The Eternal Knight

by Nerom_Fencer

Dreams of change

Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and it’s creative properties is owned by Lauren Faust and Hasbro, not me.

Chapter 6: Dreams of change.

By Nerom

Nero was storming down the main street together with the guards. He had put his wings outside of the coat shortly after they had entered the city almost trowing Eclipse off. They reached the palace in less then five minutes and was presented to the palace guards. There a new guard patrol had escorted him into it. They passed the main hall and into the hallways longer into the castle. Nero was fuming. Where the hell are they taking me? And if that guard told the truth I don't know what I will do. Nero was approached by a familiar sight. "NERO!" Luna's voice was booming, Nero, Eclipse and the guard all raised hands and hooves to their ears. "Sorry old habit you are needed in the sickbay now!... And those do look good on you." Luna continued she nodded to the guard and she fell back letting the princess show the way.
"What's the matter Princess Luna?" He asked as seriously as he could without sounding arrogant.

"We do not know where to begin really." She said, she shook her head and continued. "Sometime after you left Canterlot tonight and urgent matter raised to our knowledge. We sent for the six and you but you where nowhere to be found. so a search of the city commenced. My sister and I informed them about the mission we needed them for and around an hour ago we got a letter by pegasi that they where on their way back and three of them needed imminent treatment for a predicament unknown." She paused.
"What was the mission?" Nero asked still serious.

"To investigate the tomb of Ra'liken. A griffon king of old. it was unearthed in a landslide yesterday. We sent scholars and some guards to the site. But one of the guard returned saying that all of the ponies going inside somehow fell under a spell that made them sleep. My sister thought it was a good idea to sent twilight and her friends, they are the elements of harmony after all." She said a hint of regret was in her voice.
"Let me guess it only made it worse." He stated. Luna nodded, they turned left and into a new buildning.

"When they got there all of the scientists had left the ruins except one and when they went to get him a roar of immense caliber was heard, according to Applejack and Fluttershy that is. As they went further into the grave is apparently got harder for Rarity and Rainbow Dash to keep up. and shortly after they found." She paused and swallowed. "The body of the scientist. The two of them collapsed and soon Pinkie Pie also fainted. They got out of the ruins thanks to Twilight but here is the urgency. Twilight cast a spell to keep her friends alive when she noticed that they where slipping onto the doors of death, but that spell is extremely craving and if she let's it go the three of them will die." She paused again. "And me or my sister can't take it's bounds the spell can't be passed over and if I or her were to give magical energy to Twilight Sparkle directly the link will be broken, as only one spirit bound of that caliber can be active at one time." She paused and breathed heavily after this.
"So you wan't the ''Gift'' then? you know the consequences that comes with it." Nero was not happy in the least. Better than dead but I'm not happy about this at all. The first time I repaid Fluttershy and her friends. He sighed. The doors to a big hospital room opened.

Inside the room was three beds with monitors by them. Standard medicinal equipment good. In the middle of the room sat Twilight in deep concentration her horn enveloped thickly with magical energy.

"Luna good that you are here dear sister. Twilight can't hold this up for much longer." The white Alicorn had a deeply concerned expression. The other ponies in the room did not move a muscle to concerned with their friends. "And you must be Nero I heard you can help them, Luna have spoke highly of you." She gave him a royal look and then a startled one. "And who is that?" Eclipse had put his head on Nero's shoulder.
"This is Eclipse he is one of the reasons why I was not here earlier that and a dislocated wing, Princess." he said less than formal. "Are you sure you want me to do this? Have Luna told you the Consequences?" Nero asked still in a informal tone it was sharp even.

"She has and I'm ready to face them all in that matter even the three that came before." She said calmly, he could see that she was experienced in leading.
"Four there are four more five if you count spikes bond to Twilight. But that is another matter. Who of them is weakest?" He said this time more calmly.

"That would be Rainbow dash then Rarity and then lastly Pinkie." She had not finished the sentence before Nero had put down Eclipse and the coat on a chair and walked over to Rainbow. He sat down by her in the bed on her left side and picked her right hoof up with his right hand. A light enveloped it and her hoof, shortly there after it stopped. Nero stood and nodded. The princesses stood in awe still Luna had witnessed it before but this time is was much more controlled not as primal. He finished with Rarity and walked over to Pinkie Pie. Luna looked at Rainbow Dash, the pegasus had just a minute before looked gray and weak but now was already looking much better.

