The Man in the Shadows

Chapters

Prologue: From crypt to void.
1: Pale skin in the pale woods
2: In Steam and Brass
4: Castle of Stone and Vine
5: The Nightmare Within
3: The Truth in the Dark

Prologue: From crypt to void.

Derrinus stabbed and slashed at the wraiths that were swarming his adventuring party with his trusty dagger, Sanguine Crescent. The wraiths were able to get the drop on them because the wraiths had been here for ages, even though they were in a moderately large burial chamber. One of the wraiths singled Derrinus out and was quick to attack. As they fought, Derrinus realized the was dagger having little effect on the wraith as the poison on the blade couldn't harm the ghostly apparitions. The wraith was gaining the upper hand, until it was blasted into nothingness by a flaming ray on psionic energy to the side.

Derrinus surveyed the battle around him and began to realize that he was the only one having trouble with the wraiths. Being just a petty thief doesn't lend much to combat skills, and he began to once again envy the combat skills and magic his companions. He had no innate magical power, just the ability to pick locks and disable traps. Though he did have a talent for jewel crafting and speaking elven as well as common, that didn't count as a magical power. His party, however, had both in spades. He watched as a beautiful half-elf monk and tall, wiry human fighter used their fists and powers to crush their opponents while a battle hardened human soldier, brandishing his summoned musket, decimated undead from across the burial chamber. The powerful psion who saved him earlier was barking orders to the party while unleashing psionic attacks upon the enemy. The wounds the party has sustained are healed as a short, talented human bard plays a wonderful melody. Derrinus then turns his attention to the item the client wanted, an amulet worn by the mummified corpse of an ancient king. The mummy is wailing away at the groups paladin, who is using his divine might to make the mummy focus on him and only him. Derrinus makes his way behind the mummy to try and give the mighty paladin an advantage.

Derrinus struck away at the mummy, quickly becoming a nuisance to the it. It can't strike him because of the paladin who has engaged it. As the party finishes the rest of the wraiths, the mummy lands a hefty blow on the paladins head, causing a lapse in concentration. Without the paladins concentration, the spell fails to continue; allowing the mummy to remove the rogue from the fight. With a mighty kick, the mummy knocks the rogue off balance while conjuring a sandstorm to tear away at the party.

The world seemed to slow as Derrinus watched his some of his companions avoided the attack while the paladin weathered the storm with his armor. Derrinus, knocked off balance and lightly armored, could only scream as the sand literally ripped him apart.

Derrinus slowly regained consciousness. He looked around, finding himself floating in some sort of void. Where am I? Am I dead? The rogue looked at himself, surprised to find that he still had his gear with him. He couldn't hear any sounds and all he saw was faint lights all around him. This 'void' had a calm and serene atmosphere to it, accompanied by the beautiful lights around him. If this is the afterlife the gods saw fit for me, then I better be thankful. I could spend an eternity here.

Derrinus floated for among the lights for a long time. He didn't know if was mere hours or if it was days, he didn't care. Then, he heard a deep rumbling sound, almost like a beast bellowing in the dark. Curious, Derrinus turned towards it, only to see something that truly terrified him. Among the light, was a large black object with tendrils coming off it in every direction. One of these tendrils extending towards him. It took Derrinus a second to process the threat, and it was too late once he did. The tendril wrapped around his mid section, pulling him toward the writhing mass.

Now that Derrinus was closer, he could see it for what it was. He was being pulled into the Shadow Plane, a realm of darkness and undeath. He struggled and stabbed at the tendril, he tried everything to get away. Derrinus didn't want to be taken to the plane of undeath and evil so soon after dying. As it pulled him closer, he got desperate. He began praying, begging for something to get him out of this mess. Then, like a godsend, one of the lights drew close, showing itself to be another plane of existence. It collided with the tendril, tearing through the tentacle like appendage. Derrinus was still moving, though, now toward the other plane; as it was in front of the Shadow Plane. As he floated, he could feel the sheer amount of good energy coming from the other plane. He felt the tendril quiver as unlife left it, leaving only a husk of shadows wrapped around him. As he reached the outer barrier of the plane, Derrinus had one thought. This is going to hurt.

Twilight Sparkle was sitting behind the telescope on the balcony of her tree house in Ponyville. She was having trouble falling asleep after a long day of cleaning up after the Summer Sun Celebration when she felt a surge of magic. To feel surge of this scale so soon after the return of Nightmare Moon, she had to be vigilant. Celestia wouldn't be able to sense it due to her recovering from being trapped within the sun. So here she was, up later than normal peering in the direction of the surge. As the night drew on, she began getting tired, having seen nothing for hours. She retreated into her home, telling her sleep addled mind that she will look into it in the morning.

What she failed to notice, however, was the shadow moving through the night sky and landing in the Whitetail Woods.

1: Pale skin in the pale woods

The sunlight shined through the tree canopy, causing Derrinus to stir. He slowly rose to his feet, gazing at the surrounding birch forest. These trees, however, aren't the thin birch trees he is used to. These trees look like birch, but are as big as oak trees; and as solid by the looks of it. He could faintly hear the the sound of running water nearby. Questions assaulted his mind, as well as a splitting headache. Where am I? Wasn't I just in a crypt with a, last I checked, functioning ceiling?Memories of the void and, more importantly, his demise began to creep up from within his head. Eyes widening at the horrific memories, he began to hyperventilate, only to be unable to hear himself breath. Confused, Derrinus began to try talking, stomping, yelling, only unable to hear himself. It was as if some wizard put a silence spell on him. Getting desperate to know if this was a dream, he pricked his arm with one of his thieves tools, only to feel the slight sting of it puncturing. This wasn't a dream, and the thief, in a final attempt to hear himself, tried to will the silence away. It worked immediately, as if it was, Could it be?, by his own power.

Curiously, he willed the silence to come back, then he tried to yell, only for nothing to come out. Dispelling the silence, he began to feel giddy, happy even. He had magic! Derrinus remembered the times that the group's psion would try to help him find his power, only for nothing to show for it. "I guess all that hard work finally payed off! I need to thank..." Derrinus paused as he couldn't remember the names of his companions. How? I was just with them! How could I forget their names? In fact, he couldn't remember anyone's name only his family members and his own.

He began checking his belongings to see if everything was in order. He took off his backpack and cloak, only for his leather vest to fall apart. Taking off his armor, Derrinus found most of it was in similar condition to the vest. "This isn't good." Derrinus mumbled to himself as he cut the leather into strips for later use. Once he finished, he continued to examine his gear. He was in an unknown location in an unknown land. He had to be sure he had everything. Checking his backpacks insides, he found he still had his jeweling kit, a bag with 3 amethysts, 3 emeralds, 3 topazes, and 3 sapphires, another bag with a few small ingots of various metals, his rations, and 3 torches with his tinderbox. On the left side, he had his crowbar and a length of rope. On the right side, he had his water skin. On top of the pack, rested his bedroll. Looking and being thankful that his tool-belt didn't suffer like his armor, he found that it was still stocked with his good ol' reliable tools. His clothes are dirty, but a good clean while he washes will fix that. He has a few spare sets of clothes anyway. His dagger, Sanguine Crescent, his first jewel modified item, rested reliably on a thigh sheath and his bow, just a normal short bow, was snapped in half next to where he landed. Derrinus cringed at the sight of where he landed. A shallow crater with a humanoid outline marked where he landed, making him wonder how he didn't become a glorified grease stain on the ground upon impact. He turned away from the indent in the ground and checked his pocket for his most important possession. He pulled out a singed scrap of paper, a picture of his family standing in front of their jeweling shop/home magically imprinted on the paper. He may of forgotten his companions, but he will never forget his family. He will never forget his sin and drive for adventurer.

