Looking over the vast whiteness that is the Soulstream, I sighed heavily as I await for the end to come to me as it came to those before me. The Soulstream, the place I was born was now going to be the place where I will be slain and cast aside, the very place where I met my first friend and also where I was constantly reborn into a slightly altered form. The sounds of my breathing was all that I could hear besides the sounds of owls flapping their wings, constantly flying in circles over the platform as their black beady eyes watch me, waiting for the inevitable end of my existence.
As I wait near the edge of the platform, my eyes staring off into the white void, the sounds of clothes rippling in the air and the soft echo of a pair of shoes lightly touching the floor alerted me to the presence of my first, and now only friend, Nao. Turning around slowly, I turning around to face her I saw on her face a small frown as her azure eyes held the look of sadness, slightly watery as she to knew of my fate and was waiting with me, probably the last time she will see me ever again. Slowly walking to her, the sounds of my heavy boots stomping down onto the floor, the armor plating clattering under my robe, my ashen eyes staring into her azure as we said our silent private good byes until the feeling of air was sucked out of my lungs and the silent thuds from behind me was the only warning I received as the three gods appeared.
"So....the time has come...." I said, my voice low and disheartened, my eyes not even looking away from Nao's.
"Yes, it is...come Milletian, your fate has been sealed and our judgement will come to bear down upon you." the voice coming from none other than Naudha Airgetlam, the King of the Gods and the prisoner of Falias...was a prisoner.
"I thought you were sealed away in Falias...I destroyed the portal leaving you sealed within...you shouldn't even be here." I felt a metallic hand grasp my right shoulder as it turned me around, Naudha was staring right at me but it felt like he was just looking right through me.
"I still am sealed away...I am only here for a short time before I am forced back to Falias...but I am here long enough to ensure that you are away from Erinn and the Soulstream. This is for all of Erinn and you know it to be true." His voice was weak and almost frail, the damage I have done to him in our battle at Falias have done more to him than I had imagined.
I stare into his blue eyes, just glaring at him, my glaring was the only thing I could do to him at this point as the other two goddesses, Morrighan and Neamhain were silently watching me as I strode past him, slowly making my way to the two, my glare slowly died down as I stepped in front of Morrighan.
"Morrighan, of all the things we have been through together...my actions at Tir Na Nog, becoming a Paladin, and stopping Cromm Cruaich...hell that was hard enough but it was worth it to know that I saved a goddess when I was younger and weaker than I am now. At Falias...I said that you are like a mother to me and yet you are not...because of you I was pushed to my limits and saved Erinn from destruction...I will never forget you." I said quietly before approaching her again and giving her one last hug before being erased from existence, her eyes slightly watery as I looked into them for a fraction of a second and saw the pale glow of her eyes.
Walking over to Neamhain, her golden/brown eyes somewhat glaring at me, her wings held firmly behind her back as she silently watches my motions until I stopped in front of her, my eyes just looking into hers until I spoke up.
"Neamhain, I have nothing much to say to you except that, thank you for creating Iria but you need to undo the curses you have placed upon them..." just shaking my head at her as I turned to face Naudha. Neamhain was the second least favorite immortal being that I liked, the number one least favorite is the one I am facing.
"And you Naudha, I liked Cichol more than you and that is saying something." giving him the middle finger before going over to Nao, Naudha at this point is fuming at my remark and my rude hand gesture.
As I walked to Nao I saw that she had her hands behind her back, usually whenever I saw this it meant she is being patient with me and knows I am going to ask her a question or is about to present me with the last gift I will ever receive from her. Looking at her dress I saw that it was the same black dress she wore when I first met her when I was just a child but the buckle was no longer there. As my mouth was about to open up to speak to her she pulled her hands out from behind her back, in in her hands was a small cloth wrapped box, the ends done into a knot and when she placed it into my hands I instantly felt the warmth radiating from it through my gauntlets, Nao's last gift for me and now I must do the same.
"And Nao...when we first met I was afraid of everything, even you for a while..." her face slightly saddened, possibly knowing that was true, "...but as we kept meeting on my birthday and the very few times I have fallen and was brought back here, you have always treated me with such kindness and yet I have only shown you so little...that is why I want you to have this." I pulled out my notebook the size of a dictionary and weighed just as one to her. "In this notebook contains everything I have ever done since I was born, even the first time we met. I want you to have this so you always have a part of me that contains my memories. Please read this, for me." she nodded slowly, my own eyes starting to water and go blurry as I turned to the stairs that was destroyed and lead upwards.
Putting Nao's gift into my backpack, the only thing that is a constant reminder that magic is a part of my life, placing it neatly on the top of everything that I own and will need on my last adventure that I will ever partake in.
Looking onwards to the now soft blue void past the floor beneath me, I saw the faint outlines of clouds and shortly afterwards a small series of mountains and villages, rubbing my eyes I thought it was just an illusion of Uldah being created below me.
