My name is Aphelion, and I used to have a pretty good life.
I'm a unicorn stallion, and I was, at least for a while, very happy. I had a best friend, as well as a mare who, when we both came of age, I'd intended to make my bride, and a talent for magic that made many envious. Since my cutie mark was of a ringed planet on a starry background, there were many who whispered that I might be my generation's Starswirl the Bearded. They may have been right, had things gone a little differently.
If only I had not been abducted, and spirited away to a foreign land by a centaur who coveted my magic...
No, it was not Lord Tirek, although I don't blame you for assuming it to be so. My abductor's name was Sendak the Elder, a wizard, a hermit, and an outlaw amongst his own kind. He had abducted me, and intended to use me as a renewable source for his own slowly diminishing magic. Had things happened differently, I might still have been locked in a cage, in a land far from my home, weak, miserable, and filled with despair.
However, Sendak had a student, an apprentice, a protege. Yes, that was Lord Tirek. And it was because of his student's blunder that I am free. Tirek craved power, and when Sendak revealed my existence to his student, the young centaur decided to make my power his own.
However, both Sendak and Tirek had underestimated my own strength. Tirek had attempted to drain my magic using a spell he barely understood. Sendak, when he had captured me, had used a potion to render me weak and unable to resist. However, he had not counted on my hearty constitution, and I had quickly built up a resistance to the foul stuff. Tirek, not knowing how best to cast the spell, and not knowing he'd need to drug me or restrain me to prevent me from resisting, quickly found himself no match for me. He was young, and stronger in some ways than Sendak, but I was younger, and stronger. I escaped, fled the cave, and was discovered by the local authorities.
I soon met the king and queen of the land, who were full of apologies, and promises that justice would be done. I, personally, just wanted to go home, and the king personally escorted me back to Equestria. I will not say that we became friends along the way. The differences between him and I were far too great, not in species, but in station: He was a king, and I, while a powerful magician in my own right, was still a common born citizen of a distant land. What I will say is that I came to respect him, and he, I think, thought well of me. Take from that what you will. The trip home was lengthy, but uneventful, and after a brief audience with the princesses, I returned home.
And discovered that, in just a few short moons, the life I'd once had was no more.
I had been gone for nearly half a year. Everypony had thought that I had died, eaten by some manner of ravenous beast. My kidnapper had, after capturing me, taken steps to make it seem so, in order to prevent anypony from questioning my disappearance. The mare I'd thought to make my bride had, after learning of my 'death', been overcome with sorrow. My best friend had comforted her, and within three moons, the two had fallen in love, and were making plans to wed when they both came of age. I don't blame them for that, nor am I bitter: Had I truly died, that is exactly what I would have wanted. My anger lies solely with Sendak, who had abducted me, and a little with Tirek as well, who saw me as nothing but a means of gaining greater power.
What broke my heart, however, was the fact that my mother, who had been in poor health for many years, had passed away during my absence, her condition having potentially worsened due to my disappearance. With my father having passed on years before, it meant that the assets of my family had, with no legal heir remaining, passed on to the state. The property of both my family, and myself, things that had been in our family for generations, had been auctioned off to charity, and there was little that could be done to get them back, even if I had possessed the wealth to do so. The house I'd grown up in had been turned into an orphanage. I was now a stallion with nothing left to his name.
I was fourteen years old, and I had nothing, not even a roof over my head.
I did what many ponies do when they hit rock bottom: I took to the road. I traveled with caravans as an armspony, using my magical strength to aid in protecting merchants and their wares from bandits, monsters and worse, and was able to see many distant lands. I turned out to be good at it, and my skills were in high demand. Over the course of a decade, I walked the sands of Saddle Arabia, I visited the roosts of Griffinstone, and even butted heads with the minotaurs of Tauria. I learned a great deal about magic in my travels, more than most ponies can even imagine was possible, and earned a sizable nest egg in the process, enough that I could easily have retired at my twenty-third birthday, had I felt a desire to stop. However, I suppose that I grew to enjoy life on the road.