Shaking his head to dispell the thought, he put the picture in his bag and began to pack up. Once he finished, he went in the direction that the water was in, hoping to get himself cleaned up and to find a source of fresh water.

A few hours later, Derrinus found it. It was a wide, slow flowing, and crystal clear river. 10 feet wide at its narrowest by the looks of it, 25ft at it's widest. It also looked decently deep, 6 feet by at it's deepest if Derrinus was a good judge of depth. 30 yards on the other side was a cliff face with a cave 10 feet up. The cave was obscured by vines and the branches of the trees on the other side of the river, only spotted by Derrinus's keen eyes (which is self proclaimed). Derrinus went to a shallower part of the river, due to being only 5 feet tall, to clean up.

It felt good to bathe after days on the road. The water was turning brown around him as he cleaned his pale, almost snow white skin. Thankfully the grime was being carried away from him by the rivers flow. His jet black hair and thin beard felt amazing after just being rinsed. Derrinus knew this wasn't the best cleaning job until he could get himself some soap, but it felt great none the less. It didn't take long to get himself cleaned due to his height and rail thin frame. He can remember all the times his smaller than average size has saved him from someone's blade or sight.

Derrinus finished washing his clothes and himself when the sun started to set. Wondering how the night crept up on him, he put on a black tunic, some charcoal grey pants, and his boots; as well as his cloak and other belongings. Looking at the cave, on the other side of the river, he shrugged and felt it was as good a place as any to rest. That is, if it's uninhabited. And if he can get across the river. Pondering how he would get across, he got an idea. He wanted to use his magic again, see if he had any other tricks up his nonexistent sleeve. So, he tried to will himself across the river, taking the mental image of flying across the river. Suddenly, he dashed across the river, his body dissipating into a shadowy orb during the dash. As he regained his original shape on the other side, he looked around in shock and awe. He just teleported! Well, more of a dash but the sentiment was still the same. He just crossed the river almost instantly without swimming or jumping across. Though feeling a little physically drained due to never 'Shadow Lunged', he felt great. With new vigor, and a little arrogance, he swaggered his way to the cave. The cave entrance has a oval shape reaching 15 feet tall and 8 feet wide. Looking up, he focuses at the cave entrance, and he Shadow Lunges in.

Upon entering the cave mouth, he staggers, his renewed vigor now gone as he stumbles off balance. After regaining his balance, he lit a torch and looked in the cave. The mouth of the cave goes in 17 feet, and then widens out into a circular room 15 feet tall and 20 feet in diameter. Derrinus felt relief when he saw the cave had no sign of life, the vines seemingly hid the cave from other creatures, or maybe it was the height of the cave from the ground, who knows? Who cares? It's mine now! Derrinus thought as he gathered branches and stones for a fire. After he gathered the branches, he climbed up the rope he tied to a stalagmite in the cave entrance. He emptied the sticks and stones from his pack onto the floor in the middle of the cave and began to construct a campfire. Once the fire was made, he laid the rest of the sticks in a pile next to the wall of the cave. Derrinus then laid his bedroll out a good distance away from the fire and put is pack next to it.

After eating his dinner of traveling rations, he laid down to go to sleep on his bedroll in the light of the dying fire. Before he fell asleep, he made his plans for the morning. Tomorrow, he will find civilization.

2: In Steam and Brass

Derrinus groaned as he awoke, being reminded that bedroll over stone is not comfortable. Looking out, he could see that the sun had just started to rise, around 5:00 M(morning). Cracking open another box of rations, he ate his breakfast of dried fruits, annoyed that he ate the last of his jerky last night (which was all the meat he had). While eating Derrinus reviewed his plans for the day.

I wonder who inhabits the closest city. Elves? Dwarves? Humans? Maybe even Dark elves. I know that there was a settlement of Dark elves as well as a settlement of Tieflings that made themselves known to all of Yaven, despite their secretive nature, so that they might join us in peace. Now I kind of hope to find something like that, it would be cool to get to know some of the exotic races.

Derrinus smiled at the thought. Though considered evil, Tieflings were known to have forgotten jewel crafting techniques they might be willing to share. As well, the mere thought of working with legendary Dark steel, the metal that Dark elven smiths use to make both their beautiful jewelry and armor alike due to it's legendary durability, gave Derrinus a excited grin. Then he thought of city with both friendly Tieflings AND friendly Dark elves. Derrinus let out a totally manly squeal at the mental image. Though a thief, he will never forget his roots as a jeweler. Gems and their endless possibilities when imbued with magic will always be Derrinus's greatest joy in the world. If he could find these people and learn their ways in metallurgy and jeweling, he could become legendary. Firmly tucking this thought into the back of his mind, he went to the cave mouth, and left to find his fortune.

Derrinus Had been walking for about two and a half hours and he was lost. Well, not totally lost. He knew where his cave was due to a 'Locator Gem' he constructed within. It was a small topaz imbued with a locator enchantment set in a copper setting he implanted in the cave wall. Frustrated that he was kinda lost, he decided to scale one of the great birch trees to get a better vantage point; Shadow lunging in short bursts to get some practice and so he doesn't exhaust himself. Once up, he was up (once again thankful for his light weight allowing him to climb to higher branches), he looked around and spotted a plume of looked like steam off in the distance; northward since, the sun rose in the east.

Shimmying down, he made sure to keep the direction in his mind. Once down, he set off in the direction of what was hopefully a Dark elf/Tiefling city.

The trek was vastly uneventful, though he could hear unsettling sounds in the the dark, foreboding forest that neighbors the Great Birch forest, as Derrinus has come to call the forest he resides in. This neighboring forest looked like The Old Gods imbued the land with primal energy. It was nature in it's purest form. I hope the source of the steam cloud is close. Walking along the border to the Primal woods (that's what I'm going to call it) is giving me the willies. Just as these thoughts were made he found the forest edge. Derrinus broke out into a sprint, eager to find civilization.

In a room that had too much pink and bright blue, there was a pink lump laying in it's bed, sleeping soundly (would be quietly if not for the snoring). Then as the intricate clock on the nightstand next to the bed showed it was 8:00 AM, it began to start ringing it's built in bell rapidly. Just as quickly, a pink fur covered hand hit the clock, shutting it off. The figure on the bed quickly hopped out of the bed and scrambled to her hooves get ready for the day. When she finished showering, brushing her teeth, and clothing her self, she looked in the mirror. Within the mirror was pink furred woman with magenta hair, her face having equine features with big baby blue eyes. She was wearing a bright blue t-shirt and yellow shorts and a big smile ranging from equine ear to equine ear. Satisfied with her casual attire, she went to the door to start the day, only to get numb wrists. She started to get really excited about the sensation. Numb wrists, this means that something getting close to Ponyville. Something I've never seen before.

Derrinus began to feel disappointment. Not that he didn't find civilization, he found that. It was that the town looked to be mostly brick, wood and thatched buildings with some steam tech integrated into it, surrounded by a plain with a few bushes here and there with a nearby lake that had pipes coming out of it. Well, I guess it wouldn't be too odd to find a dwarf and human settlement he thought sadly. It would be too far-fetched to find the Dark elf/Tiefling village. As he walked toward the town, he put his hood on, a habit he built over the course of his adventures. As he approached, he could see some brightly colored shapes hovering around the village. Hiding behind a bush, he focused on the shapes and saw that they looked like human/equine hybrids, with hooves for feet and with wings on their backs. What an outlandish sight! They were going about their day, like normal people. These... beings must be the denizens of the village. Derrinus sighed, No pain, no gain. He started toward the town, closing the cloak in front of him to hide the rest of his body. As he walked into the town, these equines began giving him stares, whispering in what sounded to be elven, unsure of who the mysterious, short stranger is. On the other hand, Derrinus was giving them looks of awe under the hood. Gods above... The females, the shorter members of most races, must be at least six feet in height! He also noticed that there were significantly more females than males. He also made note that some of them had a horn instead of wings or had neither.

