//------------------------------//
// 19 
// Story: Slave of Eternity 
// by Secrets and Lies 
//------------------------------//


(19)







        Into the depths he traveled, further than anyone had ventured in a very long while. He followed every step with considerable caution as each footfall carried an echo that spanned beyond the walls themselves. He was in the maw of the shadow now and his eyes were useless to him; though he continued his descension with the words of trust and counsel that strange mare had given him. His last glimmer of faith not only hung with her words, but with the Emerald Lady’s as well. He had to stay strong, continually reminding himself that he was the master of the Prevailer, that nothing in this world could stop him. With all the words he tried to comfort himself with, a sliver of doubt always remained in the back of his mind. Something came into Zack’s view through the blackness, a thin beam of sunlight, as if through a canopy of trees. It spread out before him in the distance as he descended further. At once, he picked up his pace and made his way closer to the light. He finally reached the step and as he did, a new chamber was sprawled out before him.
Zack found himself in a large and dark rotunda. Its floor, ceiling and walls were made of the same, ancient stones as Equadeus Arx was. Vegetation–such as small bushes and saplings–had broken through cracks throughout the brick layout. Vines had crawled their way up the walls and ceilings, and weeds and flowers of all sorts had sprouted upwards between the stones. How they grew in this place was a mystery to Zachary, but something even greater took hold of his attention towards the center of the room.
A few dozen meters away was a shrine where the greenery was most prominent, where the luminescence from circular windows above graced the area with warm sunlight. In this circle of greenery and radiance encompassed three large, white marble pillars which were also invaded by the plant life below. Zachary didn’t notice what hindered his sight from the centerpiece of the shrine until his eyes unfocused to see what had blocked it. He stopped and immediately stepped back from the opposing threat as soon as he recognized it.
Before him, almost as dark as the room’s shadows, stood a towering stone statue. It was humanoid in appearance, but it was faceless and its body was of a coal-colored tone. It loomed over Zachary, casting a shadow that enveloped the wall’s behind him. Zack figured it must have been several yards high from head to foot; its hands and feet were large enough to crush Zachary in a single blow if it attacked him–though he began to wonder if this statue was even real. Like the pillars–vines and moss had grown across this statue as if it had been here since this chamber’s making. The plant growth had grabbed hold of the statue’s feet and legs, and he wondered if this was the Excubris he was warned about.
“Could the Excubris have... died,” Zachary wondered as he stepped closer to inspect it. The giant figure appeared as lifeless as any sculpture he had seen before. As he went to look around it, a new gleam of light shot forth into the corner of his eyes. 
The centerpiece was finally revealed before Zachary when he had stepped around the statue. The immense amount of magical energy he once felt came back to him and he knew what he was looking upon was the Catalyst Stone. Above a table of piled river rocks floated the icosahedron gemstone, the source of the greatest power known in Equestria. Its color was undefinable–at any angle Zack moved to look at it from, even if he moved the slightest amount, it would change colors. The stone was quite large, twice the size of a basketball and probably weighed an excruciating amount; yet it floated silently in the air in the shrine’s sunlight, as if waiting to be taken. As Zack took another step closer, a voice rang through the chamber in a frigid, somber tone.
The voice spoke the warning, “One who seeks the Catalyst Stone shall be cast into death itself. None living shall enter this shrine, you have been warned. Return to your home lands and tell of this message to any who wish to claim this artifact. Do not take another step, brave adventurer. For if you do, you will perish.”
As the voice became faint throughout the hall, Zack’s quickening heartbeat overcame his hearing. Zack fleeted his eyes to and fro, searching the room for any clear signs of danger. He wasn’t quite sure where the hollow voice came from, but he knew that now he was not alone. His eyes returned towards the Catalyst Stone once more, still shimmering from the light above the shrine. Zachary swallowed in discomfort, wondering what may happen to him if he did take the foreboding step towards his ultimate goal. He instead took a pace backwards away from the shrine, still keeping his eyes on the stone.
