Chapters Am I... dead? were the first words to come to the creature's head. If it weren't for the ache following them, he would have surely believed so, too. "Uuggh..." he groaned and rubbed the back of his head. Getting up on all fours, he finally opened his eyes to gaze at the sight below him. Is that... grass? he wondered. Soft and green, even more so than the fields back home... This is not home... but this can't be hell either.
He pushed himself off the ground and stood up. He rubbed his eyes before opening them again, but doing so only made him want to rub them again, for as he stared forward, he saw six sets of eyes staring back at him, but none of their owners looked even remotely similar to any of the creatures he could recognize... and they most certainly did not resemble anything he would have expected to see.
Demons in disguise, he told himself and drew his sword. They might not look threatening, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're harmless either. He pointed his blade at the deceitful beings in front of him, ready to rid the first one to come at him from its head... Alas, just as he readied himself for a small skirmish, a loud choir of shocked gasping surrounded him from all sides.
Quickly shifting his sights left and right, he realized that he was completely surrounded by the creatures... Whatever theses creatures were, he had just landed right in the middle of their nest.
This is hopeless... he convinced himself. After letting out a heavy sigh, he dropped his sword right in front of the hooves of the six creatures that appeared to be their pack leaders . "My fate is in your hands," he declared in a voice full of shame and reluctance. At this point I can only hope that they are actually disguised demons... otherwise I'm about to become the first warrior in the history of Mernolia to ever surrender to a pack of fairy tales.
The purple one in front of the pack inspected the blade in front of her meticulously before turning her sights back to the warrior. "Uuuhh..." she uttered a sound of confusion, incidentally also confusing the creature in front of her and making him raise his eyebrow.. What in Equestria am I supposed to say!? she wondered. Unable to find an answer within herself, she simply cleared her throat and asked him to clarify what his words meant, "I... beg your pardon?" she asked and stared back at him.
And so both creatures stared at one another with raised eyebrows for about another fifteen seconds before anything happened...
"Don't play games with me, demon," the warrior said with disgust and spat on the ground, nearly hitting the hoof of one of those standing in the sidelines. Even though the saliva did not reach her, her reflexes still made her lift her foreleg up. Ignoring the scowls directed at him from the sidelines, the warrior continued. "I don't know what you have in store for me, but you're not going to make me beg or bend the knee." He hung his head before adding a few more words, "I've already dishonored myself... I'd prefer to at least die on my feet." He raised his head again and met the eyes of the purple one with an unforgiving glare.
Dead silence claimed the air. Out of the two parties present, both were confused beyond words. However, the said demons were still the ones at a disadvantage here.
What in Equestria is going on here!? the purple one wondered. "Does anypony know what's he talking about?" she asked and looked for answers from both her own companions and the ones observing the scene from the sidelines. Unsurprisingly, the only response she got was a series of shrugs and confused blabbering. "Look..." she addressed the alien. "I don't know who or what you are, but evidently you are even more confused than we are, so... umm..." she rubbed the back of her head again. Still unable to think of a way to resolve the curious situation.
While the purple one tried to come up with something to say, the outlander got tired of their attitude. As he lost his patience, he slapped his palm against his face and started slowly dragging it downwards. "Fine, then! I'll play your game," he retorted and went over to pick up his sword. "If what you say is true, then I take it you won't mind if I keep this close at hand?" he asked politely while sheathing his blade.
"As long as you don't start waving it around again," the purple one responded after a short moment of irritated staring.
"Not without a good reason, I won't," he admitted with a look on his face that didn't make any of the locals feel any better. "I am Exhorresco of Mernolia. Sworn swordsman of the double-edged blade tribe," he formally introduced himself. Crossing his arms, he waited for the other party to return the gesture. "And you are?"
Retaining her politeness, the purple one held her hoof up to her chest and obliged. "Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville. Princess of friendship," she answered with a proud smile.
Exhorresco seemed a bit stunned by that introduction. Well, now... that makes me twice as glad I didn't surrender... Imagine being recorded in history as a great warrior that was defeated by a munchkin horse who calls herself the princess of friendship, he thought to himself and barely managed to hold back his laughter. "Introductions aside, what happens to me now?"
"Why are you asking me ?" Twilight counter-questioned. "I wasn't the one that brought you here..." She paused for a moment and rubbed her chin. "Speaking of which... how did you get here? You just quite literally appeared out of thin air!" she curiously inquired.
Hmm... these demons aren't as foolish as I had initially imagined, Exhorresco thought to himself whilst maintaining his unfriendly stare on the princess of friendship. But if my suspicions are correct, then they should already know all about how I came to be where I am now... In which case, they would be able to see right through me if I tried to lie. "I was sent here as an envoy from a far away land. The king of Mernolia wishes to know if our kingdoms can live together in peace and friendship," he lied.
An envoy from a far away land? Here to negotiate peace with Equestria? Without stopping to try and find any flaws in Exhorresco's words, Twilight let out a squee of pure joy as she found yet another opportunity to fulfill her role as the princess of friendship. Oh, my goodness! This is the chance of a lifetime! Imagine Equestria joined together with a far away kingdom inhabited by fearsome creatures that nopony has ever even heard of before! And it would be all thanks to me! ... I can't let this chance pass by! I must do whatever it takes to secure their trust! Calming her excitement, she took a graceful bow and replied in a respectful manner, "Well, Exhorresco of Marenolia, you've come to the right place! As the princess of friendship, it is my sworn duty to spread the magic of friendship all across Equestria!"
Yet again, the warrior in the center of attention was left completely baffled by the words of the purple one. That smile... No demon could ever fake that... Jumping back into reality, Exhorresco cleared his throat and continued. "Right, erm... As I was saying--"
"Will the king be coming here himself?" Twilight interrupted the warrior with an excessively cheerful expression.