All of these Equines were giving him a wide berth. All except one, who was a bright pink in color. In fact, Derrinus could of sworn she was heading straight for him. Before he could react, she was already upon him. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's greatest party planner and my Pinkie senses started telling me that there was a new pony in town and that something I have never seen before was nearby, so I just had to get out here and see who they were and what it was! By the way why are you wearing a black cloak right now, it's the middle of summer! Didn't you notice how..." Derrinus was having trouble keeping up with with woman's elven speech. I've never heard of anything that spoke this quickly! "So," The woman, Pinkie, started "where are you from?"

"Uh..." Derrinus couldn't reply, he was trying to comprehend the rest of her long winded speech.

"Darn it Pinkie! That's tha second one this week." A heavily accented voice called out. Turning, Derrinus was greeted by a truly terrifying sight. One of the merchants, the one selling apple products, had began walking over. This female equine had orange fur and stood almost seven feet in height and had muscles the size of small tree trunks! She wore blue pants of an unknown (to Derrinus at least) material that were torn at the knee, a plaid, buttoned shirt, and had a stetson on her head with a stalk of wheat in her mouth. "Can't ya see ya startled the little fella?"

"I'm not little!" Derrinus cried out with indignation, His slightly higher than average pitched voice making him more embarrassed.

The giantess gave off a chuckle and turned to Pinkie "As ah was sayin', ya startled him. Why don't ah show him around and you go do your thing?" To which the other replied before literally bounding off with an "Ok Applejack, I'll see you later!"

The giant, Apple Jack, turned back to Derrinus. "Any way, tha name's Applejack, what's yours?"

Derrinus, taking a small step back so he didn't have to crane his neck so much, replied "Derrinus, Derrinus Gottrun."

"Well, Derrinus, It's a pleasure ta meet ya. Welcome ta Ponyville. Allow me ta show ya around." She said to Derrinus as she motioned for him to follow.

Derrinus, not wanting to incur her wrath and being curious about these 'Ponies', followed her.

As they walked to their first destination, Applejack looked to Derrinus and asked "So, what's a colt like you doing travelin' all alone?" This comment caught Derrinus a little off guard, he didn't know much about equine creatures, but he did know that colts are what adolescent male horses are called. Should I just roll with it, or should I correct her? Well, If I correct her, I might be driven out, as I don't know how they react to creatures that aren't Ponies. I'll just go with it. And should I tell her the truth? Well, honesty is the best policy if you want someone to trust you.

"I'm traveling because I have no real place to go. My family is... gone due to a horrible incident. Ever since the incident, I've been a wanderer." Derrinus said with sorrow lacing his voice. He didn't want to say what the incident was or how it occurred. It was just too painful to go into detail.

Derrinus's response gave Applejack pause, almost causing her to stumble. An orphan? Once she regained her posture, she decided it was time for a change of subject. "So, Ah was curious, why are ya wearing a cloak?"

Derrinus pondered the subject and gave the half-truth "It's... a little personal, if you don't mind the lack of a good answer."

Applejack nodded and said "Ya don't have ta answer if ya don't wanna." They continued on. She showed him around the town, getting friendly waves instead of suspicious looks, probably due to his proximity to Applejack. Derrinus saw a few men and was a little surprised to see that they were only a few inches taller at most than their female counter-parts. Let's face it though, they were all giants to him. He even learned what they called their races. Earth ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns.

As they walked to the bakery, their final destination, Applejack decided to ask "So, what are ya good at? You may notice that Ah'm a farmer, what did you do before traveling?"

Stealing stuff and dungeon delving. "I was quite the jeweler along side my parents. If you had damaged jewelry or needed something made, we did the best work for the best price." Derrinus said, puffing his chest out a little in pride, happy to talk about his parent's good work. Then he became downcast due to the memory of the incident. Applejack, noticing this despite the cloak, put her hand on Derrinus's shoulder and said "Look partner, Ah'm sure they are in a better place among tha ancestors." She was trying to smile, but Derrinus could see hidden pain. It was as if she understood his pain.

Derrinus was actually holding back tears at this point when he replied. "Do you really think so?"

Applejack nodded with a smile. "Ah do sugarcube. Ah do."

Derrinus smiled at her, though she couldn't see it, and they continued to Sugarcube Corner in silence; but in high spirits.

Derrinus was surprised to see the Bakery without any light in the windows. It looked closed, yet it was clearly their destination. Derrinus questioned why they were going in, but Applejack urged him to. Derrinus can't say no, due to the size of the woman beside him, and obeyed. He opened the door and once he crossed the threshold, the building exploded into light and noise "SURPRISE!!!!" Derrinus jumped a bit, almost shadow lunging, but just barely managed not to. Within he saw many of the ponies that were being friendly earlier and a few new ones. He was immediately greeted by Pinkie Pie.

"Do you like the surprise? I wanted to welcome you to Ponyville, and to say sorry for startling you. I didn't mean to scare you. I get a little over excited sometimes." Pinkie said with a surprising amount of restraint.

Happy to see that she was capable of not jumping out at people, Derrinus said "I forgive you, it happens to the best of us, as no one is perfect."

Derrinus looked around the party and began to meet some of the ponies. He met some rather interesting individuals, like Lyra and Bonbon. On Yaven, same sex couples were a rare sight, but here, this was apparently common. Not that Derrinus minded, it was just another difference between worlds.

Derrinus made great conversion with a white furred, purple haired unicorn named Rarity, who incorporated gems into many of her designs. She was wearing a white dress with a few gems studded in it. Not too little that it would look tacky, but not so much that it looked silly. Derrinus was eating some cake when Rarity decided to try and get to know him.

"Greetings darling, my name is Rarity, I presume you are Derrinus?" she asked, trying to start conversation.

"Why yes, I am Derrinus. A pleasure to meet you." Derrinus gave a slight bow toward her.

"The pleasure is all mine. Are you enjoying your cake, I see you stopped eating it when I approached." Rarity inquired, curious as to why he stopped eating.

"I was taught to give someone my full attention when I am spoken to." Derrinus lied, not wanting to say 'Because I'm afraid I would be ripped apart if you saw my true self.'

"Well, that shows good manners and great courtesy. Your parents taught you well." She praised

"Yes, I guess they did." Derrinus's mood dropped slightly. If they truly did, they wouldn't be gone.

Sensing his distress, Rarity sought to change the subject. "So, dear Applejack says you are quite the jeweler."

This change in subject perked him up quickly "Yes, I've been studying gems and the craft all of my life." Derrinus said with a smile. This sparked a debate about jewelry, gems, and fashion, guaranteeing the friendship between the two.

After Rarity had left, he was greeted by Fluttershy. A timid, yellow furred, pink haired pegasus wearing a green sweater with long green pants. Their conversation didn't last long as Fluttershy was too timid and was intimidated by the cloak he wore. The most he learned was that she was the local veterinarian. Saying their quick goodbyes, the two parted, suddenly making Derrinus now wish he didn't have to be cloaked for his own sake.

Finally he met Rainbow Dash, A brash, cyan furred, rainbow haired Is that artificial? pegasus wearing a dark blue tank-top with red shorts. She was different from the other ponies, not because of her hair, but because of her wings. Instead of feathers, flesh and bone, they were magic, brass and other machinery. Though she didn't show him, she said she had jagged scars running down her back where her wings where ripped from her back just a few nights prior. Though the healing was accelerated with magic, they couldn't restore the wings. The wounds closed, but were left as scars. On the bright side, she protected her friends on their quest by fighting off a manticore that was attacking them, one that failed to listen to reason. "An admirable feat and quality. I once demonstrated the same for a friend of mine as well." Saying that she needed to go challenge AJ to a drinking contest, Rainbow left.