All the fear and anguish had come rushing back to him as he turned away from the shrine. The words of Celestia, Luna, Roren and The Emerald Lady seemed locked away in the deepest sanctums of his tearing mind. Zachary couldn’t bare it. The tension and stress of death and failure was too much–he just couldn’t overcome it. Zack knew he couldn’t turn back, he had to go forward, he had to surpass this daunting terror that had froze over his entire body. He took a few seconds to calm down and reevaluate the situation. He had to believe, and truly believe in himself to conquer this persisting horror.
He began in a feebly murmur, “Nothing... no threat has stopped me before. No monster has lain waste to my body. I have defeated enemy after enemy, I am strong.” His eyes looked back upwards towards the stone and continued with more vigor in his tone, “Everyone... everyone is counting on me. I will do this, I have to do this... I can do this. I can do this!” 
As those last words broke free from his lips, he sped forward towards the Catalyst Stone as fast as he could. He soon felt the shrine's ground beneath his feet, a sudden burst of adrenaline pumped through his legs making his strides longer and quicker. As he began to take another step in his sprint towards the gemstone, he knew for certain he could do it–that nothing in this world could stop him. He was at the pinnacle of his faith and strength, he had done so much more than anyone he knew of could have done. 
He remembered that he was Zachary, he was the boy thrown from one world to another. That he rescued a filly from timber wolves and without him, she would have been dead. He remembered the climb of Dragon’s Peak, he remembered the shoot out at Appleloosa, he remembered when he stood between Starswirl and Celestia. He had done so much more that he remembered in that split second that his energy seemed to gush forth from his essence. He felt invincible, indestructible, immortal; and that’s when he felt it. 
A rising, surging pain came over the left side of his body. Something large and indescribably powerful had struck him off of his feet and had flung him across the chamber floor. As his body tumbled and skipped across the brick layout, he tried to stop himself. Once his shoes grasped hold of the brick below his feet, his Chucks helped him skid to a stop as the dust floated by his body. He looked up to see what had attacked him and knew it to be true. The large, stone statue had moved in front of him, now only a meter away and looking down upon his opponent. Zachary–still low to the ground with his hands and feet holding him up–ran rampant on ever rising adrenaline. Excubris watched the minuscule human below as he watched back, waiting for what seemed like ages to strike.
The monstrous, animated statue spoke as gravely as before saying, “You have been warned. You shall meet death soon.” 
In the moment that Excubris spoke, he rose his knee high and prepared to stomp Zachary into the earth. Zack’s eye’s widened as he threw himself out of harm’s way. With a quick side roll, he narrowly escaped his own demise as the missile of a foot stamped the location where he once was, breaking the ancient brick layout.
As Zachary secured his footing coming out of his evasive tumble, he spun his body around with his hand and pushed off of the ground into a sprint. He had unsheathed his sword and held it to its side as the point of it faced his enemy. In an incredible whirl of movements Zachary could have never expected, Excubris swung his arm towards his opponent while sidestepping away from Zachary’s attack. The beast’s forearm came colliding with Zachary’s upper body, sending him off of his feet and flailing forwards. His body skidded across the chamber floor once again. He was already suppressing the excruciating pain that was given to him so quickly in the fight, but he knew he had to keep pressing on.
Before he could get to his feet again, something grabbed hold of his left leg. Excubris–as big as he was–was already at Zachary’s location and was on the verge of tossing him. He hurled Zack’s body into the air in a arched movement while still holding to his foot. Zack came plummeting back down to the other side of Excubris, his face connected with the floor first as his body came falling afterwards. Excubris had let go when Zachary met contact with the ground, letting the little creature bounce a few times from the devastating crash landing.