"That is no illusion Milletian, but this is not Uldah or Iria, this is not even Erinn. This is the land that we will leave you on. We know that if we try to slay you now that you would fight back and wound or kill one of us so we have decided to take you to a land we have only visited before. This is your new home, and know that if you die here you will not be sent back to the Soulstream or back to Erinn, you will stay dead this time and move onto the afterlife." Naudha said, his voice grave and deep as I looked over the edge, trying to see anything of interest as I used every spare second I had before my inevitable exile begun.
Taking a long glance downward I saw very few distinctive details about the land that I had noticed to be somewhat familiar in Erinn that might prove important to my survival in this new land. I saw a large dark forest that engulfed a chunk of the continent familiar to Karu Forest, a large mountain with a fortress strapped to its side, the castle itself looking like Rath Royal Palace, and from what I can faintly see a vast tundra to the north with many tree's...Sidhe Sneachta.
"So...how do I get down to my exiled home?" I asked, truly wondering how am I getting to the ground without becoming a large bloody mess on some poor person's home or in the middle of a city. Imagining myself becoming a stain in a town would probably be an omen to them, in a city or even the capital would probably be an experiment gone wrong as I found it slightly amusing to see what they would find if I did go splat on the floor.
Looking over at Morrighan I saw that she silently moved behind me along with Neamhain and Naudha, all three looking at me as I felt the air fill with mana and soon I felt it entangle around me and tighten to a near strangling grip. Glaring at Naudha, slightly scowling at Neamhain and giving a faint look of hurt at Morrighan I tried to question them as to what they are doing until Nao spoke up for them.
"Olsin...they are putting a protection spell around you for your safety along with their own, you are going to walk off the stairs and jump off, the spell will protect you from the impact with the ground and prevent you from dying from the force of the landing." her soft voice filling me with hope, now knowing that my jump would not be suicidal but instead it would all be based on where I land would my 'exiled' life begin.
Taking one last look over the edge, my right hand resting on the pommel of my sword, my pointer finger slowly moving around the jewel, feeling its glassy texture as my nerves go on the fritz. Knowing that their plan is for me to jump I glance down one last time before looking at the four for the final time.
"Morrighan, I love you, Neamhain, I always thought of you as a very annoying friend with issues, Naudha, you are the biggest asshole I have ever met and I rather deal with Cichol than you." I hugged Morrighan for the last time, gave a partial hug to Neamhain, kissed Nao on the cheek and punched Naudha in the jaw before I jumped over the edge.
At that instant I felt vertigo as I got a funny feeling that I made the largest mistake of my life, the hairs on the back of my head stand on end as I feel my body get painfully tight and the ungodly burning pain as my bones crack and bend as my blood boils. I have only been falling for only ten seconds and yet the feeling of my body leaving the Soulstream and entering a new realm was painful beyond recognition and yet it feels like my body was revitalized and reinvigorated with energy that I never had until I for some reason slowly began to doze off as I feel down to the ground.
Slowly opening my eyes again I saw that I had just barely passed the clouds and turning to look down at my feet, looking at the sky to slowly see the Soulstream gradually dematerialize into the night sky, the moon in full bloom as it gives off a pale white glow.
'That isn't my moon...that is not Ladeca or Eweca....that is a moon of a new world...and why does it have a face imprinted on its surface?' I thought to myself as I saw the new moon, it was just as large as Ladeca but instead of it being a beautiful lake blue it was a ghostly pale white.
The feeling of weightlessness was soon gone as I looked back down and saw the world above me was rapidly approaching me as I acted on instincts and spread open my arms and legs, jerking my body harshly as my approach to the forest beneath me was nearly halted as I had enough time to see a crumbling remains of a castle mixed among the ancient tree's of the forest approached me at a rate that made me worry if the spell that was casted upon me would actually keep me alive upon impact. Fortunately for me it did its job.
As I slowly landed into the forest I noticed a few things about myself was off. Firstly was my height, I for some reason felt shorter and that the armor I was wearing and the gear I was carrying for some reason was heavier than it normally was. Looking around the forest I noticed on the floor faint foot prints in the dirt and as I knelled down to investigate it I saw that it was slightly odd and out of place, it was not sunken into the dirt like a humans and it was not a partial press like an elves nor was it a full on sink-hole like the giants. Grimacing as it could be Fomorian soldiers marking in a straight line to hide there true numbers, I kept a grip on the pommel of my swords as I cautiously followed them as I kept my eyes peeled for any signs of danger or movement.
Another thing I noticed was that the helmet I was wearing was very slightly loose and that it kept moving around and every once in a while it shifted out of place and temporary blocked out my vision. My armor felt somewhat loose and that my robe was also loose and saggy, my eyes barely able to see my hands that now barely leave the cuffs of the robes.
'What did they do to me? I feel...shorter and weaker...like a teenager....No...No they did not just cheat me of my strengths and height by sending me here. They did not just revert my age to when I was still somewhat helpless to save others from harm.' figuring it out as I walked into a tree, my voice shouting out in anger as I slightly hit my head on the interior part of the helmet, my theory was proven true, that I was young again and that the gods themselves turned back the time on me by many years, as a way to torment me and make me soft. Well it won't happen again this time.