"I'm afraid not." He shook his head. "The king is very busy these days and simply cannot put aside enough time to personally attend every matter such as this one... Hence the envoy."
"Oh..." Twilight's smile faded in an instant upon hearing those words. "That's all right! We can come to him!" she exclaimed with newfound joy.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Pack your things, girls! We're going to Marenolia!" the purple one exclaimed, and her friends all approved of the notion with a round of jubilant cheering.
Despite Exhorresco's emotionless expression, his mind was just about ready to retire from the path of logical thinking as he watched the pack of mutated foals celebrating the chance to go on a journey that he had only made up for the sake of seeing whether they could be trusted.
... Blasted demons...
"Can we leave right now?" retaining her excited look, Twilight asked right as her friends stopped cheering.
Pausing for a brief moment, Exhorresco nodded and turned around. "Right this way." He began walking through the flock of curious sightseers. Demons or not, I have no intention of openly admitting of having lied to them in front of their entire tribe.
Unintelligible whispers and glares of distrust surrounded Exhorresco as he led the six pack leaders out of the borders of their hive, but they weren't the only ones uncertain of whether this warrior could be trusted...
"I don't know..." one of the princess' advisers whispered to her. "Something seems awfully fishy about this guy."
"I hear ya, Rainbow," another voice added. "One moment he's spoutin' complete nonsense and surrendering to us, and then the next thing you know, he's suddenly on an official diplomatic mission!"
"Shh!" Twilight hushed the excessively loud counselor. "You don't want him to hear us, do you?"
"So you don't trust him either?" the same orange-coated demon asked in a much quieter voice.
"I know it might seem like he lost a few marbles from his fall, but we don't know anything about this Marenolia or the race that inhabits it! For all we know, whatever he did upon his arrival is some kind of strange custom in their land," the princess explained her point of view.
"Let's assume that what you just said is true," another one of her consultants joined in on the discussion. This one seemed more culturally refined than the last two. "Do you honestly want to consort with some strange tribe of outlanders whose traditions could only make sense to somepony that's spent a little too much time under the sun?" she asked with her eyebrow raised. The other four imitated a similar expression as well.
"Would you prefer it if there were a few thousand like him pointing their swords at you, rather than just one?" the pack leader counter-questioned.
"Touche, darling... Touche."
Not much later, Exhorresco stopped dead in his tracks and set his sights upon a great forest that didn't seem even remotely natural.
"T-t-t-the Everfree forest?" the stuttering, yellow-coated adviser of the princess uttered. She looked as though she had just seen a ghost.
"Is this the only way to Marenolia?" the princess inquired, also slightly nervous about the course of their trip.
"Nay," the warrior quickly replied and turned around.
"Phew." Twilight wiped her forehead. "You had me worried for a second there... So which route should we--"
"I'm afraid this is as far as you go," he interrupted with a rather grim look on his face.
"Huh?" the princess uttered. "It's a trap!" she exclaimed without much thinking.
"I knew it!" the rainbow-maned adviser added as the six of them got into position for battle.
"You made us separate from the rest of the town to lead us to the forest, where the rest of your kin are hiding and waiting to ambush us!" Twilight accused him.
"What in the bloody blazes are you on about?" Exhorresco asked with a glare of both disgust and confusion.
"Not today!" the pack leader shouted and fired at the man with a ray of magic.
Just barely dodging the bolt in time and looking back to see it fly directly into a tree and leave a burn mark on it, Exhorresco's face nearly turned pale for a second. "Soul magic..." he muttered and drew his sword. "So you are demons, after all!"
"What!?" Twilight exclaimed, replacing her warface with a confused stare.
"There's no use in pretending now, you filth! Every infant in Mernolia knows that only demons can channel magic through their bodies without any amplifiers!" the warrior kept shouting, only confusing his adversaries even more in the process. "You shall not have my soul, demon! I will not be fuel for your vile weapons!" he screamed with great fury and swung his blade right at the pack leader.
"Wait!" Twilight exclaimed as she and all her friends jumped away to avoid the swing. "Stop! Please!" she kept shouting whilst dodging the warrior's swings.
"Save your breath, demon! Raaagh!" He swung his sword with all his might. As the blow that would have surely cut the purple one in half came swinging down at her, she managed to teleport away, just in time to avoid it. Failing his attack, Exhorresco started panting as his strength began to wane. His expression was utterly shocked beyond words. The demon... is... is it dead? After hearing some hoofsteps coming from behind himself, he turned around and bore witness to the same demon he thought he had just obliterated. He stared at it in complete awe whilst still breathing heavily. "What form of diabolic magic is this?" he asked in dismay.
"Teleportation," she answered with a rather unfriendly glare on her face. "Please, would you just stop swinging that thing around long enough to--"
"Demonic soul magic... Angelic rift walking..." he interrupted her and dropped on one knee, plunging his blade into the ground in front of him and bowing his head while still holding his hand on the hilt of the sword. "You're no demon..." He slowly raised his head and addressed the creature in a respectful manner. "What in the sage's name are you?"
"Uugh! Why do you keep calling me a demon!?" Twilight bawled. "I'm just a pony, for Celestia's sake!"
"A... po-knee?" the warrior repeated the strange word.
"Yes," she confirmed. "An alicorn, to be exact, but that's only what I classify as," she explained further, still trying to retain a polite tone. "Now, would you be so kind as to--"
"Noble alichorn," Exhorresco interrupted again and lowered his head. Despite the reverent remark, Twilight still couldn't help but feel a bit peeved about being interrupted again. "Your prowess exceeds even the legends we tell our children... and I am now as convinced as ever that the sage has made a mistake in sending me here." He raised his head again and looked deeply into the eyes of the alicorn. "Would it be a sin to ask someone of your bloodline for help in finding my way back home?"
