Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Introduction

Prologue
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Pyroneus Dawnlight: The Gatekeeper of Worlds

Prologue

In the Very Beginning

Have you ever wondered if you were alone in the universe? Or for that matter, if there is only this universe? There are many theories as to what is what, and how the universe works. I’ll answer those queries now. There are two existing universes, each one having different properties. For example, the universe that you live in is what I will refer to as the ‘Realm of Creation’. I call it such because it both directly and indirectly affects the other, which I will refer to as the ‘Realm of Dreams’. What do I mean by this? The Realm of Creation is where all of the logical and sensible things (at least in your minds) exist, such as a sense of gravity. In a way, I guess you could also call it the ‘Realm of Limits’. All normal life goes on in this realm, dreams are just dreams, and reality is based solely on cause and effect. But, as I’m sure many have wished, what if those dreams you had could come true? That is where the Realm of Dreams comes in. Anything that has ever been imagined, from imaginary friends to storybook characters and fantasy worlds, has come to exist there, for a brief time. I say brief because nothing exists there for very long, and as long as no one keeps on thinking about something, it ceases to exist. Now, I bet you’re thinking “That’s an awfully powerful place, how come it’s never been found, or how come the things that appear there don’t come to conquer the Realm of Creation?” That is a good question, and it’s also where I come in. I’ve neglected to mention that each universe has its own…..consciousness, if you will. They communicate silently, coordinating the events, keeping things calm. But, as you can imagine, there are those who would attempt to destroy the balance, to take over all of existence. Unfortunately, these two great minds are unable to directly intervene, leaving the multiverse open to any threat.

Before we continue, I must also explain to you that, whilst there are two universes, travel between them is (almost) impossible. This ensures that they cannot interact, which would lead to, simply put, the end of all things. A dimension, a gateway of sorts, lies between them. I am the sole inhabitant of that realm, the gatekeeper of existence. I have lived since before the dawn of time, keeping the fledgling universes from colliding, and ensuring a peaceful growth. I am endowed with many abilities, all suited to dealing with threats. For example, one of the most prominent is my complete command over fire, and the ability to create it without the need for fuel or oxygen. I can view anything and everything that goes on in the multiverse, as long as I stay in my world. As for my appearance, I am a very tall, heavy footed humanoid, although I can be completely silent if I wish. My skin is impenetrable, and of a similar texture to what you know as a dragon, with a very rough fur coat. For the most part, my skin is deep obsidian purple, with great, bat-like wings, the webs of which are a dark blue, and fins for flight control running from the front of my head, down the back of my neck. The end of my tail, split into three spiky points, emits a jet of bright fire from the center. It has no hair on it, merely an extension of my coat’s fur. My eyes are a dark, glowing crimson, of a hue similar to blood. I have thickened skin on my hands and feet, specifically shaped for breaking whatever I kick, and razor sharp teeth that could quite literally rip diamonds to shreds. All of these things make me, as one can imagine, a terrifying sight to the faint of heart. That’s not even mentioning the magical aura I naturally emit. I’m cursed to naturally be feared. It’s truthfully just meant to make people stay away for their own safety, but… It also means I am alone.

Now, with all that power, you’d think I would be traveling all over the multiverse, keeping order. Well, you’re wrong. Before, I was content to sit on a throne all day, doing as I pleased. I didn’t deal with trouble that wasn’t aimed at me. I wasn’t merely cruel, I was heartless. You see, even though I cannot be directly killed, destroying my dimension would effectively destroy me. I reached a point where all I was concerned about was my own life. I was heartless, because it kept me from caring. I was alone, because I didn’t want friends. Friends can turn on you, they stab you in the back when you least expect it. I had convinced myself that no being could be trusted, so I sealed myself away, shunning the entire universe. All of these ‘revelations’ occurred fairly early on, and it was millennia before I would reveal myself again. When I finally did, the world was different. Very different.

Chapter 1
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Pyroneus Dawnlight: The Gatekeeper of Worlds

Chapter 1

Chapter One

The Adventure of the Age

Another day. Another boring day in my life. Nothing ever happens in this damn place. The days go by like snails on flypaper.

“Something needs to change, or I may just have to go and find some trouble myself.”

Dangerous thinking, but that’s what I had told myself on that day, the day when my whole world shifted. After that day, I was never the same again. I’m not entirely sure if it was a good or a bad thing…

It was like any other day; just me, alone in my ‘castle’. Being the ruler of an entire dimension is wonderful because you don’t have rules or obligations, but it gets so incredibly boring. At least I had the power to do as I pleased, as long as I was IN my dimension. But being alone always has its downs, and eventually you’ll find yourself wanting adventure, especially if you’re like me. I had started my day doing what else, working on a project. I was forging a suit of armor, because frankly it just tickled me making armor for myself when I know damn well it’s less protective than my own skin. I spend a lot of free time coming up with new designs, whether outright ridiculous or meticulously functional. Sometimes, when I was really bored, I would find a primitive society to appear in, armored and glorious, to either wreak havoc or save the day. It always depended on what was more needed.

Unfortunately, no matter what I came up with, no matter how much I hated the thought, simply smithing all day every day would just get old, and that was a moment I never wanted to face. I decided then that I would go out and search for some trouble to solve, anything to escape that thought. Little did I realise I was about to enter the most dangerous, and certainly the longest adventure I would ever know. It was also the single greatest experience of my existence.

After a brief cleaning of my workshop (tidiness, while not always necessary, is a good habit to keep for your workplace), I set out, pausing only to open a passage to a spot near my destination, a place I had sensed an imbalance. I dropped myself not far from a small blue and green planet, a fairly backwater world, unlike some other galaxies in this universe. I use the term backwater because there are worlds that are so advanced, they exist entirely on thought. This one at least had enough advances that they were very civilized (or at least, as civilized as any world where wars still existed could get), but they had not yet delved into space travel, therefore they had yet to be explored, or do any exploring themselves.

“This is utterly pointless,” I grumbled to myself as I flew near the planet, deemed ‘Earth’ by its inhabitants. “I’ll solve this in a less than an hour and be on my way back before I’ve had any real fun.”

I was heading to the planet’s satellite (their ‘Moon’) to deal with an infestation of ‘Forna Gafün’, my name (I have a language of my own, we’ll delve into it later) for a species of creatures that like to eat asteroids by digging to the center and devouring it from the inside out. Thankfully, they aren’t very fast; otherwise a group this large could have destroyed the satellite in mere seconds.

As I flew within about 300 metres of the surface, I saw the opening where the Gafün had gone in. I adjusted my flight pattern and fired a few bolts of magical fire into the pit. It seems in my boredom I had forgotten Forna Gafün were carnivorous, because a mere ten seconds after the first bolt hit, one of the damn things lunged out at me.

“WHOA!”

I narrowly avoided being hit. These were not your average Gafün, these were fast, and had sharp, talon-covered arms, something I didn’t think they were capable of having.

“Yes! This may be more interesting than I thought!”

I was actually excited for once. A quick dive roll threw me away from the creature’s next swing, but the follow-up punch nicked my tail. I guess he didn’t realise that striking something that spews white-hot flame is not something one should target. It bellowed in pain, reeling back towards the opening it had dug in an attempt to surprise me.

“OH NO. I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!” I dove after it, encasing myself in fire should one decide to try and grab me. It also helps as a light source, since we were close to the darker part of the ‘moon’. The whole satellite was in its beginning phases, I could tell because even though it was dark where I was, I could see Earth from the surface of the Moon. Within a minute I had traversed the mile or so to the bottom, where they were still digging.

At my approach, several looked (up?) at me, evil green eyes glaring at me in the dark. One howled, alerting the rest to my presence and sending ALL of them at me. A fair amount, fifteen or so, and considering they were each six times my size, that’s a lot of mass heading towards you. Naturally, I ducked away, prepping a large wall of fire to hurl at the oncoming horde. When I had finally charged it, I threw the giant fireball and dove into the blast (may as well enjoy the heat).

What an enormous miscalculation.

While most had died right away, the sheer number of them had saved the back few from incineration. Many of these had lost their wings and were bleeding to death. I let the fires have them. The last three had only minor injuries, lucky them. I flew up, out of the pit and stopped the fire I had cast around myself, so they were unable to see me. I listened closely, waiting till I could hear them near me, then pass me, and lit the fire again. Both of them charged right at me, the ‘Earth’ behind them.

“Hmph, too easy.”

In a flash of bright red, they were nothing more than ash. I smirked; nothing could be more stupi- wait, both of them? Weren’t there three-

CRACK! With the force of a high speed meteor, the last one struck me in my spine, hurling me forward towards the planet ahead and knocking me unconscious in the process. In the last few moments I was awake, I took a bit of detail on my attacker: The very first Gafün I had fought. It turned, thinking I was dead, and flew away, probably back to its home. I could swear it was laughing. Meanwhile, I crept closer to Earth……. and drifted to sleep.