As I followed the single set of foot prints I kept my eyes peeled for any threat or any sign of civilization and hoping that they are peaceful, also hoping that they might just be like the people of Cor, they greeted me with open arms and treated me fairly along with the elves of Connous but the giants of Physis kept me on a short leash when I was there, hoping for the first two and not the later. Following the tracks was easy, they were firmly in the ground as I kept my eyes on them for greater half of an hour and upon reaching a river I saw something that I had only read on the daily board at Dunbarton, Neid the lake monster, except that this was a river, it has a mustache...half a mustache and was crying what I thought was another river. Upon semi-closer inspection I saw that it had arms and that it also had hair on its head, despite the fact that it was a reptile of sorts which shouldn't be possible since all the lizards and snakes I saw and met, and beaten to death with a mandolin never had any traces of hair, few had cacti growing on their backs but not hair.
'Well...I guess being planted on a new world..or continent probably means that their are new inhabitants...and worse new monsters lurking about...hopefully this river monster is friendly.'
I thought to soon about that.
Thirty Minutes Later
Twight Sparkle's P.O.V.
Looking at the river we all saw that it was raging and crossing it normally would prove to be a problem onto itself as its rapid moving currents would easily sweep some of us away, swimming wouldn't be the problem but being able to stay with the rest of the group would prove to be a problem. Turning around I saw that Rarity was staying away from the water trying to avoid her designer clothes from being ruined, Pinkie Pie was busy talking to Rainbow Dash about a way to go across while Applejack and Fluttershy debating on how long it would take to carry all of us one by one across the river and still have energy to keep going after Nightmare Moon.
"So girls...how do we get across this river?"
"Fluttershy and I can carry one of you across the river and return to grab another to take across."
"I um am not very strong...I can't do it..."
I sighed explosively as I searched for a way across the river, the water not even calming down let alone lowering as I scanned the area for any signs of a bridge or a path to cross the dangerous waters. My eyes eventually comes across an old campfire that has just burnt out, small embers still glowing in the twigs and branches used in its constructions, and next to the campfire was two sets of foot prints. One set I could tell was Nightmare Moon's, it still had the dark aura embedded into it and it was hers because of the high heels that she wore when everypony first saw her. The other set of prints is a mystery to me.
"Girls...come look at this." the others slowly stopped talking and made their way toward my location, some grumbles and other words being said as they come to the dying campfire. As they arrived they all stared at the remains and at the prints, Rainbow Dash was the first one to speak up.
"So who made the fire, wasn't us that's for sure...and those footprints, that one I can tell is Nightmare Moon but the other....maybe a Royal Guard that managed to follow her and took a break?" her theory is somewhat good, maybe the actual answer to this slight problem.
Before Pinkie Pie has a chance to speak up the sounds of crying and wailing was than heard coming through the trees and bushes.
'I wonder who is crying that loudly all the way out here...'
Everfree Forest Canyon
Olsin's pov
Taking a breather I glance behind myself, hoping that the river dragon was not chasing after me and to my relief he wasn't. In all of my lives that I have endured on Erinn I have never seen a dragon ever cry about losing half a mustache let alone have a voice like that, I mean I heard plenty of girly man-voices but his really takes the cake. I even saw how slick back and shiny his hair was, my hair is naturally shiny because of its dull blue color but it will never be able to attain the level of smooth as his, I was even shocked to see that he was crying over the lose of half a mustache... I wasn't crying when killed in the battle against Cromm Cruaich but still getting crushed by having him land on top of me hurts like hell.
That dragon reminds me of at least two men back in Erinn, a bank owner and a clothing store but I can't remember exactly where they both work but their names I can clearly remember, I think it was Simon and Keith. Last time I saw Simon he was trying to kill me with a pair of trimming scissors for accidentally ripping a sleeve on his dress shirt, I mean it was an honest mistake but the rage in his eyes was my only sign for me to run out of town and keep on running but I knew that I just had to run to the school grounds and hide out in the somewhat cursed library. Keith on the other hand I just don't like the way he is always dressed and that smile he keeps giving me whenever I enter the bank to help him with his part-time job or to drop off money for safe storage.
As my thoughts drifted off back to the few strange people of Erinn I almost failed to notice that there was a deep ravine in front of me and that the bridge was almost destroyed from time. Taking one last step I nearly took a second last step over the edge and had a quick fall to my demise but was lucky to be snapped out of it. Putting a tentative step onto the bridge and a very vice-like grip on the railings I gave out a small sigh as it did not snap in half and left me on the other side trying to climb my way back up and than to look for a way around. Taking small steps, distributing my weight evenly hoping to avoid a quick drop and a very brutal stop I slowly paced myself across the bridge, my eyes on the wooden planks hoping that they don't fail me now in my time of need of safe movement.