While Derrinus was finishing his cake, watching the drinking contest, he was greeted by a purple furred unicorn that had midnight blue hair and was wearing a simple, short dress and had the whole librarian look to her. Instead of warmly, however, he was greeted with a suspicious glare and tense muscles.

"Hello Derrinus, would you mind stepping outside with me so that we could have a chat?" She asked, her voice somewhat cold. What crawled up her and died?

"Uh, sure." Derrinus responded, looking at the other party goers, seeing them preoccupied with the drinking contest (which, as expected, Applejack was winning by a landslide.)

The woman motioned with her arm toward the door and Derrinus obeyed, hand resting on Sanguine Crescent under the cloak, as he expected the worst. Once outside, Derrinus saw that it was night, around 10:00 N(night) and everyone had retreated to their homes while the noise of the party ensured that anything that happened out here, stayed out here. The perfect place for a fight.

Before he could turn around to confront her, Derrinus felt a force lift and slam him into the ground. Groaning, he saw her enter his field of vision. She began saying "I don't know what you are but you will not harm my friends! Nopony has a naturally dark and shadowy aura except for Princess Luna, and you are not her. Let me remove your cloak and see your true self!" She yells as he hoists Derrinus off the ground and uncovers him from the confines of the cloak. He tries to grimace, but he is barely conscious, and can't take much more. She begins to examine him with new found curiosity.

Derrinus feels his consciousness flickering like a candle flame. No... not like this. Not again. I can't die again... He began to think about the ponies he just met. Though he just met them, he doesn't want to loose more friends. Not again. These thoughts began to fuel the flame. No. I won't die here. I just got a new chance at life. A new chance at redemption! And my new friends, though they don't know my real face, but I don't think they will care. Applejack most importantly. She is the only one here who understands my pain. As the unicorn got close enough, he used her distraction against her and grabbed her by the horn; dispelling her telekinetic grip on him.

He began to squeeze and try to bend the horn, but not break it, causing the unicorn to yell in agony. He began to yell with all his might "I don't know who you are, but I don't care, I will let you separate me from my new friends. I will not lose more friends. I WILL DIE AGAIN!" She is staring up at Derrinus with fear evident in her eyes. She was at his mercy.

Instead, Derrinus continued to hold her in place until he spat in disgust, and delivered a powerful punch to the side of her head, knocking her out instantly. As adrenaline began to wear off, his consciousness began slipping. The last thing he saw was Applejack. Pinkie Pie, and Rarity running out of Sugarcube Corner before he fell unconscious.

4: Castle of Stone and Vine

Derrinus was sitting at the table in Rarity's living room, cutting into an amethyst. He had been in Ponyville for a few months now, and he learned that it was quite difficult to get bored here. He made good on his word and has been helping Rarity by cutting gems into the shapes she needed. Rarity was skilled when it came to utilizing gems, but gems had to be cut before use, and Derrinus was a professional.

He held it up to the light and examined his work. The gem was going into a brooch that he was making to compliment a costume Rarity was making for Nightmare Night. The fall holiday was just a week away and she was finishing her costume. Derrinus had his own plans, but he wasn't sharing them. He wanted his costume to be a surprise. Just as he inserted it into its setting, thus finishing the piece, he heard the bell above the door jingle.

"Hello Derrinus." Rarity said as she came through the door, carrying a few groceries. Derrinus got up to assist her. "Where's Tamral? I thought he was assisting you." Derrinus asked as he put the milk in the fridge.

"He was with me, but then he had to make a stop at Twilight residence. He's probably still there." She said as they finished putting away the groceries.

"Well, I finished the brooch you were wanting." Derrinus said as he showed her said item. Ever since he started living with Rarity, he had spent much of his time improving his craft. He was no expert, but jeweling was in his blood; and it showed. The brooch was in the shape of a swooping raven and was made of a dark silver with amethysts for eyes.

"My, what a beautiful piece! You must be proud of your craft." Rarity said as she took the brooch in hand and appraised it.

"I'm glad you like it. I think I'm going to take a break and see what Tamral is up to." Derrinus said as he began putting away his jeweling supplies.

"Thank you for the brooch. I'll go up to my room and put it on my costume while you are out. Have fun!" She said as she began walking upstairs.

Derrinus knocked on the library door. "Come in!" he heard Twilight call out. When he entered, He saw Tamral sitting on the floor in front of a low table reading a tome. Tamral spent much of the months he was here studying 'as any Kalastian scholar should' (Tamral's words, not Derrinus'). Tamral's studies payed off, however. He was a much more competent mage as he could not only cast the Yaven spells he came with, but also Equestrian utility magic. In fact, Twilight had taken him under her metaphorical wing as an apprentice in spell craft. She was also like an apprentice to him because he also teaches her combat magic. Twilight doesn't plan on using it anytime soon, but knowledge is knowledge. He also became excellent at enchanting, as Twilight had many tomes on the subject.

Tamral looked up from his book and looked at Derrinus. "Ah, just the one I was wanting to talk too." Tamral said in his monotone voice. "I was going to come get you earlier, but I was caught up in a good book." He let out an emotionless chuckle, though his eyes betrayed his emotions as they glowed.

"What is it? Did you find something interesting?" Derrinus asked as he took a seat at the table.

"Yes, I found some ruins in the Everfree that we could explore. It's the same ones that Twilight and her friends went to on the night of the Summer Sun Celebration. I was wanting to go do some exploration, if you are willing to come along."

Derrinus considered it. "How would we get around the druids though? They aren't fond of others in their territory." The Everfree isn't only full of monsters and dangerous plants, but also druids who claimed territory in the Everfree; both to protect one of the last bastions of true nature in the world, and to live away from the society who ridiculed them for having 'Wild Magic'. If one was lucky, however, they may find a shaman living in the woods. Shamans are connected to nature as well, but through spirits instead of the primal forces. Shamans also prefer to be peaceful, rather than aggressive like the druids. Druids and Shamans have been known to join forces once nature is threatened, though.

Twilight approached with a map. "Zecora gave me a map of this section of Everfree. If you follow the lines I drew on the map, you should be able to get to the castle quickly, and avoid conflict." She handed the map to Tamral. "I trust you not to lose it. It would be terrible to lose the only known map of the forest."

Tamral took the map and put it in a side pouch. "You know that won't happen."

"I just had to make sure. Normally, that map wouldn't leave this library. Getting the books from the old castle library here safely, however, is worth the sacrifice." Twilight could only imagine what knowledge was lost when the castle was abandoned.

Tamral turned to Derrinus. "I am ready to go when you are."

"Alright, just let me gather my things. Unlike you, I require food and sleep." Derrinus left the building to get his backpack.

Derrinus was sitting on the back of Tamral as they trekked through the forest. Derrinus wanted to keep an eye out for danger while Tamral focused on the map and path. Derrinus was no coward, but this forest was terrifying. Yet, it was also beautiful. Nature is beautiful in itself, but the Everfree is nature unhindered and enhanced.

Soon, they made their way to the gorge in front of the castle. A frail rope bridge was swaying in the wind. The bridge looked to be the only way across, but it looked like it was on it's last leg. Even Derrinus, with his small frame and light weight, wouldn't trust that bridge with his life. Luckily, they didn't have to. Tamral simply teleported across the gorge, carrying Derrinus with him. The experience was like Shadow Lunging, but faster, so Derrinus was somewhat used to it.

"This place is creepy." Derrinus shuddered as he climbed off Tamral's back. "It's like we are being watched."

Tamral opened his tome and casted a life detect spell. "Fortunately for you, all that is here with us is a few mice and bats."

This did nothing to ease Derrinus. "I'll take your word for it."