Things changed, however, on my twenty-fifth birthday, when Tirek, along with his brother Scorpan, had attacked Equestria.
I had been attached to the caravan of a Saddle Arabian spice merchant at the time, but when I explained to him what was happening back home, he allowed me to depart without any ill will. He gave me his blessings, and gave me a writ allowing me free passage on his fastest ship.
As we cut across the waters as fast as a falcon or a pegasus could fly, I thought to myself that now I might have a purpose: I had fought Tirek once, and won, in spite of being weakened, malnourished, and shaking off the effects of a sleeping potion. He might be stronger than he once was, but I was certain that I was stronger still. I would return home, strike the brute down, and be hailed as a hero. That, I believed, had to be the reason why I had lost everything: So that I would have spent the last ten years and more honing my skills for the sole purpose of striking Tirek down when he came to my homeland. The unicorn that he had once tried to use as a power source would wipe that brute off the face of the world, once and for all.
Alas, it was not to be. The princesses had already defeated Tirek by the time I had arrived, and the brute had been locked away in Tartarus. Normally, his punishment would have been far more severe, but Scorpan, who had turned against his brother and aided in his capture, had asked only that his brother's life be spared. So, in spite of not being a fiend in the truest sense, and in spite of being only a greedy, irredeemable monster whose demise would make the world a better place, Tirek was simply imprisoned, rather than his head used to adorn the gates of Canterlot as a warning to those who might emulate him.
Again, I was left without a purpose, and I considered going back to the caravans. But then Lady Luck lent me a helping hoof. In a roadside tavern, I met both Scorpan and Starswirl the Bearded himself, who were traveling to Scorpan's homeland. While the two of them were powerful in their own right, they could use an armspony and a guide who knew the way: Scorpan had mostly followed Tirek to Equestria, and did not know the way well enough on his own to trust himself as a guide. Since I knew the way to Scorpan's homeland well enough, having traveled back to that place a couple of times during my marches with the trade caravans, the two were willing to have me along.
I learned a great deal from Starswirl, and he was impressed, I think, to meet a pony so young, yet so well travelled, so learned, and so willing to learn more. I stayed on with Starswirl for two years, long enough to learn all that he could teach me, and long enough to be by his side at his death bed. I think it gave him comfort, having a fellow Equestrian by his side in a foreign land. His last request was that I inform his former student, Clover the Clever, of his death. Intent on honoring that request, I bid farewell to Scorpan and his homeland, and journeyed back home.
Halfway back, the sun and moon collided.
By the time that I had returned, Equestria was in chaos: The fiends were loose, and all of them, plus Tirek, were running rampant, bringing chaos and destruction wherever they went. I had missed Commander Hurricane's final battle, and by the time I had set hoof again on Equestrian soil, Diretusk and his legions were already here, subjugating fiends.
I know my limits: I cannot stop fiends on the level of Arabus and his ilk, and while I might be able to stand against Diretusk in a fair fight, the boarc is unlikely to oblige me. However, I can do one thing. I studied Sendak's notes while I was at Starswirl's side, curious about whether there might be a method of blocking the spell he'd used to drain my power, should I ever encounter its like again. I know a great deal about Tirek's magic draining spell now, more than I suspect he knows himself. He will not be able to drain my magic as he had so many others, so unlike any other unicorn who still draws breath, I can face him without falling instantly. It took a good bit of traveling, and a fair bit of coin, to learn where Tirek was headed, but I am no stranger to walking, and I have more than enough wealth to spare these days.
The fiends have separated into two camps: One swears allegiance to Grogar, and are gathering strength in order to stand against Diretusk in a final battle that will likely sound Equestria's death knell, one way or the other. The other fiends are forced to swear loyalty to Diretusk, and are likewise girding themselves for that final confrontation. Tirek, meanwhile, not willing to call either tyrant his master, was last seen two weeks ago, heading towards the Crystal Empire, no doubt hoping that he will gain enough strength there to be able to defeat both sides. He will serve no tyrant, save himself.