"Fascinating." Said Celestia. "I will need to talk with this what did you call him.. Man that's it. Yes I will certainly do that." Celestia had not take her focus of the man for a moment. "Just look how well Rainbow Dash looks already and the strain on Twilight have lessen to." Luna only looked at her sister when she had said that. Celestia noticed that much while staring holes in his back said a lot about the alicorn. Nero stapled over to the chair with Eclipse on it he looked tired more so than after the dragon. He moved the colt and coat and put them in his lap. "..ur in one day is t. mu.h after all." He mumbled, he himself almost did not hear him. Celestia walked up to the man. "I need to speak to you." she said in a low voice somehow knowing how tierd them man was
"Go ahead I'm sure you have questions for me." He sounded tired.

"I will but we will not talk like this." Celestia's horn glowed and lowered towards his head.
"No..." He was to late and he fell asleep, his protest cut short. For a moment his eyes had been staring in fear.

---

Celestia found herself in a room made of the purest gold and silver mirroring the sun and moon. Blended in perfect harmony. She looked around spinning in a circle and after a full one she stopped Nero stood before her anger painted on his face, a weapon gleamed in his hand.

"This is your fault all of it. This is not what i wanted not NOW!" Nero faded into mist. Celestia looked around her nothing but when she once again looked where Nero had stood now sat a alicorn and looked at her calmly.

"What he said is true, Can you guess what this room is? Can you Celestia?" The alicorn tilted his head to the side and his mane shifted from brown to purple.
"A dream of course that way we could talk undisturbed." The alicorn sighed and shook his head.

"I thought better of you. This is not a ordinary dream my dear, this room represent the pattern when a person or pony is awake everyone has one. Every being capable of dreams have one. And I am not the one you want to talk to, for I am Nero's subconsciousness."
"But this room is both day and night how come? Should the room not be mostly day?" She said wondering.

"Correct, it should. But! Nero is special in a way. He don't need sleep like others anymore he can of course sleep but last time he tried that he almost drew the sword. And now thanks to you he needs to do the tests of power and knowledge. This will not only affect us but also your student and her friends... Not to mention him." The alicorn said tilting his head to the other shoulder, his coat became white.
"How will it affect them?" She simply asked. "I already know about the long lives thing and I have no problem with that." she added before the alicorn could answer the first question.

"Long indeed longer than most indeed. do you know how long? did your sister tell you that? Or was she reluctant to tell you because you should have refused it directly?" The alicorn righted his head and turned into Luna. "Or did I? I don't know."
"She never told my how long exactly no, but that don't matter for now. What about the other changes?" She asked the being in front of her started to annoy her with his riddles.

"Twilight will change and you knew that almost at the moment you saw her powers. You saw that she is destined to become an alicorn just like you. That or she burn herself out like a candle. This was confirmed when she got the element of magic. yes she told Nero about the elements and of Nightmare Moon and of course Discord. But this change will not happen for at least fifty more years right?" Luna said or the alicorn that looked and sounded like Luna anyway. Celestia nodded.

"Wrong you are, after the gift this came to be twenty years and now, Now the change in all of them have already started. The elements will all change over time thanks to the gift. The test was only a measure to speed up the process and to think you will have six newly changed ponies to tangle with instead of one in twenty years." Luna's face became dead serious. "And Eclipse he had nothing to do with this change and you drew him into it. He was not part of it but he will be and only because you could not wait in till he was out of range for it, Nero did not even give it to him. I DID NOT NERO!" Luna screamed. "Poor fella natural born and everything and gets thrown into the mix of this whole mess thanks to you."
"What do you mean natural born? And why did he take the test if he did not want to!" Celestia had lost her calmness.

"Did you not listen he was forced to by you here and now. or to be correct for two and a half hour ago. The first of the tests are soon over. I need to leave soon, he needs me." The alicorn had changed once again this time he was the same colors as Eclipse. "When they wake up they will need to eat. A LOT! And Celestia when he wakes up he will still be angry at you, make sure he vents that anger at something or you will not have a pleasant day that day or week for that matter. He will also need to eat of course." The adult Eclipse said.
"When will he wake up? and they?" Celestia asked once again regained her calm self.

"In a few days I think and for your student and her friends and Eclipse for that matter will be a week I think." The alicorn said now also calm. "And before I go. He knows everything you and I said here today." He started to fade. "If you try to return here again you will only find an empty room Princess but we will hear you." He bowed gracefully.
"Do not worry about your little friend he will be taken care of that I promise." She returned the gestured and faded.

Celestia woke up in the same room as the others was in eight beds was placed in it. She looked around and saw the elements in a bed each and the young colt was in one still wearing his tan cloak. She looked around and could not find Nero. Where is he? Luna sat and read a book by the window a small black device plugged into her ears. Celestia looked down when she felt a lump beside her. As she had only moved her head she had not noticed the human by her side. she was apparently hugging him with a for leg and her wing. The man had been partly undressed and completely naked from the waist and up. only his pants was on his legs. she had only seen nobleponys with pants before and that had been a dead trend for a time now. She carefully made it out of the bed and walked over to Luna.