They entered the ruins through a pair of large double doors. Inside was assumed to be the main hall. It had two doors, one to the left and one to the right. In the middle on a raised dais was a pedestal. The pedestal looked to have at one point held five orbs in its 'arms' with one in the middle. In the corner was a staircase going up and in the other corner was a staircase going down.

Tamral approached the door on the right, which had 'Library' chiseled into the brass plate on the front, and tried to open it; only to find it locked. "Derrinus, the door is locked. Can you pick it?"

"Sure thing. I'll get it open." Derrinus said as he began picking the lock. For it's time, the lock would have been top notch. The lock had nothing on a modern one, however, and it hardly took any effort to open.

Once open, Tamral began searching the library for books of high value. "Derrinus, why don't you go search for a treasury or something? I know you like treasure more than books."

Derrinus smiled. "You've only known me for a few months and you already know me well. I'll go take a peek." Derrinus said as he exited the library and began going up the stairs.

Once up the stairs and out of earshot of Tamral's cries of joy over the library, he entered a large room. It looked like a conflict happened here, if the armor laying in a large scorch mark on the floor was any indication. As he entered, the doors to the room slammed shut, causing Derrinus' to be startled. As he began surveying the door, if bashing on it to try and open it is surveying, he watched as the shadows in the room converged on the armor. The armor rose as the shadows began to fill it. Fear had Derrinus paralyzed. When the shadows finished, an armored alicorn stood with her back to him. She had dark blue fur and her mane and tail looked like an angry, writhing nebula. Her wings were more like a bat's or a demon's. The armor was dark blue field-plate with white crescent moons in the shoulders. In her hand, she had a flamberge made of the same metal with two large crescent moons overlapping to form the hand guard. "So, Celestia sent one of her grunts to finish me off? Was leaving me beaten and to wallow in regret not good enough?" She began turning around. "I will not go down without a fi-" Her eyes, turquoise colored with darker dagger shaped pupils, were wrought with confusion as she got a good look at him. "What? What are you? You share the same magical aura as me, that means my 'sisters' didn't send you." As she spoke, Derrinus saw the teeth of a carnivore instead of a herbivore's.

Fear turned to confusion as she lowered her blade, though her eyes showed that she expected an answer.

"I'm the only known human on Terra, Derrinus Gottrun. Who are your sisters? Who are you?" Derrinus asked carefully. He didn't want to anger her, she looked like she knew how to use that sword. (And maybe the fact that she is over twice his height).

"You don't know my tale? Then maybe you can be the first to hear my side of history." The alicorn said as she put her sword on her back using two large rings attached to a strap going across her armor. "My name... I wasn't given a name before being known as Nightmare Moon. As you may or may not know, Luna grew jealous of the admiration and love that the ponies gave Celestia. While planning to over throw Celestia, Luna delved into dark magic to try and get an edge over her sister. During her studies, Luna found a ritual that was said to be able to boost ones power. That spell is how I came to be. She was so eager to empower herself, that she didn't look into the side effects of the spell. The spell does indeed boost the users power, but it creates another being which will share the mind of the host. As soon as I came into existence, I was overwhelmed by Luna's rage and hatred. Her mind began trying to unmake me. To kill me and take my power for her own. I fought back, but only managed to survive, almost powerless but intact. She took most of my power, but her mind was damaged in the process. Once she harnessed my power, the rest is history. In the end she used me as a scapegoat." She looked down, letting out a hollow chuckle. "I don't blame her though. With the damage her mind sustained, she thought I was always there. She didn't remember my creation, nor the spell. The elements separated us, dissipating me while she kept her body. Her mind was repaired, but her memories remain damaged."

"'History is written by the victor' as they always say." Derrinus said as he shook his head.

Looking up, Nightmare smiled. "Thank you for listening to my tale. You are the first and last to know the truth before I pass."

"What?" Derrinus relied, surprised by the ending of that sentence.

Her form became hazy before she came back together, trying to make extra time. "Without anything to tether me to this world, I will pass into oblivion; the world only remembering sins that were partially my own."

Derrinus thought about this for but a moment."Then allow me to anchor you to this world." He said with conviction.

"What!?"

"You want to seek redemption. I also sought redemption for my sins. Let me help you by giving you the chance to clear your name. Besides, my aura is the same as yours. No one will be able to detect you."

Nightmare Moon was taken aback by this request. Why would any mortal being willingly get themselves possessed for no known gain? "You just met me and you are willing to help me, despite knowing my sinister history?"

Derrinus nodded. "Someone did something similar for me and it lead me down the right path until the end. You deserve this chance."

"Thank you. Thank you so much for this. I warn you, however, this will hurt for a small time." She said as she began to enter Derrinus' mind.

Tamral was almost finished collecting valuable books when he heard a scream echo through the castle. It was a scream of agony that came from a sapient male, and the only one he knew of in here was, "Derrinus!" Tamral ran out the library with the bag of books sling over his shoulders. He looked around and remembered the sound coming from above. He began running up the stairs, not caring if he tripped, his friend is hurt! As he got to the top, he kicked the doors open to find Derrinus lying on the floor unconscious.

5: The Nightmare Within

As consciousness returned to Derrinus, he felt something soft beneath him. Opening his eyes, he found that he was outside, laying on his bedroll in a small, hastily constructed campsite. It was night time, and Tamral was sitting nearby on a log next to the fire. Derrinus groaned as he sat up. His head felt like someone stomped on it. His groan alerted Tamral of his presence.

"Are you feeling well?"

"Ya, never felt-" Derrinus stopped as he noticed his voice. His voice gained two tones, one was his normal one while the other was feminine in nature. This also startled Tamral, who was also not expecting this.

Tamral responded by using the spell Command Rope to bind Derrinus' wrists and ankles. Derrinus struggled against it, but once more his meager strength failed him. "I'm sorry Derrinus, but you are currently exhibiting signs of possession. While I can't cleanse the Nightmare from your body, I'm sure there is a priest back in town who can."

Derrinus could feel Nightmare panicking in his mind. "No, don't! I willingly let it happen, and my mind is still my own."

Tamral was still skeptical. "Is that so, then let me ask, what was my purpose before I arrived in this world?"

"You were meant to serve as a bodyguard to a Kalastian princess." Derrinus replied without hesitation.

Tamral looked at him for a second, then he sighed. "Alright, I believe that you are in control of your mind. Mind telling me how you're going to explain the eyes and voice?" he asked as he unbound Derrinus.

"Eyes?" Once unbound, Derrinus moved to his bags and pulled out his mirror. His right eye was still the same, but his left eye was that of Nightmare Moon.

Hmm that would be hard to explain. Thankfully, the eye is only an illusion. Should be easily removed with any dispell. Derrinus recoiled in surprise as he heard Nightmare's voice in his head.

"What's wrong Derrinus?"

"I can hear Nightmare in my head. She said that the eye is an illusion. Try dispelling it."

Tamral focused his magic sense and saw that it was, in fact, an illusion. He was able to dispell the illusion now that he could sense it. "Now what about the voice?"

Let me take care of that... Nightmare said as she focused on removing her voice from Derrinus' Alright, try talking. "Don't worry, Nightmare is able to remove it."

Tamral looked at him. "Ok, I won't question your motives for allowing this to happen. Just, keep her under control."

Derrinus used both his thumbs to point to himself, "You know me. I always have it under control."

Tamral gave off a mechanical chuckle. "Yes, just like when I dragged you out of the castle while you were unconscious. Or, how about that time three certain fillies found out about your thief skills and wanted you to teach them how to be 'Cutie Mark Crusaders Master Thieves?'"

"Hey now, we do NOT talk about that." Derrinus held his hands up defensively. He could hear Nightmare laughing in his mind as the memory came back to him.

