> One Human, Different Paths 'Dark Saga' > by Ashardu > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Brave New World > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE HUMAN, DIFFERENT PATHS DARK SAGA "Well, this is something you don't usually encounter. Who would have thought that a simple man, with no motive or mission in his homeworld whatsoever, would be facing one the most dangerous entities of this foreign world, in a country known as Equestria? I certainly didn't. But as my parents used to tell me, ´When things happen, it's for a reason´. If you had told me that same saying the night before I arrived to Equestria, I'd have told you YOU FUCKING LIAR You were full of crap!. Now to describe what I went through, it would have to be in a skeptical man's point of view, Believe it when you see it. Oh! Looks like I got ahead of myself. Sorry for that. With so many things to explain, I can barely know where to start. No, wait.... I do know how to start. Let's see... What happened the very first day I arrived here?..." It was one of those stormy, cold and silent nights in the city. A city full of people that doesn't care if someone dies starving, at war, in a fight, or any way possible. Our protagonist, whose name is Rhoenir (His parents were unique, I tell you that), was staring into a window, ignoring the scenario the window offered. As many people usually do, Rhoe pondered about how his life lacked what the very same word described. As for his daily routine, he would often go to work in a typical skycraper; in one those gray, boring desks with a computer in front as an Engineer. He had hoped that life would take him to a nice job and a cheerful atmosphere every time he came in; however, Lady Luck decided to ignore him in the end. He was brought back to reality as a lightning bolt stroke with great force on a nearby apartment's antenna, bringing not only a burned area on the neighbor's building but also causing an echo loud enough to wake up even the dead. A sigh escaping his lips, Rhoe got up from the small chair he was on, headed to the kitchen and regretted everything that he witnessed or lived, even the small, cramped, yet expensive apartment he lived in. If that wasn't enough, the place, that looked like crap the moment he moved in, remained just like he found it. Not to mention, his job didn't make it up for all the trouble he had to deal with. It would be quite the contrary if it weren't for his abusive and mischievious coworkers. To make things worse, his relation with boss wasn't the best, and everytime he complained about his coworkers, Rhoe was either ignored or dismissed. Rhoe stepped into the kitchen, focusing on perhaps the most useful machinery the room could offer, a clock; on it, a few amount of red numbers were displayed on the machine's surface, reading 11:30 pm. Aware of the hour, he proceeded to walk towards a small refrigator that was located at the end of the room. Opening the fridge, he searched for something to fill his apetite. Something small, yet edible. Unfortunately, he only found a plastic bottle, saying 'Milk' on the front. Taking a better look at it, he noticed such milk had expired not a few months ago, which caused him to grab the milk bottle and throw head straight into the trash can. Problem was, he was dead tired, so his strength wasn't at its best.... Neither his aim. Instead of entering the trash can, the bottle actually went through the window, shattering what's left of it. A yeow could be heard from the distance and a commotion as well. "Meh, I'm not that hungry anyways... What else can I get?" he whispered as he focused on the fridge once again. Without any warning, a train of thoughts sudden hit him. As a child, he always loved the idea of an adventure that was held unknown dangers to the hero, just like Indiana Jones or any of those action heroes in the movies. Of course, it was all fake in the end, just another entertainment for people. However, Rhoe has always thought that there is more in life than sitting in front of a desk and type down every single command given to either him or any coworker of his. "There has to be" thought Rhoe, staring at the inside of his fridge. He soon noticed a beer near to expiration date. Hesitating. he quickly grab the beer and drank it, fast enough to avoid the effects of the alcohol into his mind and enjoy what little time it had before expiration made its appearance. "That should do it..." Time flowed quickly and before you knew, 5 minutes before midnight. Rhoe was staring into the ceiling, minding whatever business decided to cross his mind. Having nothing better to do, he decided to go bed just call it a night.... again. He went to his bedroom and prepared the apparent bed. Noticing that he was still wearing his favorite clothes, he shrugged and launched himself onto the bed. Laying down on the bed, he stared at the ceiling once again and thought about his romantic life. One thing was for certain, he wasn't very popular with women. His shyness around them was, without doubt, the cause to why he wasn't very popular with the ladies. In fact, one would be surprised to know that he even went to a date due to this cause. That issue still resides inside him and, wihtout much to expect, he remained single. Losing track of time, Rhoe started to feel weak. His best guess was that his body demanded sleep. Who was he to reject sleep? Reflecting once more about his life, he wasn't very sure if he could go on like this. Finally submitting to his body's demands, he yawned a few times as his eyes slowly closed, finally having some deserved sleep. However, this was interrupted as a pair of whispering voices reached his ears. He assumed it was his imagination, or just the wind. It could a burglar as well. Anyone, with a rational mind, would had gotten out of bed to check it out, but not caring anymore about his surroundings, he decided not to do anything else for the rest of night. "If it is burglar, then he certainly missed the jackpot. My place doesn't have anything of value," he thought as he shifted on his bed into a more comfortable position, "But I wouldn't mind him taking my life away... not that I.... care anymore...." "Ugh... It's morning already..." Rhoe said. As soon as he felt the morning light touching his face, he woke up with a face anyone would make if they realized it was Monday. Disgusted, he got up from bed and looked for his slippers with his feet. However, he couldn't feel them. This only caused confusion to the poor man. He later realized what could be the cause of it. "So, the burglar decided to take my slippers away... Just how low are criminals aiming for nowdays?" he thought as he remained sitting on the bed- wait, was the bed always this hard before? Rhoe thought in a beggining that his bed was unusually harder than before and he could only think that the humidity had something to do with it. Although in this case, humidity was free of charges this time. He opened his eyes wide, eliminating any trace of sleep in his body as he looked around his surroundings with both astonishment and shock. Getting up from the floor he was sleeping brief moments ago, Rhoe turned every way his neck could allow. He noticed he was in a library by the looks of it. Without much comprehension, he decided to walk towards the door only to be surprised he wasn't alone. The door opened and he saw a purple skinned girl with a horn on her forehead. As soon as she saw Rhoe, she showed an excited smile on her face. "Oh! You're awake!" said the girl. Rhoe was speechless the moment he saw her. She was wearing a velvet-blue tank top and some jeans. Her eyes were the color of an amethyst, violet to be more specific. Her hair was sorta blue with a slight touch of pink in a part of her hair. But what most surprised him was the fact that she had long upward ears and a horn on her forehead. Even if he saw all those features, he still saw a resemble of what was considered 'A human' on her body. "W-w-wh-wh-whe-.... Wha?" mumbled Rhoe as he showed a shocked face to the girl. The girl stared at him with a not so concealed excitement on her face, when suddenly she came to her senses and left a book she was carrying on a nearby desk. "Oh! I haven't introduced myself yet! My name is Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you!" Rhoe was still processing what was in front of him. He never saw something like this, not that he didn't like it, but still the sudden change of sight from a skycraper to a girl completely out of the ordinary wasn't taken very well. At least from Rhoe. While he didn't know what was going on, he gathered enough courage to speak up again, but since it was a female, it didn't help that much. He barely said, "W-what are y-you?". She knew that he wasn't conscious of his surroundings and spoke with a soft voice, "I'm a pony, a unicorn to be more precise, and I'm assuming that you are a human!". This answer wasn't enough for Rhoe, but it did ease him up a bit. "A p-pony?" he replied. "That's correct." she answered "And you are?". "I'm... a human..." "No, I mean your name" "O-Oh! Ah... I'm...Rhoenir.... but my friends call me Rhoe.". "Rhoe?", Twilight seemed that she could laugh about it, but kept quiet to avoid annoying him. "Yes, Rhoe. Don't ask why. Where am I?" said Rhoe with a more relaxed tone. "You are in Equestria, the magical land of ponies." Twilight said confident on her answer after realizing he was relaxing with each answer. "Equestria?" said Rhoe with a confused voice. "It's a land where magic is exists and everypony lives in peace nowdays". Rhoe was confused on the fact he wasn't in his home anymore but in a place called 'Equestria' he never heard before. Just what happened that very night? "Twilight? Are you here?" was a voice Rhoe heard in the distance. Soon after, the door opened again and he saw a purple-green scaled dragon with the same size of Twilight entering the room. He had spikes on his head which followed to his back, his tail was moving around and he had claws on each extremity. His eyes were emerald colored and his cheeks had some sort of wing-shaped whiskers. Rhoe wore the same expression he had when he saw Twilight and backed away a little. "Oh Spike, good morning." Twilight was happy to see the dragon and Rhoe assumed they knew each other. 'So, his name is Spike...' thought Rhoe after he heard Twilight's expression. "Oh, he is awake!" said the Spike. "Yeah, he is still confused about what's going on. So I'm helping him to get in touch in what he needs to know". Twilight's eagerness to help Rhoe were obvious, but that didn't explained how he got here and why. "It's good to know. I'm Spike by the way." said Spike with a smile on his face and stretching his claws out to handshake him. Rhoe was both doubtful and scared to give him his hand. With a scared expression on his face, Spike knew he wasn't sure whether to give him his hand, "C'mon, I won't bite! You can trust me!". Spike's words helped Rhoe to calm down and stretched his hand to handshake him. "...Fine, but I got my eye on you". Spike smirked a little after hearing that, "Don't worry. I won't eat you" said Spike joking, "Besides, I only eat gemstones. I wouldn't dare to eat any living thing". Rhoe still had his suspections, but decided to let go it. "Okay Spike... you win...". "Hehe, thanks!" said Spike with innocence. Rhoe stared at Twilight after he let go of the handshake, "Care to explain how I got here, Twilight?". While Twilght was fidgeting her fingers, what came next left Rhoe speechless again. "I actually brought you here." said Twilight with a little bit of embarrasment on her face. Rhoe couldn't believe what she said. She brought him here? Why? How? When? Where?. He was once again shocked, but he knew that being like this won't help him. Then he remembered something like a flash of memory that came back to him. This could mean one single thing: Adventure. He replaced his confusion with a well hidden excitement. He let go a sigh that worried both Spike and Twilight, but the next thing out of his mouth was unexpected. "Ok, I take it that I'm supposed to help you out, so what do you need from me?". Twilight wasn't sure what to say, she expected a 'How did I got here?' or a 'Can you return me home?' which she was prepared for. "Actually...", those words ignite Rhoe excitement to know what was she going to say next. He eagerly waited, but the next words blew him out. "I don't know." "What do you mean you don't know? I'm stuck just because you felt like it!? I....I..." Rhoe was shocked and needed to sit down. Did that mean his adventure was a failure? He didn't have a real purpose in the end? Was it all fake?. All thoughts really let down Rhoe as he sulked in sadness. Twilight knew this was harsh, but that was the truth. Twilight only followed her teacher's orders, that was all. Rhoe accepted the fact that he wasn't meant for anything great other than being a slave, working employer for a big company that didn't even know his name. With that, he got up and received a pat on the back from Spike that meant 'I'm sorry'. Rhoe gained breath again and spoke, "Is there any way to go back to my world?", Twilight shook her head to his question, "I'm sorry, there no way back if there's no magic user that teleports you back into your world... unless there is a magic user in your world, right?". Rhoe shook his head and Twilight sighed, "Then I'm afraid there is no way to make you go back...." "So, I'm stuck with a world completely unknown to me and no purpose? Great..." Rhoe sat and snuck his head into his legs, letting know Spike and Twilight he was devastated. "Actually, I brought you because my teacher asked me to." stated Twilight to give him a little hope of purpose. Rhoe lifted his head to look Twilight with wonder, "Who?" "Twilight's personal teacher is Celestia, none other than the princess of the sun and ruler of Equestria" said Spike to clear his doubt. "So a princess, who controls the sun and rule this land, asked her student to bring a human? Now I've seen it all". Rhoe thought this was a good joke and laughed with a worried state of sanity. Twilight had to act before he lost it. "My teacher should be capable of answering your questions". "Really?" said Rhoe, regaining what little hope he had along with it. "Well, she DID ask me to bring you here, so I believe she can" responded Twilight. "Oh thank goodness. A ray of hope arrived!" he thought to himself, lifting his fists above his head. Twilight gave him a confused stare, but shrugged it off. "Spike, I need you to send a letter to Princess Celestia that where are heading towards her castle, say that it's about her request". Spike nodded and wrote a letter, which he later burned with his green fire, who to Rhoe was incredible it didn't let any ashes and stunned to see that. "Why did he burned his own letter!?" "Spike's fire is magical, anything that touches it is sent directly to Princess Celestia!" stated happily Twilight. "Then... maybe I should do that to get to her faster?" he asked with innocence. Twilight had to blink a few times to comprehend what just came out of Rhoe's mouth. She pondered to whether humans liked danger, or they simply were a bunch of foolish species. "I never tried to burn anything alive just to do that." replied Spike while crossing his arms at the human in the room. "C'mon, isn't faster that way?" complained Rhoe. "No! We don't know what would happen, and we're not going to risk you". Twilight's statement actually made Rhoe a little bit since it was the first time a woman aced about him. Probably was only because she wanted Rhoe to reach Celestia safely, but still, it wasn't a crime to feel happy about it. "Ok! Ok! I won't try it. But I still believe it was worth a shot." Twilght smiled with comfort after hearing that. Spike burped a letter after that and Rhoe originally thought of how was he capable of doing that, only to remember that he has saw many things today that are quite unusual in his world. "Well, that was fast. I didn't expect a letter so soon," said Twilight to no one in particuliar. "The princess says the she shall send a chariot to pick us up." said Spike interested in what Celestia had written. "Well, that does it, let's get going shall we?" said Twilight with aniticipation. Before leaving the Library, Rhoe poked Twilight's shoulder. As she turned around, she saw the Rhoe was looking slightly away from her with a notable blush on his face. "...Thank you, Twilight.". Twilight smiled the moment she heard that which then followed with a nod. "No problem, besides I don't like leaving new friends just like that." Rhoe smiled after the nod. "Twilight considers me, her friend? Well, that was surprisingly easy. I wonder what is gonna happen next?" Once Rhoe stepped outside into the foreign world for the very first time, he had to cover his eyes for the light adjustment. "Argh! So bright!", rubbing his eyes to feel better, something else blinded him, "Argh! SO many colors! BACK OFF RAINBOW COLORS!" Twilight looked behind to check on her guest and chuckled a little after seeing him covering his eyes. A couple of minutes went by and Rhoe could finally see without feeling any pain in his eyes. His recently recovered sight soon focused on the purple skinned girl near him. "Twilight?" "Yes, Rhoe?" "Please tell the architect of this town to stop think about rainbows when working, could you?" Twilight couldn't help it but to giggle and nod at him, "Sure thing" The human mouthed the words Thank you and stood there next to the pers- er, ponies near him. After the chariot arrived, many ponies were staring at him with awe, he whispered to himself "This isn't as bad as it seems. This is not bad at all. If it weren't for that CHARIOT! HOLY MONKEY BUTT! I'm gonna die!" "Huh? Rhoe? Is something wrong?" Twilight asked, with a leg inside the chariot. "Um... yeah, there is a problem. I'm not riding that." "Huh!? Why!?" "As much as I would like to meet your precious princess, I rather not die from an unexpected fall from that chariot." "Ugh, c'mon. It won't happen such thing!" said Spike from the inside of the vehicle. "Nope! Not taking any chances today! Thank you very much!" he said whle crossing his arms and turning the other way. However, his resistance was short-lived as a purple aura surrounded him, pulling him closer to the chariot. "Noooo! Let me go!" he said, raising his voice to Twilight. "Please don't make this harder than it is already." "Let me go you purple... mare! Wait... did I get that right?" "Yes, yes you did" "Oh cool. NOW LET ME GO!" "Argh! Rhoe, stop struggling! You are acting like a foal!" "Nein! I have my rights as citizen!" "That doesn't work here for you, monkey." said a guard who was eager to leave this conmotion behind. "Well- I.... I mean- Dah! Fine! I'll go..." he said, admiting defeat. "Good. Now, let's REALLY get going." she stated, specifically to the guards waiting to take off. "But if anything happens, it's not my fault!" concluded Rhoe from his spot inside the chariot. "Fine..." said the duo in front of Rhoe. With that, the chariot left towards Celestia's castle. > Royalty and Destiny > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rhoe finds himself in a chariot heading to Celestia's castle, coming along Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn that he first encountered upon coming to this world, and a teenage dragon named Spike who is Twilight's assistant in the library. He found himself staring at the sky after a long chat about the situation in Equestria, who are the mane 6, and many other events. Of course he was surprised by all of this, but in a certain moment of a conversation, the mood changes, causing him to stare at the window like in the beggining of this Fanfic. Cause, he is a stare-away awkward guy when something embarrasing happens. All he needs right now is rain and a depressing song. C'mon, you have tried this before haven't you? Don't lie to me. I can see through your poker face. Yup, still looking. Not looking away. Staring at your soul. With popcorn. And 3-D glasses. So fucking cool. ..................................................................... You finally give in? Good, let's continue the story. The tension rose as the conversation went on. "....So you lived in city called Albester? How was it like?" asked Twilight with determination and hope. "Ummm... it wasn't.... Well..." Rhoe sighed, "I rather not talk about it.". "C'mon! Tell me!" cheered Twilght, "it can't be that bad." "You have no idea." "What was that?", asked innocently Twilight. "I SAID NOTHING!" Rhoe responded. The whole chariot was shocked after hearing Rhoe screaming to Twilight. She was petrified. Twilight's expression pierced Rhoe's anger and calmed after that. "I... I'm very sorry.... I didn't mean...." "....Was it really that bad?..." said Twilight with a soon-to-cry voice. "Humans... don't live happy? Did... something happen to you?" Rhoe stared to the window as he didn't answer. He was too concentrated on his thoughts that he didn't realize what was going in front of him. He began to think of his parents, he wished they didn't... *sigh*. Rhoe took a long sigh after thinking quite a bit of his past. Especially his brother. He was powerless to what his brother suffered. If he had come home sooner, maybe he would be... Nah, thought Rhoe. 'What happened in the past stays in the past. I need to continue living like he wanted to... but... "...r..rh..". Rhoe was regreting that he couldn't help his brother in the end. If he had arrived sooner... "Rh....Rho...." Huh? What's that sound? Sounds familiar... "Rhoe... RHOE!" Rhoe snapped back to his reality after hearing Twilight yelling at him. He was crying. He didn't even notice. 'Heh, I was too careless... Showed a little weakness there...' Twilight was worried to death when he saw Rhoe crying, she thought it had to do something with the thing she asked about him. Rhoe was crying and staring at the window after a conversation in the chariot. Upon realizing this, Rhoe cleaned his face and said "Sorry, I didn't want to make you worry about me." Twilight wasn't dumb enough to let it go just like that. "Rhoe, I dont' know what happened to you, but feel free to let me know when something bothers you". "Or me, I may not be a great listener as Twilight, but I can help." stated Spike who was silent the whole conversation. "Guys, I tell you I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." lied Rhoe. If she knew about what happened to him, she would be sick worried for Rhoe. He must stay strong, for his brother's wish. Before they knew, they arrived at Celestia's castle and left the chariot to search for her teacher. However, Celestia wasn't at the moment in the castle, but she would return soon. Rhoe got depressed upon hearing that. And a sad song came by. It's called 'Morning Light'. Search for Newgrounds. Yes, I did that. I interrupted the story. So? ..... Sorry. Anyways, Rhoe knew this couldn't lead anywhere, so they waited for Celestia's return. While waiting, Twilight thought going to the library was a good idea and brought the two friends along. "BOOKS, BOOKS ,MORE BOOKS! I don't like books that much." complained Rhoe. "How come you like books that much? I barely read a single book 150 page long!" "Stop complaining. These aren't that hard to read." answered Spike. "You are a teenager that likes books? I guess you are older than you look." said Rhoe. "Oh, he is." said Twilight. "I got him since he was an egg. Raised him the way he is right now. Celestia also helped, but you get the point." "I'm pretty sure the author is gonna make me live a whole story based on Spike life, eh?" 'Darn it, my cover was blown!' "I don't think he would do that. It would take too long for that to happen, besides he doesn't much time to write these stories down anyway." said Twilight with a grin on her face. "I guess you are right. Leaving that aside, you REALLY love books don't you? You are still reading the..." Rhoe twisted his head to read the book title out of curiosity, "Story of the Humans? You have a full book out of us? Who did that?" asked Rhoe with intrigue about the author. "You mean Lyra? Oh, you wouldn't want to meet her" stated Twilight still focused on her book. "Why not? She may know something about my reason here." "I know that she doesn't have a single clue about your mission here but I'm sure Celestia does. If you were ever to encounter her, you would go insane just the moment you talked to her, not that I want you to meet her." stated with a slight jealousy out of Twilight. "She would drive me insane? Why would she-". Rhoe thought for a second and believed Twilight was a bit jealous of him being taken away by a human-lover pony. "...Are you jealous of me hanging out with other ponies?" Twilight jumped out of her place with rush after the comment. "M-me? JEALOUS? Please, I-I'm not jealous..."as she looked away. "Are you sure?" said Rhoe as he got closer to Twilight. "Because I can sense a bit of jealousy out of you.". "I'm not jealous! Really!" Before she knew it, Rhoe was in front of her face when he said this "If you're not jealous, say to my face." Twilight couldn't think of anything to say to him with Rhoe so close to her face. Twilight looked closely at his face. She thought for a moment he looked handsome at this distance. Something was holding back Twilight from jumping to him and reveal she was actually jealous and wanted more... Of course, she had only met him half a day ago, but something about him made Twilight more attracted to Rhoe. Something magical, something she couldn't describe with words. Twilight snapped out of it and looked away with a blush. Rhoe smiled at seeing her reaction and backed away. Twilight let a sigh of relief when he moved away, but was also a bit sad that he walked away. 'You just know him from half a day ago... You couldn't simply get interested in a pony-I MEAN- Human in so short time! Yeah, he looks nice but you gotta control yourself!' Rhoe looked at Twilight with a smile on his face. He has never made another woman blush in his life. Of course, she wasn't a normal woman, she was a pony in the end. He remembered what Twilight said about this 'Lyra'. "I don't think she can be capable of driving me crazy. I've been through a lot of situations with ladies, but I'm not very-". He shut his mouth for good the very moment he almost mentioned his past. This got the Twilight's curiosity for good. Spike was at the other side of the library sleeping due to the trip's length, so he couldn't see Twilight or him at simple sight. He knew that topic was out of the conversation and tried to avoid it. Of course, Twilight didn't let this moment pass by, so she took the initiative this time. He looked at Twilight walking towards him with a seductive smile and pose as she got closer. "I-I mean, I have... you know lived other... girlfriend things, yeah lovely things like... uhhh...the-" Twilight placed a finger on his vlips for him to shut up for a moment. "You won't tell me~? Aww, I was hoping to know you better~", he blushed the moment he saw her act that way. 'A pony making you blush? That's a laugh' he thought. Twilight spoke before he did. "You wouldn't tell me about your life, even when a pretty girl is asking you to~?", he couldn't deny it, Twilight was beautiful enough to have ponies falling to her feet. Of course he was the man she was trying to seduce this time. "Is there other way, to.. I don't know, make you talk~?" Twilight said this as she started to let both the tank top and jeans loose in front of him and pulling Rhoe closer to her. He felt a blush on his cheek as she started to pull her clothes to the gravity's favor. He was hoping for an event to happen. Something to get him out of this situation. "ANYTHING COULD HELP ME RIGHT NOW", he thought ,"ANYTHING!" Since the author is a bummer-drummer, one of the guards showed up saying that Celestia had arrived from her trip. "OHWOULDYOULOOKATHATCELESTIAHASARRIVEDLET'SGOMEETHER!" said Rhoe as he escaped Twilight's grip. Twilight couldn't believe that Rarity's seduction was gonna work, even thought she just saw it. Twlight knew something was beggining to grow in her chest. That same feeling when Rhoe stared at her. "Couldn't it be that... I like him?" thought Twilight as she ran to meet Celestia. Spike woke up from his nap and saw that no one was around the library, and she thought that Celestia had arrived. "Argh! They left me behind! Guys! Wait for me!" as he ran straight up the stairs. A couple of embarrasing minutes later Rhoe was waiting for Celestia in a chair as well as Twilight and Spike. Rhoe didn't know how did Celestia looked and was waiting eagerly to meet her. When out of nowhere, a tall princess with a very distinguished hair came through. "Celestia!" said Twilight as she came closer to her and gave her a hug with a same response from her. "You are Celestia?" Rhoe asked with innocence. Celestia looked to Rhoe and her face became serious. "My dear student, please take a seat. You all need to know this". Twilight took a place and was waiting for Celestia's speech. "You are Rhoenir, right?". Rhoe nodded. "As you know, Twilight brought you to this world using her magic, am I correct?" Rhoe nodded again, staring at Twilight. "In Equestria, when something happens that is out of the ordinary, it's because that thing, in this case which is you, needs to fulfill something in this land. Maybe the purpose may not be for the event itself, but for someone in this land." Rhoe was staring at Celestia with a face full of doubt and confusion, hoping not to hear what he expected to hear. "Everything was made to keep the balance in this world and your presence is no mere accident." Rhoe was happy to hear he wasn't an accident. But the next sentence broke all of Rhoe's hope of knowing why he was here. "I really can't tell you the reason why you are here." "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?" yelled Rhoe in anger at Celestia despite her royal position. "Human! You shall restrain yourself from speaking at me that way!" said Celestia. Rhoe was silent, holding his anger to not let the best of him get away. It took all of Rhoe's will to remain silent. Eventually, the tension eased and Celestia was calm as well as Rhoe. "As I was saying, your purpose is something you will discover on your own Rhoenir," stated Celestia. "But... I don't even have a clue about it! How am I supposed to figure out my purpose with nothing to guide me?" desperately asked Rhoe. "A hint? I suppose I could give you an advice of your purpose." "Really!? What is it?" "Live life and find love." Celestia's words struck Rhoe heart. The only ones who told him to live life to the fullest were his parents and his brother. He was speechless, if he didn't have any luck in the human, how did she expected to live a life here? Rhoe remained motionless. Twilight could feel his pain, not because he didn't find out his purpose, not because he didn't know what to do anymore. It was because he was alone. Even when he didn't tell her the past, she knew he didn't have anyone else either here or back in his world. His face said it all. "Is that all? .... I guess I better be going...". Sulking from her response, Rhoe headed to the royal door attempting to leave. "Halt! Do not leave! I won't allow someone with a broken heart leave this room!" yelled Celestia as she got closer to him. "What now? You're gonna give me a lesson abou-OOMPH!" Twilight had her jaw hanging as soon as she saw her teacher kiss Rhoe directly to the lips. It lasted a couple of minutes until Celestia stopped kissing him. "I guess that helped you." said Celestia with a smile on her face. "Uh...guh...I... wha...", Rhoe was speechless, nothing could be said at the moment to understand why did she did that. Rhoe's face turned to tomato color after the kiss. He never expected for royalty to kiss him in order to cheer him up. Twilight was filled with anger as she saw the whole scene. Maybe, I said MAYBE, she was jealous. "Th-that was m-my first k-kiss!" complained Rhoe. "I guess that makes it even more special~." said Celestia seducitively. "Rhoe, we're heading to the library. RIGHT NOW!" yelled Twilight as she pulled him along with Spike's help. Celestia spoke again, "If you want some help like that, you can always come here~." with a huge smile on her face. Rhoe could swear he felt Twilight burst in jealousy when she heard Celestia. Rhoe barely said, "Uhh... sure Princess Celestia..." as he walked out of the room with a nose-bleed dripping through his face. "Hmph," said Celestia as soon as she head to her bedroom, "you have a great life coming Rhoenir. Life has a plan for you, and you will enjoy it to the fullest." The doors closed behind her. -Meanwhile, in the chariot- "How could you let her kiss like that!?" "I'm sorry!" "You idiot! Idiot!" "I'm sorry!!" "Show some manliness!" "I said I was sorry!" "Not cool man, she is like a mother to me" "She is my teacher!" "I said 'I'm sorry!' "Not enough!" "What?" *SMACK* "GAH! MY BALLS!" "That's what you get!" "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! ...my scrotum..." "Ouch, low blow..." The rest of the day went by and Rhoe needed 5 ice packs to heal his scrotum. > Meeting new/old friends > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's been a whole month since Rhoenir started living here. He never thought he was gonna move to another place although he was planning to, but he didn't think of somewhere that easy to choose and teleporting to a new world which he began to understand little by little made him go 'Argh, fuck it. I'm staying'. He was adapting pretty well to this lifestyle with Twilight and Spike. He had chores as well as everyone else in the library. Cleaning the library, washing the dishes, you name it. Everything seemed to settle with peace. That seemed like it, however he couldn't sleep well any night. There was probably not a single night where he managed to sleep well... It's 3 A.M. in the morning, he was resting in his bed sweating and mumbling some words... "..No...Emil..." "EMIL! WHERE ARE YOU EMIL!?" screamed Rhoe inside his house. "Big... bro..." murmured Emil as soon as he heard Rhoe's voice. Rhoe barely heard him and rushed to where he was. He was under a pile of flaming wood. As soon as he saw him, flashbacks of his parents came to his mind. He couldn't move. He just couldn't move. His brother was suffering the fate as his parents..... "NO! EMIL! AHHHH!". Rhoe woke up instantly getting up from his bed. Panting hardly, he regained his breath as soon as he woke up from the nightmare. "Damn it, not again. Oh Emil, I wish I could have done something...". Rhoe realized that he managed to wake up the whole house, most likely from the scream he let out a few moments ago. Hearing hoofsteps outside the room, Rhoe figured it could be either Twilight or Spike "Darn it, I woke them up. Keep it cool. Just say it was a nightmare, that's all." The door of the room opened swiftly and a familiar figure stood out from the presence of shadows. "Rhoe? Are you okay?" said a femenine voice while creating a warm glow from a single point, moving towards the human. Rhoe recognized it was Twilight at the door checking on you, "I heard a scream from your room and I thought that you were in trouble. What happened?" "Eh... It was a nightmare, that's all" was all he said. The mare sighed and closed the distance between Rhoe and her, "Please, Rhoe. I can help you, you just gotta tell what happened. I read a book about your species and perhaps I can help. After all, humans maybe aren't that different from us." pleaded Twilight with a worried look on her face. "No, really. I'm fine" He lied. Of course, lying. It was the solution to most problems. Like we got something good out of lying. Typical. "Rhoe, I can tell you are not okay." "I'm telling I'm fine. I just had a dream about a..." he stopped in mid-tracks as his sight drifted to the ceiling, "A clown." "A.... clown?" "Um, yes! They are so.... hideous! Their faces can make a baby cry! I mean it! Hehe... eh...." "Rhoe.... there are two ways this situation can possibly end right now" she said, making a frown all the while. "Which are?" he asked. "One, either I search for what's cauisng you trouble, or you can tell me. Take a pick!" Twilight responded with rather false cheerful tone behind. Rhoe wasn't amused by this. "Hmph, do what you want to do." Rhoe said with a slight tone of annoyance in his voice. Twilight was taken back by this and sighed. "Well, that I didn't expect.", retreating from the bed, she turned around and headed to the door, "Well, if aren't telling me, I guess forcing you to wouldn't help either. I'll be downstairs if you want to talk about it." Rhoe looked at the girl leaving the room and couldn't help it but to feel a little guilty upon his actions. Pointing his sight to a different direction, he stared deeply to the bracelets that Rhoe left the other night. Just before anything else happened, he shuddered and turned his sgaze once again to the mare leaving the room. "Wait Twilight!" Twilight's ears perked up at his call and turned towards him in the process, her eyes met Rhoe's again "Yes, Rhoe?" asked with curiousity Twilight. His lips were moving, but no sound came along. Eventually, he backed out and stare to the ground, "...Nothing..." he mumbled at her with sadness. Rhoe wanted to keep his past a secret as long as possible, "I'll... I'll call if I need anything, 'kay?" 