The Three Souls

Chapter Eight

Terra landed quietly next to Storm, slowly looking around the landing she had directed them too, with his stone wings folding against his body softly. He smiled as she walked down a path, gingerly motioning for him to follow her closely while lead them down a small path. As they walked he couldn’t help but look around, seeing how each of his mountains grew up and out of the stone earth that was twisted and broken below. The mountains formed massive and grey ridge lines, each a different layer within the whole of the mountain, from the strong sturdy granite to the weak and sliding shale counterparts, allowing the mountains to look both weak and insurmountable at the same instant. Another mountain, one that seemed out of place was a brownish red one, with massive cliffs and faces that twisted the red and beige colours of sandstone together in a swirls and shattered walls.  He knows that this world, shift and changed by his mind and magik, still holds secrets and beauties he will discover, and he will always be in awe at it.

He looks back at Storm, who has walked further ahead, towards a large cave opening. He couldn’t help but admire her right now, since Celestia’s charge was sitting the in perfect position to highlight her beautiful wings, luscious hair and gorgeous bod-

He shook his head roughly and looked away from her, not believing he was thinking that. His face was slight red now even though he stopped himself, embarrassed by the ideas he was thinking of. She looked back at him and smiled, then walked inside of the cave slowly, making him follow, and before long he could see that the cave had something important within it.

It was her home.

“Welcome to my little palace among the mountains,” she commented finally, sitting down on her fun and waving to the room around her, only being a small bed, a few wooden benches and a table. He just looked around, surprised how little she had and how much of it seemed so quant for a mare like her.

“My father didn’t leave me with much, saying that with my head up in the clouds in the sky so much I would probably end up living there someday,” she said, drawing Terra’s eyes back to her, seeing a saddened look, “He left me with an important task though, so I won’t leave the cave. Ever.”

That ‘ever’ made him look around, trying to see this important task. Nothing came to mind, as each area of the cave was void of anything of value, and even then the tasks that could be given for protecting such a task maybe something she only wants to mention to him, and not talk about.

He drew his vision slowly back to her, and smiled.

“Um well... where is your father? Who was he anyway?” he asked walking up to her slowly. She got off her rump slowly and sighed gently.

“His name was Harmonia. No last name so my name is Storm Restio,” she commented, putting his question to bed, “He left me with this cause he said its all I need, and nothing more. I guess he was right in a way but...”

“What did he leave you to protect?” Terra asked, trying to change the topic quickly and in a hopefully good direction. She looked at him, giving him a look of surprise, and concern.

“He wanted me to guard some stupid gems apparently,” she said, an eyebrow raised, “One fell off a few weeks ago, and I remember the names of all of them. Apparently mine was called something like positive energy or something rather.”

As she spoke she pointed to a wall and there were eight gems, each perfectly cut into great gems of beauty. The top one was a deep shade of purple, sparkling with great power and wisdom, while the one to its right was a smaller pale blue one, almost perfectly in tune with the first. Below it was a deep apple red one, again tune perfectly to the previous as the last, however it radiated out, almost seeking something. However below this one was an empty slot where a gem of the same cut use to be, and to the left was a faint diamond colour gem, again tuned to the one’s around it. The final one was something that made him feel puzzled to look at as the gem of a tranquil pink, like the last radiated something, this time calming and kind.

From the from the three to the top right came small gorges in the wall, all drawn to a deep and sharp green gem, this time cut to an eight sided pattern, imposing, yet important in its presences. On the other side, for the two gems and missing participant, came three lines as well, out and to a beautiful blue gem, again cut to an eight sided stone of deep and brooding yellow, radiating out a precense like the other one, more selfless and kind in its importance.

However, at the centre of the first five gems and the slot, was a pearled white gem, that seemed to shift between the colours ever so often, was a six pointed star, with great energy expelling out from it with each passing moment. From all six points drew out towards the six gemstones, and from the tips reached out groves to the stones themselves.

“The top two are Empathy, the soft pink one, and the purple one is Love. The ones next to them,” she started to explain, point at them, “Are Selflessness for the diamond like one, and Grounding for the sky blue one. The red one is Zen, and the one I have is positive energy.”

He nodded slowly, listening to the mare with the upmost interest.

“The two on the outside are Honour, the green one, and Duty, the yellow one,” she explained, “They draw power from three different gems each, Duty being Selflessness, Empathy, and Positive energy, while Honour takes from Love, Grounding and Zen. Finally we have the center.”

With that she pointed at the center gem carefully, smiling.

“My father called it balance and perfection, The Element of Harmony,” she said grinning gently, “I draws on all six gems power, required to keep the world in complete balance and unity. Or so he says.”

Terra nodded slowly again, looking at them slowly. Each one he examined slowly again, before looking at her, and smiling happily.

“Well your father gave you this task for a reason right?” he asked offering to move away but she stood there. He waited for a moment, feeling some tension for that instant.

“He never did tell me the reason why... nor did he tell me I was to guard them forever,” she said looking at Terra before at the floor, “At least... I hope not.”