"That took much longer than usual." Luna said when Celestia reached her. Magic grasped one of the things in Luna's ear and it loosen from her ear. "What did you talk about? What happened? suddenly everypony was fine except you and Nero that was asleep and then suddenly every one collapsed. Even that sweet little colt." She said sadly, she had apparently taken a liking to the young pony.
"I did something really stupid apparently. How long has I been out?" She answered.

"It's time for lunch. We can have the guard outside get some if you want to dine here." Luna said raising from her seat.
"No need we can dine in the dining hall dear, they will merely sleep for now. I will tell you what happened over lunch." Celestia said calmly. Her sister shook her head.

"Let's eat in privacy your or mine chambers will be the best place I believe." She walked to the room's door. Celestia was right behind her.
"I believe your right Luna." The door closed behind her.

---

"This dreams go on for fucking EVER!" Nero had been running for what he felt like a month and while doing this fighting for his life and doing trivial tasks like light a candle, levitate a rock for a day and other things that annoyed him greatly. "I mean COMMON I have been at this already." Another troll like creature tried to bash his skull in. one up ward movement and the trolls skull was cleaved in two. He was tired of this place already, a light manifested before him. "Finally!" The light grew and he stepped into it. "The Final test of Power is imminent. Knowledge is the key!" Said a deep bellowing voice. Nero found himself trapped in a room, a single crystal was connected to a door. He looked around some more the tests had tried to trick him before seeing nothing out of the ordinary he taped the crystal and a small puncture wound appeared on his finger. The crystal shattered and the door swung open. The next room was littered with a dark mist on the floor. Nero knew that there was no floor under it and that his wings was useless in here. Well mostly he could glide on them he felt around the room with magic and found what he was looking for, a small crystal dead in its socket. He jolted it with his mind. Platforms raised out of the mist and to his usual luck a number of monsters crawled up for pitch black holes. "Just my luck and look I can't just smash them all." These monsters all had tactics to them making him use all of his knowledge he had gathered to defeat them all. "Better get to work then." He sighed. The room just have to be freaking enormous! And so he stepped onto the first platform to begin his menacing task.

---

"Luna my dear stop worrying so much. He will wake up in a moment." Celestia and Luna sat in Nero's room. They had been forced to separate the unconscious ponies and man for their own safety. All of them except Eclipse had begun to emit strange phenomenon in their sleep. Twilight had emitted herself into a magical cocoon making her barely visible. Pinkie Pie had made everypony going near her to giggle of cry or basically act on their emotions and strangely making no one able to get a clear look at her. Applejack had been mysteriously surrounded by earth and stones levitated around her forming yet a shield that made the pony barely visible. Rainbow Dash had a storm cloud surrounding her and Fluttershy had plants growing all over her bed. all attempts to remove the shields had failed. Rarity's had been the most confusing at first. It was just a cover like a four corner bed but when somepony tried so remove it they was cleaned and pushed back from the covers.

"It's been three days sense the strange phenomenons began Tia. and now Nero's just stopped and he is sprawled on his bed like he is sleeping like a log." The man snorted when he heard his name, one wing stretched and loosely fell over the edge of the bed and touched the floor. The orbs of energy that had surrounded the human had disappeared earlier this morning. "Do you think he will wake up soon Tia?" Luna asked her sister she had been worried about the human most of the time. Celestia nodded.
"I think so Lu I think so." The man snorted again when she talked and rubbed his eye.

"Finally... Freaking tests and then make me rest after them." The human mumbled almost unheard by the two alicorn's no normal pony would have heard it. He heaved up on his arms and stretched hes back a loud cracking was heard. "Ahh that's better." He stretched his wings and turned around in bed looking down and rolling his shoulder.

"Good morning." Luna said, he looked up and threw her a smile then he saw Celestia and the smile disappeared from his face. "You have been sleeping for almost four days." He nodded and a cart was rolled into the room by magic by Celestia.
"I bet your hungry. We have some griffon cuisine I think you will like." Celestia said when she rolled the cart over to the bed. Nero's stomach growled. one of the lids lifted from the plates. Nero's face lit up. After eating nothing but cake and pony food for a while, Celestia thought that he was going to lighten up a bit but this was a little much. The human had tears in his eyes.
"Does it please you?" She asked.