Chapter 2
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Pyroneus Dawnlight: The Gatekeeper of Worlds

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

A Crash, and a Surprise

I awoke with a start, prepared to fight my way out of a cage, and I was surprised to find that not only was I not bound and locked away, I was on a soft bed. I looked around, still cautious of my surroundings, and sighed as I realised this was somebody’s (very well-kept) home.

Who on earth (no pun intended) would take me in?

My question was answered in the form of a pink-haired human in an off-yellow jacket and a green skirt with a trio of butterflies (was that what they were called?) on her right hip, who just happened to walk in at that thought.

“O-oh my,” she said, clearly startled that I was awake. “I didn’t think anyone could wake so soon after a fall like that.”

Her skin was a yellowish color, similar to her jacket, and I could see she possessed feathery wings as well, folded neatly behind her. Her eyes were a gentle tropical blue color, and she looked at me, showing concern in her face.

Definitely haven’t been asleep long.

I didn’t say a word at first, preferring to avoid contact, but when I tried to get up (and failed), I began to struggle against an invisible bond.

Hmm, not so invisible after all, I guessed, because it turned out to be my right forearm, wrapped in a hard white cloth of sorts and tied to the bed post.

“Oh here, let me!” she said, sounding a bit louder than before (she wasn’t very loud to begin with). I prepared to have my arm unbound, but she instead pushed me back down onto the bed.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING.” I stated, and I clearly frightened her, she ducked away, stating in a near whisper that she was just trying to adjust my ‘cast’.

“RELEASE ME!” I bellowed, and at this point, all she could do was squeak in response. She shakily went to undo the strap holding my arm in place, and then a very determined look ventured into her eyes.

“NO.” she stated. She wasn’t yelling, but it was a very determined voice, commanding even. She stared into my face; I could tell that this stare would normally place any creature within her will.

Some kind of magic? No that can't be right...

Unfortunately for her, I was not controllable. I said nothing, returning the stare. After a moment, her expression softened and she returned to her more subtle state. “Ummm, Twilight said you needed to stay here until she could speak to you……..”

Twilight? Who is that?

I sensed a magical barrier was also holding me here. Of course, even though it was one of the most powerful shields I’d ever encountered (and that is saying something), I could break it with ease. I chose against it.

I suppose I’ll play along until I determine just who this ‘Twilight’ character is.

“I have to go tell Twilight you’re awake. Promise you won’t leave before she can talk to you?” She was attempting to be commanding again, but she must have exhausted herself the first time, she almost sounded like she was begging.

This one is a bit unpredictable, I thought to myself, but I don’t think she’d hurt anything without good reason. Very strange.

I gave a petrifying glare, but nodded once, and she left the room, flying off somewhere outside. Now that she had left, I was able to give myself a once over, and it appeared my leg had indeed broken, though I knew it was already stitched back together after the insane fall I had just been through. I decided I had best just lie still and wait; the sooner the bone fuses and I heal fully, the better.

I had a chance to take in my surroundings once again, but I chose against it, pondering how someone so timid could have possibly been brave enough to step within a mile of me, much less have brought me here and cared for me. She had a very motherly feel about her, almost like she cares for anything that moves.

How is that possible? She was shaking after I raised my voice….. I couldn’t wrap my head around it, however much I tried. “Maybe she-”

My thoughts were interrupted as I sensed a teleport spell. A moment later, with a loud POP, the woman had returned, teleported by a purple-skinned woman with lavender streaks in her hair, a speckled blue-purple shirt, and a star on her dark purple skirt. She had a subtle air of genius that surrounded her, the kind that tells you when someone is eager to prove they know more than you do. I realised immediately this was who had cast the barrier around me, noting the small horn above her eyebrows. She looked at me with great interest, but stopped to speak to the other girl.

“Thank you for informing me of this Fluttershy, I need to speak with him alone for a moment.” She nodded and left, her shoulders relaxing, glad to be out of room I was in. “Well, you certainly scared everybody, falling from the sky like that. I thought you were a meteoroid considering how quick and illuminated you were. I was surprised when I arrived at the crash and Fluttershy told me she found a man under all that gravel and dirt. I had Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, AND Fluttershy help me and Rarity carry you. You're... unnaturally heavy when you’re asleep. We barely made it back here, and I was sure the bed would just collapse under you.”

Of course I am heavy, it’s so no one can move me by themselves.

“I’d certainly like to know how you survived entering the atmosphere. And where you came from. Oh, and if you’re wondering, you’ve been out for about a day.”

Great, a whole day, like that matters to me, I’ve got all the time in the multiverse. Hopefully the rest won’t be spent listening to this woman pester me.

“Can you even speak? Fluttershy was too scared to tell me what, if anything, you had said. Poor girl, she’s so timid…..” She trailed off, waiting for a response.

I graced her with one. “Yes, I can speak, and yes, I did speak to her. I told her to release me from this bed; not that I needed to ask, I could easily have left as I pleased. Not even a shield as powerful as this one you’ve cast could hold the likes of me. I stayed because I was intrigued as to who could have been so bold as to drag me all the way back to their home, and I wished to meet the creature that cast this shield.”

Her expression turned to one of shock as she realised I knew about the barrier. She regained her composure and said, “W-well, I figured you weren’t going to be held by just a few straps here and there. I learned that when my levitation magic wouldn’t lift you more than an inch. So what are you doing here? Why did you fall from the sky?”

Always questions, this one. “Do not take my answering two of your questions as invitation for more," I said, an icy edge creeping into my tone."If you simply can’t live without knowing, I was on your satellite, defending it from destruction, and I fell because I let my guard down.” I paused a moment and then said, as sarcastically as I could muster, “Any more questions?” At this, she looked a little annoyed; GOOD, now she knows how I feel.

“YES, A FEW,” she snapped, “I am in close contact with Princesses Celestia AND Luna. As such, it is my responsibility to point out these strange events. And just WHO are YOU?!”

Wait for it.

“Wait, did you say our satellite? As in the MOON?” Bingo, we have a genius.

“Yes, I did; and as for who I am, I am the protector of the multiverse, and I would suggest you not raise your voice to me again.” I sat up. “Remember, there is nothing keeping me in this bed, and if you’d like me to KEEP answering questions, I think it is time you answered my own.”

She stared at me for a moment, then with an air of obvious annoyance she said, “Fine, what do you want to know?” I bit through the rope holding my leg up (and inconspicuously showing my sharp teeth), and began.

“First, where am I? Who are these Princesses you talk about? And who are you and your friends? You all seem to be more than average Equestrians. Answer these questions, and I will tell you who I am, within reason.”

It’s not that I couldn’t tell her everything; it’s just that some things are not meant for humans (or any creature for that matter) to hear. She seemed relieved I had asked so little.

Ha, I could’ve been a lot worse than that.

There was something special about this group; I could sense it, and I wanted to know as fast as possible what that was.

“Okay,” she began after a few moments of deliberation, “You wanted to know where you are. Well, obviously you’re in Fluttershy’s Cottage, but to be more precise, you are at the edge of the Everfree Forest, near the heart of Equestria, on the planet of Earth. I figured since you didn’t know the Princesses, you might wish to know what planet you were on. As for who they are, the Princesses are our rulers, the bringers of day and night and the keepers of order in the land. Celestia raises the sun at dawn and lowers it at dusk to make room for Luna and her moon. I can tell you she will be very grateful to you for protecting it. As for me and my friends….”

She launched into a tale of her arrival in the town of Ponyville, her meeting of her dearest friends, her discovery and use of the Elements of Harmony against a wicked creature known as Nightmare Moon, and later the Draconequus Discord (my eyes widened: I knew that name very well). After that, she retold their battle against the changeling queen, Chrysalis, who had impersonated the bride-to-be, Princess Cadence. I was most surprised at these revelations, I hadn’t heard the Elements mentioned in over a thousand years. Now here I was, speaking to the Element of Magic herself.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover?” No kidding…..

“Well, is that a good enough answer for you? There isn’t much more to tell really……” I had been contemplating all of the information she had presented to me; she had been finished for longer than I had thought.

“Yes, I believe I’ve heard enough, but there is one more thing I must ask: Show me to where I crashed, and tell your friends to meet us there. I don’t much like repeating myself.”