Sighing in relief after I made it to the other side I set my two backpacks down leaning against a nearby tree and went out to gather some firewood to set up another campfire and hoping that if it is even possible for anyone to see the smoke to at least know that there is an adventurer out in the woods for the night. While out gathering firewood my steps were clearly audio-able and that any small game that was even in this general area were immediately scared off and fled in terror, shrugging to myself that the small rodents of the forest wouldn't be a good small snack but what I do now know is that back in Erinn I barely ate much and yet still stayed in a lean figure and not once ever felt the pain of hunger but now that I have arrived to this strange world I can now feel the small pang of annoyance from my stomach that I need to feed. Shaking the feeling off I resume my task of collecting wood, picking up twigs and branches to be used and a few rocks to be used to make a fire pit I hummed a small tune that I occasionally heard while visiting the school in Tir Chonaill on my off days and chatted to a good friend of mine, but the sounds of my humming was met with snarls and growls of wolves as I turned my head slowly to see them but only saw the orange glow of their eyes.
"Corrupted wolves...come near me and meet your end or move away from me to see the next dawn's glow. I will not ask you again." dropping my gathered wood and rocks I placed my hands on the handle of my swords, holding them in a death-like grip as I kept my eyes on the wolves of the forest. Slowly backing away entering the soft glow of the moon as its light illuminated the area along with the wolves as I saw that they were not normal or even living. These wolves were made of bark, twigs and leaves with eyes that seem to glow an otherworldly orange flickering in the darkness of the woods as they snarled and growled at me as I backpedaled to the bridge, getting ready for a fight.
The first wolf to my left was the first to make a move as it snarled and leaped at me, its claws out and jaws wide open hoping to take a chunk of meat out of me but instead it bites into the metal of my blade as my Falcata was plunged into its skull and the lights of its eyes dimmed to embers till it ceased to move. Pulling my Falcata from its skull and drew my other from its sheath, going into a combat stance that I have learned from the master swordsgoblins in Iria as the other wolves growled and snarled at my presence as I waited for the next one to make a move at me.
"Come come petty beasts, taste my blade and feel your life leave your wooden frames." I taunted the wooden demons as they began to circle me, looking for any sign of weakness and delay as three slowly got closer, trying to force onto me fear. As they got close enough I quickly twist myself on my heels and angled my blades into the formation of a fan as my blades tore through the three oak and yew body frames shredding them as I moved in a windmill fashion stopping three seconds later as they fell to the ground twitching and writhing in pain until they ceased to move at all.
The last four wolves looked at their fallen pack mates than towards me, one took a step forward and was immediately set on fire by five spheres of condensed heat and energy set the wooden wolf ablaze as it became hot cinders and splintered burnt lumber. As I took a step forward the last three turned tail and ran away, putting one of my swords back into its respectable sheath I picked up the remains of the four wolves that are not burnt and piled them on top of the still smoldering one and within seconds a new campfire made by the wooden wolves burned brightly and warmly.
"Now...for a break...that castle may be old but for now it would be my new home....this forest reminds me to much of Fidoh Forest...strange lights dancing around, the beasts trying to force me out of here.....I will rest here for now..." I leaned against a nearby oak tree, my helmeted head resting against the rough bark as I kept a firm grip on my Falcata as it was my only defense against any of the native creatures of the forest. Slowly closing my eyes to take a quick nap I sighed in relief that I have been denied in so many years of my lives but up until now I can now actually rest in peace without the fear of being attacked by any wild beasts or annoyed by civilians that need my help.
'But Olsin we need your help! The skeletons coming from Rabbie Dungeon are starting to pour out in droves and they keep coming closer to town with each passing night! Please!' 'Come on Olsin we need your help! The town won't last long without any help from the outside and you are the only one out of all of us that has actually been inside Rabbie Dungeon and came out unharmed and carrying back a few sample weapons of those skeletons.' 'They are coming here tonight and we won't be able to hold the gates for long until sunrise, please Olsin, as a sister of Lymilark please help us.'
Opening one eye I looked at those that came to speak to me as I was relaxing on top of the bell tower, not really listening to what those below were saying but when I heard Kristell speak I knew that if I keep refusing to help them she would give me an earfull of annoyance along side a very disturbing mental image of what she would do to get me to willingly help them. Shaking my head in defeat I slanted my body over the edge as I kept a grip on the top brick before using my boots to scrape the tower to slightly slow my decent until both my feet hit the floor with a thud. Looking at Kristell she gave me a vindictive smile as I shook my head as I picked up my gear and walked to the gate that was just now being shut to the outside world, the barely faint glow of Eweca was all I saw as I stepped out of the gates of Dunbarton and made my slow trek to the northwestern fields along the path to Abb Neagh until I spotted to what I was looking for. The entrance to Rabbie and it was quite literally crawling with skeletons of all kinds, I even saw a skeleton of an ogre wearing some metal plates.