I am, even now, navigating the harsh winter snows that would normally bar the way to all save a beast of Tirek's size and strength. However, I have braved worse passes, in worse weather, and even now, I can see Tirek's tracks clearly in the snow. He cannot be far, perhaps only a little bit ahead of me. I will run that brute down, and then...
...Then I will do what Celestia and Luna should have done years ago.
INTERLUDE UP!!!
I have absolutely no clue why, but I kind of want to see this guy run into Conrad.
The way you come up with such interesting characters and backgrounds baffles me. Although they all tend to lean on the mary-sue side quite a lot...
6017054
Bronzemurder is my personal favorite. That, and Cacame Awemedinade the Immortal Onslaught, Elven King Of Dwarves, and the only elf given official dwarf status by the community.
Badass powers activate! Now he must join Sombra and double the badassery!
badass unicorn!
This guy seems like a bro. He and Conrad should hang out. The word "broseph" should be used.
6017148
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6017223
I checked out one of the recent updates: Gelding strikes are now a thing. Ouch.
I wouldn't mind seeing a crossover with Conrad. Maybe him and his new changeling ladyfriend?
Great chapter, man. Really want the guy to meet Sombra.
6017240 yep, I'm gonna get a badass unicorn t-shirt now
6017089
Cacame runs faster than the CPU.
Cacame channels aquifers into submission by staring at them.
The only thing stronger than adamantium is Cacame.
Cacame is so badass, kobolds give him their children to leave them alone.
The world generator didn't create the world. It started off with Cacame and built the rest of the world around him.
Elephants used to be dangerous. Then Cacame didn't like them any more.
When dwarves dig too far down they hit Hidden Fun Stuff. When Hidden Fun Stuff digs too far down, they hit Cacame.
Cacame once impaled four enemies on a Tantrum Spiral.
Cacame Awemedinade does not need magma for his magma forges. He heats them with his infinite rage.
A marksdwarf once shot at Cacame. The marksdwarf's head was pierced through entirely.
Morul and Cacame once accidentally met on a neutral third region. Not only does that region no longer exist, it appears that it now never existed.
6017373 First thing you should ask yourself is not 'would this be awesome to mix two kinds of awesome together' but 'how would this be possible, will this ruin both stories'.
Batman never meet Conan the Barbarian (etc) for multiple reasons and both series were far less structured than most stories on FIMFiction.
Whew! This story has a ton of characters in it. Good thing I have a large character sheet with me to keep track of all of them. Here's how it looks like:
Protagonists:
Ambrose- A human inside King Sombra's body. Has a mission to save Equestria from the fiends. Gains lightning powers after defeating Arabus in Chapter 14. Turns into an alicorn in chapter 17 after swallowing a star.
King Sombra- A unicorn with dark powers that brought Ambrose to Equestria and into his body. Has the ability to tap into his powers whenever Ambrose needs assistance.
LadyHawke- Crystal pegasus pony and a lieutenant who used to serve under Commander Hurricane.
Sparking Sunset- Crystal unicorn pony and Clover the Clever's student. Helped gather the 108 virgin mares and fillies in order to resurrect Sombra.
Archon- A golden robot-like pony being that guards the Sanctuary, a giant mountain fortress.
The virgins:
Rosy Sunset- Crystal filly carrying Miss Bubbles.
Miss Bubbles- Rosy's pegasus doll. Has awesome powers due to blood magic. Temporarily came to life in chapter 12 to save Ambrosa/Sombra from his impending doom.
Ginger Ale- A filly and a lone survivor in a destroyed village.
Acorn- A changeling who disguised herself as an earth pony with dull brown coat, a darker shade for mane and tail, both unstyled and unadorned, but with bright green eyes. Has acorn for cutie mark. Is known as a forester due to the cloak that she is wearing. Since she's a changeling, she's quite stealthy and seems to appear out of nowhere on various occasions.