'Worries from other won't help you' were his thoughts at that moment. If others were to worry about him, that's it. Rhoe thought he has caused more trouble than he can afford. Having even more worries might strain the human. There is a difference between being brave and being reckless. Pretty sure he didn't want any more stress, thank you very much. Rhoe was staring at the other side of his room after that comment. He wanted to be alone in that moment. But of course, Twilight didn't allow that to happen. Before Rhoe knew it, Twilight was already getting in his bed, well the guest bed, in her house, argh fuck it. Rhoe was startled by this and looked at his back where Twilight began to get comfortable at his side. "T-T-Twilight? What do you think you're doing?" said Rhoe with shock. Not that he didn't enjoy it, but still... "Getting comfortable~" said Twilight innocently. "That's not what I mean!" mumbled Rhoe "Oh c'mon. It's not like this means anything to you anyway. I read in a book that warm produces certain feromones that causes other to either relax or.... tense up. I'm sure it's the first option!" said Twilight. Rhoe looked at the girl next to him, giving her a deadpanned expression. Twilight could sense his stare and blushed, a small nervous smile leaving her lips. "Oh, really? How sure are you?" he asked with a grin pastered on his face. "I'm 99% sure it's the first option!" "And the 1%?" ".... Are you really that dense?" she asked. Rhoe grumbled as he turned to the other side, showing her what his back looked like. "Goodnight." "Oh, c'mon! I was just kidding!" "Good. Night." "Hey, I'm sorry! Can you forgive me?" Twilight asked. Rhoe turned just enough to see a glimpse of the mare and spotted a huge puppy stare looking at him, with a sheepishly smile on her lips. "How big can her eyes get!? It might pop any second!" he thought, as the stare kept piercing him with adorableness. He resisted inner 'D'awwww!' with great determination as his sight was fixed on her. The human knew exactly what the smile meant and sighed, closing his eyes as well. "Well, have it your way. You are the host after all", he grabbed the bed sheet and wrapped it around him, leaving enough for the pony to cover herself, "Wake me up when the world is ending..." Twilight giggled and wrapped herself with whatever was left of the bed sheets, "Don't worry. I'm sure that won't happen.... yet...". Getting comfortable, she tried to drift away in sleep as well. WAIT FOR IT This failed HORRIBLY. She couldn't get any wink of sleep at all. Trying different positions, she tried harder to sleep. And guess what happened? BINGO! She is still awake! "Argh! I still don't get it! Why did we keep such rock-made bed down here!? The couch is more comfortable than this rock that claims to be a bed!" she shifted her position until she could see the human guest next to her, "How can he possibly sleep like that!? Do humans tend to sleep on rocks or what?" A small snore escaped Rhoe's mouth as he moved from side to side. "Well, he might as uncomfortable as me... Why did I plan on sleeping here again? Oh, right. Him... He is such a gentlecolt....". Twilight lowever her eye lids slowly and began to have a flashback about a certain event a couple of weeks ago... "Rhoe, Twilight needs you to take care of some errands for her. She claims to do it herself, but she is sick and can't do it." said Spike from the balcony. "Okay then. I'll do it, what does she need?" said Rhoe. "Here's the list of errands.", said Spike. Rhoe actually was surprised by the many she had to do even is she was a librarian. "A book worm to be exact" thought Rhoe. "Wow, she has... Nevermind, I'll get it done." "Thanks Rhoe! Be sure to come back before night!" yelled Spike as Rhoe closed the door behind. Spike walked up the stairs towards Twilight's room with medicine on his hands. As he opened the door, he could see someone in bed coughing and moaning. This person was Twilight as you already know. She did some over-work, more than she could handle, and getting sick was her reward for pushing her limits. "S-Spike? Is that you?" mumbled Twilight. "Here, I got your medicine.". Spike walked to her bed and sat next to her. "I got to work Spike. I'm perfectly fine, see?" "Now now, we both know that is not going to happen." said Spike in a protective way. "You're gonna take the day off and rest. You are only gonna get hurt if you keep up working in excess." explained Spike as he watched Twilight take some pills. "Besides, Rhoe is gonna-" "Yeah, I know" interrupted Twilight. "I heard you downstairs, but... Are you sure.... Rhoe should do my ....errands instead of you? He barely got used to this world." "Well, he may not be the brightest human of all (although it's the first human we ever met), but I'm sure he can do it." "I hope he is okay..." said Twilight when she was turning around her bed sheets looking the other way. Meanwhile at Ponyville's main square "Where the fuck is Sugarcube Corner!? I got a little tour about this place, but I'm completely lost!" thought Rhoe as he was standing in the main square. "Man, I should at least ask for directions." he headed to a lady with a hair of mixed color and medium height. "Excuse me miss, do you know where the-RAINBOW DASH?" yelled Rhoe. "Knuckle! Hey, how you doing?" answered Rainbow Dash. (Let's make her name short and called her Dash) "Knuckle?" responded Rhoe with confusion. "Knuckle is for knucklehead the day we first met, right?" said Dash as she smiled with glee. 'Oh, right. I met her- no. SHE met ME when she crashed towards me and landed on my head. Moron...' thought Rhoe as he remembered the scene. "What do you need Knuckle?". Dash stared at Rhoe while he was thinking of what to do. 'I give up. Stay with the nickname Knuckle, it's better than other nicknames.' "I actually got lost and-". Rhoe swore he heard Dash snicker a bit when he said that. "...I was wondering if you could tell me where to go." "Oh, I'm not telling you, I'm taking you there." answered back Dash. "Say what again?" blinked Rhoe. "What." answered Dash intentionally "Really funny" staring at her. "C'mon, let's go!" as she pulled Rhoe to the Sugarcube Corner. "But I gotta do some errands!". "Finish them later! We got plenty of time!" "For you to rest on the clouds? Or to do your weather control later? I can't tell." said Rhoe joking. "..... Do you wanna know where the Sugarcube Corner, yes or no?" said Dash glaring at Rhoe with annoy. "..... Sorry, yes." answered as Rhoe lowered his head apologizing. "That's more like it." turning her head back to the store. "How do I always get involved in these situations?" said Rhoe as he was dragged by Dash across the square. Before they knew it, Dash brought Rhoe to the Sugarcube Corner where Pinkie Pie was in reception for any customer that came across, not only to buy, but also to make them smile. Both entered the store and Pinkie could have swore her heart stopped the moment she saw Rhoe. Pinkie may be seen happy and cheerful all the time, but when someone she's interested comes in her line of vision, her mood could simply blow the entire roof. As they approach, Pinkie's smile grew bigger and bigger, especially at Rhoe. "Hi everyone!" Pinkie said more happy than usual. "What do you need today? Because I saw you entering the store and I thought you guys needed something because everyone has something to do and you need something that I have can give you and-" "Pinkie, stop" interrupted Dash. "Okay, sorry~! What do you need?" answered Pinkie "I actually came here for an errand" stated Rhoe as he checked his list. "I just guided him. This Knuckle sure can be a pain when no one takes care of him." Dash said as she laughed a bit making the comment. "Knuckle?" asked Pinkie in confusion. "I'll explain later." replied Rhoe. "Yeah you will~" answered Dash with a snicker along that answer. "Mind If I call you Sweet, Rhoe?" asked Pinkie with hope. "Sweet?" said Rhoe lifting an eyebrow with uncertain understanding. "Yeah! Since you're my friend I could call you in a way no else does so it could be Super Ultra Special!" "Can I ask why?" he asked. Rhoe thought for a moment that Pinkie's eyes grew severak inches. Either that, or he has gone crazy for all the rainbow colors he has witnessed. 'I still haven't got used to so many bright colors...' he thought as Pinkie inhaled deeply. "It's because the day we all met you, you were super sweet on us and I thought it was really sweet from you considering that you are human and that humans in stories aren't that friendly and sweet like you because-" said Pinkie before she was interrupted by Dash. "WE get it Pinkie." Dash stated staring at her. "Oh, sorry. So, can I call like that? Pleasepleaseplease?" asked Pinkie. Pinkie was looking at Rhoe with such expectation that saying 'No' would crush her completely. Rhoe knew this and after a few moments of thinking, he decided that nothing was wrong with it. "...Fine, you win." replied Rhoe sighing. "YAY!" responded Pinkie with her hopes high on the sky. "Anyways, I need a honey cake if that's okay." asked Rhoe. "Okie Dokie Lokie! One honey cake coming up!" answered Pinkie. Pinkie immediately started to make the cake after she got to the kitchen. As you can notice, Pinkie wanted to make this more special than other special she has done before. Using a secret recipe she keeps hidden from others, she made the cake in less than 5 MINUTES. Well... talk about fast service! This puts McDonalds, Pizza Hut and other restaurants to shame! Before they knew it, Pinkie was out with a cake in hand already and giving it to Rhoe. "Thanks, Pinkie Pie." thanked Rhoe, "You really helped me out" "Aww, it's nothing!" responded Pinkie as she was leaving the counter of the store, "Anything for my friends! And you can call me Pinkie!" "Ok then... Pinkie." replied Rhoe with a smile on his face. "Thanks a lot-" Rhoe could die of happiness when Pinkie hugged him and hold him in her chest. Dash left her jaw hanging after she saw that. He could feel her breasts in his face. 'Oh my god!' thought Rhoe, 'She is hugging me and her breasts feels so soft! This is heaven... NO! Wake up! This is wrong, you got work to do!' "Umm.... Pinkie?" said Rhoe as he looked up to avoid looking at Pinkie's breasts. "Yeah, Sugar?" answered innocently Pinkie. Despite his inner struggles of staying in that position and holding his man 'urges', Rhoe spoke. "Umm... would you... be so kind... of... you know... letting me go?". Pinkie didn't saw it the way Rhoe or Dash view it, and innocently Pinkie responded, "Why? Don't you like it?". Rhoe could feel Pinkie's sadness making him think that he wasn't happy about it. OF COURSE HE'S HAPPY. BREASTS ON HIS FACE, BIG ONES IN THIS CASE. CUTE GIRL HUGGING HIM, I MEAN, WHO WOULD BE HAPPY!? A gay (not against them, just to be clear) wouldn't agree, but YOU GET THE POINT. "I-I-I do like it! But..." "But?" replied Pinkie with doubt "....There's no problem at all." answered Rhoe looking away. "Okay then!" Pinkie said. "I'm happy that you like it!". With a smile on her, Rhoe (who suddenly decided to look at her again) thought he saw the cutest girl in the world right in front of him. In that very moment, Rhoe discovered he was a very healthy man. OH, NICE RED! A few moments later, Rhoe was cleaning his nose, Rainbow was rolling on the floor laughing like she has never laughed before in her life and Pinkie was cleaning her shirt covered in blood. Nose-blood in fact. "I'm sorry, Pinkie! It wasn't my intention to do that!" pleaded Rhoe as he was bowing to her like they do in Japan. "It's okay! I'm sure it was an accident!" responded Pinkie. "YEAH, A PERVERT ACCIDENT!" intervened Dash "OH CELESTIA, THIS IS HILARIOUS!" Rhoe was a little angry at Dash with such support she provided, but who could blame her. "I'm sorry! If there's anything to make it up, I'll do it!" bowing lower than before. "Anything, huh?" replied Pinkie with a grin on her face. Rhoe didn't like the sound of that because every time someone said that, there was trouble. Trouble inevitable. Maybe, Rhoe was being too exagerated. He saw many Hollywood movies that any event that happened was likely to follow to another. He should stopping watching T.V for a while. "Would you go with me on Heart and Hooves's day?" "Um, yeah. No." "WHAT!?" yelled both ponies. "The oven is on fire." Rhoe stated while pointing at the kitchen. "DOUBLE WHAT!?", it was Pnkie's turn to yell. Rhoe learned that day that accidents can make someone happy. Really happy. As he left the store and waved goodbye to Pinkie (rushing to the kitchen, mind you), he headed to complete the other tasks given to him. Compared to what he went through in the Suarcube Corner, these were a piece of cake. It would have been a piece of cake, if it weren't for Dash dragging you along to any event that caught her attention. Due to these 'slow-downs' caused by Rainbow, which she enjoyed the company of Rhoe to every event they went, he returned home at night. He checked the list once again to make sure he didn't miss anything. 'Honey cake, elf dust, 5 pieces of sapphire, a dog bone.... what does she need these thing for anyway?' thought Rhoe meanwhile he was closing distance with the library. 'I hope I didn't worry Twilight or Spike. That could be trouble.' thought Rhoe while he was opening the door to the library. The moment he entered, the lights were out. Apparently, Twilight and Spike waited for Rhoe to come so long that they fell asleep. Rhoe went upstairs to check the bedroom of Spike and Twilight and they were, in fact, asleep. Both were in their own bed, but Twilight's bed was surrounded by tables. Rhoe walked towards Twilight's bed, passing through the tables, and checked Twilight's temperature. She still had a fever, but it ceased down thanks to Spike's care. Rhoe let a sigh of relief after knowing she was getting better. "Good, you're getting better now." whispered Rhoe. "I was worried you might get worse. I've got your errands here, I'll leave them in the kitchen for you." Rhoe soon realized he was talking to someone asleep. "Moron." he thought "She is asleep, she can't hear you." "Well," mumbled Rhoe as he removed his hand from her, "I'll let you rest now. Good night Twilight..." Rhoe was starting to walk away from her when he felt a hand grab his. He looked back and saw Twilight awake with a smile on her face. She probably heard him and pretended to be asleep. "Rhoe," whispered Twilight "can you stay here longer please?" Rhoe didn't know what to say, but after Pinkie's incident, he decided to give it a shot. "Sure, I'll stay longer." answered Rhoe. Rhoe sat on her bed checking on her health and watching her to see any inconvenience. He was happy (also tired) to look out for Twilight even at these hours of the night. Twilight was even more happy that Rhoe kept his word and stayed with her. It was the morning after what triggered Twilight's feelings towards Rhoe since he actually stayed all night with her. Rhoe was tired enough to fall asleep anywhere that night, so he slept at Twilight's side and it didn't mind him at all. That same morning, Twilight showed a big smile and gave Rhoe a kiss on the cheek for being such a gentleman, which he reacted with a small smile in return. She went off to rest again and that's where the story returns to it's original time-line. "Twilight, I know that this isn't too much of a deal to you" stated Rhoe still looking away from her, "but it is for me!" "Why? Haven't slept with any girl before?" asked Twilight mockingly "............................................." Rhoe felt a pierce to his heart since that was true. He ahs never slept in another bed with any woman. Not even his mother. Yes, he was brave enough to conquer his fears. Well, not brave enough to be around women, but still. "Rhoe? Hello?" said Twilight with curiousity about Rhoe. It took a whole minute for Twilight to figure out Rhoe's luck. "Are you serious? You haven't slept with any woman!?" "....Yes." Rhoe thought she was gonna laugh about this, but he was countered with a hug instead. "Twilight!?" said Rhoe as he was turning around to look at Twilight "What are you-". Before he could finish his sentence, his lips were touching Twilight's lips. He couldn't believe what he was feeling. He was kissing with a girl. ANYONE that hasn't that luck with the ladies can understand that feeling of finally kissing. Especially nerds. They may never get to be laid in their life. Ever. Just like Isaac Newton. Poor Bastard. When their lips were separated, Rhoe's expression was crimson red blush. Twilight was blushing just like Rhoe was. "So, does that make you feel better?" Rhoe was speechless, another kiss, besides Celestia's, was with a species of PONIES that he met 1 month ago. The first one that he met. He was happy, confused, excited, and other emotions after the kiss. He was trying to make the right words as an answer to Twilight's gift, but he couldn't create them, so he just simply nodded. "I'm happy to know that" said Twilight with a relieved smile, "just so you know... that actually was.... my.... first....". She started to blush even more after confessing such act. "WHAT." replied Rhoe. Twilight wasn't that popular either. Even if she was, her only attention was books, all kinds of books. No colt or stallion got her attention before. His brother actually got her attention first, but he is her brother for crying out loud. That is easier for anyone. Rhoe was shocked, not only did he got her first kiss, but he also recieved hers. Mind blowned by this, his only working capability was his honesty, which replaced his neglence to hide any feeling. His honesty still kept the shy-type though. "I...I... That was really good to tell the truth." said Rhoe looking away. Twilight's expression became exactly like Rhoe when he heard this was her first kiss. "R-R-Really?" ".....Yes, it's true." "Does that mean....you... weren't that popular before?" asked Twilight. The comment went like an arrow to Rhoe's chest. Somehow, saying that looked.... pathetic? Maybe. "I'm afraid so" replied Rhoe "I wasn't that popular and every time a girl would ask me out, I rejected her for personal reasons." "If that reason the same you don't want to tell me?" answered back Twilight "Yes, it's the same." replied Rhoe. "You won't tell me, right?" asked Twilight remaining motionless. Her voice tone seemed sad. ".....Maybe I'll tell you someday. But not now, okay?" clarified Rhoe still facing her. "...Okay, you win." admitted Twilight closing her eyes for a few seconds just to open them moments later. "Sometimes I feel I could help you, but you reject my help. Applejack is like you in that way. Don't hurt yourself, okay?" Rhoe smiled in the darkness thanks to Twilight's comment. He felt the urge to tell a bit of 'that' reason, so she could have an basic idea of it. "Just to give an idea of what is it, I'll give you a hint" said Rhoe, "That reason is linked to my family life, something that I lost not so long ago. That's it." ".......................Sorry to hea-" Twilight was interrupted before she could finish her phrase. "Please Twilight, I don't want to hear it. Not now." said Rhoe when he interrupted. "...Okay, Rhoe. I won't ask." concluded Twilight. "Just.....talk to me if you wish to tell someone." "Okay, sure .......Twilight?" "Yes, Rhoe?" "...Thank you." thanked Rhoe after everything she did. "It's no problem, I'm here for you." smiling at him when she said that. Rhoe closed his eyes in front of her and tried to sleep. Only one thing kept him from sleeping. A request. "Twilight" said Rhoe with his eyes still shut, "can I ask you a favor?" "What is it Rhoe?" asked Twilight. "Can... can we... cuddle up... tonight? I... really... need a hug." requested Rhoe was embarrasment Twilight was both happy and paralized after hearing. Rhoe didn't expect an answer since it was too direct even after they kissed. "It's okay if you don't want to-" "Okay." Before he knew it, Rhoe felt Twilight wrapped herself around Rhoe, cuddling him with ease. Rhoe sighed and thanked the unicorn. "Have a good night Rhoe" responded Twilight. "You too Twilight" said Rhoe "Good night" And with that both went to sleep together that same night. > Honesty can be tough sometimes... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rhoe woke up with ease. It's been a while since he had such a quiet and relaxing night. Waking up, with his eyes still closed, he manages to touch a certain figure next to him, causing to get startled. Keeping his eyes closed, Rhoe did his best to make memory of what happened several hours ago. "Okay... someone is in my bed with me. Who was it again?" he thought. Rhoe's memory was starting to slowly come back since mornings always were a weakness to him. He cursed his bad habit, and focused on trying to remember the night. "Okay, I was in my bed...um, someone came to my room for...something? And then... Ugh.. Damn, my memory is still fuzzy...", As he was trying to remember, he hears a small femenine voice which triggered your apparently hidden memory of what happened. "Wait a second... female voice? Is it... Twilight? But why-" before he finished the thought, a flashback came back at him like a bullet. He remembers what happened in Part 3 of the series- wait, I broke the 4th wall, let me redo that- he slowly remembers what happened yesterday that night. The wrap-up, the check up and especially... Rhoe blushed at the single thought of having a kiss that night with someone of other world, not to mention it was her first kiss. Gathering courage, Rhoe turns where this figure is and talks to her. From here, everything starts to change... "... Wow. Just wow, I can't believe I got a kiss with Twilight" thought Rhoe. In the human world, he didn't get any kind of major attention from women that weren't her mother of course. Geez, that's gross. Rhoe opened his eyes and thought he saw the cutest thing he has ever seen. Twilight's face was adorable, her eyes were so beautiful, her lips tempting, her nose perfectly shaped, her mane across her face with glamour and the only thing Rhoe could whisper was: ".....Gorgeous." In all his life, he had never encountered such girl before. Of course, she was from another world. Rhoe was slowly thinking what was better for him. To return to his normal boring life in the human world, or stay in this incredible place with such nice people, just like Twilight. Rhoe didn't know what to do, which was short-lapsed since Twilight woke up a minute later. "Ugh..." moaned Twilight rubbing her eyes which suddenly changed to a pleased expression when she saw Rhoe. "Good morning, Rhoe." "Ummm... good morning Twilight" said Rhoe, "you... had a good night?" "An incredible night." answered Twilight, "All thanks to you Rhoe." Rhoe couldn't do anything else but to blush at such answer. He was happy about it, but didn't know what to say. "I'm.... glad. I...I...", murmured Rhoe. He decided to give up and sigh. He didn't know how to handle these kinds of situations, which he already knew due to some previous encounters with other pretty girls, but not as much as Twilight. Submitting to his heart's control, he spoke. "I'm happy that you liked it. A girl as pretty as you deserves to be happy. I'm glad that I was able to do so." spoke Rhoe truthfully. At some moment, Rhoe could have swear he saw Twilight's face burned crimson red after he said that. Attempting to hide her blush she covered her face with the bed sheets. Rhoe snickered at such cute sight and hugged her. Well, he hugged the sheets, but it still counts. "If there's anything you want to do, just say the word and I'll do it." offered Rhoe with gratitude. "Well, if you two lovey-doveys are done, breakfast is ready downstairs" expressed Spike who watched some parts of the event. "OH GOD, I'M SORRY" said Rhoe embarrased after he realized someone else actually saw his soft side. "I'M GETTING UP! TWILIGHT, SEE YA DOWNSTAIRS! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!" shouted Rhoe as he sprinted down the stairs. "What was that all about?" asked Spike "What did you two-". Before Spike knew it, he was being levitated and being thrown out of the room. "DON'T ASK! IT'S TOO EMBARRASING!" yelled Twilight from the other side of the locked door. "I'LL BE DOWNSTAIRS SHORTLY. PLEASE JUST GO!" "Okay....." responded Spike with a lifted eyebrow after he was literally thrown out of the room. "After you finish... whatever you need to do, come downstairs for breakfast. Just don't take too long!" After 15 minutes, the atmosphere cools down and everything seems to be back to normal. Well, they expected to be normal, but after such heat in the morning, it's really hard to ignore certain feelings and uneasiness just the way they are. Without any thought interrupting their speak, Spike spoke up first. "So, nice weather we are having, huh?" said Spike with a slight hope of lighten up the mood during breakfast. It was futile. Rhoe and Twilight couldn't look at each other, because if they did, they would die of embarrasment of what did they did last night, not that it's a bad thing but still... Out of nowhere, a loud noise could be heard from the dining room. Someone was knocking the door and seeinig such opportunity to avoid any embarrasing moment with Twilight, he got up from his chair and went directly to the door to answer it. Rhoe opened the door and the first thing he saw was a blond haired girl with some farmer's clothes on. A squared shirt with some a bit used jeans and a cowboy hat. It was none other than Applejack. Rhoe met Applejack before, when she bucking some Apple trees with a single and powerful kick. Rhoe had never seen that before and inmediately knew Applejack was a very-strong woman. Also, the same day they met, Applejack was a bit tired and wanted to know a little bit Rhoe before he went to meet the other Mane 6. She asked him if he could try kicking the tree as hard as he could. Rhoe, obviously not backing down, accepted and placed himself in front of the tree. He didn't thought he would do this, but his man pride was on the line. Guys, you know what I mean. Applejack was eager to test the strength of a human and waited until Rhoe finally decided to buck the tree. Rhoe moved his body to the lateral-side and launched a quite a kick that brought down at least some 10 apples. Rhoe felt weak when he did that because Applejack managed to bring down at least 25 apples with a same kick as he did. He sulked at his limits, which Applejack noticed when she looked at the horizon, just to check on the human friend. She felt a tad dissapointed, and bad for the human when she saw him sulk like that. She hoped that a human could bring down more apples than that, but she had more practice and power, so Applejack tried to cheer him up a bit. It did manage to cheer him up, but it didn't last long. After that, he knew he had to become stronger, but he didn't know how. Rhoe decided to become stronger and prove he has the BALLZ to prove he is man. I mean, a girl bested you in strength. That hurts, to any guy. ANY GUY. When he snapped out of his memory, he greeted Applejack. "Hi there Applejack." greeted Rhoe, "I see you are still in shape!" Applejack lifted an eyebrow after the comment, and couldn't help it but laugh a little. "Ha, thanks Rhoe." replied Applejack. Rhoe somehow felt like an idiot for saying something like that. In an attempt to make up his comment, he quickly changed the subject. "Sooo... what brings you here?" asked Rhoe. "Oh. Ah just came by to see if ya can help mah family with some apple bucking. What did ya say?" asked Applejack with confidence. She knew Rhoe could be helped in order to make him stronger, because she knows that humans are capable of more. She wanted to witness that. "Some apple bucking? Sure, I can help." responded Rhoe, "but I'm not sure if I can be much of a help you know?" "Aw, don't be silly!" replied Applejack, "I'm sure you can be a great help for us." "Are you sure? I mean your friends are more capable than me, why don't you ask them?" persuaded Rhoe with no success. "Rhoe~!" said out loud Twilight across the library, "Who is at the door?" "Oh, it's just Applejack" replied Rhoe, "she wants me to help her with some apple bucking." "Really? That's strange, she usually doesn't ask for help." responded Twilight. "What?" said Rhoe to Applejack with confusion, "You don't ask for help?" "Well, Ah don't because ah can take care of it." "But then... why-" mumbled Rhoe before Applejack spoke. "Because....I....", giving up to her actual desires, Applejack said the truth like The Element of Honesty that she is. "Ah REALLY wanna know how strong humans are! Ah know it was a legend, but now that is true Ah wanna test it out!". Applejack processed these words carefully, but didn't have the courage to say it. Instead, she came up with something else. "Ah wanna help ya get some muscles! Yea, that!" said Applejack as her eyes somehow managed to cross. Rhoe wasn't fazed by this, since he believed it was something normal from Applejack, but he still felt some curiosity. He just ignored the instincts to find out and focused on her request.... kinda. "Muscles?" wondered Rhoe, "I know I could use some muscles training, but... why do you want that? It is because of my... act of strength the other day?" "Well, kinda...". Applejack tried to avoid her statement make him believe that she thought Rhoe was weak, but it was unavoidable. "I see..." said Rhoe with a bit of sulking. "You think I'm weak don't you?" "NONONO, not at all! Is just that... errr...." "Don't worry." said Rhoe "I understand. I'm not that strong to begin with, but I'm happy that you want to help me. Just forget that idea, I rather help." "Ah... ah didn't mean that way, Rhoe." stated Applejack attempting to make tt up for the truth, but she knew she may have a bit direct and her element of honesty may have kicked up more than it should have. "Anyways..." cleared Rhoe "Could you wait a moment? I forgot something with Twilight, be right back." "Ummm... sure. Ah will wait here, you know?" "Sure thing." Rhoe headed upstairs to pick his forgotten object where Twilight, meanwhile Applejack was talking to herself as a habit of doing something wrong. "Great job Applejack, yah j'st hurt th' human's pride wit' an innocent statement. Ah knew ah should have came prepared for an excuse, but nooooooo.... you just went head-straight for a silly thing that he doesn't even care! ...Ah did it for that, right? ...Now Ah am getting confused." Applejack sighed after she was done and waited patiently in her spot. Meanwhile, Rhoe was entering Twilight's room where she was busy with a report that Celestia was to get each week. "You are still doing those reports about friendships?" asked Rhoe. "Well, she is my teacher in the end. Even if she didn't ask me, I would write something down about my findings in Ponyville." answered Twilight still focused on her report. Rhoe shurged at her answer and searched for his object. He was looking for a bracelet that was very precious to him. Here is why.... It's a bracelet his parents gave him when he was still a child. His brother also wore one, so both could match or they wanted. Rhoe took it and thought that the bracelet he received gave him strength when he needed. Rhoe's brother, whose name is Emil, wore it and believed it had a connection with his brother's bracelet as well. One night, both children were talking about their gift and the two made a believeing that their bracelets share a connection and whenever they felt down or weak, the bracelet would give them the strength they needed. Through the years, they kept it as a memory of their parents and Rhoe had both. You will know soon why. He was still searching when out of nowhere he thought "WHY THE HELL DOES CELESTIA NEED THAT ANYWAYS? SHE IS WISE AND ALL, BUT WHAT DOES SHE DO WITH THEM ONCE SHE FINISHES READING THEM? KEEP IT TO THE DOG? A TREAT? SOME FREAKING REVOLUTION FOR THE DONKEYS?" Twilight was thinking what to write to her teacher, but her thoughts were interrupted by Rhoe's voice. "What does Celestia do with your reports anyway?" asked Rhoe. "She is wiser than most of us, what's the purpose?" "Well, she may keep them for... you know... something." replied Twilight. "She keeps them for a purpose, just like she didn't tell your-" Twilight placed quickly her hands on her mouth knowing she almost let slip the incident at the castle after Rhoe's arrival. He was a tad deppresed for it, but never revealed it to others. She figured it out with his everyday life actions. He was easy to read, so it didn't took long. She looked directly at Rhoe hoping she didn't annoyed him. For her surprise, he acted like nothing happened when Twilight mentioned it. "Oh, you mean the time she refused to tell my purpose?" said Rhoe, "Yeah, I guess you are right. Boy was I angry at that moment, but you gotta admit I looked a bit funny back then." He blushed a little at the single thought of silly he looked back then. Twilight, still confused to his reaction, spoke. "Yeah, I guess..." said Twilight with a puzzled face. "She may even keep it for her sister Luna" "Wait, she has a sister?" asked Rhoe thinking how he never met her. "I don't remember saying you telling me she had a sister, not that it mattered though." "Of course I did! It was the first thing I told you at the chariot! Of how we took the elements of Harmony and used it against Nightmare Moon. Then she turned into Luna." "Really? Hmmm...... Nope, can't recall you saying that." spoke back Rhoe staring into the wall trying to remember. "...Or you actually said it, but I wasn't paying attention...... Aw shoot, my brain isn't working today." "Your brain isn't working?" said Twilight amused at this expression. "What? Of course it is. Well, I think it is." "Then why did you-" "It's just an expression we humans (well, mostly in my case) have meaning 'I'm not thinking straight today'." cleared Rhoe. "We do have that same expression you know?" "Aw shit. NOW I feel like an idiot." "Maybe you are one!" said Twilight joking. "Hey, watch it!" responded Rhoe annoyed "...Bookworm" "What did you say?" replied Twilight to Rhoe's comment, "I got a load of insults if you dare to provoke me, YOU watch it 'No-magic or flying kiddo' " Rhoe stared at Twilight like he just heard the worst pun in his life and said: "...Is that supposed to be an insult?" "Um... maybe?" "OH MY! I FEEL SO INSULTED! PLEASE STOP! , You better come up with something better." dared Rhoe. "Okay then, EMO." "Hey, I'm not an Emo!" "Oh, sorry. I was occupied lifting this rock with my magic. Oops, it's too heavy for you? I'm so sorry." said Twilight in attempt to provoke him. "Don't worry, I'm fine. At least I don't have a freaking horn stapled to my forehead!" "This horn allows me to do magic unlike you!" "I rather do it with my hands so that way I don't impale someone when I hug somebody!" "Grr....You!" said Twilight with anger. And so, the insult battle began... "MORON!" Twilight said. "HAG!" replied Rhoe. "IDIOT!" "BOOKWORM!" "HUMAN EMO!" "BORING LIBRARIAN!" "HEARTLESS CASANOVA!", this one caused Rhoe's blodd to boil. "TEACHER'S PET!!!!" was his final answer. Applejack was actually getting a bit tired of waiting since it was a simple object what Rhoe was looking for. "What's takin' him so long?" she thought. Without further ado, she went inside the library and decided to call him. "Rhoe, are ya there?" raised Applejack her voice as she entered. No response from him. "Where in tarnation are ya?" whispered Applejack. Out of nowhere, Applejack was surprised when she saw Rhoe running from a room he was. With doubts in her head, she asked, "Rhoe, what's taking you so long?" "Oh Applejack!" said Rhoe surprised, "Sorry to keep you waiting but we gotta go, NOW." Applejack, curious to his request, looked at him trying to understand what was that hurry. Out of nowhere, she swore she could have heard a door banging. "What is that sound?" asked Applejack while looking at Rhoe placing a chair to hold the banging door. "What? Pffft. Noooo.... Don't worry about it!" said Rhoe nerviously, "It's just Twilight practicing... yeah, that! She is practicing a new spell!" "Okay sugarcube, I've known Twilight longer than you do and that is not true." ]"RHOE!!! JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!!!" yelled Twilight from the other side of the door. "OH NO. APPLEJACK, PLEASE LET'S MAKE A RUN FOR IT." said Rhoe. With a rush, he sprinted from the door and took hold of Applejack's hand quickly and pulled without hesitation toward the main door of the library. Applejack was caught off guard by his sudden action and before she knew it, she was running away from a banging door. Reminds me of a scary movie though. "WHOA! RHOE? ARE WE RUNNIN' AWAY FROM TWILATH?" said Applejack while she was still running. "YUP!" answered Rhoe in an instant. "WHY?" "LET'S SAY WE GOT INTO A FIGHT AND I SAID SHE WAS A LOT OF THINGS." "WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" "I SAID SHE SOMEONE'S PET AND THINGS GOT OUT OF CONTROL. LET'S LEAVE IT LIKE THAT, OKAY?" Before they knew it, the banging door broke free and a furious, flaming Twilight was floating out of the room. "RHOE!!! WHERE ARE YOU!?" said Twilight with a flaming aura around her searching for Rhoe around her. "OH MAN. I'M SO SCREWED." thought Rhoe as he was fleeing the library. "Applejack?" said Rhoe. "Yes Rhoe?" replied Applejack. "Can you please keep this event a secret?" asked Rhoe. "Sure thing." "Thanks! NOW RUN FASTER." "I can do that." and with both ran to the farm like if they were holding a Black Friday's sales day. ....After a while, Rhoe figured out that Twilight wasn't following them anymore. Maybe she couldn't keep up, or she simply started thinking again. Or maybe she was waiting for him to return since he doesn't have anywhere else to go? In either, he was screwed. He shuddered at the single thought of what she was capable of doing to him once he gets back. Snapping from his thought, he realized Applejack was trying to speak to him. "Rhoe! Wake up! We are already here at the farm!" said Applejack as she was waving her arm in front of Rhoe's face. "Oh sorry, guess I must have lost myself in my thoughts..." answered Rhoe. "....Ya were thinking what is Twilight gonna to do ya, don't ya?" "NONONO, why would you think that-.... Yes." "Don't worry sugarcube" said Applejack staring at a the farm "Ah am sure she won't mess you up. I think." Rhoe shuddered again, this time with fear. Rhoe shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the thought. Somehow, it worked and he headed to the farm to do some bucking. "Hmmm..." thought Rhoe, "Why does bucking sounds familiar to some word I remember and use in some *erhem* occasions? .....Wait.... *gasp*" REVELATION. Applejack ordered him to buck (REVELATION) some trees and gather the apples he managed to drop. Prepared with a great determination, Rhoe started to buck (REVELATION) tree with might. Out of 30 apples, he managed to make fall 10 or so. With each kick Rhoe launched, his frustration grew at his lack of strength. Taking a break, Rhoe rested standing up at a nearby tree and looked around his environment. The farm looked so relaxing when no one was working. It was so relaxing anyone could take a nap anywhere, but now wasn't the time for that. Rhoe sighed once and focused on Applejack who was bucking (REVELATION) some trees as well. Comparing him to Applejack made him look like a rookie although he was one. In a sudden moment, Applejack launched a kick so powerful, it managed to make 25 fully-mature apples to fall easily. Rhoe couldn't help it but feel embarrased at the difference of power each had. He felt he needed more power, in order to protect those he care about. Without anything stopping him from feeling down, he sighed once again. Applejack always seemed like the kind of people that rather do things on her own than ask anybody to do it. If that was the case, which it is, then Rhoe thought it is admirable since he thought the same way. Rhoe didn't realized how much time he spent resting that when he woke up from his thoughts he was already sunset. He reacted and tried to buck (REVELATI- YOU KNOW WHAT? I'LL JUST STOP, IT'S NOT FUN ANYMORE) some more trees before night. Rhoe knew if he was gonna be useful, he needed to give his best. He didn't like to use anger as a fuel of power, but he wished to help badly. Gathering anger hidden deep inside his heart, Rhoe was buffing up which attracted Applejack's attention. She stared at Rhoe as he was getting more tense. Fully changer with fury, Rhoe yelled so loud it could be heard from the library. He launched a kick just powerful enough to break a steel door (Applejack's imagination, ladies and gentlemen). The tree kept swinging back and forth after he bucked the shit out of it. Applejack had her jaw hanging at the display of force he had demonstrated a moment ago.As for Rhoe, all the apples fell and Rhoe was proud of it, only that it came with a price. Something felt.... off. "Oh, would you look at that. I got hurt. Great...." Damn it! Back at the house, which Applejack gladly asked Rhoe to stay for dinner with her family, Rhoe was thinking what to do, because if he tried to go back to the library, he would encounter Twilight and her wrath. In order to avoid another problem tonight, he dared to ask what he never asked before. Stay at a girl's house. Gathering enough guts, he spoke only to be interrupted by Applejack's little sister, Applebloom. "So, mister! Who are you really?" asked innocently Applebloom. "Oh- Hi there. You are Applebloom, right? I saw you the day your sister introduced me to the whole family." said Rhoe with a sweet, caring voice. 