Sundered Fate

The mare had known the name of the man he had been before.

Once, that would have sent him into a rage; now, it just reminded him of the path he had been forced to walk.

Now, though, he faced another problem. Archaon stood nervously in front of the fire, a frown marring his muzzle as he tried to puzzle out how to sit down.

After a few moments, he huffed in annoyance and simply let his legs fall out from under him, armor clanging to the ground and sending up a puff of dust. He glanced at Luna as if daring her to say something about it.

She either didn’t notice or had the good grace not to say anything. Silence reigned for a long moment; the mysterious mare appeared to be mulling over something, idly rolling a nearby rock back and forth, back and forth.

Just as he was getting impatient, her horn began to flicker with light, and before her shimmered into view two figures - one yellow, the other blue.
He couldn’t help but notice one of her runes flickering to life aside it, glowing dully on her shoulder.

“Once, long ago - a century, perhaps more - there was a young mare and her sister, who ruled over the land of Equestria together,” she repeated, softly.

“Their rule was peaceful; there were no threats that they could not face, no obstacle they couldn’t overcome, as long as they stood strong, side by side. The eldest was in charge of moving the sun through the sky, and the younger, the moon.”

The roaring fire and her soft voice brought back memories of his time in Norsca, before undergoing the challenges of the Gods. Every night, the warriors had gathered around roaring fires, holding roasts of their kills and stolen mead, sharing stories of glories past.

“As the years wore on, the younger found herself coveting the honor bestowed upon the elder. Their subjects celebrated the rising of the sun, but slept with its setting, leaving her work unseen. Why should her beautiful nights be neglected? She put so much thoughtinto them, placing each star in the sky with careful consideration, arranging them so that their connections would make pictures - constellations that meant something to her and should have meant something to everyone else. Unfortunately, her moon never shone as bright as her sister’s sun.”

The yellow figure grew taller, casting a shadow over the first, its radiance eclipsing the smaller figure. The mare’s mouth curled into a small, bitter smile as the blue illusion stomped a hoof and stormed off, clearly throwing a tantrum.

“The eldest never understood. She thought that her sister was happy - never thought that the shadow she cast would be so large as to throw the youngest into darkness.”

As the yellow figure grew taller - almost reaching the mare’s neck in height, now - the blue shrunk, curling in on itself and covering its face with its forelegs.

Suddenly, it stood.

“Finally, the youngest had had enough. One day, she refused to remove the moon from the sky, eclipsing the sun that everyone loved so much, casting the land of Equestria into darkness. They argued for days, the youngest stubbornly refusing to concede. This defiance had an effect on her - it warped her, changed her.”

The two illusions faced each other, clearly arguing. The yellow was seemingly calm, as the blue raged, stomping about, gesturing wildly, as if it was yelling. As it continued its violent actions, the shadow the eldest cast began to creep up the younger’s legs, darkening the blue until it was a lightless void.

“By the time the eldest realized what was happening, it was too late. Her younger sister had become a monster.”

Abruptly, the formerly-blue illusion stopped moving, and collapsed; the yellow rushed to its side, trying to shake it, as if afraid it had fainted -
Only to shrink back in simulated horror as the black light rippled, warping, changing.

The thing that slowly rose to its hooves bore only slight resemblance to what it had been before; black, batlike wings erupted from its back to claw at the ground, its face splitting open to reveal needle-sharp teeth, points of light flickering to life all over its body. The hooves split, becoming talons; the mane and tail twisted and writhed, as if they had a mind of their own.

Without mercy, the creature lunged, tearing into the yellow figure with tooth and claw and wing.

“The eldest fled from the thing her sister had become. Fled to the castle they kept, in the Everfree Forest. The creature raged, tearing apart any that got in its way.”

The yellow figure broke away with a kick, and ‘ran’, the monster giving chase. Several equestrian figures stood in the way of the black horror; it tore through them, the illusions opening their mouths in screams of pain before dispersing.

“At the Castle of the Two Sisters, several powerful treasures were kept safe, from the grasping claws of those that would see them put to foul uses.”

Several lights flickered to life; red, orange, green, blue, pink, and purple. They surrounded the yellow figure as it turned, circling it like a halo.

“The eldest made one last plea, but her younger sister was gone, consumed by hatred and jealousy. And thus, she was forced to turn the treasures on her own flesh and blood.”

The points of light shot beams that connected in a conal shape in front of the yellow illusion; as the creature lunged, the united light of the represented treasures lanced to meet it.

The creature dropped from its lunge, writhing and twisting in agony. Abruptly, it burst into a thousand points of darkness, that rose and swirled around the mare, until they hovered above her, forming the shape of a unicorn’s head on a moon that flickered into existence just in time.

“This had severe consequences - the treasures were not meant to be used in such a way. The backlash caused them to shatter, releasing their power into the world.”