'Well...at least this is a challenge not like the other times these people needed my help...like Simon with his fashion career...my god I never looked so fruity in my entire life...well would you look at that...these skeletons are moving away from me...eh fuck it, Goddess Morrighan please forgive me for what I am about to do, please grant mercy to these foolish skeletons...'
As I walked closer to the skeletons I angled my blades at them and I began my charge, being unrelenting and uncaring to those watching as my blades crashed into bones and metal.
"Hey guys look! Another campfire! And this one is burning brightly!" a loud brash voice cried out snapping me out of my dream as I let out a stunted yawn, my eyes scanning around me to find the source of the voice but only finding fog, grass, tree's and a bridge...and a tall humanoid figure with wings flying above the ground.
'Who and what are they....' I asked myself that question as I quickly concealed myself behind a bush to see who the person in question is and possibly if they are just human with the blessings of the falcon like the elves.
As the person in question came into view I thought I saw was a cross between a human and a pegasus, giving the person a quick look over I saw that it was a girl, not only from how her hair is done but also from the size of her...bust. This girl had a slight cyan color to her skin, her hair is what I can never guess or hope to accomplish, a prismatic array of color of the rainbow and was wearing an athletic shirt and shorts. Her wings were big and from what I can tell her face was not human, it had a nose like a horse along with the ears but one thing I can tell that was not even close to being human was that she had a tail like one also.
As I started to back up into the forest along the path to the castle I heard the whoosh of flyers overhead and saw three more of the cyan one except these three were wearing a skin-tight suit that made me wonder what it materials it was made out of and also where can I find one. Using the distraction to my advantage I slinked along the path until I came upon the castle and my first thought was to just run in, make a very crude flag and plant it cause this forest doesn't even look like it is inhabited by any form of life.
Stepping into the castle the floors and walls were made of dark marble and it has seen better days as it was cracked and in some parts covered in moss and vines, looking around I saw ancient banners with two figures circling around each other, one was holding the sun while the other the moon. Glancing at the banners I slowly made my way through the castle, noticing few piles of bones in rusted armor still holding onto their halberds and shields, not caring about the bones I keep going until I hear the sounds of rattling bones and clanking of metal plates behind me.
'Oh god...why can't I ever get a moment of peace...'
Turning around I saw that three of the seven bone heaps spring to life and rise up from the marble floor, their weapons raised and pointed at me, still doing their royal duties as they shifted forward and charged as the bones rattled under the armor of ages past. As my sword batted aside one of the halberds as another stabbed me in the right shoulder blade, the spike at the end piercing my armor as blood seeps out of the open wound and slide down the spike's blade and drips down onto the floor. Yelling out in rage I bring my right arm upward, the sword's heavy blade cutting through the wooden shaft and along with its left arm dropping its shield, the skeleton just looking at me as it tries to claw at my face as my left sword crashes into his ribcage, crushing half the right-side ribs along with cracking its spinal column.
The other two skeleton guards rushing behind me as one of them raised its weapon and brings it down upon my back, the axe-blade biting into my left-shoulder blade forcing me to let go of my second Falcata that was using the first skeleton's head as a weapon stand. As I bring my left hand to reach for my back it gets smacked aside by a bony hand but was than gripped by a different pair of hands, refusing to be taken captive and most likely left to die I did what I can only do in a time of desperation. Forming a fireball in my left hand I let it drop to the ground and covered my face with my right hand and as it detonates the explosive force throwing me forward several feet as I go flying into a large empty chamber as the rest of the skeletons are blown apart and scattered to the wind.
As I came to a stop a few feet from where I was being held the flames that were eating my robe died down after the flame-resistance material finally kicked in and extinguished the flames as I painfully crawled forward to gain some distance away from any skeleton that was nearby. What came next was a complete surprise as a female voice speaks up in a formal and yet commanding tone.
"Well well well....what do I have here...a Royal Guard sent by my sister...what a shame."
I only had a moment to glance up as a hand yanked me up by the throat and lifted me off the ground in a death-grip choking embrace.
An Hour Later
Having a fractured ribcage hurts but having it punched repeatedly hurts even more and having it slightly kicked in before being tossed through an already crumbling wall makes it even worse. As I was being used by apparently an angry goddess's punching bag, I was thrown through three walls, a table and eventually a crumbling old throne and dislocating my right shoulder in the process. My face was bloody from having it slightly stomped on by a pair of really sharp heels that managed to puncture my helmet and leave the side of my skull bleeding and like a holed melon, my robe was torn and shredded from the attacks it has sustained but what that goddess did next surprised me all to hell, she stopped her assault and lifted me off the ground with one hand around my throat and sat me down on the destroyed throne that I was tossed through. My helmet laying on its side facing me, the face covering opened with a small puddle of blood laying inside of it.
"You are still alive after the punishing torment I have put you through and yet you do not cry out in anguish or pain... you do not act like the other Royal Guards that have came after me at the Summer Sun Celebration and yet here you are, deep in the woods coming after me....tell me why fool." the giant said while slapping me across the face, her nails clawing my left cheek as blood seeps out of the scratches.
