garrett, it's Sarah, if you're reading this then you still care for me. While it pains me that you are almost never around anymore, I regret to inform you that the Intracranial Hemorrhaging has advanced to an incurable state, I have less than four months to live, and I just want you to know that I love you. You always were my light in the dark. I may not be there for you much longer, but as long as you never forget me then I will always be happy. "It means the world to me that you never forget, that's why I enchanted your ring, while I could've used the money for something more important, like my treatment, I'd rater see you happy than worried. I wish it could've been our wedding rings, but I could only afford to enchant the ring I gave you at our wedding anniversary, the shadowcast one. I know you'll be mad that I used the money for that over getting my condition cured, but it meant so much to me. I only want you happy, and seeing that smile on your face when we're together made me the happiest person in the world, it's a shame that I won't be there to see it much longer. My only request is that you never cry, frown, or get upset. I may not have much time left on this planet, but that doesn't mean that I have to be miserable, nor should you. Please, for me, just remember me as your wife and continue to be my light in the dark." At this point, everyone present was on the verge of tears, and the aura holding me down had faded away, I noticed where Twilight's eyes were, the last message on the page. "Mortis ut partis." I say, causing the girls to look at me, "It means 'Death to us Part' the last words I ever heard from Sarah." I say, causing everyone gathered to finally crack. I'm embraced by everyone present. "H-How did she... die?" Asks a teary eyed Twilight, I wipe the tears from her eyes before I start to speak. "Have you ever heard of the midnight Minotaur raid?" The girls all nod. "So, how did the raid end?" I say, leaving it open for them to answer. "The most common ending is that a brave soldier used a strange magic and removed the threat from Equestria." Twilight says. "Well, you're half right, I only know this because I was that soldier." The girls all gasp in shock, "That's how Sarah died, and I learned what it meant to truly be blinded by rage." I say regretfully. "How did it happen? If you don't mind telling us, that is." Fluttershy asks. "I can tell you. It was during a full moon on the Midnight Minotaur raid." Flashback, yay. "Celestia, Luna! There's too many of them, we can't hold them off much longer!" "Know your place Grunt. Celestia, what do we do? As much as I hate to admit it, the Grunt's right. The Minotaurs are too powerful, we can't stop them." "Calm yourself Garrett, I'm sure we can think of something we can do." Celestia said. "Wait, you're Garrett, I was told to give this to you by your wife." The Grunt said hesitantly. I took the letter he handed me, and proceeded to read it, before I opened it I saw that the bottom corner was covered in blood. "Why is there a bloodstain on it?" I asked. "Well... I heard a scream come from the direction of your house, when I arrived the house was in shambles. I rushed in to check for survivors, since that's where ponies had taken shelter inside houses. Long story short, I found your wife, bleeding severely, and I offered to help her, but she insisted I gave this to you, along with this." The Grunt said handing me my shadowcast ring, "She said you had to read it first, I do not know if she has gotten medical attention or if it was too late." I took the note from the Grunt and ran back towards my house, when I arrived, it was in shambles. If anyone as inside of it, they were killed by the collapse of the roof. "Garrett! I don't know how to tell you, but it's Sarah, she... She didn't make it. The medic said defeated. The next thing I knew, I was angry no, furious, and I wanted Revenge, I saw the Minotaur leader heading towards the castle. All I remember after that was being surrounded in a pitch black aura, my hair turned white and my eyes changed color. "Ironhide!" I roared, the fear that formed in place of his usually stoic demeanor was priceless. "Why'd you stop telling the story?" Pinkie asks. "Because the textbooks can tell you how Ironhide ended up, but for an abridged version; I ripped his arms off impaled them on his horns, pulled his tail off, pulling out a few vertebrae in the process, then I ripped his torso off at the waist, letting him bleed out in unbearable agony. Any Minotaur that stayed behind met the same fate as Ironhide, all this happened because of the downside of Lunarkinesis." I say, trying to suppress the memory of killing hundreds of people single handily. "What is the downside? You can merge with shadows and create tiny spheres that can knock fully grown alicorns!" "Well Rainbow, lets say I missed and I was using the Lunar Impact. I'd be hit with a backlash that would break several bones in my body. I can only heal myself and others during a full moon, anger causes a self destructive form of it. By that I mean I'd be killing myself the longer I'm using the hybridized Lunarkinesis." Silencing Rainbow Dash instantly. "Well, I was going to answer your questions, and my response was going to be this, I'll treat it on a level of trust, the more I trust one of you the better off you'll be, and the opposite for the less I trust you. Sound fair?" I ask, earning nods from everyone, "Good, Now everyone here has a total of zero, except Twilight, You've got a negative score, because you read something of mine you weren't meant to." Twilight nods her head shamefully. "Now then, lets go home, and try to have a good day tomorrow, s'alright? S'alright." I say standing up and walking back into my room and closing the door. I lean against the door so I can hear what they're saying, as clearly as I can. "Alright, I'll see you girls tomorrow. And Applejack, you said you needed my help tomorrow?" Twilight says to the girls. "Yessire! Ah needed yer help with assistin' me win a bet against my brother Big Mac!" "Bye Twilight, see you tomorrow." The others say as they leave through the library door. "Alright, Spike take a letter. Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that sometimes it's best to keep secrets from others, because you probably have a reason for keeping them. The problem arises when you try to press the issue and you learn something you weren't supposed to know. This can lead to turmoil and distrust amongst friends and even destroy friendships, but maybe they can help strengthen the bonds of friendship between you and your friends. Ok, send it. Yes I'm sure. I know it sucks, just send it Spike." I hear Twilight huff as I shake my head and snort at her simplistic view on life, but is it so bad to view life that way? I shake off my thoughts as I push my bed over to the right, revealing a circle on the floor with a meditative symbol drawn into the middle. I sit down in the middle of the circle and close my eyes, clearing my mind of any distractions "Ok Twilight, lets see why you hide." I say as the circle begins to faintly glow. Author's Note This chapter was a bitch, I wanted it to be almost perfect (or damn near) and I restarted once out of frustration, another due to a corrupt hard drive, and a third time because it just sucked. The term used to describe a black colored ring is shadowcast. I know this is short, and I'm going to get dislikes for it, but I needed to get something done to keep up with my schedule, so please go 'somewhat' easy on the dislikes. This is just a little fun filler chapter before 'The Ticket Master' I don't know if I should do filler every other chapter, every now and then. You guys decide, or don't. The "Scores" for everyone Twilight: -30 Rainbow: 0 Pinkie Pie: 0 Fluttershy: 0 Rarity: 0 Applejack: 0 Spike: 0
Mind Games and Ticket ScreamsAuthor's Note Just a nice chapter to reintroduce the shows plot line and further some character development. I think I did decently enough on this one, what do you guys think? Constructive criticism is welcomed. Aside from from character development of Twilight and Garrett in this chapter, who should be further developed in the next chapter? Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, or Fluttershy? Hell, I'll even develop a background character. In Flanders Fields is a poem taken from Gen. John McCrae in 1915. All rights reserved, under the fair use act of 1976. Fact Corner! Y'all't'nt is a southern contraction that means 'y'all two won't'. This chapter contained little to no mention of tickets. Start rioting and whining later. Also yay, new chapter. Sorry if it doesn't live up to your expectations, but I almost didn't return to this, so at least I haven't abandoned it. (I also expect a few dislikes, but so long as this has more likes, I'm happy) Mind Games and Ticket Screams "Alright Twilight, lets have a nice little talk." I say as I walk over to my bed, sliding it to the left, revealing a symbol inside a circle on the floor. This symbol had a large four-pronged star with a small black circle just above each point, a smaller four-pronged star with it's points being half the length of the original star again, just like the first one, this star has circles above it's points, next, it has small spikes betwixt each point of the stars each new spike is the same length as the small star (but without the small circles above the points), and finally there is a small white circle in the middle of the symbol to give it a shuriken appearance. I turn towards the dresser that was next to the bed, and open the top drawer. Inside sits a box of tea lights. I grab the box and place a candle down on each circle surrounding the symbol, I then light the candles and sit down inside the circle. Once I sit down, I start to meditate and begin citing an incantation silently. "I pledge my soul to the gods, may they link my soul to magic's, and hers to mine." I say as the flames of the candles start to glow vibrantly. My eyes glow white as the ritual finishes. The next thing I know is that I'm back in the library, and Twilight is back on the couch reading a book by the flickering of a candle light. While I know this is her dream, I don't want to just barge in and startle her. I need to think about this creatively; how do I go about this... Duh, it's a dream, I can take any form I want to, travel where I want, or change what I want. Picking the best option, I shift my location from in front of my room just outside of the door to the library. 