Monk of Aura

Allen was outside his house in the backyard, his eyes closed and mind focused on his surroundings. His aura leaked off of him like vapor in a loose rainbow of color. Crystals grew beneath his feet, fire circled his hands, frost collected on his scalp and formed ice, earth levitated around him like floating islands, vines of wood slithered under the soil and the surrounding light fluctuated in luminosity. This was his usual training routine, he would select elements and even weapons at random and keep track of them with his mind. This current work was the simple version, manifesting and maintaining as many aura born elements for as long as possible. After this, he'd have to construct as many weapons as possible from metal aura and imbue them with another element, but the weapon stage is simple to keep track of as he uses a third person view with a first person feel. Anything after that is combat training.

His thoughts caught something in the distance and he opened his eyes to see Celestia in the sky. She did not look happy to say the bare least. She landed in front of him and held a glare that told him she found out. "Where are they?" The demand from Celestia was clear while passing ponies thought he kidnapped someone among them.

"They are here, yet not." Before she could haul him up, the auras faded and a deathly cold air spilled from him, coating the grass, ground and nearby buildings in frost while ponies shivered seeing their breath and moved away. "A mind clouded by anger has no right to question my words. Calm you breath, steady your mind and I will explain." Celestia's nostrils were still flared and her hot breath and steaming air clashed with the cold, the conflict creating wind which circled the two.

"Okay you two break it up!" Allen flinched as he was drawn from his cold intent and the heat overtook the cold for a moment. He looked to see Alexie and he smiled the same, whole smile that she brought to his face. Celestia took this as an opening and attempted to strike before getting hit with snow. Her anger went up in steam as she looked to her offender from a snowball. "You cooled of yet or do we need something colder to help you chill." Allen snickered to himself at Alexie's unintended puns and she thought about her words before laughing. "Oh my god Allen." She smiled and laughed as the two chuckled like children. Celestia was ready to lose her temper again when she heard the doors slide.

She looked to see the human in his kitchen. "I'll put on some tea." The solar princess went from angry to bewildered as he was showing a calmer air than before. "This will give us ample time for me and Alexie both to explain several things." Celestia didn't want to sit in Allen's home, but Alexie, even with her human guise had such a gentle and inviting insistence that Celestia couldn't reasonably turn her down, so ponies got close enough to hear the conversation, including the mane six, with some reluctance from Fluttershy about eavesdropping. Celestia got back to the point about her and Luna's most elite royal guards. Allen explained that her five guards were extensions of himself, broken off and given form by his fear of his true emotions and later an understanding of spirits which helped give them form. He spent over a year with them, accepting their presence and company but when he was summoned he thought they were missing.

Celestia called him out, saying he was making the whole thing up and Alexie confirmed it, saying that she was a spirit herself, created for his companionship by her creator and mother Sarah. Despite Chrysalis being her current biological parent, Alexie reiterated that never had she been able to call her mother, almost forced by some outside presence to not do as such and further backed up Allen's story by saying that his residence inhabited physical bodies that transferred their souls and consciousness over and over for untold years, living out their lives as children to adults in a spiritual loop before their subsequent creator emerged from the crystals that he trapped the twisted in. Once free, he had more than begun accepting what he was which is why her guards are now gone, because, by technicality, they never existed on their own.

Celestia was in shock, her top guard were the result of a human fearing his own emotions and now that he accepted himself, they returned from whence they came. Their names, forever immortalized in time, could never be tarnished for their service and sacrifice. Indeed, if they were made from this human, they reflected his other qualities; honesty, kindness, justice, integrity, loyalty, charity and devotion above all else. When they felt conflicted, they punished or helped themselves because they were a family, born of the same person. Begrudgingly, the princess had one of two options, clear his name or tarnish her guards. With their names immortalized by time and themselves to extent, tarnishing their names would slate her. The third option was to do nothing, something she was not a fan of, but she had little choice.

If anything else, this visit told her one thing, he was a good host and decent cook. The tea was a little weak but she liked the flavor she could make out. "It seems... that you are indeed telling the truth, but as for accepting it, I still find your story hard to believe. If you can find anyone to validate your story, someone who's known you longer than we do besides your wife, a friend from your past, find them and tell the to confirm it." Celestia had Allen in a corner, thinking that she'd found a way to win. Alexie was ready to chew her out before she saw Allen's thoughts through his soul. The only other people that could validate their story were in the underworld.

He gently set his cup down with a face that was hard to read but the understanding was easy and frightening. "Then I'm going to the underworld."

Everypony, the mane six, the town and Celestia gasped in shock at his sudden intention. "Are you mad?!" Celestia said as she thought of ways to scare him from going. "Tartarus is over run with all manner of demons that will tear you to bits." The human simply shrugged. "They will corrupt and defile your soul after slowly tear your chest open." Allen was not hindered and Celestia had immediately run out of things to say.

Allen stood and kept his calm look, even his muscles were relaxed. "Who do you think taught me about aura? Where and who did Alexie come from? Where did I get my lessons from?" Celestia looked terrified as she backed away. "I'm going to the underworld to find the ones to validate my story. Besides, I have business with the ones whom I owe for everything they did for me."

Alexie stood up and dropped her guise. "I'm going too Allen." He looked back with a smile. "You were going to let me come anyway?" He nodded and Celestia interjected.

"What if-"

"Don't fucking start." Everyone gasped at Alexie's language towards Celestia. "I'm from the underworld since my maker and mother is from the underworld. So I'm going and neither you nor Chrysalis will stop me." The mane six, now determined to either talk her out of this step in.

"Darling, forgive my interjection to your decision but please reconsider your actions." Begged Rarity as the fashion pony, out of habit, checked out Allen's fashion.