"Does it. YES!" He grabbed a fork and twirled it between his fingers and got a plate, he grinned. he stopped before eating and looked up at Celestia. "Thank you Princess." Then he ate. After a few plates of food he slowed down the eating. "Is it really that fun to see me eat?" He picked up a pitcher and drank from it. "Excuse my manners but I'm high maintenance right now." He finished of his forth plate and got to the salad.

"You told me that he said that he needed much food but this is kinda umm." Luna started.
"I know. I just hope there is enough, the chefs don't like to make this sort of food." Celestia said in a low voice to her sister. "Was he like this when you dined with him?" She asked her.

"Not at all. He must be really hungry." she answered. Nero sighed after he finished the last plate.

"That was good. Now how are the others? they are shielded somehow yes?" He asked and looked like he was trying to keep something in. Celestia and Luna nodded.
"Need to burp don't ya?" She asked the human. He nodded while patting his chest. "How about this we use a sound blocker and you can do your thing." He nodded again at the idea and when Celestia's horn glowed and magic blocked their ears he opened his mouth and burped into a napkin that he found on the cart. The magic faded from their ears.

"Where are my clothes, I feel kinda naked. only wearing pants... Scratch that I need a bath of a shower before that." He made a disgusted grimace.
"I sent Spike to get your things he though that you needed. And also Aviadria he mentioned, Is that you phoenix he called it?" Celestia said. "He should be back by now." And like a signal had been sounded the baby dragon was walking into the room carrying his clothing and a silver bird has on his head with a pendant in its beak. The bird flew over to Nero and dropped the medallion in his lap.

"That one will come in handy." He picked up the medallion and added some of his own magic and cleaned himself in a magical flame. "Very handy indeed." He added, he laughed a little and then put the medallion on. The rest of the clothing soon followed.

---

"Now the others won't wake up for awhile or to be exact three days." Nero said he looked out the window while adjusting his arm guard he also had his old jacket on.

"That's good news right? Right?!" The dragon said his voice was sounding distressed.
"More or less. The six of them will be a little confused at the beginning that's all. I'm pretty sure their families will be a little distressed." Nero turned to the others in the room. "Celestia I want a chariot to the grave site. It's to dangerous to leave something that can suck the life out of ponies in the open." Might tell her about that dragon to. He thought.

"We sealed of the grave shortly after I talked to you, me or Luna are the only ones that can open it... But you are right the magic in that place is seeping out of every crack in that tomb. And I know that you still are angry at me for what happened." Celestia nodded to her own comment. "A chariot will be at your command. Luna do you want to go? I feel bad about leaving the castle with them still in this state and royal duties can't wait ether." She was concerned he could see that. He was still angry, in fact he wanted to punch something at least this would give him a vent for that anger. He nodded as an answer. "Alright. Lets do it!" Spike said Nero looked at the dragon.
"I'm sorry spike but you can't come... into the tomb anyway. We can't risk your life for that." The dragons mood soured but he nodded.

"Alright then but I'm still going with to it even if I can't go inside. I can always keep Avia company." He muttered. Nero nodded and headed for the door. "That means that i can't go inside ether right." Luna asked when he passed. "No I go inside alone."

When they reached the castle courtyard a black chariot drawn by two pegasi with bat wing was presented. "Flashy don't you think?" He said to Luna, then added. "Fitting but flashy."

"Something wrong with flashy?" Luna said smugly bumping him as he got on.
"No nothing wrong with it." She got one his smiles again, he could not help smiling while near these creatures. The chariot took of when the three of them was on.

"So when did you learn to control magic?" Luna asked skeptically to him.
"Hmmm. To be fair I think it began shortly after the things with Talimara. I noticed it myself um.. six days ago now? or is it seven? Anyway it began small, I noticed magical energies in my fingertips when I was twirling my thumbs." He wiggled his fingers at them. "So I tried to make a pebble move and it worked after some concentration. I trained it by night time as I don't need to sleep much. After Celestia made me sleep however i was thrown into some dream world and was forced to learn more about magic and other things... I still have much to learn but I think I know whats down in that tomb and if I'm right it won't be any problem." He said wind rustling his hair. I hope I'm right anyway.

"Then what do you think it is." Luna said calmly. She had her hunches to and some of them was not pleasant.
He scratched his head a little and looked down grinning. "It might be a lacrima or it might be a Lich. But there must be something that keeps the spell in place. Now if is a lacrima this will be a dance on roses but if it is a lich then it won't. Ether way I know how to handle both... I hope."

"You hope. I also had the idea about a lich but those have not been around for at least two thousand years and that grave is five hundred yeas to late for a lich to be hiding in it." She said confident.
"Ahh is see but something like that it is anyway who knows there might be an old enchantment from something to resurrect the king. best case senario is the lacrima anyway. My only wish is that there are no undead's roming that tomb. And yes I know that it sounds silly." He looked down to Spike that was holding in a laugh with a clawed hand.