'Right, here hope this works.' I mentally say as I reach my right hand up and deliver three quick rapts on the door just above the decorative doorknocker. "Come in." I hear Twilight say from inside the library, following her instruction I turn the golden doorknob and pull the door open. I walk in quickly and let the door swing shut behind me. "Hello there. Welcome to the Golden Oaks Library, you're welcome to browse or read whatever you'd like." Twilight says not looking up from the book she's reading. "Thank you Twilight, I've always wondered what Equestrians considered as literature." I say as I walk over to what I hope is the history section. "How did you know my name? I never told you it before in my life." Twilight asks in surprise. "Look at my eyes, tell me you don't recognize me." I say as I turn back to Twilight. She squints her eyes and walks over to me, her book held in her magical aura. "Garrett?" She asks, soon after, realization hits her, "Garrett! Why are here?! You were turned back into stone because you were no longer needed to protect the elements." She practically shouts. "Calm down Twilight, this is just a dream. Well, it's your dream, I'm just here because I wanted to talk to you." "So you're not a statue?" "No Twilight, I'm not a statue. As for my visit, I know you don't trust me, but I have to trust you. So to alleviate this issue I decided we'll do a basic information exchange. Pick a subject and that's what we'll discuss." I tell Twilight. "Alright." Twilight says skeptically, "I want to see how well you know you're Equestrian history, Starswirl the Bearded to precise." She says triumphantly. "Ask away." I respond passively. "First question, What is Starswirl known for creating?" "The Amniomorphic Spell, or was it the Time travel spell?" I respond getting a slight gasp from Twilight, "Hold on... 22 bells, named for his beard and cape, his exact words upon getting his famous hat were and I quote, "This is the hattiest hat to ever hat!" and finally, Starswirl existed before my time. He must of passed on during my imprisonment." "Oh, well let's say that I believe you're actually Garrett, how are you here?" Twilight asks. I pause for a moment, bringing my left hand to my chin resting my elbow in my right hand. I think about how to prove I'm myself to Twilight. "Oh!" I exclaim while snapping my fingers for emphasis, "Take a look at this. When you get the chance to, look on my left hand and you'll see this symbol on my palm." I say showing her the symbol engraved on my hand. The symbol on my hand is the same as the one on the floor under my bed. "What's so special about a symbol on your... hand?" Twilight says before gasping in shock, "T-that symbol! Only Equestrian royalty use symbols like that! So that means... Garrett! How are you here?! Why are you here?!" I stop her ramblings from beginning by raising my hand up to ask her to stop. "I'm here because [for tonight only] we're linked meaning I can enter, and leave, your mind at will. As for the why, that's simply due to the fact that I might as well get to know the person I'm assigned to protect." I explain hoping it would put Twilight at ease... It didn't, not one bit. "You could've asked first! Did you even think about what would happen if I wake up?!" "Yes Twilight, this form would disintegrate, along with this dream. I'd awaken back in my room at the library, and you'd awaken back in your bed. All I ask is that you provide me with some information about yourself, then I shall be satisfied." I say calmly "After I give you what you want, do you promise to never enter my head, or my friends head's, ever again?" "I can not promise that. How else should I learn whom I'm assigned to protect?" I ask politely, "Anyways, the only information I require is simple but precise. That is simply who are you? Who is the one behind the name Twilight Sparkle? Who are you really? I don't need the answer tomorrow, or today. I just need it before I rotate to the next house in two weeks." I drone, making sure she understands what I mean. "Who am I? I'm me! The Element of Magic, personal student to Princess Celestia! I know who I am, but who are you?!" She shouts in retaliation. As she does this, the library starts to crumble around us, cracks forming on the walls and some of the bookshelves collapse in heaps on the floor. "I am myself. Who I am however, that is still unknown. I know not who I am completely. All I do know is that I am damaged, broken beyond repair and of very little use. So I ask again, who are you? Who are you behind the mask you wear?!" I shout, as the library continues to crumble around us. "Now I shall take my leave, and will be waiting for your answer to my question." With that, I activate the symbol on my hand and dissipate my mental projection, leaving Twilight alone in the collapsing dream. *gasp*......"Last time I do that for awhile. Anyways, lets see if Twilight is awake yet." I say beginning to stand up, only to collapse onto the ground."Hnng! Never mind, I'll just... Wait here for all of today." I groan. Bad thing about using Lunarkinesis is that it leaves me completely drained. I grunt as I pull myself over the dresser nearest me. 