Chapter 3
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Pyroneus Dawnlight: The Gatekeeper of Worlds

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

A Meeting of Fate

Though we had only spoken for about three hours, I had already come to the conclusion that Twilight Sparkle had what I refer to as the ‘Occasional Know-It-All Syndrome’ and that she was a very studious young woman. I was getting bored hearing about some of the more trivial facts, but when she started on space, I all but jumped in and told her exactly how the universe worked. Of course she would have a limited knowledge of the subject; she hadn’t been through space to see it herself. At least there was someone I could talk to at a very high level of thinking. It’s a rarer opportunity than one might think.

It was almost disappointing arriving near the crash site. We had just begun to broach the subject of quantum-entangled particles and time travel (which had utterly left out poor Fluttershy, trailing along behind us) when suddenly Twilight said “We’re close now, it should be just up ahead.”

We had traversed a fair distance in silence when I smelled a very distinct odor: burned grass and tree sap. A mile or so later we came upon a very deep crater, surrounded by trees that were either burning or tipped sideways from the impact. There were clear signs of a body being dragged, mine of course, and the center of the crater was charred black from where I had struck while still on fire.

“Now wait here, I’ll go see if the girls are close by.”

I climbed to the top of an oak for a better vantage point.

A voice called from the other side of the crater. “Twilight! Is that you?”

“Over here Applejack! Is everyone else with you?” Her voice echoed many times over across the empty space.

“We’re all here, been waitin fer five minutes.”

A group of young women stepped from the shadows of the forest: a cyan-skinned, feathery-winged girl with a messy explosion of rainbow for hair: Rainbow Dash; an orange-skinned girl with straw-colored ponytail down to her mid-back and a wide-brimmed leather hat: Applejack; a bright-pink-skinned girl with a messy hairdo of dark pink: Pinkie Pie; and last but not least a dazzling pearl-white-skinned girl with dark purple hair and a small horn: Rarity. Fluttershy went to stand with them. Rarity spoke first, a distinctly high-class accent.

“Well, what did you call us all here for darling? I’d rather not stay in this forest too long……”

Applejack, whose voice displayed a uniquely pleasant drawl, said, “Twilight wouldn’t bring us here if it wasn’t important.”

“It is AJ, but first I figured you would all like to meet our crash victim.”

I jumped, landing with a very heavy thud next to Twilight. Applejack jumped backwards, Rarity screamed, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were wide-eyed.

“Greetings, it is an honor to meet the Bearers of the Elements. I am Pyroneus Dawnlight. I believe you’ve seen me before?”

I really have a way with first impressions, don’t I?

“You sure are quiet for such a heavy guy,” said Rainbow. Of course, from the way Twilight had spoken of her, she was probably wondering more about how a man could weigh so much and still fly.

“Well, I’m sure you’ve realised I’m not a normal man. But we have not gathered here tonight to determine whether or not I am ‘normal’. I have asked Twilight to gather you for two reasons; the first is simply that I wished to meet the Bearers. The second however is much more serious. There has been an attack on your moon, by a group of creatures that normally wouldn’t dare come this close to civilization. I had just about ended their threat, when one caught me off guard, knocking me unconscious and causing my plummet. These are smarter versions than their previous forms, and many times more deadly. I realise you wish to know me better, it would help you understand the gravity of this attack; however, I am not overly fond of repeating myself and I have already given information to your friend here.” I turned towards Miss Sparkle, indicating her to begin.

“Well, he isn’t from this planet, his crash certainly hinted at that. But… Well I do believe we need to go see the Princesses. This sounds a lot more serious than it might appear. He’s indicating that the attacked was planned, not just a happenstance.”

They seem to be completely accepting of me… This is odd indeed.

“Well, I reckon y’all wouldn’t be here if it weren’t that important, so I guess we need to do sumthin’ about this. So what’s our plan o’ attack?” I quite liked the sound of Applejack’s voice, very reassuring.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I suggest you first introduce me to your rulers, they need to know what is happening. Then you will also hear the rest of the story, and a few more details about myself. We can plan our efforts from there.” I did not mention that I wished to meet these so called Goddesses to judge their power.

“HOORAY, we get to go to Canterlot!” I was informed that Pinkie Pie is ‘extremely eccentric’ when it comes to all acts random, and I had a feeling it was a bit understated.

An excited look jumped into Twilight’s eye. “Girls,” she said, “pack your things; we have a mission to accomplish.”

Indeed we do Miss Sparkle, indeed we do.

Chapter 4
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Pyroneus Dawnlight: The Gatekeeper of Worlds

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Canterlot Assassin

Twilight Sparkle is a perfectionist when it comes to Princess Celestia. She worries far too much what could (but more likely never would) happen if the Sun Princess did not approve of her actions. She also had adopted a nervous twitch, which persisted through the train ride to Canterlot city the next morning. I had elected to simply fly there and wait at the train station, but everybody had agreed (even me after I thought about it for a moment) that if someone had seen me, I would cause quite a commotion.

I had met Twilight’s dragon assistant, Spike, for a brief moment in the morning, as I had stayed in her home for the night. All he could do was looked surprised at my presence. I do have that effect on everyone, and most times it’s not a good effect. Spike, graciously, was content to trust Twilight when she told him I was a guest; I may be immune to it, but Dragon Fire can still teleport me. Upon beginning our journey, I had decided to lower the fins on my head, so nobody could see them, an act which I normally only did when I slept. My wings remained folded, effectively hiding them unless you looked closely. But my eyes had drawn stares, as did my unusual color scheme. I have a distinct lack of ability when it comes to visual stealth (silence, while a virtue, is nothing when you look like me), and this was going to be very difficult to pull off. Most people are content to go about their business and not even give a second glance, notall. And as per usual, the train ride to the capital was long and overtly boring. But boring is nothing for me; I spent millennia alone, and I knew how to keep occupied.

When we reached the station, the feeling of tension eased ever so slightly; we had entered the home stretch. Unfortunately that’s when things began to go very wrong. For the first few moments we had seemed in the clear, and then that I noticed people were gazing towards us. I was unsure as to whether my wings had been noticed, or my eyes were the cause. Neither apparently, because the Royal Guard swooped in a moment later; two winged men dressed in golden armor pulling a chariot with three more men.

The first one, the lead officer (his armor was more ornate), strode up to us. “HALT. You are being ordered to follow us quietly. Any attempt to resist will be met swiftly. Now march.”

Well if that didn’t cause a commotion, then my hair is made of cheese…… and I don’t have hair.

The two men pulling the chariot flew off. I assume Miss Sparkle was wondering why they were arresting us, because she stated, rather loudly, “My name is Twilight Sparkle, I am here to meet with Princess Celestia to discuss an urgent matter. Why are you taking us in?”

The officer in front just kept on marching, but the ones behind us piped up. “Your big purple friend here caused a bit of a panic on the train. The captain wishes to speak with you, I guess it’s to determine if you are a threat. You should be on your best behavior.”

Ha, as if I was going to take orders.

But Twilight certainly seemed interested. “Did you say the captain? As in Shining Armor?”

The guard nodded, and everyone sighed in relief.

I know that name…..

“Shining Armor is my brother, remember? Why he’s still here I’m not entirely sure, he should be in the Crystal Empire.”

Ahh yes, I remember now, the one who married Princess Cadence. This may go over well after all.

As we marched on, I spared a moment to take in the city, not bustling like an ordinary cityscape, but quiet, just like Ponyville. There certainly were taller buildings here for one thing. Most of these seemed to be shops rather than homes, and I assumed from the feelings in the air that every Equestrian here had their own house. The city of royals was full of an air of the finest class, expensive pastry shops and art museums abound. There was a guard assigned to every block, though mostly for show; I doubt they were going to be attacked any time soon. I soon came to regret that impression.

BOOM!

A pastry shop I had only glanced towards exploded, sending shrapnel and cake flying for at least 200 feet. All the city-goers screamed, as did the rest of my ‘group’, and the guards all scrambled to defend.

They’re quick to action, I’ll give them that.

The source of the explosion was revealed a moment later in the form of a robed figure, moving too fast to find its shape, and firing a light machine gun, armed with a grenade launcher attachment.

I was unaware these weapons even existed on this world.

Stranger still, the robed figure did not seem to notice when a guard began sending stun spells in his/her direction. The guards were not very good shots, and I really didn’t want to delay my meeting with the Princess. I fired a single magic bolt and the robed figure crumpled, stunned into the dirt.

Lead the target, you never miss.

Not that I could blame the guards, they don’t get much opportunity to test their skill, which I supposed was a good thing.

A chariot swooped down, picked up the figure, and moved to our position. “What should we do with him lieutenant?” These were the winged guards from before.

The officer looked at the figure, still hidden in a swath of robes. “Follow behind us, the Captain will wish to see this one as well.”