As his body finally came to a halt, Zachary began to cough up blood. His body was beginning to break and he knew that this monster was only playing with him. Zack hadn’t even landed a hit on him yet, he knew the Prevailer could defeat this monster, but he had to be able to strike Excubris successfully to stop it. Zachary began to slowly pick himself up with much difficulty. As he did, he noticed the monster didn’t try to attack him, Excubris merely stood silently in front of the shrine like before, protecting the Catalyst Stone ever on. Zachary–at once–saw an open opportunity and hastily threw the blade towards his enemy, propelled to go straight and quick with his magic. As the sword came at an inescapable distance, Excubris swatted an open palmed strike towards the sword and slapped it out of the air. The Prevailer scrapped and tumbled across the far chamber, but it was soon returned to its master as he reached his arm forward and pulled it back with his magic.
As the sword met back with Zachary’s right hand, Excubris was on the offense again. He made winding movements, almost vaulting across the floor as if he was wearing the Ethereal Sabatons. Zachary had to think fast, beyond the fastest he could think before he met with more intense agony. He threw his hands upward and released as much magic as he could through his body towards his opponent. With only mere meters between the two, something had shot up through the floor and encased the beast in front of Zachary. Large roots and powerful vines had broken through the ancient brick foundation and had tangled around the enemy, immobilizing Excubris while hanging him in the air.
Zack began to run towards Excubris on the verge to strike again. Quite suddenly, Excubris unleashed his strength once more and violently twisted his body as fast as a whirlwind. The thick roots had broken off in splinters of wood as he gradually freed himself. When his lower body was unhindered, he threw out one of his powerful, stone legs. Zack had narrowed his vision on his target, yet did not see the coming roundhouse maneuver. Zachary was taken off guard as the giant heel of Excubris’ foot smashed into Zachary’s body. Once again, Zack was thrown like a stone across the chamber. As his body cascaded and flipped about, he lost his grip on the sword and the two parted directions. Zachary finally stopped as his form sunk into the brick wall, indenting the ancient chamber’s barrier. As the damage took over his body, he spat and choked on copious amounts of blood from internal injuries. With each deep breath he gave, stinging agony and aching torment came with it. He had fractured many ribs just now and could easily fall over and give up. He urged himself to fight past the pain–he had to. Excubris waited for his adversary to unhinge himself from the wall, giving him a chance to live a few more seconds. Once Zachary did, the beast wasted no more time and charged again. Zack had to hold him back, he had to lay some sort of damage on Excubris so he could deliver his blade into his foe; yet Zachary was now vacant of a weapon as the Prevailer lay halfway across the room. The monster was traveling too quickly for Zachary to bring his blade back with magic, so he had to distract him somehow.
He swelled his magic in his arms as tremendous, substantial energy built up. As Excubris came into Zachary’s line of fire, he unleashed the magic through his arms and out of his two index fingers. A clear beam of energy was emitted from his body. A concentrated magical attack that didn’t seem much, but he knew that the power he placed in his attack would easily cut through the thickest stone. The shaft of powerful energy sailed across the floor, upheaving dust and rocks below it from the wind it produced. As the laser met with Excubris, he quickly threw up his arms and crossed them in front of his body for protection. He secured his form as the intense beam of light struck the beast near instantly. The attack collided with Excubris as dust from his rock form spewed forward in a cloud of debris. Zack withdrew his attack and the beam stopped after impact. It took a substantial amount of magical energy to even conjure such a feat, but he did it and he believed he finally damaged his opponent. His magic was nearly drained now as he desperately hoped Excubris was forced to recuperate after such an attack.