Total silence claimed the air for a good while. The six ponies couldn't make out anything from what the warrior had just said, and Exhorresco simply awaited for the great and purple one to give her verdict.
"Okay... this guy has definitely been out in the sun too long," the blue one with rainbow hair added.
No longer able to keep this charade going, the princess of friendship just lost it and began bellowing at the top of her lungs, "What in Celestia's name are you talking about !?"
"Forgive me, noble alichorn," Exhorresco immediately apologized and humbly lowered his head again. "I meant no disrespect."
"Uggh!" Twilight groaned and facehoofed herself. "Would you, please, just stop it with the titles and talk of demons already and just tell me what exactly is going on here!?" she said in a demanding tone.
"It shall be as you say, oh righteous and benevolent one," he replied with great respect towards her, but Twilight could only roll her eyes upon hearing another ridiculous title. "It all began when--"
Before he could continue, a loud howl coming from behind him interrupted his monologue. As Exhorresco turned around to investigate, he saw three pairs of greenish-yellow eyes shinning brightly through the darkness. As they drew closer to him, fierce growling ensued.
"Timberwolves!" the princess exclaimed. Just as she did so, the fearsome creatures began charging at them.
"Foul spawn of hell!" Exhorresco drew his blade. "Taste my steel!" He swung his sword at the first timberwolf that dared approach him, shattering it into two dozen pieces of firewood in the process. Ignoring the massive warrior that was much larger than their usual prey, the other two wolves charged right at the pack of ponies. "Where do you think you're going?" Exhorresco asked one of the creatures as he grabbed it by its tail. "Back to hell, dog!" Grabbing the creature with both hands, he swung it over himself and smashed it against the ground.
"Run!" one of the ponies shouted. Five of them ran, but the princess didn't even have enough time to turn around as one of the wolves took a leap towards her with its mouth wide open.
"Aaaah!" Twilight yelped from fear.
"You shall not harm the princess! "
Closing her eyes, Twilight heard a shattering sound near her face. Upon re-opening them, she saw Exhorresco standing in front of her with his blade drawn back as though he had just made a powerful swing. It didn't take her long to realize just what had happened. She, as well as her friends, all looked a bit surprised by the way the warrior had just selflessly defended them against the timberwolf threat.
Calming her anxiety and clearing her throat, Twilight spoke to him again, "Khe, khem... Thank you... that was very noble of you."
"No need to be modest, noble alichorn... I am certain that someone with your power was only holding back because she felt sorry for the poor, defenseless hellspawn."
Twilight put on a sheepish smile and disengaged from eye contact with Exhorresco as soon as she heard that remark. "Yes, well... That sort of thing does sometimes happen to me, I suppose." She grinned widely. A strong gust of wind came by at that instant and set their manes askew. "It's getting late, and I'd really rather not wait around for any more timberwolves."
"You said it," the refined one agreed.
"Shall we continue this discussion tomorrow?" Twilight politely asked Exhorresco.
"If that is your wish, then so be it, weary alichorn." Exhorresco bowed before her. "Get as much rest as you need, princess. I shall await your return, regardless of when it comes."
"Great," Twilight replied with a solid smile on her lips. "See you tomorrow, Erm... Exhorreto, was it?"
"It's Exhorresco, Your Highness," he corrected. "But thou may call me as thou see fit."
Oh, brother... not the THOU's... the princess thought to herself and rolled her eyes. "Exhorresco is fine," she replied and turned around to make her way back to her castle.
"You are too kind, Your Grace."
And so, they parted ways. However, the orange-coated one did take one last look back before leaving the scene completely.
"Uhh... Twilight?" she tapped on the princess' shoulder and pointed at the warrior who had made himself comfortable by reclining his back against a tree by the Everfree forest entrance. "I know he's a bit... erm... strange, but don't you think we should..."
"I get the picture," Twilight took over her sentence and started walking back towards the warrior by the tree. "Say, umm... Exhorresco?" she addressed him as soon as they came closer.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Do you really not have any better place to stay for the night other than here, where it's cold and full of timberwolves?"
"Hah! Nonsense!" he rejected the notion. "The double-edged blade tribe always makes their camps in the middle of the harshest terrain! This is nothing new to me."
"Wouldn't you rather stay somewhere where it's warm and safe, for a change?" she offered in a polite manner.
Taking a quick glance behind himself, right into the heart of the endless darkness that surrounded the forest, as well as at his own skin that was now clad with goosebumps, Exhorresco got all the motivation he needed to take the princess up on her offer. "What did you have in mind, oh benevolent one?"
"Well, as it happens, I have plenty of spare bedrooms back at my castle." She stepped aside and directed Exhorresco's attention at the castle of friendship.
Exhorresco was nearly completely certain that the alicorn was merely toying with him, and so his tone was full of disbelief. "Me, a complete stranger in your lands, to stay in the very heart of your kingdom? Surely, you jest."
"It's no big deal, really," she insisted. "Plus, it would mean that we wouldn't have to come all the way back to the Everfree forest in the morning just to have our promised discussion."
"Your altruism and benevolence knows no bounds, noble alichorn." Exhorresco stood up and bowed before the six ponies, once more. "If Her Grace wishes me to remain close by her side, then I certainly won't object."
"You're very welcome," Twilight replied and led the way. "Oh! I almost forgot! I haven't even introduced you to my friends yet, have I?"
"No, Your Grace," Exhorresco confirmed. "I admit, I would prefer to have a proper way of referring to them, other than simply calling them refined one or stuttering one ."
"Ooh! Refined one. I must say, I rather enjoy the sound of that," the said pony added.
"S-s-stuttering one?" the yellow-coated one repeated with a sad look on her face.
