> Seraphim
>  by Salacar
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue - Fall from Heaven (Updated)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Existence. A simple enough concept for most, yet infinitely more complex to those who are aware of the true nature of Creation. Most sentient beings are content with simply staying in their own worlds, blissfully unaware that beyond the borders of their Plane, a war has been raging for untold millennia between two groups of Outsiders: the Fiends of the Lower Planes and Abyss, and the Ascended of the Higher Planes and Elysium.

The conflict is one believed to have begun before the true passage of time, when the Planes were still developing and most of Creation was immature. None remember how the war started, but it is widely accepted that it was something unavoidable, something that must be, a clash of natures and desires which are impossible to change. The Fiends have always wanted one thing, that which the Ascended have been tasked with shepherding and guarding.

Souls. The essence of life for all beings across the multitude of Planes which makes up Creation, their ability to evolve and change, to live and feel, to love and die. They are the absolute, the core and purpose of everything and anything, the one last legacy of the First Beings; their final gift to their children.

They were believed to be the architects of Creation, to have started existence itself with the purpose of developing worlds capable of sustaining sentient life. Little is known of these first of beings, it is believed that they dwelled on a Plane of existence separate from all others, and that they engineered and created the first Souls, as well as the Flame of Life.

There are no records or knowledge of how they disappeared, simply because there were no other species capable of recording information at the time, indeed, the concept of time itself may not even have existed at that point. What we do know is that they left, and the two first groups of beings came to be: the Ascended, and the Fiends. Some speculate that the First Beings did not die out at all, but merely ‘devolved’ into these two groups following a great conflict. There has been no proof of these claims however, and the few records left over from the time of the first Ascended say nothing on the subject.

The Ascended themselves have changed greatly over time, none of the first still live to this day, and eventually the Flame of Life started ‘recruiting’ new Ascended from the ranks of perished creatures from other Planes, often great heroes and paragons of their kind. The Ascended found purpose in acting as caretakers to the Flame of Life, guardians against the Fiendish invasion of other planes, as well as explorers and keepers of knowledge. All of these eventually structured into the Orders we know today: The Scholars, the Pathfinders, the Caretakers, and the Legion’s Guardians and Solars. Each of these groups were assigned an overseer from among the oldest and most powerful Ascended, the first of the Seraphim. Together, these five Seraph created the Seraphim Council, bringing order and peace to the Planes and all of Creation.

-         Excerpt from ‘The Book of Beginnings’
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Seraphim


- Fall from Heaven -

 

Darkness was everywhere, the once brilliant blue sky of Elysium reduced to a bleak purple gloom, white ash filling the air and the intermingled blood of both Fiends and Ascended creating a sickening smell, adding to the already grim atmosphere.

One would be hard pressed to find anything even remotely familiar to the former home plane of the Ascended, the once great towers and white marble structures reduced to nothing but grey ruins under the rampage of the invading fiendish horde. Never again would the rivers run with clear untainted water, never again would the colourful birds soar through the blue sky, never again would the flora bloom in all of its majesty during the spring cycle of the angelic world.
 
And perhaps worst of all, never again would the streets be filled with the cheerful banter of friends and comrades.
 
Only the dead inhabited those roads and houses as Lysander, last surviving of the Ascended in Elysium, stood inside the only untouched structure of the once glorious White City. Silent tears were falling from his golden eyes onto the white floor beneath his armoured feet.

'So many lives lost... so much destruction, and for what?

The bitter thought came unbidden, it was a question he had been asking himself since it had all started. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of despair as he took a firmer grip on the silver sword in his hand, tearing himself away from the small window overlooking the city. He walked towards the middle of the Hall of Renewal, doing his best to avoid glancing at the deceased bodies of his fellow Caretakers littering the hall. All of them had given their life to sustain the barrier currently in place around the domed structure, all the while they had been hoping and praying that the Seraphim Council would return and rescue them from their plight. They had not.

'I should have been the first to go, what did they believe I could do as the last one standing?'
 
The Caretakers of Souls had done their duty until the very end, and now only he, youngest among them was left, his immortal heart filled with determination to keep the Fiends away from their prize at all cost. Already now he could feel the barrier weakening, the screeches and roars of the besieging forces sounding loudly from outside the double-gate standing between them and the Flame of Life contained within the Hall of Renewal.

The Ascended looked to the object in question, a great sphere of golden white fire floating serenely above a multi-layered platform of light grey marble, blissfully unaware of the danger outside of its protective chambers.
 
Lysander was no great warrior; he was a Caretaker, one of the Ascended tasked with nurturing and cleansing the many departed souls returning to the Flame from the multitude of planes in existence, preparing them for their rebirths into new life. He had of course gone through the basic combat training that all Ascended went through, showing particular aptitude with the sword and lantern, the focus used when performing Miracles. His white feathery wings flared in agitation as he remembered what had to be done. In order to protect the Flame and the continues cycle of life he’d need to fight and kill other creatures, and even though he knew that they all carried tormented and corrupted souls it still tore at him to even think about it.

'I have to fight, there can be no way around it. The Fiends are suffering too, it will be a kindness.'

Indeed his old mentors had wanted him to take up the mantle as a Solar, fighting together with the other Ascended in the Legion against the Fiends of the Lower Planes. Yet in his mind he knew that it had not been his true calling, that the Caretaker Order was where he belonged, a place where he could soothe and heal injured souls.
 
He couldn’t help but smile from inside his golden helmet, fondly remembering the very first soul he had rejuvenated. The process for doing so was simple enough, but at the same time required an immense strength of character and a strong natural empathy. It was not a job suited for many, and as such the numbers of the Caretakers had always been rather low. In fact, even with their Ascended immortality, their numbers had never exceeded two dozen at any one time. The method for healing a soul was, at its most basic level, to take the soul in question into oneself, partly reliving the soul’s previous life. All of its most harrowing moments, feeling all of the trauma and sadness associated with them, and then finally coming to terms with it all in a moment of joined enlightenment between Caretaker and Soul. At that point the soul would be cleansed in the Flame of Life and brought into the natural cycle once again.

'And now the Caretakers are all gone, only I remain... please, Asteraoth, if you're out there-...'
 
Lysander’s train of thought was abruptly broken as the weakening barrier outside started shattering in places, making the presence of innumerable Fiends known to his Ascended senses. It felt like pitch black darkness slowly surrounding him, seeping through the fractured barrier in an effort to quench the last remaining light in Elysium. He would give them no such satisfaction without a fight.
 
The Ascended braced himself protectively in front of the Flame of Life, the humanoid figure standing slightly taller than six feet, clad in protective golden armour adorned with silver and azure runes, his white angelic wings spread to their full size, and his right and left hands grasping the silver sword and brass lantern respectively. His golden eyes were locked on the gate in front of him as he prepared his defenses. The lantern held in his left hand started glowing softly, gathering energies from his own soul and focusing it into Miracle after Miracle. The first few castings increased his strength and reflexes, the next placed a protective shield around his body, and finally a warding enchantment against flames and dark magic.
 
With all of his preparations in place, Lysander started pouring even more power into the lantern, preparing his opening attack even as he felt the barrier outside give way and falter, its protective embrace entirely removed from around the Hall of Renewal.

'Come then, Fiends. Enter and meet your end!'
 
He knew what would come next, and the poor gate never stood a chance.
 
With a thundering explosion the double-gate was blown off its hinges, the shapes of charging Fiends visible through the smoke and gloom even before the two gates crashed to the floor on either side of him, cracks forming in the marble from their weight and impact.

They came at him like a flood, a large group of the smaller Imps running or flying into the Hall, claws and teeth barred, intent on ripping apart the last defender in front of them. They didn’t get far.

A great influx of magic into the lantern triggered the prepared Miracle, a bright fire forming inside it before being released as a wall of rushing flame, quickly bathing the hall in light and incinerating the first wave of Imps, turning them into little more than ashes. Their dying shrieks of pain and defiance sounded like a requiem to Lysander’s ears, filling him with grim satisfaction.
 
As the next wave came Lysander met them halfway, golden flames shrouding his sword, causing a persisting light to follow every swing of his holy weapon. He swung at the first Imp to meet him, the sword slicing through its small black shape, red eyes glaring murder at him all the while. The flames instantly cauterized the wound, allowing not a single drop of its tainted blood to touch the hallowed ground on which they stood. Grasping the hilt of his sword even tighter, he brought it back in an upwards arc, taking off an arm and a wing from the next Imp in line before whirling around himself. Meanwhile, his powerful wings warded off an attack from a pair of airborne attackers as he beheaded a third, its body dropping to the floor only to disappear in ashes like its predecessors.

Lysander turned into a whirlwind of death, his blade slicing through the air and bringing a quick end with every swing, his wings aiding with short bursts of movement while his lantern created impromptu shields whenever an attacker came too close to hitting him.
 
Already he was starting to feel the strain, and just barely did he manage to leap out of the way before a wicked glaive almost took his head off. Aided by his wings he quickly spun around in the air, glaring at the new arrivals around him. He had been so caught up in the battle that he hadn’t had time to notice the arrival of the actual shock troops, the glaive wielding Horned Devils rushing through the demolished gate in the wake of the Imp meat shields. These winged horrors, standing at just around six feet with leathery wings on their backs and two crooked horns on their heads, were the true soldiers of the Fiendish army.
 
Unwilling to back down no matter the foe, Lysander launched himself at the nearest of his new adversaries, swinging his flaming sword in a downward arc with all the strength he could muster, only to have the Horned Devil block the attack with the black shaft of his glaive, glaring and chuckling cruelly all the while. The Fiend’s mocking gaze quickly turned into one of shock as the flames around the Ascended’s blade intensified, washing over the creature in a blazing inferno, reducing its body to ashes along with a couple of unlucky Imps in the air behind it.

The flying Ascended didn’t have time to savour the kill before two glaives were brought down on either side of his head, just barely being turned away by his previously conjured shield, which flashed under the strain of the attacks. With a quick twist of his body, Lysander brought the sword around to deflect a third attack before going into a dive towards the ground, slashing apart another Imp too slow to get out of his way. Already he could feel the Horned ones above him take chase, their glaives readied to take apart the Ascended at a moment’s notice. He was sure that if he still had a mortal heart, it would currently have been stuck in his throat.

'Come on... come on!
 
With a roar of effort he gathered as much of his power as he could, the fiery blade suddenly bursting into a flare of golden flame as he rolled around, swinging the sword and releasing the pent up energy, sending a wide line of fire rushing towards his pursuers. The sudden attack took the charging Devils off guard, and only one of the three managed to dodge out of the way as the others were turned to ashes with unholy shrieks. Before Lysander could turn himself around again a veritable swarm of Imps were upon him, clawing and biting with all of the fury they could muster, their many attacks piercing his defensive enchantments in several places. Most of these were turned away by his armour, yet a few found their way through, claws opening wicked gashes in his white skin and bites denting his protective garment as they raked him with all their might.
 
Suddenly very thankful that his body no longer had any real blood to spill, Lysander fought like a man possessed until he was finally free from the mass of flying Fiends, correcting his trajectory just in time to avoid crashing into the hard marble floor below him. With a mighty effort of his wings, he swirled around, coming to a stop less than twenty feet from the Flame of Life still floating untouched in the middle of the hall, as serene and pure as always.
 
'Too close, I need to focus... I need to-...'

The last Caretaker snapped his attention back to the invading horde of Fiends just in time to be enveloped in a ball of black flames, the magical wards on his form struggling fiercely to protect him from the unholy inferno. Just as the wards died away together with the fire, Lysander found himself hovering in the air looking at the enormous Fiend no more than sixty feet from him. The creature was massive, and by the looks of the large opening where the gateway had once been, extremely powerful. It stood no less than twenty feet tall with bulging legs and arms, its dark red skin covered in black leather armor, its head with a fiery maw of razor sharp teeth and red glowing eyes gazing at him, and a black mane running down between protruding horns on either side of its skull. On its back was a pair of great leathery wings, and in its right hand a sword made of profane living flames.
 