"Alright, you get some more sleep and we will leave for Ponyville in the morning." Tamral said as he sat back down on the log and added more wood to the fire.

"Ok, Good night Tamral." Derrinus said as he laid back down on the bedroll.

They arrived back in Ponyville without incident, thanks to Zecora. The zebra shaman led them safely around and through druid territory.

So, this is Ponyville during the day? I still feel bad for my power being used to scare these peaceful ponies. I'm most likely still hated and feared by them. Nightmare said glumly.

The path to redemption is never easy, but it is worth it. Derrinus thought as the library came into view. Ok, you might want to keep quiet. This is Twilight's library and I don't know how she will react to you.

I understand. I don't like the thought of annihilation more than the next pony.

Tamral opened the door. "Twilight, we have returned with the books."

Twilight was sitting at her dining room table eating lunch when they came in. "Welcome back. As much as I want to study these tomes, I need to cast a few spells on them first to ensure we don't destroy them. Sit down and relax, I'm sure you have quite the story to tell."

Derrinus shrugged, "Sorry to disappoint you, but there isn't really much to tell. The map you gave us along with Zecora's help allowed us to get to the castle and back without much issue."

"Then how did your aura become much more powerful? It has almost double the power it was before you left."

Damn. She detected Nightmare's aura. Luckily, she mistook Nightmare's aura for my own. "I must of absorbed some of the dark magic in the castle. It was thick enough for even me to feel it."

Twilight bought into it easily though. "Maybe. We never have been able to observe if sources of dark magic can empower you due to the lack dark sources."

"I'll leave you two to your books. I have a project to finish. Farewell." Derrinus said as he left the library.

The rest of the day went by as Derrinus worked on his project. If this project succeeded, then it would open new paths for Derrinus' craft. Derrinus was surprised to find that while jewel crafting was very prevalent in Terra, the art of jewel enhancement was nonexistent. Enchanting was the preferred method of enhancement.

He was working on a pair of dark grey, finely crafted gloves that he put fine obsidian in the knuckles and a flat, round topaz in the back of each glove. He had already inscribed glyphs into the obsidian and was inscribing the topazes.

Though these gloves look good, the topaz clashes too much with the rest of the gloves. Why not use an onyx? That would certainly look better. Nightmare said as Derrinus carved the final glyph into the topaz. When he finished, the topaz went from vibrant yellow to a very dark yellow. What did you do? You didn't cast any spells and gems don't change like that.

I didn't cast any spells, but I did utilize the power within the gems. Seeing that the topaz had changed color just as he planned, Derrinus donned the gloves.

What do mean 'power within the gems'?

My people learned how to not only carve gems into beautiful shapes, but also how to use specialized cuts and glyphs to unlock the power within. Once the gloves were on, Derrinus used his thoughts to activate them. Long claws of pure shadows extended from each finger, including the thumb. He went into the kitchen and got a small block of cheese. Using a claw, he cut a slice off with no resistance. Success!

Nightmare was in awe. This is incredible! You just turned a pair of unassuming gloves into deadly weapons. What else can you do with gems?

Derrinus deactivated his gloves and began to go to his room to get ready for bed. Jewelers can make a gem for just about anything you could think of. Though enchantments are more powerful, gems are more versatile, can enhance items that can't be enchanted, and can be switched out without damaging the item.

As they entered the room, a slight creaking could be heard from the closet. I guess Tamral is already asleep.

As Derrinus got ready for bed, Nightmare got curious. I meant to ask, what is Tamral? I never seen a creature like him before.

Though Tamral prefers being a he, Tamral is actually an it. He is a machine given a core that acts as a physical soul. This 'soul' gives him a will of his own. This core also acts like the brain, controlling the warforge's systems. Tamral could be female if he wanted to, though he would need a female chassis to utilize and the process would be painful. Derrinus then yawned. Well, good night Nightmare.

Good night Derrinus, try not to have a nightmare. Derrinus fell asleep as he heard Nightmare laugh at her own joke.

Luna was searching through the dreamscape, keeping her ponies safe from nightmares. She had just finished cleansing a ponies nightmare when she encountered an odd sight. She saw what looked to be two dreamers whose dreams were tethered to each other. The two beings were sharing a dream. This doesn't happen naturally. She must investigate.

When she entered the dream she entered in an ancient ruin. It was dusk and she could hear the clashing of blades and other sounds of battle. It didn't sound like a battle between two armies, but a battle between only two combatants. She rounded a corner in her search for the dreamers when she spotted one of them. He, if she had to guess, was mostly hairless except for black hair on the top of his head and some on his face. He was wearing light armor and gloves with claws of shadows coming from them. He had just parried a strike from a familiar looking flamberge held by-

Impossible!

The one swinging the sword was the other dreamer, one that should be dead! It was Nightmare Moon.

3: The Truth in the Dark

Consciousness slowly returned to Derrinus. As he opened his eyes, he saw he was in laying down in a bed in an all white room. The whole place smelled and looked absolutely clean, as if filth had never touched it. He tried to sit up, only to find he couldn't. Looking down, Derrinus saw that he was strapped to the bed. He tried to remove the straps by force, but he simply wasn't strong enough. He tried to Shadow Lunge, but was immediately met with a splitting headache. Someone was blocking his magic. Seeing as he couldn't wiggle out, he did the only thing he could. He waited for whoever blocked his spell to arrive, no doubt alerted of his consciousness by his escape attempt.

After a few minutes of waiting, he heard clopping outside his door. All he could do is wait until he could find a way to get free.

Soon, he heard the sound of hooves outside the door; as well as muffled voices. Derrinus tried to flex his way out of the binds one last time, failing again.

The door opened and Applejack entered the room, with that damned purple unicorn as well. "Just a sec." Applejack said as she adjusted the bed into a sitting position. "Are ya comfortable?" Derrinus nodded as he watched the purple librarian sit in a chair in front of him.

The two stared in silence until Applejack broke it. "Twilight, what do you have to say to Derrinus?"

Twilight stared at Derrinus until she sighed, "I'm am truly sorry for my actions, Derrinus. I was just scared that Nightmare Moon left something behind as a fail-safe; and once I sensed your dark aura, I over reacted because I was scared for my friends and myself. Could you forgive me?"

Derrinus was silent for a second, then he smirked. "I have to admit, I haven't had my sorry arse beat like that in a long time. You put up a good fight, and did it for a good reason too. I forgive you, just remind me not to anger you."

Twilight, seeing Derrinus not having any hard feelings, smiled. "Thank you."

"I'm sure you have your questions, but before we continue, can I get untied and something to eat?" Derrinus said as he shifted uncomfortably in his bed, the straps starting to chafe.

Twilight responded. "Oh, right, sorry about that. It was a bit of a precaution in case, you know." She began undoing the straps and once she was done, she walked over and pressed a red next to the bed. Shortly after, a nurse entered the room, bearing a tray of various fruits and grasses.

Twilight took the tray from her and laid it onto the bed, allowing Derrinus to eat before they start asking their questions. He ate the fruits, but left the grasses untouched. "Ya should really eat tha rest of your food, it's for your health." Applejack said as she motioned for him to continue to eat.

Derrinus looked at the 'meal' They must be herbivores. "I'm sorry, but I can't eat grass." He then looked at them and asked, "Can I tell you something without you girls freaking out?" He received two nods in response. "I'm an omnivore, I can eat fruits, vegetables, and baked goods; but I also have to have a source of protein somewhere in my diet. Namely meat." As he said this he saw Applejack with a surprised look on her face, but Twilight had a twinkle of curiosity in her eyes. He also saw her recording his diet. "I'm guessing it's rare to see an omnivore?"

Twilight looked up from her notes and responded. "It's borderline impossible. All of the intelligent races are either herbivores or carnivores. As far as I know, your the only omnivore on Terra."