He continued onwards, silent as ever, towards a building that was in view now that pastry shop was gone. It was a part of the castle, a small barracks with an office section attached to the left. The walls and roof were the same style and color as the rest of the castle, white, yellow, and purple. I heard the sounds of fire squads racing to put the pastry shop out behind us.

But why a pastry shop? What purpose did that serve? What was his target? I- Wait, was he aiming at me?

Yes, that was clear now; he had missed, and was looking around for me when I shot him.

Not a very good assassin, his target was incapable of death. Unless, no…….. Was he aiming for them? I find that rather hard to believe, they may be the Bearers, but very few know that fact.

Well whatever the case, I would find out when it was my turn to interrogate our little assassin. I had a few choice words for him, many of which he will not understand. My methods are very……… harsh, to put it gently. Though it might be a bit unnecessary if the Captain should prove successful in his interrogation, I enjoyed knowing what was going on around me.

At any rate, the questioning should prove very insightful, and hopefully this will not turn into a long and arduous task.

As we reached the building, the guards at the gates saluted and opened the door. Inside, a well-kept fountain centered the courtyard, surrounded by trimmed trees and many-hued flowers. A double stair lead to a wide balcony and on that balcony stood a bright-white-skinned man with electric blue hair.

He was watching the approach of our little group with narrowed, suspicious eyes, but they softened upon seeing his sister. “Twily!” he yelled, running down to meet her. He caught sight of me again and stopped, eyeing me as though I were some sort of demon; which wasn’t far off, to be honest. “I see you’ve made a new friend since the wedding….”

She looked at him with curious eyes and said, “Is something wrong? You seem worried.”

His eyes returned to me. “No, nothing at all, I just don’t think I approve of your new companion there. He doesn’t look like he's friendly, or very…..talkative.”

She stared at him, shocked. “AND JUST WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHO I CAN BE FRIENDS WITH?! AND WHO SAID WE WERE FRIENDS ANYWAYS?!”

Ooookay, well she certainly doesn’t like others telling her what to do.

Shining Armor seemed taken aback at this sudden outbreak of anger. I was a bit surprised; she seemed very defensive of me, and we had known each other for less than a day. It must have had something to do with the whole world-in-danger thing.

He quickly regained his composure, stating in a commanding tone, “I am your older brother, and I have every right to express my concerns with who you decide to socialize around. Maybe I don’t feel that you’re very safe near him.”

“I am not a little filly anymore; I can take care of myself!”

I believe that whole…. heartedly? Hmm, hard to describe it with that phrase..... Note to self: find more fitting phrases later.

“I guess you’re right….” he sighed, defeated. “I suppose we should just get down to why you’re here. But first, I have some questions for your friend there.”

The guard behind us added, “And some questions for this one, he blew up the pastry shop.”

The captain nodded. “I guess I will interrogate our mysterious terrorist first, then I’ll get to him,” he said, looking to the assassin and then to me.

They led the cart with the attacker away, towards a small booth, presumably the interrogation cell. “You girls can wait in the main chamber, we shouldn’t be too long. You, come with me.”

As we walked into the booth, I noticed that it was a bit dusty. I assume it does not get very much use. There was a small chair in the first section, an empty waiting room save for a door on the other side, obviously leading to the interrogator’s chamber, and then to the solitary room for the criminals. Brilliant design: the only way out was through the guards.

Of course, if the guards can’t handle the prisoner, there is no second line of defense I can see.

“Wait here, this should be quick, and you’re next,” the captain said.

Great, off to a rocky start, and I haven’t even done anything.

For the next thirty or so minutes all I heard was silence (the room was soundproofed), save for my own deep breathing. The captain finally walked out, accompanied by the two guards, and the assassin who was bound in chains. I was right in thinking it wasn’t an Equestrian; this was a schaferhund (or Diamond Dog, whichever you prefer), a great beast of a dog that was native to a nation nearby. They were best known for their sharpshooting and gem lust; however, they weren’t all the best of the best. Some were merely not as good, or just didn’t wish to shoot. The robe (SHE?) had worn was padded to make her look like an overly large man. It was laying draped across her back, tied to her with a belt.

Very clever, it almost fooled me.

“Alright, now you, and make it snappy,” the captain said, “I don’t have all day.”

I stood, walking to the doorway, and stopped, turning to the captain. “Let’s get something straight, you and I: no one gives me orders, and I run on no one else’s schedule. You would do well to learn that very quickly.” I spoke with a very angry tone, mostly because I hated getting delayed, but partly because it irritated me that this simple mortal thought he could handle me as though I were some common criminal. If that didn’t wipe the smug look off his face, nothing would.

I have business to attend to, and this puny man will not get in my way.

“This is my city,” the captain said, “and until the change of guard happens and I finish moving to my new home, you are bound by law to obey my commands as long as you remain here. Do I make myself clear?”

That was the last straw. “DO NOT SPEAK TO ME AS IF YOU WERE A SUPERIOR, THERE IS NO SUCH CREATURE. I AM NOT BOUND BY YOUR MORTAL LAWS.” The sheer power that channeled through my voice was enough to knock his helmet off.

The guards came rushing in; apparently these walls weren’t soundproofed enough for that kind of power. “Step away from the captain, or we will take you down.”

Well that escalated quickly. Great job, now I’m going to be here even longer.

Or perhaps not, as a moment later Twilight Sparkle teleported in the room; obviously my voice carries, because there was a concerned look on her face. “What. Happened.”

Never mind, she is most definitely angry. “Nothing has happened. Your brother has made the mistake of being too hasty in his judgments. You know as well as I that we have a schedule to attend, and he is stuck up trying to assert his own dominance. When it comes to me, there is no such thing as dominance; there is only neutral or foe.”

She was still angry. “Well what about friends?”

I glared. “I have no friends. Friends always turn out to be your enemies; they only want to be around for what they can get out of you. I learned a very long time ago you can trust nobody, and you cannot rely on others. In the end it will be your undoing.” Even after seven millennia, the truth of that still stung as fresh as a hornet. Everyone turned to look at me.

“What?” Twilight asked. They all looked more confused than anything else, not expecting that kind of response.

“Look, there are more important matters to attend than my past. We have been here for two hours and have yet to meet this Princess of yours. I wish to be away from here as fast as possible, but I must speak with her first. Now, can we get a move on?”

The look on Twilight Sparkle’s face told me she saw right through my façade of cold-hearted truth. I had some explaining to do, it said. She said nothing to me, instead turning to her brother. “Shining Armor, can you just trust me when I say he isn’t a danger to the city? Please?”

The Captain of the Guard looked into her eyes, and for a moment was unsure, but finally accepted he wasn’t going to win. “Fine, but I want him out of here as soon as you’re finished.” With that, we made our way to the castle.

A short walk later we were passing the gates into the castle, very large gates that towered over forty meters into the air. The road beyond led to a very ornate building, but from what I could tell, it was held up by magic, because it quite literally hung from the side of the mountain it was built upon. A large waterfall poured out from where a river had been converted to a moat, and it ran down to the bottom of the mountain, continuing on down the valley below. The front doors were almost as large as the gates, but they were extremely detailed, carvings in the wood running in numerous circles and arcs, creating an image of two regal Equestrian women posed next to the Sun and the Moon. These were the Princesses, and they were apparently very well thought of, because the door was hand-made, and not with magic.

The opening hall reminded me of the balcony at the barracks, except this time there was one central staircase that split left and right into two smaller stairs that wound up and around to the next level. The right stair led to the treasury and the Princesses, and we were forced to pass through the hall that led to the treasury to get to Celestia. The windows were stained glass, and it appeared they were more than just simple art; they were stories, told quite vividly in multicolor glass panes. I could see these were the recreations of Twilight Sparkle’s stories. I saw depictions of Discord and Nightmare Moon, along with Chrysalis and her changelings; all were frozen in the glass with mixed expressions of defeat and horror. From what she had told me, Discord was in the Gardens, a giant stone statue where once a demon stood.

I should very much like to see what became of the former tyrant of the universe; he gave me so much trouble before he was banished, I think his humiliated state might make me feel a bit better. First things first though: we have a meeting to attend.

Chapter 5
View Online

Pyroneus Dawnlight: The Gatekeeper of Worlds

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

A Princess and A Plan

A bright blue and orange walled room, trimmed with purple wall borders and filled with an overtly large and painfully over-decorated table greeted us as we stepped into the chamber we were to meet the Princess in. This was clearly more of a dining hall, as the table was so intricately carved it would have been completely impractical for a meeting, especially if you were attempting to document the talks. We sat down in the rather oddly shaped seats, flat along the bottom rather than the usual curve, and we waited for the Princess, who was currently speaking with the mayors of each of the cities in Equestria.

