//------------------------------// // Part 1 - Chapter 6 // Story: Immortal // by The Grimm Reaper //------------------------------// The day went by smoothly with my friendship with Celestia being rekindled. We sat together and recollected what we both remembered. Some things I didn't remember turned out to be a joke on her part. Apparently, I never 'died' eating a jellyfish. Her humor had a hint of cruelty to it when she tricked me into believing that I'd been unfaithful to Shaiya one night and spent a night with both her and Luna. For that, I was glad to have heard the word 'joke' afterward. All in all, spending the day with Celestia was pretty entertaining and easy given the time spent apart. It was the night I had to worry about. While Celestia had forgiven me, I was still on Luna's...shitty list. I found out that she was not looking forward to seeing me, but Celestia had forced her hoof. Now, her evening was free to spend with me while Celestia took on the Royal duties she'd been accustomed to doing for a thousand years, thanks in no small part to me. I stood before the doors to Luna's chambers, staring at them as if they were a bigger, nastier version of my old self. I could feel the disdain from Luna leaking through the gaps in the doors and the keyholes like a torrent of water. She was really angry with me. I knew I wasn't wrong when I thought Celestia had suffered more than the rest of them, but Luna came a close second; very close judging by the seething hatred mixed in with her aura. Truth be told, I kind of wanted to see what Nightmare Moon looked like. My instincts told me that I would find out if I wasn't careful. I'd wind up being the first wolf on the moon. I gave the doors a gentle knock. They creaked slightly under light pressure. I felt magic slam them shut, barring me access. Self-preservation told me that this was her maintaining control over herself. If I went in there, I'd get torn a new one. Still, Celestia had given up her evening for my chance to fix things with Luna. Trying during the day when she was exhausted would be even more dangerous. Girls were moody like that; least what I remembered of evenings with Shaiya. "Luna, come on. We need to clear the air between us. Kick the shit out of me if you want, just let me see you." I began. There was no immediate reply, but I waited a few more seconds. "Go away, Shiroyami." her voice said through the door, accompanied by more of that hateful aura. "Can't do that, Woona." I replied, receiving an intense amount of anger from the other side after calling her that. "Celestia's giving us this chance. I for one, don't want to waste it." "She can give you as many chances as she wants, I'm not going to even look at you." she said. "Do I really have to destroy these wonderfully crafted doors? Because I will. I'm insane, Woona. I'd destroy a random rock if I thought it would get your attention." I said. "STOP CALLING ME THAT!!!" she shouted through the door. "Let me in then and I'll stop." I replied. There was no response. She was playing the silent treatment. "You know... this corridor does have excellent harmonics. I think I remember a song you used to love growing up. Shall we see if I remember it properly?" I teased. Almost immediately, the doors opened a crack. A light chuckle escaped my lips as I pushed the door open. Luna stood there, facing the rising Moon through her balcony window. A gentle night breeze brushed the curtains, making them wave like the Princess' mane. "It's pretty clichéd in here, huh? Just like Celestia's room." I said, sparking an irritated groan from the mare. "Why did you come back, Shiroyami?" Luna asked. I knew she wouldn't accept any games around this subject. "Wouldn't you?" I asked in turn. She shot me her first angry look of the night. "Not after what you did. If I were you, I would never show my face. I'd jump into a volcano and stay there forever." she spat at me. I approached, sitting beside her. Personal space was hardly an issue for what I said next. "So why didn't you stay on the moon?" I asked. "You're seriously saying that the biggest issue you're facing that was so important you requested Royal intervention... is which one of you will grow potatoes this season?" Celestia asked, sitting in her throne. Two farmers from the outskirts of Canterlot had been bickering over what to grow for the coming season. "You see, Princess; we went under the arrangement that we would take turns each year, but he denies having grown them last when he knows he did!" one of the farmers said. "Put your glasses on, you blind old Prune! Your compost bin is still full of potato peels. I grew onions last season. My skin and fur's so dry from crying all the moisture in my body out into peeling and chopping those onions!" the other farmer said. As the two of them bickered on, Celestia rubbed her temple in frustration. "No wonder Luna went insane a thousand years ago. Gentlecolts, I must ask; why have you requested this audience at night? Farming's a day-time activity, surely that falls within my usual jurisdiction." she asked the two. "Well, we both have to devote our time wisely to growing our crops. Because we work all day, night-time was the only time we could afford to meet with you." the first farmer replied. Now Celestia knew she was losing her mind with them if they were pointing out obvious facts to her. "Of course." she said, the energy drained out of her in that sudden realisation. For goodness' sake! Let something interesting come out of tonight! she thought to herself as she stared at the two arguing ponies. As if some form of god had answered her prayer, her life was picked up by the sudden and unceremonious entrance of her sister. Luna had somehow found herself flying through the side wall of the throne room, missing the