In a flurry of movements, out from the cloud of thick dust, darted Excubris. Zack was astonished and had little to no time to defend himself once again. In a quick thought, he summoned up the last of his magic into a ruby-red ball of energy in hopes of stopping him. The sphere formed quickly in his hand as he took no time in aiming and threw it towards Excubris. Not even stopping, the monster slapped the magical attack away while continuing his pursuit of Zachary. The foe finally reached him and stopped only for a moment to place both of his feet upon the ground in a sturdy stance. Zack had no time to react and had no idea what Excubris was planning. The statue then moved his body sideways and curled his right fist below his waist. The monster took a quick and short step forward and struck Zachary directly into his torso. Excubris had delivered an extremely powerful attack, placing all of his weight and strength into a single, short-ranged punch.
Zachary was lifted up off of the ground as he felt the rest of his intact ribs shatter like glass in his chest. His breath was expelled away as he fought to fill his lungs again with breath. As he returned to the ground, he fell upon his knees, and just as quickly fell face down on his stomach. Excubris was getting impatient at his opponent’s threshold over death. He bent over to pick up Zachary around the chest, squeezing his torso with a single hand. He then turned and threw Zack like a ball across the room, however this time, he came in contact with one of the pillars over near the shrine. Zachary’s body was traveling so fast, that he simply broke through the pillar and fell to the other side of the room, only stopping when his body skidded and skipped along the floor to a halt.
Zachary couldn’t move an inch of his body, it was even a struggle to open his mouth and breath. He was sure now that he was paralyzed from the neck down and this was going to be his death. Not dying peacefully in his sleep or in his bed beside his Pinkie Pie, but in a tomb only a few steps away from his goal and nearly ten thousand miles away from his home. He finally moved his head upward to see where Excubris was and found that he was approaching Zachary from across the chamber–taking his sweet time. He looked over to his right and discovered that he landed fairly close to his blade, but the strength he had left was not enough to even pick the weapon up or even move his body close enough to come in contact with it. Zachary had to think up a plan, there had to be a way to still defeat this indescribably powerful enemy.
He spat a gob of blood out of his throat to clear his mouth before he mustered out, “I only wanted the Catalyst Stone to protect my people, to stop the sickness inside of me. Not for wealth or fame or anything like that!” As Excubris finally approached, he stopped to tower of Zachary and listen to him, or so Zack hoped for. 
He continued in sporadic breaths, “You... you are a worthy advisor and I submit defeat, but please listen to what I have said. I need this stone for the equine race, I need it to save them... to save them from me. I only want virtue out of this stone.”
Zachary could feel stamina returning to his form. His upper limbs were the strongest at the time, so he began to spread his arms out and drag his body away from Excubris ever so slowly. Excubris saw this and with a quick and devastating jab, he slammed his fist into Zachary’s good arm. His arm snapped like a twig as he screamed in anguish. When the large fist returned upward, Zachary’s arm could be seen bent and shattered; his elbow had broken through the skin and all feeling in that limb had ceased. Zachary bit into the collar of his shirt as he gave a long, muffled cry while fighting back tears of agony. Excubris then rose his leg upward and softly placed his foot atop Zachary’s left leg.
Zachary pleaded for his life saying, “Please! No! No!”  Without hesitation, Excubris placed all of his weight on Zack's leg. Cracking bone and the tearing of skin could be heard expelling from it as he broke out in a torrent of yelps and wails. He couldn’t do anything as he writhed in pain, hopeless and helpless. Excubris took his foot off, but Zachary had no urge to look at what he had done as he bit his lip to pitifully try to hold back the screams and relieve his extensive amount of suffering.
Even through it all, Zack gathered enough energy to move his head up and reply, “Just finish me. You’re no worse than Discord or Tirek or any other thing that wishes to see others suffer.”
Excubris revved his arm back and held it high above him; at any moment he could smite Zachary where he lay. The shadow of the monster’s arm fell over Zachary and finally he knew that this would be it. The sweet release of death would finally come over him. He tried so hard; so much was placed on him that he thought he could bare, but it was too much for one man to take. He closed his eyes and smiled.