Lysander felt a shiver through his body as he sensed the sheer aura of power coming from the beast, he knew what this thing was, and for the first time in his immortal life he felt real terror.
 
A Balor.
 
The greatest among Fiends let out a roar which shook the very structure around them, causing already damaged pillars to topple and pebbles to rain from the domed ceiling.

The Balor turned its attention back to the small defender before it, dark fire quickly forming in its left palm as it let loose another roaring fireball towards the Ascended, who barely had time to get out of the way before he was consumed in the attack. Even prepared Lysander didn’t manage to get entirely to safety, the dark flames licking and scorching the tip of his right wing, sending him plummeting to the side in pain and colliding roughly with the hard floor.

'Impossible, how could they have gotten a balor through the dimensional barrier?!'

All around him he heard the baleful laughter of a multitude of Fiends, and just as he managed to get back to his feet he was hit squarely on the side by a great red fist, a loud cracking of broken bones could be heard as he was thrown through the air, only to crash into the nearby wall with a loud yell of pain. Even with his Ascended body, naturally suppressing the worst of pains, he barely managed to stay conscious as he was assaulted with the most pain he had ever suffered. It felt like his entire right side had been torn clean off, and no matter what he tried he was unable to move or even feel his sword arm any longer.
 
With a pathetic yelp he fell from the wall and hit the floor once more, struggling to keep his eyes open, at the very least wanting to die being able to see his killer. He could just barely make out his sword and lantern on the ground before him, the light emitting from the Flame of Life suddenly blocked from view as the huge form of the Balor came into his line of sight.

Lysander could sense his end coming, an evil bellowing chuckle escaping the Greater Fiend as it prepared the killing blow, lifting its sword high, he could almost sense the pure malice of the blade as it swung towards him and then-…
 
“Stop.”
 
A voice ran out through the hall with such a strong sense of finality and authority that his would-be killer, one of the most powerful and oldest among Fiends, actually halted its attack, leaving the great, fiery blade only a couple of feet away from Lysander’s body. The Ascended was barely managing to stay awake at this point, his eyes still focused on the Balor which had turned its head to gaze at the new arrival, clear annoyance painted on its face.

What had just happened? The voice had sounded oddly familiar to him, but he was unable to piece together who it might have belonged to. He heard heavy footsteps ringing out through the suddenly eerily silent Hall of Renewal, and as the voice spoke again he was able to turn his head in the direction of the speaker.
 
“Let him live for now, it would be fitting for the last Caretaker to see the end of his precious Order,” the voice was cruel, mocking even, but now he finally remembered who it belonged to. “Wouldn’t you agree, Lysander?”
 
With the last of his strength, Lysander turned his gaze to the speaker, his eyes opening wide in disbelief and shock as he took in the appearance of the man before him.

He stood just slightly taller than the crippled Ascended, clad in a lighter, black armour without a helmet, which otherwise mirrored his own only with a dark purple cape falling from his shoulders, and two pairs of great feathery wings sprouting from his back. The wings were not the pure white as he remembered them however, instead they were entirely black, like the wings of a crow.

The man looked to the battered form of Lysander, a victorious smirk on his well toned face, once white eyes now turned charcoal black gazing into his own, the shoulder-length darkly silver hair moving slightly in the wind created by the vacuum left after the last fireball.
 
Lysander looked at the man with clear pain and disbelief painted on his face, it just couldn’t be happening, there was no way that this could possible be-…
 
“…Ezekiel.”
 
The name escaped his throat as a painful gasp, the damage to his body had barely left him the energy to speak, but he needed to know if it was true, if this was actually Ezekiel, and what had happened to the rest of the Seraphim Council.
 
The former Seraphim just looked at him with clear amusement, obviously enjoying the sight of the broken Ascended at his feet. The mocking tone was still clearly evident as Ezekiel turned entirely towards Lysander, waving the Balor away with a gesture.
 
“I’m glad to see that you still have the presence of mind to recognize me, even with my altered appearance,” the smirk on his face turned into a mirthless smile. “You should be honoured; you get to bear witness as I finally put an end to this pointless war and gain what is rightfully mine.”
 
“…Why?” The pained question came even slower this time; he could practically feel his last strength escaping his body.
 
“Why what? Why did I betray my own kind? Why did I join forces with the Fiends? Why did I….destroy the Seraphim Council?” The last question was spoken with a clear tone of victory, but Lysander couldn’t possibly believe it to be true. “I’m afraid it would be rather pointless to answer any of those questions, considering that you won’t be alive for much longer.”
 
Ezekiel gave him one last smile before turning around, heading with steady steps towards the center of the hall and the Flame of Life.

“Besides, I’m fairly certain that my intentions will be rather clear when you see what I am about to do.”
 
Not halting his pace towards the Flame, Ezekiel gave a simple flick of the wrist as a silver longsword appeared in his right hand, power radiating from it as it became covered in a shroud of purple energy.

Realization hit Lysander like a brick to the face, his eyes opening wide as a cold shiver ran through his body, he only managed to utter a single word before the former Council member’s sword burst with profane power and was gleefully thrust into the physical manifestation of life and rebirth.
 
“No!”
 
The last thing Lysander remembered was a great white light overtaking him, followed by the pain of feeling his very soul being torn apart like a piece of shredded paper.
 
Then, only darkness.


> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 1

 
 
The persistent feeling of agonizing pain was the first thing I knew as I became conscious once more, never before had I felt such pain and I hoped that I never again would. My world was one of misery and darkness at that point, I could barely feel my body and I was sure that my right arm at the very least was broken. Most troubling of all perhaps, was the hollow sensation where my soul, the source of my Ascended power, used to be. It felt akin to having a vital organ or limb taken from you, something you had depended upon your entire existence. The feeling was mortifying to say the least, and it terrified me like nothing else.

As I lay there I slowly became aware of my other senses, the pain in my body effectively numbing my mind, yet I couldn’t help but feel heavy raindrops, cool and soothing, fall on my exposed skin with a rhythm which at that point sounded much like a lullaby to my weary ears.

Where was I? What had I been doing? For the longest time I just lay there, feeling muddy ground beneath me, a multitude of questions running through my muddled and confused mind, I wasn’t certain for how long, but at some point it all came back to me in a rush.

Ezekiel, the Seraphim betrayer, the one who had apparently gotten rid of the rest of the Council, allied himself with the Fiends, and led an invasion force into the plane of Elysium. How could he do such a thing? Elysium and the White City had been his home, his charge, for an untold amount of time. He was one of the oldest and strongest among us, a Seraph of the highest regard, a champion of good and a beacon of light, someone who should have been incorruptible and without the slightest taint. What had happened to cause his fall? How had he turned into something capable of doing all that evil? He had killed so many of the Ascended, tainted Elysium with the presence of Fiends.
 
‘He destroyed the Flame of Life’
 
I felt tears running down my cheeks, just remembering what he had done brought a chunk of ice to my gut, I remembered the shock of it all, how he had so easily thrusted the tainted blade into the Flame, the core and center of all life across the planes. He shouldn’t have been able to destroy it, there was no way that it could be gone, it was supposed to be eternal, it was supposed to be!-…
 
The denial was promptly dismissed from my mind and replaced with something else, a burning anger the like of which I had never felt before, a sense of karmic vengeance as I became vividly aware that I was still somehow alive, even after being forcefully disconnected from the Flame and having most of my soul ripped from my body, I still lived. And if I still lived, I could still find Ezekiel and make him pay for all the misery he had wrought.
 
First of all, I needed to bring myself out of the state of misery and pain, recovering was my first objective. With the greatest care I opened my eyes, expecting to be thoroughly blinded by light, I was however pleasantly surprised when I discovered that it was night out, the soft light of a moon shining down upon me from between the crown of trees all around. A soft cold wind blew through the forest in which I lay, bringing calmness to my mind and slight comfort to my battered body. The stars above were many, so at the very least I knew that whatever plane I was on had an actual cosmology, you would be surprised how many intermediate planes consisted of only a single planet, or sometimes not even a planet at all.

As far as I could tell the trees and the flora around me were mostly green, sharing similarities with plant growth on Elysium, from this I figured that this world belonged to a yellow sun and that most common rules of biology would be present.
 
‘Well, here goes nothing.’
 
With pain wracking my body with every movement I raised my left hand to the front of my face, the smooth white skin was mostly whole and only carried a small amount of bruising. Thankful that my left arm and hand at least functioned, I tried to do the same with my right.

No such luck, no matter what I tried to do the only response I got from my right arm was a serious pain warning me not to try it again. The pain had started to confuse me greatly, I knew that it was normal for mortals to feel great pain if they damaged their bodies too much, but for us Ascended the pain was a minor thing, a simple warning of damage which should never be debilitating in any way, allowing us to fight on despite grievous injuries. Blaming the predicament on whatever had happened with the Flame I returned to investigating my body, flexing the muscles I could and trying to figure out how much was broken.

I discovered that my right arm and hand were the only limbs I couldn’t move, the rest of my body still felt like it had been dipped into molten lava, but at least nothing else seemed to be broken, a miracle considering I had just recently been slapped around by roughly seven thousand pounds of angry Balor.
 
I’ll admit, at that moment I considered just staying put until my body had healed itself, a rather rapid process for all Ascended, being entities of mostly energy meant that we weren’t limited by the mortal bodily functions in order to recover from damage or sickness. Given enough time we would be able to recover from all but the most deadly of wounds.

Another peculiar thing I noticed after my little examination was that my armour had apparently disappeared, I thought this to be odd because unlike my sword, lantern and wings, the armour I had worn wasn’t actually mine and didn’t have a matching Sealing Mark anywhere on my body, meaning that it wouldn’t have just merged with me after I was knocked out.
 
Deciding that the missing armour was yet another mystery for another time I tried to get on my feet, bracing myself against the ground with my functional arm, all the while doing my best to get up as painlessly as possible. I wasn’t all too successful in that regard.

After another few painful minutes I was steadily standing on my feet, maybe steadily might have been an overstatement, but at least I wasn’t falling on my face just yet.

I took the opportunity to look at my body again; turns out I was wearing what little I had worn beneath the armour at the time, a simple white tunic and matching trousers with light leather wrappings around my feet. At this point I realised that I was all alone, unarmoured and wounded in a dark forest on a world I was unfamiliar with. I quickly shifted my attention to the suddenly very intimidating woods around me, scanning through the trees to find, well, anything really.

With a sigh I concluded that there wasn’t anything dangerous out there, and I also found, to my great joy, that I at the very least still had some of my enhanced senses, and most likely still in possession of my Soul Sense. This made me rather happy, it was the ability I had the most training in after all, as being able to attune my sight to the plane of souls was an important skill in my duty as Caretaker.

Former duty, I had to remind myself.
 
‘Well, let’s find out what other abilities I can still call on.’

With determination in my mind I closed my eyes, shifting my focus to the well of power within me, my Soul. It was still there I concluded, but it felt more like a weak ember compared to what it used to be, so weak in fact that I was afraid it would be snuffed out at a moment’s notice, dropping my dead husk of a body to the ground without another thought.

After determining that I at the very least would still live for a while longer, I returned to examining the rest of my abilities, noticing with a smile that the Sealing Marks on the backs of my left and right hands still persisted, the familiar arcane patterns indicating the sealed items in question.

With a thought I conjured my silver sword, the Mark on my right hand glowing softly as the physical form of the sword was unmerged from my essence and brought to my hand.

Or rather, would have been brought to my hand if it was still useable, instead the sword fell to the ground, blade first into the soft earth. With a sigh I retrieved the blade with my functioning left hand, feeling the leather bound hilt brought a sense of security to mind, but I couldn’t help but feel how heavy the sword itself felt, though it was most likely just the result of my weakened state.
 
I quickly dismissed the silver blade, then shifted my concentration to bringing out my Miracle focus, the brass lantern. After a few minutes had passed I gave up, I could feel the lantern in there, but whenever I tried to summon it I felt my soul struggling under the pressure, as if it was simply too weak.