windows completely. This action startled the farmers and they bolted for the door, leaving Celestia to watch Luna slide along the marble floor before getting up and brushing herself off. "Did you piss him off, Luna?" Celestia asked with judgement in her voice. "No, he pissed me off! But when I went to hit him, he brought up one of those repulsive glyphs he uses!" Luna replied, growling at the hole she'd made in the room, as if Shiroyami were standing there. "Now, when you say repulsive... do you mean that in the sense that he quite literally propelled you, or do you find that magic not to your liking?" Celestia teased. "Who's side are you on, Sister?!" Luna demanded. "Depending on what's said, I'm a neutral party at this point." the white Alicorn replied, chuckling as she watched Shiroyami step through the hole in the wall. It was especially interesting considering that just beyond that wall was the outside and Luna's chambers were in the tower adjacent to the hole. "You're dead, Shiroyami!" Luna declared, charging her magic. Shiroyami had a look in his eyes that suggested that wasn't such a bad thing to him. "I feel like I've lived this before... oh yeah! Celestia and Discord said similar things to me." Shiro teased, enraging Luna further. "Enough games, Shiroyami! Fight me with everything you have!" Luna demanded. Shiro looked at her with an expression that suggested he had no intention of taking her seriously. "Luna. If I fought you with all I had... you wouldn't have a chance. You were too young to remember, but... oh, never mind." he said, smiling gently at her as she charged her magic. Shiroyami knew already the full extent of Luna's power. She could undoubtedly destroy the moon twice over with the amount of magic she'd pumped into her horn. She was really angry. "You want me to forgive you? Beat me and I'll do it. I need to give it everything I have against you!" she said. Shiro paused for a second before smiling sweetly. "Look at you both. You've become such beautiful mares, I forgot what kind of people you truly are for a whole other reason than amnesia." he said. Celestia smiled at his comment, hiding a blush behind her hoof. Luna ignored the compliment and prepared to attack. "Very well, Luna. I'll give you what you want. I'll fight you with everything I've got." Shiro said as he removed Shaiya's skull from his face. He held it out to Celestia who took it in her magic and levitated it to safety beside her. "I'll ask that you take it outside. I'd rather not have the windows replaced, Shiroyami." Celestia said. Shiro nodded and motioned for Luna to follow him outside. With her horn still fully charged, she walked out to the front of the castle, where Shiro stood, waiting for her. The front garden was large enough that no serious stationary would be destroyed in the skirmish. Ponies from nearby came to watch the battle. "All of you stay there by the gate entrance. This is going to be dangerous and I can't afford to have your deaths on my paws." Shiro ordered. Some of the higher up ponies found his order to be insulting, but Luna had waited for him to prepare himself. "Are you sure this is how you want it, Luna? You will lose to me, and when you do, you will be honour-bound to forgive me. Is that how I'm to get it?" Shiro asked, giving Luna one last chance. Luna didn't reply. Her mind was focused entirely on the spell she would take Shiro out with. Realising her resolve was absolute in this path, Shiro's eyes showed a liveliness they'd lacked for thousands of years. "Princess Celestia! What's going on down there?!" Twilight asked, reaching her mentor and friend just in time to see Shiro facing off against Luna. "Shiroyami and Luna are settling their differences in this fight that's sure to be short and awesome." Celestia replied. The other Elements of Harmony joined Twilight, Rainbow Dash flying overhead at the mention of 'awesome'. "There's something in the air. It feels like Shiro's doing. Princess, what exactly are you all?" Twilight asked. "We, Twilight, are the closest things to gods you'll ever find. We can't be killed, and we adapt and evolve to better ourselves. We can't be drowned, we can't be suffocated. Lava won't destroy us, dismemberment won't last. We tried every possible form of suicide just for fun because we knew it wouldn't work. Twilight, you've obtained something far greater than Princesshood. You've essentially become an Immortal like us." she said, smiling down at the ponies who stared at her flabbergasted. "You make it sound as though you could destroy the planet with your power." Rainbow Dash said, looking at the pair of Immortals engaged in combat. "I don't know about the planet, but Luna's spell there could take out the moon." Celestia replied. "WHAT?!" the ponies cried together. "Of course, we couldn't always do these things. Like I said, we evolve." she added. "So what's the deal with Shiro? I'm not a unicorn and I can feel the excitement coming off of him." Rainbow Dash said. "From the very beginning, Shiroyami was our leader. He was the strongest, the smartest. We learned early on that despite his desire to protect us, there was one thing he loved more. And that was this: single combat against an equally powerful enemy. He'd get a thrill out of it, as did Shaiya. We attributed it to them being wolves, but Shiroyami was something special. It's mainly why we couldn't understand why he would run from the creature that warped our minds and our bodies." Celestia's face became sad as she recalled the events in her mind. "So you were renegades with no rules? Awesome!" Rainbow Dash said, throwing a hoof in the air. "Not quit, there was one rule. A very special rule which we made up after witnessing something as dangerous as the creature." she began, looking down to Shiro as she recited the rule. "Never.... make Shiroyami angry." "Let's go, Luna." Shiro said. As he spoke, a feeling washed over everypony within a mile radius. The world seemed heavier, as if gravity itself had suddenly increased, and within that gravity lay something dormant that if wakened, could spell disaster for Equestria. Twilight and her friends had felt this feeling before. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis and Sombra gave off a similar feeling, but theirs was out there for everypony to see. Shiro's was more subtle. Twilight felt as through a dozen of each evil Immortal was watching her from beyond her field of vision. She felt surrounded, closed in. The air was enough to strangle her. "Calm yourself, girls. That feeling is your natural instincts being overpowered." Celestia said. With great difficulty, Twilight and her friends managed to calm down by thinking of something that made them happy. "What in Equestria was that?!" Rarity demanded. "A technique we developed early on in life. When we were still young and didn't know that nothing could kill us, we managed to use our instincts as a weapon. When faced against large numbers, we would use our own instincts and project them outward in an aggressive manner. It had a few names. Shiroyami took to calling it Spiritual Pressure because he went a step further and added his true ability into the equation." Celestia explained. "His true ability?" Pinkie asked. "You'd think that he uses magic to reflect the force of any kind of attack like a mirror. That's not the case. The Glyphs act as both a shield and an analyser for the force of the attack it defends him against. Once the glyph has done this, it returns with either equal force or greater in the form of projected gravity. Shiroyami's abilities stem from gravity itself. He can make the area he's in seem completely weightless, he can make it as heavy as he wants, he can even make you fall sideways." The girls all seemed shocked by this discovery. Were the Immortals so powerful they could literally mould the world the way they wanted? Their attention was brought to a scene that caused Rarity to faint. Something like an aura surrounded Shiro and Luna each. These aura took on the forms of the Immortals. Twilight looked upon a much larger version of Shiro. It's size would have made an Ursa Major run screaming back to it's cave. She noticed that the Aura possessed something that Shiro himself didn't; two lines running the length of his face, over his eyes and supposedly connecting somewhere along the back of his neck. These lines were glowing a pale blue, just barely noticeable on the transparent form of Shiro's aura. Luna's Aura was similar in size. It took on the form of Nightmare Moon, only the aura seemed much more regal and honourable than the real thing. Everypony noticed that the features of each aura were sharper than those of the actual beings. Luna's horn was longer and pointier, her wings longer and the feathers stronger. Shiro's teeth were longer and sharper and his fur seemed like it would make a hedgehog curl up in shame. Even their eyes both seemed more focused than the real ones. The gravity of Shiro's Spiritual Pressure distorted the auras, making things hard to distinguish, but Twilight caught all of these things. "Is it safe here?" she asked. "Probably not. The ponies watching from the entrance into the garden are too scared by what they see to even move. The guards are equally as frightened. Understandable. The Pressures evolve with experience gained over time." "Let's make this quick, Luna. I'd rather not injure anypony if I can help it." Shiro said, crouching down into his attack stance. "That said..." he began. "I'll beat you in five seconds." he declared. He knew that would send Luna over the edge. As expected, it did. Luna's magic arced out like a wave, flying towards Shiro at a speed nopony was able to follow. As she fired, Shiro began to count down. "Five!" he said. A glyph as large as the wave appeared in front of him. It took in Luna's attack. "Four!" Shiro began to run around his Glyph, using the blinding light of Luna's own attack to mask his movements. "Three!" he said, appearing behind her. Luna heard him and turned around accordingly. "Two!" Luna was tripped from underneath. She fell on her back, her wings splayed out much like her legs. Shiro stood over her, pinning her down. "One!" he said, a glyph appearing between the two of them. Luna gasped as she figured out where the force contained in that glyph had come from. Shiro lifted his head up and threw it down. "ZERO!" his head collided with the glyph and instantly, the force from Luna's own attack came out the other side. At the last second, Luna managed to erect a shield to protect herself, but she struggled greatly as the ground began to bend and arc outward beneath her. They descended the ever-growing crater together. As it reached twenty feet deep, Shiro let the glyph go and everything was still. The auras were gone and the ponies who hadn't been blown back and frightened from the shock wave of the impact surrounded the edge of the crater, as did Celestia and the Elements of Harmony. "I win." Shiro said, leaning down to kiss Luna on the forehead as if she were a foal being kissed goodnight. Luna lost all consciousness and her head rested on another glyph that now supported them both. As Shiro brought the Night Princess out and let the medics examine her for any injuries sustained, he turned to Celestia and the girls. There was a moment of absolute silence between them, broken by the background noises made from the spectator ponies. Another moment passed before Shiro dropped all seriousness and grinned. "Well, I think that went well. She'll definitely have forgiven me now." he said cheerily. All but Celestia fell over in surprise.