Sweet Melody- A yellowish mare with neither wings nor horn, but with a long and flowing mane and tail, and cutie mark that depicted a g-clef surrounded by little pink hearts. Has blue eyes.
Radiant Hope- A fluffy pony with dark purple in coloration, but with a splash of light blue where her mane would be. Has the ability to pull random objects out of its magical fur, including a violin and a pink surfboard.
Petite Madeleine- A unicorn pony with a golden coat, pink mane and tail, and blue eyes. She is a patisserie and used to bake for the royalty before joining the 108 mares to resurrect King Sombra.
Antagonists:
Diretusk- Leader of the Boarcs, which are giant boar-like creatures. Also has control of several fiends that escaped Tartarus.
Arabus- Cloud fiend. Fought in chapters 11, 12, and 14 and torn to pieces by Ambrose/Sombra's giant shadowy form's essence.
Lavan- Lava demon. Takes control of the Crystal Empire along with King Charlatan.
King Charlatan- Evil penguin tyrant. Takes control of the Crystal Empire along with Lavan. He and Lavan possess an artifact that allows anyone to worship the duo.
Raptorians- Creatures with doglike heads and birdlike bodies.
Crunch- Giant rockdog.
Somnambula- Human witch.
Squirk- Giant octopus.
Catrina- Humanoid feline witch.
Tirek- A demon that escaped Tartarus. Is heading to the Crystal Empire to drain enough magic to make himself stronger and defeat the other fiends.
Grogar- The most powerful fiend that escaped Tartarus. An evil goat fiend and a necromancer from a kingdom named Tambelon.
Other characters:
Discord- Spirit of chaos and disharmony. Appears in chapter 18. Is watching what Ambrose is doing during his adventures.
Aphelion- A unicorn stallion kidnapped by Sendak, Lord Tirek's master. After escaping Sendak's lair, he worked as an armspony and protected others from bandits or other monsters. Is currently heading towards the Crystal Empire to find Tirek.
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
Aphelion... so freaking awesome.
I wonder actually why he has such a grudge against Tirek in particular... wasn't it his master that caused all the chaos in his life? Taking him away and all that, makes you think hmm?
Tirek, if anything, was the only reason he could have escaped, and now they are suddenly mortal enemies, despite having little interaction since he escaped imprisonment.
He's badass... and a loophole.
Sombra needs a middleman.
Aphelion needs some backup.
Heh, I like where this is going.
6017872
It isn't so much a personal grudge as it is that he believes, down to his bones, that if anyone is going to destroy Tirek once and for all, it is him. Besides, unlike the rest of Equestria, he saw Tirek when he was younger, and he understands that, no matter how long you lock him away, and how nice that you try to be to him, Tirek is a monster, always has been a monster, and always will be a monster. Celestia and Luna viewed Tirek as misguided, and needs to be set straight. Aphelion views Tirek as a rabid dog, and needs to be put down.
Part of that may simply be due to having seen what Tirek had done back home, before he'd departed to Equestria. What was that? Heh, we'll get to that...
6017650 That's why you do it in a sequel to both. That way it can't ruin the story, as it can made around the meeting instead of the meeting wedged in.
Since this guy is human, why hasn't he magiced up some guns for everypony now?
6018021 what are you, a filthy casual?
Also, no fingers
One is a human soul in the body of a shadow emperor.
The Other is The Badass Unicorn.
They fight crime.
6017709 This was amazing and awesome. Thank you so much. It cleared up some things for me.
6016030
Totally a Ninja Pirate Ghost
We all know changelings are a myth.
6017950
What was that last part?
6018206 The unicorns don't need fingers to pull a trigger.
wait, didn't starswirl build the mountain ship 300 years ago? how old is this pony to have met him?
6018742 The unicorns can also shoot magic from their foreheads, why do they need guns?
I wanna join this dude on his travels... As my Fallout New Vegas character... It be better then a flame coated Space Marine, it's just... I guy like him... Needs a good wing man.