"Who am I? Why I am no one of importance here." I felt the sting of her hand go across my cheek as I felt her nails claw my right cheek, the pain of the slap starting to catch up to the rest of my less than stellar wounds.
Shaking my head a bit as my blood soaked hair covers my face as I lean forward and and try to speak up again, my vision starting to go blurry as my blood starts to go out of my body even though I wished it would stay in and keep me warm. Looking at her feet I saw that she was wearing armored greaves of sorts, the metal a purple-grey and in appearance was demonic in nature, my line-of-sight slowly rising as I saw that she was a warrior goddess of sorts since she managed to move with grace even while beating my ass into another existence.
"I am here because being cast out into the cold with nothing but the clothes on my back and whatever I am carrying with me." I said while spitting a glob of blood and spit onto the cracked marble floor. looking at the goddess in question I now realize that I was looking at a pair of breasts about the size of the pumpkins I used to grow back on my homestead before it was burned down by bandits. The feeling of her hand on my chin as she raised it up to look her in the eyes, the color of teal as its dagger-slit iris stares into my eyes, before a fist was thrust into my chest, denting the armor plating as I cough up blood.
The sounds of voices from down the hallway alerted us both to the presence of outsiders as she vanished from sight and left me to whoever have been following me as I slumped in the ruined throne and with a heavy staggered sigh I fall to my right as the weight from my armor finally takes its toll on me. As my body hits the ground I realized that the marble floor was strangely warm and that it had a soft furry texture to it, looking at it I realized that it was someones lap and that my head was resting on it while the sounds of five other people were moving about, their words garbled and mixed together as I realized that my hearing has been damaged somehow and than very slowly everything went dark as my blood from my head wound seeped into my eyes as I laid on the person's lap resting, waiting for any kind of medical or magical aid.
"Girls you take the guard outside and tend to her injuries while I try to figure out this part....a spark would make the sixth element appear....hmm a spark." the intellectual voice said while I felt my body get hauled up as my feet drag onto the marble floors leaving a bloody trail behind me, my voice coming out in groans as the injuries that was inflicted upon me start to take its toll and leave me a bloody mess.
As I feel my feet drag alone gravel I heard the sounds of a startled gasp before being cut off and the faint sound of something popping after the gasp ends abruptly. The apparent girls holding me turn around to check on their friend but the one carrying me, one wearing a pair of fabric pants and a thick looking sweat of sorts, I can feel some warmth on the left side of my face as my head was propped up against her as she made a slight squeak sound, my guess she was not used to the sight of blood or having to carry a man injured.
Resting my eyes a bit I feel my body slightly beginning to recover as I let my mind slightly wander, still being alert in case my rescuers become the ones in need of rescue.
'Okay...skeletons outside of Rabbie are taken care of...that bloody skeleton ogre was a pain, damn bastard just wouldn't stay down, no matter how many bones I had to reduce to splintered pieces. At least I don't have to worry about placing something down at the alter, by the looks of things the gate is open and would you look at that the darkness left me a welcome party.'
Clearing the welcome party and destroying the armored skeletons that were standing guard near the large gate that have been closed by a large lock and using the skull key that was in a death grip with the Banshee, rest her soul for being a souless bitch to begin with. Upon opening the final gate I heard a enthralling voice singing a song.
'La La...La La...
Drop the sword when you came running back to me.
As I approach you
it breaks my heart to see
my vulnerable self reflected on the blade.
La La...La La...
The moment you entered my chamber,
I was actually not surprised.
For I knew that your love
was deep inside my heart.
La La...La La...
Don't close your eyes.
Let me stay forever lost in your eyes...'
'I swear...I have heard this song before but where....'
Looking at the demon inside the chamber I saw something that I have only seen at the Rath Royal Palace during one of the few banquets I was invited to after getting letters with the seal of Princess Eirawen but at this moment I thought that whoever was in charge of this dungeon deserved a medal for being so over-the-top fancy. I saw a large crystal ball hanging from the ceiling by a thin metallic thread and that it was spinning slowly as I was dazed by its lights but was snapped out of it when I heard the sounds of high heels clicking on the hard stone floor.
'So the Hero of Erinn has come to see the girl of his dreams, well what do you think?'
The feeling of something warm pressing against my face woke me up from my dream as I slowly opened my eyes to see the light red cloth press against my face as the yellow being looks down at me, a warm smile on her lips her pink hair partially concealing her face. As I looked into her eyes, I could have sworn that she was humming a tune of sorts but was quickly cut off by a collective gasps coming from her friends, the girl slowly helped me to my feet as I limped by her side as we made our way back into the castle, the main room with the other four, the one with the slight purple skin and lavender hair was gone, not even a trace of her presence in the room but the sounds of lightning and thunder roaring above us as the tallest spire in the castle was partially glowing white from within.