One angry sigh later I turned my attention to the last two tools in my arsenal, I quickly dismissed the idea of summoning my remaining weapon, figuring that if I were unable to even conjure my lantern I shouldn’t even give it a try. My wings however was another thing entirely, they were the only natural extension of the powers that all Ascended had, and most Ascended didn’t even bother getting them Sealed, but personally I always felt that they could be a distraction when meditating, hence the Sealing Mark on my wings.

I closed my eyes once more, quickly finding the magical trigger to the Seal and activating it. With great satisfaction I felt my feathery wings spread out from my back. Then I suddenly realised just how heavy they were! It felt like they were made of lead, they also felt stiff and unwieldy for some reason, though I did not feel any pain coming from them, so at the very least they were still intact.

Blaming it once again on the current state of my soul I dismissed my wings, deciding that I had spent enough time on figuring out my current state. Shelter and rest should be the most important things on my checklist.
 
Glancing around once again I tried to make out the geographical features I could see. All around me was forest, in one direction, the one I figured would lead deeper into the forest, I could clearly see the side of a rather large mountain, while all of the other directions would either lead me away from the mountain, and probably out of the forest, or just in any direction around the mountain.

Figuring that my best bet was to get out of the forest, and away from any nocturnal predators that were most likely lurking in it, I started heading away from the mountain, my feet and legs aching with every step and my broken arm hanging painfully from my side despite my best attempts at steadying it with my remaining working hand.

As I moved through the moonlit forest I could just barely notice the shape of an animal every now and then, I was fairly certain that I had seen some species of squirrels and owls, perhaps a mouse every now and then, but never anything bigger. This made me somewhat hopeful, as the population of predators might be held in check by a nearby civilization of some sort, meaning I’d possibly be able to find rest with some natives.
 
I didn’t walk for very long before I noticed the trees starting to thin out, and while the steady rain made the ground muddy and difficult to traverse, I couldn’t help but feel happy at the thought that I might soon be out of the forest.

That’s when I heard it, the movement of a mass of creatures breaking through the silence of the wood, I could tell that they were running and after a while I was certain that I heard yelling as well, yelling in the Common tongue even!

With renewed vigor I started picking up the pace, heading in the direction of the sounds, ignoring the thumping pain in my legs, the presence of sentient beings the only thing on my mind. The voices became louder as I approached, I could just barely make out the light of torches from between the trees, whatever they were there were quite a few of them, the shadows created by the torches hinting of at least a dozen. Even better, they seemed to have halted their running and were now all standing in one place, barely a hundred feet from me.
 
Throwing caution to the wind I went into a run, hoping to catch up to them before they could disappear back into the forest. I couldn’t afford to let this chance of finding help slip me by.

Another fifty feet and I could start making out what the creatures looked like, involuntarily slowing down into a silent walk as I took in their appearances.

They seemed to be equines of some sort, though already I could tell that the proportions were out of place compared to the equines I were familiar with. They weren’t quite the size of horses, were they ponies maybe? As I drew closer I started to notice a few other things, for one it seemed like there were both pegasi and unicorns in the group, yet they looked nothing like the pegasi of Elysium’s plains, or the unicorns of the Sylvan Woods. These creatures were rather small, their heads would hardly reach past my chest if I were to take a guess, and they were all much more colourful than any other equines I had ever seen, the torchlight revealing a multitude of colours present on all of the creatures.

That’s when I noticed that many of them were carrying what looked like pitchforks, a few even had crossbows or knives. How they managed to actually hold the objects in question I had no idea, but I was fairly certain one of the crossbows was levitating in the air, surrounded by a pale blue aura.
 
The entire group looked agitated and were obviously threatening something out of my sight. Not wanting to startle an angry mob of ponies wielding pitchforks and torches I decided to sneak a bit closer, the leather wrappings of my feet doing an excellent job of muffling the sound of my footsteps as I drew closer.

After a few seconds I was crouching behind a nearby bush, peeking out at the spectacle in front of me, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp as I took in what was happening.
 
Lying in front of a large rock was a battered and bruised creature, it looked the same as the others but this one was clearly younger, it barely reached the other ponies to the knees and the small horn on its head was a blunt little thing. It looked absolutely terrified; tears were welling up in its big azure eyes as it tried its best to scoot closer to the rock behind it, dirtying its pearly white fur and bedraggled pink red mane.

I was taken aback by the display in front of me, the other ponies obviously wished the little one harm, but how could that be? It was a child of their own species!
 
The mob of ponies was getting even more agitated as their shouts of ‘Monster’ and ‘Freak’ went unanswered by the little unicorn. I did not pay this any mind however, as I let my sight change into the familiar Soul Sense I had used so many times before.

The world around me became somewhat of a blur, removing most of the physical details from my surroundings, leaving the souls of the colourful ponies in front of me as the only visible features.

The glowing spheres inside each of the ponies were as colourful as their owners, each of them unique in their own way as life experiences painted their souls in different colours. A soul would always have two layers of colour; the bottom layer was the one shaped by the personality and experiences of the creature in question, while the top one would change in shape, tone and colour based on current feelings or recent actions. Learning all of these many aspects was instrumental in determining the makeup of a soul, and thus was one of the first things a Caretaker learned.
 
From what I could gather, these ponies were angry, very angry; the red tints of hatred clear on their surface aura, but at the same time there were also splotches of yellow, the colour of fear.

Shifting my attention to the smaller pony I immediately noticed that the soul was young, thus my suspicion that the creature was a child was confirmed. It pained me to see the pure white of such a young soul tainted with the ugly tints of yellow, so tainted in fact that it had started taking on the disgusting sickly yellow of despair.

I’ll admit that the sight made my Caretaker nature flare in agitation, that such a young soul should be traumatized so early in its life was an unforgiveable crime in my eyes, and I wasn’t going to stand for it.
 
I brought my senses back to the physical world as I heard the yelling from the crowd increase, I glanced in their direction just in time to see a crossbow being levelled towards the young pony. The wielder’s intention was clear.
 
“Shoot it already! That monster has to die!” The hateful yelling increased in magnitude, the small one had now closed its eyes in obvious fear, its breath coming in rapid succession as it felt its death close at hand.

The pony wielding the crossbow gave the small creature an angry glare before it took aim, and pulled the trigger with the magical aura emanating from its horn.
 
In that moment time seemed to stand still for me, I could feel my entire body pounding as I rushed from the bushes with all the speed my broken body could muster, closing the distance between me and the small unicorn faster than I’d ever moved before, even aided by the magic of a Miracle.

The entire mob of ponies grew suddenly silent as my pain-filled cry went out through the forest.

I had just barely managed to get in front of the young pony, the wooden bolt now stuck painfully deep into my practically unprotected left shin. The pain was unimaginable and with another cry of pain I fell to my knee, still protectively in front of the small creature behind me who had grown as silent as the rest of the ponies.
 
I don’t know how long I sat there, all I could feel was the throbbing pain of the intrusive object in my leg and a deep thumping in my ears. Finally I managed to get back on my wounded legs, spreading my arms out to each side of me as I spoke through gritted teeth.
 
“You….won’t harm…this child.” Every word was painful and I couldn’t help but cough at the end, I knew that I looked pitiful, but I wasn’t going to let anything hurt this innocent soul.
 
The ponies stared dumbfounded at me for a moment longer, their mouths agape in surprise until one of them, one of the regular ponies with a tan fur and dark brown mane, spoke up.
 
“It was saved by another monster! Quick, kill them before they get away!” The call brought the rest of the ponies out of their stupor, angry glares replacing surprised faces as they all moved closer to us, pitchforks and knives at the ready.
I could already tell that there would be no peaceful solution to the situation, the ponies were obviously mad with fear and hate, an anger which wouldn’t be sated until myself and the young unicorn were dead.

In a moment of strength I managed to whirl around, my feathered wings sprouting from my back as I undid the seal. I heard gasps of surprise, but my attention was focused entirely on the creature at my feet, staring up at me with fearful blue eyes. Without another moment of hesitation I scooped the small creature up with my only functioning arm, hugging the squirming form close to my body and whispering in my most calming voice.
 
“Stay still, I’ll keep you safe.”
 
It apparently understood my intention as it stopped moving, its tiny hooves instead gripping my arm with all the might in its small body.

Without another moment of hesitation I spread my wings out wide, they still felt heavy and clunky but I took no notice of it. The only thing on my mind was getting this poor soul to safety, no matter the cost. With a clumsy jump using my uninjured leg and a mighty flap of my wings, I took to the air, quickly reaching the treetops after only a few seconds of exertion. Using strength I in no way felt that I had, I took off in direction of the mountainside, moving quickly above the trees beneath us. I could feel the strain on my entire physique, with every agonizing flap of my wings it felt like my spine would be ripped out of my body, every inch of my concentration used in simply staying aloft and conscious.

I’m not sure how I managed to do it, or even how long it took, but the next thing I knew we were at a cliff side, a small opening in the rock signalling the presence of a cave.
 
With my last ounce of strength I thrusted myself forwards. Knowing full well that I wouldn’t be able to land safely I tucked the small unicorn protectively against my chest, bracing myself for impact.

The next thing I knew I crashed through the opening, landing on hard stone floor and rolling around painfully a few times before coming to a halt. As I drifted back into darkness the last thing I saw were the big azure eyes of the small unicorn, looking at me with desperation and, I noticed with happiness, its fear replaced with worry for my well-being.


> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 2

 
 
For the longest time I believed that being able to perceive and understand the soul of a creature meant knowing that creature in its entirety. After all, the soul is shaped by the nature and actions of that which it inhabits, be they immortal dragons or mortal ponies.
Perhaps if I had spent more time during my Ascended life travelling the planes, meeting other beings and interacting with the new lives I had so dutifully nurtured; I would have come to realise that a creature is defined by much more than its soul.  

-         Lysander, 3 B.NMM.
 

------------------------------------------------------

 
 
So cold…
 
So very very cold.
 
Why was I freezing like this? The last time I awoke somewhere unfamiliar my body was burning and pounding, this time it was frigid and numb. It felt like I had just gone from one very unpleasant Hell to another, and there were quite a number of unpleasant Hells to choose from after all.
 
‘Maybe I’m finally dying. I wouldn’t really be surprised, what with the earlier state of my soul taken into consideration and everything that happened since then.’
 
After a while of going through memories I finally remembered exactly what had happened, how I’d woken up in another world, found the angry mob of pony creatures, how they had been threatening a young unicorn with pitchforks and torches, and how I had somehow managed to intercept the bolt from a crossbow before it could end the life of the small creature. The moment came rushing back to me, the entire scene playing in my mind over and over again until I finally came up with a single question.
 
‘How?’
 
I knew my body rather well; I knew my own strength and speed in their entirety. I also knew that I had never reacted, or even moved, that fast in my entire Ascended life. It was almost like a force had filled me, numbing the pain in my body and slowing time to a crawl, granting me physical power not unlike that of powerful Miracles. I recalled that it had felt great somehow, but more than anything it had just felt plain odd.
 
Pushing the useless thoughts from my mind I finally noticed a part of my body not entirely freezing, I could feel something small and warm in-between my left arm and side, something breathing with a steady pulse, spreading comforting warmth to at least a part of my body.

As I opened my eyes the first thing I noticed was that I was inside of a cave, most likely the same cave I had so gracefully landed in earlier that night. Grey rocks and brown dirt all around, the light from an early day sun bringing illumination to my resting place.

With a rather uncomfortable twist of my head I shifted my gaze to the white and pink creature cuddled against my side. It was the same unicorn child… or would that be a foal? The same pony I had spirited away from danger, and which was now comfortably sleeping without a care in the world. I’m not too proud to admit that I did feel a surge of emotion at the sight, and a small smile came unbidden to my lips.
 
At that moment I felt a slight cold tingle run down my spine, and the unicorn opened its big azure eyes, looking up at my smiling face with very obvious nervosity. For a second it looked like it was going to stay put, but before I was able to react it had already jumped out of its sleeping spot, its dirty body shivering at the sudden change in temperature while still keeping its eyes locked firmly onto mine. It wasn’t exactly fear as far as I could tell, just a very large uncertainty regarding the entire situation.
 