'Also that day I discovered my stomach's limits. Just thinking of it makes me-MMMPH.' thought Rhoe which was reflected as a rejecting barf to everyone's eyes. Applebloom was looking curiously at Rhoe, but she ignored it and focused on the conversation. "Yeah, that's me! So, who are you again?" "Me? I'm Rhoenir, but you can call me Rhoe!" said Rhoe with innocence. "Really? Okay then. Wait a moment, I might earn my cutie mark if I call you with another nickname!" said Applebloom while pointing at Rhoe. Rhoe questioned why was she doing that, but since this world is new to him, he could only ask a couple of things. "Oh c'mon Applebloom" complained Applejack as she entered the dinner room, "Ah doubt very much ya get yar cutie mark with sucha silly thing." "Awww, can I at least try?" begged Applebloom with a pleading face towards her sister. "No!" said Applejack, "Ya might be even annoying our guest with yar request." "Oh don't worry Applejack" said Rhoe in an attempt to lower the pressure to the situation, "I don't mind her request. If that's what might help her get her... um... cutie mark?.... then it doesn't bother me." "But-" "Now now Applejack, it's fine! I had a little brother myself nd I know what it feels like. Don't worry about it." Applejack wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let her do that, even if the idea seemed harmless. She just wanted to give Rhoe a break. "Ugh, okay,". "But don't come t' me if Applebloom says somethin' that bothers yah. Good luck!" "Okay then, little one. What is-" "I'm not little!" complained Applebloom as a small child would, "I'm a big pony!" "Haha, sure you are." said Rhoe as she was rubbing Applebloom's mane Applejack couldn't help it but smile to see such a scene coming from her sister. She was surprised Rhoe could handle well kids considering his age, and shook her head as someone would when they see something silly. "Okay. So, Applebloom, what is my nickname?" asked Rhoe "Tubby!" said Applebloom with glee. Rhoe was still smiling, but deep inside he was confused why would she pick such a silly nickname. Trying to avoid being called like that, he persuaded her to change his new, given nickname. "Umm... Are you sure you wanna give me such nickname? I mean, it's unique, but..." "Ya don't like it?" said Applebloom as her head dropped as well as her ears. To let a kid down? How low of you Rhoe. "Shut up." As he was waving his arms trying to avoid the 'intended' topic, he spoke: "NO! I LIKE IT! REALLY! BUT I WAS THINKING-" "Do ya like it? YAY! Now for the moment!". As Applebloom stared to her flank for any kind of reaction, nothing happened. "Huh. Nothing happened". She was thinking what happened, but it didn't last long as her guess prevented her deception. "Maybe if Ah nickname other people, Ah might get something!" "Okay then 'Tubby'! Ah'll see ya around!". With that she left and went to her room upstairs. Rhoe was holding longest poker face he has ever done in his entire life. There wasn't any kind of event that could simply erase such memory. Rhoe stared where Applebloom was standing a few moments and sighed at the embarrasment he just recieved. Of course, Applejack was doing her best not to laugh in front of his friend. "Okay then. 'Tubby', Ah'm sure the girls would love to hear this." "Applejack, there is nothing in this world that can heal such nickname," stated Rhoe still keeping both his stance and his poker face. "Aww, c'mon sugarcube! Cheer up! It ain't so bad!" "Oh really? How about I give you a nickname? How's that for a change?" dared Rhoe. "Is that suppos'd to be a challenge?" "Oh it is." "Bring it. But le me tell ya, Ah got experience and whatever ya have in-" "Sweet Cheeks" "H-huh?" said Applejack as she blushed at the nickname. Rhoe knew a silly nickname wouldn't do, he needed to come up with something that she wasn't prepared. What a better way than a flirting, if possible adorable, nickname. It seems that did the trick. Rhoe got up from the chair and leaned a bit against her. Her face got as red as an apple as she stepped back a bit. "W-why Sweet C-cheeks? Ah-ah mean... that ain't a bother for mahself-" "You look cute today Sweet Cheeks." Applejack simply blushed. A few guys actually tried to flirt with her, but his older brother Big Macintosh always seemed to scare them away, but it seems Rhoe wasn't afraid of him. Maybe if he knew him better he would be, but that wasn't the case. The fact that a guy out of this world 'literally' says such a sweet thing caused her to go a state of both confusion and shyness. Applejack looked for a way to answer back, but she couldn't say a thing. The two of them continued to stare at each other for a couple of minutes, echoing in the distance during the night. Rhoe smiled a bit as he remembered he had a similar encounter with Twilight the day he arrived. Twilight? Oh shoot. He completely forgot the event he had with her this morning. If he returned to the library, hell itself would be waiting for him. "Nope, nopenopenope. So much nope. I need something, an excuse. If I go back... I don't even wanna think about it! Think think think!" Rhoe was thinking for an excuse, but couldn't come up with something. "U-umm sugarcube? You-*eherm*you are too close to me..." said Applejack blushing at the point of fainting from the situation. "Applejack? .....AJA! THAT'S IT!" thought Rhoe as he snapped back into reality. "Applejack, can I ask you something?" asked Rhoe showing a confident face. "Uh? W-what is i-it?" answered Applejack. "Can I ...." paused Rhoe. "Y-yes?" stuttered Applejack. "Oh please, don't say it. OH PLEASE DON'T SAY IT." "Please...." slowly whispered Rhoe close to her face "DONTSAYITDONTSAYITDONTSAYIT!" "Stay at your barn for tonight? It's already late and I'm too tired to go back home." "NOAHCAN'TKISSYA!" yelled Applejack. "...excuse me?" "AH?YOU-....WHAT?" "Did you thought...that I would-". In that very moment, Rhoe discovered Applejack was a lot stronger than Rainbow Dash. Upon regaining conciousness, Rhoe wakes up, realizing he weas in the barn as you had planned to stay. The problem was why did she kicked him so hard after he said something related, at least that what he thinks happened. "....a....kiss? Is that why she kicked me?" said Rhoe as he rubbed his head, trying to ease the pain. Not that it mattered, he had an excuse to stay. At least, that's what he thought. Rhoe got up from all the straw he was lying on. Strangely, the straws were placed in an attempt of making a bed of some sort. His curiousity simply rose and the worst part was he can't figure out why. As he gazed upon the attempt of a bed, Rhoe found a note next to him. Maybe it was placed after he was gently accommodated there. With a strong headache, he picked up the note and flipped it to reveal the message. It went like this: 'Hey, Rhoe. It's Applejack. Sorry to kick you like that-', "Yeah, no doubt IT WAS YOU. IT STILL HURTS." he thought. 'It was completely un-called for, I know. I'm gonna be honest with you. The real reason why I brought you here wasn't because I needed help (not that I need it anyway). "Oh? It wasn't that?" Rhoe thought curiously as he rubbed your head still trying to make the pain lessen up. 'It was because of my selfish desire to test a human strength.' "My strength? Why would she? I mean, she isn't like this. Her friends told me other stuff about her. Maybe they were wrong?". 'I've always wanted to test my strength, but any person that came across a strength challeneg wasn't enough. Well, maybe Rainbow was a challenge, but I wanted something new. I want to be stronger. To protect my friends, you know?' "That I can understand." he thought to himself. "I never believed in those myths about humans or sort of legend, but I heard humans were supposed to be strong, reliable, and protective about those they cared about. I...didn't believed in such things in legends, but those things made me feel like they...knew me. I know it sounds silly, but I want to be stronger and... and I thought you could help me." "WHOA WHOA WHOA. ME? WHY ME? I'M NOT STRONG! SHE GOTTA KNOW IT BY NOW!" "I don't know if you are willing to help me, but... I saw how you kicked that tree before. "Wait, she saw that? Geez, I must have made a fool out of myself in that moment." "I thought it amazing, the only one who has done that before was Big Macintosh. THE POINT IS.... Ugh, forget the request. I appreciate your help. Thanks for reading this letter. Your friend, Applejack." ".............. GODDAMMIT. Now she made me feel bad. Ugh... Fine, I'll help you. After a heal this leg of course." you said as you grabbed your leg and checked it. No problem, it just got swollen. Just before Rhoe turned away to do something else, he noticed a flipped area of the letter. It said P.S. "Huh? There's more?" "You can stay at the barn tonight. Consider it my payment for knocking you out. Plus, the Twilight incident. Got your back." "...THANK YOU" you said in your knees thanking God for his help. "Well, things are settled already, better sleep now." With that, he left the note right where he found and rested in the straws once more. The fatigue got the best out of him and a nice rest was deserved. Rhoe closed your eyes and before he knew it, everything went black. But something went wrong. As Rhoe tried to sleep, a pitch black scenario shows up. Something happened, and he was going to witness a lot of things. > Nightmares > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "WAKE UP!" was a sound heard from a close distance. Rhoe was slightly disturbed by this sound as he slowly woke up. His 'sleeping mode' was still affecting him and the voice seemed to help. Regaining a somewhat clear vision, Rhoe looked to where did this sound came from. For his surprise, it was none other than Twilight (DUN DUND DUUUUUUUUUN).There was nothing he could do about it, Twilight was in front of him and in the same stage he saw her last time at the library. "So, you thought I would forget what happened yesterday?" said Twilight. "I read in a book that men usually hide when they want someone to forget about them, which I hope you didn't try to do that." "What? Nooo~, of course not! Why-why-why-why would why I do that?" he stuttered as she was penetrating his soul with her flaming eyes. "OH REALLY? THEN WHY IS THAT YOU DIDN'T RETURN HOME LAST NIGHT!?", her voice was still as fierce as you could remember. "Noo~, there an explanation you see.... " he said looking for a slip of that situation. "You got 5 seconds." ordered Twilight burning with fury. "5 Seconds for what?" "1, 2-" started counting Twilight showing him the counting fingers in his face. "Oh shit! OK, okokokokok, I can explain!" "3, 4!" "Okay, before you turn me into ashes, let me-". Too late. Everything went black. Out of nowhere, Rhoe thought that he DID die. However, he was still aware of his surroundings. "Huh?" he thought, "What the fuck? I'm dead, but still alive? WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS?" Returning to his senses, he noticed a small glowing light coming from a distance. With nothing better in hands- wait. Did you still have your bracelets? As he checked his arms, they were gone. "AW CMON! THIS IS SO UNFAIR! ....Man, I lost my only memory of my family....". Sighing at the only possible conclusion for his life's reality, he moved forward to the glowing light. Each step seemed endless and the light slowly grew until it dissapeared from sight. Not that it mattered, he looked around expecting for something to change. Huh, typical. Nothing happened. Rhoe stood still like nothing mattered anymore (Geez, what an Emo). Things looked grim to his luck and darkness was his only companion. "Great, now what I'm supposed to do?" he thought in a last attempt to have one last hope. Silence. Nothing else. "...Perfect." you thought. "I'm dead, and wandering between life and death. What else? A monster chasing me?" 'YOU WISH YOU HAVEN'T SAID THAT...' As Rhoe stood still, terrified of the sudden change, he slowly turned to the voice's source. A shapeless beast was staring at him with his sharp, deadly eyes. Its claws were awfully sharp and he could sense a huge amount bloodlust coming from the beast. Rhoe kept staring at the monster for a whole minute before he spoke up. "WHAT'S THE MATTER? IS SOMETHING STUCK IN MY FACE? HAHAHA..." His whole body froze. Something like this doesn't show up just like that expect to accept like a normal thing, considering the fact of his recent death. Instinctively, his first movement was to run away, as far as possible. The beast didn't waste any time and started chasing him. The whole daily life he had in Ponyville helped him gain more stamina and run longer distances, but that wasn't enough to lose the beast. As Rhoe kept running for his life (That is, if he had one to begin with), the beast cut the distance shorter and shorter. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING? ARE YOU AFRAID OR SOMETHING? HAHAHAHA!" or "IT'S USELESS! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM ME!" were some of the comments made while chasing him. "Everything was black, everything was gone, every hope was gone, so why do you keep running?" he thought to himself like some sort of 2nd conciousness. "There was nothing to be afraid of, he is just a monster, what else?" he thought as he slowed down a bit. "I'm not running anymore..." Rhoe said as he completely stopped. The beast stopped as well, curious of his sudden stop. Turning face to face to the beast, he faced him without worrying about the consequences of his actions. "SO? WHAT'S THE MATTER?" yelled Rhoe as he stood up against the beast, "YOU AREN'T GONNA DO SOMETHING? BRING IT! I DON'T CARE! YOU DON'T SCARE ME! YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" "Woah, chill out bro." "NO, I WON'T! AND I'M NOT YOUR BRO!" "Look, I don't want any trouble-" "I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS, ASSHOLE! NOTHING MATTERS ANYWAY! I'M DEAD AND I LOST EVERYTHING!" he said letting his anger take control of his mind. Slowly, he shouted again, "GET. THE HELL. OUT OF. MY SIGHT." "Okay, okay! Take it easy!" said the beast as he slowly backed off, "FINE, I'll leave. Next time you won't be so lucky punk." "IF I EVER SEE YOU AGAIN, YOU BETTER WATCH OUT! I'M NOT IN THE FUCKING MOOD!" Rhoe shouted as the beast dissapeared from sight. As he calmed down, Rhoe turned his back to where the beast fled and walk a few more meters before something spoke up. "Well done, Rhoe... my sister was true of thy strength, you have overcome the challenge." "AW CMON!" Rhoe screamed while turning to see the incoming sound location, "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT? I'M NOT IN THE 'NICE-TO-MEET-YOU, OH-IT'S-A-PLEASURE' MOOD!". With that said, you looked everywhere, and no one was around. This fact was astonishing as Rhoe thought he were hearing things. Some dead-shit stuff, was his initial thought. One thing didn't change though. His anger. He was still angry and it didn't go away that easily. As ironic as this may seem, this made him even more angry. Something, or someone was fueling his anger, like if they are doing it on purpose. "GAH! I need to punch something reallly bad! I won't be avaiable to control myself if I stay like this.... GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" said Rhoe while grunting at the floor. Somehow, a neon light popped up in a flash behind him. Turning around quickly to see what happened, he recognized a sandbag hanging just like in the gyms do. Without thinking, Rhoe launched himself towards it and threw a heavy punch. The sandbag recoiled to the punch and returned to its original position right before he hit it again. Punch, punch, kick, punch, uppercut, kick, kick, and forth, Rhoe kept hitting it. He lost count of how many times did he hit the sandbag, but it was obvious it was a lot of times. The sandbag was ragged, broken and spilling it's insides to the floor. Panting after a lot effort, Rhoe fell to his knees and finally to his back. Never before has he done that. Rhoe have never displayed so much amount of power and anger in his life before. Not even to his brother's.... *sigh*. "I gotta let go of that incident, it's in the past now."said Rhoe as he was getting up from the floor. He looked around just to make sure his sanity was at an appropiate level. Nothing out of the ordinary, no weird sights or voices. "Good, at least I'm not crazy." he thought while trying to relax. HIs anger managed to drop considerably, until he was calm once more. One problem solved, another coming up. 5 minutes went by like nothing as Rhoe walked straight to God-knows-where. "Hmmm, maybe I'm between life and death? The limbo perhaps?" he asked himself, grabbing his chin and trying to think of where could he be. "I've heard stories about it, but I never thought it would look like this." Something felt different though. Rhoe knew he was there, and at the same time quite the opposite. It was something of mind-body connection stuff, but he couldn't simply figure it out. "I don't know what is going on, maybe I don't want to know," sais Rhoe as he stopped and threw his arms in the air desperately, "HEY LOOK AT ME! I'M TALKING TO MYSELF!" "No you are not." You got startled by the voice you just heard. It wasn't the same voice as before, but definitely came from you. "Huh? Who is there?" you said looking around hoping it wasn't your imagination playing a dirty trick on you. "Who else? I'm you." "That doesn't make sense at all" "Your photos from kindergarden dressed as a girl do make sense?" said the unknown voice. "YOU STAY AWAY FROM THAT. I WAS GOING THROUGH A STAGE AND- .....wait, how did you-" "I already told you, I'm you." "Nope. Still doesn't make sense." "*sigh*. Fine, let me show you." With that said, your left hand by raised out of your control of your body. Of course, this scared the hell out of you, but then you remembered anything is possible here. "Convinced?" asked the unknown voice "...Maybe." "Just so you know, I'm your 2nd conciousness. You can call me Rakin." "2nd conciousness? Rakin? ....Yup, I have gone crazy~! AND WHY DO YOU SOUND LIKE DEADPOOL'S BRAIN." you said as you imitated a silly ballet move. "You are not crazy, you just finally woke me with all that anger you released back there." "But, when did you-" "Please understand this is not the time for that" said Rakin persuading Rhoe to avoid that conversation. "...*sigh* Fine, you win. I won't ask. But you are telling me where do you come from when I get out of here, that is if I- I mean- WE get out of here." "Deal?" asked Rhoe. "Deal." agreed Rakin. "Now, go on." "Good, because there is no time to explain all of it." "What's it?" "I wish you didn't ask. I was hoping to avoid the topic, but-" explained Rakin "Just say it." "Don't say I warned you. This is a dream. The incident about Twilight and everything blacking out? That was part of the dream." "Wait a moment, this is a dream? So that means I'm not dead?" asked Rhoe. "Well, your body is still breathing, but it looks like if you went into some sort of coma in the real world." explained Rakin. Rhoe's mind stopped in midway as he tried to process what he just heard. Soon after, he snapped out of his world, "WHAT. THE. FUCK. SERIOUSLY?" "Seriously." "Great! Now I'm in some sort of coma-" complained Rhoe. "You are in a dream." "YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH." "I don't have a mouth." "Erh- You- You... Shut up." "I don't want to." said Rakin without problem. "Listen, I WANT TO WAKE UP. Help a bro out, will ya? Unless you want to be stuck with for eternity." said Rhoe while he looked like he was talking to the air. Huh, weird. "...You got a point." "Did somebody say point?" said another unknown voice. "Great, this guy again." said Rakin as he sounded annoyed of this new presence to Rhoe. "Who is this 'guy'?" asked Rhoe "Look below. Your pants to be exact." aimed Rakin with his order. Wait, aimed? I mean, he told him. Yeah, let's go with that. "Huh? What? I only see my boner- wait, you mean that voice was...!?" "The one and only, Zao!" said the raging boner. "WHAT THE HELL!? WHO SAID COPYING DEADPOOL WAS A BRIGHT IDEA!?" yelled Rhoe to the air. "Who is Deadpool?" asked Zao. "He is- ....nevermind. Why am I talking to my dick!?" "He is just too direct. Ignore him and you'll be fine." "Hey, that's cruel!" complained Zao. "GUYS!" said Rhoe as both conciousness remained silent. "Now is not the time for that! We need to get out of here!" "Hmm, agree. It's best for us to look for an exit. Now if you please, follow my instructions." "I got a better idea! Let's find a girl, AND BANG HER!" "...Is this what you meant by 'ignore'?" asked Rhoe. "What else would I mean?" said Rakin. "Anyways, there is a responsible for this dream-coma situation" added Rakin. "And you know who is that?" asked Rhoe hoping for a solution to this problem. "I haven't seen her, nor have you. But her name is Princess Luna." Just like, Rhoe's memory ticked at lightspeed the second he heard the name Luna. He inmediately remembered that Twilight mentioned her. She was, according to what he managed to picture again from the conversation of Twilight (Yes, that same fight), and rememebered she is Princess Celestia's little sister. Why would she do this? She isn't her evil sister, is she? No, the mane 6 told Rhoe she wasn't evil.... but there was a time where she banished to the moon because of- Look at me, I'm trying to explain the same freaking shit from the first episode. You know what? Screw it. Let's do a fast forward like we have never done before. ROLE IT! TWILIGHTGOESTOPONYVILLESHEISMADMEETSTHEMANE6DISCOVERSSOMETHINGNEWINHERTHEMOONFESTIVALHAPPENSNIGHTMAREMOONSHOWSUPEVERYTHINGGOESTOSHITTHEYGOTOTHEVERTREEFORESTDISCOVERTHEELEMENTSOFHARMONYBEATSNIGHTMAREMOONANDLUNABECOMESAGOODCHARACTER. HAPPYENDING. ....Okay, that was perfect. Flawless, my talents have no boundaries. I'm a freaking genius. Point given, point received. I'm done. Enjoy the rest of the story! "...Okay, the author seems to have a mental breakdown. Should we help him?" request Rhoe. "Why should we? He did all that on his own." explained Rakin. "APPLES!" said Zao. "Gosh, I want to get out! Rakin!" called out Rhoe. "What is it?" "Do you know where to find Princess Luna?" asked Rhoe. "I'm afraid not. But if she is the one causing all these troubles, she should be nearby." deduced Rakin. "Instead of looking for her, how about calling her out? That might save hours of looking and maybe our lives if that's on the line." added Rakin. "I guess it's a shot worth giving.", Rhoe stood still for a whole minute thinking what to say exactly without looking too threating. As time flew, Rakin slowly grew impatient. Zao was thinking of Kama Sutra just in case you were wondering what happened to him. Position 69. Yup. Google it. "So? What are you waiting for? Call her." ordered Rakin. "It's not that easy, you know? I can't just go and yell something like: "OH PRINCESS LUNA, PLEASE COME OUT!" or what Zao would say: 'OH PLEASE PRINCESS LUNA, TAKE ME AND DO WHATEVER YOU PLEASE WITH ME!'" insisted Rhoe. "One's gotta know how to-". BOOM. An ass to the face. That's all what Rhoe saw before everything went black. He was still concious of everything, though. If he was concious, why is everything dark all of the sudden? "Guys?" thought Rhoe. "Yes, Rhoe?" both answered. "Do you have any idea of what just happened?" "I'm as blind as you are." "I see clearly, and I like what I see!" said Zao with excitement. "...Zao?" thought Rhoe as he touched something very soft near his face. "What's up?" "Who or what is sitting in my face?" "Hmm, looks like a person to me." "Be more specific." "Umm... that person has blue-night mane." "What else?" said Rhoe without emotion. "That person is very attractive." "That doesn't help." complained Rakin. "Whoever it is seems to enjoy it." "ZAO, FOCUS. IS THAT PERSON A HE OR A SHE!?" ordered Rhoe as he grew impatiently of who or what was on top of him. "Hmm..." "Well!?" asked Rhoe. "It's a he!" "OH GOD." said Rakin with fear. "NOPE! I was wrong! It's a she!" cleared Zao. "Thou really believe that thy gender is a man!?" said the guy. Wait, is he a guy? Or a female? Meh, lost interest. "OMHTHNANKGHSOD!" said Rhoe with the ass on his face. "Don't do that!" said the female. Looks like she enjoyed that. Was it because it felt like a vibration? Rhoe is absolutely clueless in this situation. "Wait, it's a female?" asked Rakin. "Apparently" thought Rhoe. "Could it be Princess Luna?" informed Rakin, "Think about it, there is no one else but you and her in the dream, she was hidden all the time, and now a female shows up with her 'butt' sticked to your face?" "Oh shit. I have a royal ass in my face" thought Rhoe "SCORE!" intervened Zao. Poking her to avoid touching her ass, he tried to get her attention. Fortunately, she got slightly up just to let Rhoe speak. "Umm, you are Princess Luna?" asked Rhoe. "Indeed" said Luna. "Would you mind... you know..." stuttered Rhoe as he looked away from her ass. "Yes?" Rhoe sighed at closed his eyes the moment he spoke up, "CAN YOU PLEASE GET OFF OF ME?" "Hmm... No." "Eh?" With that said, Luna quickly sat on his face again. Rhoe was looking for a way to remove her, but it seemed unless. He knew that Zao would try to do something if he stayed like this. Or worse, she would discover the boner he has. Although it may seem that she already found out. "Well, someone is happy." "MHHMMHPH!" (OH MY GOD SHE NOTICED!) "You don't need to say anything. Everything is clear." "MMPH!?" (IT IS!?) "Now, to take care of your uneasiness~" "MMMPHMPH!!!" (OH HOLY SHIT!!!) "Dude, what's the problem!? You are gonna get it! Are you gay or something!?" said Zao trying to comprehend Rhoe's freak out. "Don't you get it!? I'm still a virgin! I'm freaking out because I don't know what the fuck to do! Plus, it's indecent!" "............ Wow. That's the reason why we never banged in high school. I AM DISSAPOINT." complained Zao. "I don't need your dissapoint! I need an exit of this situation! I'm not ready!", however, Luna was one step ahead as she proceeded to pull his pants. "MMPH!" (SHIT!) "HI!" "Okay Rhoe. Pull yourself together. You are gonna do what you never have done before. BE PREPARED LUNA. I've got you now!". Indeed, she was caught off guard as he grabbed her behind and squeezed her butt cheeks, letting out a squeak from Luna. He later- WHOA WHOA WHOA, HOLD ON A MINUTE. I'M NOT DOING A CLOP SCENE! NO SEX, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! OFF-LIMITS! THIS IS NOT WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR! Did you actually believe I would add a clop/sex scene without saying a thing? OVER MY DEAD BODY. No, no seriously, because who gives 2 birds and an oil? I surely don't. (I ACTUALLY DO. A LOT.) The point is I'm NOT doing a CLOP/SEX SCENE. Ever. ....For now. BUT ANYWAYS. Rhoe didn't do exactly you guys think he did. I'll leave up to your imagination. I'm too lazy to do it for you. ...................ANNNNNDDDD, It's over. You're welcome. After Rhoe avoided the clop/sex scene, both sat and an awkward silence remained. Luna was looking for the words to apologize for such behavior, not that it bothered Rhoe that much. In an attempt to break the silence, Rhoe spoke. "....Where did you get the bunny suit?" asked Rhoe whose innocence just went overboard. "My sister's... closet...." answered Luna. "Huh. So that's where you got it." "Are you sure this is want the readers want?" asked Rakin "Who?" "Nevermind." said Rakin as Rhoe was thinking what happened. "WHAT ABOUT ME!? I WAS FINALLY GONNA GET SOME ACTION FOR THE FIRST TIME! Bunch of morons, I'm out." said Zao as he dissapeared from sight. Yes, the boner was gone. It's a defeat for the virgins. "So.... Luna?" "Yes, Rhoe?" "Can I ask you what happened? Why did you brought me here?" interrogated Rhoe. "....I'm afraid I can't tell you." revealed Luna as she turned her head towards Rhoe. "....Hm. I should have known." complained Rhoe, "You are just like your sister. She won't tell me." "I'm sorry Rhoe, but to tell you what is your purpose is to prevent you from living. We don't want that for you." explained Luna. Her sweet voice managed to calm down a bit the tension in the situation. Rhoe sighed once again and spoke, this time to discover something unusual in his time on the coma. "Luna, I have to ask you something. Something about a mystery in my dream." "I'll see what I can do. What's the problem?" "You see, there was a monster chasing me a while ago." "Oh, that..." said Luna as she showed a concerned expression towards Rhoe. "I was wondering, what was that?" "It's your evil side. All of your negativity. A dark you." "SAY WHAT.", shocked by this, Rhoe jumped back a few inches as he was trying to understand her answer. That is his evil side? Why does it looks like a beast? Why-, and when did-, but-. *sigh*. "Please, I know you are confused about this, but it was something you needed to do." clarified Luna as she was trying to make Rhoe understand. Rhoe gave up and accepted the truth. "I understand Princess. Thanks for telling me this. This makes everything more clear." "I'm relieved to hear that from you." replied Luna as both got up from the floor. "....One thing still bothers me." added Rhoe "What is that?" "HOW DID YOU SHOW UP!? I DON'T GET IT.". Oh right, Rhoe doesn't know that much about Princess Luna, so he doesn't have a clue she can control dreams and even enter these particular dreams. All he knew was she was both responsible for the dream and Princess Celestia's sister. Luna, intrigued by his question, was thinking why he didn't know such obvious thing. Erasing any kind of different thought in her mind, she started explaining all of her capabilities. The Nightmare Moon incident, the dream control, the moon's responsability, everything she knew and could do. Rhoe was stunned at the huge amount of information he was unaware of. Still processing the information, he sat down to relax a bit. "So, that's everything you should know about me." "Should?" "Okay, that's everything about me." clarified Luna. "Man, it is a bit hard to digest. Dream control? Moon control? Geez, what else is there? Blood-bending?" "Actually..." Luna got close to Rhoe's ear whispering some sort of message. After she backed off a bit, Rhoe threw his arms in the air yelling: "AW CMON!" "It's magic in the end. There is nothing impossible in Equestria." "Yeah, yeah. I've heard that before." "You have?" "Yes, but not here. A guy obsessed with ponies said that before. I guess I knew him from a channel in Youtube called ScrewAttack where they got their info acoording to him. Funny pic though." As Rhoe explained to her the source of his information, Luna simply stared in an absolute turmoil trying to understand at least one single word coming out of his mouth. Rhoe stopped talking as soon as he realized Luna didn't understand a darn thing he was talking about. "Oh, sorry. I got lost in my past. I'm sorry for bothering you." apologized Rhoe Luna quickly snapped and answered back. "Do not worry Rhoe, I'm aware of your position. And your past. All of it. Including your brother's death." Rhoe was shocked to this fact. He couldn't move, his whole body was frozen of the fear he had suffered that day. Suddenly, that fear turned into anger. "I'm sorry about your lost, I would also be destroyed if something happened to Celestia." "Oh. You know about that. It doesn't matter anyway." "Let me help you." "You can't help me." "I can make you get over it. Trust me." "You don't know a thing. I'm not like you." "Rhoe, stop struggling. I understand perfectly how you feel." "Bullshit." "Rhoe... your brother's death is the cause of all your nightmares I have seen. I can finish this. I just need your support." As Luna spoke, Rhoe was at the burst of crying. His brother's death had a huge scar on his life and everytime he thought about it, he felt sad and angry at the same time. Holding back the tears, he spoke up. "...please... stop talking... I don't want to remember." "But Rhoe, let me help you, please." "Luna, please stop talking. I know you are royalty, but stop TALKING." "Rhoe, please! Let me-" "SHUT UP!" yelled Rhoe from the bottom of his heart as he bursted into tears.. Luna backed away a little, getting scared of a human's anger and sadness. As silly as it sounds, she got scared. Like, real scared. No joke, she was afraid. Of a guy whose only power came from brutal force and something else. She was capable of more. Luna hesitated and yelled back. "YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!" "I WILL TALK ANY FUCKING WAY I LIKE TO!" said Rhoe stil with tears flowing on his face "YOU FUCKING PRICK! YOU DO KNOW WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO!? I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU PAY ME? YOU INSOLENT HUMAN!" "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHO THE FUCK YOU ARE TALKING TO? OBVIOUSLY YOU DON'T! TO NO ONE! I'M JUST A SPACE OF DUST IN THIS GODDAMMED UNIVERSE!" confessed Rhoe. "OH REALLY!? SO YOU ARE A SPACE OF FUCKING DUST!?" said Luna as she repeated Rhoe's acual message. "THAT'S RIGHT! I COULDN'T AVOID MY BROTHER'S DEATH AND I'M ALL ALONE IN THIS FREAKING PLACE YOU PEOPLE CALL HOME!" "SO YOU FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR BROTHER'S DEATH!? DO YOU ACTUALLY BELIEVE YOU ARE ALL ALONE!?" asked Luna. "YES! YES, I DO! I'M A SCUM WHOSE LIFE IS WORTHLESS! WORTHLESS IN THE HUMAN WORLD, WORTHLESS HERE!" "THEN LET ME DO SOMETHING TO PROVE YOU WRONG!" "AND WHAT WOULD THAT BE!?" screamed Rhoe with all his heart. "THIS!" Luna dashed forward to his Rhoe as she lunged to him, knocking him down. Once he fell to the floor, Rhoe let out a mumble of pain and looked to where Luna had stayed after she lunged. All he saw was a pair of lips quickly encountering his. He remained still as Luna was kissing him. Rhoe struggled in the beggining, but he later submitted to the kiss. They both got in a deep-passionated kiss that lasted for 5 whole minutes. Soon when they finished their make-out, both were gasping for oxygen. They may have lasted that long, but everyone needed a break every once in a while. Rhoe's face was crimson, blushing from the kiss he just had with another princess. And this time, he didn't mind. It's just what he needed. Rhoe thought he didn't need to feel loved by someone. His anger and guilt made him blind. He couldn't see what was in front of him. Thanks to Luna, that changed. He had a group of friends that loved him just the way he is. Rhoe Maybe he was really special. Maybe. Rhoe finally woke up, but his brother's death was still disturbing him. "Perhaps I'll be avaiable to get over his death. Someday." thought Rhoe as he was catching his breath back. Gathering enough air, Luna spoke. "I...we, my sister and I,do not want you to feel that way. We are here for you, and always be. Just say the word, and we will be there for you." "I guess I better not call you when I'm having a bath, eh?" said Rhoe jokingly. Luna raised her eyebrow telling him that the joke had bad taste. Rhoe sighed and looked away. "I guess you are right, I may not be alone, but it still hurts, you know?", he explained. "I'm afraid that's something we are not capable of healing." explained Luna as she gave him a hug after he got up. "But we can help you get over it." "Thanks, but I gotta do this alone." concluded Rhoe. "...If that's your wish, we won't interfere. HOWEVER, if you can't handle it yourself, we shall and I MEAN IT, we shall interfere." warned Luna as she got closer to him. "U-Um, sure thing! I-It's a deal... but aren't ya getting....", Rhoe thought it carefully, "close to me? I kinda like my own PERSONAL space..." "Aww, what is the matter? Surely you aren't attracted to men, are you?" "OF COURSE NOT! WHY WOULD YOU THINK OF THAT!? JEEZUS!" "Jeezus?" said Luna thinking whether Rhoe had a mental breakdown, or he was just babbling random stuff. "It's an expression of amazement and makes honor I guess? To the son of- ...I'm getting nowhere to your comprehension, am I?" asked Rhoe "Certainly. But, I got to say, you are really funny sometimes Rhoe.". Rhoe had the smallest, diminutive embarrasment he has ever gotten in a while. The comment surely made a tiny blush appear in Rhoe's face. "W-Well, I'm not sure what to say to that... I'm glad you think so." said Rhoe as he was scratching the back of his head. "Oh man, I feel so embarrased right now. Darn it Luna, stop it already." he thought . "....But, somehow, I feel that you are special, you know?" said Luna. "Because I'm the only human in an anthro world surrounded by a 5:1 ratio poblation of females, who probably all of them are beautiful, in this Village?" he stated, "Nope, I'm not sure. What makes you think that?" "Haha funny guy." said Luna sarcastically. "Ha! I'm just messing with ya." "Now, seriously. There is something about you that makes me..." Luna said that as she proceeded to grab his hand and place it in her chest, near her heart, "go crazy. A deep feeling, towards you." she added. "U-Uh, Luna.... Maybe it's the heat? Yeah! It must be the heat!", Rhoe pulled his shirt sideways as an expression of heat. The movie style, or cartoon. "Sheesh! This place suddenly got hotter don't you think? How about some cooling? You can make it happen can you?" "Rhoe... You and I know that is not going happen." "Luna, I just met you some hours ago. It's not possible for you to fall for me. Logic can't do that. Love takes more than that. It takes a lot of time. I don't know how long have you and Celestia lived, but you know that as well." explained Rhoe. "........" "Look, I'm not rejecting you. Well, maybe I am, but.... The thing is, you can't possibly love me like that. I'm sorry." "It's okay, I understand." said Luna as she looked down. Rhoe felt like shit after seeing her reaction, he has never let down a woman before, and it felt awful. He waited for a break. Once he gathered guts to speak, he grabbed Luna's shoulders and made her look up. "I'm sorry. Really." "Rhoe, you don't have to-" "No. Don't say a thing. I do not let down people and let them like that. I'm not like that." said Rhoe. "Rhoe..." "Listen, because I'm gonna say this once. Just ONCE. Okay?" Luna nodded. Rhoe let a sigh go by right before he said this: "Do what you want with me. If it makes you feel better, then I'm willing to do it." Luna's heart exploded with happiness and sadness as well. He was willing to do ANYTHING with her as long as she desired to, but it wouldn't be the same. He is giving away his pride as a man just to make her feel better. It wasn't meant to be done with the intentions she had from a beggining. On the other hand, she had complete control over the situation, she had Rhoe's authorization, Luna wasn't going to let go of such an opportunity. Taking a bit of a time, she finally decided what to do. "Thanks Rhoe. Although there is one thing I have in my mind~...." Rhoe gulped, regretting a bit of what he said. "O-Okay, what is it?" "I always wanted to feel loved..." requested Luna "Aja.....But you have your sister and her friends, right?" Rhoe answered right back looking to avoid the situation he thought Luna wanted. "Yeah, but I mean, a 'man love'." "Oh boy" "And since we are here-" "Which you can suddenly end, but I don't see you doing that." "....I want to feel loved by you." "....ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANT ANYTHING ELSE? A MASSAGE? A PEDICURE? ANOTHER PART IN 'ONE HUMAN, DIFFERENT PATHS'?" "Oh Rhoe, the writer already decided that." "MOTHER FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU." "So, can I?" "Eh...kinda." "CAN I?" said Luna with excitement as she jumped with glee. "Well...." He got interrupted as Luna approached like SERIOUSLY close to him. He could feel her breathing, her heartbeat, and her face looked deeply passionate. Something told Rhoe this wasn't going to end yet. He gulped as they both stared at each other for a while. The heat of the situation was a Level 5 Heat Need For Speed style. Any sudden movement could even kill a fly. Then, the expected conclusion started to begin. Luna closed her eyes, and leaned forward. Rhoe knew this was going to happen and decided to submit to her wishes. Everything seemed to go as any event like this would go, if it weren't for one small detail..... THIS EVENT ISN'T GONNA HAPPEN. JOINK! *POOF* As much as you guys would like such scene, Luna isn't ready yet. I mean, do you have any idea of how easy would that go if destiny allowed it? The ideas for more chapters, just think about them! To explain better what REALLY happened, here you GO: The opportunity for an erotic, passionate dream (aka. Wet dream) made Luna's arousement go to extreme levels, cuz Rhoe has the touch for the ladies on Ponyville. Really, every mare who saw him felt sudden mating urges. Like, what the hell. Somewhere, in this very moment, a lot of stallions are grateful to him. Oops, getting out of the topic, sorry. Her magic blew up and everything went back to normal. Sure, Luna went on a whole rampage that almost caused her to turn into Nightmare Moon. ALMOST. But it didn't. YET. So, to make it up, here's what happened next! See ya soon! - Ashardu. 'Don't worry Rhoe, we shall meet again. Keep dreaming and some day, I'll be back....' Rhoe opened his eyes in a instant, sweating from the heat that he and Luna had some moments ago. Rhoe realized he is awake from the coma, just like he wished in the first place. Looking around, he deduced he was held in a hospital. The food supplies were injected through a tube attached to his forearm. "Huh, so this is how a patient feels after a long time. Man, I feel like shit." he thought. With a great determination, he got up from his bed and sat up. He could see some ''GET BETTER SOON' ballons and flowers nearby him. As much as he wished to know who sent those gifts, he just closed his eyes and shook his head. "Man, they sure care about me. Maybe I was wrong after all." He took a deep breath, feeling the air in his lungs, and exhaled with great relief. Rhoe felt grateful after everything they had done for him. Well, all the ponies he has met had something to do with this. After all, he was the only human around. And lady-killer apparently. Why? There were a lot of letters next to him and each had a 'Thank you' of some sort. He was clueless to what they were thanking him for. And of course, we know why. Grinning to the letters, Rhoe looked away only to find two mares near him. It was Twilight and Applejack. He was completely surprised to see them here. They must have fallen asleep while looking out for him. Twilight was resting in a sofa with a book on her hand and Applejack had her cowboy hat in her face as an attempt to fall asleep. Rhoe giggled a bit (Geez, that sounded like a girl), thinking how cute (boys' way) they looked. While trying to get in a more comfortable position, Rhoe looked at the mares with a grin before speaking. "Well, I must be the luckiest guy in the world. Two girls waiting for me to wake up, especially in a coma!" HIs comment made some effect on both of them. Struggling in their sudden awakening, they looked around for the source of the voice. Upon looking at Rhoe's awakening, their eyes shined with such intensity, he could see his own reflection in their pupils. "RHOE, YOU ARE AWAKE!" both shouted as they got closer to him. They hugged him, expressing very clear they were happy to see Rhoe just fine. He smiled at this and hugged them back. After a minute or two, they backed off, and stared at Rhoe with doubts on their minds. Twilight started. "What happened to you!? You suddenly entered in a coma just like that!? What did you do!?" said Twilight desperately as she looked concerned about your health. "That's right, hun'! What happened? Ya got all of us scared to death!" supported Applejack. "Hey, hey! Easy! I just woke up! Go easy on me!" "We can't! We were so worried about you!" replied Twilight, "Did someone did this to you? An accident happened? WHAT? TELL ME, WHAT HAPPENED?" "Whoa Twilight! Calm down! It breaks me to see you like this!" "But....I was so worried..." "Don't worry... It's okay now..." he said gently as Rhoe continued hugging her. "Oh... I *sniff* I was scared...." "Please, Rhoe.... Don't ever do that to again..." said Applejack looking down still hugging him. "Okay... I'll be more careful." Rhoe confirmed, looking away, embarrassed of what he did. "Promise?" asked Applejack. ".........." "Rhoe?" called out Twilight. "..... Okay. I promise," he promised as he gave a smile to both of them. "Good. Feeling better already?" wondered Applejack as she let you go, "Ah can see th't Twilight is still attach'd t' yah". "Yea, I'm a tough bone to break. It's gonna take more than a coma to take me down." he joked. The three let a nervous laugh before the silence came. Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. 'Usually comas take a long time to recover. I wonder how long was I out? It must have been short. Luna better had made them short.' "Applejack?" called Rhoe. "Uh? What is it?" "I must have been out due to the coma, right? Some time must have passed by now, ain't it?" "Oh. Yeah, yah were out fer a lon' time. Thankfully, it wasn't years." explained Applejack as she crossed her arms. "OH THANK GOD." he shouted in relief. "So, can you explain how long was I out?" "Sugarcube" said Applejack as she already calmed down, "Yah do remember where were ya right before wakin' up? Before th' coma ah mean." "....Oh! You mean at the barn?" "Yes, do ya wanna know how lon' yah been out?"' "Um, sure. Wasn't very long right?" "Ya were out for 2 whole weeks." A awkward silence proceeded to enter the room. The camera angle was fixed as anime do, from the ceiling. You know what I mean. Andddddddddddddddd, here comes the typical answer. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" Rhoe yelled as he stared to Applejack with might. "It's the truth, ah can't lie anyways." responded Applejack as she shrugged. "DAMN YOU LUNA! YOU MADE ME LOSE TWO WHOLE WEEKS!" "LUNA!?" both asked with shock. "OH SHIT." "Rhoe..." whispered Twilight leaning her head until she could see the floor. "Is that why you had a.... 'Man's excitement' every now and then!?". Jugding by her voice tone, she seemed extremely pissed. "'Man's excitement'?, what are you talki-", as Rhoe stopped talking, he felt something hard between his legs. As he thought exactly what was it, he began to guess it was his *eherm* friend Zao alive and happy, kicking in already without his authorization (Wait, does he even need authorization?). ".......Hehe?" "Sugarcube, ya have a minute to explain. Starting NOW." Rhoe felt death approaching, slowly crawling to take you away. Moving his arms trying to explain, Rhoe talked. "Funny story, you see!? Look I was in a dream and everything was black-" "TICK" said Twilight. "TOCK" finished Applejack. "ANDAMONSTERCHASEDME!" "Nice try, but that ain't gonna help ya!" threatened Applejack. "OK OK! Umm..." "The clock is ticking~! 30 seconds left!" "SHITSHITSHITSHIT! Okay, let me- ummm, I can- Before you uhh- This is a...urgh..." "Oops! Time's out! Ready for the punishment?" both said getting ready to do 'God knows what' to a guy who just woke up from a coma. "OKAYOKAY! I'll say it!" "SO?" ".......I.." Twilight and Applejack were expecting the answer right away, but holding it in made them go crazy for the suspense. In a normal way. "Yes?" "I....." "YES?" "I got kicked by Applejack before getting into the coma!" "WHAT!?" both yelled as they stepped back a bit. 'You are so dead after this.' he thought. "Yeah! That's right! Applejack knocked me out for good in the face! And that ain't a lie!" "It's true!?" asked Twilight with confusement. Applejack did a death-stare at him saying 'YOU ARE SO DEAD AFTER THIS.'. Heh, ain't that the same thing both thought. She quickly changed her face's expression before focusing on Twilight "Well, it is kinda true..." "You know that could have been the reason why Rhoe went into a coma!?" "Yeah, Ah know it, but-" "No buts! You got to measure your strength! Here,"said Twilight as she proceeded to pull out a book out of her bag with the title 'Pony Anatomy', "I have a book about anatomy on mares that I always carry around just in case." "Why would you keep something like that?" he asked. "....Reasons." "Look, Twilight, Ah know-" "No. You're gonna stay here and listen to this. Don't you dare to leave like Rainbow would." "Urgh, fine." Applejack expressed annoyed. As Rhoe rested back into the bed snickering to the unexpected situation, Applejack stood still and listen to the whole book that day. Night-time came faster than expected. Rjhoe waved good-bye as both girls ("Note to self: Applejack hates me now.") and they left out of sight. Rhoe was gonna go back home after a day in the hospital and go back to your 'normal' daily routine. "Heh" he thought, "Maybe this is not so bad. I could get used to this life style." With that in mind and smiling as he got comfortable, Rhoe fell asleep. 'Maybe I do have a reason to live. Hehe, thanks Luna.' were his last thoughts before everything went black. "You're welcomed. And tonight, I'm not letting you sleep quietly." said a familiar voice before losing to the sleep's attack. "GIVE ME A BREAK!" And with that, Rhoe finally fell asleep. A whole new day was waiting for you tomorrow. Good night, buddy. > Starting Over > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ponyville has always been known for the unusual events that happen every once in a while. Any pony who has lived there for a while can tell that this isn't the average town with simple, yet a little boring environment where everyone is a normal folk with a job and a fixed role, such as a blacksmith, a carpenter,a cake baker or any sort of example. The town was full of different people that managed to make life more interesting. But that's isn't the main reason why Ponyville is more unique than other towns. It's the habitants that makes it special. Especially The Mane 6, who consist of two earth ponies, two pegasus, and two unicorns. Each one of these ponies hold a special characteristic that makes the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, six are supernatural artifacts representing subjective aspects of harmony. They are arguably the most powerful force in Equestria and each one of these artifacts represent a part of friendship who obviously are part of these six ponies. We have Applejack, a hard working pony who runs with her siblings the Sweet Apple Acres. She represents the element of Honesty. Next is Fluttershy, a sweet, shy pony that loves animals and takes care of them. She is the represntation of Kindness. Following the order comes Rainbow Dash, one of the fastest pegasus of Equestria. She cares a lot about her friends and holds the Loyalty element. Upcoming, we have Pinkie Pie, a cheerful, yet random pony who loves to party. People have lost count of how many parties she has thrown. She represents the element of Laughter. Now, here comes Rarity, she is a glamorous pony whose passion is beauty. She loves making dresses, even if they take too long.. She represents the element of Generosity. And finally, we have Twilight Sparkles, a very wise pony whose teacher is none other than Princess Celestia herself. She loves books and she would rather look for answer in a book for any kind of problem. She holds the element of Magic. These ponies are the heroes of this world and they are willing to give everything for Equestria. That's what Rhoe remembers and thought things were. Tp put in a way, that is. Sometimes a book was a good thing for him, since that's where he found out about everything. He thought things were always like this and he didn't mind at all. The funny thing is, everything was different. Equestria has changed a lot since an incident no one was aware about. Before Rhoe came to this world, a pitch-black cloud that made anyone who looked at it sick, weak, angry, among other symptoms, came like a thunder. It was so fast that even Rainbow wasn't avaiable to avoid it. It stayed for a whole day and nothing actually happened. No pony was reported missing or anything like that and everyone assumed it was an supernatural event, such as rainbows (actual, not the mare), or the polar lights. With that given, the cloud vanished from sight and everyone seemed to have forgotten about the cloud incident. The cloud must have somehow erased the event from everyone, causing an unbalance in the universe. As crazy as it seems, the unbalanced universe didn't show any kind of effect. And by normal, it means a different universe to what they remember. People would act different to what they used to, their likes were randomized and everything seemed varied. No one noticed the changes since the cloud affected them, not even Celestia could figure out what effects did that cloud had. Everyone was clueless to what happened and things went on like nothing happened. It was night time. Everyone had already headed home and lights were out for the time being. Inside the library, an individual was still awake in the darkness, who apparently had some trouble sleeping. It was Rhoe. He remained still, sitting on his bed thinking about something. He had arrived from the hospital a few weeks ago after a recovery program the nurses gave him. As he stared into the floor emotionless, he felt something was really wrong. Somewhere in his heart, he could feel someone whispering that a dark magic was roaming in Ponyville. Rhoe struggled to keep the voice shut and tried to ignore it, but it was futile. The voice in his head grew stronger and stronger. It was something like this: "Rhoe-... a dark magic-.... in Ponyville-... nearby-...you must stop it." "Argh! Get out of my head!" thought Rhoe as he grabbed his head and shook it, "You are just another illusion!" The message kept repeating over and over, which Rhoe believed it was an after effect of the coma. With such uncomprehensible material he has seen recently in his dreams (Luna has nothing to do with this), he actually thought for a few moments he was going insane. The reason? Unknown as always. The room was felt really heavy, like something was trying to consume him slowly to the very soul. The darkness around him acted like a rain of arrows piercing him endlessly. Negative effects were all over the place. Rhoe rubbed the back of his head mumbling uncomprehendable things and spoke to himself, "Why do I feel so weak? I thought the nurses said I would be back to normal in no time." He dropped his hand and let it hit his thigh lightly as he tried to calm down. He couldn't sleep, which caused him to get a bit annoyed about it. Knowing that just sittng around wouldn't help, he got up from his bed and headed to the door of the room. Rhoe opened the door and proceeded to go downstairs for a glass of water. Once he was in the kitchen, he opened the upper drawer and pulled a empty glass. With the glass in hand, he got some water and drank all of it in one try. He let out his breath after the drink, cleaning his wet lips with his hand. He closed his eyes, sighed and felt better. As soon as he turned around to head towards his room, he was shocked to find Twilight standing there looking at him funny. Her stare was different, an unusual stare that caused uneasiness. Her pupils were looking colors and looked like a mindless corpse. Her smile provoked him to back away some inches, which Rhoe thought it was ridiculous. "Twilight?" said Rhoe, "What are doing here? How long have you been She didn't answer back, she simply stood there still looking at him. the same way. No one moved a muscle for a whole minute like they were waiting for something to happen, still staring at each other with intensity. The tension could kill anything that dared to move. The kitchen somehow started to grow darker and darker as the light in the room started to die little by little. "Why is the room getting darker?" said Rhoe as he looked around the kitchen, utterly confused by the event. "....." "Twilight?" called out Rhoe. "....." "...Why are you so awfully quiet?" asked Rhoe. "....." Rhoe lifted an eyebrow to this inopportune silence and waved at her, trying to do some communation with her, "Are you even listening? Hello?" Twilight didn't answer as expected, but she did move towards Rhoe slowly, which caused him to jump back a bit by the startle he just recieved. She wasn't stopping. The gap between the two of them closed inch by inch, making Rhoe feel more uncomfortable the closer she got. "You know Rhoe?" said Twilight after a long time of being silent, "I never realized before how good looking you are. I used to read whole books of people and their looks, but none of them compare to you..." Rhoe knew something was off, plus her voice sounded different. To keep his inner gentlemen, he spoke, "...Thanks?" "My mind has been filled with pictures of you ever since the day you arrived." confessed Twilight as she held her hand near her chest. "Okay, now that's creepy", clarified Rhoe "even for me." "Oh, really? I'm so sorry to make you feel that way... Here-" she got close enough to him and grabbed his hand and placed it in her chest, "Let me make you feel better..." Rhoe's lips suddenly met hers, shocking to see her acting such a seductive way. He was very confused about the sudden kiss and he thought was wrong. However, he was ready to submit to the pleasure of the heat, until he heard the voice again. This time, it said something different and sounded very clear. Rhoe.... stay away from her. It's a trap. Don't submit to her. Resist the temptation. Everyone is depending of what you decide. Rhoe decided to obey the unknown voice's order and backed away from Twilight. Twilight seemed confused by this and spoke, "Rhoe, what is the matter? Didn't you like it?". He didn't answer, he didn't know why he obeyed the voice inside his head. He simply did. Rhoe was looking away, trying to understand the situation without success. Before he knew it, a pair of arms were around his neck despite the height difference. "Don't be shy, just submit to the heat. It's not that bad...." persuaded Twilight. "Submit..." repeated Rhoe like he was imitating what she just said, "Submit to the heat....". Rhoe closed his eyes and shook his head sideways, grabbing Twilight's arms to remove them. "No. Sorry. I won't submit to the heat. I can't allow it." confirmed Rhoe looking at her with determination. Twilight didn't agree with that and insisted for him to submit. His answer was still 'No.' "C'mon... don't be like that..." said Twilight. "I said No. That is my final answer. Don't bother trying to convince me." stated Rhoe. "But-" "Besides, you are not yourself tonight. I don't know what happened, but this isn't you." "Why don't you submit to us?" said a familiar voice behind Twilight. It was Spike. His stance was the same as Twilight and had the same look. "C'mon Rhoe, submit" said both Twilight and Spike. It almost seemed like they practiced to say altogether. "What's going on?" Rhoe thought as he looked in confusion at the pair. "You know what?" said Rhoe as he walked away, "I'm going for a walk. You two need to snap out of it.". Rhoe decided to head out despite how late was already. It was foolish, but staying wasn't a better idea. "Maybe some fresh air might help." he thought while he walked right to the main door. It wasn't that long before someone grabbed Rhoe's arm from behind as an attempt to stop him. He looked back to see Spike grabbing him. He was getting more annoyed within the minute. "Let. Go." Rhoe ordered. "Submit" he repeated. "I said 'Let go'!". Rhoe offhandedly pulled his arm breaking free of Spike's claws. This caused the pair to get angry as well. Both of them got into a battle stance, getting ready to tackle Rhoe. "Submit" . They seemed to be like a tape recorder. Repeating the same things over and over and over. After he saw how they prepared themselves, he inmediately knew something was really off. Something dark, very dark was going on. "That voice was telling me something like this..." Rhoe thought as he was getting ready to make a run for it. "Could it be really a dark magic?" He didn't enough time to think as Spike rushed towards him in a burst of speed. Acting fast to this, he dodged him as fast as he could and found himself between a pair of magical beings whose minds were apparently controlled by the looks of it. Twilight behind him and Spike in front. The only thing that was between Rhoe and the exit was a teen dragon and a powerful unicorn. He looked for a way out and there wasn't a place where to head. "Shit, got nowhere to run..." Rhoe thought. A burst of light appeared behind him, which caused him to react instantly. Using his instincts, he dove to where the stairs where located, managing to avoid the attack from Twilight. He noticed the stairs behind him and climbed up a few steps. Twilight and Spike followed him. "Geez! That was close!" Rhoe thought, "I gotta be more alert!" "Submit to us..." "Like hell I will", he stopped looking behind. He had to try talking to them, maybe that would help. "Snap out of it! You guys aren't like this! Get a grip!" "What do you mean? We were always like this..." explained Twilight as both changed their stance to a passive one. "Bullshit." protested Rhoe, "That's bullshit and you know it." "My, my. You got a dirty mouth" said Twilight "I think he deserves a punishment..." added Spike "Oh yes he does." backed up Twilight with a terrifying smile. "Do you guys think I'm a some kind of kid!? Mind your own business!" shouted Rhoe "You know what? You are absolutely right." said Twilight, looking at Spike while displaying an even bigger smile. "I am?" Rhoe shook his head and frowned, "I mean, of course I am!" "Then we will continue" said Spike as they got in the previous stance, "Submit..." "....That totally backfired." complained Rhoe as he took off to the balcony in a dash. His pursuers did as well. Looking at the position he just placed himself into, he was very shocked when he saw his surroundings. "That's odd," said Rhoe looking everywhere, "It's really dark outside. I can't see very clear. No, I can't see a thing!" "Submit..." repeated the chasers. "Damn it, those two again." he said focusing on the situation. "Perfect, got nowhere to run this time" Rhoe thought as he walked backwards to the edge of the balcony, "Heh, you messed up this time Rhoe. Good job" mumbled sarcastically Rhoe to himself. "Submit..." "Gosh, stop! It's so annoying!" Rhoe thought, "It makes me wanna throw myself off a cliff. Wait, a cliff?" Rhoe suddenly came up with a outrageous idea. The voice he heard a while before spoke again. Get to the edge of the balcony. "Are you crazy?" Rhoe thought, "I'm not planning to jump. There's nothing there! Besides, I can't see a thing below." Trust me. Just do it. "Fuck no! I'm not planning on dying by my own." Trust. Me. "Grr... Fine." Rhoe accepted. Doing as the voice pleaded him to, he got up to the balcony edge, looking at his pursuers. He didn't say anything to make the pursuers understand what was happening. "Wait, what are doing?" said Twilight with a completely different voice, "That's stupid, don't do it!" "You got no idea how much I agree with you." he thought. The voice showed up again. Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't get hurt "You know? For a voice that has been bothering me all night, I really don't trust you." Rhoe thought, "You better be right about this." With that, he jumped. Twilight and Spike inmediately headed towards where he jumped looking for him. Nothing. There was nothing in sight. "Foolish man," said Spike with a deep voice just like Twilight had, "he did the unthinkable. Now he pays the price for his actions." "I better look for him just in case. That guy is tough, he might have made the jump" said the deep voice, this time coming from Twilight. The two of them turned around and headed inside the library. The only thing that remained was the darkness that Rhoe just went head-straight. It was going to be a long night. "Emil... plase don't leave me.... Don't go...." Emil, even though he was suffering, smiled at his brother in the brink of death. Emil let a tear run through his cheek as well. With a tearful face, he said to Rhoe something that would keep in his heart always. "Big bro... Live a happy life... just like our parents wanted to...I might have not lived...as they wanted to but.... I'm happy... to have a brother like you.... Take... care... Good...bye....Big bro....." "EMILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" .................................................... rh....Rh...Rho.....Rhoe.... Rhoe! Wake up! "Ahhh!" Rhoe woke up screaming while he sat on the floor. Rhoe was panting from the dream he just had about his past. The pictures seemed so real, he couldn't believe it. After calming down, he processed where he was located. Apparently, he was in the floor of a forest where darkness was consuming everything. The range of vision was at least 3 or 4 meters ahead. Anything beyond that point was hidden in obscurity. "Huh? I'm alive! I'm fucking alive!" yelled Rhoe while he checking his body for any kind of problem. There was nothing wrong with him and everything seemed to be in its place. Shush! They can hear us! Rhoe placed a hand on his mouth trying to kill the sound. After several seconds passed by, the tension eased up. Rhoe sighed and looked around. "Yup, still dark." he whispered. We have to be careful, they are lurking in the shadows. If we make too much noise- "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a minute!" thought Rhoe, "Just who are you?" Me? "Yes you. There no one else" he thought. ....I'm sorry. I can't tell you. "Perfect!" thought angrily Rhoe as he launched his arms up into the air, "Just perfect! Another freaking mystery won't tell me things I need to know" Rhoe, please understand. There are things that are better off not knowing. If you knew what- "Save it!" he thought, controlling his anger so that it wouldn't blind him, "I don't wanna hear it. I had enough. Just tell what I should know since you said so nicely". ......Okay, I understand. What is that you wish to know? Rhoe deadpanned at the voice's command. He grumbled a few uncomprehensible thing and pinched the bridge of his nose with anger, "Didn't you just heard me? ....Forget it. I'll ask." What do you wish to know? "First, I got a very important question. What are you exactly, or is that something I shouldn't know as well?" tempted Rhoe as he placed his hands on his hips. I'm a magical spirit. My power was limited to the amount of neglicence and negative effects the town produced. "Wha? I'm just getting as confused as the reader. Explain yourself." You see, Ponyville has always been an amazing town. "Aja." I used to be part of this town before. Well, not physically, but- "Don't wanna hear it" said Rhoe looking away. Sheesh, show some manners! "Hmph" snorted Rhoe despite his position. He crossed his arms showing he was still angry about the whole complicated situation he got himself to. Hopefully, his rational side decided to kick in and calm the human. After a minute of trying to stay angry at the whole situation, he decided to let it go since it wasn't that much of a help anyways. ........Are you done? "Yes, yes" thought Rhoe as he nodded, "I'm done, sorry about that. Please continue." Sure. As I was saying, this town has always been a great place to live. Everytime I crossed paths with this town, I felt at peace. Of course, it had problems like any other place would, but.... the habitants of this place always seemed so.... "Nice?" Precisely. During the years, the town grew into a better place and so did the habitants. When I heard one of Celestia's prized students was going to live here, I knew I had see that. "You mean Twilight?" asked Rhoe knowing that already. Correct. Twilight arrived and the town got... let's say lively. She, along the other 5 ponies, managed to protect this town from evil itself. I was surprised to see all the things these six mares did on their own, most of the cases. "I was surprised as well, the girls did a lot of amazing things and still continue to. Oh, don't forget Spike. He was also part of their adventures" thought Rhoe with his eyes closed. Certainly. They showed the world that teamwork is essencial, even when short in number. Yet, they weren't alone. The princesses and their friends helped as well. "Huh. They sure had a great life and adventures...." Rhoe sulked at the idea of all the things he wished he could have been part of. Don't feel sad. I know you always wished to have adventures like they did. "Yeah, I know. Wait, just how much do you know about me?" Everything. Rhoe felt naked in that very moment as he found out that a spirit knew everything about him, which was weird and creepy at the same time, but still. Just as soon as a few seconds passed, a rustle came nearby them. Not waiting for any random chances, Rhoe inmediately turned towards the incoming sounds as he prepared into a Fight-Flight situation. This isn't good. We better look for shelter. I feel them getting closer. "Good idea. I don't want to be the meal of whatever is hidden there." I sense a house nearby. I suggest you turn around and run straight. "There's no other option than that, I suppose", Rhoe did a 180 degrees turn and ran like he has never run before. During the escape, he felt the monster showed nearby him and tracked him down. With adrenaline running through his veins, his speed increased at the point where the monster could no longer track him. Either that, or the monster was toying around with him. Not looking back, he spotted a house in matter of minutes, to which he almost crashed into due to the lack of visibility. Letting out a relieved sigh, he searched for the main door, using his touch sense to distinguish the door from the concrete. He came in contact with door and entered without second thoughts. Rhoe noticed that the visibility was as poor as the outside, but at least it was safer. The situation didn't looked so good in any case. He sat down nearby to what it seemed to be a family's living room. Once Rhoe's heartbeat slowed, he talked to the voice whose name was unknown to him. "Hey, voice? I think it would be appropiate to at least give me a nickname for you. Something other than 'Voice inside my head'." I agree. You can call me Aeris. "Aeris? Okay then, 'Aeris'. Mind explaining me the rest of it?" asked Rhoe. With pleasure. As I said before, I know everything about you. Including your past. Rhoe remained silent, he never liked to talk about that with anyone. It was a burden he was willing to carry. If there's one thing that makes Rhoe cut his veins is having people pitying him. Rhoe looked away with a sad expression painted all over his face. He shook his head to forget about it and focused on other important stuff. I know it hurts, but- "Aeris, I rather go to the next question...." said Rhoe holding the same pose. ......As you wish. "What are we dealing with?" You mean the beast that was chasing you some minutes ago? It was a Nightshadow. "Nightshadow?" Yes, a nightshadow is a beast that feed on people's emotions if it has the chance. That causes the victim to be fill with all sort of different emotions, something like a personality changer. However, at some point, the victim will lose all of his or her lifeforce and won't be avaiable to subexist any longer, having a break-down as a consequence. Either that person becomes a puppet to the one that control the Nightshadows, or remains a emotionless character. In either case, there is not a good ending. Both the Nightshadow and the victim won't attack beings similar to them in any way. You could say that we are right now, in this very moment, in a world of shadows. "World of shadows? Okay, now that's a complete....", Rhoe was going to finish the sentence, but he decided to shut up. The complains weren't going to help in any case. "Ugh, nevermind. So, who is responsable for this? This surely can't be a coincidence. Someone has to be controlling this situation!" I'm afraid I do not know. ".....Excuse me?" asked Rhoe completely curious to this. As I said before, my power is limited and getting involved with the darkness is not a great idea. It consumes anything that touches it and by doing so, I wouldn't be here. Rhoe understood perfectly what Aeris explained. If he was on the same situation as him (Her?), going head straight into danger wouldn't have been the most effective decision. Silence reign the atmosphere for a a few minutes as Rhoe rested on the couch. Eventually, Aeris broke that silence. Is there something else you wish to know? Thinking carefully what to ask next, he spoke, "What happened to the others? I can't be the only one can I?" .....They are being slowly consumed by darkness Rhoe was impacted by the truth. Everyone he knew was slowly dying and he was doing nothing to stop it. "Why? How did they got caught and I didn't?" There was an incident before you arrived..... Aeris decided to explain everything that happened before he arrived, with the exception of the events he already knew about. He couldn't believe such thing. A pitch-dark cloud? Faster than anything? Nothing happened but at the same time something did happen? It wasn't a story that could be swallowed just like that. Rhoe composed himself after hearing the story and thought his arrival had something to do with it. Now is the time where he didn't feel like trash anymore. Leaving the shocked truth somewhere else, Rhoe spoke again. "So... does that mean everything I know about them is a lie? They weren't their real selves?" At some point, they did show a glimpse of how they truly are, but you wouldn't have known or figured it out anyways. When it comes to everything about them, all you ever know about them isn't a lie. The personalities were a lie though. The way they acted towards you, those were fakes. The affection, also a lie. To make a resume of it, almost everything that happened after the dark cloud incident is a lie. Rhoe was trying to process this new data he just received. "If this much information keeps coming like that, I'm going to lose my mind." he thought while rubbing his head, ".....I can't believe it was a whole lie." If this makes you feel better, they are going to know what they did before when the cloud took over them. "That seems more of a torture than a 'make you feel better', actually" he thought looking up at the ceiling. Out of nowhere, a small howl could be heard from the distance. Some beasts were nearby by the looks of it, "If they reach this place while I'm still in it, it's all over." he thought meanwhile he was standing up from his place. "This is bad. I can't let myself get caught. There's got to be something I can do about it!" he thought nerviously. "If what Aeris said is true about me being the only one 'alive', I wouldn't forgive myself if I failed right now". Rhoe thought this carefully, he needed to know the important things. If he wasted any more time on silly question of some sort, either the Nightshadows would find him, or he goes mad due to the darkness pressure. "I have one more question." Make it quick. I can sense some Nightshadows approaching. "How do I break this spell, mind-control or whatever it is?" I heard rumors that the only way to break a spell like this is by locating their leader and defeating him or her. The only problem is, I do not know how does he or she looks like and I'm sure you know as much as I do about the leader. "He- she- whatever it is, must be different to the others. Then we know that's the leader." Rhoe thought while heading to the exit. Are you seriously thinking of going outside again? "Well, somebody has to finish this. Besides, I know how to take care of myself", he thought still heading to the exit, "and even though they are monsters, there's no one else than can do this but me". [You got to have at least a plan for this, do you? "A plan? Here is the plan," he thought as he stepped right in front of the exit, "We avoid the monsters, beat the crap out of the leader which is the only option we got, and make it out alive. Is that good for you?" It's better than sitting here and do nothing. Sounds like a plan to me, but you gotta be definitively careful outside. I can warn you about the beasts that lurk in the shadows, but I can't protect you from them. I'm practically powerless here. "Don't worry, you have done more than enough. Just stay sharp for any trouble. And relax, I'll be careful. I HAVE to." he thought as he opened the door and stepped outside. The door slowly closed as Rhoe dissapeared into the shadows. > It's do or die! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A cold, pitch black winter night was storming Equestria during this catastrophy. The trees were dead and the ground lost its natural color. Everything seemed so..... dead. Rhoe couldn't shake this feeling of dreadfulness as a frosty breeze flew right behing him, making him shiver a little. Luckily, he grabbed his jacket before leaving the library in that head-straight jump from the balcony. Night was growing stronger and stronger as time flowed. Knowing this, Rhoe still decided to move forward. According to Aeris, a magical spirit who is probably the only thing concious and alive who is following Rhoe, no one but him is capable of breaking this spell in a world known full of Nightshadows. In an attempt to change destiny, he accepeted his role in this situation and has faced head-to-head every challenge (most of them) because he knew he couldn't fail. Not now, not before, not ever. Defeat meant the end of this world. Even if is sounds to cruel to be true, that's how it is. Rhoe was sneaking at a high pace, avoiding the attention of some Nightshadows. These monsters weren't invincible as they looked, but Rhoe had absolutely no chance at defeating them. It would be foolish to face one, suicidal to battle a whole horde of them. To make things worse, their appearance could even terrify the bravest of all me- err, ponies. Although, an alicorn might stand a chance. T'is a shame there isn't an alicorn to help Rhoe. Curious to the population of these beasts, Rhoe asked Aeris to have the area scanned just in case. The friendly spirit accepted and scanned the area in the Everfree Forest and told Rhoe the results of the scanning. Apparently, there were at least 60 Nightshadows in the area, which shocked him so bad it almost made him weep in fear. It took 5 minutes for Rhoe to calm down. As he proceeded deep into the forest, Rhoe stopped a moment. Something made him feel awkward. Something was wrong, and he looked around trying to find the source of this uneasiness in him. Nothing. Maybe he was imagining things. After an awkward silence, Aeris spoke. Is something the matter, Rhoe? "Nothing" replied Rhoe still looking at his surroundings, "I thought someone was watching me, but I can't find a logical conclusion to it." Hold on, let me check around to see if there is anything unusual. Aeris glided to the sky and did a quick check. As Aeris concentrated to find something, nothing appeared. It almost looked desolated if it weren't for the Nightshadows lurking out there in the forest. By the looks of it, they were getting closer at a normal pace, completely unaware of Rhoe by the moment. If these beasts kept this pace, Rhoe might have some more time to think things through. Aeris was a bit worried by this and hasted back to where Rhoe was. When Aeris arrived, Rhoe was looking at the sky, in some sort of strange pose Aeris never saw before. Rhoe was looking up, gasping for air as he grabbed his neck, shaking his forearms which almost looked like he was choking himself. However, Aeris's suspicions were correct. Rhoe was choking himself. Aeris looked in fear at him and hasted once again to his side. Somehow, the shadow's power overwhelmed Rhoe's will and possessed him. Aeris knew that something must be done, but due to his abstract appearance, Aeris couldn't even touch Rhoe. If this kept going, everything would be over. No, no, no, no! This is bad! There's gotta be a way to help him. Think, think! A sudden idea came to Aeris. It's risky, but there's no other choice. Aeris needed to possess Rhoe just like the darkness was doing and free him. By doing so, Aeris might not be avaiable to flee the body and thus, Aeris could dissapear since a body can only be possessed by one entity. It's a risk I'm willing to take. And with that Aeris entered Rhoe inmediately. As Aeris entered, he took a human form inside his mind (Aeris is neither a girl or a boy). Aeris saw the surroundings and was petrified to see such dark place. The walls were covered to what it seemed to be a black, gooey, substance. Judging by Aeris's knowledge, that substance was the shadow's essence. This is definitively a work of the Shadows. Aeris ignored the surroundings and proceeded to find the darkness corrupting Rhoe. It didn't looked that promising, though. Slowly, the darkness grew darker and darker, telling Aeris that Rhoe's life was slowly fading away. Aeris panicked and looked everywhere for the source of the darkness. With absolutely no luck, Aeris stopped and noticed how grim the area started to look. Aeris could hear Rhoe's struggle from the inside. He was fighting with all his might, but it was futile. With a deadly, scary fading away of Rhoe's voice, he suddenly stopped. Nothing could be heard. Aeris couldn't believe what just happened, it seemed so hard to believe. Have I failed? Did I really let Equestria's only hope vanish from the face of the planet? The one thing I had to do and I failed horribly! Aeris looked depressed while believing it's actions doomed the world by failing to save Rhoe. Aeris sat down and took the face to where the flexed knees were positioned (of course, in the position everyone does when hope is absolutely lost). Everything seemed to be consumed and spoiling rotten. Soon after, everything went black. Meanwhile, in the outside, Rhoe's body was standing still with his eyes completely black and his head tilted upward, motionless to any sudden change. The forest seemed to be awfully quiet, considering the fact that monsters were everywhere. Nothing happened for the next minutes and Rhoe's body remained in the same position. Soon, a rustle was heard nearby. At least 4 Nightshadows appeared as they approached Rhoe. If he still was alive, the Nightshadows would have torned him apart, but since he practically became the same as them, they took him to a nearby fortress where he was taken and held to what it seemed to be a trophy room. Other ponies were there as well, but none were his friends or anyone he knew. He was still looking up. There was nothing to avoid the end of the world and soon everything seemed doomed. That was until a small light showed from Rhoe's wrists. The light was coming from what it seemed to be a pair of bracelets, the same bracelets he had from his family. As the light glowed, something was happening in Rhoe's mind..... As Aeris was sitting down in the same position as before, the place was completely dark. The only thing that wasn't a dim object was Aeris. The spirit was sulking in-between the legs thinking of how the world Aeris once knew was completely gone. Good job, Aeris. It's all over.... Aeris mumbled some foreign words as the spirit sulked even more. If there was a chance to fightback, I would... *sigh* When Aeris sighed at the thought, a small light bursted into the area, revealing itself as some sort of spirit. Aeris was impacted by this, staring at it like the world depended on it. I thought I have seen all kinds of things in this world. Clearly, I was wrong. Aeris got up from the floor as the unknown entity finally perfectioned a wolf shape. The light vanished in an instant and the spirit could be seen perfectly. It looked like a golden wolf with white eyes staring at Aeris, unaffected to the strange encounter. The new individual tilted its head sideways, almost as it was curious to see Aeris. Aeris was dumbfolded by this unusual presence and against all odds, he stepped nearer to the it. As Aeris walked right into this being, the wolf got into a battle stance, performing what it looked like to be a defending territory tradition. You know, the thing when beasts see you coming and beat the shit out of you when passing the invisible line they marked. Take a guess of what is that line made of. That's going directly to your imagination. Anyways, both remained still, looking in the eye, trying to win by intimidation. The same look beasts give to mark respect among others, as part of the survival chain. It's a natural instinct we all carry with whether you are a human or a spirit. Time flew while the two of them still looked at each other. Aeris could feel the pressure given by the wolf. It was a powerful pressure, something Aeris witnessed in a few occasions by some ponies whose strength, both mental and physical, surpassed others with ease. The silence broke up when Aeris spoke. Who are you? The spirit may have remained as a wolf form, but Aeris knew that it could talk just like everyone. However, the wolf remained silent, unwilling to answer Aeris. I'll say it again. WHO ARE YOU? The wolf suddenly moved towards Aeris with a enormous speed and Aeris protected itself from anything the wolf was going to do. Indifferent to what Aeris originally thought, the wolf actually was smelling Aeris. Our ally was shocked by this sudden change of scene. First it was going to attack and suddenly it stops to smell Aeris? This felt really weird as Aeris thought that maybe this spirit was accidentally trapped Rhoe's body without any intention to do so. Or maybe not. But who knew. Who knew what was going to happen next. "Hello" What? You can talk? I mean, I knew you could, but... Why didn't you talk before? "Excuse me if I was rude to you" said the wolf as it sat down, "but I wanted to make sure your heart was balanced. In other words, I wanted to check if you were a-" Good guy? "Precisely" replied the wolf. I believed my aura gave a relaxing, trustful atmosphere to anyone around me. "It certainly did" admitted the spirit. Then why is it- "Through previous encounters with other mystical beings that I met after my death in the real world, I discovered there were hiding some kind of treacherous killing intent inside a warm, acceptable environment." explained the wolf as he looked inside Rhoe's mind. ..... I.... never thought that was possible. "That's because your spirit was blessed with protection I'm unaware of." explained the wolf. "This blessing avoided contact with any kind of evil, treacherous, cold-hearted, or any kind negative personality spirit." It's seems too true to be real. But I'm puzzled. How do you know this anyway? And what's your name? I feel like I can't just call you doggy. "My name? My name is Emil, nice to meet you." greeted Emil. Emil!? "Is something the matter?" asked Emil. ...... It's nothing. I remembered someone called Emil, but I thought it wasn't you. "Really?" asked Emil query of this situation, "Who is this Emil you are talking about?" Well, personally, I don't know him. It's this guy Rhoe who does. Emil is Rhoe's little brother actually. Aeris showed Emil around the mind, although Emil already figured it out. Aeris explained what happened, the incident in the library, the Nightshadows, the shelter in the woods, everything about the incident. Aeris knew that Emil was aware of this, but there was something Emil in which the spirit didn't become acquainted of. Rhoe's consumption. The moment Emil heard about the individual Rhoe, which Emil knew and was the reason the spirit appeared, memories came back like a train going through a wall of barricades. They appeared one after another, non-stop, torturing the poor being with both positive, yet negative emotions. Emil suddenly dropped the wolf head looking at the floor, like something has struck the being .... I won't ask about that. stated Emil. Oh, sorry! Did I made you uncomfortable? "No, not at all. It's just a memory that came to my mind in a flash." clarified Emil., "I usually have these kind of flashs, but I'm pretty sure that my mind is working properly." ......... I know I'm just a stranger you just met, but don't try to hold back. "......" ....I have been wondering for a while now. "...Hm?" As a spirit, I risked myself to enter Rhoe's body trying to save him. But why are you here? Surely you must have arrived by mistake. Emil looked away, as if it was trying to avoid the question. Aeris tilted its head irresoluted by this. The spirit knew it was something deep. Maybe it was for the best not to know. That would be if Emil hadn't spoke. "I actually came on my own". Aeris became even more confused by this. Why would Emil come in the first place? What does Rhoe have to do with him? Maybe it was because it was the last thing alive? In either case, the doubt was still on loose. "You see, I happen to be related to Rhoe". Aeris was dumbfolded by this. Related...? I'm a close family to him. You could say I'm his guardian angel. Aeris inmediately realized who this individual was. It none other than Emil himself, Rhoe's younger brother. If t-that's t-the c-case... then you must be- "Why yes. I'm indeed Rhoe's younger brother" revealed Emil as took his human form. That's Not Possible! H-How? I never heard of this before. "Perhaps not here, but it is possible in the human world" clarified Emil. Uh.... Care to explain? "You see, when I died in that fire Rhoe tried desperately to pull me out of, my soul left my body where I meet my creator. Upon meeting it, which of course it has no gender whatsoever, it asked that I was allowed to do what my heart desired to and I pleaded to head with my brother to act as his guardian angel, knowing how devasted he would be. The creator allowed me to do because deep down in the world, the creator knew it was the necessary thing to do." When you mean the creator, you mean a god that created everything in your universe, right? "Precisely. However, it's hard to explain. Since all of us are so different, when we die, we end up having an unique experience in the afterlife, so therefore, others might experience looking at the beliefs in their own personal way. As for me, being a christian, I met with what would be God. The point is, ever since I passed away, I have been looking over Rhoe, protecting from any harm. The only thing I couldn't protect him from was from himself. Slowly, he started to become more and more depressed being all alone even when I was there spiritally. He wasn't into religion as I was, so the thought of me being there with him never crossed his mind." I guess he had it rough.According to some rumors about you humans, I've heard that there are humans that when their lives are really tough, there are three likely cases known to happen. Suicide, Insanity, and moving on. Of course, these cases can vary depeding on the person, but that's not the point. The point is that Rhoe's loneliness made him shut to other people, thus he never experienced what would life could have been if all of his family actually made it. Poor guy... You two must have suffered a lot. "We did," revealed Emil thinking of the tough moments he and Rhoe went through. "We really had a really tough time. But even though we had a tough time on Earth, there was something that I believed was the source of my strength" I'm guessing that was family, right? "Yes. I always knew that Rhoe and my parents were watching me, protecting me, watching how I enjoyed life. Especially Rhoe. He dedicated his life for me to have the most normal possible living I could. That was really inspiring. I always wanted to be like him. Strong, dedicated, caring , loyal and always looking to do the right thing, whether it caused problems or not. He is shy around woman and his temper usually got the best of him, but not everyone is perfect. Rhoe showed me what does a true brother is, what family is capable of when there is a problem, any kind of, and that they are there for you anytime you need someone" flattered Emil. Rhoe sure was a great example. It's a shame he is no longer with us... "That is why I'm here". Aeris was taken by surprise at this comment. It wasn't Aeris expected to hear. Aeris believed it was because Emil wanted to spend some time with him even when he wasn't technically around. After all, he is his brother in the end. It was a bit concerning that Emil remembered all of his past memories, but that's was something Aeris didn't wish to get involved. "Aeris" called out the brother. Aeris snapped back into reality as the spirit looked firmly at Emil again. Yes? 'Wait, how does he know my name? I never- ....He must have heard it when I was with Rhoe.' "I need you to do something for me." requested Emil while he getting into what it seemed to be a magic spell of some sort spirit usually use. What's that? "Take care of Rhoe for me" Aeris blinked twice as Emil started glow into a golden aura. What does that mean!? "That means I'm leaving Rhoe to your care. I'm using all of my power to vanquish the darkness that consumed him". said Emil meanwhile the aura grew stronger and stronger. How do you know that will work!? WE both know that spell is really risky, not to mentioned we never heard of any spirit that has done something like that! "I may be gone, but- urgh.., who knows. It's better to- guh.... do something than standing- grr... around. Besides, there is-oomph!, something I gotta do. I just can't- GAHHH, do nothing and watch everything we- URGH! worked up so much die like that!". Aeris somehow saw Rhoe's form standing next to Emil. Aeris thought those two really looked like each other. .....Alright. I'll take care of him. Hasty decision to leave to me, don't you think? "Well. you are the only one-GUH... around capable of so. Besides, he trusts you." Heh, got that right. You know? You really are like him. Thanks, please look out for him. Will do. I better leave before this gets nasty. "Good- urg... idea..." agreed Emil. "And Aeris?" Yes? Tell him that I thank him for all the things he has done for me. Tell him that it wasn't his fault to what happened to me. Also, tell him I love him and that I'll always be there just like Mom and Dad. requested Emil. IGladly. With that Aeris left the body to avoid getting in the range of the attack. Once Aeris got out of Rhoe's body he noticed how they weren't at the same spot as before. Aeris believed that something brought them here, but the spirit didn't know how. Aeris looked back at Rhoe's lifeless body as the light in his bracelets glowed ever stronger than before. Aeris figured out that light was Emil, where he came from. Slowly, Rhoe's body began recovering his original colors, his dark eyes were slowly fading away and soon Rhoe came back to senses. Rhoe's eyes opened as he gazed into the dungueon he was. Suddenly, he looked everywhere unknowing of where he was. It was a surprise both didn't know about the place, but that didn't matter to them. Rhoe! You are back! Thank Celestia, you are okay! "Hey there Aeris" greeted Rhoe. I thought you were really gone... I tried everything to save you... "I know. Soon after you were focused on the scanning, from that same bush I heard rustle, the darkness jumped at me, trying to devour my will. I tried to fight back, but as soon as it beated my will, I thought I messed up. That's where you come in" explained Rhoe Wait, you actually saw everything? "You bet. Including him. Heh, he sure grew to be a great kid after all." said Rhoe looking a bit sad about something. Then that sadness became tears. "He didn't have to do that! I didn't know he... I...I never thought that.... Now... he is gone spiritually as well..." said with tears rolling in his face, trying to not think about what happened. .................. "But he is right," Rhoe added while wiping the tears of his face, "We can't be standing doing nothing. We can't fail now. If I cry right now, it won't bring him back." Even though Rhoe couldn't see Aeris, Rhoe knew Aeris was smiling in contempt at this. The two of them got of this statue standing moments ago and Rhoe was stretching to recover the nervous system of the body since it was completely still in an uncomfortable position for some hours. "Haha... I really am grateful Emil. In the end you were the one who saved me... from myself as well... I won't let you sacrificed be in vain." murmured Rhoe. What was that? "N-Nothing. Just talking to myself." ...Okay. I won't ask anymore. Now let's find out where and what is this place. "Agree" confirmed Rhoe. Rhoe looked to his bracelets and thought about a certain individual. He embraced the bracelets and they took off once they got prepared. The world couldn't wait for another day of delay, it's up to them to end this reign of terror. The world's last hope weighs in the shoulders of two beings.... > Everything that matters... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The dark, cold night was pitch-black as in the beggining. The surroundings seemed to have settled down, and there weren't any kind of roarings in the distance. The dungeon looked very overwhelming, it almost seemed like the source of this whole problem was located in this place. It looked something like this... The inside's seemed a little bit off, considering the fact that the place seemed more foggy than dark. As Rhoe proceeded in the hallway, his curiosity got the best of him and decided to look deeper into one of the locked cells located in that same hallway. The inside looked more like the outsides of the forest since the vision was almost completely blocked by darkness. A small light was provided by Aeris requested by Rhoe when they left the trophy room, which allowed both to have a small glimpse of the cell. Rhoe managed to observe some sort of figure attached to the wall. By the looks of it, it wasn't very alive so to speak. Rhoe thought it might have been one of the prisoners that were held a long time ago, some sort of criminal if he were to guess. Rhoe felt a shiver in his back just to think of the upcoming death the prisoner must have recieved. A long, slow and painful death. Rhoe decided it was best to ignore the corpse and move on. Aeris agreed with him and both went deeper into the hallway. Thankfully, with Aeris's light and constant scanning, Rhoe was capable of seeing what was ahead of him, helping him to calm down and avoid any kind of trap that resided nearby. After 20 minutes of roaming around the dungeon looking for any clue of 'What is this place', Rhoe decided to rest. Going non-stop inside a dangerous place can cause anyone to feel fatigued, especially when the hope of everyone rests in your shoulders. "....Man. This place doesn't seem to end." said Rhoe wiping sweat off his forehead, "How am I supposed to find the exit in such huge place?" I'm not exactly sure, but there has to be an exit. There's no way we could have entered- ...scratch that. There no way the monsters were able to place us there without any kind of help or entrance. Even with magic, you need to know where are heading. "....Maybe they do know." concluded Rhoe. Not possible. The nightshadows may be fierce and deadly creatures, but their memory is really bad. The only memories these beasts hold are the its master and orders. Anything from that, they tend to forget it. Rhoe grabbed his chin and started thinking of any explanation to it. Although it was really simple the answer, Rhoe had a bit of a trouble thinking of what was the reason of their arrival. "...Wait a minute," said Rhoe, "What if one of them ordered to bring me here?" So far, that is the best possible reason to it. The question is why- Aeris suddenly stopped and a thought came to its mind. Aeris moved the pieces together and figured out why he was brought here in the first place. ....I think I know why you were brought here. "Huh? Really?" asked Rhoe with intrigue. The darkness. ".....I'm sorry? I'm not sure I follow..." I mean, the event where the darkness corrupted you. Rhoe remembered perfectly that incident. It wasn't that much of a gap in time, but it really wasn't something you could easily forget like an insult in a friendly way. "I remember that. It was a couple of hours ago." confirmed Rhoe as got up, "But how does that relate to this?" Think about it. When you were unable to move your body, some monster must have dragged you here. "But, how do you know that? Weren't you focused on trying to free me?" I'm not exactly sure, but I felt the presence of other beings while I was still inside of you. "....It's a little hard to believe, even when it comes from you." admitted Rhoe. Aeris felt a little bad when Rhoe didn't believe him. "But," Aeris suddenly was caught off guard when he spoke again, "If what you said is true, then the only one who could have done that must have been..." Rhoe didn't believed it was connected to anything, he thought it was an attempt to defeat him, but as soon as Rhoe started to fit all the pieces together just like Aeris did, he figured out a reason. "You mean..." stated Rhoe looking to the floor, "That their master actually ordered them to bring me here if I was corrupted by darkness?" So far, yes. That's the only explanation I can think of. "That's weird. Why would he or she do that?" said Rhoe as he leaned against the wall only to be surprised by a shifting brick. Unintentionally, Rhoe moved a brick which caused a wall to slide really fast. Rhoe soon knew how the floor tasted like. HMMM! CONCRETE! "...Ow" said Rhoe with his face sticked to the floor. ....Having fun down there? "Haha. Really funny" replied Rhoe as he got up and looked at the event, "......Sliding walls. Secret path. New discoveries. Ain't this a cliché." Stop complaining. We finally found a new path which may lead to the somewhere. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I was getting sick of this place anyway. Let's go". Rhoe entered the secret path with high hope as finding that may help in their quest. Looking deep inside the path, Rhoe managed to find a room filled several artifacts and 3 doors, each one leading to new places. One at the east, which looked like a blue door covered in a blue smoke. Another to the west, this one was green and some electric signs placed next to it. The last door was a red door and it had some traces of blood in the front. Rhoe couldn't tell which one was worse. As he entered the room, Rhoe noticed a small piece of metal shining in the floor. Picking it up, he realized it was a pocket knife. "Huh, a pocket knife," said Rhoe putting it away carefully in his pocket, "This should come in handy" Be careful. That knife seems to be really sharpened. I'm surprised the knife didn't get rusted all these years. "It's because it wasn't here years ago." Huh? "This knife was here recently. Probably belonged to one of the guards that used to roam here days ago." How do you know? "Here," said Rhoe as he took it out and pointed the knife logo, "this emblem is one of the royal guards that Equestria usually possess". I'm guessing you already saw it. "Eeyup" said Rhoe in an attempt to make the answer short. Plus, he wanted to try that voice Big Mac always does at least once. It felt good. Hmmm, probably. ....Hold on, guards? "Well, this is a prison apparently. The cells are what gave me that idea." answered Rhoe. I highly doubt that, Rhoe. This place has been empty for at least 2 months. "Huh? Two months?" I have been around many times, remember? "Yeah, you're right..." agreed Rhoe, "....Hold on a minute! If this place was abandoned 2 months ago, how come this knife was so perfectly taken care of!? What's more, how did it end up here?" "I can answer that..." Rhoe literally jumped when he heard another voice besides Aeris's. He turned around and looked for the source of the sudden voice. It was as empty as it was the moment they entered the room. The voice was a bit unrecognizable, but it sounded like a male voice. "Aeris?" Yes? "Are you imitating some sort of monster?" Umm, I believe that isn't the case "The spirit is right, human". Rhoe didn't jump again at the sudden voice, but he felt a shiver down his spine. Gulping, he decided to face this new entity. "Hello?" said Rhoe trying to look for this new voice in that place. "What's the matter? Haven't you heard anyone talk like that before?" said the unknown voice. Rhoe, look out. This voice, it's definitively not friendly. Rhoe was still looking around, hoping to find where did the voice come from. With no luck, he spoke, "Who are you? Stop hiding and show yourself!" "Now, now. That's not the way to greet someone." corrected the unknown voice. "It's not a way to greet someone, meromeromehmehmeh, My ass!" "Hush, who took care of you? A monkey?" insulted the unknown voice as Rhoe was grinning his teeth with anger looking around, "That doesn't even matter. I have something to discuss with you" Be really careful about this Rhoe. This voice, it's hiding something. Don't fall to his trap. "Don't worry.... I've dealt with this kind of people all my life. This shouldn't be the exception." thought Rhoe as he proceeded to speak, "....What do you want?" "A proposal" "'Proposal?" "As you may have noticed, there are three doors in this very room," said the voice meanwhile the doors glowed one by one showing off, "These doors hold the key to find me, in other words, they will lead to me" "....Sounds a bit fishy to me." It may be, but there is no other way to reach me explained the voice, "Or are you suggesting that you know another way?" Rhoe remained silent, he didn't knew how to and couldn't find any way even if he searched the entire place, hell, even if he searched the entire town looking for ways, it wouldn't do any good. Rhoe sighed at his defeat and proceeded to cooperate. "Okay, what do you want?" "Simple. I want you" The room remained silent. No one spoke for a whole. It was Rhoe who broke the silence. "....Are you gay?" asked Rhoe. "Oh? Oh no no~... I simply want you" "So you are gay." "I'll say it again, I want YOU" requested the voice. "Still pretty gay." "You better shut your mouth if you know what's good for you!" threatened the voice. "GAYYYYY" said Rhoe placing his hands near his mouth to make it sound louder. Umm... Rhoe? Could you stop doing that? We don't know what he is capable of. "What? I'm just stating what I think this is!" explained Rhoe. "....In either case, these doors hold a challenge. If you manage to beat the challenges, you will meet me face-to-face" said the voice as it echoed throughout the room, "I'll be waiting for you~...." Rhoe stood still for a while. He knew this was a trap, so did Aeris. Both argued which was the best course of action because after all, going head straight to what the enemy tells you to is NEVER a good idea. However, the options seemed pretty slim and both didn't have any kind of lead besides the one given by the enemy. Against all odds, they decided to do as the voice recommended, even if it was a trap or not. "So, which door should we choose? We may have decided to open one, but which one?" asked Rhoe. It could be any, the doors doesn't seem to have any kind of requirement. Any door is pretty much the same in retrospective. "Maybe if the voice had gave us a lead to which door should we begin..." Out of nowhere, a letter popped up in front of Rhoe. Not surprised by this, Rhoe took hold of the floating letter and ripped the envelope. Pulling the contains, it went like this. If you wish to choose the right door simply follow the beat of the heart but be warned, if you choose the wrong floor your life will be torn apart... "....." ....... "What a lousy poem." said Rhoe with a unamused expression. ...I've got to agree on this one. "But anyways.... Follow the heart?" thought Rhoe trying to figure out the message. Maybe it has something to do with the color. "Red? I was never a fan of red." complained Rhoe. This isn't about color preference, you know? "Alright, alright! I'll take the red one." thought Rhoe. After moving to the red door with blood on it, Rhoe backed away. Aeris was confused by this, even thought that Rhoe regretted to go in. However, Rhoe actually turned around and started looking for something. As he searched for drawers, chests and other objects, he pull some sort of small log. He placed it down on the floor and with the pocket knife he had, he started cutting the edges of the log. After a long while, he managed to create a home-made lance out of wood. Rhoe probably did that in an attempt to have a self-defense weapon. He took hold of the lance and with a military chest armor he found in one of the chests, he wrapped the lance and hung it from his torso. You know, like those swordsman do to carry their weapons on their back. I didn't know you were such a crafter. I'm surprised. "I'm surprised as well. I didn't thought I would actually pull something like that." replied Rhoe. Let's go, shall we? "Sure, I'm ready." said Rhoe as he started to open the red door, "No I'm not." The room seemed to be different to the dungeon. The walls had some sort gel sticked to it and yet they remained still. The ceiling had some damages, mostly cracks where some liquids fell through it. The floor was made out of red wood. It was quite the opposite to the walls and the ceiling. It was completely clean and you could see a bit of a reflection in it. Aeris felt a disturbance in the room and warned Rhoe about it. Rhoe nodded and walked slowly to the center of the room. In the center, there was a small table which had an envelope as well. Rhoe thought it had some lousy poem as the previous letter he got. Sometimes, Rhoe hated when he was right. You chose the right door it seems but don't celebrate for the time is not now there are some incomplete debts you haven't foreseen and you are here to pay them with a big 'Wow' "...Is it me, or do the poems get worse and worse?" said Rhoe. "It's only ya." said a familiar voice behind Rhoe. With a quick instinct, Rhoe leaped forward as the pony behind him smashed the floor with such force it broke the floor. Rhoe inmediately got up and looked behind. For his surprise, there two ponies standing in front of him. Applejack and Pinkie Pie, which had her mane flattened. Rhoe took a better look at them and could notice the same effect the darkness had on Twilight the day he left the library. "Heh, well this is new. I didn't expect to bump into you," said Rhoe scratching the back of his head, "well, I'm assuming you are my challenge?" "Bingo, moron" said Pinkie, "We are not letting out of here alive." "Somehow I knew you would say that." replied Rhoe trying to look for something that might give him a fair fight against them. "Well hon', Ah hope ya are ready" said Applejack, "This is gonna hurt ya a lot." "I know, I know." said Rhoe with no luck at all searching for that special opportunity. With that said, Pinkie sprung from her place and headed towards Rhoe. He barely got time to react and dodged to the left. Rhoe looked at Pinkie, who had tried to knock him, going for another shot. Pinkie threw a punch after another only to be dodged by Rhoe each time. Rhoe couldn't think straight and in self-defense, he grabbed one of Pinkie's attack and threw her to the other side of the room. She inmediately recovered from the throw and stood still. Rhoe was confused by this and his thoughts turned to Applejack who was just about to knock him down with a spin kick. With so little time to react, he crossed his arms in front of him in order to embrace the impact, only to get kicked to the wall of the room by the force. Rhoe felt like a boulder had just hit him. Wasting no time, Applejack went for another try. Rhoe snapped from the pain and moved away, dodging the kick she threw. The wall had a little crack after Applejack removed the leg from the wall. Rhoe gulped, hoping he wouldn't recieve one of those kicks at full power wide open. Applejack focused on Rhoe once more and ran towards him. Rhoe got into position and once she was in range, he dodged, placed himself in her back grabbed her waist and performed a suplex. Applejack rolled over and Rhoe was holding the back of his head with a tear on his eye. The recoil was perhaps too much. He didn't have that much of a break since Pinkie came from behind and grabbed Rhoe's neck with mighty strength. He struggled as Pinkie proceeded to tighten up the move. In desperation, Rhoe used a lot of strength to get up and walk backwards to the wall, slaming Pinkie to it. She let out a cough of blood and bent over for a few seconds. Rhoe took that time to think of a way to fight back. "This is bad..." he thought, "If this keeps up, I'll lose..." Rhoe! Are you okay!? "Yeah, I'm fine," he thought, "I can keep going...", Aeris knew Rhoe was lying. He was panting heavy and the bruises looked pretty bad. Aeris thought he needed help, but how? Aeris kept thinking when suddenly Rhoe was body-slammed by Applejack, which caused to bounce a bit fom the power. Rhoe tried to get up as fast as possible, but he was interrupted by a following kick to his face by Pinkie. Rhoe started to walk backwards trying to stable his balance. His face was dripping blood. He knew the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were strong, but this was outrageous. In a desperate attempt, Rhoe pulled out his lance and pointed it to the ponies who were grinning to him. He dashed towards them and the ponies answered with the same movement. Applejack threw a kick and Pinkie a punch, which was almost unavoidable, but Rhoe didn't head towards the attack, instead he took a sharp left and headed towards the door. Both ponies composed themselves and headed towards him once again. Trying to hit him, they attempted the same movement. However, Rhoe was prepared. Using his lance, he moved Pinkie towards the kick of Applejack causing her to recoil from the hit. Pinkie fell to the floor and remained still. Applejack was pissed about this and looked at Rhoe with anger. Rhoe held his hand in front, showing the backside of it and taunted the farmer by flexing the fingers several times. Affecting by his mocking, Applejack roared and she dashed furiously. Not thinking straight, she fell right into his trap. Using the lance to his advantage, he leaned to the side, avoiding an angry mare in the process. In a blink of an eye, he used the tempo of the lance and applied a deadly pressure point attack to the farmer. Applejack was unable to move and she didn't know why. Taking advantage of the situation, Rhoe spun and kicked Applejack in the back of her head. She fell to the floor by this, still concious. She tried to get up with all of her anger, but something was hold her. With another attempt, Rhoe used his lance with enough force and aimed to Applejack's neck. The power was enough to knock her unconcious. Right before passing out from the hit, she managed to see a transparent figure next to Rhoe. Soon after, she fell to the floor and remained like that. "....." Rhoe remained silent. He was hoping he didn't overdo it, for the sake of both parties. He looked to where Pinkie was lying and was shocked to see her standing up, but barely. She slowly walked towards Rhoe. Each step seemed to be heavier than the other and as soon as she was in front of Rhoe right about to punch him, Rhoe delivered a jab to Pinkie's stomach. She recoiled and spilled some blood over Rhoe. She was still standing up, but not for long. Pinkie looked at Rhoe one last time and mumbled something. "I'm sorry..." She dropped unconcious and Rhoe gave a reall heavy sigh. He sat back and laid in the floor, resting from the fight. He used to fight other people who bullied Emil, but none of them were as strong as the two ponies he just faced moments ago. Panting, Rhoe looked at the room once more. Amazingly, the room shifted and looked like a normal living room. He was relieved to see he just won his first challenge. "Hehe...", laughed Rhoe, "One down..... two to go...." I can't believe the plan worked. "Yeah, me neither. I thought I was gonna get my ass kicked" replied Rhoe as he sat up and checked his injuries. Good thinking with the illusion thing. If you don't get it, Aeris manipulated the ponies's vision after Rhoe headed to the door, making them believe Rhoe was there, when instead he was a meter to the right. Also, Aeris managed to inmobilize Applejack's movements for a few seconds, allowing Rhoe to fight back. "If I had fought them without your help, I would be a goner right now", said Rhoe. He got up from his place and rubbed some injuries, "These bruises really hurt, you know?" I can tell. Too bad the lance you made broke in the fight. "Yeah, it's a shame. It had some use, I'm grateful this helped me." Suddenly a voice was heard from a distance. "Congratulations, you passed the first challenge. I'm surprised you managed to." "Show yourself coward!" yelled Rhoe in the room. "Oh no no~, not yet. As for your friends, they aren't useful anymore" replied the voice. Upon hearing this, Rhoe looked back where Applejack and Pinkie were laying. They were gone. A black smoke could be seen where the ponies were. "You... How could you!?" "Heh, they are trash. Just like everyone else in this world" Rhoe clenched his fists when he heard this. Aeris looked a bit worried after he did that."They are disposable, but you aren't~" Rhoe was taken by this comment, "What's that supposed to mean!?" "Oh, you'll know soon enough". A fainting laugh could be heard as the voice was no longer there. Rhoe had a piercing stare to the air. He was getting angrier after hearing those awful things. Calm down, Rhoe. We will make him pay for this. We have to. Rhoe loosened his fists and calmed down. "Heh, you are right. Sorry for getting ahead of myself." Don't worry about it. That's why I'm here. "Ha, I guess I'm stuck with you then?" You bet! Both laughed at this and the laugh died down as Rhoe focused on the envelope that appeared in the center of the room. Hopefully, it wouldn't have one of those icky poems. Rhoe was never annoyed by getting something right. This was one of those special cases. Your first challenge is completed Your victory was as smooth as a scarecrow There are two more to achieved And this curse will be never more P.S. The next door is blue. "......" ........ "Yo. This is just terrible. Who comes up with these!?" Someone named Ashardu. "....Wow, I feel sorry for him." Who doesn't? "Now that we know where to go, let's leave this place. It's giving me the chills the room." said Rhoe as he opened the door. Rhoe came back from the battle with bruises and injuries all over. He wasn't in a very good condition for another fight. Maybe you should take a break. You can't go in another fight like that. "I'm fine. I can still- GUH!". Rhoe spilled some blood he held back in the fight. Applejack must have somehow damaged internally Rhoe, causing him to spill blood as it was previously mentioned. RHOE! I told you! You are not in any condition to fight! Aeris expected a response from him, but the expectations died quickly. The spirit left Rhoe's body and appeared in front of Rhoe in a rather unique appearance. "Is that how you.... really.... look like?" Nope. I merely took a host body. One I created as well. "Heh, well. You look okay to me..." he said, but soon a groan followed. Aeris was unfazed by his reaction. Giving the human the spirit's back, Aeris spoke. You are staying here, resting. I'll take care of the other door myself. "Are you crazy!?" yelled Rhoe resting next to a wall, "If I had a lot of trouble dealing with them, how come you are gonna be avaiable to do so?" Watch me. Aeris dissapeared into the next room. Rhoe was sick worried about Aeris. He didn't know if Aeris needed his help, but he wanted to do something about it. The internal injury, however, managed to stop Rhoe from moving. Rhoe reacted to the pain and laid down on the floor. "If I weren't this hurt, I would...." Rhoe sighed and prayed for Aeris's sake. After some 20 minutes of silence and isolation, Rhoe heard something unusual coming from the blue door. After been resting for a while now, he was capable of moving around, not completely, but still, it's progress. Clinging to the lance, broken if you remember, he got near the door and opened the door a little. To his surprise, there was nothing. He entered despite his condition, aware that anything could happen. As he approached the center of the room, his attention suddenly was directed to a black smoke residing next to some fallen furniture. Rhoe headed to this unusual, curious of what could have happened when he wasn't around. Inspecting closer to this smoke, he recognized it was the same smoke he saw in the previous room. Assuming what happened, he deduced someone was beaten here, two actually. Who could have it been? "I wonder who was this being... being?" repeated Rhoe as he remembered something. His companion, Aeris, didn't show up. Rhoe yelled for the spirit. Nothing. It remained silent. "Aeris, you fool. I told you wouldn't be avaiable to handle on your own..." In an instant flash, a letter popped up again. Rhoe thought it was one of those awful poems again. Sighing to this thought, Rhoe ripped the envelope and checked the insides. It wasn't a poem this time. It was like that this: Rhoe, Looks like your little friend Aeris managed to defeat Rarity and Fluttershy on its own. I know, I'm surprised as you are. Anyways, I figured he was helping you all along. Funny, I never thought this spirit was capable of fighting. Perhaps I was mistaken. Yes, that would be the case. Well, as much as I would enjoy your companion's demise, I'll instead take CARE of it. Aeris is no longer here, the spirit is my hostage right now. The spirit is locked away in one of my crystals, right where I am. If you wish to save your friends, I suggest you do the challenges on your own. I'm quite dissapointed. I was hoping you wouldn't cheat... Farewell, Rhoe. I'm waiting. Don't make me wait longer... Rhoe was silent for a couple of minutes, remaining in his spot, motionless. The next thing you know, Rhoe is smashing the furniture in his rage. Rhoe was in a complete fury, he knew Aeris was in danger, that Aeris wasn't capable of doing this alone, and yet, he allowed it. He allowed Aeris to care of it. The results? Now he is alone. "Why do I have to be so fucking weak!? I could have saved Aeris as well! I'M FUCKING USELESS!" Rhoe sulked into a room corner, troubled by this thought. He felt powerless, incapable of avoiding some disaster. Slowly, his self-esteem lowered to a dangerous level. If he kept thinking like this, one of these days his mind might break. Time flew just like time does when you enjoy the small things in life. Rhoe finally stopped sulking and got up. He knew that feeling sorry for himself woudn't bring Aeris or anyone back. Besides, he was the only hope for Equestria, perhaps for the world if this catastrophe got out of hand. Rhoe tried to not think about the consequences of his actions nor the weight that resided in his shoulders. In a desperate attempt, he slapped himself to snap out of it. Fortunately, it worked for his sake. Rhoe, still clinging to his lance, started walking out of the room until he remembered the letter that usually appears nearby. Looking back, the envelope was on the floor, untouched. Rhoe headed to this envelope and picked it up. "Huh, funny." said Rhoe curious about something, "This envelope seems to be bigger and heavier than the others. Maybe it has something attached to it." Rhoe opened the envelope and noticed both a letter and a potion inside. Being cautious, he picked the potion and placed it in a nearby table. The letter, on the hand, had a poem. It went like this: The second challenge has been fun! Too bad your friend wasn't here to admire, After he knows about you, his heart will be filled with fire, if he doesn't calm down, his opportunity will be done. "This letter was for Aeris? ....Still lousy." claimed Rhoe throwing the letter to the floor. However, after he did that, the same letter threw a small flash that drew Rhoe's attention. Intrigued by this, he picked the letter once more. The message was different this time: The destiny has been sealed, it's something you can't change you will need something that can fight both speed and steel otherwise you better not face. P.S. Drink the potion, it will help you. "Gosh, can this letters be any lousier?" Rhoe shook his head, trying to ignore the amounts of annoyance he felt reading the letter. He turned around, picked the potion and left the room. The memories of Aeris were still in his head. Rhoe decided to let go because thinking of it will only cause disturbance in his mind, not to mention the darkness that overwhelms the place doing that already. Rhoe's sanity was slowly fading away. If he stays more time there, he might go insane. That's when he remembered the potion given to him as an attachment. He took it out and looked at it like it was sort some of poison waiting to be used any moment now. "If I drink this, would I feel better?" he thought, "....or would I die? I can't make up my mind." A fainting voice, what appeared to be his instincts, told him to drink it. Upon hearing this, he was still doubting the potion. There were 3 posibilities: 1. He drinks it and he actually recovers. 2. He drinks it and slowly dies from the contents of the potion. 3. He drinks it and nothing happens. Absolutely nothing. What would it be? Which option is better? Time wasn't on his side, so he had some moments to think about it. To drink, or to not? That's was the question. Rhoe finally decided what to do. His choice, whatever it was, was something he couldn't undo or regret. Once he does what he decided, his fate is sealed. His choice... was.... "......." "......." "......." "......." "......." "......." "......." "......." "......." "......." "......." "Fuck it. I'm drinking it..." With that said, Rhoe pulled out the cover and drank the whole potion in one gulp. After he drank it, Rhoe remained still, expecting any kind of change or metamorphosis in his body. To his surprise, he actually felt better. The damage Applejack did in the fight was slowly fading away, almost like it never happened. Rhoe blinked twice to actually grasp what just happened. The enemy, somehow, helped him recover. Why would they do that? Could it be some sort of trap? Did something actually happen ,but he was unaware of it? Many thoughts crossed through Rhoe's mind. None of them seemed to stay for long. Before moving on, Rhoe carefully inspected any kind of change to his body or mind. He wanted to make sure everything was in order. So afr, nothig seemed to be affecting him, which caused Rhoe to think of one possible explanation. "Maybe he actually wanted me to recover, since he knew the fight had a possibility of incapacitating me." thought Rhoe, "The question is, how did he know I was injured? Strange..." Rhoe withdraw the lance and placed in the shealth on his back. Rhoe walked right into the next door and opened it with ease. He thought the green door had some sort of difficulty opening, since it was the last door. After entering, he noticed the room had a small window where a ray of light was crossing, aiming to a door. It seemed to be daylight somehow. Rhoe didn't know if it was either coincidence or a trap. Carefully, he walked towards the door and opened it cautiously. What he saw couldn't be real. He saw Twilight and Rainbow tied up to a chair, looking down and unconcious. Rhoe was shocked by this, ignoring any thought of being a trap. He inmediately moved to where they were and checked them. When he touched the pair, his hand inmediately went through them. Taking back by this, he pulled his hand and looked to his back. Then, it was when Rhoe's heart felt fear. He saw Spike, Twilight, and Rainbow with a dark, perturbing smile on their faces. Rhoe felt like a complete moron for having fallen to their trap so easily. The three individuals looked darker than the last Rhoe saw them. Both parties kept staring at each other, until one of them spoke. "Who would have thought you would fall to our trap so easily?" said Twilight with her eyes closed and shaking her head sideways, "I thought you were smarter than this, Rhoe." Rhoe didn't answer back, he was preparing for a combat in which the odds weren't in his favor. "What is the matter? Cat's got your tongue?" said Spike laughing to him. "I think we scared him," supported Dash, crossing her arms, "It's normal after all. He is not making it out of this place alive to say the least." "You are wrong." replied Rhoe after a long silence. The three subjects looked at Rhoe amused by this. "Oh? We are?" said Twilight. "Yes, you are." replied Rhoe, "As a matter of fact, I was hoping to run into to you." "Oh? Well, isn't that lovely... You were expecting us?" said Twilight wondering why. "It's pretty simple actually. First I face Applejack and Pinkie. Then Aeris takes care of Rarity and Fluttershy. That would only leave you three as the final challenge. It wasn't that hard to figure out." explained Rhoe with a grin on his face. "But you couldn't tell from the trap we set up? I think you are really weird." said Rainbow. "Actually..." The group looked confused by this. Rhoe oversaw the whole plan? "I think you are right!" confirmed Rhoe. They dropped to the floor, completely annoyed by this. It was just a mistake they believed that. "Alright, you are starting to annoy me..." complained Spike as they got up from the floor. "Make that two of us." added Rainbow. "Great, I just made them hate me even more..." thought Rhoe, "Just how exactly am I supposed to fight them? I barely stand a chance!" "It's a good thing you ask..." said the voice. "Huh!?" said the whole group as they looked up in the air. "Haha! Rhoe!" "W-what?" replied Rhoe confused by this. "You drank the potion. Good!" said the voice proud of his action. "Huh?" "You fell right into my experiment! I can't believe how innocent you are. Following a voice, classic." "What's the meaning of this!?" yelled Twilight looking at the ceiling. "Easy, you are the experiment." The three individuals looked scared, like if they knew was about to happen. Suddenly, Rhoe's body started twitching, making him to fall to his knees. "W-what i-is h-happen-ning!?" "Good night." After that Rhoe's vision went black. He couldn't see anything. All he could percieve were some screams and some bangs. A echoing laugh was heard in the background.... "Urgh... my head..." said Rhoe rubbing his forehead. His vision was somehow blurry, the room was spinning and the objects near were disorientated. With some rest and focus, Rhoe recovered. What he saw was terrifying. He saw Spike lying face-down to the floor with blood over his body, Rainbow was against a wall, twitching and dripping blood and Twilight was in front of him, looking to the celing, almost unconcious. Rhoe feared the worst and headed to check them. Both Spike and Rainbow were at the verge of death, and Twilight.... she was going to.... you know what's coming. Twilight lost too much blood, causing a blood-loss death. Rhoe couldn't think straight. His friends,even if they were corrupted by darkness, were about to die in front of him. Reacting quickly, he ripped part of his clothes and wrapped it around some parts were Twilight was pouring blood. "Please, please work!" yelled Rhoe. The blood managed to stop flowing, allowing Twilight to live longer, but it wasn't enough. If she didn't get proper medical treatment, she might... Twilight opened her eyes an inch, allowing her to see Rhoe, even a bit. Rhoe was so focused on her treatment that he didn't notice this. Using almost all of her strenght, she reached for Rhoe, touching his arm. Rhoe inmediately felt being touched and looked to where did this came from. Rhoe was at the verge of crying when he saw Twilight's face. "R..Rh...oe..." whispered Twilight. "Y-yes!?" answered Rhoe with a panicking voice. "Don't... worry..." said Twilight using her final strength. "You are bleeding! I can't simply ignore this!!!" "It...It's no..not your fault...." "W-what!? What do you mean!?" yelled Rhoe taking hold of her arm. "....Thank...you..." With that, Twilight dropped her arm to Rhoe's sensation. She closed her eyes and lost all her strength. Rhoe couldn't believe what just happened. She passed away. And the worse part was he didn't do anything to evade it. He let go of her arm and started shaking. After a long time, tears started flowing in his face. His friends were gone. Nothing he tried to do to prevent it worked out. In that very moment, Rhoe's sanity broke into pieces. "....guh..." he mumbled. "ARGH!!!!!" Rhoe shouted from the very deep of his heart. He couldn't contain his tears back and shouted once again. "ARGH!!!!!" With that last shout, he stopped. Rhoe remained there, silent. It was until he lifted his face that he composed himself. This time, his face was filled anger. His only thoughts were filled with anger itself. Happiness, sadness, laughter, crying, any kind of emotion suddenly vanished. He got up and shouted once more. "HEY ASSHOLE! SHOW YOURSELF! I WANT TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!" "Come amd get it~" replied the voice with temptation. "ARGH!!!!! MOTHERFUCKER! YOU BETTER BE READY, BECAUSE WHEN I FIND YOU, YOU WILL BE BEGGING YOU WERE NEVER BORN!" After he finished, the room switched in a flash. It appeared to be some sort of hallway with a red carpet and a large door with golden decorations attached to it. Rhoe assumed it was the place where this 'Voice' was residing. Cracking into a maniac laughter, he approached the door. The door had some inscribing words on it, probably foreign. It was illuminated with light, causing it to shine even more. Rhoe could swear he saw a different face on the door. Not that it mattered, he bursted into a laughter again. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Finally! I'll meet you face to face! I'm going to enjoy every single moment of your agonizing and painful death!" He placed his hands on the door, smiling with a petrifying stare that a lot of people do when they reached their last sane moment. He opened the door and entered, with a total dark atmosphere and a crushing tension coming from the inside. As the door started to close behind automatically, he spoke one last time. "I hope you are ready. Get ready to meet what we humans arte capable of!" > ...to you and everyone you care about... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the night remained cold as always, a warm breeze suddenly bursted when Rhoe entered the room in total darkness. Our hero, Rhoe, has lost his last bit of sanity and seeks for blood as revenge. His eyes shrinked significantly, his hair was messed up, his lips were in a sorta maniac grin-smile. Basically to sum up, his face wasn't the prettiest sight. His clothes were partially ripped apart, as if the unexpected event kept your clothes for some reason, the jeans were intact though. His skin was slighty damaged, as you can tell from all the fights he got himself into. Blood was falling across his face, yet he didn't nor care about this. And somehow, he still kept the bracelets. The object of sentiment were unreplacabled even if he was insane for the moment. Rhoe's appearence gave the impression of someone who was going to give it all away, despite the consequences. He wasn't gonna dissapoint anyone who thought about this. As he entered the room, with nothing than darkness joining him, a small, faint, glowing light showed up, guiding Rhoe to where he was supposed to go. Thinking clearly, he knew that he was gonna face the bastard once and for all. "This time, there will be no mercy." he said following the light across the room. Rhoe walked a least 20 minutes before a blurred image showed up. This image appeared to be a throne room. Without thinking, Rhoe inmediately rushed to this image, without the light's concern or guide to lead him. As soon as he touched it, Rhoe felt a electricity charge runs through his body, causing him to be knocked back. Rhoe rolled, and bounced a few times before stopping, facing the floor. He growled a bit, which could clearly tell he was annoyed by this. Without a second thought, he rushed once more to the image, only to have the same result all over again. Rhoe spat a bit of blood as he was getting up from the knockback. Rhoe didn't showed any kind of trouble getting up, but deep down in his heart, he was completely exhausted. Perhaps it was the madness that kept him going. Rhoe didn't give up and kept trying again and again. A panting could be heard in the dark room. As a corpse is laying down to the floor, the body starts getting up with blood all over his face. It was Rhoe's going desperately against the impenetrable image. His lack of sanity made him act like a maniac. He didn't care how many times he got thrown back from the image, he still managed to get up and fight. Admirable, yet foolish. In one last attempt, Rhoe bodyslammed the image. This time, he didn't get knockbacked. Instead, he remained sticked to wall, almost like if the image knew that the situation wasn't going to change even if Rhoe was thrown. He desperately started punching the wall with all his strength, well, with the last remaining strength he had. It didn't take long for Rhoe to express his pain and agony from the situation. He stopped hitting the image and fell into his back, trying to catch his breath. His knuckles were bleeding, leaving them unavaiable to be used without having serious consequences afterwards. Rhoe didn't know what was worse, losing everyone that was his friend, or failing to achieve what he was meant to do. Then it happened. Rhoe started crying. His tears flowed like a river, non-stop. Rhoe cried for a whole hour. He was crying for his friends, he ws crying for failing his destiny, and he was crying for his family. They wanted him to liove a happy life. He felt like he lost every opportunity to do something different, even if he has done a lot of changes throughout his life. It wasn't enough. Soon, a voice echoed through the dark room. It went like this: Are you done crying? Rhoe was shocked by this and looked everywhere to find this mysterious voice. As always, empty. "Just like me..." he thought. I said, ARE YOU DONE CRYING? Like a lightning, his anger came back. He got up despite his condition. "YES, I'M FUCKING DONE! WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT!?" he yelled. The mysterious voice didn't reply. A rather short awkward silence came after that. The silence was broken again, this time by the voice. Good, because we don't have all day. "What do you want? A medal or something?" he shouted as his insanity started to return from the breakdown he had a while ago. Oh nonono~, I'm here to help you. "Another freaking ally?" he said crossing his arms, "Sorry, but I've had enough about that bullshit." Okay then. I won't tell you what do you need to do to reach Tenebrarum. "Help? Reach? Tenebra-what?" mumbled Rhoe. Tenebrarum. He is the one behind all this. Who else did you think caused all this? Darkness itself, of course! "Great, I'm going to hear another freaking villain movie cliché about remaking the world to their image or something. I rather cut the legs of a puppy than listen to this old, boring story." said Rhoe laughing after he finished his comment. Okay listen, you fuck. As much as I hate cooperating with others, I happen to hate Tenebrarum myself. This guy is absolutely nuts! I rather have the Equestria I know than staying in this sick world of his. "Looks like we both share the same goal. I have an unfinished business with him," he said as he clenched his injured fists, "and I'm planning paying back for all he has done. Ohhhh, I'm going to enjoy every single moment I make him suffer!" Rhoe started to laugh in a unusual way as he clenched his fists even harder. The pain reminded him of all the pain he has caused to him and everyone around. 'This guy has definitively lost it...' So listen, I have a proposal. ".... I'm listening." he said as his laugh died down. So here's the thing. Tenebrarum is darkness itself, so you are not going to be able to touch him. Rhoe couldn't argue. He knew this better than anyone. Trying to grab, hit or touch him, is no use. It would have been foolish to attempt that. "I know." So the only thing that can actually hurt him is light. "And how do you expect that to happen?" Simple. This. As the voice suddenly said that, a box appeared in front of him. Rhoe looked confused by this and decided to approach it. He was about to touch it, until the voice interrupted him. Don't touch it yet. Rhoe pulled his hand from the box and looked in confusion to the ceiling, well, what was supposed to be a ceiling, "Wha?" Not yet. You still need to do something for me. "Okay. First, no. I'm not doing anything for you. And second, my vengeance is more important- I MEAN- the world is more important right now." Don't worry, it's nothing out of the ordinary. Well, at least for this mad world. Rhoe wanted to answer back, but right now he was clueless of the situation. Ignoring this opportunity could cost the world, even if it sounds ridiculous or exaggerated. Submitting to the voice request, he spoke. "Fine, you win. What do you want?" Just wait for it. "Wait for it? What do you mean-". Rhoe didn't have an opportunity to prepare for what was coming. He felt something entering his body and mind. He fell to his knees and bent over to the floor. Something was trying to fit in his body, like it was some sort of spirit. "GUH! W-w-what the-e-e f-f-fuck!?" said Rhoe struggling to have control over his body, or at least trying to endure the pain. Chill, I'm just entering your body. "You what!?" he yelled. What you are suffering right now is the exchange of spirits. Since you were possessed by a light spirit, my nature goes against what you are used to. Don't worry, it will be over soon. "Mother....fucker...." were the last words Rhoe said before fainting. As Rhoe woke up, he felt his body powered up, like it was healed and enhanced at the same time. Curious, he tried to get up to feel his new status. NO problem. His body wasn't heavy nor bleeding. He also felt more strong, like if he could lift two heavy boulders with both arms. Rhoe felt like he could take on the world. Then a question landed. The question was expected this whole time. "What happened to the voice? I should at least know the name." he said. I'm right here. Name's Umbra by the way. Rhoe almost skipped a beat. By the looks of it, Rhoe managed to regain a bit of sanity thanks to Umbra's exchange. "Geez, don't scare me like that!" And I thought you were our last hope. "What's that supposed to mean, Umbra!?" Forget about it. Ready? "For what?". Rhoe's arm suddenly lifted, pointing at the box from the conversation. "Wait, you mean...?" Yes, you are ready. Now, don't get sentimental on me kid. I just want Tenebrarum to be executed. "Make that two of us." said Rhoe with a bit of his insanity showing off. Go ahead. Open it. Make it fast. Rhoe did as he was told and opened the box. As he checked the insides, he found a weapon. This weapon seemed to be dark appearance. It was a sword. Despite, it's supposed to be a light sword. But something was off. Here's a glimpse of it: "...is this supposed to be a light sword?" he asked. Yes. It's supposed to. "Why isn't it shining?" he complained. Life isn't made of daisies and candies. Deal with it, kid. "Fine, fine.", he said as he was going to pick the sword, "I always wanted to use one of these anyways." As he grabbed the sword, a light emanated from the sword. Rhoe covered his eyes, protecting it from the burst of light. Huh, looks like the sword accepted you as his master. You can name it the way you like. "Whoa, what? Master? Name?" he stuttered, confused of what happened. Yes, you moron! The sword is mystical, dumbass. The sword requests a name to identify it. "Erhh....okay.", he took a firm grip of the sword and looked at it. The sword looked really nice to Rhoe and he knew that a great sword deserved a great name. "Lucidus." Say again? "Lucidus. That's the sword's name." As he stated the name, the sword inscribed the name in the base of the steel. Rhoe smiled at this and hid the sword. Where do you ask? In its shealth, of course. Here, take a picture of it. WARNING: The sword takes different shape when it's in the shealth. Blade Empire Corp. is not involved, I repeat. NOT INVOLVED. Now you can stop imagining how does it look like. It's something similar to Inuyasha. You know the drill. Anywayssss..... "I guess I'm ready-" Hold it, idiot. I'm the one who decides. Rhoe looked in disgust at what Umbra just said. This spirit may be helping him, but someone is being a jerk. "Okay..... do what you need." ....Okay, we can go now. If Umbra had a body right now, Rhoe would punch it in that very moment. Keeping his anger under control, he relaxed and went to the image. He stood in front of it, doubting that it would work touching it this time. Every time he reached out for the image, he inmediately regretted it and pulled his hand. You know? You are not going anywhere if you keep doing that. "I know, but...", he remained silent. His insanity made him touch it several times, but he didn't have the courage now. ...Don't tell me you are chickening out. "...." Really!? After all the shit you went through, you are backing out!? Are you fucking serious!? Rhoe didn't answer. He felt completely useless in that moment. After having cried for another chance, life gave him to it, but now he was too afraid of what could come next. Anyone would feel pressured if the world's hope is on you. It wasn't something to be taken lightly. If it was taken lightly, he was a goner. Umbra spiritually facepalmed after hearing the truth. 'The one and only hero of Equestria, Rhoenir, ladies and gentlemen' .... Okay, I didn't want to do this. But you leave me no choice. "Huh? What are you talking... about... uh..." he said as his mind suddenly lost control of his body, making him step closer into the image. Rhoe struggled internally as he tried to gain back control of his body, only to fail in the end. Giving up, he slowly watched how the image was turning into a vortex, sucking him up like a lollipop..... .....Umbra enjoyed every moment he managed to control the body of something that was actually alive. It felt so... free. Umbra let out a somewhat disturbing laugh as the image sucked them up into a vortex. But something caught Umbra's attention. Something that Rhoe possessed, something that many wouldn't believe. Umbra reached closer to Rhoe's mind, as it lurked into his dark and dangerous fears. What he found, may be his ultimate weapon. Umbra showed a really perturbing smile, as the spirit reached for this 'weapon'. Ths were the last words Rhoe heard before blacking out. Ohhh. This is interesting.... Hehe, silly Rhoe. You possess something that can others don't.... something unique. I'll make the best use of it... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It took at least a couple of minutes to reach the other side of the image, reaching their destination. Rhoe found himself on the floor, facing the ceiling. Some effects of the travels caused him to become dizzy. Deciding the best action would be resting at least a minute or two, Rhoe got comfortable on the floor, trying to relax from all the problems he had to go through (...Hasn't anyone). Having taken a good rest on the ground, Rhoe felt better and got up from the floor. He dusted off a bit dirt off his clothes and then remembered Umbra hasn't spoken ever since they arrived to what it seemed to be a... hard to describe room. Seemed to be a altar-cellar(?) room, completely torn apart. "Yeah, this room gives me the creeps..." he thought as he looked around searching for his sword. Fortunately, the sword landed next to a pile of barrels, knocking them down. The shealth and the sword were unscratched. He sighed in relief upon seeing this and wrapped the shealth around him, procuring to lock it safer to him. With that done, he started to move along. There was something odd though. "...I thought the image would take me directly to Tenebrarum! What a waste of time...." he thought as he started to head upstairs. As he proceeded to move up, Umbra came to his mind. When I mean 'came to his mind', it means he remembered about Umbra. "That's weird," he thought, "Umbra hasn't showed up at all. I wonder what happened to him?" Rhoe moved to a kitchen, where a lot of meat and blood were all over the walls. He had rather avoid thinking what happened to this place. A door was on his left and decided to enter. What he saw was some stairs leading to another basement, probably some kind of sick torture room. It was decided not to go downstairs, since it could be a trap. A fancy door caught his attention, as he proceeded to open it and find himself in the entrance of the house, with the decorated ceiling and everything. He was actually fascinated to see such a clean and nice room like this in such a dark place. Rhoe admired the view once more, enjoying the small things in life, well, what's left ot it. Suddenly, a figure appeared from the second floor. It came from a big, decoreated door, with a crushing pressure near it. The figure approached the edge of the balcony to see better our hero. Rhoe, who was giving his back to where this figure appeared, turned around since he felt someone was watching. Once again, he hated the fact that he was right again. This person, no, pony, was one of the few things Rhoe never wanted to face. It was none other than the Royal sisters. Celestia and Luna, who were wearing some kind of obscure armor. They had the same aura as Twilight and the others possessed. These sisters could possibly be the two of the most powerful ponies of Equestria, perhaps the world. But c'mon, what can you do? Rhoe's blood froze when he saw them. He never wanted to face them like this, especially now. Rhoe remained motionless as the sisters stared at Rhoe with fierce. Rhoe could only think of two possible conclusions. 1. Death. 2. Miracle. "Okay, now I'm done for," he said looking in fear at the sisters, "Now what is going to happen?" For his surprise, the sisters didn't budge at all. They just kept staring at him, waiting for an opportunity. This caused Rhoe to looked confused at them, finally being free of the fear's control. He didn't know what was going, neither he wanted to know. All he wanted to do was to avoid fighting those two. Rhoe would rather fight Tenebrarum than those two together, anyday, thank you very much. He moved to the left, hoping for a reaction. Nothing. Now, he goes for the right. Still nothing. Rhoe wasn't still sure it was safe, so he started to do some weird movements, trying to get some sort of reaction from them. And what did you think happened? EXACTLY! Nothing. Silence was the dominative topic in the room, as both parties kept staring at each other like if they were having a psychic showdown of something like that. Rhoe knew this would lead to nowhere, and so, he spoke. "Umm.... hello?" he greeted. The sisters didn't answer back. Perhaps they weren't allowed to. "Celestia? Luna? Can you hear me?" Still nothing. The silence treatment or whatever they were doing started to annoy Rhoe. Trying to not a ahead of himself, he spoke louder this time. "Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!" Rhoe called out for them, but they didn't reply. Rhoe was starting to get angry until suddenly a voice other than Rhoe's appeared in the room. So you finally decided to show up. Took you long enough. Rhoe recognized this voice. Yes, definitively the guy he was looking for. It was Tenebrarum. "So, we will finally meet face to face at last." said Rhoe as he pulled Lucidus out its shealth, "Show yourself! Your princess' threat doesn't scare me!". In fact, it was quite the contrary. "I'm actually very scared, so please show up." With that whisper, a strong wind bursted through every window in the room. In a blink of an eye, a dark energy ball started growing in front of Celestia and Luna, as these two backed away a little. The dark energy suddenly started to take shape, a shape of person. Rhoe was prepared for anything that Tenebrarum was going to do, and yet he wasn't prepared for what happened next... WHAT!? A vague spirit started to search through a lot of papers. Jugding by this, it looked like it was searching something. The place looked grim and dark. There wasn't anything else in the background, almost it was some sort of abstract location. It was in fact an abstract location. Suddenly, this spirit stoppped. It was staring at a paper with determination. By the looks of it, it found what it came looking for. This spirit got up and yelled in victory for his success. The vague spirit, who was covered in dust, shook and revealed its identity. It was Umbra. Umbra found something inside Rhoe's mind that could change the fate of this world. Hah! Finally! After a long while, I found the control spell. This spell is going to play such a big part! Ohh! I can't wait to use it! With that, Umbra took off. Umbra was actually inside of Rhoe's mind this whole time, but subconsciously. Umbra discovered Rhoe has a hidden power that he has retained for a long time ago. This power was meant to be kept away, since if it was out of control, it could cause a lot of chaos. Rhoe was aware of this power and at the same time he wasn't. He knew he had powerful force inside, but he didn't realize how powerful it was. Call it ignorance, but it's a bliss. Once the spirit left the brain, the fella heard a noise outside. It sounded like a loud, yet confusing yell. Umbra guessed it was Rhoe, having encountered something that could either threat or kill him. Umbra didn't care actually, but since he was inside his mind, might as well save him from whatever was happening outside. What Umbra didn't know was that Rhoe's yell was going to be repeated once Umbra sees what Rhoe saw. Did I say that correctly? My brain is a tad confused right now. Whoops! Talking to the fourth wall again. I really have to stop doing this. Umbra took flight and saw what Rhoe saw. Yup, the same response. WHAT!? Regina tenebras posuit faciem eius Is the very first time you saw a woman? Indeed. Both Rhoe and Umbra thought that Tenebrarum was a male. Couldn't have been more wrong. What stood in front of them was a long black-haired woman wearing nothing but a dress. Her beauty could be compared to the Mane 6. Rhoe looked flustered at her, blushing to the unexepected appearance to the King-, I mean Queen of Darkness. This woman had an eerie aura around her. This aura pictured some memories of fallen victims. Sad memories to be accurate. Rhoe composed himself and trying to talk to her. "You.. you are..." "Tenebrarum? Yes, that is me." said Tenebrarum as she crossed her arms, "But you can call me Nebra~" "Actually, I was gonna say that you are a woman, but-" We don't give a shit about that! Focus, you gofus! "Oh? Who is this individual that accompanies you? I thought I locked Aeris away." she said as Rhoe clenched his fists thinking of his companion. Those thoughts suddenly focused on what Nebra actually said. "Huh? You can notice it!?" said Rhoe taken back by this. Shit, this is bad. The element of surprise is out the window now. "Huh. Yes, I know this being.... Oh! Who would have thought. It's you Umbra." Both beings went into a "Crap!" state. Umbra knew that there was no going back this time. If Rhoe was defeated this time, not only would Rhoe perhaps perish, but Umbra as well. So, without further ado, Umbra spoke. Well, looks like the cat is out of the bag. As expected from the.... queen.... of darkness. "Oh! You flatter me, Umbra!" said Nebra striking a seductive pose. The sisters didn't budge at all. Then now that you know this, I'm assuming that you already know why we are here. "Crystal clear~" Good to know. Rhoe! "Yes?" he answered, prepared for anything that might happen next. It's time. "I was hoping you would say that." he said as he pulled the sword getting ready for combat, "...and Umbra?" What now? "I'll have to request something I wouldn't thought I would need." ....I think I have a clue about it. "Just do it." he ordered. As you wish, your choice, your consequences. With that said, Umbra accesed Rhoe's sanity. Umbra manipulated the sanity with a phrase. Furor Aliquam ut lacus. On the outside, Nebra, along with the princesses, jumped to the floor where Rhoe was. She, as well as the princesses, prepared for a combat. Nebra was smiling with mischieveousness as she got into a battle pose. Rhoe, on the other hand, was looking down to the floor... Then it happened. Insanity is on the house. Rhoe lifted his head towards the ceiling and started laughing maniacally, holding his sword with an iron grip. He looked down to the floor again, this time with a huge, devil grin pasted to his face. Nebra didn't know what was going on, but she wasn't going to wait to find out. "I hope you are ready..." he said as his laughter died down, "Because things are going to get interesting!" Rhoe looked up at Nebra. Somehow, his grin turned into a smile, a disturbing one to be accurate. Rhoe grabbed his sword with both hands, placing the sword in his back, ready to launch an attack. "I'm going to enjoy every single moment of this fight!" Rhoe & Umbra Vs. Darkness itself. One of them is dying tonight. The fight for the world was about to begin... > ...if it really is something worth it... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Big bro! Big bro!" yelled a young adult, a teenager soon to be 18, that looked to be enjoying something. He was wearing some sort of white shirt and a boxer. He was running towards a room where another fella was lying in a singles-bed. "Come on! Wake up! It's Christmas!" said the teen as he shook the fella from one side to another. "...ugh..." moaned the teen's brother. "What do you want.... Emil?" "Rhoenir, it's Christmas,!" he replied. "Emil....." said Rhoenir as he looked at his alarm clock, "It's 6 am in the morning. I barely got any sleep from yesterday's work. I could appreciate some more sleep." "Hey, I don't want to trouble you with your sleep, but it's FREAKING SNOWING ALREADY." pointed Emil as he pulled the curtains, allowing all the light to enter. Rhoe was unamused by this. "Plus, I made a promise to Rose this year to join her with her family. So I wanna spend some time with you before going with her since you said you weren't joining us, but just in case, I'm asking you one more time, are you-" "No." "You didn't even hear me!" complained Emil. "I know that. I also know what were you going to ask me. Both of us knew the answer. Again, no, I'm not going." said Rhoe as he got up from bed, "Those fancy places doesn't suit me anyways." Emil knew Rhoe his entire life and this was another lie of his to cover the real intention. He wasn't planning on giving up that easy. "Now, we both know that's not true." Rhoe twitched a bit upon hearing this. He figured that Emil was aware of the real reason. "Come on! It's time to move on! Live a life! Not staying home all alone!" Rhoe was tired of all those meetings, since they reminded him a lot of his parents. But if Emil was begging for him to go, he didn't have that much of a reason not to go. Finally, he spoke. "Okay, you win. I'll go." "Oh no sir! You are not getting of the hook-.... what?" "I said I'll go. You finally got me this time. Congrats." said Rhoe as he remained next his bed, smiling. "......" "Uh... Emil?" "YES!" shouted Emil as he went and hugged his brother tightly. Rhoe had some troubles breathing, so Emil let go of his brother, "I'll tell Rose you are coming! Oh man, this is so exciting! The brothers together in Christmas one more time!". He yelled as he took off and left the room. Rhoe was worried Emil's high pitched voice woke up any neighbor near by. He didn't want to begin Christmas with a complain from some neighbor, he had enough troubles trying to calm him down. Suddenly, Emil popped up in the corner of the door. "Rhoe! Remember what we planned to do this Christmas." he reminded Rhoe. "....I don't know wat are talking about." he replied honestly. "Oh come on, Rhoe!, you know what I want to do!" said Emil excited by his yet to be known idea. Rhoe actually took some moments to shake the classic dream aftermath effect. Thinking more clearly, he thought what Emil had just said moments ago. With a very slow working morning brain in action, Rhoe finally remembered what he meant. "Oh no. I'm not doing that!" he answered. "Come on! It'll be fun!" insisted Emil. "NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE, SO. MUCH. NOPE!" "Please..." he pledged as he turned his stare into a puppy eyes look. Rhoe could swear this was gonna be the end of him. Rhoe heavily sighed and looked at Emil. "FINE. But just this once. Never again." he said. "Deal." Rhoe and Emil shook hands and continued with the agreement. Rhoe and his brother showed up at the party that was held in Rose's house, who was Emil's girlfriend. They were greeted by all sorts of people. Many were overjoyed to hear that Rhoe finally decided to tag along, since he isn't much of a sociable guy. Rhoe actually started to feel happy for having arrived at such lively party. The brothers were having a good time and Rhoe decided to head to the balcony after having a nice time with Rose's family. Rhoe was staring into the deep blue ceiling of stars hanging above, thinking of what could happen in the future. He was in deep thought, until Emil showed behind him. "Sup, big bro! Having a good time I assume?" he asked. "Yeah, it's a nice place. I must say, you have a good eye for women Emil." he flattered, while patting the back of his younger brother. "Hehe, thanks..." Emil spotted some people setting some fireworks, which gave Emil a good idea."Hey." "What?" he replied. "The thing." "The thing?" asked Rhoe. "Yes, the thing." confirmed Emil. "What thing?" "The THING." "Oh, THE THING." "That's right." He sighed, knowing what was coming next. "I hate you, you know that?" "You can't hate me, I'm just too cool for that." Rhoe laughed a bit after hearing his brother say that. He was a bit proud of Emil for having grown into a normal, yet fine person. All those years of dedication finally paid off. Rhoe's smile suddenly dissapeared after he remembered the thing."Still, I don't want to, but I can't fight back what I agree." "So? We are doing it?" asked Emil with a bright in his eyes. Yes, yes we are." "AWESOME!" "... I have to stop spoiling him rotten. This is just childish." he thought. Rhoe stood nearby Emil as he got into a battle pose, with both hands on to the left of his back. With a firework ready to be launched, Emil waited for the perfect opportunity to do his plan all along. The firework got launched and the chance came. With all his might, Emil used both to press against Rhoe like some sort attack. When it hit, the firework exploted in the right moment. Emil felt his destiny was finally done. Kinda reminds me of an anime. It was something like this: Rhoe was actually thrown back with force, causing to bounce a little in the landing. Although his little brother managed to hit him with such precision, he didn't get hurt, just a few small, insignificant bruises. He got up and brushed off. Rhoe walked towards Emil to speak with him. "Happy?" "Our fight will be remembered throughout generations!", Emil stroke a victory pose in front of him, just to mock him. Rhoe couldn't help himself, but laugh at this. Emil's actitude always managed to bring a smile Rhoe everytime he did something out of the ordinary. He was grateful that his brother grew just like their parents wished for. "Hahaha! Yeah, big bro. Thanks for keeping your word." thanked Emil. "Hehe, no problem.", Rhoe smiled, but soon that smiled turned upside down, which caused Emil to worry about this. "Big bro?". He didn't answer back. Emil knew this was another depressing thought coming from his brother. Sighing to this, he went to his aid. "Rhoe, listen to me,", Rhoe turned to see his brother, "I don't know what are you thinking, but whatever it is, either you tell me or forget about it." Rhoe looked away a few seconds, staring into the stars. He returned to see his brother and spoke. "I was just thinking what would happen if you were... gone, you know? I wouldn't know what to do..." Emil sighed at his brother, for his mind was always focusing on protecting him from really bad troubles. He pushed Rhoe with a little strength to catch his attention. "Big bro. I know this is sudden, but promise me something." Rhoe didn't like the sound of that, but decided to listen. "If something were ever going to happen to me, causing me to pass away,", these words pierced Rhoe's heart, "I want you to move on and live a happy life, despite of the situation you may or not be. Promise?" Rhoe didn't answer back inmediately. He felt this promise was going to be really hard to keep if it was ever going to happen, but he didn't want to let down his brother for it. "Well?" persisted Emil with his hand extended. ".....Okay. I promise." Rhoe shook Emil's hand to seal the deal. (Hey, a rhyme!) "Great!" he replied with a cheerful tone. "But I expect the same thing if something happens to me, got it?" ordered Rhoenir. "Deal." said Emil puffing out his chest, "I'm counting on you bro!" "You are not dead yet, moron." said Rhoe unamused by his last sentence. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that." Emil turned his back to Rhoe as he started to head inside again. "Don't stay there too long, unless you want to take a date with one fo' the stars!" joked Emil as he dissapeared from sight. "Sure thing! It's not my fault if the stars flirt on me!" replied Rhoe. He could hear Emil's laughter from the balcony. Rhoe smiled once again and leaned on the balcony's edge, looking at the stars. "I promise, Emil. I won't give up." ............................................................................. I'm sorry ........................................................................ "I'm sorry, Emil. Looks like I'm not going to keep our promise in the end..." murmured Rhoe as he was getting up from a pool of his own blood. He was gravely injured, panting from his spot. He was holding his sword in his hand firmly and staring at what seemed to be a rather considerable damaged Nebra, who was looking at him with such fierce determination and anger. Rhoe felt a little overwhelmed by her stare and continued to keep looking at her despite that. "You miserable freak! Now you have made me really angry!" yelled Nebra, as she panted heavily, trying to catch air. Despite being the queen of Darkness, it doesn't mean she doesn't need oxygen. Geez, she is alive for crying out loud, well, almost alive. You get the point. "...guh... You think I'm... done for?" he replied, ignoring the heat of the moment, "If I could take care of both the sisters... that easily... I can take you anyday!" As a matter of fact, the sisters were nowhere to be seen. The scenario wasn't the entrance to the house anymore. It was a big hallway that somehow managed to fit in the house, despite the size. Dark logos were found in the hanging carpets located in the balcony of the hallway's second floor. The first floor was grim and slightly colorless. If the darkness even sucked the life out of an inanimated object, imagine if it obtained control of the whole world. "I highly doubt that. Look at yourself," said Tenebrarum as she pointed to him, making him look at himself as a chain reaction, "You barely can walk towards me, not mentioning that the sisters weren't fighting at their hundred percent." "Wait.... are you fo' real!?" "Just because I have them under my command does not mean that they will do their best. It's a shame though," she placed a hand under her chin, smiling all the while, "Such much power wasted...". The queen shook her head and focused on the human. "How, do tell, are you planning on fighting me?". She pointed it all out, Rhoe's will was capable of a lot of things, but his body said otherwise. He kept thinking what was the best course of action despite his condition. Nothing. Not a single idea came to his mind in the heat of the moment. Nebra, on the other hand, began to approach Rhoe with a deviously smile pasted on her face. "Darn it, this doesn't look good..." he thought, "If we don't do something, we are goners!" I have to agree with you. We threw our best at her and yet she is standing like nothing! "Don't be fooled. Look." thought Rhoe while Nebra was approaching, "She may have more energy than us, but she is still damaged, it can be seen by the way she walks" Hmph, you got a point. But that won't help. She is far more powerful than us. We knew that in the very beggining and yet we faced her. If only we had some sort of distraction or something... Rhoe suddenly remembered something that might their ticket out of there, "Yo, Umbra!" What, did something happened kid? "I know a way to get ourselves a break, but it's risky. You in?" he asked in a thought. .....Anything is better than where we are. With Umbra's approval, Rhoe nodded slightly and looked at Nebra, who was closer than before. "Remember when I told you Aeris and I used an illusion against Applejack and Pinkie?" ... Yes, I think you did. Why? "Think you can do the same? After all, you and Nebra somehow share something in common." And that is? "You two are from the element of darkness, which can cause a connection between two beings of the same element, right? That is what Aeris told me" said Rhoe in the thought as he recalled something similar before he was separated from Aeris. Hmph, I see where are you going with this. I don't know if it still works, but there's no other option. However, I need direct contact if I plan to create an illusion. That is the tricky part. Any bright ideas, Sir Moron? "Only one. Get ready, for I will tell you when to act. Wish me luck!" thought Rhoe as prayed for his plan to work. Pfft. Yeah, yeah. Just do it. Rhoe prepared himself as Nebra slowly approached, ready for the final strike. Rhoe knew exactly what to do, but the variable for success was Nebra's intelligence. Hopefully she would fall right into the act. "Okay, here goes nothing!" were his last thoughts as he gathered strength and got up from his knees. He pulled his sword in the air and prepared himself to swing at her. Nebra was taken back to see his opponent to have such energy after a severe beating. She was ready to counter the swing, but out of nowhere, Rhoe dropped his sword behind him and started twitching. Nebra took a couple of seconds to realize Rhoe's will was being broken again. She couldn't help but laugh at him when she saw this. "Pathetic! Really pathetic! I can't believe you fell to the darkness's power again!" she said between her laughter. Her laughter died down and saw our hero fall down to his knees again, looking up to the ceiling with a blank expression his face, almost like if he was slowly dying inside, which he was. She approached to him faster and looked directly into his face. "How unfortunate. I was hoping you would be more of a challenge. Although, you managed to overcome all of my tests which is pretty impressive for a human", she grabbed her shoulders, closed her eyes and started to spin slowly around her spot, "I longed for us to rule together. After seeing such a poweful man, I wanted you to be mine, mine only. It's a shame it won't happen... so, before I finish this.... I want to give you a something..." Nebra moved her arm and grabbed Rhoe's chin. "I.... guess this will do as a farewell gift...", she got closer and closer to Rhoe, looking at his lips with temption, "Good bye... Rhoe..." Her lips met his and and she closed her eyes to enjoy her parting gift before ending the life of the one she thought could have ruled with her, but something felt off. Without further notice, Rhoe inmediately recovered strengths, pulling Nebra as he gave the kiss back. Nebra was shocked, but didn't mind as he got up and both started to submit themselves into a passionate kiss. It has been a while since Nebra felt such a nice feeling. Both continued for a couple of minutes until Rhoe suddenly broke the moment and the silence. "Incredible..." "That's the beauty of Darkness, my dear. Pray tell, what's with this," she looked at Rhoenir's body for a fraction of second and looked at his face again, "sudden intimate act?" "Nebra, I never saw the real beauty of darkness. I always thought it consumed everything, but after this experience, I was clearly wrong." said Rhoe as he looked into Nebra's eyes with passion. She was shocked to see such thing before her eyes, before she submitted to her desires. "I'm so glad you finally saw it... I was afraid I would never encounter such powerful man before you. Oh, Rhoe...", after she said, both went into another deep kiss, poruing their into it like there was no tomorrow. After they separated, Nebra showed a small grin on her face. thinking of something. "Rhoe?" "Yes, Nebra?" he answered back. "...Wanna take this upstairs?" He was surprised by this, but smiled at her as a response. "Sure, anything for you..." Nebra and Rhoe walked towards the broken wall and everything faded... "Wow, it worked.... It really worked!" said Rhoe as he sat, trying to relax, barely standing up. Of course it worked, moron. "I thought it wouldn't do the trick. Thank God I was proven wrong... but," said Rhoe as he was relaxing in his spot, "... did you really had to give her such a dirty illusion!?" Hehehe, yeah I did. What? You didn't really think I was going to give her a puppy dream, did you? As what really happened, soon after Rhoe recieved Nebra's kiss, he ordered Umbra to use his illusion spell since she was in direct contact with him. She inmediately fell to the floor and started twitching on the ground. It wasn't long before she started to let out moans and moved her arms around her body, rubbing her own skin. 'Take me', 'Don't stop...' or even Rhoe's name out loud, were some of the few things Tenebrarum said during her illusion, to what it seemed to be a pleasure voice. Rhoe couldn't help it, but to feel a little uneasy being around her. "No, but anything besides THAT would have been okay!" he complained, "I mean, she is talking about me in her erotic illusiion!" Lucky bastard. "...Yeah, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that..." said Rhoe as he looked the gap in the wall the fight caused earlier, "But how long do we have before she wakes up from the illusion?" Judging by her moans and.... sound effects apparently, I say we have at least a 5 minutes break. Nebra suddenly started shake violently and scream pleasure sounds. ...... Make it 3 minutes. "Ooookay.... got any ideas where to hide? You are the expert anyways" he said. Hiding won't work here. She is connected to the whole place. She'll make use of her tracking abilities and find us eventually. I say we look for something that might give a boost or something. "Okay, you are the boss!" I AM the Boss. "Yeah.... no one cares," said Rhoe in an annoying tone as he entered the main room where he met Nebra and the sisters. "There has to be something that we can use to defend ourselves or end this if possible!". Rhoe thought that he could end right what he had planned to do in the beggining, but he didn't the enough strength to lift his blade. He cursed at his weakness and dragged the blade across the room, moving towards a couple of bodies. Rhoe looked where the sisters, Celestia and Luna, were looking to the floor, motionless. Rhoe shivered at the single thought of both sisters having been killed by him, which is pretty impresive for such bullshit, but still. He made sure he used enough power to knock them out or at least to hold them back, but his insanity was unpredictable and may have overdone it, if possible. He shook his head, trying to forget about it and focused to look for something that might help them out. Rhoe found himself in the wine-cellar room, where he arrived in the first place. Looking around for something useful, he managed to spot a bottle that contained a red liquid inside. He knew anything would help, so decided to drink it, ignoring what dangers could it contain. After he drank the bottle, his body suddenly felt lighter than before. The bottle had some energy inside, which was transmitted to Rhoe after he drank it. "Hell yeah! I feel better!" he yelled. Nice to know. "Hey, you don't sound too excited as I do... is there something I should know about Nebra?" Ugh.... I guess it's unavoidable in the end.... Yes, there is something about Nebra. "What is that? Please don't tell me it's bad news..." pleaded Rhoe. Then I'm letting you down. It is bad news. You see, whenever an entity of the same element places a another element of his/her own under a spell, the spell automatically heals the reciever as for it is the same aura. In other words, she is slowly healing. "WH-WHA-WHAT!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" he yelled. I am serious. But since it was our only chance to escape from her grasp, I say it was necessary. Rhoe was still processing what his rude companion just explained to him. He was afraid to face her head on with all of her strength back. As they previously recalled, Nebra was more powerful than Rhoe, just by a very significant difference. This completely changed the way thing were supposed to happen by the looks of Rhoe, and it wasn't going to be pretty. He took a deep breath and relaxed before starting to panic. "So, that means we are facing a full energized Nebra I assume" said Rhoe in his thoughts. As much as I want to think the opposite, yes. We are facing a fully recovered Nebra. Hope you are ready, moron. "Might as well do so. Umbra!" What? "Prepare my 'hidden' self, it's going to get a whole lot messy in a few minutes," ordered Rhoe to Umbra as it agreed to his request, smiling since he was going to witness a lot of destruction. Rhoe couldn't help himself, but to feel curious of how long did they have before she wakes up. "Umbra, how long do we have?" ..... 20 seconds... tops. "Okay, then. We better take this outside, I don't want to any collateral damage to the sisters" thought Rhoe as took another potion and put it away in his bag. He ran towards the main door and opened it. What he saw was a carefully guarded garden outside, with an open space in the middle of it. The skies were darker than before and a yami aura could be seen from afar. The longer the battle took, the more grim the place looked. "This is going to be it. This time, one of us will fall!" he said as he moved towards the garden. Back inside the house, a black haired woman was getting up from the floor. She groaned as she grabbed her forehead and rubbed it slowly. "Ugh... what happened? Why am I on the floor?", she looked to where she was sitting and was shocked to see that Rhoe wasn't there, "Huh!? Where is he!? Why, what, when, how!? B-but... Oh. I see. Pretty clever, Rhoe, as expected from the man who had beaten all of my challenges" She got up from the floor and felt her body was a lot lighter than before, which caused her to smile maniatically,"An illusion spell, huh. I knew it too good to be true. Him? Falling into the dark path? Yeah, right... Well~, at least I recovered" Nebra closed her eyes and focused on her mind. "Now let's see... Where is he?", she used her tracking abilities and tracked an entity outside in the garden, "Oh, so that is where you are. You wanna take this outside? Fine, you won't stand a chance against me anyways" Nebra ran to the broken wall in the room and lead herself to the main door where she found it wide opne, almost like an invitation. She showed a small grin and proceeded to walk outside. The first thing she saw was a young, brownish haired man with a sword in hand, looking at her hand with a piercing stare. She was amused by this. "So, the little cub decided to man up. How lovely~" said Tenebrarum as she approached to where Rhoe was standing, "I have to say, you got me back there. I never thought you would have a card up your sleeve. Quite clever, if I must say so". Rhoe didn't answer, he continued to look at her with determination, not budging from his place. "Oh? You are not talking back? Isn't that quite the feature?" He remained silent as well, breathing slowly with his green pearl eyes fixed on her. "You know, it's boring if I'm the only doing the talk" she pointed out. "Why are you doing this?" finally said Rhoe, breaking his silence. Nebra was surprised by his sudden voice, but smiled soon after. "What do you mean?" "Why do you want to conquer this place? I've heard darkness has it's own realm, so why bother coming here?" said Rhoe in a serious tone. Nebra simply shook her head and laughed a bit at him. He was unamused by this. "Why shouldn't we? It's simple. We want to reign not only a small fragment of the world, oh no, we want all of it!" "We?" "Why, didn't I showed you my companion? Of course I didn't, you don't have the power to notice them as I do", Rhoe didn't know whether he should be scared or intrigued to know that Nebra wasn't alone. He prepared for whatever she had as a companion. "Oh, Sirea~!", a purple companion appeared behind her, a little shy about her opponents, "Come on out! Our 'opponents' want to see you..." "Umm... Hi...." said Sirea with a tremblimg voice, shaking a bit. "Wow, it doesn't look evil at all!" stated Rhoe lifting an eyebrow for this surprise. Wait for it... Nebra performed a dark magic from her spot, as she grabbed Sirea and threw her up in the air. When she fell to the ground, she had a demonic form, almost like a dark beast that had a resemble of a Nightshadow, only that it had sharper fangs and red crimson aura around it. The eyes were violet and the tail had some blue marine runes graveo in it. The beast, who was once Sirea, now was letting out a growl towards Rhoe. "Oooookkaaaayyyy... I take that back, it might rip my head off if I'm not careful" confessed Rhoe who drew his sword and pointed it towards Sirea, "Bring it, you fiend!" Sirea inmediately lunged towards Rhoe in a rush, aiming for his head. Luckily for Rhoe, he managed to dodge the attack due to his previous experience with Nightshadows. The beast used its claws to stop the motion and stare at the human. It tried to do another similar attack, which was counter with a slash to the hip. Rhoe thought it did some effect, only to see that beast remained unaffected by it. He went into another charge, and performed multiples hits to Sirea, only to see how each one just went through it. He was scared to see this and jumped back to dodge another claw attack from Nebra's companion. Sirea didn't waste another second, for it jumped in the air and let out a howl that affected Rhoe's hearing. The screech caused huge amounts of pain to Rhoe as he covered his ears to reduce the pain. His orientation was distorted and began to see two beasts at the same time. In a desperate attempt, he swung his blade towards the beast only to vanish within air. He felt a pair of claws on his back, slicing his skin swiftly. He cried out and forced his view to focus on the back that attacked him from behind. He turned around, but Sirea wasn't there anymore. Instead, he saw another figure there. Later, a blast of dark matter was launched towards him, which managed to hit him and caused Rhoe to fly at least 6 meters away, rolling on his way . If he hadn't drank the potion back there, he would have been dead by now. Recovering from the assault by Nebra and Sirea, he used Lucidus to get back into his feet. Rhoe shook both his head and body and patted his clothes to clean the blood. He looked up and spotted both Nebra and Sirea, slowly approaching him. He showed a serious expression and took a good grip on Lucidus. He was about to throw himself intoa charge, but he was interrupted by something. Rhoe! Wait a moment! "What!? I'm busy!" he thought as he replied to his partner in a upset mood. Don't attack them, it won't do any good! "Then how else am I supposed to fight back!?" Fuse me with the sword! "Huh? How do I do that? And why?" he asked. Sirea is an elemental entity, just like me. It can't be hurt by normal weapons, making her almost invincible. "Your point is?" If I become one with the sword, 'Lucidus' will be capable of damaging her. "Why didn't you tell me this before!?" I believed Aeris told you before. "NO, AERIS DIDN'T TELL ME THAT!" Mcht. Who knew? Well, tough luck. Go! "Got it!" he agreed. Extending the blade in front of him, a shadow aura wrapped the sword slowly. Soon, Lucidus had some red foreign letter all over it. Rhoe had to grip the blade firmly in order to harness the power-up. Once that was over, he panted slightly. How does it feel? "Wow.... really powerful! I can lift it with no trouble at all!" Perfect. Now let's do some beatin'! "You got it!", Rhoe positioned the now powered Lucidus behind him and ran towards both Nebra and Sirea. Sirea reacted and also charged towards Rhoe. The distance became smaller and smaller as the warriors ran into each other. The beast howled, trying to disorientate Rhoe once again, but this time, he was prepared for it, for he slided on his knees, resisting the pain in his hearing and swung the sword. Sirea let out a cry and rolled onto the floor. Rhoe used to eyes to focus only to what he saw in front of him. This caused the disorientation to vanish slowly. The beast got into its feet again and looked at Rhoe with madness. It was damaged by the looks of it. "It worked!" he yelled. Now it's a fair fight! "You betcha! Now to finish this!" he stated. Rhoe got back into his feet and looked at where Nebra was stading in a split of a second. He was completely confused to the fact that Nebra wasn't helping her ally. He ignored why and focused on Sirea, who was growling at our hero. He went into another charge, keeping a steady pace. Sirea did the same. By the time he got closer to Sirea, instead of swinging his sword towards the being, he ducked, dodging the attack from the beast. Using the opportunity, he placed the sword upwards and hack it towards the beast's head, slowly it down. Amounts of dark blood fell into Rhoe's face, leaving a blood-stained face on him. Sirea started to slow down as it began to lose blood. Rhoe didn't hesitate and pulled the sword out of Sirea's skull. It yelled out in pain and Rhoe used the moment to finish the beast. He took a good grip of Lucidus and performed several slashes to every direction to where Sirea was positioned. Slash after slash, he lost count of how many swings he performed. For his final attack, he stopped, leaving the beast almost motionless. He grabbed the sword's grip backwards and swung the blade like knife to Sirea's head, slicing it off easily after countless hits. The beast's head fell to the ground and rolled a few feet. Soon after the beasts' body fell to the ground, leaving a pool of blood as evidence for Rhoe's victory. Rhoe continued to pant heavily and relax his body after defeating the beast. He sighed and stared into the lifeless body, thinking of what he did. He may have transformed into a murderer, but he knew anyways that it had to happen sooner or later. Still, the bitterness of his victory left a disgusting flavor on his tongue. It may have been Sirea's blood that did that, but it didn't matter. He returned to his normal breathing pace and finally managed to relax. Once he got into a more pacific status, he thought why didn't Nebra help her partner, if she knew it was in trouble? This left a very confusing question on his mind, only to be interrupted by the laughter of his enemy. He looked back and saw Nebra laughing to her heart's content. He was unamused by this and began to worry. "HAHAHAHAHA! I can't believe you just did that! It's so priceless!" said the laughing lady, trying to hold her composure, "Haven't you noticed what you just did?" Rhoe shook his head in disbelief. This only caused for Nebra to burst into a bigger laughter. "I can't believe.... you just fell.... right into it! This is hilarious!" said Nebra between laughs. Rhoe began to worry even more after hearing what Tenebrarum just said. He grinned his teeth, preparing himself for what she had planned from the very beggining. It was going to be much worse than he predicted. Nebra's laughter started to die, and she kept smiling as she looked directly into Rhoe's eyes, confident of herself, "You can't see it, can you?" He simply answered 'No'. She snickered a bit after hearing that, "Of course you can't. After all, I already said before that you don't possess my abilities to detect spirit or beings outside your area". "What are you trying to say?" asked a really confused Rhoe, with a worried expression. "Hmph, I thought you would at least see the coincidence in the name. I guess I was wrong," she suddenly snorted and crossed her arms, looking to the dark sky, "In the end, you really are simply a human. Nothing big...". This caused Rhoe to fill with anger after hearing under estimation about humans. "WHAT'S YOUR POINT!?" he yelled. "If you insist". Nebra pointed towards the dead body of her ally, Sirea. Rhoe looked at it with confusion and returned his gaze back to Nebra, who was suddenly just a few inches away from him. He was surpirsed by this, but didn't budge. "Let me refresh your memory just a bit. Does the name 'Aeris' makes you think of someone?". Rhoe knew she was just playing around with him, which caused him to get more upset. "Of course I do. What does that have to do with Sirea, the partner you left to die by...... my hands?" he asked still keeping the deep stare to Nebra. "What would you get if I.... spelled backwards Aeris?" "You would get...... Sirea.... oh....", Rhoe placed the pieces together and figured out the message Nebra was trying to give him. Sirea--->Aeris "Finally caught up, eh?" mocked the queen of darkness as she backed away a bit from Rhoe, whose stare went into the dead body of Sirea. "You.... you didn't....." stuttered Rhoe as he began to shake a little. "OH, YOU BET I DID!" answered Tenebrarum in glory. Rhoe dropped his blade, Lucidus, and he got to his knees and held on to the body, "I... I can't believe it.... Aeris is...." "Dead. YOU killed AERIS, Rhoe." "you.... You.... YOU!!!", Rhoe grabbed his blade and pointed towards her, "You made me do this!" "Dont' look at me like if I did something. In the end, what I did was simply to change Aeris, nothing else. On the other hand, the real murder is none other than you", these words struck him like an arrow and paralized him in the process, "I gotta say, you put up a good fight against one of my best monsters. Quite exciting..." Rhoe fell to the his knees once again looked at the floor. He killed off the one who saved him and the only companion that joined with him after his brother encounter. Truly, he felt completely alone in the world. Nebra didn't bother to look at him. She simply walked to where he was and stood in front of him. "It's my time to finish this. If you plan to give up, then I'll gladly end with your life" said Nebra with a grin on her face. The only response he got was the next one. "Do it. I have nothing else to do in this world..." "As you wish,", Nebra pulled a dark magic attack and aimed towards Rhoe's head, "Farewell... hero". Everything faded into a black screen. Nothing could be heard or seen. A wanderless spirit was traveling through a black abyss, lonely and sorrowing. It could be seen from far that it was Rhoe, giving up and submitting to his death. "I have failed to protect this world and everyone around it. I am truly a failure..." whispered Rhoe, "I'm sorry, everyone...." ................................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................................ "ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE UP JUST LIKE THAT!?" Rhoe suddenly snapped out of his misery and heard a voice nearby. Yet, he couldn't find it. "Don't give up! You can do it!" Rhoe kept looking everywhere, trying to find the source of the remote voice. "You have something worth in this world, and you know it!!!" A group of flaming spirits surrounded Rhoe in a blink of an eye. He was startled by this and beagn to look around to see they were everywhere. "Wha-? Who... who are you?" he asked. A glowing light popped up in the room and blinded Rhoe. After he managed to see what was in front of him, he spotted a whole group of people. HIs friends. "Don't give up! You can do it!" cheered a green dragon. "You can count on us! We will always have your back!" said a rainbow maned pony. "Whenever things apppear to lose hope, try to always remain strong." said a very tall pony with floating mane. "Don't worry about your problems! Laugh at them instead!" said a pink pony with a cheerful voice. "Remembah! We hav' yer back, sugarcube!" said a country pony with a yellow mane. "Please Rhoe, get up again. For us..." said a lavender pony, looking at Rhoe with hope. "Guys! But... how?" asked a really confused Rhoe as he looked around, hearing all the cheering from everyone from Ponyville. "Don't worry about details, just don't lose hope, Rhoe" said a familiar voice, who revealed to be Aeris. "Aeris! You.... I'm so sorry!" he said, almost at the verge of crying, "I didn't meant to kill you! I didn't know!" "It's okay. It's not your fault. You did what you had to do..." explained the spirit. "..Uh.... sorry....I'm so sorry...." "Bro...." said an even familiar voice above Rhoe, "We are all here for you..." Rhoe looked above and noticed his little borther, Emil, glding and landing in front of him, "E..Emil...?" "Remember what we promised back at Rose's party?", he nodded, "I think it's time to keep our word, don't we?" "But... how? She is far more powerful than me! I don't stand a chance!" "That is what you think. You have something she doesn't possess that gives you the advantage" "And.... what is that?" "Us. You have a group of people that care about you as much as you do about them," he grabbed Rhoe's shoulder firmly and smiled, "That is what gives you the advantage. Use it at your advantage, and defeat her with it! Restore life back to this place and save the world! Just like an hero would do! Just like you would do! Rhoe! You are a hero! To all of us! Prove that good always beats evil! Show the world what you are capable of and save the day!" Emil's speech brought Rhoe into a deep crying, a happy crying. What Rhoe experienced in that moment caused him to feel complete. Like if he finall accomplished that mission in life. After having been holding back all those tears back then, he finally let it all out. He hugged his brother with might and cried even more. He cried happy tears in that moment, pure and happy tears. After some minutes passed, he released his brother and and clean his face from all the tears he dropped. Rhoe smiled like he had never smiled before and laughed. Everyone smiled and laughed as well. The laughter died down and everything remained quiet for a few moments. Rhoe showed a restored confidence back at in his face. "Okay, I'll fight back. I won't give up. I will do anything to restore life back to this place! I mean it!" expressed Rhoe as he placed his fist on his chest. "Good to know. It's time for me to go, big bro" said Emil as he started to glide once again. Rhoe was shocked and grabbed Emil's hand before he left. "You are going!? Why!?" he asked in a yell. "My time here has finally ended. I'm going ahead, to rejoin with Mom and Dad again" he explained. "Please, don't go! What if I'm in trouble again?" "I wouldn't worry about that. Look," he pointed to the group that surrounded Rhoe, "You have a lot of people that care about you. I'm sure you will do just fine". "So, Rhoe," he looked back at his older brother, "I'll tell Mom and Dad that you turned out to be a great man. Don't give up and keep our promise, okay?" Rhoe nodded and was about to cry again, "Okay Emil, I'll keep our promise. Take care...." " See you soon, we will be waiting for you here... Farewell Rhoe...." "Goodbye.... Emil..." he said before everything began to change shape. He could hear a low voice nearby, growing stronger and stronger with as the seconds went by. ...r....rh... "Ugh... who is that?" thought Rhoe as he started to return back to the real world. Rh......Rho.... "Wait, I know that voice..." Rhoe.... Rhoe! RHOEEE!!! "Farewell, Rhoe...." said Nebra before pulling out the lasts strike. She launched her arm to finish him, only to be interrupted by a restrain arm holding her back. She was shocked by this and saw his prey's arm stopping her from performing the last attack. Rhoe lifted his head and looked at Nebra with a mischievous smile. "Guess who is back?" said Rhoe as he got up. Nebra was trying to free herself from Rhoe's grasp, but her strength wasn't enough to escape. For the first time in a long time, she felt fear once again. Fear from a human. "This time, you will experience what fear truly feels like!" > ... then you have nothing to regret when you give your life for it. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The echoing wind could be heard from anywhere in that moment. The once so powerful and almost invincible queen of darkness, Tenebrarum, is facing fear for the first time after many centuries of ruling the most feared force of nature. That's right, the queen of the enemy of light is afraid of one particuliar man, a man who didn't seem to promise to much. A man who fought against the everlasting misfortunes of life everyday. A man whose destiny is about unfold, a destiny that may save the world. And not his homeworld, but instead a foreign world. Never did this man thought he would amount to something, especially this big. Just like every person in his homeworld, he did what he needed to survive in a cruel, tough and small-opportunity chance world. The problems were a normal thing, death a peculiar routine and everyone were on their own. Well, most of them. There were other people in his home planet that possessed richer status and enjoyed a more relaxing life when others live everyday to break their backs and come home with a pityful income. As a saying would tell: Sadly, in this world, there are people who are born and destinied to suffer while other have a glorious life behind a unjustified method or breaking the trust of others in the end. There is no way that someone became rich just by working normally. They had to take away chances from others, even if they didn't want to bring suffering to the rest. The way of the habitants of his homeworld wasn't the way he wanted to live. Heck, neither does everyone want to. He simply was another face in the crowd, as sad as it may seem. But that's a reality almost everyone got used to. No point in fighting or arguing over what's right and what's wrong. Rhoenir, a not so ordinary person whose life was another case back then, was fighting against the queen of darkness and by the looks of it, he seemed to have the upper hand. That is something you don't live everyday. Neither did he expect that. Now, with destiny backing him up, he was going to use all of his strength to make sure good would previal in the end, even if it takes his own life in the process. As a big thunderstorm echoed across the distance, a woman was struggling to break from the grasp of her enemy. The more she budged, the less effective it became. A rather terrifying smile was shown in the face of demise, as the human was slowly turning the tables in his favor. "How is this possible? You... you gave up! I broke your will! My magic can't fail! It never has! You weren't supposed to recover! You were supposed to die!" said a terrified woman who was trying to free herself from his enemy's grasp. He didn't budge at all. "It's true, your magic is very strong- and annoying, almost impossible to resist," said the man, who was getting up the floor and holding firmly Nebra's 'Final' attack, "but I have something that you don't have, something that even I didn't thought I had..." "AND WHAT IS THAT!?" "Someone to protect!" With that, Rhoe pulled Nebra's hand to one side and with newfound and supernatural strength, tossed Nebra five meters away from him. She rolled to the floor and got up inmediately, grinding her teeth in her anger. Her stare was piercing and could easily intimidate anyone who look at it, but he didn't budge again. Instead, he smiled. Good to know you are back. You know, you nearly gave me a heart attack back there, idiot. "Hehe, sorry for worrying you. So, are you ready to finish this?" thought Rhoe as he smiled purposely to Nebra, mocking her. You bet. I wanted to do this for a long time... "Good to know. I'm going to need your help after all." "How dare you to toss me like if I'm some kind of pest!" yelled Nebra with a burning hatred towards the hero, "You will pay for this!". Nebra ran towards Rhoe in a flash and prepared to hit him with a lance she created from darkness. Rhoe didn't panic and easily picked up Lucidus. Using the very same blade in his hand, he deflected the attack and used the innuendo she created against her own. She tripped and slid in the dirt, as the lance dissapeared from sight and into thin air. The only thing Rhoe did was to slightly turn his head and witness his enemy sliding into a pile of dirt. He didn't express any emotion, yet he simply looked at her. Nebra took advantage of the floor and flipped into a standing position. She looked to Rhoe and growled. Out of nowhere, she roared at the air and several howlings followed. Rhoe looked at the air and closed his eyes. Nebra finished howling at looked at Rhoe with a hussy stare. "This is the end for you. You are no match for an army of Nightshadows!" said Nebra as she laughed. Rustles were heard from everywhere and Rhoe, who still kept an emotionless expression, simply looked around, with his eyes still closed. Several Nightshadows were appearing from the bushes and growled. The human simply grabbed Lucidus firmly and took a battle stance. Nebra ordered his minions to attack Rhoe right on the spot and they went inmediately. Here they come! They were closer and closer by each milisecond. Ten feet, six feet, three feet.... and things get messy from here. Rhoe opened his eyes and swung his blade 360 degrees, performing a spin attack and hitting several Nightshadows who vanished by the single touch of the blade. Nebra was shocked by this. Rhoe continued to attack the Nightshadows one by one like if they were some flys. Every time Rhoe swung his sword to every direction, a blast of light bounced on every Nightshadow his sword managed to reach. Before they knew it, no more Nightshadows were sighted. Rhoe was panting at this and looked at Nebra who stayed to watch how his minions failed miserably to annihilate her enemy. She was the mad break and a darker aura grew around her. "Oops, looks like we made her mad" thought Rhoe. Hm, looks like it. Got any plans? "Just one". And that is? "Finish this" said Rhoe with confidence. Pfft, typical. Nebra soon jumped towards Rhoe and screamed in a desparate attempt to hurt him. Rhoe held Lucidus in front of him and blocked Nebra's attack. The blockage caused a wave of pure force to be created right there. Nebra jumped back and began to attack continously at the human. Rhoe, not wasting any moment, started dodging her attack and block some as well, one by one. This continued for a several seconds as Tenebrarum attempted to harm the human. Without further notice, Rhoe saw an opening in her guard. Taking advantage of the situation, Rhoe threw a kick at her while open and threw Nebra back. She took the whole hit to the chest and recoiled with the floor. She got up and went into another desparate rush. Trying to avoid another senseless brawl, he swung Lucidus with deadly accuracy. It hit Nebra and soon the queen fell to the ground. Rhoe returned to his original position and looked at Nebra who remained motionless on the ground. "Is that it?" he said wondering if he managed to finish this at last. Wait, something is wrong.... NO..... RHOE! GET BACK! NOW! "Huh?" It was too late. Before Rhoe could do anything, a dark explosion popped in front of Rhoe, barely giving him time to brace himself. The explosion was so strong that it launched Rhoe to the nearest pillar, breaking it after crashing into it. Rhoe recoiled with the ground floor, bouncing time after time until he finally managed to stop bouncing back. The hero was soon leaning against a pillar nearby. Umbra was worried the whole event might have killed Rhoe in the process. Celestia damn it! Rhoe! Are you okay!? Answer me! But he didn't answer back. He remained against a pillar with a blood river flowing through his face and his body, while his sword next to him. The sword was fainting in its glow, giving Umbra a more concerned and worried state. YOU PIECE OF HAY! WAKE UP! WE ARE NOT DONE YET! But he stayed in the same situation. Umbra would have shaken Rhoe if the spirit was physical, but the situation seemed to lose hope with each second. Umbra soon heard a ghastly echo at the other side of the room. The spirit looked back and feared the worst. Tenebrarum's ultimate form. If there is ever a thing Umbra feared the most, it was to witness Tenebrarum's ultimate form. He heard legends that whoever sees the queen's ultimate form, he or she was destinied to perish in her hands. The last thing he wanted to see was that. Even if he knew that facing Tenebrarum could turn out like this, he was still afraid of it. Afraid to face certain doom. But Umbra knew there was still hope for both of them. The spirit just needed to wake him up. WAKE UP! RHOE! YOU HAVE TO GET UP! "...Ugh... who turned out the lights?" said Rhoe as he started to wake up. He opened his eyes found himself, where do you think? Yup, the black pitch room cliché. He groaned and tried to remember how did he arrived there. "What happened? The last thing I remember is that a explosion hit me and everything went black..." "Rhoe! Hey, you are not done yet!" said an unknown voice. Rhoe inmediately facepalmed himself and groaned in annoyance, "Hey, you know? I'm getting sick of this unknown encounters," complained Rhoe and sighed, "Just get to the point." "Fine, look in front of you", and Rhoe did as he was told. He managed to spot a black orb floating near him. Without waiting for any chances, he grabbed the orb and checked it. "So.... what do you want me to do with this?" he asked. "Shallow it" "Excuse me?" "You heard me, shallow it. It will give you the strength to fight back" explained the voice. "Just like that?" "Just like that." "Okay, then. Cheers to my unknown encounters!" joked Rhoe as he held the orb in the air. "Cheers". Rhoe shallowed the orb and his vision started to get blurry. He felt a terrible pain in his chest and fell to his knees. "Gah! W-whaa.. what is happening to me!?" he yelled while grabbing his chest. "Wake up...." Rhoe, wake up! "Geez, stop screaming. Your voice is hurting my hearing..." said Rhoe as he grabbed his sword and used it to get up, "I'm up already, now please, stop screaming" YOU FUCKING MORON! YOU SCARED ME TO DEATH! MORE THAN HER! "Yeah, yeah. I always have that effect on people," thought Rhoe as he brushed off dirt on his clothes, "And what do you mean, 'more than her'?". Before Umbra could answer his question, Rhoe looked up and saw a ghastly and deadly figure approaching Rhoe with killing intent. He was scared to see this and in an instant composed himself. "Oh, so that's what meant." Nice to see you finally figuring out what I'm talking about. Now, if you could pleaseeeeeee run for your life, that would be great. "OKAY!" Rhoe proceeded to grab his blade and get out of there. Even if he was giving the queen of darkness a hard time, he wouldn't simply head straight into fighting some.... thing that seemed to be a deadly opponent against him. After he got away from the room, he knew that hiding wouldn't do good. After all, that thing was still Tenebrarum according to what Umbra told him during the flee. He needed a plan and fast. Rhoe made his way back at the garden with all the destruction still in it. It's quite a mess if you ask me "I don't know if I should whether be proud or afraid of what I just did" said Rhoe. Yeah.... I don't care about that. All I care about is how are we supposed to beat Tenebrarum in that form. Rhoe scratched the back of his head and sighed. He agreed with Umbra. If he didn't know to beat Tenebrarum, everything would be lost. Then he moved his left leg forward and inmediately bumped into an small object. He managed to spot a round thing near his leg and looked down to see a black orb rolling right next to him. Rhoe recognized the orb and remembered what the voice told him. "Shallow it. It will give you the strength to fight back" "Maybe.... if I shallow it...", Rhoe was about to shallow the orb when out of nowhere, he felt another presence in the garden. He turned around and managed to spot Tenebrarum, moving towards him at a faster pace. Rhoe panicked and ran away before she could catch up. That, however, could not be the case. A dark barrier blocked Rhoe's path as he smashed into it. The recoil from the hit caused him to fall down to his BUTT. "And that's why I think magic is really annoying!" he complained as he looked at the magical barrier in front of him. He rubbed his nose due to the impact and looked behind. Tenebrarum was just a few feet away from him and a devilish smile could be seen from her. A foreign voice with some unknown words was all that Rhoe heard from her. Rhoe got up really fast and stood still as Tenebarum slowly cornered him... Well, who would have guessed this was going to be it.... "No, not yet!" yelled Rhoe as he placed the orb near his face. Wait, you are not thinking seriously about shallowing that thing? "You have any bright ideas?" Yeah, how about you use your sword instead of shallowing that? Huh, how about that? Rhoe used his quick thinking and gave an answer, "Nope", then he proceeded to shallow the orb, despite the consequences. YOU MORON! Nothing happened for mere moments. Tenebrarum remained still as she watched her enemy shallowing something. That moment didn't last long. Rhoe fell to his knees from the pain that orb gave him and Tenebrarum scontinued to watch at her enemy again. A confused expression was painted all over her.... well, what was supposed to be the face. What happened next was something neither both parties expected. "What is this?" said Tenebrarum as she stared at what seemed to be the remains of Rhoe. "I'Ll TeLl YoU wHaT tHiS iS!" said the dark figure, "DeAtH!" Rhoe jumped towards Tenebrarum and swung his newly formed claws at her, injuring her abdomen and leaking out a dark substance. She cried out for this and Rhoe's dark figure didn't stop there. He kept attacking Tenebrarum without mercy, slowly killing her. Umbra was shocked by this and called out for Rhoe. Rhoe, that's enough. He didn't stop. Rhoe, stop attacking her. It's obvious that she lost! He still kept attacking her. RHOE, STOP! "MiNd YoUr BuSiNeSs!" yelled what it seemed to be a figure of Rhoe. Umbra didn't waste any second and searched deep inside Rhoe. What Umbra found was revealing and impacting. The spirit finally understood what was going on. Rhoe's dark side was taking control over him. Whatever Rhoe was hiding or kept away as evil finally got free and tricked him into an insane status. He is now a pure evil being. A evil being that most humans lock away within time. Some are stronger, some are weak and some are special, since they are lcoked away but misfortunes and chaos power them. Since Rhoe had a really bad life, his dark side got stronger and stronger. Until the point of breaking and being unleashed, which is what happened here. Umbra knew Rhoe had an evil side just like everyone, but this amount of power was outrageous! The dark spirit, aware of this situation, used an ancient spell taught by his ancestors to free him. The backfire? The dark side was set free. It was separated from it's host. Umbra knew the consequences, but there was no other way to fix him. It was either that, or killing him from the inside. What would you have done? After Umbra casted the spell, the spirit made sure that Rhoe was separated from the being. Outside, the figure was struggling with a power control over the body. It howled several times, smashed the ground with might and yelled out loud a dozen times. "GeT oUt Of My HeAd!" yelled the figure, "ThIs BoDy Is MiNe!" Not on my watch, you son of a bitch! With great determination, Umbra succesfully managed to separate the dark side from Rhoe as the terrible beast let out a huge roar while being dragged away from its host. Rhoenir fell onto his back, yelling while being separated as well. He got up from the floor and saw a dark beast in front of him, with his while glowing eyes looking at the floor. "WHAT IS THAT!?" he yelled. That's your dark side. "EXCUSE ME!?" That is your evil side. In other words, that is you as a pure bad guy. I gotta say, you look quite handsome. "That is not a compliment! That is weird!" he stated while his other shadow shook off and stood. Heh, deal with it. "YoU sOn Of A bItCh! ThAt ReAlLy HuRrt!" cursed the dark side as he looked at Rhoe with despise. Rhoe was scared to see that he was holding back such an evil being inside of him. Then he remembered something. Something he encountered the time he met with Luna. "You! You are the beast that chased me down that night!" pointed Rhoe as he searched for his blade. "Oh, FiNaLlY FiGuReD iT oUt?" said his other him, "ToOk LoNg EnOuGh". "Yeah, yeah, bite me. I know you are an enemy.... well, besides been my other me, but you get the point!" said Rhoe as he found his sword and pointed towards the dark Rhoe, "What did you do with Nebra?" "LoOk BeHiNd YoU" Rhoe couldn't help it, but to shiver when he said that with such easiness. He proceeded to look back and saw.... something. He wasn't sure if it was a body anymore, but it definitively wasn't a pretty sight. He felt his lunch going back to his mouth the moment he spotted what was left of Nebra. "I...I can't believe you did that... I.... I didn't want this for her...." said a trembling Rhoe. "Oh GrOw Up. YoU kNeW tHiS wAs GoNnA hApPeN," said Dark Rhoe as he licked his own lips, tasting the blood of the remains of her opponent, "SuCh A sWeEt FlAvOr...." Rhoe was finally with anger despite his dark side being apart. This only got things for worse. "ExCeLlEnT! GeT aNgRy! ThIs FeEdS mE!" explained dark Rhoe as he started to take a dark color and bigger as well. Rhoe was surprised by this and stopped feeling angry, which stopped dark Rhoe's growth. Dark Rhoe wasn't amused by this. But instead, he showed a creepy smile to his other side of him. "ThErE iS nO wAy YoU cAn BeAt Me!" stated dark Rhoe while laughing, "I aM yOu!" "I know that! But why does that give an advantage?" asked Rhoe, utterly confused by this. "YoU dOn'T gEt It, Do Ya?" said dark Rhoe, smiling confident of his victory, ""WhAtEvEr YoU dO tO hUrT mE, iT'lL bOuNcE BaCk To YoU! "Oh, yeah? We'll see about that!" dared Rhoe as he went for swift kick to the head. Rhoe, wait.... Stop! It was too late for that, again. He forcefully kicked dark Rhoe's head, knocking him over to the ground. Rhoe suddenly felt a huge pain on the side of his head and fell back to ground in recoil. Rhoe was wondering why did that happen, since dark Rhoe didn't move a muscle. Then what his other him told him a few moments ago came back to him. It was true what he was saying. Everything that hits him, bounces back to Rhoe. "No... no way..." stuttered Rhoe as he held his hand on the side of his head. The dark Rhoe simply laughed after seeing his other him realize he had no chance to win. "I tOlD yOu!" yelled dark Rhoe, "ThErE iS nO wAy FoR yOu To WiN! i'M iNvInCiBlE!" There is no way to fight back, that is what I wanted to tell you before you kicked... yourself aparently. "And how am I supposed to win?" There is no way. The dark side of one usually controls his other side with that factor. There isn't any case where a good side wins against an evil one. Hm, maybe I should have thought this through. Rhoe was starting to lose hope, but not faith. He knew his was going to save the world, but something was bothering him. The skies weren't cleared. He originally thought that it would take some time, but the skies remained the same. "Umbra, why is the sky not clear?". Umbra didn't know either. As far as the spirit knew, the sky was supposed to get less darker within time. This wasn't the case. Umbra wasn't sure why did this happen, but a crazy thought crossed its mind. The deeper it processed the idea, it looked a whole lot less crazier. No.... It can't be.... He didn't! "What? What is going on?" Rhoe, I think your evil side took over control of Nebra's darkness, making him the king of darkness.... ".......how....but..." "I GuEsS YoU dIsCoVeReD wHy Is ThE sKy NoT cLeAr, RiGhT?" His other self's words struck him, hitting exactly what he was thinking, "How did you-" "I'm YoU, rEmEmBeR?" pointed the dark figure, "I ToLd YoU, i WoN! yOu WiLl EvEnTuAlLy SuBmIt To DaRkNeSs, MaKiNg Me WhOlE! YoU lOsT!" Rhoe was actually losing.... to himself. All this time, he held on to lock away those negative emotions, only to lose to them, failing to save the world in the process. "...Ah.... who knew that I was my worst enemy.... What.... What can I do!?" There was no hope left.... NO! This wasn't the end to it! There is no way this is how things were going to turn out. He is going to save the world, even if it means his death! "Umbra, can I ask you something?" requested Rhoe. Sure... "If.... my other me can return the damage I apply to him, does it work backwards as well?" ....... Technically, yes. It would be the same since you are the host. After all, both of you have a connection.....Why? "..........................." Rhoe? .........What are you going to do? "Leave my body. Now" ordered Rhoe. Huh? Why would I do that? ...... No, wait! Don't do it! "Sorry, Umbra. It's the only way" There has to be another way! You piece of shit! Use your head! "Doing exactly what you want me to do. " That's exactly the opposite! HAVE YOU GONE INSANE!? Screw the rules of what is right and what isn't! THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER SOLUTION! I'm afraid this is my last resort. Goodbye, Umbra... NOOOOO! RHOEEEEEE! Rhoe used his mind to expel Umbra out of his body and so prepare his last resort. He smiled at Umbra and moved towards his dark side, with Lucidus in his hand. "Yo! Asshole!" yelled Rhoe as he approached his other him. "Oh? Is ThE hErO fInAlLy GiViNg Up?" suggested dark Rhoe. He got a smile back from his host instead. "Oh, it's something better!", the he proceeded to grab Lucidus backwards and point it to his own chest, "What would happen if I do this?" "WaIt, dOn'T yOu DaRe!" "So, it does apply backwards. Well, this does help with the plan...", thought Rhoe as he grabbed firmly Lucidus, making his dark side to show a fear expression, "Heh, who would have guessed it would end this way... This is end for me... but a new beggining for everyone... " "NO! YoU fOoL! sToP!". His dark side inmediately rushed to where his host was standing, ready to end his life. "Age, me meam". He finally inserted the blade in his chest. As he felt his life slowly fading away, he managed to see his other him screaming and vanishing on plain sight. This caused Rhoe to faintly smile as he started to fall to the floor. "That.... will..... t...ea...ch....him..........." Rhoe smashed his body to the ground. His eyes, filled with no regret, slowly closed.... passing away. As the hero slowly fades away from this world, with his blood was spilling everywhere, the skies were becoming clearer and clearer. The sun radiated through the garden and good once again prevailed. Just like a hero would always do. As many could see it, the hero was none other than Rhoe. He sacrificed himself to save the world, despite the consequences. Despite giving his life for it. He did what he thought was the right thing to do. He had no regrets in the end... In a nearby hospital of Ponyville, a lavender pony was resting in a bed, with several bandages over her body. She, more known as Twilight, was slowly waking up from a long rest. The moment she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see she was in a hospital. "Wha...? I'm still... alive? How?" she said, checking the bandages surrounding her body, "This doesn't make sense... the last thing I remember was..." The last thing she remembered was facing Rhoe in her last moments. This only caused confusion to her. "But if he... if Rhoe did that to me, then how-" The door of her apparent room started to open slowly, causing Twilight to flinch at this. She noticed a tube connected to what it seemed to be a feeding bag, injected to her forearm. She inmediately lost focus on that and paid attention to the opening door. A white coated, brown maned, purple eyed pony with a red cross cutie mark entered the room with a list on her hand. She looked up and saw that the patient was finally awake. The nurse dropped the list and showed a joy expression as she held her hands on her lips. She left the room and yelled outside the room some uncomprehensible things. Twilight was really confused about this. "TWILIGHT!!!!!" The next thing Twilight knew was that a group of ponies and a dragon ran into room in a hasty entrance. Twilight got startled by this, but soon after she recognized that it was her friends that entered the room recently. The group of ponies went into a big hug for the patient and she smiled with glee to know that her friends were there for her. She could almost cry to see her friends in one piece. "Twillght! It's so good to know you are okay!" said a rainbow mane pony as she hugged firmly her hospitalized friend with one arm, the other one resting on a blue leather attachment. Her left eye was covered in bandages as well. Arr, mate "Oh Twilight! It's such a relief to know you are fine! I couldn't simply think of what would have to all of us without you!" stated Rarity. She had some bandages as well, but they much less seriously than her own. Bruises if she had to guess. "Sugarcube! Oh, t'ank goodness yer alright!" said Applejack with a thankful face. The orange farmer had some sort of plastic protector, covering the whole neck. "Oh Twilight! You are okay! I knew my healing dance would eventually work!" stated a pink pony while hopping, still engaged into a hug. Pinkie, on the hand, had no bandages at all. Oh no, she was wearing an eye patch and a leg constrainment. "Oh, Twilight! I'm so relieved so see safe and sound! We were all worried about you!" said Fluttershy as she couldn't contain her relieved smile from seeing her friend healthy. The shy mare wasn't that treated as Twilight or Rainbow, but she had share of injuries. "TWILIGHT!" yelled a green scaled dragon, "Twilight! You are okay! I was so worried about you!". He seemed like he could burst into tears any moment. Her brother was wearing almost the same amount of bandages as her. The only difference was the eye bandage. "Rainbow, Spike, Applejack, everyone! Thank Celestia, you are all alright!" replied Twilight, "Now... if you please stop choking me, that would be great," The whole group stepped back expect for Spike, who was really worried about her 'sister', since that's the way the saw each other. Twilight wasn't surprised the Spike didn't let go and returned the warm hug. Everyone, who watched this affection, smiled as they recalled in their minds how that felt. "Wow, I'm so happy to see you finally woke up! Took quite some time though," said Pinkie in a joking tone. "Thanks, Pinkie... Wair, how long was I out?" "Ummm.... you were out at least 2 weeks, Twilight," said Spike as Twilight simply looked surprised to hear that she missed out two whole weeks, "When I woke up, I found you and Dash on the floor. Dash was heavily injured, but you... you were actually.... in any case, I took care of your injuries and took to a nearby place for you two to rest. Then the rest is history..." "Oh..... well, it's a relief to see everyone okay..." said Twilight as she looked around the group and felt that someone was missing, "Wait, hasn't anyone seen Rhoe?" Everyone's faces suddenly turned into a concerned expression, almost like if they were trying o hide something. Twilight began to feel uneasy and wanted to know what happened. "Girls, Rhoe is alright.... isn't he?" None of them answered. It was too painful to say it. "Girls, you are starting to get me worried... what happened?" Applejack sighed and looked to everyone around her to let them know she was going to tell her, "T' tell th' trut' Twilight, we don't know w'ere is he...." "They never found his body. All they found was a blade next to a...", Rainbow, who supported Applejack, didn't find the guts to say the next thing until she finally gave up, ".... a pool of blood and unknown figure shred to pieces. We all assumed Rhoe did it, but.....we all think it came.... with a high price..." Twilight didn't answer. She simply kept staring at her friend and blinked occasionally. Out of nowhere, the lavender pony started to laugh nervously. "Hehe, this is a joke, right?" asked Twilight, "It can't be real. This has to be dream, right?" "I'm sorry Twilight," said a dragon who looked at her face after letting go of the hug, "It's the truth... There is nothing we can do about it..." Twilight seemed like she could cry any moment. To hear that one of her great friends was dead simply shocked her. She held her hands on her face and started to sob a little. The group of ponies didn't hesitate and hugged her to comfort the pain she was feeling. It helped a little, but she still cried. Tears were flowing through her face, non-stop. Some of the ponies who hugged her cried as well. "It's still hard to believe! Why?" complained Twilight still crying. "Ah know, ah know..." comforted Applejack. After a while, Twilight finally cleaned her face and sighed, still finding hard to believe what happened to Rhoe. She inhaled deeply and sighed as well. The group were relieved to see that her wounded friend finally calmed down. "Better?" asked a worried dragon for her sister. "Yeah, I'm better.... still sad for the notice, but yeah, I'll make it," said Twilight. "It's good to know that," said a familiar voice from outside the room. Everyone looked around and found Celestia entering the room, with a rather large gift on her hands. Twilight's eyes simply shined the moment she saw her teacher and beloved friend enter the room, "I was worried I had to look for another student to take care of" Twilight rolled her eyes, for she knew her teacher was joking around. Celestia simply laughed and hugged Twilight, which she also returned the hug. Celestia placed the gift on top of a nearby drawer and kept the hug. "It's good to know that my most prized student is just fine, well, at least better than before," as she pointed the bandages around her. "Well, I still feel a little weak, but I'm okay," confirmed Twilight and passed her hand across her bandages, "Oh! Is Princess Luna okay as well?" "Ah, Luna. Yes, she is okay. She would have visited you, but she is still doing the search party job she wanted to do, as a way to help somehow the kingdom. It's admiring to see her worrying about her subjects," said Celestia as she let go of the hug and grinned at a nearby window. Twilight was happy to hear that and smiled as well. "Well, we better be goin'," said Applejack as she accomodated her hat into a more comfortable position, "We will leave yah two alone. C'mon girls!" "Awww, I wanted to stay longer!" complained Pinkie. "C'mon Pinkie, she needs to rest and catch up with Celestia," said Rainbow, who was pushing Pinkie out of the room. "Okay..." said Pinkie in a more sad tone, "Goodbye Twilight! See ya later!" "See ya around Pinkie..." "Bye Twilight!" shouted the group as they left the room. Twilight waved goodbye and smiled as they left the room. "I'm happy to know that you have such good friends," said Celestia who looked at the group leaving. "Yeah...." Suddenly, Twilight's expression turned into a concerned one. She looked at Celestia, ready to ask for something. "Um, Princess Celestia?" "What is it, my dear student?" "Is it true... about Rhoe?" she asked. Celestia's expression turned into a serious one. She grabbed a chair and sat on it, closing her eyes. "I'm afraid that is the case..." "Oh, I see..." "But..." interrupted Celestia. "But?" "When we searched for him, we noticed this his body was no longer there," said Celestia with a confused face. "Yeah, I heard that from my friends..." stated Twilight meanwhile she showed a sad face, thinking of the fact. "The unusual thing is that, according to the evidence we found regarding his position, I can still feel his presence. Stronger than before...". This sentence caused Twilight to looked at her, with hope in her heart that she was getting to something better. "Wait, you can feel him?" she asked. "Well Twilight, I can control the sun and also feel the presence of other beings that are in my kingdom, especially residents with good balance in their hearts," this gave Twilight a new hope, "The odd thing is that his presence.... is in two places. One is unknown..." "And the other?" Celestia took the large gift and placed it on Twilight's hands. "In this," Twilight unwrapped the gift and found a shining light blade inside of it. She looked confused by this and looked closely at the sword. "Lucidus..." read Twilight the inscription on the blade cover. "It means Light in a foreign language. That's the blade Rhoe used and that is how he called it," she pointed. "What? This is Rhoe's blade?" she asked, expecting a confirmation. "Yes, that's the sword he used against Tenebrarum, my sister and me," said Celestia as she recalled the battle they had, "Rhoe made good use of his abilities and managed to defeat Luna and me. We didn't use our full potential since we were corrupted by darkness, but still gave a powerful fight. It's hard to believe he defeated us...." "And who is Tenebrarum?" Twilight asked, rather interested than confused by this new individual. "Oh, you don't know about her?", she shook her head and gave out a sheepishly smile, "Well, if you must know, Tenebrarum is the queen of darkness. She is the one behind everything. The whole thing was her idea, including the black fog that covered all of Equestria." explained Celestia, "I'm not sure if was luck or coincidence when my sister and I passed out after losing to the human, but I'm not sure what happened next..." "I'm sure he did what he needed to do... but I wish it could have ended another way," confessed Twilight as she held the blade close to her. "I ran into her a few times and we also had a deal that each side, both light and dark shouldn't be crossed or invaded. It seems she didn't want that anymore... poor being," said Celestia as she went into a deep thought about her previous encounters with dark beings. Twilight looked away and thought of what her enemy did. Twilight thought it was similar to what Chrysalis wanted. She wanted to have a new territory, more for her greed. But Chrysalis did that for her people. From what she knew previously, the changeling queen's subjects were starving. Having no more option, she attacked Canterlot to feed her subjects. Although she caused much grief, she did it for a reason. Does this Tenebrarum invade Equestria for the same reason? Or what is for greed? Tons of questions crossed her mind, but none was answered. Shaking her head to let go of the issue, Twilight sighed and looked at the blade once again. Then something came up. "Princess Celestia? What did you mean that Rhoe's location is in both places? This blade to be precise?" Celestia snapped out of her mind and looked at Lucidus on Twilight's hands. She simply moved towards the blade and placed a finger ina certain point. Suddenly, the place Celestia touched shined brighter than before, showing a small point on the blade's edge. Twilight was taken back by this and kept looking at it. "It means a part of Rhoe is incrustated on the blade's power. In other words, a part of Rhoe is now with the sword," explained Celestia as she smiled just a bit. Twilight looked in awe as she figured out what she meant. "Does that mean that Rhoe is one with the blade now?" she asked. "Just a part of him. But, yes, he is a part of the sword now," She couldn't help it and smiled, knowing that his great friend wasn't entirely dead. Sure, he wasn't physical now, but it didn't matter to her. She was just happy to know that her friend was somehow alive. The odd thing was the other location. "What about the other location?" asked Twilight, wonderring of what her teacher said earlier. "....Like I said before, it's unknown," said Celestia as she passed her hand over the blade's surface, "But we now know that he is alive. In this..." Twilight looked at Lucidus and grinned a little. "Well, thanks for telling me this, it really helped me..." "I'm happy to hear that," replied Celestia with a smile on her face, "Well, I better be going. Canterlot is still having repairs and I'm not planning to sit back and watch, even if it's against the royal rules for the Princess to do other duties. Hm, I might change some things to that book..." Twilight laughed at her teacher and smiled after she finished laughing. "Well, thank you for the gift. I will take good care of it," Celestia nodded and headed towards the door. Just before she left, she stopped and looked back. "If we are lucky, we could the other location~" said Celestia, trying to rise Twilight's hopes. It did. As she left, Celestia could hear the voice of Twilight thinking of a possibility to bring back her friend. Celestia smiled and left the hospital, heading to Canterlot. One more thing was crossing her mind as she left. "Rhoenir.... where are you right now? And what are you doing?" You know, you could go back and tell them. Shouldn't it be easier? "Nah, it's better this way." said a man in a black robe, walking down a road during a sunset. The cloud were moved beautifully and the coast was clear. Are you sure? "Yeah, I'm sure. Besides," he removed his robes, revealing identity, more known as Rhoenir, "I need to know where is that girl..." The same one you told me before? "Yup, that same" said Rhoe as he pulled a red medallion out of his pocket, "She helped me, but she is the one in danger now. I have to repay the favor.... Umbra," Yeah, yeah. Playing the hero as always. "Shouldn't you go back with your people? I mean, they chose you as the King of Darkness after all" pointed out Rhoe. Yeeeeaaaaah..... no. Too much pressure and I don't wanna. I'm more of a free spirit. "More like a lazy spirit," said Rhoe in a mocking tone. Ha.Ha. Bite me. So, are we near? "The next destination should be about 10 minutes from here. Think you can last another while?" Sure, moron. It's better than fighting for your life. "Hahaha, you never change, Umbra," he stated. That's why I'm your partner. "Okay, then, Partner, let's go..." > NEWS! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- For those who do not know, the sequel is already out. If you favorited this story and was unaware of this news, I strongly recommend you follow this link. Other than that, I appreciate your time for reading this. See ya around!