Rainbow Dash was first to break the silence. “Alright, I can’t wait any longer. I wanna know why you’re here. Why you’re really here. Nobody just falls from the sky for no reason. Why were you on our moon? Better yet, what brought you there in the first place? And why are you so different looking? What are you-”

Twilight cut her off. “Rainbow! Stop asking questions, you can get your answers later; right now, I don’t think he wants to talk to anybody. And it may not be a very good idea to agitate him...”

I glanced towards her, and my eyes were enough to tell her not to retort. But perhaps it may be a good idea to reassure her. “You will have the answers to your questions in time, I am sure your Princess will have many of the same questions you do.”

“I just might,” said a regal voice behind us. The Sun Princess was standing directly behind Twilight Sparkle, who sat at the head of the table.

“Princess Celestia! You’re here early!” By a good half an hour, no less.

“Yes, the talks with the mayors went very well, and we have solved our little mail system dilemma. And it was your own mayor who noticed the calculations error we were making. It seems some of the managers that regulate mail routes for the carriers were being too hard on a poor mailwoman with eye problems, giving her too much area to cover daily. But that’s not what’s important right now. You are the one who requested my presence, so I have naturally cleared my schedule. I know you never ask to see me in person unless it really is urgent.” She gave a warm smile to Twilight, who was by this point clearly flustered.

“It is Princess, but I’m not the one to tell you this. He’s the one who wanted to talk to you.”

She gestured to me, and the Princess met my gaze. Her eyes hardened ever so subtly, scrutinizing my form. “And who is this new friend of yours?”

She hesitated for a moment. “We’re….not exactly sure who he is, or even where he’s from, but what we do know is that he isn’t from this planet, or even this galaxy.”

The Princess began studying every minute detail she could see. Her eyes ran over me like a microscope, skeptical of this claim. "Are you sure, Twilight? He doesn't look terribly different from you or I. What proof do you have of this?”

Twilight looked lost, clearly not expecting to be questioned this way. "W-well... I-I don't really... I mean he fell from the sky and-"

The Princess smiled playfully. "Twilight, my wonderful student, you simply must calm down. I have no reason to doubt your observations, and in fact I too saw the falling star. I quickly came to the conclusion it was you," she said, turning to me, "when I first saw you. I knew that something was not quite normal. The crater left over was far too large, and too cleanly made."

"Is that... Is that why all the guards here in Canterlot seem so on edge?" Twilight asked, attempting to connect the pieces.

The Princess frowned. "I'm afraid it would be so simple, were that the case. No; although I put the guards on higher alert afterwards, there is another reason which I am not yet ready to discuss." The change was subtle, skillful even, as her eyes focused on me from the corners of her vision.

She won't discuss it in front of me. It must be politics of some kind, judging by the meeting before. How boring.

“What I am more keen to discuss, is why he is here, and what connection he has to you.”

There, now it is my turn to speak. “I am here because I chose to be. And you are lucky I got here when I did, your sister might not have had much of a moon left to raise at night. A swarm of creatures, a new breed of their species or some mutation of it, was ripping it to pieces. After I attacked them only one survived, and it knocked me unconscious before flying off, presumably home. I fell to the planet below, into the… Everfree was it? And that’s where these six found me.”

“Well well, we owe you our thanks then. You seem to have our best interest at heart, traveller, coming so far just to help our little planet.”

Ha!‘Best interest’, what a joke.

“So where are you from exactly?"

"Yeah! I wanna know where you’re from! And how come you can fly in space! And what’s with those eyes! And-” Rainbow Dash was curtailed quickly by Applejack, who had by now proven herself a good voice of patience.

“I did not travel very far, because I do not live in this universe. I am the ruler of a between dimension, a barrier of sorts to keep the two universes from colliding. As the protector, part of my power involves being able to open a gateway to each universe, if only at certain points in space. As for the rest of the universe… Well, we would be here for hours upon hours if I were to explain it to you. What I will say is that you most definitely are not alone, and once you have explored a bit, you will eventually have a bit of contact. Most of the universe is friendly, if a bit strange.”

“Good, I look forward to future encounters, though I will be cautious; you understand it’s not very easy to trust someone who descends from the sky and lands in your backyard. I am still curious on one point though: why did you wish to speak with me if you have already taken care of the creatures that attacked us?”

“Ahh, and that brings me to my next point. If you will remember, I said these were a strange new breed of the species, and they acted very differently. Normally, they would never attack something so large, or so close to a star. They normally don’t like the heat you see, and that is what worries me. These versions not only kept attacking after I threw a very large fireblast at them, but the fire didn’t even faze them. These creatures looked to have been bred by someone. They had curved talons that were attached by long arms, something none of the others I have encountered possess. Not only that, after examining my memory of the fight, the talons were encased within armored blades, something you definitely can’t grow. I think someone has planned an attack on your world, and I have a feeling they live on this planet, or at the very least came from this planet. Your solar system is fairly unexplored, and I highly doubt there are outsiders who know or even care about this place.”

“That is disconcerting. The fact that there may be a powerful being around attempting to destroy us worries me greatly, but I cannot simply leave to investigate. I have many duties to attend to here.”

“That is why I am offering to look into this. I am not restricted by rules; I can go where I please.”

Her eyes narrowed towards me.

She thinks it’s me doing this. Not that I blame her, it’s more than a little convenient. She knows something too, but what…

“I could spare a complement of guards, I suppose.”

“No need. I am more than capable of handling anything I come across.”

The others all agreed they would go, and they set about planning where we would start. “I think we should start in Everfree, where you crashed,” said Twilight.

“Yes, I was just thinking the same. Perhaps there will be clues as to what we should do.”

“Well it’s settled, we’ll set out once we return to Ponyville.”

“Twilight. May I speak with you for a moment, before you go?”

The two spoke for quite longer than a moment, as it turns out, and when Twilight returned I suspected the Princess had discussed taking caution around me, based on the way Twilight continually side-eyed me the whole way back to Ponyville.

“Hey! Wait a second! You never answered my questions!” Rainbow shouted suddenly as we boarded the chariot.

“Rainbow, I-” Applejack started, before I cut her off.

“Which part did you not hear? From start to finish, it’s: Moon crisis, mistake, I was bored, I’m a cosmic being, cosmic being, cosmic being, and… ah yes, cosmic being.” I listed with a blunt tone and more than a hint of sarcasm.

“Jeez, you don’t have to be rude. I was just-”

“Asking me questions I have answered at least 322 thousand times before. I grow tired of repeating myself.”

That seemed to finally placate her. The trip was much quieter this time, and all the while I could see Twilight’s face fill with concern.

I wonder what they discussed…

Chapter 6
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Pyroneus Dawnlight: The Gatekeeper of Worlds

Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The Stranger in Ponyville

The passage back to Ponyville was much quicker this time, due to the fact the Royal Guard was flying us straight back instead of the train winding around the mountains. It gave me a chance to stretch my wings, which was a plus. The view of the mountains from the air was nice and clear, strangely there were no clouds to block my sight. I noticed that most of what I could see was fairly flat land, but I could tell it wasn’t artificial; the land was just really level all over Equestria. Forests were splashed all around the cities, there was a swampland to the east of Ponyville, and off in the distance to the south there was a desert, barely visible. The guards pulling the chariots dropped the others off at the edge of town so as not to cause a commotion. The short walk back was quiet. There weren’t even singing birds.

Too quiet.

“STOP!” I called to the others, just in time, as an explosive detonated just ahead. It was placed on the side of a tree, which promptly fell over, right where we would have been standing. Twelve robed figures rushed out from the trees and started shooting at us with what appeared to be heavy, multi-barreled machine guns that were mounted, two each side, on their backs. Thankfully the tree had given us a lot of cover; those guns would have shredded the rest of them to bits. Bullets flew past and glanced off my hide as I yelled to them, “GET UNDER THE TREE!”

The girls dove forward and filed into a small opening in the side that had been a large bird’s nest. The hooded figures kept on firing, and as one they converged on us and started to close in. Tactically, I could see no way out of this without losing someone. Or at least, that’s what the odds would have been had I not been here. Fire sprang up several feet tall in a wall of heat around the fallen tree. Any bullets that got through were nothing but slag. Over the roar of the blaze I heard the guns stop firing, barrels whirring down from their high speed spin. A voice called out from the other side.

“We have you surrounded. There is no way out, just give up.”

I called back to them, “No way out? That’s what you think!” Teleportation was not my strong suit; in fact it was the only form of magic I am capable of performing that was extremely taxing on my power, even for a short period. This was going to be one hell of a magical miracle.

“We know you can’t teleport yourself very far, and you won’t risk losing the Bearers. Now I won’t say it again. Give. Up.”

How did they know that?