After another moment I decided to speak up, the first thing I noticed was that my voice was very raspy for some reason, and I felt a profound dryness in my throat.

“Please don’t be afraid, I’m not going to hurt you.” I tried my best to project as calming an aura as possible, I’m not sure if it had any real effect but the unicorn visibly calmed down regardless. “Are you feeling alright, are you hurt anywhere?”
 
The same cold tingle ran down my spine, and the unicorn’s demeanour changed instantly from nervous to surprised, as if I had just asked the most idiotic question possible. With disbelief in its blue eyes the little creature took a step closer to me, it spoke in an obviously feminine voice.
 
“I’m fine, thank you. But shouldn’t you be more worried about yourself?” She, or at least I figured that she was female based on the voice, ran her gaze up and down my prone form, promptly causing me to become very aware of my own situation.
 
As I have already mentioned, an Ascended’s body is capable of recovering from even the worst wounds in a very short span of time, even broken bones would have healed after a night’s rest. Imagine my surprise then, when instead of merrily lifting my right arm and getting to my feet, I instead found that it was still very much broken, and still very painful trying to move. With a wince of pain I laid back down on the cave floor, suddenly noticing a number of things I hadn’t before. First of all the pain was still there, despite all of my reasoning telling me that it should have long passed, my body in its entirety felt uncomfortable and heavy, and I still felt the pain caused by the wound in my leg.
 
‘This shouldn’t be happening, a wound like that should’ve been gone in a matter of hours!’
 
Bracing myself with my left arm I managed to sit up straight, instantly turning my attention to my left leg, or rather, the shin. Instead of a healed limb I found the bolt removed, and the leg wrapped in a bandage made from a piece of my pants, dried red blood staining the cloth.
 
Dried. Red. Blood.
 
Red blood!

I could feel my heart, my very mortal heart I now realised, pounding in my chest as realisation hit me. The strangeness of my body, how it felt so heavy, how it felt pain much more pronounced than it should have, and how it was unable to quickly recover from minor wounds.
 
My body was flesh and blood, mortal! I could feel the blood in my veins run even colder than how my body was already feeling, all of my pain became instantly worse as I suddenly became acutely aware of exactly how frail I was.
I don’t know for how long I sat there, thoughts of fear and disbelief running through my mind, trying to make sense of how this had happened, why this had happened. I could only think of one thing, the Flame of Life had been my source of sustenance, and with it gone I was no longer whole, I was damaged, broken...
 
“Are you alright, mister?”
 
The unicorn filly’s voice brought me back to reality; she had apparently been watching me through my entire revelation, the uncertainty from earlier returned to her eyes in full force. It was heartbreaking to say the least. Conjuring the best smile I could muster I returned my attention to her, all thoughts of my sudden loss of immortality dismissed to a very deep part of my mind.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you,” I could hear the quivering in my own voice, and I tried my best to gather my composure. “Sorry, I just realised something very unsettling, but it’s nothing you should worry yourself about.”
 
This time I gave her a sincere smile and she obviously relaxed, moving a bit closer to get a better look at me, her gaze taking in my full form again, and for the first time she looked like she was pondering something.
 
“What are you?” her question was rather abrupt and seemed to take herself by surprise as well, as she suddenly looked down, kicking the dirt with her small hoofs, in what I guessed to be a bashful gesture. “If you don’t mind me asking. I can tell you’re not a pony at least.”

I slowly and gently placed my hand on her head, petting her lightly. For a second she froze and looked like she was about to bolt, but after a moment she pushed her head into my hand in recognition of my gesture before looking back up at me.
 
“It’s okay, I don’t mind. I suppose that means that there aren’t anyone else like me in this world.” For some reason the idea didn’t surprise me as much as I thought it would, I’d never travelled much to other worlds, but I had been told that sentient creatures could be very diverse. “I am one of the Ascended, as for what my species is, I believe it is something called a human, though I remember very little about my people.”

From the look on her face my answer didn’t explain much to her, in fact she looked at me even more puzzled than before.
 
“So are you Ascended or human? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of either though, you look a lot more like a shaved diamond dog than anything else I can think of.”
 
Diamond dog? A very fancy name for a species of what I could only imagine as some sort of bipedal canine, I wasn’t entirely sure if I should be insulted about being called a dog or not. Leave it to the innocent mind of a child to come up with something like that. I decided to find out more about diamond dogs later, instead chuckling lightly at her comment.
 
“Tell you what, how about you call me Lysander instead? That’s my name after all.” I gave her a wink with my, I’m guessing, still golden amber eyes, earning myself a smile in return. “How about you little one, do you have a name?”
 
For a moment her smile disappeared, possibly unsure if she should divulge her name or not, finally she looked back at me with determination, stating her name, age and race with pride in her voice. “My name’s Crystal Heart, I’m ten years old and a unicorn.”

“It’s very nice to meet you Crystal Heart; I take it you’re the one I have to thank for taking care of my leg?” I said, pointing at the cloth bandage wrapped around my shin. At this she looked away bashfully again, clearly unaccustomed to getting praised.

“Uh huh, you did protect me from those ponies, so I tried my best so you could get better.”

At this I gently petted her mane again in thanks; she giggled a little as she pushed her head against my hand again. Once more I felt the cold tingle in my spine, and was reminded about another thing. I moved my hand to beneath her jaw and lightly turned her head to face me again, I looked at her with a gentle yet serious look.

“Crystal, I’m sorry but I need to know, why were those other ponies trying to hurt you?”
 
The unicorn filly instantly lost the joy on her face; instead her eyes were getting cloudy at the memory, sadness showing clearly. I hated having to ask her about it, but I had to know if I wanted to protect her from a similar situation.
 
“I…I don’t know, I never did anything wrong, I was just doing what mother told me.” At this point tears had welled up in her eyes, and I could feel my heart break at the sight. No creature should have to suffer like that at the hands, or rather hooves, of their own kind. “I just wanted to be their friend... but they got angry at me and chased me out of the village.”

At this point her speech had become somewhat slurred as tears started falling from her eyes, she sobbed silently in her sadness and I scooped her up with my one arm, hugging her tightly to my chest, letting her cry while trying to comfort her the best I could.

“Don’t worry Crystal, you won’t have to go back there, I promise.” She looked up at me from my arm with foggy eyes, a happy smile adorned her face nonetheless. Once more I felt the peculiar shiver. “Now, can you tell me where your mother is? She’s probably worried that you’ve gone missing like this.”
 
She looked at me oddly for a moment, as if I had asked a rather strange question, a second later she seemed to have realised something as her mouth formed an ‘o’ in understanding.
 
“Oooh, right. Well, my mother lives really far up north, she’s the one who sent me out here to make friends, she told me it was really important and that I shouldn’t come back until I did.” She gave me a toothy grin at the explanation, obviously finding great joy in the ‘assignment’ her mother had given her.
 
I for one found it somewhat perplexing, I didn’t really understand the reasoning behind what her mother had told her to do, but I shrugged the thought away, figuring that it was a cultural thing among ponies. I still wasn’t sure why those village ponies had acted so violently if she just wanted to be their friend though. I also wasn’t sure if I wanted her to attempt the same thing again, and after a while of pondering the issue I came up with an idea.
 
“Alright, I suppose you’ll need to head back home then.”
 
Once more her face was adorned with that puzzled look, looking at me quizzically, tilting her head to the side and silently prompting me to explain.
 
“Your mom told you to come back once you’ve found a friend right?” She nodded in reply, and I continued with a smile. “Well, I’ll be your friend, how about that?”
 
The biggest smile I had ever seen appeared on the filly’s face. “Will you? Will you really!?” She was ecstatic, and I replied with a nod and smile of my own. “Yay! I’ve made a friend, thank you thank thank you!” The little filly hugged me in her happiness, surprisingly strong hoofs practically squeezed the air out of my lungs, my aching body responding with pain due to the treatment. I felt another cold prickle run down my spine, this time stronger than before, but I didn’t pay it much mind as my new friend hugged me tightly, and I hugged her back in turn.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 3

 
 
We spent a few more minutes in the cave, myself recovering from the fatigue and cold after sleeping on hard rock for the better part of a night, while Crystal Heart was bouncing around with an energy I very much envied her. Her joy of finding a new friend was rather infectious, and I couldn’t help but feel happiness myself, despite my earlier experiences and current predicament.
 
With a final stretch of my sore back I started heading out the cave opening, the excited filly following me with a constant smile on her face. As we stepped into the clear morning air, the early day sun banishing the uncomfortable cold from my body, I noticed something I hadn’t the day before.

The world was absolutely beautiful, I guessed that it was currently early spring, the sun’s glow was warm and soothing in the cold morning air, the recently bloomed trees spreading out in every direction, birds chirping could be clearly heard and there were green fields stretching out from the edges of the forest. Most of all though I noticed something I hadn’t been able to last night, the colours, they were so very vivid, as if some mystical force had increased the intensity of it all.
 
It was breathtaking to say the least; even Elysium could only reach this level of beauty on a good day, and without noticing my mouth spread into a small smile. I was brought out of my reverie by the sound of a giggling unicorn at my side, shifting my head to look down at her with a somewhat sheepish grin.
 
“You look like you’ve never seen trees before,” for a moment her smile faltered as a realisation hit her, gazing up at me with slight sadness in her voice. “Oh no, don’t they have trees where you’re from?”
 
I couldn’t contain a chuckle, her question and worry was quite endearing, if not a tad silly. “Don’t worry Crystal Heart; there are indeed trees in Elysium, I’ve just never seen any quite so beautiful before,” I said, doing my best to dispel any worries that she might have upset me. “Actually, do you think you could tell me something about your world? I’d like to know more if I’ll be staying here for a while.”
 
This seemed to brighten her up, and with great joy she started telling me everything she knew about the subject, most of which was apparently taught to her by her mother. It turned out that the country we were in was called Equestria, she wasn’t sure what the world was called, but she did name a couple of the surrounding lands too. To the north of Equestria were two larger stretches of land, a mountainous area known simply as the Gryphon Kingdoms, in which Griffins apparently lived, and the Badlands which was a wasteland of barren rock and sand. To the south of Equestria was a large ocean, and on the other side of it a country called Zebrica, she knew that zebras lived there, but nothing much else.

In the western part of Equestria was the Mild West, and beyond that she wasn’t sure. She didn’t know about the lands east from Equestria, but her mother had told her that it was primarily dragon country. She also told me about the Royal Sisters Celestia and Luna, a pair of very powerful winged unicorns who apparently ruled Equestria as a diarchy, and from what she told me they also raised the Sun and Moon every day and night. The concept wasn’t something I had encountered before, I knew of deities which were revered as the sun or moon on individual planes, but not for a creature to actually move a celestial body like these two supposedly did.
 
I came up with two possibilities regarding the Royal Sisters, the first being that this planet was the center of their celestial system, with the sun and moon moving around it instead of the planet moving around the sun as in a common solar system. This would mean that other planets probably didn’t exist, with the sun, moon and stars being sufficiently different from the celestial bodies I was familiar with to allow a pair of powerful creatures to manipulate them in a day/night cycle. The other possibility was that the standard solar system model still applied, which would make the Royal Sisters the most powerful beings I had ever heard of, literal Goddesses in every sense of the word.
Suffice to say, I decided that the first option was more likely.
 
Crystal ended her speech with her head held high in pride, obviously finding great pleasure in showing me, the clueless alien, exactly how much she knew.
 
“Thank you Crystal, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I gave her a pat on the head as thanks, the little filly beaming at me in response, and the cold shiver returned for a second. “I suppose we should head out. Not sure about you, but I’d rather not spend another night in a cave.”
 
I was just about to look for a path down the cliff-side when I remembered my broken arm, I wasn’t entirely sure, but I would guess that travelling with it in its current state was a bad idea. “Actually, Crystal, do you think you could help me with my arm? I’m probably going to need a sling for it.”
 