"Help me stand..." I weakly muttered out as the yellow one helped me to my feet and leaned me against the wall as my right hand wondered my right side for a pocket until it came across a small red vial that looked like a tea pot and was completely made of glass, the girls looked at it for a while until I popped the to off and downed the potions, coughing a bit as the taste was appalling but its taste was the least of my worries as my wounds sealed slowly and the bleeding as stopped.
Slowly getting to my feet on my own willpower as I looked at the others, one of them thought I was crazy enough to get back upon my feet and try to help them as I felt a hand grab my shoulder as I weakly shook it off, putting a firm grip on the pommel of the only Falcata I had within its sheath, the other was most likely still missing after the beating I went through.
"Don't worry about me girls, I have been through far worse things than this brawl...don't even look at me like that girls, its true and besides....your friend needs us so lets hurry up." I croaked out as we hurried along the marble halls to the spire, hoping to make it there in time.
As we traveled the halls I noticed that I was still bleeding by the sounds of my blood dripping onto the inside part of my chestplate, forming a small pool of blood inside and every few steps a few droplets of it would fall onto the floor leaving a grisly trail behind us, my eyes disorientated from the amount of blood I loss as well as from the head injury I received as my skull was kicked in by the bitch's heels and from having my head going through the old throne.
Looking at the spire I saw that the climb would be hell for me as getting to the spire itself was already tiring as all six of us began the climb, the five following close behind me as they are desperate to save their friend, I was in the front with my eyes glaring at the stone walls in front of us, my eyes burning with unchained vengence as we get to the top of the spire, the black goddess staring down the lavender one as I roared out in defiance to being put down too easily as my body gets refilled with an extreme burst of adreneline as I sprinted toward the bitch with deadly intent in my eyes.
"Your kidding...your kidding right?" was all I heard her say as I felt the flat part of my blade smack her across the face as she flew a few feet into the air but managed to regain her composure as her wings flew open and halted her retreat as she looked at me as if I was asking for a death wish for attacking her like that.
"Girls, do whatever you have to do, I will delay her as long as I can, which won't be very long with my wounds..." coughing up blood as a few wounds open back up and I start to bleed again, the pain lancing up and down my body.
They quickly got back together and tried to figure out what to do with the stone balls on the floor while I charged forth at the armored goddess without care for myself as I started to swing wildly at her, swinging in wide arcs to hopefully keep her on the defensive until she grabbed me by the forearm, crushed the bone and forced me to drop my only sword onto the ground as she picks it up and with slight difficulty began her assualt against me as I screamed in pain from having my arm crushed under her grip.
Looking up at her I rasied my left arm into blocking position and start to angle it as the blade came down, the metal glancing off to the side as the blade was deflected off, and with each swing she made I had to adjust the angle of my arm so it would keep scraping away from me but when I saw a brief flash of light behind me I saw the girls slowly lifting up into the air, each one glowing an eeriely creepy white light, but that was quickly cut short when I felt a sharp pain enter my back and another sharp pain exit my front. Looking slightly down and to my right I saw my own sword ran through my shoulder but was jammed in place before I was kicked in left of them, my body rolling a bit but was stopped when my sword blade got stuck between a crack of marble, the sudden stop sent acute sharpness of pain throughout my body, the pain was nearly enough to just leave me unconscious and weak.
"Now...time to end this little uprising." was all she said as her right hand was pointing at the girls, electrical energy crackling between her finger tips as she was preparing to strike them down with absolute zero impunity.
'This is gonna hurt me....alot more than whatever those six are going to do to you....' I thought as I weakly got off the hard floor, my body lurching forward as I lost my footing but quickly recovered only to roll in front of the girls before doing a frog-jump into the air at the moment the goddess shot out from the tips of her fingers a bolt of lightning. One thing I forgot that the sword pommel was metal surrounding a gemstone, and metal conducts electricity and putting two and two together was the last perfectly clear thought that ran in my mind before the extreme pain forced me to lose consciousness.
Celestia's pov
Last night I was preparing for one-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration and also the one-thousandth anniversary of my sister Luna being banished away to the moon, a day I have always loathed to partake in but I must for my little ponies as they always cheer and cry out in joy whenever they see me smile but nopony knows what I truly feel on this day. This morning I had sent my star pupil Twilight Sparkle to Ponyville to be in charge of this years Summer Sun Celebration ceremony, and I have also tasked her with making friends instead of spending all of her time in archives studying dusty old books.
Last night I was hoping that one day my sister would return to me a changed mare, no long wanting to have an eternal night and to be finally free from the Nightmare's hold on her mind. The blame was mine but the punishment was yours as I had ignored my own sister's plea's for a longer night just so she would be appreciated more by our subjects but I was focusing on Equestria's welfare than my own sister's sanity. I never knew that as my popularity amongst my our subjects that it would have casted a shadow of my younger sister that only grew colder as the days and nights went on and if I had only known what would have happened I would have answered her plea's...