Hey what if he got hit with a transformation spell and was turned into a mare
6018549 Wrong
Well you know what they say, third times the charm.
Oh god. Random MALE character who is strong.
He threatens the balance of Sombra and the 108.
He must DIE! Tirek kill the s.o.b.
6018818 Mwahahahaha. Yes. Time paradox. Death to this oc.
6019141 Magic can be deflected by shields designed to deflect magic things.
Those shields would not be designed to deflect bullets.
And if magic from unicorns was the answer, they would have won already now too.
6019628 wrote : "The prospect of an umbrum army sounds neat if they are all female with sombra being the only male born in x amount of millennia."
So, you want to turn the Umbrum into the Gerudo?
6017950
Hmm, fair enough, he IS pretty cool.
Well, let's hope this guy isn't antagonistic against Sombra or else there might be a pretty serious, even if potentially funny, clash.
That'd be interesting to see.
*sees new chapter*
... Are you a wizard? A wizard or some kind of person from R.O.D. The TV? Cause' nobody can cast spiels of chapters this fast!! At least nobody human!
Not that I'm complaining of course, I say keep em' comin' Mr. Strange!
Anyway, it was nice to finally see Sendak written into the story, even if it was only a mere mention. Like the Sidius to Tirek's Vader I say. Plus it was also interesting in finding out about this Aphelion character, and his connection with one of the fiends.
His motivation for wanting to end Tirek is also worthy of badassery. Doin' it only because it's personal, like so many other lone wanderers with their billowing cloaks in the wind. I'm hoping he goes out in a blaze of glory fighting Tirek to the death, going out with a smile on his face after finally completing his mission in life. Possibly appearing later as an apparition/hallucination to SombrAmbrose during a climactic battle with one of the final bosses when the villain is right about to make the battered SombrAmbrose give in to despair, like a classic shonen series would do.
Still, I was kinda hoping that the inderlude would be about one of the mares (or a doll or a Changeling or a robot-guard-thing on a lesser scale), Hope specifically, and the effect SombrAmbrose's Star Swag had on her. But I guess the delay only adds to the excitement.
Welp, I think that's all I wanna say for now, other then I hope Aphelion becomes neither a spotlight stealing squad guy nor a SombrAmbrose Harem stealer. Peace out!
P.S. I Miss Bubbles. *stops to giggle at lame pun* When's she coming back * cue puppy dog eyes* ?
Stories that start referencing the comics and that other "extended universe" stuff always leave me with a bit of a sour taste. Most of that side stuff is just so stupid. I can kill time here and not feel too embarrassed because I've honestly kinda started to respect the quality and integrity behind the writing of the show itself, but that whole peripheral cash-in circus surrounding it makes me think of maternal basements and nerd sweat.
6020185
Shepard.
Wrex.
Wrex.
Shepard.
Shepard.
Wrex.
Wrex.
Shepard.
Shepard.
Wrex.
Wrex.
Shepard.
Shepard.
Wrex.
Wrex.
Shepard.
Shepard.
Wrex.
Wrex.
Shepard.
Shepard.
Wrex.
Wrex.
Shepard.
6019720 if it was that simple, wouldn't they have already done it?
Well this is interesting.
That was fun, may I have another? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
6016978 YES! THE STRAIGHT PONY APPEARS! HE IS HERE!
He JUST met with the princesses. Why the heck couldn't he just appeal to them to get the proceeds from the auctioning of his estate back? Hell, if they didn't want to pay him, an appeal to the other kingdom could be made, seeing as they bent over backwards to keep the abduction from causing an international incident (the king doesn't just escort anybody). He could even make a name for himself by willingly declining the proceeds for the home-turned-orphanage, to benefit the foals. This guy is like those people who go, "oh, I got charged extra on my phone bill, damn. But I won't call to fix it, because that would take effort."
(I think I'm mostly disgusted with this mindset because it is one I find myself falling into, if I don't stop myself.)
Neat