With a sly grin and a bit of enthusiasm, I said, “And who said they were the ones about to be teleported?” A loud pop, and all twelve gunners vanished, leaving us alone there. I dropped to my knees, breathless from the effort. My head was swimming in colors, splotches of bright and dark lights racing across my vision. The wall of fire flowed out of existence like water down a drain. I dropped from consciousness once again as the girls rushed over….

………………………………………....

I awoke in the library of Ponyville, surrounded by girls. “Oh good, you’re awake. I was hoping that you wouldn’t be out for long. You’ve only been unconscious for around a half-hour. We sure were taken aback when you just keeled over like that.”

Twilight spoke with very little concern. I guess she’s realised I can’t be hurt that easily. Hopefully that will save us some grief in the future. “Teleportation is not a magic I have mastered.”

“Where did you send them to?”

Good question, where did I teleport them? “Hmm, I believe somewhere called White Tail Woods. I saw it on the map in the meeting room, first place I thought of.”

She stepped around the bed to stand near my face. “Do you know who they are? They seem to know a lot about you.”

“No, I do not know who they are, or even how they know so much about me. I am not a very well-known being, nor do I have any living enemies. This turn of events is strange indeed. I think the only reason they know so much is because they want to get to you six. They know my weaknesses so they can exploit them.” I sat up, then immediately dropped back down as the world spun around me, bright colors flashing in and out of view.

“You have a concussion, or at least you have the symptoms of one. My equipment won’t tell me anything about you. I’m not entirely sure as to how you got it, because you weren’t struck in the head, but you definitely have the symptoms.”

My eyes closed, I said, “Yeah, I have a problem with headaches. Considering all the knowledge the multiverse contains, it’s an awfully small place to store it all in one man’s head. Even I can’t remember everything right away. There are some things I don’t want to remember.”

For a moment, my mind drifted to a place, long ago, where I was happy, a place that, for a while, I called home. I thought of the bright, cloudless days, the wind blowing softly against my neck. And then, I remembered her. The sunlight glinting off of her hair, the wind whipping it about wildly, yet somehow gentle. The look in her eyes as she stared at me, telling me silently I was loved. Then came the fires, the unending screams of a helpless man as his world was shattered before him. I shook my head, not wishing to return to that memory. It ended far too horribly.

“Girls, can you step out for a moment? I need to talk to him alone.”

I heard the door open and, after a few seconds, it closed again.

“Are you alright? You have that same look on your face from before, at the guard barracks. Is there something you need to talk about?”

My eyes snapped open, and I leapt from the bed. “NO! No, I cannot go back to that time, I just…… I can’t…… not after what happened.” I was desperate, my eyes darting about, looking for an exit, anything to escape reliving that nightmare. From the corner of my vision, I saw a window, small, but wide enough to get through. I leapt for it, opening it with my head.

“Wait! Come back!” yelled Twilight, but I didn’t care, I needed some time alone.

I spread my wings, flying faster than you could see. I headed south, picking a spot I had seen on the map, somewhere called Froggy Bottom Bogg. I figured with it being a swamp, nobody would be there to see me. I raced out, past a clocktower on the edge of town, and over Everfree. To my left, a fair distance away, I could see the area where I had crashed, trees leaning against one another in a ring of blackness. Even farther behind that, I saw what appeared to be the ruins of a castle, covered in moss and vines, run down over the years by brush and animal activity. I kept on straight, flying towards a large ravine known as Ghastly Gorge. I stopped shortly before I got there, in the area known as the bogg.

I set down on a relatively dry patch of land, looking around for any eavesdroppers. When I was sure there were none, I dropped to the ground against a lone willow tree and let the pain in my head wash over me. It drowned away the ache from remembering that horrible day. It’s not like you can forget that sort of thing, but when I put my mind on other events, I can avoid it for a while. But a tragedy like that is not something you can just forget. It stays with you, it haunts your very being, until it finally consumes you.

What seemed like hours passed as I composed myself into some semblance of organized chaos. The birds in the swamp trees chirped happily as they went about their daily lives, the frogs, for which the area was aptly named, croaked songs to each other, and the wildlife glowed with happiness. But at the center of that happiness, concealed by its warmth, I sat drowning my thoughts, a fountaining wound of pain and sadness for which there was no bandage.

As I finally felt the ability to move, I wrenched myself away from the ground, and heaved my broken self to a standing position. The area was very quiet, and it was getting rather dark. It was mid-afternoon when I left.

Had I really been here that long? I need to keep my emotions in check; I’m very unaware of the area around me.

I started back to town, walking this time. The trees got much thicker as I walked, and I could almost see the direction I would head to find the heart of the forest taking shape before me. Soon I was hopping around fallen logs, dodging bramble bushes, and climbing steep inclines to get to higher ground.

I reached a small clearing, completely covered by the branches of the surrounding trees, but large enough to walk around in. It appeared to be a spot a few small trees had previously taken root in, because there were slight depressions here and there marking where roots had run deep. The area must flood in the winter, because soil erosion was a very apparent event. The ground was soft, and my view of the sky was completely blocked. If not for my glowing red eyes and abilities with fire, a passerby would never even know I was there for the level of darkness pressing in around me. It was perfect for stealth. Be that as it may, I still enjoy keeping the area I am in bright whenever possible.

A branch broke to my left, but I passed it off as a mid-sized animal. Then another one broke, and a much heavier footstep was behind it. My head whipped around, peering into the blackness. It gave way as the fire around me grew much brighter, illuminating a small deer. It appeared to be frightened of me, and ran off deeper into the woods. I sighed, “I really need to stop being so paranoid, I’m going to end up with a twitch like Twilight.” I turned around, heading once more towards town, and smacked right into something a fair bit larger than a deer. It was a humanoid, fairly short, but tall enough to knock us both backwards.

“Ow!” it said, and the voice I heard was female and very……. familiar? I stood up, and as I did so, the voice called out again, “What’s the big idea knocking me over like that?”

It wasn’t one of the girls come looking for me, and I hadn’t met anyone with a voice like that on this planet, so who was this? I lit the area so as to see who I had smacked into, and my body froze. The most beautiful woman I had ever met was lying before me, slowly getting up.

She looks just like her.

RUN. RUN AWAY. STOPSTARINGRUN. DONOTSPEAK.

“Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”

It can’t be……. I shook my head from my thoughts. The girl was standing, looking right into my eyes. “I….. I…..”

“You ought to be more careful! A fella as big as you could hurt somebody, bumping into them like that!”

“I……. I……..”

“Is ‘I’ all you can say? Geez, I figured someone as…… odd lookin’ as you would at least be able to talk right. Didn’t your parents teach you how to talk to someone?”

YES. SHE TOO IS AFRAID OF YOU. SHE IS NOT SPECIAL.

“I… I do not have parents. I never did.”

YES. CONTINUE TALKING LIKE A MACHINE. SHE WILL LOSE INTEREST.

“Well, somebody must have taught you manners.”

“No, I have nobody. I prefer solitude.” She looked a bit shocked at that.

“Nobody? How can there be nobody that taught you how to act? Everybody has somebody.”

“Not me.” Memories of that far away time came flooding back, and my eyes closed. I turned my head away to hide the tears. “Not anymore,” I said, stifling the sound of crying.

SHE HAS HURT YOU. LIKE ALL THE REST. LEAVE NOW.

“Oh, oh I’m so sorry; I didn’t mean to bring up anything painful for you.”

“No, I am the one who is sorry. I should have been paying more attention.”

She was just like her in every single way, down to the tee save for the wings, and yet….she had a much kinder nature to her, more natural than her. This girl seemed more real, more……

Perfect.

TOO PERFECT. THIS IS A TRAP. WHY AREN’T YOU RUNNING?

My emotions were past the breaking point, I just had to tell her, remind her… but there was something holding me back.

“Do you live near here?” It was a long shot, and she needed to hear this.

“I- well I-”

“Please?”

Her expression was one of mixed reluctance, she seemed to not want to go with me, but at the same time she did.

“Sure, why not?”

My nerves finally had a moment to rest. I relaxed all the tension I had been holding in my stomach, and the knot that had formed there ebbed away. I sighed, and said, “Oh, thank goodness. Shall we?”

“Yeah, I don’t wanna spend very long in this forest. So where do you live?”

“Well, I don’t exactly live there, but it’s where I’m staying. It’s a town called Ponyville.”

“Ponyville, huh? I know where that is. I was just there this morning. You wanna fly there, or shall we walk?”

“I think I’ll fly, if you can keep up.”

She looked me dead in the eyes. “You questioning my speed, Mr. Big-and-bulky?”

Everyone has their little moments where their pride kicks in; their competitive side begins to show off. I stopped, a pointy grin on my face. “If you wanna race, then yes, yes I am.”

“Oh, you are on, purple boy!”