His concentration broke as a breaking noise overtook the both of them. He opened his eyes and saw that Excubris was still standing over him, but his body was quivering and quaking, barely able to stand. The strangest thing though was something had lodged itself in its forehead, someone had struck the great guardian of Equadeus Arx. Whatever it was that stabbed him began to slowly slip down its face, still impaled in its stone body. Excubris remained still, as frozen as the statue he once pretended to be. What appeared to be pebbles began to fall from his being, then the pebbles turned to flakes and soon his entire body was dissipating before Zack’s eyes. In mere moments, his form became a billow of dust as it drifted slowly to the ground. When the body had finally broken apart, whatever had stabbed the monster finally fell to the ground next to Zachary. It chinged and rang in a metal sound as it collided with the brick floor, and when it finally rested, Zachary discovered that it was the Prevailer. It didn’t make sense though; how could he have moved it without the aid of magic? He didn’t feel any drain from his already dry source of magic–he was utterly perplexed.
Before he could fully cope with what had just happened, the sword began to glow with a silver, magic aura. The Prevailer lifted itself off of the ground and floated off behind Zachary’s area of vision. He couldn’t move his head back far enough to see who was behind him or where the sword was floating off towards. He began to hear nearly silent footsteps far off behind him which were approaching his location. They were distant at first, but eventually they became louder and louder, and soon he realized they weren’t footsteps, but hoof steps.
“It can’t be,” he thought as he listened to the growing clopping sounds draw nearer.
Out from the corner of his sight came the unicorn mare he met before. He didn't know what emotion to express, though his mind was slipping into an unconscious state as he struggled to focus and stay awake. The pony stopped before him, wielding the Prevailer beside her in the air.
Zack finally noticed this and agonized, “How... how can you wield it?... Who are you?”
She looked over him and his battered body as she replied sternly, “You have a long way to go before you truly master the Prevailer and become its Master–but I am and was the Master. I am Moonsinger. I am the first Protégé of Celestia’s Court, and you are Zachary.”
What he remembered about Moonsinger was finally coming back to him. From what the Ivory Guard had told him to what Luna and Celestia had told him about her; what he just didn’t understand was how he didn’t recognize her to begin with–how he should have assumed it was her. He felt the same feeling overcome his body when he first approached Princess Celestia–the were practically kin. Zack had heard so many different things about this one mare and how great she was, and now she was standing over him wielding his own sword. Two Masters of the same magical artifact in the same room; he thought to himself about how this could even be happening.
Zack spoke up, “You... you controlled Excubris though... You did this to me. Why?”
“I controlled him in the sense that he was bound to this one place and to protect the Catalyst Stone. Yes, I could have helped you much earlier, but I had to see what you were capable of. To me, you are the next Master of the Prevailer, so I had to see who was to be my successor.” 
She turned towards the stone and away from Zachary still speaking, “In the years I’ve lived, in the years I’ve traveled, I have yet to see a Master of the Prevailer with your aptitude. And though you did well, you did not conquer Excubris. I wish I could teach you more Zachary, but right now you must travel back to Equestria as fast as you can. The Day of Dawnfire is soon to be set in motion, and you must turn the key to start this.” She pivoted back towards Zachary and with her magic, stuck the Prevailer in the ground beside her.
“I will try to heal your body; it will take much magical power and concentration on my half. Know that when I do heal you, I will be gravely hurt from my previous injuries. Most magic, as you know, has no affect on you, but through such a wellspring of magical energy from the Catalyst Stone, I might be able to break through that barrier. I will channel the magic from the Catalyst Stone through me and into you. Hold still.”