'Why does this room have three dressers?' I mentally ponder as I reach for the handle on the bottom drawer. "Alright, I've just gotta reach..." I say strained and labored," Got it!" I shout in glee over my small achievement. With a bit of work, falling, and swearing a lot, I finally got myself standing (leaning) against the dresser. "Now... What to do, what to do? Oh I know! Breakfast. I haven't eaten in over a thousand years. Is bacon still a thing?" I ask as I shakily walk towards the door back to the library. After fumbling around for what seemed like an eternity, I was able to reach, and open, the door. Much to my surprise, amusement to others, the door was pull, and pull I did. I pulled the open so fast I lost balance and fell forwards head first onto the floor, sprawling out sideways. I roll myself onto my back and look over to the stairs to see Twilight walking down them. "Oh my gosh Garrett! Are you alright, did you fall?" Twilight asks concerned. "No... I attacked the floor." I reply sarcastically. "Backwards?" She asks skeptically. I open my mouth to respond but I pause, thinking of how to respond. "....I'm skilled." I reply after careful consideration of how to respond. Twilight groans at my response, I can only give her the biggest shit eating grin I can make before I try to stand up again. Failing to do so, I opt for sitting with my back against the wall, with one leg bent and my arm resting on it. "Actually, Twilight, per your earlier question, I'm not alright. Using that dream walking ability used up what little reserves of energy I had left in me. In other words, can you be my literal crutch until tonight, please?" I ask sheepishly. "On one condition." I groan inwardly at the infinite possibilities of this 'one condition', "You have to go with me to meet Applejack today. You also have to 'carry your own weight' as it were." Twilight says smiling, clearly hoping I'd deny her terms and just stay here. "Alright, you've got a deal." I say smugly, unaware of what I just got myself into. "Excellent!" Twilight beams as she envelopes me in her magical aura, "We can go there right now." She says just before teleporting us both. We leave the library with a flash and a loud pop. I catch a glimpse of a door beginning to open right before my vision is filled with magenta light. "Hey guys, are you ready to go to Applejack's? ... Anypony? God dammit." "Twilight, I can't thank you enough for this. I really mean it, if there's any way I can repay you, just name it and I'll do it." I say while using Twilight as a crutch. "Well." She grunts, "You can start by not overexerting yourself like you did. I'd also like to see a demonstration of each ability you are able to perform using your Lunarkinesis, understood?" Twilight states through labored breaths, I don't blame her, if I had to not only hold someone up from falling and had their arm draped over my shoulders, I would scream. Not out loud of course, but mentally. "Those are terms I can agree to, now, forgive me for what I'm about to do." I say solemnly. "What d-" Twilight barely gets out before I not only purposefully drop onto the ground, but I drag her down with me. I did not use that much force, but it was face first. "Garrett!" She yells in anger, to prevent this from escalating further, I place my hand on the center of her back, where the shoulder blades meet the spine. I begin to perform a siphon of sorts, where I absorb the anger, hatred, doubt, and other negative emotions she's experiencing right now to energize myself. "I said forgive me, but I had to do this. At least I was able to siphon enough of your negative emotions to energize myself." I grunt as I stand up and do a quick stretch. "If you ever do that to me again, I will punish you personally and severely. Am I understood?" Twilight says darkly. "Understood, now then," I say doing a quick stretch, "didn't we have to go help Applesack?" I ask. "It's Applejack, and yes. Enough dawdling, we were supposed to be there by now." Twilight says walking swiftly. She's a magi, why doesn't she teleport? Eh, must not be powerful enough to do that yet. 'Weird.' I ponder seeing as how she had no problem when facing off against Nightmare Moon. "Garrett, come on! We'll be too late if you keep waiting around like that." Twilight yells from up ahead. I shake my head quickly and run up to Twilight. She slowed down to a walk so I could catch up to her. 'Didn't need to do that, I'd have caught up just fine.' "You know Twi, can I call you Twi? Anyways, you need to slow down, relax. You're yet still young, enjoy life while it's here." I say after I catch up to Twilight. She looks confused as she continues walking, that or she ignored what I said. "*sigh* Twilight, I want you to look around you, what do you see? Life, it's everywhere, but it doesn't last long for most things. How old are you? It serves no purpose to lie, I'm only going to prove a point." I say as we walk down the dirt road to Applejack's place. we walk in relative silence as Twilight thinks about my question, the breeze is a welcome change. It dampens the crackling heat of the morning sun and blows leaves off of the trees and carries them away on their formal dance of flight. As I'm admiring the beauty of the country side, Twilight eventually groans. "Fine! If it's just to prove a point, I'm twenty five and a half years old, happy?" She says fuming in silent anger. "I'm almost never happy. To compare our ages, I'm physically sixteen years old, but my actual age in the thousands. Humans can only live to be 85-95 years old, whereas ponies can live to be only 60-75 years old. There are exceptions to every rule, but you're in the prime of your life. So take it slow and enjoy what fate has given you." I say calmly as I turn to face her. I start walking backwards as I start to talk. "And what's that, the world shittiest pep-talk?" Twilight asks sarcastically. I laugh and shake my head. "No my dear, it has given you the greatest gift of all... The gift of life. Think about what I have said here today, when we get back to the library, we can discuss things further." I state, turning around again and walking forwards. After a rather enjoyable