Vengeance is a Torch

"I don't believe it.... This is not good, this is not FUCKING GOOD!" I muttered in both surprise and utter disappointment before I shout in anger.

"I fought a huge bloody battle to annihilate an army, took over a village of slavers, broke my way in into the capital and fought a very hard duel-to-the-death with a tyrant king; only for me to find out that my nemesis has retaken the throne and made all my efforts in vain!!! Gods I really HATE adventures!" I kept talking out of utter frustration and anger.

It has been a few hours since the sun has risen again to the sky. I ran out to find out what was going on, the reason that I shouted out very loud was because a doe came to me and handed me a letter about princess Celestia and the bearers of harmony escaped prison and dethroned Nightmare Moon. But that would mean that the eternal night is over and so is my employment. Without Nightmare Moon, I'm out of a job. But the worst part is that with Celestia back in power, I'm a wanted man, a fucking wanted man.

I know that Celestia wrote in her letter that she is willing to hear me out, to be willing to give me a second chance thanks to Luna. But the part about putting me on 'trial', fucking trial, that does not sound quite encouraging. Because of the mention about putting me on trial was enough to put me on edge. I don't trust Celestia for one bit, but now the question is, what am I gonna do now?

I was walking back and forward in a room where both Scarlet Night and the doe leaders of the former-resistance are in presence, we all gathered together in a meeting to come up with a plan. And I was not in a good mood.

"This could be a trap. She is your enemy is she not?" Asked Hedwig.

"Yes, but we can't say no to this either. Her sister, Luna, may not be Queen Nightmare Moon but she is the monarch of the night and me and the Lunar Legion are sworn to her." Answered Scarlet Night

"Are you telling me that we shall just go to Canterlot and face Celestia and risk having her execute us!?" I asked Scarlet.

"I don't see any other choices. Not only does the Lunar Legion have friends and families waiting for the back home but I too must return to ensure the safety of my sister and nieces. But I completely understand your situation, Sir Arton." Scarlet explained.

"What if you two and the Lunar Legion just stay here in our kingdom? We would be happy to welcome you as our citizents and together we may be able to hold up a stronger front against Equestria." Suggested Frederika.

"Going to war with the alicorns again? That's the last thing I need to do." I stated.

"Thank you for the offer, but we must ensure that our soldiers get to return home so that their families are safe. They all getting worried and concerned about it, and frankly I must see to my family's safety. We have no choice but to return." Scarlet said.

"Not me! I won't set another foot in Celestia's domain!" I said very frustrated.

"But you can't stay here either, Sir Arton. Celestia would see that as an act of defiance." Scarlet said to me.

"Well I can't go to Equestria and take my chances. She'll sentence me to death when the opportunity is given." I countered.

"According to her letter, she said that she's willing to-" Kaja tried to speak but I interrupted her.

"Don't tell me that you believe her! I killed her mother. Who in their right mind would forgive those who is responsible for the death of their family!?" I asked, I must admit I was quite rude.

"Didin't Nightmare Moon forgive you for it? She is also Luna who is Faust's daughter too." Kaja countered me.

It was from there that I couldn't say anything. She got me there. I suppose Princess Luna does remember our time together as Nightmare Moon. I really hope that she does, it would explain why the letter says that Celestia were willing to listen to me thanks to Luna.

"Sir Arton. I know you don't trust Celestia, but after everything you have done for the night monarch, Luna, I'm certain she will come to your defense. As will I and Aqua." Now Scarlet was trying to cheer me up. I know she mean well but I'm not convinced.

"I am not convinced." I said to Scarlet.

The discussion, or as I should call it debate, went on and on as to stay in the Deer Kingdom, return to Equestria or just run for it and become free travellers.

To be honest, I'm more willing to travel free again so I can be a free mercenary again. But then Celestia would no doubt hunt me down just like Faust did. I could stay in the Deer Kingdom of course, that would mean I'll have a safe haven. But Celestia may not let that go unpunished. I don't want to be king, I can't be a king, I'm a soldier over anything. I could suggest that the Deer Kingdom is run by another monarch and I could simply be a member of their council; a Lord of War maybe. But it's not the same thing as being a sell-sword, I don't get good payment and I like to travel and face challenges. So being part of a council would be to boring to me. If I choose to return to Equestria, what shall I do? Shall I face trial and hope for the best, or challenge Celestia and the bearers of harmony; and this time kill them? But if I do either of them, I'll be on enemy territory, where I have little to no advantages. And if that's not enough, Celestia's bearers of harmony now has the elements, the very same one that turned me to stone and that is enough to defeat me. Fuck! No matter what I choose, I will always be in trouble!