She took off, blasting through the tree cover above at lightning speed. Wow, she is fast. I spread my wings, taking chase, and quickly caught up with her.

“Not bad, scaly. Question is, can you keep up?”

She sped through the air, getting faster and faster, and suddenly she blasted through the sound barrier, a cloud of numerous colors blasting away from her. I slowed down, almost stopping. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Then my competitive nature took over again. So this is the famous “Sonic Rainboom” is it? Impressive, but still not enough to out-fly me. I sped up, flying faster and faster until the air around me burst out with colors just like hers. But this was different. This time, the colors were dark and sinister, shades of red and black that seemed almost like living shadow. They wrapped around trees, swirling through the leaves. I rocketed past her at lightning speed, passing her in less than a second. The shadows engulfed her, and then dispersed into the air, as if they had never existed. I glanced back, only to find I had knocked her out of the sky. She fell, graceful and slow, towards a sharp rock face that jutted out from the river below. I stopped hard in the sky, gravity threatening to crush me flat. I didn’t care; I couldn’t lose her, not now.

“You mean, not again,” said a voice in the back of my mind.

“No, it isn’t her, it just can’t be.”

“Don’t lie to yourself; you’re only interested because they look alike. She probably doesn’t even care about you, or even want to be near you.”

“No, th- there’s something different about her-”

“Stop lying, you are risking injury to yourself for somepony you barely know. Just let her fall.”

“But it was my fault she fell-”

“WHO CARES?!”

“I DO, AND I’LL SAVE HER IF IT KILLS ME. I HESITATED ONCE BEFORE, AND IT COST ME DEARLY, BUT SHE IS DIFFERENT, NOW SILENCE!”

The voice, that little part of me that always makes me act selfish, died, its argument lost in the fury at my body’s attempt to protect itself by sacrificing her. I shot backwards, pouring on speed. Not 5 meters from the ground I caught her, but my speed was too much to pull up above the tree line. I held her tight with my right arm and wrapped my wings around her body as I smacked into a tree, broke through it, and knocked over a second, which proceeded to get caught in a third. The impact of ground buried us deep under the soft earth, and we layed there for a long time before I felt the strength to get up again.

Chapter 7
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Pyroneus Dawnlight: The Gatekeeper of Worlds

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The Problem with Trees

The wind whistled through the trees, soft yet chilling, and I tried to sit up, dazed from impact. I was immediately pulled back down, noting that there was still a woman wrapped in my wings. My right wing was held down mostly by her, wrapped tightly around her body and tangled in her limbs and wings. The shaking motion jarred her awake, and for a moment she was caught up with frantically trying to escape the folds of my larger wingspan. My right wing tangled, I tried rolling onto my left side, only to find the tip of my left wing was stretched over to my right, pinned under the tree. I then tried rolling to the right, only to realise we were right up against a large root structure, making rolling impossible. Her thrashing about was starting to get painful as the muscles in my wings were stretched and contorted into positions they shouldn’t be able to make.

“Calm down, we’re stuck for a moment. Please just stop moving, that’s really starting to HURT!”

She shoved suddenly to either side, directly into the main joint structure of my left wing and snapped it like a twig. The bones crunched very audibly as she stopped thrashing, and I could feel them grind across each other, ragged edges tearing into my skin like white hot knives. My wing tip was still pinned, but my muscles were trying desperately to pull it back to my side. The pain was unbearable, considering how much power it took to break my bones. The willpower it was taking to keep from screaming had clamped my jaw shut. My right wing fared no better considering she was wrapped in it; it was dislocated in two places and pinching countless nerves. In the haze of deafening pain, I heard a small voice pipe up.

I told you so…

SILENCE!

……….Was it worth all this?

YES.

……So be it……

The voice left again, hopefully for good. A downside to its departure was that the only thing my mind had left to focus on was the searing pain in my side. I could feel my very small amount of healing magic etching its way across the break, preparing to knit it back together. I won’t be flying for at least a month. A sudden stir from the young woman I had saved broke my train of thought.

“Uhm, he-hello? Are you awake?”

“Yes, I am, but all things considered, you did just shatter my wing joint in about eleven places. I am having trouble speaking at the moment.”

“What!? Oh gosh I’m so sorry, I just got scared when I woke up to darkness. Your wings felt like cloth, so I assumed I was tied up. Are you okay? You’re burning hot! And your skin feels like a grindstone!”

“Does my skin really feel that coarse?”

“Are you kidding? It’s like sandpaper! I can feel my fur being rubbed away.”

“Well there’s nothing I can do. If my wing wasn’t broken, I could have lifted you off of me. You’ve also dislocated the other one, so I cannot unwrap you. As it stands, we appear to be stuck here until I can figure out how to roll you over without breaking it or you any further.” Not that I’m complaining….

“Well that’s just great. Is there really no way I can just get up?”

“No, if I could move my wing, you’d already be free, but the only one moveable is my broken one, and as I’m sure you’ve noticed, it’s very heavy. Without the bone structure to support it, it’s not going anywhere.”

“Well you could at least release me from that death grip of yours; it’s getting hard to breathe.”

“Oh, sorry.” I let go, I didn’t even notice I had been holding on to her. If I had wrapped my arms around her neck or stomach, she’d have been dead.

“Okay, now that I can breathe, let’s try to assess the situation. We can’t move your wings, and I’m not only blanketed by your unbelievably heavy wing, but my wings are trapped underneath you, my legs are pinned under something, and my arms are behind my back, so sliding out isn’t happening. So the only option is to move the tree. But the question is, how? We’re not Conjurus, we’re Pegassians.”

“No, you are. I am all three.”

“But where’s your horn?”

“A horn is nothing but an instrument to focus magic, if the user has enough mind power to aim his spells, a horn is of no use.”

“Well then can’t you just lift the trees?

“No, I’ve been unable to use magic for the whole day. There was an……. incident earlier, and it left me drained, probably for a couple days.”

“Great, this just gets better and better, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t complain, it gets us nowhere fast.”

“Well what do you suggest then?”

“Hmm, it looks like the trees are spaced too closely for you to crawl out, but maybe if we can at least get your hands out you can try to dig a space big enough to free the ends of my wings. The dirt is at least decently soft. My left leg is free; if I lift myself slightly, do you think you can free your arms? I can try to free mine as well.”

“I guess it’s worth a shot.”

There was no way of letting her move with causing me excruciating pain, but as there were no other options, I bore through it silently as she shimmied out from under my wing, first her left, and then her right hand, and when she ran out of room to move out, she twisted around to face the tree that pinned us. That elicited a scream.

“Oh gosh I’m so sorry, what did I hurt?”

“Every single twitch and wiggle you make is agony. Just focus on digging, forget about me.”

“But-”

“Please.”

The darkness that gathered around was thick, almost suffocating, and I wasn’t sure whether or not she could see what she was doing. It didn’t help that hands are certainly not meant for excavating. We had a lot of earth to move, and no tools or magic to help. I could hear soft scraping noises as she tried frantically to move the dirt. What I didn’t hear was the sound of earth being dug.

“Oh this is no use! Gaaah! I can’t get enough reach to even scratch the surface.”

“Calm down, it could be worse.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

“Those timberwolves might have heard you.”

“What?! How can you see in this darkness, let alone find a timberwolf?”

“My eyes see many things. Nothing ever escapes my vision.”

“I find that awful hard to believe. More importantly, how does that help us out of this?”

“It doesn’t, but at least we don’t have to worry about predators.”

“So what happens when one wanders over? What can we possibly do to escape that?”

“Perhaps you can wave your arms really hard and scare them off?”

“Oh ha ha, very funny, now quit the sarcasm and figure out how we can get out of this.”

“Look, this will be easier if we just wait until morning. Then you can see what you’re doing. I know my eyes glow but it’s not very helpful with my head mashed into the dirt. Think you can put up with a night of rough skin and cold wind?”

“… Fine, but no funny business. I already broke your wing, that doesn’t mean I won’t break something else.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“… Care to explain why your eyes glow? And why you’re so heavy and yet so fast?”

“You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Then promise me you’ll tell me anyways. Once we get out of this mess I mean.”

“Deal.”

She curled up as best she could in my wing, trying to keep herself warm. I could tell she was trying to wrap her own wings around herself. The wind was starting to blow fiercely, sweeping up under the fallen trees and hitting us fully. She scooted away from me, shivering fiercely.

“You know, if you moved closer to me instead of farther, you’d stay warm. I’m like an oven.”

“Yeah, nice try, I’m not gonna hug you.”

“I didn’t say you have to hug me, I just said you could move closer. I’m just trying to prevent frostbite.”

“Sure, and I’m the king of Equestria.” I could almost hear her eyes roll.