walk, we finally reach Applejack's humble abode, Sweet Apple Acres. I look around and see row after row of apples, seeing as I hadn't eaten breakfast today, I reached an arm up to the tree nearby us, and picked myself an apple 'They won't miss one apple.' I think, as I remove the apple from the tree. "Come now Twilight, your friend is probably waiting for us as we speak." I say biting into the apple, goddamn was this thing sweet, I never knew apples could taste so good. Twilight and I walk down the main road to the orchard and stop in front of an old tattered barn. I kept looking around the dilapidated state of the orchard, tools are broken, the plow is rusted, barn roof is caving in, and the well in front of the barn has all but collapsed. "Come on Twilight, let's go find Applejack." I say flatly as I turn away from the poor state of the farm. She also had the same idea as she started to walk away from the farm. "Cheer up Twilight, I'm sure we can find someway to help out here." I say encouragingly. She nods as we continue walking, her distraught-ness state of mind is interrupted when we hear a familiar voice howling in excitement. "There y'all are! Was certain y'all weren't 'bout ta show up, glad y'all came when ya did! Ah've got jus' enough work fer y'all't'nt be idly dawdling around. Fortunately fer y'all, Ah'll be helpin buck the rest of the eastern orchard. If'n we hurry on up y'all might get a reward fer the trouble." Applejack yells beckoning us towards her. We both walk towards her slightly confused. "What's troublin' y'all now? Oh right! Ah said reward, ya see Big Mac made a bet with me that if I was able to buck the entire east orchard by this evening, then he'd put on one of Grannies old girdles, and walk down stirrup street!" She finishes with a laugh. "Don't celebrate now Aj, I can call you that, right? Anyways, bets like this go both ways, so if you lose, then you would be the one wearing the girdle." I say matter-of-factually. Her look of confidence leaves her face immediately. "Aw crap! Ah didn't realize that! Please, y'all have ta' help me. Ah'll do anything, just don' let me wind up in a girdle!" Applejack pleads. Not wanting to se a proud farm girl, er farm mare, start bawling her eyes out, I decide for Twilight and myself. "Fine, we'll help you. Just stop your groveling, it's rather unbecoming of a proud mare like yourself. You said buck the apple trees, as in kicking them?" I ask hesitantly. "Exactly like that, why d'you ask?" "I was just curious, and as much as I'd like to help, muscle wise, I'm only as strong as a newborn foal. But somehow a human baby is pound-for-pound stronger than a fully grown ox." I start rambling at the end of my sentence, "Anyways, I might be a big help in this instance, but I'll do what I can. Twilight... You can just use magic, so... Go nuts! Levitate every apple off of the trees so we'll be done quicker!" I shout to them as I start running off towards my 'self delegated' section of the orchard. Once I'm far enough away from them, I find a sturdy looking tree and climb up to its canopy. Once I'm there, I nestle back into a comfy looking nook, and fall asleep almost instantly. "Garrett! Where are you Garrett!" I hear, bringing me out of my pleasurable slumber. Glancing around, and see all of the trees barren of their apples. "Where in tarnation did y'all scamper off to!" I hear Applejack call from my left, deciding to not be a bother any further, I decide to make my whereabouts known. "Up here young Applejack." I say getting her attention. She turns to my direction, and looks up. I decide to jump out of the tree, and land in front of Applejack, startling her and nearly making her fall backwards. "There y'all are. We've been looking fer ya since noon. Twi had little ol' Spike search the orchard fer ya. Now c'mere, lets get y'all back to the farm house fer lunch. Twilight said she had important news to tell you when she saw you." Applejack says grabbing my hand and dragging me back towards the farmhouse. After my futile attempts to get out of her grip, we eventually returned to the barn and a distraught Twilight. I decide to still my tongue and wait for her to speak first. "Garrett... Do you know how long I had Spike and Applejack searching for you? Longer than needed, I almost wrote a letter to the princesses saying I lost you. So please, from now on, let me know where you're going to go." She says in a disappointed tone. "As you wish m'lady. What of this news you wished my ear for?" I respond. "Oh right!" Her does a quick 180. "I got a letter from Princess Celestia, it was talking a bout the Grand Galloping Gala, a very famous event that I'm cordially invited to, and I get to bring one guest with me. Are you interested?" "Sorry to say, but I've already gotten that invitation, denied the RSVP. If I went it would only work and kissing up to the uppity nobles whom all think they should be royalty. Bastards demand treatment as such most of the time. However, Luna all but demands I have to be there." I reply. Twilight and Applejack look at me confused. "Let me explain. Luna is the princess I serve under, so she's like my boss. The boss said that if she has to go, I have to go.Understand my resentment now?" They both nod. "Good, now about that spare ticket. Have you any idea of whom you shall entourage with?" I ask courtly. If I'm going to this damn thing, better brush up on the rules of chivalry. "I haven't the foggiest idea of who to take." "Ya jus' have