What followed was an attempt at creating a sling for my arm using another piece of ripped off cloth from my pants, I say attempt because I had never had to care for a broken bone, and Crystal hadn’t actually ever seen an arm before. In the end, with great help from Crystal’s unicorn magic, we managed to make a somewhat reliable sling for the broken limb, I’m sure it wasn’t perfect, but at least it would keep it somewhat steady.
 
After making sure that the cloth sling would hold we turned our attention back to the mountain-side on which we were residing. It wasn’t entirely steep, but trying to climb down it with hoofs wouldn’t be easy, saying nothing of trying to do it with just one hand.

While I was pondering our predicament Crystal turned to me, and nudged me with her muzzle in order to get my attention.
 
“Didn’t you have wings before?” she asked me questioningly. “Couldn’t you just fly us down?”
 
I took me a moment to comprehend what she had just said, after which I promptly put my hand to my face in excellent facepalm. I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t even considered using my wings; they were a natural part of me after all.
With a sigh at my own stupidity I released the seal on my wings, spreading them out from my back in a single motion.
 
And instantly regretting that I had.
 
Pain ran up my back like a surge of lightning, causing me to wince and involuntarily fall to my knee. Earlier they had felt like they were made of lead, now they felt like… well I’m not sure exactly, something heavier than lead at least. I wasn’t sure what was causing it, but if I had to wager a guess I’d say that it had something to do with trying to fly last night, apparently the surge of strength and exertion had left them damaged somehow.
 
“Lysander! Are you alright?” Crystal was looking at me with worried eyes, clearly upset at having made me bring out my wings. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t want you to get hurt!”
 
With another flinch of pain I sealed my wings again; gasping slightly for breath as I did my best to smile at her in reassurance.
 
“I’m fine Crystal, you didn’t know that it would happen and I would probably have tried it anyway at some point. It was for the best I discovered this now rather than later.”
 
After a minute of gathering my wits we went back to our current obstacle. With wings out of the question the only remaining option was to climb, something I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be able to accomplish well, considering I had never had to do it before, having flight and all.

I scooped up the small unicorn and placed her on my left shoulder, telling her to hold on as securely as she could, a few moments later she nodded and told me she was ready. What followed was almost twenty minutes of me clumsily moving down a somewhat steep mountain-side, the entire experience made even more hazardous by me only having one functioning arm, and a still wounded leg.
 
Covered in sweat and dirt I finally made it close to the ground, Crystal giving me words of encouragement the entire way. Just as I entered the last stretch my grip found a loose stone, causing me to give off a surprised yell as we plummeted the remaining ten feet to the ground. I just barely had time to grab Crystal and bring her to my chest before my back hit hard earth with a loud thud, followed by a yelp of pain from me. I felt the pain shoot through me, my breathing was heavy and painful, and I just hoped that I hadn’t damaged anything else in my now annoyingly frail body.
 
Crystal’s worried visage came into view as I lay there on my back, nuzzling me gently as if to make the pain go away. I simply responded by running my hand reassuringly through her mane and smiling at her.
 
“I’m okay, just give me a minute to catch my breath, alright?” She nodded in response, but kept lying on my chest in order to comfort me. It didn’t exactly make it easier to breathe, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask her to jump off.
 
A few minutes later most of the pain had subsided, the pressure in my chest replaced by the comforting warmth of the filly’s steadily breathing form. I’ll admit that I had to gather a lot of willpower before I was able to tell her to jump off, giving her another pat on the head as thanks.
 
Another few seconds and I was on my feet again, my aching body complaining quite harshly at my action. After making sure that I hadn’t damaged anything else we set off into the forest, using the sun’s position and Crystal’s knowledge to point us towards north, and hopefully Crystal’s home.
 
We walked for a few hours through the forest, it was rather well illuminated and didn’t have quite the same oppressive feeling it had last night. From what Crystal told me most woodland predators in Equestria were nocturnal, meaning that we’d be mostly safe if we just travelled during the day and found somewhere to sleep before dark. She informed me, once again in that lecturing voice of hers, that the closest village in that direction was just a few hours north from the forest, established around an older quarry where most of the male population worked.
 
Just as she was explaining why mainly earth ponies, the name they used for the ‘regular’ ponies, were the primary workforce, my stomach made a rather loud growling noise. I stopped in my tracks, looking at my stomach with no small amount of confusion.
 
“Oh, are you hungry?” Crystal said as she picked up on the sound of my stomach.
 
“Hungry? I’m not sure.” So that’s what it was, hunger. I had never experienced it before, Ascended were able to gather what nutrients they needed from the aether, eating food only for the taste and the extra energy it gave. “I suppose I am, do you know if there’s any food to be found in here?”
 
She looked unsure for a second before bringing her hoof to her chin in silent contemplation, obviously thinking very hard about it. After a while she nodded and told me what she knew about food you could find in forests, she didn’t know a whole lot about it but we decided to try our luck at it none the less. I was fairly certain that we’d die if we didn’t eat anything; at the very least I wasn’t very eager to find out.
 
At that point we started wandering the forest, keeping an eye out for anything edible on the way. Another half an hour or so later my stomach was practically killing me, but we had managed to gather up a fair number of berries and wild apples. We had also come across several very colourful fruits, but something told me to avoid ingesting anything too colourful like those.
 
During our search we had also managed to find a pond of sorts, a natural spring as it turned out. With a source of water and a decent amount of food we started eating, as we did I told her more about myself and where I was from, though I did leave out a few things, such as the Fiendish invasion, and how I was probably the last of my kind.
 
I told her about the Ascended Order, how we were made up of sentient beings from various species granted immortality and power after proving ourselves in our mortal lives. Then I told her of the various groups within the Order, the Seraphim Council which was our ruling body, made up of the Seraphim, or Seraph in singular, the strongest and wisest Ascended, the Caretakers who took care of nurturing souls for rebirth, the Pathfinders who travelled the planes as explorers and diplomats, the Scholars who dealt with research and knowledge, and the Legion which was split into two groups, the Guardians who were the protectors of Elysium, and the Solars, great warriors who fought against evil throughout the Planes.
 
As I finished I could tell that she didn’t entirely believe me, it was quite a bit to take in after all, and I honestly didn’t blame her for her disbelief. I did notice that she didn’t eat all that much, then again I had no way of knowing exactly how much ponies ate, especially not when it came to unicorn fillies.
 
“So, if you were really immortal, how old are you?” She asked, her face still showing that she didn’t quite believe my story.
 
The question was rather simple, but as I thought about it I wasn’t actually sure about the answer, it’s not like Ascended celebrated birthdays, so I had never really kept count.
 
“I really couldn’t tell you, I recall that my mortal life ended in a battle somewhere, and I was probably around thirty at the time.” I wracked my memory, trying to come up with some indication of exactly how many years it had been since then. “I don’t think I’ve passed a thousand, but I’m at least a few centuries old.”
 
Crystal looked somewhat unimpressed as I turned my gaze back to her. “That’s not all that old; I heard that the princesses are really really old, like several thousand years old. And there’s probably Spirits or dragons close to that age too.” She stated matter-of-factly, once more in her lecturing tone, as if she was schooling a student.
 
“I’m actually happy that I’m not that old,” I said with a smile as I playfully rustled her mane. “From my experiences beings that old tend to be very grumpy.”
 
The unicorn filly giggled and rolled to the side to get out of my reach, sticking her tongue out at me in challenge. Then she sniffed the air and scrunched up her nose, waving her hoof in front of her face as if to ward off some foul smell.
 
“Eeeww, you really smell, I think you need a bath.”
 
I blinked a few times before turning my attention to my body odour, picking up the rather strong scent of sweat, blood and dirt. She was right, I definitely didn’t smell all that good.

Glancing to the small spring we sat at, I decided that it was probably a good idea to get cleaned up, and especially take a look at my wounded leg. With a shrug I proceeded to remove my dirty white tunic, though I did require a fair bit of help from Crystal’s magic. Unicorns apparently having telekinesis at will still impressed me greatly, I could imagine that it made pony life much easier.

Opting to keep my pants-turned-shorts on I turned my attention to the cloth bandage on my leg, carefully removing it with a gratuitous helping of unicorn magic. The wound was still there, though a light scabbing had already started covering most of it, and once more I was reminded of my own mortality, the revelation doing nothing to ease my mind.
 
Following a very unsuccessful attempt at coming to terms with my current condition I decided to slip into the spring pond, the cool water bringing instant comfort to my battered and bruised body. It felt absolutely amazing, as if all my worries just seeped out of me into the clear water, in all of my long existence I had never felt as alive as I did in that moment.
 
Then Crystal Heart happened.
 
One moment I was enjoying the bath, the entire world closed off from my senses, and that was a really bad mistake. The next thing I knew something small and furry collided with the back of my head with a loud ‘weeee’, sending me sprawling into the pond head first with a yelp of surprise.
 
‘So much for peace of mind…’


> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 4

 
 
I remember the first time I felt emotional despair, actual hopelessness at my inability to change something which I found wrong at the deepest level. It could be that I was just naïve, that my own lack of experience in dealing with other worlds and species had left me too much of a goodhearted fool, unable to see beyond what could be discerned on the surface of what was Equestria, the world I had initially believed a beautiful paradise.
As I would soon learn, no world is a paradise, no matter how perfect or peaceful it may seem, somewhere unseen is a darkness, a root that could never be purged or removed. And as it turns out, the more pure and innocent the world, the more susceptible it is to the corruptive touch of evil.

-         Lysander, 3 B.NMM.
 

------------------------------------------------------

 
 
After getting cleaned up, with no small amount of splashing around from Crystal Heart’s side, we managed to dry ourselves the best we could, and rewrap my wounded shin with a somewhat cleaned strip of cloth. Crystal made it very clear that not keeping the wound clean could lead to an infection and possibly sickness, just another reason for me to loathe my sudden mortality even more. It was a strange sensation, disliking my own physical coil to such a degree, all the while feeling a hollow emptiness where the majority of my soul used to be. It was rather new to me to feel this hateful about anything; negative emotions never were very strong in the Ascended, thoughts of anger or vengeance more or less unknown to us. Thinking of Ezekiel especially brought out these dark feelings in me.
 
I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t like having them, they gave me a sense of purpose, a goal to aim for in my new life. Somehow I actually believed that getting revenge on the fallen Seraph would accomplish something, would in some way make everything alright again. Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn’t, all I knew was that that particular dilemma was the one furthest from my mind in that moment.
 
We walked in silence for a while, and had I paid better attention to my surroundings instead of thinking pointless thoughts I might have seen it coming, could have avoided it somehow, but in my state of contemplation a dragon could’ve landed in front of me without bringing me out of it.
 
As it turns out, the filly next to me suddenly yelling out in surprise and fear managed to do it, and I looked up sharply just in time to receive a hoof to my gut, pushing the air out of my lungs and sending me rolling backwards several feet, coming to a stop face down in the dirt with a grunt of pain.
 
Coughing up a bit of blood I managed to get a look at my assailant just as Crystal Heart made it to my side, looking worriedly at me with those azure eyes of hers.

Where I had been standing only seconds earlier stood a grey coated earth pony with a wild unkempt black mane and brown eyes, his body was muscular and rugged, a dirty brown bandana around his neck. He glared at me with hostility and superiority, smirking ever so slightly at my current state of pain.
 
“Oi creature, ya should learn to pay attention, otherwise y’all might get hurt.” He said, putting emphasis on ‘hurt’ just in case I hadn’t gotten the message previously.
 
Returning the glare I managed to get back on my feet, wiping the blood from my mouth with the palm of my hand. I didn’t know why he had attacked me, but he was sorely mistaken if he thought I’d let myself be intimidated into submission that easily.
 
The pony didn’t seem particular worried about my size in comparison to his own, even staring down at him from almost twice his height he kept that same smirk. “Don’t ya go getting defiant now ya overgrown monkey,” he gestured with his head to several other ponies laying in ambush around us, at least two of them wielding crossbows. “We’ll just be taking y’alls valuables real quick like.”
 