"Ooh! Ooh! Do me! Do me!" the only adviser that had not said a word until now finally spoke up.
"Do... you?" the confused warrior repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Mmhm!" the hyperactive one confirmed. "What do you call me?"
"Uhm... hyperactive one, I suppose."
The smile on the same pony's face faded a bit after hearing that. "Meh, too cliche... How about... the party one! Ooh! Or maybe, the bouncing one!" she suggested as she turned her walk into a cheerful skip. "Or maybe..."
"All right, that's enough," Twilight hushed her.
"Aww." Her hyperactive friend frowned and stopped skipping.
"I'd really prefer it if you called them by their real names."
"Of course, oh just and righteous one."
"And please, stop with the titles already!"
"Certainly, oh great and powerful one," Exhorresco said with a small grin covering one corner of his lips.
Twilight's eyes popped wide open upon hearing that title. "That... Don't ever call me like that again."
Darkness prevailed on the battlefield on that night. A storm raged, and the occasional lightning strikes were about the only thing that made anything visible.
Despite the monstrous remains of slaughtered spawns of malice, the three brave warriors of the double-edged blade tribe did not quiver as they went trudging through the massive cemetery.
"Victory is at hand, my brothers!" one of them exclaimed and balanced his halberd on his shoulder.
"Do not be so swift with conclusions, Dalberh," his bowman comrade replied. "Although the army of malice is no more, the Malign itself still remains and will continue to breed should we fail here, this day."
"Bah!" Dalberh rejected the notion. "You worry too much, Acheron. Even without the sage's blessing, no monster could ever stand against the three best warriors of Mernolia."
"Maybe so," Exhorresco added. "But we must still make haste while the blessing lasts, else the darkness will obscure our vision again."
"No need to rush, my brother," Dalberh told him and pointed over yonder. "The Malign approaches," he added and readied his weapon for battle.
"By the gods..." Acheron muttered and prepared an arrow for launch. "What foul hellhole did this blasted creature crawl out of?"
Maintaining their resolve, but nearly losing their lunch from both the sight and the stench, the three brothers held their ground as they got ready to face what appeared to be a living mass of bones and insect parts that somehow miraculously managed to stick together with nothing but rotting sinew and black sludge keeping it from falling apart.
As the Malign crawled towards them, its body simply sprouted three pairs of appendages with sharp claws.
"Surround it!" Dalberh shouted and moved to the monster's right flank. Doing just as ordered, Acheron moved to its left flank, leaving Exhorresco facing it head-on. "Hey! Over here!" he bellowed and swung his halberd at the Malign's sides, knocking two of its appendages clean off and luring it towards himself. "Exhorresco! Acheron! Move in for the kill!"
"Damn you, Dalberh!" Acheron shouted back at him before doing as told. "You always have to play the hero, don't you?" Taking a few steps closer to the creature and shooting two consecutive arrows at it, Acheron noticed Exhorresco standing completely still. "Exhorresco, you coming?" he asked, but his brother did not respond. "Exhorresco?"
Alas, Exhorresco could not hear a word his brother was saying. His mind got swept away the moment the Malign started chasing after one of his brothers. The only thing he could hear was the sound of arrows flying, a halberd cutting through sludge and sinew, and the dreadful guttural noises coming from the Malign.
What is this? Exhorresco asked himself. I... I want to fight, but my body won't let me... I can barely hold on to my sword, let alone walk... His hands began to shake and cold sweat started pouring down his temples, but he couldn't even understand why. Is this... fear? Have I become afraid of dying, all of a sudden? he asked himself, but could not answer himself.
What if... what happens if I die here, today? Would all that I have done be in vain? All the lives I've saved, all the wars I've lived through, all of my dear ones that died and lived on through me as I told their stories to the rest of my brethren... If I die here, with my brothers... will there be anyone left to tell our stories?
"Exhorresco!" Acheron screamed out his name again.
Snapping out of his state of trance, Exhorresco's eyes filled up with fear. His body stopped shaking just long enough to let him turn around and start running the opposite way.
"Exhorresco !!!"
Ignoring the bawling coming from his brothers, Exhorresco sheathed his sword and only started running even faster. He turned back for a moment to see if the Malign wasn't chasing him, but just as he did so, he got grabbed by a giant hand.
"Exhorresco !" a massive, blue spirit called out his name as it held the warrior on its open palm and lifted him up to his face.
"Sage!" Exhorresco recognized the spirit's face. "I... I don't know what came over me! I... I was--"
"Hold your tongue, coward !" the sage interrupted him.
"Coward?" Exhorresco repeated and looked upon his own sweaty palms in shame, afterwards dropping on his knees. "I... I can't be... a coward... I am Exhorresco of the double-edged blade tribe! I've seen more death than most men can count!"
"But never have you ever thought about your own ," the spirit told him.
"I..."
"You shall speak no more, Exhorresco of Mernolia !" the sage declared and stood up. "Not until you've learned how to control your fear ."
"Control it?" he repeated. "But... how do I--"
"I shall banish you from Mernolia, Exhorresco. To a place where a coward like you can learn his lesson ."
"Learn my lesson..." the warrior muttered. He suddenly felt the giant hand grabbing him and lifting him up much higher. "Sage! Wait!" No matter how he screamed, the sage did not linger for even a second and began driving his hand against the ground with full force. "Saaaaaa-- " The last thing that he could see was the ground drawing closer to him, eventually causing him to black out.
"Aaaargh!" Exhorresco woke up screaming and immediately drew his sword. He heard a soft gasp from someone the instant he regained his senses. Still sweaty and panting heavily, he turned his attention towards the voice that he had just heard, but the only thing he could see was a pink tail sticking out from under a quivering blanket. "Just a dream..." the warrior sighed with relief and got up from his bed. After sheathing his weapon, he walked closer to the cowering pony under the blanket and slowly removed it from her.