ta take me Twi! Why, Ah could sell the Apple family products to the people of Canterlot. Ah'll be able to bring enough revenue and profit to finally fix up this here farm. Ah'll be able to fix the ol' plow, an even Granny Smith's saggy ol' hip. Please Twi, you jus gotta take me." I'll admit, the delivery was a bit bizarre, but the intentions were pure. "Did you say the Grand Galloping Gala?!" Rainbow Dash asks while crashing into the ground. "If you give me the ticket, I can finally meet my idols and show them my stuff." "Ms. Dash, the idols of yours. Who are they?" I ask, stopping Applejack from escalating things. "What?! Have you been living under a rock or something!" I just give her a passing glance. "Oh, oops. Anyways, my idols are the Wonderbolts. They're the best fliers to come out of cloudsdale, and the Grand Galloping Gala is the perfect opportunity to wow them. If I perform well enough, they might even let me join them on the spot." Rainbow boasts. That's not really worth trip to Canterlot over. Sorry, letting my bias get in my way, but even then, I'm sure I could just get her a personal meet'n'greet with her heroes. Why does the name Wonderbolts sound so familiar? I'll ask Luna about it later. "Wow. Those are both pretty good reasons, let me go think about it over lunch. I told Spike he could have a treat today since he's been such a big help. Garrett!" Twilight yells as she starts running down the dirt path towards town. 'she's charging a teleport out of panic?' I think to myself. Before I sprint off after her, I decide to taunt Applejack and Rainbow a little. "Oh, don't forget about this you lovebirds." I say holding a ticket in my left hand, "Twilight might give it to someone else." I say before turning and sprinting down the dirt path. After a long and refreshing run down the path, I rejoin Twilight and Spike at an outdoor cafe. Once I get within vocal range, I call out to them. "Hey guys! Can I trouble you two for the company?" I ask. They both nod and I sit down next to them. "Garrett, do you ever have to make choices that can hurt people close to you?" I give her an 'are you serious' look. "Right, sorry. Then, how do you know if it's the right choice or not?" Twilight asks sorrowfully, placing her head on the table. "Twilight, the decision you make here today, so long as it's an honest choice from the heart, I'm sure your friends will understand and accept your choice." I tell her, while I pet her head with my right hand. I decide to pick up a menu with my free hand. "Waiter! Can I have the Bloody Mary on rocks, crushed if you please." I say to the nearby waiter, who takes my order down and looks at me curiously, as do Spike and Twilight. "What? Lets be real here, I'm a lunar guard. You two are lucky I'm even awake right now, so I'm gonna treat myself and see if your alcohol is anything to scoff at. Sue me." I say leaning my back against the table. "That aside, don't you think you could rephrase your sentence a bit dude? I don't think it had your intended impact." Spike says gesturing to Twilight. I was about to respond, but the waiter brought out a flower petal sandwich, deep fried hay, and the only thing I recognized, a Bloody Mary. "Here you are, enjoy your meal." As soon as he finished his statement, I took an immediate swig of my drink, and the result was flavorful but underwhelming. It wasn't as potent as I'm used to. I also took note of the clouds forming in the sky. I stand up, push my stool in, and grab my drink. "Where are you going?" "Inside my friend. It's about to, how-do-you-say, shit storm." I say pointing upwards. As if on que, the heavens opened up and the downpour started. "Um Ms.? Are you going to be eating your food in the rain?" The waiter asks Twilight. "What do you mean? It isn't raining." She looks around, to find herself in a little circle of sunlight. She looks up with a scowl on her face. "Rainbow Dash. What's the meaning of this?" Twilight asks, clearly annoyed. I decide to not stick around for the impending train wreck. So I simply flair up a small barrier made of pure energy. The white crackling Lunarkinetic energy field should be enough to protect me from the rain long enough to get to the library, but first. "Twilight, where are you keeping your extra ticket?" I ask her, interrupting her talk with Rainbow. "Does it look like I have pockets? It'sin my bra." "That's what I thought" "Why'd you want to know th-AH! Weird, still why'd you want to know... How'd you get that?" Twilight asks as I show her the ticket I stole using Lunarkinesis. "Magic. But for now, I'm just going to hold onto this. I have a letter to write. Care to come with me?" I offer. "Yes, you don't know how relentless my friends have been trying to get that ticket." Twilight sighs while walking alongside me. I have some idea, well one of those ideas is my boss, so I guess I have the level ground. "Twilight, Take my hand." I tell her, apparently this must be something big, because she started furiously blushing. "This is something humans do sometimes, and besides, I'm only going to transfer my Lunarkinetic shield to you, since you don't have an umbrella. Call it my act of kindness for the year. She hesitantly grabs my hand, and promptly recoils it when an unknown white crackling energy starts to envelop her hand. She even starts panicking and tries patting herself down trying to stop it. "Calm down young one, that's just a small bit of Lunarkinesis. I merely created a small shield