"Celestia has made several points about tartarus. The demons there are not forgiving of any of their actions."

Alexie just gave them a raised brow and looked to Allen. He nodded and she turned back. "You say that the demons will kill us?" The six nodded. "Allen may be human, and you may call him savage, but if there is anything else that he is, brutal is his biggest trait." The girls looked confused and Fluttershy shook. "Guy's into cute things, art, architecture, music, movies - theater to you - pass time singing - he's easily bored so his interests and hobbies switch from one thing to the next. When he's conflicted, he'll either sleep it off or ask for counseling." The girls, while happy, were still worried about the trip they would take. "Once in the underworld, that will change from open friendships to cautious movements so as to not mock a demon's code, whatever it may be. If they do decided to pick a fight, Allen will become a brutal fighter going for the kill." The girls looked pale and Alexie continued quickly. "And before you ask if we can just talk to them or make friends or whatever, we are going to a place where, if they have one, a demon's code is everything to them and the ones that kill because they want to is they don't want friends, but screams."

"All the more reason you should stay." Applejack spoke up, know what she feels is the truth. "If he's taking you there, what's to say your torture isn't his business."

Alexie put her hands on AJ's shoulders firmly. "Applejack, I known you are worried, but if Allen is to validate his story, this is his only other option. Doing nothing will solve nothing." She looked to her husband, who was mentally stretching his aura and smiled. "Ready to go hun?" He opened his eyes and got to his feet as Alexie looked to Celestia. "So, you going to lead the way, give us a direction or are we on our own?"

Celestia look away with a huff and Allen shrugged. With a wave of his hand, all the doors were slid closed as he and Alexie left town. Celestia look to them then sighed, facing her student. "Ensure that she returns safely, how ever you can." Twilight nodded and went to catch up with her friends close behind. Celestia just thought about how this entire situation was foreboding, an air of dread seemed to hang overhead.

==In the everfree forest==

The girls were all a bit on edge as they walked through one of the more dangerous places in Equestria. Alex was on guard though calm while Allen was merely aware. He'd faced creatures much more lethal than himself and the animals hear could be driven off by a specific aura of intention as long as it was aimed properly. The girls continued shaking while Allen was getting a tad annoyed by their fear. "If you-" they jumped and he was blank faced "are going to be afraid of this, then Tartarus isn't for your business."

Twilight reaffirmed her resolve and stood proud, Rainbow doing more of the same as she wanted to prove she wasn't afraid. A horrid smell filled the air and they were on edge again. Allen and Alexie couldn't blame them, since this smell was from one of the worse creatures of the Everfree. He adjusted his aura to match the nature around him and increased its intensity, appearing as a king of the surrounding woodland to the creatures emanating the smell, the timberwolves. He stopped and it let them know that he knew they were present and when he turned to face glowing yellow eyes, his green eyes shined with intention as the smell of rotting wood and decayed berries filled the air, nearly costing the ponies their last meal. It didn't take long for them to leave.

Lulling his aura, Allen's body relaxed to a calmer state as the smell cleared and the girls felt the oppression of the forest lift. Fluttershy noticed and was the first to speak up. "Wait. The forest feels... nicer somehow." She noticed the human was calm, breathing smoother again and saw a gentle light coming from him. "Did you do this?" He looked back with a smile before he looked like his heart was struck. Alexie saw his face and rushed to him.

He looked forward and his sight reached a large iron gate, ajar and with familiar figures before it. "You girls wanted to tag along, so you better consider dropping out now or your in it for the long haul."

Rainbow felt offended by his words and got in his face. "That a threat if we decide to turn back now?! Were you planning something?"

He didn't falter and walked passed her. "Tartarus has a visitor I thought I killed. Apparently they're back."

Alexie thought about why he was summon and why he was sealed and almost denied it. "You don't mean...?"

"Their force here is smaller, less organised, but they're breaking in." He ran forward, faster than Rainbow could fly to stop him, thinking he was bailing while Alexie tried keeping pace. They all reached the gate with help and noticed the twisted were in front of and passed the open gate. A sword emerging from a beast's skull formed next to Allen before he took it's grip and can down with the blade as ice and leaves came off the blade as bodies were cut clean and frozen solid. The ones inside turned to him and he charged, the blade now coated in blue flames and purple water. They burned and boiled to nothing after being cut and the girls made it in to see the mess only for the mane six to lose their last meal.

Swinging his swing inward, a small barrier of rock was erected. "Alexie, you know this place better than anyone and you know who we need to find, so this mission is yours." Alexie, feeling the sudden change in her responsibilities started to panic a little before he kissed her cheek. "I know you can find them. We'll fight them as we go and find the source later, but we need to find your family." She took a slow breath as she nodded and her resolved was affirmed.

She stepped up on the barrier and looked around for a road or route further down the underworld. "Why aren't you looking don't your friends live here?" Twilight's question to Allen was met with a firm response.

"It's called underworld for a reason honey." Alexie's sass was welcome for Allen, not so much for the girls. She turned to see their faces and explained. "We are in the underworld's upper echelon, the entry. The negativity and air become denser the lower we descend, with the official first floor below this one. This floor is for trash mobs and fresh dead, but any gate down hear opens into a literal new world. My family is further down, and we need a fast route that misses these twisted completely."

"Why should we run? We can fight-"

"An army that will taint your existence if you let them and your death is your only salvation." The succubus changeling interrupted the currently brazen and stupid pegasus. "Your elements may save your body but not your soul if left for too long and we don't have time to pick them up with my family at risk, now shut up and follow my lead or bail now. Last offer. If there are no takers, then follow me."