Derrinus considered what she just said. That would have to mean I'm the only human here. That also means most of the races I know don't exist here either. I'm going to have to learn about the world I'm in from the ground up. "I have an idea, you have your questions and I have mine. So, how about a bit of a game? I'll ask a question, then Applejack, then Twilight. Each question should be answered with complete honesty. After that, the cycle continues until our questions are answered. Deal?" The two ponies nodded, signalling their agreement to participate. "I will go first. What is the name of the kingdom I'm in?" Derrinus asked.

Applejack responded. "You are in tha diarchy of Equestria." Then she asked, "Not to offend ya, but what exactly are ya? There are no smart omnivores on Terra. At least, there wasn't 'til you came along."

Derrinus responded, "I am what is known as a human. We are a proud race of thinkers and warriors alike. Humans also don't really excel at any one thing, much to the annoyance of the elves. Given time, a human can master anything, and we can master it quickly. Unfortunately, this is due to humans having the shortest lifespan of all of the races, only living to be a little under one hundred. I'm only twenty."

Now it was Twilight's turn. "Before you knocked me out, I heard you yell 'I will not die again' or something along those lines, it's still kind of fuzzy." Twilight said as she held her head where Derrinus hit her. "What did you mean by that? I don't detect necrotic magic on you, so you're not undead."

Applejack remembered that night. "Ah thought Ah was hearing things when Ah heard him yell that."

Derrinus shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, I was apart of an adventuring party that was delving into a cairn in search of a key that our employer was wanting. He wanted a key to activate something called a 'Spelljammer' or something like that. I thought he was insane. A ship that can fly in space? What was that mad mage thinking? Anyway, I was killed when we were fighting a mummified king. He kicked me, knocking me off balance. Then he used my lack of balance to grind me to bits with a sandstorm. The bastard pulled a cheap shot."

Applejack felt that there was something off about the story. "Ya said earlier that ya were a jeweler. But jewelers don't go adventuring into cairns and do mercenary work. Did you lie to me? What are you, really?"

Derrinus stared at her, then he looked down and sighed. "This will require a bit of history, a story if you will." It might do me some good if I confided in another. To share my sins with them. To confess. "I didn't lie at all, I just didn't tell the whole story. I grew up in a city called Boro in the kingdom of Yairm. My family were jewelers, and we were pretty well off." He said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the charred family picture. Looking at it, he continued. "That was, until the economy sank for some unknown reason. It was then that we began struggling to get through day to day life. Some nights, there was no dinner, couldn't afford it. Us common citizens were struggling while those nobles did nothing but laugh at us 'lowborn swines' So, after a few months of this, I turned to thievery. I didn't steal from the common citizen, they had enough problems without me adding to them. No, I stole from those dirty, black hearted nobles. No trap could keep me out and no lock was impossible. Anyway, on one of my raids, my identity was found out by one of the nobles. They didn't report me to the guards, no, they did much worse. The bastard sent men to burn my home to the ground, along with my family who was within. After that, I just stopped. I could barely continue living. After a while, pennyless and homeless, I decided that it was my fault that my family suffered due to my actions. Rather than suicide however, I sought redemption. So I became an adventurer, seeking my redemption. I was willing to pay any price to be redeemed. But I couldn't do it alone, however. I met a psion on my travels that needed someone of my skills. I joined him, along with his adventuring group. It was almost like having a family again. Then we took that contract from that damned arch-mage. In that mission, death tore me away from my new family." As Derrius told the story, he was starting to get angry. "Do the fates believe that I am to have no family, is that it?" Then, he took a deep breath, then let it out. "So there you go. I was thief born out of desperation that is apparently hated by fate." Then Derrinus turned his head toward Twilight. "That is why I forgave you so easily, Twilight. You did something that you would have felt was wrong, but you did it for those you cared for." He then shifted his gaze to the both of them. "I hope this doesn't hurt your thoughts about me."

Applejack had a seat in a chair she retrieved from the corner about have way through his story. "Well, Ah don't think you're a bad pon... er person. But, it does upset me still that ya had ta steal for your family's survival."

Twilight on the other hand, looked appalled. "I don't think badly of you, but how can any creature that calls themselves a noble do that?"

"If there is one thing I've learned from my adventures, Twilight, it's that what they did wasn't the tip of the evil iceberg." Derrinus replied glumly. "OK, just one last question each, then we should end this game. I'm beginning to grow weary of this."

Applejack took this opportunity to ask the most important question. "Are all humans that short?"

Derrinus wasn't expecting this question. Getting riled up quickly, he responded, "What!? I'm not short! I just have a small frame." The two girls were giggling at him while he grumbled. He had to admit, though, he was kind of happy that Applejack lightened the mood a bit. "To answer the question, no, humans are not often very short. The adventuring group I was apart of had a paladin that almost rivals your size Applejack, and his armor would actually make him bigger. He was also quick for his size, or he would be if he didn't lug around the beast of a shield and huge sword that he did." Applejack looked flustered at the image of a knight in shining armor that was bigger than her, her cheeks taking a more rosy color.

Twilight decided to use her final turn wisely. "You didn't bring up your shadow magic in your story. That leads me to believe that you gained them somehow. What I want to know is, how?"

Derrinus tried to remember. What could have caused this magic to manifest? Then, it hit him. "I remember when I was floating in some kind of void after I was cheap-shoted by that mummy. Then a tendril of pure shadow and undeath latched onto me. It tried to pull me into the Shadow Plane."

"The Shadow Plane?" Twilight asked curiously.

"It's a realm of darkness and necromancy. Everything that dwells there is dead and pure evil. It is worse than the nine planes of hell." Derrinus responded with disgust evident in his voice. "Anyway, this tendril was trying to pull me in when your plane of existence tore it apart, leaving the end wrapped around me. It bled all of its necrotic magic as I entered your realm, leaving an empty husk of shadows around me."

"The shadows must have fused with you when you entered, causing that magical surge I felt a few nights ago." Twilight finished.

Derrinus stared at her, then himself. "That thing is apart of me now? Now I feel dirty. Like, eww."

"Relax, the evil didn't enter with it. I can detect that." Twilight said while scanning Derrinus with her magic. "Now it's your turn to ask."

"Ok, who is the King, Queen, Emperor, Empress, or whatever of Equestria?" Derrinus asked, wishing to know whose law he will have to obey or answer to.

"That would be Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Bringers of the sun and moon." Twilight responded with admiration in her voice.

Derrinus was surprised. "So your gods actually take a physical form here? In my world, they rule from the heavens. Though the world moves around the sun, it is by the sun god, Pelor, that the sun still burns. It is by Selene's grace that moons move around the world."

Twilight was taken aback by this response. "Oh, no, they aren't gods. They are actually alicorns. Ponies who are near immortal and have the abilities of all three tribes. They are often linked to aspects of the world around us. Celestia is the sun, Luna is the moon, and Cadence is love. Celestia has told me many times that she is not a god and she doesn't want ponies to worship her; but her worship is still commonplace."

Just as she finished, a nurse entered the room and spoke. "Sir, I am happy to inform you that you may now be released from the hospital. I will escort you out."

Derrinus, Twilight, and Applejack walked out of the hospital. "This, is a new start for me." Derrinus said as he stepped out in the open. Once he did, he saw Rarity, and Fluttershy walking over with Rainbow Dash hovering next to them. He also saw Pinkie Pie already with her arms around him hoisting him up in the air. "Derrinus! I'm sosososoooooo glad you're safe!"

"Pinkie, I require air!" Derrinus grunted out, struggling in her grip.

"Pinkie, darling, could you please put him down? He does require breathing, which you are inhibiting." Rarity politely requested.

Pinkie dropped him. "Sorry Derrinus, I'm just happy to see you're alright." Derrinus was trying to regain his breath from the pink one's vicious assault.