"There is a possibility of that yes." Luna added and Spike suddenly did not need to silence himself. Nero nodded. As I thought then.
The rest of the trip Luna, Spike and Nero was talking other things and the occasional laugh was present. They closed in on a forest and descended to a lower altitude, circling a hill and landed by a dig site mostly abandoned. Only three ponies was present at it before they landed. Two of them was unicorn guards and the last one was wearing a lab coat. Nero presumed that he was a scientist or an archaeologist, he was wrong.

"Nero this is Magnet Signet, professor and expert in the art of magical seals and enchantments." Luna presented the professor. He trotted over to them and bowed before the princess.

"Your majesty what owes us this visit." He raised from his bow. Nero more or less ignored him. He walked past the Pony and looked at the magical seal that lingered before the opening. "As you can see the seal is intact and of course unbreakable save from yourself and Princess Celestia." The professor said in a loud voice while he slowly walked up to the human. Nero looked at the seal and then at the professor and smiled smugly.
"Not really it can be broken by others if they know that they are doing." He looked back at the slowly turning circles of magical seals. The professor snorted

"I'm a Professional at seals I think I know a Swirlseal with a Magical identification enchantment on it when I see.." The professors sentence was cut slightly before Nero had planed it. For the seal shattered and dissipated when Nero touched the seal with his finger. The Professor stared at him and then looked back at Luna only to see her speechless he stared at the human yaw dropped.
"To be fair I have seen better it had been sloppy made. Did you make it Luna? or was it Celestia?" He scratched himself behind his ear and looked back at the Professor and Luna.

"I did that seal and it was perfect nothing except the princesses could have opened it! IT WAS PERFECT!" The professor blurted out.
"Still sloppy I say. The magical identification was wrongly place and could be bypassed. It could even be forced open without magic. I only took some residue from the Identification and fed it though it and woop it was open." The professor only stared at him. And I did open seals like this at least five times during the tests. Nero walked to the maw of the tomb. "This should not take to long." After that he walked in and a baby blue seal on his own covered the opening, it was simple but very effective. Professor Magnet was never able to replicate it or unlock it.

The insides of the tomb was like an old cave but markings and prof of work still lingered on the stone. The hallway tilted down and he could see that it was a old stair. He heard something move ahead. If I did not know better i would have thought that it was a rat or something. He lit a orb of energy for light, he was now glad for one thing that Celestia had forced on him. A lamp hanged from a new and bright big nail that was hammered into the wall, he put a flame in it. It was always a good idea to have a guide back of some sort. He walked to the right and stopped dead in his track. Oh I fucking knew it! Before him stood the old bones and some hide and feathers of an griffin. The corpse tilted its head and its jaw snapped. It's head shattered as Nero had crushed it skull with magic. The rattling of bone echoed trough the tomb, then it rose again. Nero backed a step and used his light orb to burn the bones in light from within it and is slumped to the ground rattling again. "Okay sun based magic it is then." He had learned two things about magic in Equestria, first: Magic comes in three forms. elemental, sun and moon magic. easily translated to Light and Dark but they had no necessarily evil or good side. light magic could be just as sinister as dark. He was of course not limited to these three aspects of magic as he had some more to his arsenal, that he had already used before. And secondly: If you knew the spell and how it worked you did not need an incantation. This he had learned by looking at Twilight when she levitated objects with ease and no spell at all. While Rarity had strung a spell together, this was done with incredible speed and precision and taken awhile to notice he only did it when she had pulled his ear and opened a door at the same time. The next undead was a pony the corpse looked like a mummy of sorts but the clothes was newer much never. It wore a prospectors belt that had new but now dusty tools on and a hat much like the one Applejack wore. he tried to burn it with light magic this time directly but it did nothing. He poured shadow magic into the creature instead and it fell to the ground dead as a mummy. Is it.. great. Nero smiled this would be easier now. After two more skeletons of griffins he reached a room filled with one valuable pottery and gems. The gems would have been useful if they were not dead. Gems in Equestria was made mostly of magic bound to the earth and so new gems grew overtime in the ground. Spike and Rarity had been most talkative about this subject. The magical binds in these gems however was more or less dead, drained of their magic and so the rocks was just like old glass pretty to look at but very fragile. All except one in the room. It shined and radiated traces of both sun and moon magic. "Bingo." He said that to soon. A shadow moved behind him.

Comments

[Shadow-Dancer]

Wow interesting take on types of magic nice and in depth but still easy to understand