“Why are you so distrusting? I barely even know you, and all I’m doing is trying to help you. I don’t help others very often you know.”

No response. She’d fallen asleep, probably from exhaustion. I don’t normally need sleep, so I just laid back and watched the leaves sway in the breeze. The sounds of animals were drowned out by the wind, but I could still see a few scurrying along branches and vines. The pain in my wing was starting to throb viciously. I could hear her shaking from the cold, and I tried to sense how much heat she had left. She wasn’t going to last the night; winter in Equestria is always cold. From what I had heard from Rainbow Dash, the weather was controlled, but they always overdid it in the first week. I didn’t want to go back on my word but for her sake I’d take the beating that follows, gladly. Ignoring the pain that moving caused me, I shifted over closer, hoping I’d be able to free my arms but finding no success. I wrapped my leg around her, trying to push the heat around evenly. It was difficult considering I had essentially no magic left to use. Nevertheless, she finally relaxed and started breathing evenly again.

The night passed very slowly, dawn creeping over the horizon as a caterpillar climbs a leaf. The wind eventually died down to a slight whisper. When dawn finally turned to morning, I noticed that the area around us was a deeper part of the forest, and it was obvious that animals rarely cross here from the large amounts of brush and undergrowth. Suddenly, she stirred from her sleep.

“Finally done sleeping, are we?”

Her eyes opened; she looked around, dazed.

“Huh? What?”

She noticed I was holding onto her, and her eyes opened wide. She jerked around, throwing my leg off of her and eliciting a pained grunt.

“What did I say about funny business pal? You’ve got a lot of nerve! Why when I get my hands on you, I’m gonna-”

In a much louder voice, stiff from pain, I said to her, “FIRST OFF, you already have your hands on me. SECOND, you cannot possibly cause me more pain than two broken wings, which you are currently contorting into odd shapes!”

I couldn’t tell whether it was the volume of my voice or me making note of my pain, but she stopped moving.

“Well… you deserve it. I told you not to try any funny business.”

“If this ‘funny business’ you are referring to is some sort of sexual activity, I can assure you the sheer amount of pain I am in is enough to keep me from moving around. Despite that, you should know the temperature outside hit eight degrees below freezing before factoring twelve mile-per-hour wind chill and sixty-two percent moisture content in the air last night. Like I told you, you were freezing to death. A thanks is unnecessary but you can at least stop grinding my bones together over some supposed misbehavior which you have no proof of occurrence.”

“‘A thanks is unnecess-’ who the fuck do you think you are? I didn’t ask to be put in this situation, this is YOUR fault.” Her voice trailed away for a moment, before saying, ever so quietly, “Was I really gonna die last night…?”

“Without shelter and warmth? Absolutely.”

She mumbled something to herself, trembling slightly. I couldn’t hear her properly, so I asked her to repeat herself.

“Are you an angel?” She sounded like she couldn’t believe her own words.

At that, I was forced to laugh despite the spiking pain. “Are you serious? An angel? I’m about as far from those ridiculous fairy tales as you can possibly get! Why that couldn’t be further in the opposite direction if I tried! I-” She was crying now, silently but I could feel the tears running into my scales. “Are you okay?”

“If you’re not an angel, then you must be a demon. Come here to rescue me in exchange for my soul or something. W-what do I have to do? What’s the price?” She sounded on the verge of a breakdown.

“What makes you think I’m a demon? Uh… well besides the appearance.”

“Why else would you be here… I was lost, okay? I’m not very good with directions, and I got myself turned around. I didn’t know it was going to be that cold last night. If you hadn’t shown up…” Now she was crying heavily. “What else can you be? What are the odds that I just happen to run into somebody in the middle of the forest? Do you want my body? Do I have to do some sort of task for you now?”

I know I shouldn’t have laughed, but you must understand how ridiculous this sounded to me. “Do you really believe that it can’t just be a coincidence? I know the forest is big but… I’m really, truly not here to ‘collect a debt’ or some silly thing like that. And.. wait are you telling me you had no idea where you were going when you took off earlier?”

“Of course I didn’t, I was hoping you would be in front the whole time and I’d just pretend! And don’t turn this back around on me, we’re talking about you right now!”

DO NOT CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION FURTHER. STOP OPENING UP TO HER IMMEDIATELY. SHE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND.

“Would you believe me if I told you I was running away from my own problems? I… I… Uhm. I just needed a quiet place to compose myself.”

She sniffled. “That sounds like a shit cover-up story…”

“I don’t know what else to tell you. I’m not lying, I promise.”

“Is that supposed to assure me or something? Your promise is empty without proof.”

“Well I agree with you, but just for future reference; I don’t make promises I can’t keep. It’s probably the only thing I’m unyielding about. So, I promise you I’m not trying to trick you. Ask me anything for proof, and I’ll tell you.”

“Alright, well you already promised to tell me why your eyes glow, and why you’re so damned heavy. Start talking.”

“I’m heavy because my body contains cosmic magic which makes my form incredibly heavy when someone else tries to move me. It would take a team of people to carry me around against my will. Call it a defense mechanism. If I’m awake, you’re essentially trying to lift the core of a star off the ground. The more force you apply, the heavier I get. Unconscious though, I guess it’s closer to an elephant or something. Not ideal but it’s not exactly under my control or any-”

“Hang on, how come I’m not being crushed right now then?”

“Because I’m not trying to crush you? My wings are broken so think of them as lead blankets for now.”

“Wait, wait that’s gonna be a problem when you get up isn’t it? I mean that’s a lot of weight on a broken joint.”

“I would prefer not to think about it. I can try to tie them up with something, but I’ll bear through it. I’ve had much worse. As to why my eyes glow, that’s simple science. They contain a phosphorous mixture which glows when I apply a bit of electricity to them. My biology is different from yours by… well a lot. I’m an alien, not a demon.”

“You’re an alien? You’re really gonna go with that and expect me to believe it?”

“Are you seriously going to choose demon over alien? Which is more likely? I’ll give you a bit to do the math.”

She jabbed her elbow into my wing again. “Don’t insult me.” She turned her head to look at me. “Prove it. Prove you’re an alien. What can you do that regular folk can’t?”

I had to think for a bit on that one. There’s obvious things but my magic was depleted for the time. What could I do…?

“AHA! I know what I can do. I can just show you what led me to be in that exact spot.”

“Uhhh, come again?”

“Just look into my eyes, you’ll find your answers.”

Her expression flattened into a deadpan stare. “Alright, you can stop making fun of me. I’ll go with the alien thing for now if you’ll stop pretending I’m stupid.”

I was so insulted at her response I didn’t finish thinking through the repercussions of what I was about to do. Instead, through the anguish it caused me, I wrenched my arm from behind my back and held her face up to mine. “No tricks. I know you aren’t stupid. Please just humor me, I promise you’ll see what I mean. Just look into my eyes.”

She tried to move her head away from me at first but she really was stuck. “Jeez you really are a weirdo, let go!” When I asked her again, even more politely, she gave up trying to squirm away. “Ahh whatever, if it’ll get you to stop being weird fine, I’ll humor you.” She fixed me with the most strained look, like she was trying to bore a hole through the back of my head. After a few seconds, she said, “See? I don’t see anything you creep.”

As calmly as I could, I said, “No. Relax, and look into my eyes, not at them.”

STOP! STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSHE’LLSEETOOMUCHSTOPYOUFOOL!

I listened to the voice a bit too late. Her expression softened as it shouted at me, and she said gently, “This is ridiculous, what the hell am I supposed to be see-”

Our world drifted away into white light.

Introduction
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Pyroneus Dawnlight: The Gatekeeper of Worlds

Introduction

Once upon a time, in a magical land………..…

Yeah, I wish this could start off like that. I wish that this was a happy tale, one free of all the horrors that streak through my existence. Sadly, that is not so, because being me will always have its sacrifices, one of which happens to be dealing with the dangers of the multiverse. Confused? Perhaps to tell you my tale, I should start by explaining who I am. I am what many would refer to as a god. And that could not be farther from the truth. I AM NOT A GOD. I am a selfish, arrogant creature, content to just sit back and watch the world handle itself. There are things I have done in the past that should never again see the light of day. I’ve killed others, made their children watch as I strangled the life from their eyes. I’ve burned entire worlds, just to save myself the trouble of hunting down a criminal. The terrors I have wrought across the eons are unspeakable, unheard of, and downright outrageou- Hmm, sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. You’ll hear this part of my tale later on. Right now, I should just start from the beginning. My name is Pyroneus Dawnlight. This is my story…….

Author's Note

This story is being revamped after a very long hiatus. Life tends to get in the way and honestly I haven't been able to write in a while. I'm hoping to change that now.