Moonsinger closed her eyes and began to concentrate heavily on what needed to be done. Zack watched in wonderment as a thin, white strand of wavering energy was slowly drawn from the stone behind her. The silk looking appearance came into contact with her horn as she drew power from the stone and into her being. Zack noticed that she had only taken a small amount of power from the stone as the last bit of phantom-esque energy trailed off and was absorbed into her horn. Her eyes opened wide as they gleamed like heavenly bodies, as white and as bright as the sun itself. Her horn began to glow in a new aura; it appeared in a multitude of colors mimicking that of a rainbow. A beam of the same colored energy shot forth and overcame Zachary’s body. In that moment he was soothed of his pains, he could feel the open wounds and fleshly tears begin to form over each other. His bones were melded to one another and set back in place as he felt new life enter into his body. As his injuries were healed, the light around him faded and Moonsinger’s eyes returned to normal. Zachary was fully renewed and as powerful as before–maybe even more so, he couldn’t tell. 
As her horn flickered with retreating energy, she soon collapsed to her side. He quickly hopped to his feet and ran over to her. He noticed more blood seeping from her body than before he entered through the archway; vital fluid trickled down her mouth, snout, even from her horn. As he looked over her more, he became aware of her state; her horn itself was cracked and fragile. This was the reason why she was dying, her magic has been draining all along and now her life force was slipping away in compensation from her void in magic.
He lifted her head and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Thank you, Moonsinger.” She looked away from him and towards the Catalyst Stone.
Zack’s eyes moved over towards the artifact as well as she stammered, “I-I told you a-about this. Touch t-the stone, that’s a-all you must do. Now, s-set me down and d-do as you’re told.”
Zachary did so as he laid her gently on her side. He arose and slowly stepped forward into the shrine. The light from above warmed his body as the frigid chambers of Equadeus Arx seemed to vanish away. He moved before the stone and stopped to look it over one last time. It shimmered in colors he never imagined and soon was nearly lost in its otherworldly beauty. He looked down at his hand as he moved his fingers about in preparation. Zack then rose his hand and softly placed it on one of the many faces of the stone.
A sudden jolt of energy overcame his body and he could not remove his hand. The Catalyst Stone began to gleam in brighter hues as his palm and fingers felt as if they were being burned over an open flame. The stone began to shrink and dissipate, it was being withdrawn into Zack’s body as he felt the intensity of the magic overwhelm his essence. As the stone finally faded and was sucked into his body, he pulled his hand away and looked at his palm for damage. What he saw was quite startling, he noticed burn marks on each of his fingers and a large scar branded in the center of his palm. Each scar was different, but he knew what they were. Each of the six Elements were branded on him, and Twilight Sparkle’s was the centerpiece of it all on his palm. He turned back towards Moonsinger and saw her fighting for life. He had completely forgotten about her as he rushed back over to try and aid the mare who had done so much for him.
“Is there anything I can do to help,” he anxiously spoke.
She opened her eyes towards him and smiled returning, “Y-yes. Leave me. Go b-back to Equestria. I’ll be fa-fine.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Do it or e-everyone you know will b-be dead.”
Zack took a few moments to evaluate the situation and questioned, “It’ll be days before I reach the Panexus again in Firelight Woods, that’s only if I find it. Whatever is happening, I won’t be able to aid them all in time.”
She looked up at him, took a long breath and slowly spoke, “F-focus. You have newfound power. You a-are only a vehicle for the Catalyst Stone, b-but it grants you its abilities. Like traveling by Panexus, f-focus on the destination and go there.” With those words of instruction, Zachary began to concentrate on the Panexus that was in the Royal Gardens of Canterlot Castle.
“Okay,” he said aloud with his eyes still shut, “I think I found it.”
“Good.”
Zachary placed a hand on Moonsinger’s side and the other around the handle of his sword, “But you’re coming with me.”
She gave a light chuckle and moaned, “Fool.”
An orb of light began to appear around the two as the sliver of magical energy took the colors of a rainbow. They were soon encompassed by the powerful magic and in an instant were teleported away. The two traveled far beyond Equadeus Arx, beyond Firelight Woods, even beyond Arteria.