The pony kept shaking from fear another ten second before she finally mustered the courage to remove her hooves from her face and lift her head up. "E-E-Exhorresco?" she quietly addressed the man.
"It's all right, stuttering o... erm... forgive me," he apologized and added a touch of regret to his expression. "Fluttershy, was it?" he asked and received a slight nod from the pony as a response. "Forgive me if I scared you... I don't think I've ever had nightmares that bad before."
"What was your nightmare about?" Fluttershy asked out of concern for the man's well-being.
Exhorresco looked away from her before quietly answering, "My past sins."
"Huh?"
"I'll explain later," he declared and got up. "Come on. I assume the princess is already waiting for me."
"Oh!" Fluttershy jumped up. "Yes! She actually asked me to get you. That's why I was even..." Before she could finish her sentence, Exhorresco simply walked out the door and began walking down the hallway. "Here..." she added and hung her head from sadness caused by her thoughts telling her she was incompetent of performing even this simple task. Letting out a sigh of sorrow, she followed the warrior to the throne room. "Exhorresco?" she addressed the man after catching up to him.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think it's easy being brave?"
Had she asked Exhorresco that question a few days ago, he would have answered without thinking, but, given his recent experience, the man had to ponder on the question for quite some time before letting out a heavy sigh and replying with an uneasy look on his face, "No... I don't"
His reply surprised the young pegasus. From someone so big and strong, she would have expected nothing short of a quick and solid "of course!", and yet, his expression clearly held no lies. Seeing that even someone like Exhorresco doesn't consider bravery to be something that should come naturally and without second thoughts made Fluttershy feel a bit better about herself.
"Me neither," she quietly added. They walked alongside one another in silence for a while after that. Only mere moments before they reached the throne room door did Fluttershy speak up again, "Have you ever been afraid, Exhorresco?"
The warrior didn't give his reply right away. It only came after he had already placed his palm on the door and begun pushing it open.
"You're about to find out."
A good while later, in the friendship castle's throne room...
"And so, here I stand," Exhorresco finished re-telling his story to the ponies and hung his head in shame.
Utter silence engulfed the room as the minds of the ponies tried to process everything they had just heard. Even if the ponies considered his actions to be despicable, none of them dared accuse him, given the circumstances. Even as they saw him just sitting there and silently scolding himself in his thoughts, they couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"You really regret running away, don't you?" Twilight asked in a compassionate tone.
Exhorresco closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "Even if victory was not ours to claim, I never should have abandoned my brothers like that."
"If you had a chance to re-live that moment, do you think you would have stayed?" the princess asked in the same tone as before. She and her friends watched the warrior dwelling in his thoughts as he tried to find the answer within himself.
"I don't know..." he quietly replied. "Fear is not a feeling I am familiar with... Up until that very second I started feeling it, I never even considered running to be an option."
"Don't worry, Exhorresco." Twilight smiled at the saddened warrior. "I'm sure we'll find a way to get you back home."
"There's no point, I'm afraid," he replied. "Returning home will do me no good if I haven't "learned my lesson"."
"Yeah, about that..." Rainbow Dash interjected. "What did the sage mean when he said that, anyways? Why send Exhorresco to a place like Equestria when he should be out fighting giant monsters instead?"
"I don't know what he had planned for Exhorresco," Twilight admitted and shook her head. "But Exhorresco seems to trust the judgement of this sage. If he's as powerful and wise as Exhorresco says, I'm sure there's a very good reason why he--" Before Twilight could finish her sentence, her attention got drawn to her own cutie mark that was shining brightly. Taking a glance at her friends, she saw that all of their cutie marks had also started glowing.
"The cutie map!" Rarity exclaimed. Just as she did, the table that they had gathered around turned into a projection of a map of Equestria.
"What sorcery is this?" Exhorresco asked as he gazed upon the map with a troubled look on his face.
"The map is summoning us," Twilight replied.
"Sweet!" Rainbow Dash shouted and flew up in the air from excitement.
"Ooh! All six of us!" Pinkie said while her eyes followed every move of the floating cutie marks.
"You are being summoned... by a map?" the confused warrior asked.
"I know it may sound strange, but the cutie map has a way of knowing when there's trouble in Equestria, as well as which of the six of us would be best suited for solving it," Twilight explained.
"Just like the sage..." Exhorresco muttered.
"What was that?" Twilight asked, unsure of what the man had just said.
"This is incredible! This magical map of yours is like an inanimate version of our sage," he clarified. He seemed rather intrigued by the idea.
"I suppose that's one way to put it..." Twilight responded while rubbing her chin and considering the man's words.
"Uhh..." Applejack uttered. Even though she could barely be heard, she still managed to catch everyone's attention. "I don't mean to interrupt, but haven't y'all noticed something strange about the cutie marks on the map?"
As a response to her words, everyone turned their attention towards the said cutie marks, widening their eyes as soon as they noticed just what was so strange about them.
"Is that..."
"A seventh cutie mark!" Twilight finished Rarity's sentence.
"Woohoo!" Pinkie exclaimed and started cheerfully jumping around. "We get to meet a new friend!"
"I say, what sort of cutie mark is that?" Rarity curiously inquired.
"I don't know," Pinkie shamelessly admitted. "And I know everypony in Ponyville!"
"We know," her five friends said in unison.
"But if even Pinkie Pie doesn't recognize that cutie mark, how are we supposed to find the pony with that mark?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking to Twilight for an answer, along with the rest of her friends. "Twilight?"
"Hmm..." Twilight could only rub her chin as a response. Clearly, not even she knew just how to resolve this strange situation.
"What is that cutie mark, anyways?"