to protect you from the rain. However, it only lasts for around thirty minutes, so let us depart for the library post haste." I tell her as I start to walk in the direction of the library, leaving a flustered Twilight behind at the cafe. When I look back at her, I see her walking behind me a fair distance, and Spike walking right behind me. "Did you have to do that? It took me forever to get used to other ponies, now we're probably back to square one again." He says disappointingly. I take this moment to ask a question I meant to ask earlier. "Tell me, Spike, what did she mean her friends are relentlessly asking her for this extra ticket? I only know of Rainbow and Applejack. One of those two has a good reason, she's just emphasizing it incorrectly." I ask Spike. We walk a little ways in silence, I keep looking back at Twilight, no longer blushing profusely, but intensely studying the Lunarkinetic field. When I look back ahead of me, I see the library come into view. "Well, Aj and Rainbow know shortcuts throughout the town, so they got back long before you did. But, along with, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, Twilight's been at wits end. Now I want to know something." I nod my head. "What do you plan to do once we walk inside the library, knowing full well that you could be jumped at any time." I ponder his words carefully before responding. "I pan on writing a letter, that, or I'll just bring her friends together and let her decide once and for all which of them should go with her to Gala." I tell him firmly. He nods in agreement, and drops back to see Twilight. I don't hesitate, and instead quicken my pace towards the library. I pass by a small selection of vendors, street performers, and even a peculiar building modeled after a carousel. Making a mental note to visit that place later, I find myself at the door to the library, Spike and Twilight a fair distance behind. Deciding it best to wait, and making sure nobody can hear me, I pass the moment by through a song I used to sing for myself when I was alone in the gardens. I take a slight breath, clear my head, and start singing the first verse in a melodic baritone voice. "In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, The dead were loved, and now we lie In Flanders Fields, in Flanders fields And now we lie in Flanders Fields. "Garrett that was beautiful! Who knew you could sing like that. But why did that song feel so upsetting?" Twilight asks. I jump in shock at the sudden appearance of Twilight and Spike. "How much of that did you hear?" I ask, praying that they only heard the ending. "From when you mentioned the larks flying. Why do you ask?" I sigh, as I look towards the setting sun. "I'd have hoped you heard much less. That song is something I sing to myself when I'm alone. The emotions used in the song are enough to fully charge my power reserves. At least promise to not tall anyone about that song. I don't need any of you looking into the meaning of it." They both nod hesitantly. That's the best I can do I suppose. I turn around and grab a hold of the door handle and turn. The handle clicks as the door opens, and the frame creaks as the door is pushed into the dimly lit library. Dimly lit? I question. Twilight wastes no time in entering her house, not question why the lights are off. "I've had such a challenging day to day, I can't wait to sit down with a good book, and read to my hearts content." She says, casually. She illuminates her hand in a purple aura, and soon after, a switch on the wall illuminates in the same sparkling purple aura. I hear a small click as Spike and I enter the library, followed by a flash of light. I bring my arm up to shield my eyes from the sudden lights. When I bring my arm down, I see Twilight glaring at her friends, each of them looking at her expectantly. "Ugh, I give up! You girls have been hounding me all day, all for this one extra ticket! " Twilight says with malice at the end. "look Twi, if it annoys ya so much, Ah'll give up mah chance fer the ticket. Ah'd hate to see you upset." Applejack says. Walking over to comfort Twilight "Yes dear, we had no idea how much we were forcing your ourselves onto you. So I'll give up my chance to live out my dreams as well." Rarity says regretfully. She to walks over Twilight, only she brings her into a hug. "Yep yep yep. I'd hate to see anypony frown, especially one of my best friends." Pinkie Pie blurts out. joining the hug. "I'll give out my ticket to. I'm sure there'll be other chances to visit the castle gardens." Fluttershy mutters out from the large group sitting on the couch by the statue in the center of the room. Now all that remains is... Rainbow Dash. "Yes! That means the ticket is mine. Uh-huh, uh-huh, I'm awesome." She pauses after seeing the glares from her friends. "Heh, I mean." She lands in front of Twilight, "If you're not going, I ain't going. Plain and simple." She finishes. And her I though I'd have to interfere with the situation, I guess there's still things I can learn. "Well then, Garrett. Can I have that ticket you stole off of me." I hand Twilight the ticket I stole from her bra. She blushes as I hand he the ticket. She looks at Spike, who pulls a quill and sheet of parchment out of a pocket of his hoodie. "Dear Princess Celestia, I regretfully inform you that I will not be attending the Grand Galloping Gala. While I would have liked to go, I couldn't choose just one of my friends to take with me, please understand that a decision like that is one I just can't make. So, I'm returning both of the tickets you sent me, I'm sure you understand my position on this issue. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Did you get all of that Spike?" Twilight asks, finally freeing herself from the group hug. "Sparkle, got it. I'll send it right away." What happens next was a first for me. Spike blew a small ball of shimmering emerald flame onto the parchment. Look on in astute wonder, and as soon as the smoke created snaked its way out of the window above the loft, I turned back to Twilight, confusion evident on my facade. "Oh right! Garrett, Spike is a drake, as you know, but he is also psychically connected to her. So when he breaths fire on anything that he writes, it gets sent to the Princess. Once she's received it, she sometimes sends letters back. Look at how late it is! Sorry everyone, I've got to get Spike to bed. See you all tomorrow." Twilight says, getting wrapped inside another group hug. Spike sticks out his tongue and holds one of his claws in front of it. I assume he's making a gagging symbol. It doesn't last long, as he suddenly turns pale and his cheeks puff up. "Now would ya look at that, spoken like a true boy. Can't handle anything emotional." Applejack starts, but is cut off when Spike burps out a thin lilac cloud. "Whoa Nelly!" Applejack shouts in shock, as she ducks to avoid the cloud. Her hat even leaves her head. The cloud then starts to swirl into a spherical shape before transforming into a scroll. Spike catches the scroll and opens it up, reading the words written on it aloud. "My dear student, I respect your decision, but why didn't you say something earlier. If I had know it was such a difficult choice for you, I'd have never put you in that position in the first place. So to compensate for the troubles I've caused you, I have enclosed seven tickets to the Gala in this letter. Please enjoy yourself until the Gala. With love, Princess Celestia." Spike finishes, holding seven tickets to the Gala. He holds them above his head, where they are covered in a purple aura and distributed to each person present in the room. Spike looks at me curiously, wondering why I didn't get a ticket. I just look at him and smile warmly, as if to tell him not to worry. I look back to the group and see them all walking out of the door,each one waving the ticket around in a boastful manner. I wave them off and sit down on the couch. I grab a nearby book, "A History of Equestria; Volume 2", and start reading. "Garrett, aren't you going to say good bye to everyone?" Twilight asks me, breaking my concentration on the book. "I hope you all have a wonderful night, and may tomorrow bring new adventures for us as well." I say waving them off. I quickly get back into my book, I decide to skip the part about the Minotaur raid, and the fall of Nightmare Moon. 'Rise of the Solar Empire?' looks interesting, I guess I'll start here. "Twilight, I'm going to my room to do some reading." I exclaim, as I walk towards my little hole in the wall I call a room, well it's got a desk, and a bed, guess that's all I really need. "Alright, just make sure you're up in time to go shopping with me. We also need to stop at the Carousel Boutique, and Sugar Cube Corner around noon." Twilight replies. I make a mental note about tomorrow as I open the door to my room. Let the door fall shut behind me, as I walk through to my bed. I lay down, and light a nearby candle. Once the flame is lit, I begin to read its contents aloud. "Following the unfortunate banishment of Princess Luna, Princess Celestia took it upon herself to perform both royal duties of raising the sun and moon. As the years progressed, she learned how to perform both tasks without a passing thought, having them engraved in her mind so firmly, she could perform the tasks whilst in her sleep. But the solar princess grew tired of the castle, seeing any part of it filled her with unimaginable grief and sorrow." I pause, turning the page. I see that there's a picture depicting her raising, and lowering, the sun and moon. The picture was done in a mosaic format, and took up both of the pages. I turn to the next page and am met a formally stylized number one. "Moving from the Everfree." I read, "The decision to change the location of the capital from the Everfree to Canterlot was made just one year after Luna's banishment. Celestia decided that the nearby mountain range was the best strategic location for the new capital. Contrary to popular belief, the castle was not built overnight, in fact, when construction first began, all that was there were a few tents and a large great hall built just for her majesty." I stop reading and close the book. 'I'll just have to read more tomorrow, and it's getting late. I also promised Twilight that I'd go with her. I need to stop doing things like that.' I think to myself as I blow out the candle. The room is engulfed in total darkness, despite this, I move the bed effortlessly, and sit down in the circle I drew underneath it. 'Well, might as well see if I can help Luna with her dream walking. I've got nothing better to do anyways.' I groan inwardly. I start muttering the activation chant, and offer a quarter of my energy to supply the spell with. When I open my eyes, the symbol was alight and pulsating. I smirk, knowing that Luna has accepted my offer to help her. I empty my mind, and as I close my eyes, the world goes blank.