  

In what seemed like only a few seconds, Zack found himself in a strange, yet eerily familiar location. Billowing cumuli sailed high above in a bright, blue sky. They towered in the distant foot-lands like mountains of white as they flew overhead like flocks of birds. A gentle and cooling gust grazed over him, sweeping the sweat and dirt off of his brow. Large, golden stalks of hay came up above his waist and wavered in the passing winds. It all seemed beyond real; a bit brighter than usually and the feeling of being in this peaceful place was unsettling to Zachary. It seemed so strange to him because of the fact that he teleported himself here and not to Canterlot like he intended. Like before however, this region, this one spot on this one hill overlooking golden fields, it spoke to him. It felt as if he was summoned here beyond his will, that he had no part in this grand scheme. This was not his destination, and this brought him greater fear than in the depths of Equadeus Arx.
He looked over and narrowly missed the quietly breathing and whimpering Moonsinger as she lay below the tall grass. He came to her and lifted her up, holding the mare in his arms. She looked up at him with a confused expression as he returned a icy look back.
“Where are we, Moonsinger?" he questioned, patiently waiting for her response.
“You tell me, you’ve been here before.”
“I wouldn’t ask if I knew where we were, would I?”
“It will come in time,” she affirmed him. “Turn around, Zachary.”
Zack did so with her still in his arms. Behind him was a massive tree with darkened bark and outstretching branches. It was as wide as it was tall and was far bigger than any tree in the Firelight Woods. Above them in the foliage was a circular hole in the canopy where the light shined in around them. From the tree’s branches hung what appeared to be multicolored shards of glass, hung by threads and blowing gently in the rising gales. Zachary looked about him, mystified by his returning knowledge and wondering how all of this was happening now.
He slowly spoke, eyes still darting back and forth as his heart quickened. “I dreamed of this place,” he reluctantly confessed. “I’ve been here.” He looked down at her and asked, “How did you know I’ve been here?”
“I know many things. Now let me down, I can walk.” He did so as she wobbled on her hooves before shambling over to the tree to hold herself up.
The unicorn looked up at the tree and began anew saying, “This is Arberes, the tree which all Panexi are connected to. This location, however, has no name and has no map on how to find it. It is only accessible by Panexus, if you know what to focus on. Do you see those shards hanging above us? Those are gateways to other Panexi all across Arteria. This is the place where we found the other Panexi once.” She looked over at him as his eyes were staring upwards into the tree and away from her.
“Zack,” she called out, bringing his attention back. 
Her violet eyes interlocked into his worried ones as she started, “I’m going to die soon, here under this tree. My life force is fleeting and there is nothing in this finite world that can help me. No grand magic or immortal force can save me, and I’m happy because of it.” Zack said nothing in return, she knew she had more to say as she licked her lips of dried blood and continued.
“You need to listen to my song, Zachary. But before I sing it, I must give you a preamble of who I am, and who you are. Thousands of years ago, I was sent by my Princesses to seek out the Panexi and connect them so that we may spread peace throughout Arteria. However, my colleagues... and my husband, had met a terrible fate. We had unlocked and unhindered a powerful force, an artifact much more ferocious and terrible than anything you have encountered yet. This instrument was created by servants of shadow, it is called the Rainbow of Darkness. And through that, we contacted the elder spirit. He had been locked away–the spirit that is–bound to an artifact himself. Unfortunately, he escaped his prison and when he discovered that the three spirits took physical form in Arteria, he too gave up his divine powers and joined our world to cause as much harm as he could to it and his kin. You know him as Tirek, the spirits knew him as The Ancient One. For he was the first and he is the murderer of the other spirits who once populated Arteria.
Why I tell you this is only because of what he has done to me and my five friends–especially me. I was the last of my fellowship when he found me. We fought for a long while, but he was too great. With the sole reason to cause only harm and agony, he broke my essence in time like breaking the link in a chain. I have been thrown forwards and backwards beyond my will throughout the years. I have seen many things, and through all of it, I have been slowly dying. He wished for me to have a slow, painful death. Though he intended for me to feel his lasting effects physically, so he also desired that I may watch this world die. To watch my kind, my lands, my mother perish and turn to dust.
What I want you to know is this: You must become stronger than I could have ever been. You must become more powerful than the Elements, than the Princesses, than anything in this world. You must or you will watch the world burn just like I did. The Catalyst Stone will give you power, but if you exert too much, it will be destroyed. It is powerful, but not infinite in its abilities. Tirek is alive, Tirek is waiting patiently, Tirek is a foe you cannot underestimate. Discord is only a puppet. A strong, but powerful puppet. He is an instrument and a stepping stone to further Tirek’s plans.”
“Tell me,” Zack interrupted, “tell me about the future. How can I prepare... how will it end?”
She gave a faint smile and replied, “You know I can’t tell you that. Trust me, none of us would.”
“Well,” he asked, “can you tell me this then: Will I die before peace is brought to Equestria?” Moonsinger thought to herself as her smile faded from her face.
She looked back and answered somberly, “You will die... through chaos. Equestria will be eradicated off of the face of Arteria. What will remain is the memories it held and the ideals it birthed. There was never peace in Equestria, there was never to begin with and I do not believe I shall ever see it.” Zack stood silently on the hill as the wind rushed behind him and flapped his loose clothing. Moonsinger had to tell him the truth in ways that wouldn’t foretell of his future. Who knows what new and terrible events may occur if time was altered in such a fashion. She hated speaking in riddles, but she had to for his and her sake.
“Zachary,” she called to him in a softer, almost motherly tone. He looked up at her, revealing a face that told of shattered desires and hopes, “You can rewrite history still, if only you have the will power... if only you have faith.”
“Blind faith, Moonsinger? The same faith you had once before Tirek took it away?”
“The only faith that will decide this universe’s fate.”
Moonsinger continued onward, “You’ve heard of the Song of the Universe, Om told you a verse once. I will sing it to you, and you will be enlightened. For my talent–you see–is singing. I was born under the full moon when the heavens rained down stars that sung in the night sky. My destiny was this and much more as you now know. Now, listen to the song that gave birth to the Universe and everything in it:


	A broken star amidst the deep


	Shattered heavens, a light did creep


	From light, a life awakened sleep


	Which split to four and three did keep


	



	Old ones, akin, fought long above


	Defeated Queen and wicked Prince


	Forsaken spirits longing love


	The stars long burning ever since


	



	To a world born from one destroyed


	Sacred sisters of Firelight Wood


	A planet's dawn lost in the void


	A spirit came, to trick the good


	



	The spirit fooled the eldest one


	To her, a love, an evil spun


	Neither did see what he had done


	A curse to ever hold the sun


	



	And thus a planet held in lies


	Ancient ruin crumbling still


	Foreseer watching, fastened eyes


	The might of chaos one did steal


	



	A world so full of life so frail


	She always knows she must not fail


	For when that day, when all grows pale


	A future bleak, time cannot tell


	



	But hope there is, beyond our own


	Clashing secrets from shadows come


	The being travels all alone


	With time itself, he shall succumb


	



	A hero of light whom all fear


	Shall shroud this world for ages on


	Though he is lost, for shed of tear


	Shall never see his final dawn


	



	He who begins the key a turning


	Will see the end with eyes a burning


	Even he, who foresees,


	knows not of the


	son of eternity.”


	


Her voice had rang throughout the hill top more harmoniously as nature around them. Shivers of an undefinable sensation surged across Zack’s body as the words continued to ring throughout his very essence. She took a breath and began to lie herself down, leaning against the base of the mighty tree. She now appeared frail before Zachary, the last remaining bit of her strength seemed to reside in the warm smile she gave him.
“I know,” she spoke in almost a whisper. “...I know you will save us. Don’t try to fulfill a long dead prophecy. Be yourself. Because that’s what all we should be. Tell my mother, Selene, that I love her... And Zachary?”
“...Yes...”
“Everything will be okay, and we love you.” 
In those final words, her eyes gently closed and her body loosened up; he had no idea how tense she was this whole time until now as her body finally gave way to death. Her horn gave one last blink of silver, magical energy before it cracked and caved in, turning to glittering dust that blew off into the wind. Zack could do nothing now, but wipe away his tears and leave–never to come back. He knew he would see her again, but when he did, she would be younger. She wouldn’t know about what happened the day she died or what she told him today, and he couldn’t tell her if she wanted.
He rose and remembered his new powers that the Catalyst Stone offered him. He focused on the Panexus in Canterlot and hoped he would end up there this time. Magical energy began to wrap around his body as before and soon he was whisked away in a rainbow of light.