"Is that a... sword?" Rarity asked, surprised by the sight.
"Not just any sword," Exhorresco interjected, drawing the attention of all the ponies towards himself. "A double-edged sword. The mark of the double-edged blade tribe."
All six ponies widened their eyes the instant they heard Exhorresco's explanation.
"But... that can't be true..." Twilight said in a quiet voice.
"It appears that we are of one mind, princess." Exhorresco slammed his palms on the table. "But I would still very much like to know why is it that this magical map of yours even knows of my presence," he said while scowling at Twilight.
"I don't know... This shouldn't even be possible," Twilight admitted. "The map has never asked for anyone aside from two or all of the six of us, let alone someone who isn't even a pony."
Seeing that the eyes of the alicorn held no lies, Exhorresco removed his hands from the table and began stroking his beard. "Hmm... I wonder if the sage could have somehow had a part in this..."
"Do you honestly think he could have somehow known about the map and even altered the way it functions?" Twilight inquired with wide-open eyes. "Is this sage of yours really that powerful?"
"You already know what he did after I fled the battlefield... After seeing such a raw display of power, I no longer have doubts that the sage is more powerful than most of our warriors can even comprehend," Exhorresco answered and awaited for someone to answer him, but his words seemed to bring nothing but another round of silence. "I suppose it doesn't really matter. If your map feels like I should be present for this ordeal, then I shall not defy it... Where exactly are we being summoned?"
"There." Applejack directed everyone's attention at a small grove under their floating cutie marks. "Is that... Veilwood grove?" she asked with a confused look.
"Why would the map send us there?" Twilight asked. "There's nothing there but a small patch of trees and..." She stopped in mid sentence.
"And what, Twilight?" Applejack asked and curiously stared at Twilight along with the rest of the room.
"It's nothing," she replied in a tone that wasn't too convincing and started heading towards the door. "Come on. The map hasn't led us astray so far. If it's calling us to Veilwood grove, then I'm sure there must be something there that needs our attention!"
"And my sword, apparently," Exhorresco slyly added while following the pack at the very back.
"Riiight..." Rainbow Dash uttered.
"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that..."
"Agreed."
***
Veilwood grove was located in a desolate area, not too far from Ponyville. Before too long, the company of seven had already found their way to the specified woods and had begun walking through them in search for whatever reason they had been summoned.
As they made their way deeper into the small forest, they inspected their surroundings along the way... However, there simply wasn't much to inspect. Veilwood grove wasn't lively like the Everfree forest, nor did it emit the feeling of constantly being surrounded by strange woodland creatures, but these woods were strange, nevertheless.
In contrast to the Everfree forest, these woods seemed to have no life in them at all. No matter how deep the heroes went, they could never hear so much as a chirp from a bird or the sound of wind blowing through the treetops... Veilwood grove was the prime definition of the word "still".
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Rainbow Dash asked, still unconvinced that there was anything here to be had.
"This is where the map sent us." Twilight nodded. "I'll admit, I can't imagine anything that would require all of us to come to Veilwood grove, but I have every reason to believe that the map knows what its doing."
"I hope you're right..."
"Say... Twilight?" Applejack uttered and trotted closer to the princess. "Back at the castle, you mentioned something other than trees inside Veilwood grove." She hinted.
"Oh!" Twilight exclaimed. "It's nothing... Just an old pony tale."
"Twilight, please," Rarity instantly spoke up after hearing that phrase. "After everything we've been through, you should know all too well that there's usually no smoke without fire when it comes to these old pony tales."
Realizing that she wouldn't be able to talk her way out of this one, Twilight sighed and decided to not make this any longer than it has to be. "One of my older and not-so-credible books mentioned something about an ancient entity residing inside the deepest part of the Veilwood grove."
"Here we go..." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.
"It is said that this entity chose Veilwood grove as its home because it was the only place in Equestria that was dark and quiet enough to not wake it from its slumber. It is also said that this creature was encased in stone upon falling asleep. Legend has it that the prolonged presence of this strange statue would eventually cause the trees around it to recede, eventually creating a clearing large enough for the sun to find its way to it, and that should even a single ray of sunlight reach its skin, it will awaken from its slumber and unleash its rage upon the unsuspecting ponies of Equestria."
"Huh..." Applejack uttered. "Just what kind of creature are we talking about, anyways?"
"A gargoyle," Twilight answered
"A gargoyle?" her friends asked in shock.
"Yes." She nodded in approval. "But, like I said, it's just an old pony tale. Only a complete fool would--" Before she could utter another word, Twilight and all of her friends bore witness to a sight that made them all gasp in awe. "But... It can't be!"
As much as Twilight would have wished that what she was seeing wasn't really there, there was no denying the old legend anymore as they walked straight into a small clearing with a giant stone statue standing right in the middle of it.
"The gargoyle!"
"I've got a feeling we might be needing that sword of yours, Exhorresco!" Rainbow Dash nervously added.
"It stands ready," the warrior replied and placed his swordarm on the hilt of his weapon.
"Look!" Applejack exclaimed while pointing upwards.
The ponies gasped again as they saw the sunlight piercing through the treetops, slowly finding its way to the statue. Just as the very first small ray of light touched the statue, small cracks began splitting the creature's stone coat. As the cracking only became more intense, stone splinters also began flying in every direction, and the creature started shaking violently.
"Get ready, everyone," Twilight ordered and took a few steps away from the statue. "Exhorresco. Do you think you can..." Without finishing her sentence, Twilight turned around as soon as she heard the sound of someone running. "Exhorresco?" she called out, but the man could no longer hear them.
As if things didn't seem bad enough, now their most promising fighter had just left the six of them to fend for themselves.