Tonight I watched over my ponies as I made my lonely journey to Ponyville to attend the ceremony that has been devoted to my solar risings but as I flew to the town I had felt a disturbance in the air but I had dismissed it as the crosswinds and the weather but as I got closer to Ponyville the distrubance only grew stronger in strength until it abruptly ended without a trace of its location but I knew that it had to be from somepony with great reserves of magic or worse...that Nightmare Moon has escaped from her prison. Looking up to the moon I was correct as her image slowly faded from the surface, the only warning I got from her escape was the loud screams of fear coming from Ponyville and as I accellerated to the town I barely saw the twisted dark wisps of Nightmare Moon running to the Everfree along with six mares in pursuit.
Only hours later did I feel the disturbance return on several occasions as I calmed down my little ponies and assured them that the Nightmare will not get away with her crimes but this disturbance has me not only worried for my ponies but also for those that will encounter it for I have no real idea on what it could be or what it is capable of doing.
Moments ago I was finally holding my sister in my arms after one thousand years of being apart, I was soothing her worries and fears for what she has done but the presence that I had felt was now within the ruined chamber and was laying in a burnt heap with a strange sword buried in its shoulder.
"Twilight....my little ponies....assist me by taking this wanderer with us...its injuries must be tended to and try to find its pack, I am sure it must have had one to be living out here in the Everfree Forest." as the mares nodded and helped the stranger onto a makeshift stretcher and only minutes later was its pack found but it gave off such a undaunting aura that I asked my pupil to hold onto it in a levitation field so no pony gets affected by whatever is protecting its contents.
As I looked at the strange creature I saw the pained expression on its face, while bloody I saw underneath it a pain that is barely hidden and yet at the same time held firmly, this being fought Nightmare Moon long enough for the Elements of Harmony to be reforged and placed into its new hosts and gave them enough time to purify my sister at the cost of its own welfare. It makes me wonder what it had to lose or better yet was this a part of its plan to lure us into a false sense of security...I must know truth behind it.
"Twilight...ponies...get close, I will teleport us out of here....we must get to the hospital with all haste." as all drew near me, my horn began to glow its golden hue as a heavy tome fell from the pack of the stranger onto the floor, and with a quickened grasp from the rainbow maned pony she retreived the tome just as we vanished from the ruined castle's interior.
Whoever this being is...it is not from this world.
Ponyville Hospital
Olsin's pov
Beep......Beep......Beep......Beep
'Goddess...what in Ladeca's moon is that annoying tune?' my mind was racing to what could be creating such a sound as it searched for any possible refrences but came up empty as my eyes barely cracked open only for one to see nothing but wrappings and the other to see a pastel white tile ceiling. The feeling under my body was soft and comfy as it finally clicked into my head that I was resting on a healer's bed, having my injuries tended to after the viscious fighting I put myself into for the defense of the natives of this world but what I am lacking in the information archives was how bad my injuries was.
Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep
'Okay...that noise is starting to get on my nerves....it reminds me of the sounds that my pet spider used to make when it was trying to look adorable for me...I wonder where did my little Fuzzy end up.'
"So Nurse Redheart....what is the diagnosis on our guest?" a voice said, sounding educated and strong-willed while maintaining a faint essence of kindess.
"Well Miss. Sparkle, our patient is currently in a comatose state of sorts...he is currently suffering from multiple fractured ribs, bruised organs, many lacerations on both of arms, a stab wound in both shoulder blades, minor burns all around both legs and lower back, blood loss, minor cerebral hemorrhaging and a broken right arm. It is a miracle that he is still alive from all of these injuries. The strangest part of all this was there are scars on his body that look like that have healed naturally over time but also seems to deflect any kind of healing spell towards it but it seemingly works fine when used on anything else. Since he is a male but we do not clearly know of what species he must be taken care of with extreme care and caution." another voice said, this one sounding very caring and with a voice of a girl that have been watching over children and sick people all there life.
'So males here are less than females....kinda odd but than again running into a race that is a cross between equins of all kinds and humans...and now that I think about it that black horned pegasus was a goddess...so those that are like her must be rather very powerful to declare themselves gods or are naturally gods amongst mortals to steer them on the proper path....either way that black one reminds me of Cichol...may that bastard rest in peace.' my thoughts now returning to normal as I rested comfortable on the bed, not caring about those near me as I feel someones hands lifting up my left arm before a small prick was felt and my arm was gently lowered onto the covers.
"His blood is dark red...and from our magic scans...it has latent traces of raw magic in it...low magic resistance and seems like he is capable of slightly faster than normal equine regeneration." the nurse said while holding a vial of my blood while a doctor scanned it, my eyes weakly staring at them while holding the guise of being in a coma.
'Well...this isn't so bad so far...as long as they don't go looking through my pack and find anything that might be seen as forbidden or taboo.'
Elsewhere
"What is this? Nightmare Moon's feather in a glass box? And what are these inscriptions under it? Ancient Equestrian? Whoever this being is...it must be an ancient follower of Nightmare Moon...when it fully recovers from Ponyville Hospital...bring it to me alive...and unharmed if possible."