Trouble, trouble, trouble! There just isn't any solution to it. So what am I suppose to do? My enemy won't leave me alone and only a fool would fall for a possible trap. HOLY HELL! SOMEBODY HELP ME OUT!!!!!

"Enough!" Hedwig shouted, putting a stop to this verbal chaos.

"We have just won a war together, yet here I find a battle amongst ourselves. I call this meeting adjourned. We will reconvene and allow cooler heads to prevail." Said Hedwig as if she was in charge here.

Well, practically she is. Because everyone, including myself, agreed to her suggestion and decided to take a day off to think about it and tomorrow come up with a solution after we calmed ourselves down. I went to my bed chamber in the ice palace to get some sleep, hopefully it will help.

-:- Dream Realm, Luna's POV -:-

When night finally came, I told my sister, Celestia, that I will talk to the commander of the Lunar Legion in the dream realm to ensure her that nopony is in trouble. But while I'm at it, I wish to talk to Arton Ravenheart. Celestia wasn't warmed up to the idea to pardon Arton, I understand that. He did killed our mother, but we both know why he did and he must know now about it. Although I don't think Celestia will ever forgive him, I convinced her not to do anything to him, he's not our enemy anymore.

I entered the dream realm and began my search for Scarlet Night, talked to her and ensured her that her family is safe and she will be welcomed home as heroes. I also told her that I will convince Arton Ravenheart to come too. She told me that he will not be easy to convince. I understand that, but I have to try.

It took me some time but I finally figured out where Arton's sleeping patterns are. The only problem is that he dosen't dream like most ponies do, this looks more like a empty space of darkness. I knew it was his mind, but what I didn't know was how to find him here. His dream scape was... all black.

However, after a few hours of searching for him in his own 'dream' it turns slowly into something else. It was still dark but things became more visible to me now. The ground became a field full of rocks, with a few high stone hills and the black sky became full of bright stars. Those made up stars help brighten up the place, but it all looks like a wasteland of rocks. I walked around a bit more until I found a lake in the middle of this rocky wasteland and near that lake I found what looks like a small bonfire. Although I'm far from that bonfire, I could see that there is somepony sitting there by it. I have no doubt that pony is none other than Arton Ravenheart. I didn't recognize him due to his armor, but for his hammer. Everypony knows that Arton always prefer warhammer in every fight.

I flew down to the bonfire to meet him, he seems not to notice me since he still just sitt down there and stare at the fire. I was about to approach him until-

"Nice to meet you again, Luna." He said.

I stopped the moment he said that.

"Don't be surprised. When I was working for you when you were Nightmare you visited my dreams once or twice for some enjoyment. I learned how this work." He said.

He's right, when I was still Nightmare Moon, my evil counterpart, I visited him in his dream and he quickly learned how to work with it.

"Sir Arton... I hope I didn't interrupted anything. We need to talk." I said, trying to be polite.

Before anything else, he gestured me to sitt down next to the bonfire. I figured it would make sense for us to talk while being in the same position, so I complied and decided to sitt down.

-:- Dream Realm, Arton's POV -:-

So here I am in my winged hussar armor, sitting by the bonfire and waiting for my former employer to come visit. After what happened to Nigthmare Moon, I knew we would meet again. And here we are, and this time she has no hatred of me anymore. I suppose she no longer desire to avenge her mother, can't say the same thing about her sister. She sat down as I gestured so now we can talk a bit more civilized. So here we go.

"I know why you came here, you want to convince me to come to Canterlot to face trial." I said.

"Yes, but I pro-" Luna was trying to speak until I interrupted her.

"And allow myself to get executed in public!" I said with a bit of anger and hit my warhammer to the ground.

"No! There will be no execution!" Luna firmly said.