Bandits? There were actually bandits in these woods? Somehow the idea surprised me a bit more than it should have, I had witnessed the night before that ponies were quite capable of evil, or at the very least losing themselves in negative emotions. The idea just seemed farfetched to me.
 
I kept me gaze on him with clear annoyance. “What makes you think we even have any valuables? Do we look like we’d be able to carry any gold?”
 
My question didn’t seem to faze him in the slightest; instead he just looked at us with barely contained malice. “Ya got a point there; then again, I’m sure we could find somepony willing to pay a decent amount of bits for such an exotic creature.”
 
Was he actually talking about selling me off like some kind of slave or pet? I could already feel my blood starting to boil in my veins, replacing my look of annoyance with one of clear anger. If the pony noticed he didn’t say anything about it, but continued his tirade as his gaze wandered to the unicorn filly at my side, doing her best to hide behind my legs.
 
“And don’t ya worry none about yer little companion there, I’m sure we’ll be able to find some diamond dogs or griffin willing to take her off our hooves.”
 
His words were like venom to my ears, and it took all of my willpower to stop myself from charging at him then and there, but I knew that Crystal would be defenseless if I did. Instead I braced myself protectively in front of her, a cold chill running down my spine; preparing to conjure my sword and hopefully get a surprise attack in before they could react to my sudden weapon.
 
Without warning the grey earth pony charged at me, drawing a long knife from a sheath under his bandana with his mouth. I was taken back by how fast he was, my body moving on its own as I drew my blade from thin air, quickly grasping it in my left hand, every thought in my mind focused on protecting the frightened unicorn behind me.
 
The cold chill intensified, and just as the pony was about to reach us, knife readied for attack, a large green ball of fire shot from behind me, engulfing my would-be attacker in a blaze and causing him to scream loudly in pain. I just barely managed a look with surprise at the heavily breathing unicorn at my side, her horn still glowing with green energy, before shocked gasps rang out from the ponies around us and the thwacks of released crossbows could be heard.
 
Like the night before I felt a surge of strength, the world becoming a blur as my body was flooded with unfamiliar power. ‘Adrenaline’  I realised at that moment. The human defensive mechanism I hadn’t experienced after becoming an Ascended, but was now back along with the mortal blood in my body.
 
Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to move away without exposing Crystal Heart I instead whirled around in place, only just taking one of the bolts out of the air with my blade as the other avoided piercing my torso, opening a tear in my tunic and leaving a line of blood instead.

Not wanting to give them a chance to reload or charge me, I placed my foot under Crystal’s stomach, kicking her into a nearby bush as gently as I could, before setting off in the fastest sprint I could muster towards one my attackers. The unexplainable appearance of a weapon in my hand threw him off, just barely bringing the empty crossbow up in a feeble attempt to block my attack, which split the wooden weapon in two and sliced into his shoulder, causing him to stumble backwards and groan in pain.
 
My senses picked up something charging at my back and without warning I spun around, my right leg leading in a kick which impacted another earth pony on the side of his head, sending him tumbling to the ground, the knife he had wielded harmlessly dropping from his mouth.

The next second I felt a sting in my abdomen, and I quickly moved away from the dagger wielding pony who had flanked me from another direction, hoping to catch me off guard. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing me in pain; I responded with a sideways slash of my blade and, being unaccustomed in fighting taller enemies as he was, managed to open a wide wound in his forehead which made him gasp in pain and lose hold of his dagger. Having been blinded by his own blood flowing down his head, I quickly planted a kick squarely in his bloodied face, sending him to the ground with a thud.
 
I managed to spin around just in time to see the other crossbow wielding pony levelling his newly loaded weapon towards me, just as he was about to fire the bolt at me the weapon became engulfed in familiar green flames, causing him to yelp in surprise and let go of the crossbow. Without wasting another second I set into a sprint, quickly closing the distance between us. The pony gave a whine of fear before turning around, intending to buck me in his panic. The attack was rushed however, and I easily dodged out of the way, moving around to his side and delivering a knee to his unguarded jaw, a loud crack and a cry of pain later and he joined his fellows in the dirt.
 
Gasping for breath I started looking around for any more potential aggressors, but at the moment only the first pony with the crossbow and the one I had roundhouse kicked were still conscious, both of them on their hoofs, looking fearfully at the bodies of their comrades littering the ground.

As I locked my gaze on the nearest of him he gave a small yelp of fear, his eyes quickly darting back and forth looking for a means of escape.
 
“Wait! Just…wait a tick!” He yelled out, looking at me with barely hidden panic. “Please, just… just take the loot and let us go.”

As he said this he brought out a cloth pouch from the small saddlebags on his back, lowering it to the ground while keeping eye contact with me, obviously preparing to dart if I tried something. Seeing no attack forthcoming he let out a slight sigh of relief, quickly motioning to his remaining friend to pick up their unconscious comrade from the ground.
 
They both started backing away, the one from before speaking up again with uncertainty plainly in his voice. “We’ll….we’ll just get out of your manes then,” he gave a nervous laughter at this. “So yes…sorry about all that and… erm…bye!” And with that they bolted into the forest. I turned around as I saw the remaining crossbow-pony pick himself up and gallop in the opposite direction, leaving me and Crystal Heart with a very crispy bandit leader and a pouch of ‘loot’.
 
“Are…are the bad ponies gone?” I looked back at the source of the more-nervous-than-scared voice, seeing Crystal peek her head out of the bush I had deposited her in earlier.
 
I gave her a smile before dismissing my sword, taking a few very deep haggard breaths. “Yes Crystal, they’re gone, it’s safe to come out now.” My jovial tone disguising exactly how much pain I felt in that moment.
 
With a last glance around the area she trotted out of her hiding place, slightly panting from her own exhaustion of magic. As she spotted me, standing there gasping for breath with several wounds dyeing my clothes red with blood, her fear was quickly replaced with worry, darting to me as fast as her small legs could carry her.
 
“Oh no! Are you wounded? Are you going to be okay?” She didn’t seem to pay much mind to the still smoking corpse nearby, instead looking me over frantically.
 
I quietly lowered myself to lean against a tree, doing my best to keep the very intense pain from my face and voice. “I’ll live, but I guess we’ll need to rip my clothes even more now,” I said jokingly, my poor attempt at humour hiding how I really felt. “And thank you by the way; if you hadn’t been here to help I would’ve been in a much worse condition.”
 
Petting her on the head to emphasise my gratitude, I once more felt the cold tingle, though barely noticeable through my considerable misery. “That was some very impressive magic, where did you learn it?”
 
In reality I knew very little about how unicorn magic worked, but I felt it was important to ease her mind about our earlier situation. She had seemed absolutely terrified at the prospect of more ponies trying to hurt her.
 
Crystal gave me an honest but uncertain smile. “I didn’t really know what I was doing, mother told me to just throw magic at anything attacking me,” she started hoofing the ground nervously. “And when I saw my new friend being attacked, I just sort of…reacted.”
 
“Well I’m very glad you did Crystal, I know you must’ve been scared but I’m very proud of your courage.” At this she beamed at me, nuzzling my pained stomach gently.
 
After a few moments her attention turned to the dead bandit nearby, the fires having already gone out, leaving behind a very black and charred corpse.
 
“Is… is he dead?”
 
The question took me by surprise for a moment, suddenly very aware that this young soul had probably just killed for the first time, and without warning I picked her up in a light hug, doing my best to avoid bleeding on her.
 
“He is, but you didn’t do anything wrong, he would’ve killed either of us if he had the chance,” I tried to assure her in my most calming voice. “You didn’t do anything wrong acting in self-defense, I want you to know that, okay?”
 
I brought her eyes to look into mine, there were no tears in them, just a solemn feeling of some sort I couldn’t exactly put my finger on. Ever so slightly she nodded at me, lowering her gaze to the ground again, and for just a moment I considered using my Soul Sense to find out exactly what emotions she was struggling with. I quickly pushed the thought from my mind, deciding that doing so would be too intrusive. If she wanted to talk about it, she would come to me.
 
Quietly removing Crystal from my lap I got back on my feet, glancing around for a moment before coming to a decision. “We should head back to the spring, it’s not far and I need to clean and bandage my wounds.” At this she nodded empathically.
 
Just as we were about to leave I stopped and looked to where the fleeing bandits had left the pouch. For a moment I considered leaving it, it was stolen valuables after all, but after a few seconds of consideration I decided that we’d need the local currency if we were to buy supplies and rest somewhere. Picking up the pouch I looked inside to see it filled with simple golden coins, having no idea how much they were worth I decided to ask Crystal about it.

Turned out that there was a decent amount of money in it, at the very least she was sure we could purchase room and food for a while, as well as get me some new clothes. She was initially a bit confused of why I’d even need clothes, until I pointed out that I didn’t have any fur to keep me warm. At this she just smiled sheepishly before we went on our way.
 
We quickly backtracked to the spring, getting my wounds cleaned and sacrificing my entire tunic to bandage them as best we could. After finishing up we started moving back towards where we came from, and after a couple of hours we made it out of the forest, green plains and grassland greeting us.
 
We walked in peaceful quiet for another few hours, the sun slowly making its way across the sky above us, signalling that it was some time in the afternoon. Already I could feel the blasted human hunger setting in, I felt energy drain from me but continued on, and if Crystal felt the same hunger she didn’t show it, so I certainly wasn’t going to complain.
 
At some point we made it to the top of a hillock, spotting a small village of perhaps five dozen buildings below us, nestled against what I guessed to be the quarry, a collection of cliffs and hills crisscrossed with a number of small ponymade roads. Taking in the sight, with my stomach growling at the promise of food in the immediate future, I suddenly thought of something that had completely slipped my mind.
 
“So… do you think I could just wander in there? I mean the bandits didn’t seem too worried about me, but the ones before that…” I let my worries hang in the air, hoping that Crystal would alleviate my fears.
 
She looked thoughtful for a moment before giving me the pony equivalent of a shrug. “You might turn a few heads, but I don’t think they’ll fear you.” She gestured at me. “I mean, just look at you, you’re the least intimidating thing in Equestria right now.”
 
I could hear the barely disguised teasing in her voice, and gave a deep sigh in surrender. “I suppose you’re right, at the very least we should be able to get a room somewhere. It’s not like we’re going to stay here for long anyway.”
 
On that note we started heading down the dirt road, and though I was still concerned about how I would be received, I was also somewhat eager to have my first civilized encounter with other ponies. Especially if said ponies weren’t going to try and kill me.
 
 
‘It’s not like it’s something that’s going to happen regularly… right?”


> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 5

 
 
As it turned out, most of my fears were somewhat unwarranted. Walking into the small village, Old Stable was its name according to a wooden signpost on the road, did cause quite a reaction from the populace. All of them stopped and stared at us as we walked the dirt road leading through the village, it didn’t matter if they were carrying saddlebags filled with groceries, pulling carts or just trotting about in general. Without fault each and single one of them would halt what they were doing and just look at us passing them by, most of the stares were simply ones of uncertainty or curiosity, thankfully few of them were fearful and not a single one was truly hostile.
 
That’s not to say that they didn’t hurry along if I looked in their direction, as if simply staying in my gaze for too long would cause them to burst into flames. And even though I realised that they reacted to my strange presence as was only natural, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt and sadness. The last thing I wanted to do was to make these ponies think that I was somehow dangerous, some kind of monster just waiting for a chance to pounce. All in all I was glad to discover that they did not, at least not immediately, bring out the torches and pitchforks.
 
Crystal Heart seemed to take the attention at a somewhat better stride, rather remarkable really as I considered the last few experiences she had had with her fellow ponies. That’s not to say that she wasn’t nervous, even without my Soul Sense I could tell that she was at least concerned about something.
 
“So Crystal, do you know of any inns where we might find room and food?” I looked down at her with as comforting a smile as I could muster. “We should probably lay low somewhere until news of our arrival has spread, no need to startle a crowd if we can avoid it.”
 
She contemplated my question for a second before looking up at me. “I think they normally put inns on the main road, so it shouldn’t be hard to find one.”
 
