Come Dawn or Darkness

The sun was just beginning to set, casting a beautiful orange glow across the cloudless blue sky. Unfortunately, Fluttershy was far to preoccupied with the task at hand to notice the lovely sunset; she was running out of time. This had always been her favorite season: the leaves changing color, the weather shifting from the heat of summer to the crisp coolness of autumn, and of course, all the little animals that would suddenly find themselves in need of a warm, dry place to stay and delicious food to eat.

But as the days grew shorter and the nights colder, her least favorite night of the year drew ever closer. The tradition of Nightmare Night had never sat well with her and its extension from one night into a week-long series of feasts and festivals had done nothing to make it easier for her. Nor had the little scare Twilight had given her the previous year, by bringing that terrifying day's namesake right to her front door, made her any more comfortable with the situation. So she continued with her work, barely noticing the light fading from the sky over head.

Finally, as the last bit of light was beginning to retreat to the west, she finished stomping in the the final nail. "There. That should do it." She stepped back a bit to evaluate her work, looking over each sign carefully to make sure the message came across as clearly as possible. KEEP OUT, one read while another stated NO ONE HOME. A few feet away stood another reading simply TURN BACK. These repeated all the way up to her front door, upon which she had just finished nailing AWAY UNTIL AFTER NIGHTMARE NIGHT. If that didn't keep them away, nothing would.

It wasn't until she turned around to face the little road leading up to her cottage that she realized just how dark it had gotten. Yet for all that the shadows of the night hid, Fluttershy was suddenly sure that she could see something moving toward her, coming up the path. Her fears were confirmed a moment later when a pair of iridescent red eyes flashed out from the darkness, disappearing just as quickly as they had shown up. An involuntary yelp of fear escaped her lips as she started to back up to her front door; her eyes darting this way and that in order to try and spot the creature's movement once more.

Suddenly she saw it, as the first glimmer of moonlight spread across her field of vision. The pale glow of Luna's ethereal charge illuminated the yard just enough to reveal a tall shape moving slowly toward her. Straining her eyes to see it, she could just barely make out the outline of a long cloak swirling about its form. Torrent! For a moment her heart lightened, fear quickly being replaced with a growing sense of relief. Unfortunately, her dread suddenly took hold of her again, erasing any sense of reason that had been present a moment before. Unless its not him... If it was, why hasn't he said anything yet? He's not that far away, surely he sees me standing here. What if its something else hiding under that cloak; some creature out of the forest or... OH NO! What if its something else that escaped from Twilight's portal! Some monster just pretending to be him so no one expects it when it attacks!

All of this proved to be nothing more than groundless paranoia when the figure finally made it past the gate. "Fluttershy, how are you this fine night?" The voice was definitely his, as was curious gaze he gave her upon spotting the multitude of signs around the front door. "...So I take it you are not quite as excited about Friday's festivities as the rest of the town?"

Fluttershy looked around for a moment and blushed. "...Maybe I could take down a few of them... " Her gaze returned to the sorcerer just in time to see him fishing something out of one of the many pockets of his bizarre raiment. The trinket's glow caught her eye immediately, drawing in the entirety of her attention. "What's that?"

"A gift, actually. I was given it a long time ago and it has served me well wherever I have traveled. I thought if anyone would appreciate its beauty, it would be you. Here take a look." He brought it closer so that Fluttershy could inspect it for herself. It was a small amulet, made of some strange metal that she had never seen the like of before: it was silver, but light as a feather, warm to the touch, and intercrossed with dark red veins. The gem at the center of the the circular vessel was a beautifully cut sphere of aquamarine, but it was what was inside the gem that caught her eye. Within pale blue depths of the jewel, a small mass of light swam back and forth, like a fish in a bowl.

She looked up at her friend curiously. "What is it?"

He smiled down at her, his red eyes shifting slowly from her own down to the amulet. "That, my dear, is a soul. My mentor had rescued it from the Abyss a few decades before I ever met him." He saw the sudden terror flash across her face and let his voice fall into a comforting, reassuring tone. "I know what you must be thinking, and don't think it hasn't crossed my mind from time to time as well. But rest assured, this spirit is not trapped by any means. It is free to leave its vessel whenever it is ready."