"Look, my sister is still angry at you but she listened to me when I told her about your side of the story." She explained.

"My side? What do you know about MY side of the story!?" I asked, I didn't really take well to people who think they know about me.

"It was all a very big mistake." Luna said, before she continued.

"When you meet my mother, Faust, in Ponyvillen did she said anything about her daughter seeing you in dreams?" Luna asked me.

You know, now that I think about it Faust did mentioned about one of her daughters having a vision about me as a bad omen.

"What do you know about it?" I asked her.

"Mother... She... She got it all wrong! Celestia did have a dream, or shall we say a vision, about a horned demon would come to Equestria to destroy everything. We told mother about it and she once told us that we didn't need to worry, that it's just a dream. But Celestia's vision keeps comming back to her. Although she didn't show it, mother did believed us in the end." Luna Keeps explaining to me.

"When mother returned to us to ponyville, she just said that she protected it's citizents from danger. She didn't mentioned a bit about meeting you. Celestia and I were still foals that time so we didn't questioned it at all. After you killed mother and after me and Celestia stoned you, I decided to study you. Looking into your mind to get some memories, although I couldn't get much. I got enough to find out that she mistook you for that very horned demon my sister dreamed about. But it was never you, it was Tirek!" She said in frustration.

"Celestia forgot to mention the part of that demon being a centaur and because of that mother thoughted the whole time that you were the enemy of Equestria. Celestia and I were still very young and it was only after we turned you to stone that I figured out that the whole thing could have been avoided if we told her that demon was a centaur and not you. After we defeated Tirek and imprisoned him in tartarus, I explained to Celestia about this whole mistake but she won't have any of it." She explains to me.

So the whole FUCKING time, Faust and I were at each other's throats because she simply misinterpreted a fucking vision. Took me for another guy and simply attacked me without provocation, cause me to seek out my revenge out of my pure anger and killed her because I was some fucking horned demon Celestia was dreaming about this whole time!

I got up to my feets and walked around the bonfire a bit to puzzle all this together.

"Well just fucking great! Faust, her soldiers, MY soldiers and friends... They all died for FUCKING NOTHING!!" I said in loud anger and threw my hammer to the ground.

Took some time to calm myself down before sitting down again, I'm lucky enough that Luna had the patience to wait.

"Does she listen to you now?" I asked her, I'm still in a bad mood.

"Yes, she knows now. Because of that, she's now willing to hear you out. But I know you don't want to be put on trial." She explains the obvious.

"I can't go to Canterlot, it's not worth it." I said to her.

"Please Arton, running from it will only make things worst for you. I promise I and many other ponies will defend your case." She said in a pleading tone and hold my hands.

"Others?" I asked her.

"Aqua Night, her sister and daughters, even soldiers from the Lunar Legion are loyal to you. But more important, Twilight Sparkle will help you too. You remeber her, right? She's one of the bearers of harmony, a purple unicorn with a violet mane." She explained to me.

"Oh, I remember her. But why? Why would she defend me?" I asked her.

"Do you remember Ebony Sparkle? She happens to be Twilight's ancestor, the first friend you ever made." She asked me.

Wait a minute, Twilight is Ebony's descendant!? I looked at her with a confused face.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?(Look from 0:48 to 0:50)" I strictly and serious.

"I don't" She simply said, with an unamused face before she continued.

"Arton, trust me. I won't allow anypony to punish you, especially after your heroric deed of liberating the Deer Kingdom from King Dainn's tyranny. I'm sure I can convice Celestia to grant you a pardon and you can go free." She said while looking at me with a gentle smile.

I was about to say something but then I heard a crack from the sky and that means it's time for Luna to leave the dream realm.

"Come to Canterlot, I will do everything in my power to make sure you won't come to harm." She said as she took flight and dissapeared from the dream realm.

For telling me everything and for comforting me, I'm sure I can trust her. But it's Celestia I don't trust. Celestia is the older sister and therefore her authority is above Luna's. But Luna ensured me that she listen to me this time.

I trust Luna now, but I still don't trust Celestia for one bit. Return to Canterlot or run away and be free on my own again?

This is too much for me. Just what the fuck am I gonna do right now!?