Simply nodding in reply we continued on our way, and although the number of buildings in the village was somewhat small there were quite a few parks and other such open areas. After another few minutes of walking we did come across an inn, a pleasant looking two-story building with a sign out front spelling ‘The Green Clover’, it had a wooden carving resembling its namesake. A bit further ahead the main road opened up into a large area, a village square with quite a few ponies and a number of carts and merchant-stands, most likely the marketplace.
 
Deciding against heading into the general public so soon after our arrival, we instead opened the door of the Green Clover and walked in. I had to bow down a bit to avoid hitting my head against the top of the doorframe.

We came into a cozy looking and well-lit room, a number of tables, with chairs obviously made for pony use, were spread around the room in an orderly fashion. A single set of stairs led upstairs, and on the right hand side after entering was a long wooden counter, a somewhat plumb earth pony mare with a tan coat and light red mane standing behind it, casually cleaning a mug with a rag. There were only a handful of ponies in the room, each and every one of them growing quiet and looking at us, or me more specifically, the 6 feet bipedal with bloody bandages.
 
They weren’t exactly hostile or even fearful as far as I could tell, it was almost as if we had just entered a domain sacred to them, and we didn’t exactly belong. The mare on the other side of the counter looked back and forth between us and the other ponies for a moment, before waving us over with a hoof and a smile.
 
“Welcome to The Green Clover travellers, come on in and make yourselves comfortable.” Her voice was surprisingly sincere and nonchalant, causing me to let out a small sigh of relief I hadn’t realised I had been holding in.
 
As if on cue, all the other ponies turned their attention away from us and back to their earlier conversations, obviously satisfied with the innkeeper’s decision. Crystal and I quickly went to the counter, not wanting to give up on the invitation we had been so thankfully given, my unicorn companion jumping up to sit on a tall stool, while I tried to appear the least intimidating I possibly could.
 
After giving us another quick look-over the mare’s smile was back in full. “You’re an odd pair if I ever saw one,” she gave a small joking chuckle. “Name’s Sweet Peach and I’m the owner of this here establishment, what can I do for you?”
 
I gave her a relieved smile in return. “My name is Lysander, and this is my companion Crystal Heart,” I motioned to the filly on my right, who was busy taking in her new surroundings. “and we’re looking for a place to stay and rest for a few days, preferably with food to go along with the room if you offer any such service.”
 
“That shouldn’t be a problem at all, is a single room going to be enough for you?” I nodded in reply. “One room it is, and I’ll just go ahead and write you up for three meals a day then. You should look forward to my fruit salad; best one you’ll ever have.” She gave me a wink at this before turning around and heading through a nearby door, probably leading to a kitchen. As she did I noticed something I had only vaguely seen on ponies earlier, on both of her flanks was a rather intricate image depicting a small bunch of various fruits.
 
I turned my attention to Crystal, who at that point was busy observing the other ponies in the room. “Crystal, could I ask you a question?” At this she turned her attention back to me with a quizzical look. “What are those markings that ponies have? You don’t have one, but I’ve seen them on other ponies before.”
 
She gave me that familiar ‘Are you kidding me?’ look before she finally remembered who she was talking to, and promptly giggled at my question. “Those are cutie marks silly.” She coughed lightly and shifted to her ‘lecturing’ voice. “You see, a cutie mark is something unique to every pony, it appears when a pony discovers what makes them special. It could be a talent or even what sort of job or work they’re good at; sometimes a cutie mark can even represent a concept or an idea instead.”
 
With a satisfied smile and a nod she ended her lesson, obviously pleased that she was once more able to educate me in what is supposedly basic knowledge for ponies. I really should try and find a book on Equestrian and pony culture, it wouldn’t do that I needed a ten year old to fill me in on these kinds of things.
 
I was brought out of my musings by the return of Sweet Peach, who was carrying a wooden tray in her mouth with practiced ease, on top of said tray were a couple bowls with various fruits, covered in a white creamy substance of some sort. Without batting an eyelash she deposited the two fruit salads in front of us, beaming all the while.
 
“There you go, a couple of my special fruit salads on the house, I even added a little extra yoghurt in yours my dear,” she smiled at Crystal Heart, nudging one of the bowls closer to her. “I hope you enjoy, eat up and I’ll show you to your rooms in a little while.”
 
Crystal Heart grabbed the fruit salad with glee, giving a quick ‘Thank you’ to Sweet Peach as the older mare headed to the kitchen. I noticed the innkeeper giving a light shiver, which she responded to by looking around for any open windows, before simply shrugging and trotting into the back.
 
We quickly found a free table and settled in, Crystal doing so somewhat easier considering the chairs weren’t exactly made for my kind. But eventually I managed to sit with some comfort and started eating the, very delicious, fruit salad using the smoothly carved spoons we had been supplied with. I couldn’t help but be puzzled about the eating utensil; no matter what I tried I just couldn’t think of an explanation for how ponies were able to actually use these with their hoofs. Looking at Crystal didn’t give me any answers, as she just wrapped the spoon in her green magical aura and ate away, with quite some fervor I might add. Shrugging the question away as just another unexplainable part of Equestrian magic, I returned to eating the tasty dessert, suddenly not all that annoyed by the fact that I now needed food for sustenance.
 
A few minutes passed by as we sat there and ate, Crystal managing to finish quite a bit faster than me, at which point she scowled a bit before promptly shifting her attention to my still half full bowl of fruity goodness, her eyes filled with an almost scary hungry gleam. After casting a quick glance I reached the bowl across the table towards her, which was quickly grabbed from the air with an eager use of unicorn magic. I felt the familiar tingling sensation as she spoke words of thanks through mouthfuls of food, wolfing it down like she hadn’t eaten in ages, and I couldn’t contain a mirthful chuckle.
 
“Easy there Crystal, I’m sure the fruit isn’t going to try and escape.”
 
With a bashful expression and a light blush she sat the, now empty, bowl down on the table. “Sorry, it’s just that we don’t really have fruit where I’m from, so I guess I got a bit carried away.” She looked at the empty bowls for a moment before she grew a slight frown. “Besides, mother says that I shouldn’t eat too many sweet things. It’s not good for you.”
 
I was about to ask her a bit more about her home when Sweet Peach returned, and after giving us our key we were shown upstairs to where our room was. It was a simple one-roomed affair, a single bed, dresser, table with mirror and a wooden tub for water. A single window allowing the late day light into the room. The bed was pony-sized and somewhat small, but without even asking for it Sweet Peach moved another bed into the room to stand in conjunction with the first, creating somewhat human sized bedding. Satisfied with the result we locked up again and headed downstairs, it wasn’t all that late yet and I still needed a bit of information.
 
Our host beat me to it however, as no sooner had we gotten back downstairs before she turned a somewhat worried look towards me, glancing at my bandages and broken arm.
 
“I’m sorry if you take this the wrong way dear, but I really think you should go see somepony about those wounds of yours.” After finding only surprise in my features she went on, somewhat more determined now that she knew I didn’t take offence. “In fact I insist that you do, I won’t stand for one of my guests being in that state.”
 
She put empathy on her words by stomping a hoof to the floor, I merely responded by shrugging away the surprise at her sudden empathy and smiling at her.
 
“That’s quite alright, I was actually hoping to find some…-pony capable of helping me, but I appreciate your worry.” I gave her a slight bow in gratitude, which she responded to with a smile.
 
“I’m glad to hear that, you would be surprised by how stubborn some stallions can be when it comes to things like this.” She shook her head in annoyance at the thought. “As for somepony to help you, I’m afraid we don’t have an actual healer here, but Ivory Scroll might be able to help you, he’s somewhat of the town apothecary.”
 
A short while later we had directions to Ivory Scroll’s house, and after saying our thanks we headed back out into the street. The sun was somewhat low in the sky, signalling late afternoon or early evening, and not wanting to disturb the pony ‘apothecary’ too late in the day we decided to set a brisk pace. Thankfully the pony’s house wasn’t too far from the Clover, and we didn’t even have to go through the market square to get there.

Once more we were met with the stares of curious ponies, but this time any hint of fear had been replaced with genuine interest in the new strangers, and I could hear several hushed conversations erupt in our wake. It was all the same to me what they thought, as long as they didn’t start up a mob and drive us out of town.
 
A good ten minutes later we found ourselves in front of a simple two-story house, there was a small balcony with a tripod-mounted telescope, and all of the windows on the ground floor were impossible to see through thanks to what I guessed to be piles of books. Other than that the house seemed entirely normal, even though it had obviously seen better days. With a shrug I took a few steps up to the door and knocked, after a few seconds I could start hearing movement on the other side, like someone, or rather somepony, moving something out of the way. A moment later the lock on the other side was unhitched and the door opened to reveal a rather dazed looking unicorn stallion, his coat was a dark grey, his mane black with white highlights, and a pair of reading glasses were positioned on his muzzle, on his flank was his ‘cutie mark’, a sealed white scroll.
 
He yawned audibly. “Hmm, yes? Who…is…it?” At this point he had noticed me standing on the other side of the door, his blue eyes turned to pinpricks and his speech started getting incoherent at best.
 
Not wanting to scare the poor pony anymore than I had, I decided it would be best to speak up. “Hello and sorry for the intrusion, would you be Ivory Scroll?” I tried my best to give him a reassuring smile, hoping that I hadn’t just scared the wits out of the one pony who could possibly help me in this village.
 
The grey unicorn took a moment to compose himself, shaking the daze from his head. “Oh, erm, yes that would be I. Can I…help you with something?”
 
I sighed in relief. “You can, yes. As you’re probably aware I’m not exactly from around here, and I could use some educated assistance.” I gave him a sincere smile, hoping that he’d be willing to help me. “My name is Lysander, and this is my travelling companion Crystal Heart.” I motioned to the white unicorn filly at my side.
 
Ivory Scroll took a moment to look me over, after a few seconds he stepped back from the door, motioning with his hoof.
 
“Well come on in then, you don’t seem like the bad sort and I’m always willing to help a pony in need.” He stopped for a moment, looking unsure. “Or well, whatever it is that you are.”
 
We happily walked in, making sure not to step on any of the multitude of books and scrolls covering the floor. In fact it wasn’t just the floor which was covered with books, all around the walls were several bookcases filled to the brim with tomes of all sorts, and wherever there hadn’t been space for a bookcase there was simply a pile of books instead. It looked like someone, sorry, somepony had tried to take the content of a library and stuff it inside a normal house.
The only other visible furniture in the room were a couple of tables, one of them a reading desk while the other sat in the middle of the room, a few dusty pillows visible beneath even more books. A stair led upstairs to the second floor and a few doors led into adjacent rooms.
 
“So sorry about the mess, I don’t normally get many guests.” Ivory Scroll said, using his white-grey aura of magic to move books out of the way, giving us the chance to sit down on a couple of pillows by the small table.
 
“Think nothing of it; I’m just glad you invited us in at all.” I said, relief obvious in my voice.
 
“Well,” Ivory Scroll gave a low chuckle. “I’m nothing if not a scholar, and I’ll admit that at the moment I’m rather interested in knowing who you are and how you came to be here.”
 
I nodded at this, guessing that I would need to tell a lot of ponies the same thing if I had to stay here for an extended period of time. “I’d be more than happy to tell you what I know; at the very least what I feel comfortable talking about.”
 
A quick glance towards Crystal and I discovered that she was busy rummaging through a pile of nearby books. “Do you think my young friend here might borrow a book or two to read while we talk? I’m pretty sure she’d be bored hearing the same story again.”
 
The grey unicorn nodded with a smile. “Of course, feel free to read anything you like.” He said, making a waving motion with his hoof towards Crystal.
 
The white and pink filly’s eyes lit up with excitement, and she quickly started going through the various books with great eagerness. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight. After a moment I turned back to the scholar, he himself eagerly waiting with a blank scroll and quill in his magical grip.
 