"What do we do?" Applejack asked with both her expression and tone devoid of confidence. "Twilight?" she asked again after seeing their leader only staring at the living statue with the same kind of look.
"Ruuun!" Twilight screamed. Just as she did so, the creature completely tore off what was still left of its stone skin and roared at the ponies with diabolic fury.
Not requiring any further motivation, the ponies did just as told and started running as fast they could. The creature did not follow them right away, it seemed, but as it kept letting out its demonic shrieks, nopony even dared to do so much as look back.
***
After a good while of running, the screams lessened in force, but no matter how far they got away from the gargoyle, they could still hear its nightmare-inducing voice.
Reaching the edge of the grove, the ponies noticed the runaway warrior reclining against a tree.
Immediately approaching him with an unforgiving look on her face, Twilight interrogated him. "What... was that !?" she asked in a voice that wasn't too loud, but still as fierce as fire. Receiving no reply right away, she shouted, "Well!?"
"Fear..." Exhorresco whispered in a tone full of remorse.
"So!?" Twilight retorted. "Do you think none of us were afraid back there?"
"Not in the same way as me."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight impatiently asked without hoping for a reply. "The last time I checked, fear only has one definition."
"So it does," Exhorresco added and hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry... I've never feared any foe that I can strike down with cold steel, but I'm still trying to figure out how to fight the one living inside me now."
Despite his apology, Twilight could still only scowl at the warrior with contempt. "Well, until you figure that out, I'd prefer it if you didn't show up in my castle!" With that being said, she huffed and left, as did the rest of her friends... Well, all aside from one, that is.
The one pony that understood what the warrior was going through lingered at the very back for a while longer. Instead of huffing, she looked upon the frowning warrior with a compassionate look that was full of the same kind of sadness as his own.
"Fluttershy? You coming?" Applejack called out as soon as she noticed that her friend had fallen behind a bit.
It seemed as though Fluttershy was about to say something as she took a few steps closer to Exhorresco, but it didn't seem like he wanted to be troubled for the time being, so she just followed Applejack.
No matter how long the warrior sat and pondered on how to rid himself of this newfound enemy that came from within himself, he simply could not find any kind of answer... and so, he kept sitting for quite some time, up until the very moment he decided to stand up and look for an answer to his cowardice problem by talking to the only other coward he knew.
Later on that afternoon, the six ponies split up after arriving back to Ponyville. Luckily for them, the gargoyle didn't leave Veilwood grove that day. However, the creature still posed a considerable threat to Equestria as long as it remained awake, and since their ally from Mernolia decided to simply sit this one out, the ponies had to figure out another way of dealing with this problem. Agreeing to discuss this topic more on the next day, the ponies went home to rest and gather their strength.
Twilight even wrote a letter to princess Celestia in hopes that she could offer some guidance. The rest of the ponies simply returned to doing whatever they had planned to do on that afternoon before the sudden summon by the cutie map... Well, at least everyone apart from Fluttershy did.
Barely had she closed the door behind herself and let out a tired sigh when she heard someone knocking. The unexpected knock was so sudden it startled her... Needless to say, she wasn't expecting any company.
Slowly walking up to the door and opening it, she gazed upwards to greet the tall guest. "Exhorresco?" she addressed him. "W-what are you doing here?" she asked in a tone that was so confused it almost sounded nervous.
"You and I need to have a little talk, timid one" he answered in a somewhat impolite tone and walked right in, despite not being invited. "Coward to coward," he added as he turned around and made eye contact with the shy pegasus.
"Huh?" Fluttershy uttered, still maintaining her state of confusion. "I'm not sure what you--"
Before she could finish, Exhorresco took a step closer to her and squatted down to match her eye level. "I need to know how do you cope with it!" He raised his voice. "From what I've seen, you and your friends are no strangers to dangerous journeys that involve repeatedly risking your lives for the sake of saving your lands, but when you follow them into danger, you still quiver on every step! Almost as though you're afraid of you're own shadow!" he shouted, making the poor girl feel rather uncomfortable in his presence.
"And yet, your friends still treat you with honor and respect and call you with them on such journeys..." he added and stared her down, making her turn her head away from him to avoid further discomfort. "So how is it that you always manage to stand your ground and not flee in terror at the first sign of danger?" he asked the rather difficult question and expected to hear an answer right away, but his conversation partner only hid behind her mane. "Well!?" he shouted so loud it made Fluttershy wince.
"Please, stop shouting..." she asked very nicely, but that only angered the warrior even more.
Losing his temper for a short moment, Exhorresco raised his fist and held it ready to strike. Just as he did so, the pegasus cowered in fear, and Exhorresco's attention was drawn by a loud roar coming from behind him. Standing up, he saw a wild grizzly bear preparing his claws for combat. "Stand down, pest!" Exhorresco bellowed back at the creature and drew his sword, pointing it right at the bear's throat. All of a sudden, the creature didn't seem so eager to fight anymore. "Take just one step closer, and I swear by what little honor I still have left, I'll--"
"You leave him alone!" a much softer voice shouted at the warrior.
"What the--" Turning his sights in the direction of the voice, Exhorresco was surprised by the same timid little pegasus that was just cowering from his very voice, now staring him in the eye with an unforgiving glare.
"Just what do you think you're doing!?" Fluttershy shouted right in his face. "You just march in here, abuse my hospitality, shout at me, and you even have the nerve to threaten me and my animals!" As her tone became more fierce with each sentence, so did her glare. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"
"Your... animals?" Exhorresco repeated, slowly and quietly. Losing his will to fight, he simply watched as Fluttershy just flew up to the fearsome creature and started treating him as her own child.
"There, there." She comforted her unusually-large pet. "It's all right."