He sat himself against the front door, with Fluttershy sitting down beside him. "You see, the Void is not a pleasant place to be, as I'm sure you will have realized from the stories I've been telling. When a soul is trapped there, it wants nothing more than to escape; to journey out of that darkness back into a living world. However, once they do leave that dismal setting some of them, not many, mind you, but some, realize that they do not wish to pass on to the afterlife. Either they are afraid of what might await them, or they feel unprepared, or they simply do not wish to leave this glorious world of ours... This one falls into that third category."

The little soul swam about in a constant figure-eight within the gem. Fluttershy followed it with her eyes as she listened to the wanderer speak, mesmerized by his voice and the light's motion. "Do you know who's soul it is?" She could not take her eyes off of the necklace for even a moment.

"A great warrior, from what my teacher said... Though from the stories I heard of, she was actually a doctor, a field medic if you will. She participated in battles, yes, and I am certain that she did a great deal of fighting herself. Yet in all of the stories, it was always her selflessness and her kindness that is highlighted. She was what my own people would have called a 'humanitarian,' though that seems just a bit improper as she was not human... Nor do I know how such a word would translate to your own people. None the less, she was a selfless, caring soul and remains so to this day. One who feels that her work in this life is not yet complete, that there are still many left whom she can help."

He stood up, turning back to her as he held up the amulet. "They called her Kiera Lightwrought, and she was a shepherd of the lost and fearful, the pinnacle of kindness in a world that was ultimately lost to greed, a beacon of light who saved countless lives from the darkness... And I can think of no one better to act as the caretaker of her soul than you, Fluttershy." He held out the necklace toward her, waiting to see what she would next.

To say that the little yellow pony was surprised would have been an understatement. Shocked, stunned, bewildered; any of those would fit better here. She stammered, searching for the words to respond. "C-Ca-Caretaker? Of a ... of a soul? Me?! Oh no, nonononono. I couldn't!" She tried as hard as she could to come up with a reason, yet none came to her. Try as she might, she could not pull her eyes away from the gem in the center of the necklace, nor the golden spirit swimming about within it. As she looked, the glow it gave off began to brighten and pulse. "Why... Why me?"

"Well, for starters, because she chose you." Another pulse of light emitted from the amulet, illuminating the yard. "But, even if she hadn't, you are the one I would have chosen for this task anyway. This amulet is a relic of great power, and it lends its strength to any whom Keira deems worthy to wear it. It helped me through some of my darkest hours, yet now its light barely shimmers for me at all... But you..." Once more a wave of light erupted from the necklace. "...Well, lets just say she seems quite certain that you should be her next keeper. So, what do you say?"

The light was blinding, yet by no means unpleasant. She let it wash over her, the warmth emanating from the jewel cutting through the cool autumn night. "I... I suppose....... Are you sure there isn't anyone else she would rather have?" The brightest burst of light yet came forth from the amulet, dispelling any uncertainty there may have been. "I, uh... I guess not..." She took a step forward, bringing her face to face with the soul of Keira Lightwrought. "I... I will take good care of her, I promise."

A smile crossed Torrent's face, though Fluttershy was too preoccupied by the amulet to notice. He brought the amulet down over her head, rearranging her mane over top of it once it had settled on her shoulders. Almost immediately, the necklace began to shrink. Its chain which could have fit about the width of a tree, yet it quickly became the perfect size for a small, demure embodiment of kindness.

"There... Now, what do you say we catch up with the others. I'm certain they'll be wondering what has become of us, I left to fetch you over an hour ago!" They shared a brief laugh over that as they walked toward the town, yet Fluttershy was only half conscious of what she was even laughing about. The power of her new charge was incredible, the strength and confidence of Keira's souls filling her with foreign thoughts and words. In time, those words would all become clear to her, the voice speaking them would be comforting rather than strange. Yet for now, it was simply a constant stream of incomprehensible images and sounds that would keep her distracted from her usual fears and chagrin.

So she walked on, unbothered by the darkness around them and the dancing shadows she might normally have shrunk away from. All frustrating images and strange words aside, she saw it all as a fine improvement. And maybe now I'll finally be able to enjoy the festival... at least a little...