Once he regained his posture, Derrinus turned towards everyone. "I'm sorry that I tricked you all into thinking I was a colt, but I was afraid that you ponies might be xenophobic and might of tried to run me out. Thank you for not doing so, by the way."

"Don't sweat it, you had a reason to do so, and it didn't hurt anyone." Rainbow said, patting Derrinus on the back. The others nodded in agreement.

"What are you going to do, now that you are no longer hospitalized?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Well," Derrinus began, "I was thinking about returning to my cave."

"Cave?! No, that simply will not do. You are a stranger in a strange land. I will allow you to stay in my guest room, if you choose to of course." Rarity offered generously.

Derrinus was startled by her offer. She is willing to offer me a room without asking for anything in return? I've never seen such a level of generosity. "I will accept your offer, but I will not take advantage of your generosity. I will extend my skills as a jeweler to you in exchange. Is this acceptable?"

Rarity thought it over before quickly agreeing. "I must return to the shop however. My break is almost over and I don't like to keep clients waiting."

"Well, I have to retrieve my belongings from my cave anyway. I left most of them there to keep them safe." Derrinus replied.

"Ok, just be sure to be out of that dreadful forest before nightfall. The forest is at it's worst then." Rarity warned him.

Everyone left for similar reasons. Though, Derrinus wondered what a 'weather factory' was. Rainbow left in a rush before he could ask, as she was late to getting back to work. Shrugging at the thought, he resolved to ask later. With that last thought he began his trek into the woods.

The journey back to his cave was mostly uneventful. He got to the cave safely and retrieved the rest of his belongings, leaving the Topaz Locator stone behind in case he ever wanted to return.

On his way back to Ponyville, he found his way back to the site where he landed here. Something was off, however, there is only supposed to be one crater; not two. Something must have followed him in, a large, humanoid something. He had to tell the others about this as soon as he gets back.

"No sudden movements. Put your hands up." Called a low, monotone voice, in perfect elvish, from behind him. Derrinus chose to obey, putting his hands up slowly. "Turn around so I can see your face." Derrinus slowly turned around and came face to face with one of the rarest oddities known to Yaven. Standing at a little over six and a half feet in height, a purple and gray warforged stood before Derrinus. Judging be the arcane tome hovering in front it, and the three orbs of pure magical force floating around it, this was not one of the work variants. It was either a soldier, or guardian class warforge mage. Looking at the symbol magically imprinted on its chest, Derrinus assumed the latter.

"Who are you, and where am I?" It called out. It chose to keep it's eyes unlit to hide it's emotions. Smart.

"I am Derrinus Gottrun, and you are in the land of Equestria. May I ask your name?" Derrinus slowly put his arms down as the warforged powered down his spells, snatching the tome out of the air.

"I... have no name, I was a guardian unit created and was to be given to Princess Tiana for her fifth birthday. I must find my way back to Kalast so that I may guard the princess." The warforged spoke with conviction.

Princess Tiana? Kalast? Queen Tiana and the warrior kingdom of Kalast died out three thousand years ago. "That may be an issue. You see, you'll be a little late to the party. About three thousand and sixty years late to the party. And we aren't even on Yaven anymore." Derrinus told the construct.

The warforged stood stock still for a second. Then it quickly opened it's tome and casted a spell to scan the magic around it. There was a much higher concentration of magic here than there was anywhere on Yaven. What Derrinus said was true, it was a long way from home. And if the time difference was correct as well... The warforge's eyes lit up, but they were a dim purple. It was experiencing sadness. "I see."

Derrinus approached the machine and patted its back. "I'm sorry you couldn't fulfill your purpose, but if it means anything, Queen Tiana grew up to be one of the greatest warriors to ever live. It was even said that she almost became a warrior goddess."

The warforged looked at him, it's eyes taking a more yellow tint. "It warms my core to hear that. Thank you, Derrinus. But what do I do now? The reason for my existence is realms away and long dead."

"You continue to 'live' and come with me. You are your own machine now and can make your own choices, but I suggest you follow me because I know the way to the nearest settlement. What should I call you, I can't keep calling you warforged." Derrinus inquired.

The warforged began to think. He always wanted a name, just as all warforge do, but what name would be fitting of a Kalastian mage such as himself? "Tamral. Tamral shall be my name. And I have a male chassis, so don't call me it." He tried to make it sound menacing, but he couldn't. His eyes were glowing like little yellow and deep blue suns. He had a name and he was overflowing with joy and pride.

"Let's get a move on. The forest is dangerous at night. The sun is already setting." Derrinus said as he turned around to start walking. "By the way, how are you speaking in the elven tongue? Kalastians didn't speak elven."

Tamral looked at Derrinus as they walked, his footsteps thundering as they stomped into the ground. "I used a spell to allow me to speak elven. It's the only language spell I know and I'm lucky that it seemed to be the correct one."

The rest of the walk was uneventful, until they got to Rarity's house. Everypony else had retreated back into their home, due to the time. In fact, they haven't seen anypony since they entered town. "What are the inhabitants of this village? The signs are in elven, yet they have human architecture, and dwarven machinery."

Derrinus grinned mischievously. "you'll see~." He said as the approached Rarity's home and shop, the Carousel Boutique. Knocking on the door, Derrinus heard Rarity yell, "Coming!"

Rarity opened the door to see Derrinus standing there. "Derrinus, where have you been? You said you would be back before nightfall." Rarity asked, her voice full of concern.

"Sorry, I ran into something unexpected, meet Tamral. Tamral, this Rarity. She is a pony." Derrinus said as he stepped to the side.

Rarity rarely had to look up to talk to somepony, except maybe Applejack everyone looked up at her. She had never actually talked to a machine before. "Uh...."

Tamral snapped out of it first. "Hello Miss Rarity, I am Tamral. Kalastian warforged mage unit." He offered a handshake to Rarity.

Rarity slowly took his hand and shook it. "Why don't you two come in and make yourselves comfortable. I'll go get some tea."

Derrinus and Tamral walked to the shop. The main area of the shop was also the main area of the house during closing hours. There was a couch with a table in front of it and two chairs on the other side. Derrinus took a seat in a chair, while Tamral stood next to the table. Rarity returned with a tray with three teacups and a teapot. "I am terribly sorry Tamral for my rudeness. I was just surprised to see a machine that could talk and think."

Tamral waved it off. "It's fine, no need to apologies. I was equally surprised to see an equine biped. I don't think they exist on Yaven."

"Yaven? You are from the same place as Derrinus?" Rarity asked, surprised.

Derrinus cut in. "Kind of. We are from the same realm, but there is a few thousand year difference. When I entered this realm, I must of made an opening that Tamral here somehow entered. I think. Realm hopping is weird like that, I'd imagine."

Rarity let out a yawn. "I am terribly sorry, darlings, I would like to stay and chat, but it is late and I need my beauty sleep. Let me show you your room, I guess Tamral can bunk up with you until we work something out."

"Thank you, Rarity. You didn't have to offer me a home, but you did and I am in your debt." Derrinus said as they walked to the room.

"Nonsense, darling, no one should live in a cave. Not while I can do something about it. Here's your room. If you need anything, I'm just down the hall." Rarity said as she walked to her room. "Good night."

"Good night." Tamral and Derrinus called out as she closed her door. Then they entered their room.

The room had a window above a two person bed (Three if your Derrinus' size). The walls and ceiling was mostly white with lavender floorboards (Like most of the house). It had a dresser at the foot of the bed and a closet. In the corner, there was a writing desk. All in all, just a basic bedroom. Just as Derrinus entered the room, Tamral moved passed him. "I call the closet." is all Tamral said before he practically threw himself in the closet and closed the door. Chuckling, Derrinus stripped down to his undergarments and climbed into the bed, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.