The points of light abruptly broke apart, pieces flying every which way, and the light of the mare’s magic finally flickered out, the illusions vanishing with it.

“The treasures would later be found in equine form - six friends would come to wield their power to save Equestria several times. But that, I think, is a story for another time.”

The mare was quiet for a moment, staring into the flames contemplatively, before she looked up at Archaon again.

"It was only through the intervention of six brave mares that the youngest - that I was set free from the hatred that had consumed me. I would have shrouded this land in darkness, driven all to starvation, sickness, and madness, if I had succeeded. If I could be offered a second chance, well, why shouldn't I give the same to you?"

The mare had a way with words, of telling a story that completely made him forget his surroundings; Archaon only came back to himself with her question, and found he couldn’t answer her.

He hummed, frowning as he digested her story, looking down at the black armor on his hooves.

After what seemed an eternity, he spoke.

“These six who saved you. Are they the heroes enslaved?” He looked back up at her.

"I know of at least four that are. Rainbow Dash might as well be, as she is completely loyal to a force that I do not care to tangle with. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie serve Sombra through no choice of their own."

Her mouth twisted slightly; with what, he couldn’t quite tell.

"I did manage to free one - Applejack. It was at great cost to myself, and I fear she likely wants nothing to do with me. We may not have a choice, however. The Elements of Harmony - that is, the heroes - are intrinsically linked. The presence of Applejack might be the only thing that can shake the others free."

“I see.” He hummed, tapping his hoof against the dirt.

“I assume you have a plan beyond waking me and hoping I follow, yes? Tell me of it. I may not know this world, but I at least know tactics.”

"We need three things; money, support, and power." She replied, almost immediately. "We can buy the second and the third, but the first poses an issue. Fortunately, there's always someone looking for a helping hoof."

She traced a line in the dirt, then added, "if we can, we should track down Applejack. I'm not sure where she went, but she's the kind of mare that can move mountains. She can also tell us if we're being cheated or lied to - she has the sense for that sort of thing."

"There is also another matter we must see to. Survival depends on us traveling quietly, and not drawing attention. Archaon isn't exactly...a name you'd hear around here, nor is Diederick. If you have no objections, I could think of a few for you to choose from, unless you have one in mind. For example, take my name - Luna. Although it is not my full name, it will pass muster with most, as they believe that the Princess is dead and I am named in her honor."

The way she said this - so matter-of-factly - gave him pause before he spoke.

“Is that not something that can wait until later? From the way you have described things, we will be alone in our journey for some time. Besides, if all else fails, I suppose you could introduce me as a bodyguard or mercenary from some distant land.” He gave a small smile, eyes glimmering with a spark of humor. “It would even be true, in a sense, would it not?”

Luna blinked at him for a moment, then covered her mouth with a hoof, the corner of her eyes crinkling with what he eventually recognized as mirth.

"Oh. Oh, yes, that is true. If it comes to it, we can even say you do not speak the local language very well. Others tend to underestimate you when they think you can't understand them."

She looked up at the sky; the moon had climbed steadily onwards as they had spoken.

"I will set an alarm spell, I think, and then we can rest. We have an early morning tomorrow, if I am to teach you how to act like a proper pony." She raised an eyebrow at him. "I did notice you having difficulty with laying down - for future reference, you allow your forelegs to fold first."

Of course she had noticed. It would have been impossible not to.

She got to her hooves with a bit of struggle before pacing about ten feet away and pointing her horn at the ground.
Magic flared to life in a circle around them, before quickly settling down once more.
"That should hide us from prying eyes. And no, it will not keep you in place should you decide to leave."

Without much delay, Luna settled back into her nest of moss and grass, tucked her head under her un-singed wing, and promptly dropped off to sleep, if the soft snores were anything to go by.

He stared at her, completely nonplussed.

He had established he was a monster, had he not? That he would’ve slit her throat as soon as look at her?

And yet, here she was, placing herself in a vulnerable position, sleeping with her throat bare and within strangling distance.

This world - this mare - were entirely alien to the Everchosen. How could she trust so openly?

Or -

Or was it not trust? Was it a calculated risk?

Ah, that had to be it. No doubt the mare had plenty of protections, that would smite him should he attempt harm to her.

Now that he could stop worrying about her, he could turn his attention to his new form.

He was entirely equine in shape; his bulk reminded him of the draft horses he'd seen pulling plows, before.

His skin had never seemed to fit him, when he had stood on two legs. The Everchosen had always attributed it to being a child of rape. It was odd, then, that he felt much less itchy in this skin, covered as it was in fur.

He was going to chase after that thought, puzzle it out and worry at it like a dog with a bone, but the years of captivity followed by the sudden awakening found his eyelids growing heavy.

Within moments, Archaon the Everchosen found his head dropping to the forest floor. Soon, he was fast asleep, and for once, his dreams were of gentle nothing.