Any unarmed man with so much as half a brain would have played dead at the sight of this creature, and yet, to this shy, weak, cowardly little pony he seems like nothing more than a kitten... Exhorresco was at a loss of words from the sight. He lowered his sword and continued staring in awe as the odd couple kept nuzzling one another.
"Now I see what your friends see in you," Exhorresco said while sheathing his blade. "I should have guessed it the moment I saw your home that looked like it was merged with the very earth itself... Even though you may not show it, you are no less an awe-inspiring creature than the alicorn herself."
"Oh... no," she modestly rejected the notion. Giving one last pat on the head to the grizzly, she descended in front of the warrior without making eye contact. "Twilight is good at everything! I'm nowhere near as amazing as her..."
"But you are!" the warrior insisted and squatted down. "And I'm not just saying this because of your affinity with mother nature and her animals... The way you just stood up for your pet... You were suddenly a completely different pony! I've never seen anything like it! How is it that you were suddenly no longer afraid?"
"Oh!" Her expression suddenly lit up as she heard the question. She quickly realized that not even she herself knew how to answer it. "It... It's just natural for me, I suppose... I just don't like seeing any of my friends or animals getting hurt."
"Hmph," Exhorresco uttered and winced, turning his sights away from his conversation partner. "It used to be the same way for me... I would charge into battle without any second thoughts. It always felt so natural... I never once stopped to think for a moment... but all that changed when I saw the Malign..." he said quietly and lowered his head in shame.
Exhorresco's expression was painful to look at. It was simply overflowing with regret. Fluttershy had already raised her hoof to try and comfort him, but before she could even touch him, he turned his head towards her again.
"Don't you ever think about running?" he curiously inquired. "Don't you want to feel safer, knowing that you're remembered? That every grandparent would one day tell their children of the heroic deeds of Fluttershy, the kind... Aren't you afraid that you could be forgotten, even after all of the perilous ordeals you've been through? That all of the effort you've put into saving this world would have been in vain?"
"Why would it be in vain?" she asked, her expression -- baffled. "Your deeds don't disappear along with you, even if no one remembers them."
"Your words are wise," Exhorresco told her and then frowned. "Sadly, I simply cannot see the same way... More than anything in my life, I just want to know that my story would still be told, even after I'm long gone." Hanging his head, closing his eyes and giving into despair, Exhorresco let the silence claim the room for a good while.
His story managed to tug at Fluttershy's heartstrings. She felt no less sad inside than the warrior himself. "So... all you really want is for your story to be told?"
"Yes," he gave a firm reply.
"But... what if that story becomes the story of a coward?" Just as she curiously asked, Exhorresco instantly livened up and restored eye contact with her. "The story of not-a-hero, but a shameful nobody who left all his friends to fend for themselves when they needed him most... Aren't you more afraid of that than not having your story told at all?"
Hearing her words, Exhorresco repeated them inside his head a few more times. He asked himself that question again and again until he realized the obvious answer. "I am," he responded after a moment of silence and smiled as he stood up. "Thank you." He bowed before the kind mare and began walking towards the exit.
"Where are you going?"
"I've got a score to settle," he replied in a confident tone.
"Exhorresco?" Fluttershy called out his name right before he closed the door behind himself. He looked over his shoulder to hear the last words that the pony had to say to him. "For all it's worth, Exhorresco, I'll make sure your story is told in Equestria," she said in a sincere tone and a cordial smile on her lips.
"Thank you," he replied with the same kind of smile and waved goodbye before closing the door.
***
The night was dark, and the demonic shrieks of the furious gargoyle still echoed through Veilwood grove endlessly, but the one making his way towards the center of the small forest didn't even flinch, no matter how loud or fierce the screams got.
"Hello, beastie," he addressed the gargoyle as soon as he got closer.
Turning its sights towards the visitor holding a large, two-handed sword balanced on his shoulder, the gargoyle only roared and tossed itself towards him with its claws ready to tear his flesh apart.
"Aaargh!" letting out a scream no less furious than that of the gargoyle, Exhorresco swung his blade with all his might...
... And just as he did, the Malign let out one last shriek of pain before falling apart and turning back into the rot that it consisted of.
After the leader of the spawns of malice fell, it wasn't long before the darkness hovering over Mernolia dissipated, along with the remains of the malice spawns, leaving only broad daylight shining over a clean battlefield.
"It is done..." Exhorresco sighed and said to his brothers while sheathing his blade. "We should return to home."
Having no objections, his brothers followed the man whose expression was still full of remorse because of his past deeds. Even though he did the right thing in the end by returning to help his brothers defeat the monster, that short moment during which he had left them wasn't easy to forgive or forget.
"I'm glad you decided to come back, Exhorresco," Acheron said after a while of silent walking.
Exhorresco did not reply.
"Say... Exhorresco. What ever made you run away?" Dalberh asked, still curious about his brother's short moment of betrayal.
"Fear."
"An expected answer... but what made you come back?"
Giving the thought a short moment of consideration, Exhorresco gave the exact same answer as before.
"Fear."
Author's Note
Exhorresco fought valiantly and did a lot of cool moves and managed to defeat the gargoyle!
A WILD SAGE HAS APPEARED!
Sage: Congratulations, Exhorresco! You have fought well and have regained your honor! Bla, bla, bla, I shall now send you back to your homeworld so you can right your wrong by helping your brothers kill the Malign!
Exhorresco: Dear princess sage: Today I learned that you often have to hear the words of those that you consider to be below you in order to rise above--
Sage: Just shut the f**k up and go save Mernolia already...
Exhorresco: Oh, right! Thank you, sage! I shall never forget the wisdom you've taught me!
Sage: F**king overpowered OCs.
Actual author's note: Hey Guys! Hope No one's mad at me for choosing to leave that part out... didn't feel like it was all that necessary... My apologies to anyone who thought otherwise.