Terra gave pause for a long while, eyes looking at her worried, before sighing softly and turning around, looking at the gems again. He reached up with one hoof, moving over the gem called Grounding, staring at it intently. It seemed locked in place completely immobile to him and his efforts, while his body felt more loyal to his family and friends suddenly. He moved up to the gem of Love, feeling a small burst of magik leak into his body only to be pulled out again. He then moved to Empathy, and felt it was his duty to do kindness to all alicorns in the world, before his hoof fell to Selflessness, feeling he wanted to give everything away to help others. His hoof moved over to Duty, only to feel it move suddenly.

Terra flinched, suddenly realizing that none of the other stones moved for him. Again his hoof moved over the stone again, the stone being drawn to it. It shook for a moment and popped off, floating up to his hoof and almost clinging to it.

“Did... did this happen to you?” he asked surprised by all this. Storms head slowly raised up looking at what was happening, just as surprised.

“No for me I found the gem resting on my back when I awoke on morning... I’ve... I’ve never seen this before,” she commented eyes wide. He drew his hoof back, feeling a sense of pride he had never before, but suddenly the same feeling to be dutiful to anything he was asked for. It he felt stronger too, body more keen to help the others and to be kind, doing it all with a happy smile.

“Well its... interesting if you asked me,” he said smiling happily looking at her, “What could be so wrong with this? I feel strong and happy too. Like whatever I shall do for anypony won’t feel wrong or incorrect.”

He looked back up at the gems and reached up to touch Zen softly, feeling he wanted to spill out th-

“I think you are cute,” he suddenly blurted out. His hoof launched to his mouth covering it, and his face shown with an embarrassing red hue, eyes looking at the wall, shot wide open with the fear of what he just said.

Storm looked at him, eyes just as wide and her face redder then an apple. She looked away suddenly and coughed gently.

“Um... you r-really think so?” she asked, making him jump a little, though she pushed him roughly with a hoof, “Nah you’re just messing with me.”

Terra nodded slowly face just as red, “Y-Yea your right I’m just messing with you.”

There was an awkward silence, to which both did not move in anyway. After a few moments Terra reached up and touched Honour carefully, and again he felt it move. It was surprising to him say the least but it seemed right. He had Duty. So why not Honour?

He took it back with him, looking at it. Everything seemed more defined and he seemed to wish for others first before himself. Duty and Honour.

“Why did they-” he started.

“I’m not sure. Maybe they chose you for something?” she said with a stupid grin on her face making him realize it was a stupid question to be asking her. He looked at both gems and sighed softly before looking back at Storm, curious about something now drew his mind to a point.

“So what now?” he asked curiously, before she grinned at him, and walked away.

“I’m not sure. But maybe fly some more?” she suggested, before rushing out of the cave and spreading her wings. She stopped at the edge of cliff and looked back at him, the sun highlighting all her features, light faintly shining through the feathers on her wings. He smiled and followed suit, seeing that it was near noon. He took the sky before her, grinning stupidly at her as he dove downward and kept a constant speed to keep away from her for a moment, before beginning the duet of flight.

_ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _

Terra landed several hours later, walking into his room slowly, and the light of day dimming away from the world behind him. He had spent all day with Storm and eventually found his way home from hers, and he was completely smiling. Happy with today he felt a dash on inspiration, walking over to his table of tools and craft and sat down on his rump. He hoof extended to the wall and he rubbed along it.

His horn glowed madly for a moment and as he pulled back is hoof; three larges metallic stones came out. The largest of the three being copper, while the others were roughly the same size, all of which floated in front of him. In moments he reached up with his hooves and ripped the copper stone into two even stones. With that he reached out with his magik and turned on the fire with in the kiln.

He felt the air flare up with heat as he cracked it up to a high temperature, in which he was intending to melt the metals and form them together. After a good twenty minutes of preparing the metals and letting the fire grow, he floated the metals over and into the swirling fires. As teh fire heated them, making them softer, more maluble and eventually a near liquid from, he began to force them together. Copper with tin and Copper with Zinc. As they mixed in front of him he kept them constantly forming and shaping, before simply floating them there in a pot of his magik.

He walked away, his mind keeping and ever vigilant watch on the two new metals that were just form. Again he walks over to his desk, placing the two gems on it, and grasping out for the some designs, looking at them as he brings out one of the solutions. He looked at it, smiling at the newly created brass; beginning to form it with his magik while also encasing the magik as he wov crafted it into a chest guard.

Before too long it began to harden and made it difficult to form, and as Terra worked, he made the majority of the chest guard before replacing the unused solution back into the fire as he hovered the metal guard to his body, checking it with some space between him at the still hot metal. Next he brought out the next solution, which he called bronze and formed it to the guard, making two spots for the gems he had received at Storm’s home to be placed, and before layering the metal over it, creating elegant patterns. The bronze whirled and twisted, highlighting the brass beneath it as he formed it with elegance, while he worked its quickly and steadily.

Finally, after an two hours of shift and shaping the metals he laid it down into some chilled water, steam shooting form it and cooling the metal before he set the guard on the ground. It was done, but he was too exhausted to really admire his own work and collapsed onto his soft bed falling into a gentle slumber.

_ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _

Blackness of a void, and Terra stood at what seemed the center of it. Never in his time had he ever experienced something as this, and with that he looked around, trying to spot something of interest.

At first it seemed useless and he looked to his back, seeing that his stone wings were not with him, and even though this may be a dream, he could not change the fact of his pathetic wings being there preventing him from flying to look.

Nothing to really look at though, since the black void is ever reaching and even with this presence of a floor, he can’t help but wonder why he even bothers with his attempts to see anything.

But he looks again, this time surprisingly spotting something. It was far and distant but he could make out two dots. A strong green and a vivid yellow, and as he rushed towards them with a hurried pace, assuming them points of exit or release from this strange void.

They weren’t. As he drew closer he could see they were the gems of his charge now. Duty and Honour.

But they were far larger than in the world beyond his dream, both towering far of his head and their faces looked down at him.

He watched them slowly, looking between them, when with a crisp face they both began to play images. Terra turned to watch honour first, eyes looked at the passing images.

There stood seven alicorns, each with a stone and gem, crafting objects and placing them into the world he had created, smiles and happy tears upon the faces of his counter parts and himself. The gems that each alicorn represented flashed brightly, sending these creations across the realm of his world and begin something new.

He looked at duty, seeing that the alicorns left the world to watch from a far for a great amount of time, admiring and examine the world below, the black silhouettes representing each, before they all but one turned a ethereal white. The one who didn’t though stood watching the world below, clearly worried for some reason, but with two glowing orbs within his chest glowed faintly.

He looked back to the other gem, seeing a terrifying figure crafting the world, destroying and terrorizing the creations for only to have a smile plastered across his face before the gems and alicorns appeared, facing it down. It twisted and fought back, enraged at the attempt to bring it down. Before long the seventh appeared, and unified the other six in their attempt, trapping the beast. However, this horrified Terra as he watch, and felt something was wrong with the image.

His head twisted back to duty, only to see more horrors play out. Another beast, destroying the creation with twisting and turn magik and power, and again the terrifying beast was stopped by the alicorn with two orbs within his chest.

Then another appeared, red with rage and anger, clashing with the two stones again. Again the two stoned alicorn stepped in and defeated this beast. Then as he looked back at the honour, not seeing and image, but heard a voice.

“You are to blame for my misery!”

Then another.

“I will destroy all who stand in my way!”

Then the voices swamped him drowning out the world of his vision. Then they stopped, and with petrified eyes he looked at the gems again. This time he saw two, monstrous eyes, the pupils appearing like feline eyes and a teal iris around them formed, staring at him.

“Join me. And I will help you achieve peace and harmony...”

The voice twisted and sickened his head madly, and he closed his eyes, turning his head away.

“I will make sure of this. For you and I are too much alike...”

The voice was there and that meant the eyes were too. It continued to speak, the voice beginning to cackle and wrap around his head.

Then silence. He looked back up, and there in front of him... was himself. His mane was different, and his eyes were feline as well, and the soft distant brown enthralled them.

“W-Who are you?”

“Tis us.”

“Who is us? What are you? Why are you in my head?”

“We’ve always been here. Tis our home, our birth place, and our shelter.”

“What do you mean? This is my head, and my mind, so how can there be two?” Terra’s voiced cracked as he said two, portraying his fear.

“If thou cannot understand this, then we will explain better. Thy’s mind, is our mind. Thy hopes, are our nightmares. Tis but a small thing, and only your nightmares are our dreams!” the voices changed, subtly at first, but it became more menacing as time when on, “Thou’s is us, and we are thou. Understand.”

The ‘understand’ hung for a moment as the beasts eyes began to glow with ethereal white again, Terra beginning to back up away from the feature.

“What thou has seen is the future as we have fore-saw. And what we fore-saw was anguish and pain. Though, this is what we saw and not what thou saw,” a grin appeared across its face, twisting and curling unnaturally around its jaw.

“You could be showing that to me just to scare me... that is what you did!” Terra explained, his body feeling incredibly cold and tense.

“Did? No. If we did that just to scare thou then we would have just appeared before thee and killed you within a happy dream.”

“Then what?!?”

“We will not tell you our telling. We will wait,” the voice commented, the grin remained as the figured disappeared.

“We will wait.”

-Authors Word-

Sorry for the long wait guys, but I had writers block and a lot of work on my hands.

Also I intend to keep up the pace of writing now so Hopefully it will be a weekly thing.

Also! Those who are about to commented on the elements of Honour and duty, the idea is they are the over watching elements that don't contribute to harmony. And to the ELEMENT OF HARMONY, well, given that we all know of the elements, why would the elements not all have a central point to unify on?

This is my thoughts and I do welcome any angry rage directed at me. Though I hope nothing too... violent...