“Well, I suppose I should start by telling you about the Ascended…”
 
For a long time I told him about my people, what little I knew of my human life as well as the most important bits about the Ascended, I told him of my former duty, the various groups within the Ascended, our role in the structure of the Planes and how I had come here. Though in reality I suppose I didn’t exactly tell him of the Fiendish invasion and the destruction of the Flame of Life, not only was Crystal still in the room with us, but I felt that it just wasn’t something I could speak of so easily.
All the while the quill only stopped moving to be dipped into ink, before hastily being returned to a blank scroll waiting to be filled, he must’ve gone through a couple of them before I finished.
 
“That’s…certainly an interesting tale, I suppose it sounds a bit farfetched, but at the very least I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.” He said after I finished my recounting, nodding his head in contemplation and thought.
 
I simply nodded in response. “I know you probably don’t believe me, and to tell you the truth it’s not really important that you do. Most of all I was just hoping that you’d be able to help me with this,” I motioned with my working hand to my broken arm and the bandages. “and that I might borrow a few books on Equestrian culture and history from you.”
 
Ivory Scroll placed the newly written scrolls on the nearby reading desk, turning his gaze to my damaged body. “I can certainly help you with the books, as for your wounds I suppose I’m the closest you’ll find of a healer in this village.” At this point he had walked around to my side of the table, closely examining my broken appendage. “As for this arm, I suppose it might be structured in much the same way as a diamond dog’s, and that should make it a bit easier to fix.”
 
What followed thereafter were some rather agonizing moments in which my arm was examined in several ways, most of them making use of some kind of scanning spell as Ivory explained it to me. He also put new bandages on my wounds and used a few basic healing spells to aid in the healing process, though he did tell me that healing was a rare art and very difficult, so I shouldn’t get my hopes up. As for the arm, after finally having deduced its structure he bound it into a tighter cast of white cloth, magically applying some sort of white paste-like substance to it which hardened shortly thereafter.
 
“There we are, I’ve done pretty much everything I can, though I’m afraid your arm is going to have to remain in that cast for quite a while yet. Without knowing anymore about your bone structure and general physiology I dare not use magic to try and speed up the healing process, lest your bone heals incorrectly.”
 
I nodded in understanding, nevertheless glad for all of his help. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, I don’t plan on doing anything too strenuous if I can help it.” At this I gave a chuckle. “Though with my current record that’s probably not saying much.”
 
Turns out that Crystal had gone through quite a few books in the time we had been otherwise occupied, I was actually quite surprised at the speed with which she had went through them, as we had not spent more than a few hours in the place. Regardless of this she seemed really happy, I suppose that just means that she really likes books too. I should try and get her a few before we set out again.
 
“So, about those books…”
 
Another handful of minutes later I had gathered up a few books Ivory Scroll had recommended to me, most of them regarding Equestrian culture and history, but also a few about basic magic and the world’s natural energies.
Crystal had gotten a few books from him as well, and all in all we were both quite a bit happier as we said our thanks and returned to The Green Clover for some well-deserved rest.


> Chapter 5.5 - On History and Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 5.5


~ On History and Magic ~

 
 
During my short stay in Old Stable I managed to gather a decent amount of information about Equestria, mostly through the various books and tomes I had borrowed from Ivory Scroll. I also did spend quite a bit of time with the scholarly unicorn, sharing knowledge with him and getting knowledge in return.
All of it was interesting to me, but a few pieces were of especial importance. Some of these I have decided to share here, as almost all of it would turn out vital to my journeys in some way or another.
 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 
 
Discord: Roughly three thousand years ago, the spirit of chaos Discord ruled Equestria in what is now known as the Discordian Reign. Those years were plagued with constant chaos and disarray, no pony was safe from the mad spirit’s influence, and most ponies were miserable during this time. The number of recorded Chaotic Anomalies which appeared during his Reign is quite simply mindboggling, everything from flying pigs and dancing buffalo to cotton candy clouds, living trees and sudden shifts in the day/night cycle. Most of these Anomalies were quite harmless, merely a slight discomfort to the populace, but some of Discord’s changes and especially his creations were much more malicious in nature.
 
Notable of these creations were the chimerical creatures, such as the manticore and cockatrice which were reported to appear during this period. Other creatures believed to have been a by-product of his madness were the basilisk, hydra and gargoyle, among others. While no actual evidence exists for their creation, it is widely accepted knowledge that none of these creatures existed before the Discordian Reign.
 
 
Alicorns: These ‘winged unicorns’ are unique beings in that only two known members of the race are known to exist, these being the Royal Sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. If any other alicorns had previously lived in Equestria, the knowledge has been lost to the ages, and despite many inquiries through the years by notable scholars, Celestia and Luna have chosen to remain silent as to the fate of their species.
What ‘is’ known about the Royal Sisters is that they first appeared at the end of the Discordian Reign. Alicorns are practically immortal, unable to die of old age and capable of shrugging away even the worst of mortal wounds, if they are beings created by Equestria for the purpose of bringing Harmony is unknown, but it is well-known that they posses the natural magic of all three pony races.
 
Personal Notes: These Alicorn sisters remind me quite a bit of the Ascended, it is possible that they had previously acted as Guardians to Equestria before being forced into interfering. If my hypothesis proves true it is very possible that they posses knowledge of Planar travel, and may turn out to be a way for me to return to Elysiyum.
 
 
The War of Madness: The name of the war between Discord and the Royal Sisters during the last part of the Discordian Reign. It lasted for almost an entire year, starting with the arrival of Celestia and Luna, and ending with the defeat and banishment of Discord at their hoofs, making use of very powerful Harmonic magic.
Little is known about the war between these entities, the Royal Sisters have forbidden most research into it, and the only other being still ‘alive’ at this time is unable to share his knowledge of the period.
 
 
Equestrian Magic: The magic of Equestria is what is known as ‘Natural Magic’, and exists in a large number of Leylines of energy running bellow the surface of our world. Every creature in Equestria has a connection to these Leylines in some way or another, and the species with the strongest connections are capable of making use of it in ‘Internal’ and/or ‘External’ ways.
The most commonly known wielders of Equestria’s Natural Magic are the various races of ponies, the griffins and dragons. A multitude of other magical creatures do exist however, and even the most harmless of beings may posses surprising magical aptitude.
 
Personal Notes: The concept of Natural Magic is not unknown to me; a lot of worlds where magic is very prominent are often worlds with their own type of Natural Magic. Perhaps I may discover a method with which to connect myself to Equestria’s natural leylines, this may fill the empty void of power which is my soul, allowing me use of my Ascended powers once more.
Further research on the subject is required.
 
 
Earth Ponies: The most numerous race of ponies, Earth Ponies carry the strongest Internal magic of all ponykind. This Internal magic manifests itself in increased strength and endurance compared to Pegasi and Unicorns. It also gives them a special connection to the earth, resulting in a certain aptitude with nature, growing of crops, caring for animals and many other such affinities. The Earth Ponies with the strongest magic are also often capable of sensing the world around them in different ways, such as finding water underground; warning them of danger, and in some rare cases, even the ability to predict the future.
 
 
Pegasus Ponies: Pegasi are the second most numerous of ponies after Earth Ponies, they are capable of making use of Equestria’s Natural Magic in both Internal and External ways. Their Internal magic allows them the use of their wings for flight, as well as the ability to stand on and manipulate clouds. The External magic is more subtle than that of Unicorns, manifesting in their ability to control various weather phenomena, such as bringing rain or lightning out of clouds, creating localised storms, and even the skill to manipulate rainbows.
 
Personal Notes: In extension to my earlier notes about Equestria’s Natural Magic, it seems likely that the use of my wings may return to me if I managed to draw upon the Internal energy that the Pegasi make use of in their own flight.
 
 
Unicorn Ponies: The least common race of ponies, the Unicorns also posses the strongest connection to the Leylines of Equestria, capable of manifesting powerful External magical effects known simply as ‘spells’. They accomplish this by collecting the required magic, then forming it into complex patterns in their minds, and finally releasing the structured magic through their horns. Most unicorn magic pertains to their special talent, often resulting in any given unicorn only knowing perhaps less than a handful of spells, most common of which are the basic ‘telekinesis’ and ‘light’ spells, which are the only spells all unicorns are capable of learning easily.
 


> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 6

 
 
Our first evening in Old Stable was thankfully uneventful, after returning from Ivory Scroll with our reading material we ate a late supper. I found that most of it was edible, though I did discover that humans weren’t supposed to eat flowers and hay, despite how tasty it seemed to the other ponies in the inn. The salad was filling enough, and it was served along with whole-grain bread and a stick of butter, as well as an amber liquid called ‘apple cider’ according to my unicorn companion. Rather tasty drink actually. All in all it served to sate my annoying need for nourishment, though I did notice that Crystal didn’t partake too much in the food, probably as a result of her earlier eating-frenzy.
 
Following our dinner, and a sudden influx of thirsty ponies, we decided to retire to our room for some reading and an early night’s sleep. Entering the room I quickly grabbed the nearest book in the pile, dropping down to sit in the bed with a relieved sigh, glad to finally have some much needed reprieve to just think and relax. The tome turned out to be labelled ‘Early Equestrian History’, which I found to be an interesting, but rather dry read.

I briefly noticed Crystal jumping onto the bed beside me, carrying along her own book for the evening, or possibly just her first considering the speed with which she read. Another talent I would eventually come to envy her.
 
I wasn’t sure exactly when it happened, but at some point I decided to lie down to read for a while, and almost instantly drifted into blissful sleep.
 
 
 

--------------------------------------

 
 
A cold shiver ran through my entire being as my eyes snapped open, gazing into the darkened room around me. All of my senses told me that something was amiss; I could feel my heart thud strongly in my chest, urging me into movement.
With a quick glance I noticed that I was still in bed, but I couldn’t see Crystal anywhere nearby, the moonlight shining through the single window my only source of lighting. Swiftly I got out of bed, my bandaged arm aching due to the sudden movement, warning me not to strain myself too much.
 
My body’s warning went unheeded as I found my footing, without hesitation I set into a long stride, taking me to the closed door. Another moment later I was outside in the hall, quickly scouting for anything out of place, anything which could explain my anxiety. Finding none I proceeded down the hall and finally the stairs, my still leather-bound feet making nought a sound on the wooden floor, my entry into the main room almost entirely silent.
 
The place was dead and empty, save for a still-burning fireplace and a few candles, painting the room in an eerie glow and shifting shadows. My heart had finally calmed down, allowing me to steady my breath and take a few more steps into the looming emptiness, the darkness outside the windows an almost palpable gloom.
 
I could still feel the wrongness in the air, hanging thick and setting my nerves on edge, causing drops of sweat to drop from my brow and unto the floor. Doing my best to compose myself I concentrated on my sword’s Sealing Mark, willing it into existence as a means to protect myself against a possible danger.
 
Nothing.
 
Nothing happened, despite my best attempts the arcane tattoo showed no sign of activity, staying as dead and dormant as my surroundings. Gulping loudly as my sweating intensified in fear, I desperately tried to summon some ounce of my power, anything at all. The only thing I got for my efforts was a feeling of weakness in my body I had never felt before, even when I had laid upon the harsh cold ground of the forest following my banishment from Elysium.
 
The darkness around me had grown in density without me noticing, clawing its way through the now open windows towards where I stood in the middle of the room. In panic I spun around, trying to find some means of escape, some way to fight back the encroaching darkness.
 
A deep dark chuckle rang through the room, causing the fireplace and candles to intensify, only creating even larger shadows, which at this point had taken the form of various fiendish figures I had never even seen before. Outside in the unforgiving gloom I noticed a growing crimson light, merging with the darkness as if the two belonged together.
 
A voice spoke, and with every word I could see the crimson light pulse, as if following a constant heartbeat. The voice was cold and unyielding, sending shivers through my already panicked mind.
 
“Ah, my little Ascended, my prey, I have finally found your world of refuge.” The voice was unfamiliar to me, but somehow I knew who the speaker was.“I am coming for you, and despite what the Fallen One may say, I have no intention of letting prey escape me this easily.”
 
The chuckle turned into a full out laugh, causing the crimson light to pick up in strength, bathing the room in a combination of deep darkness and a crimson illumination befitting only the deepest parts of the Lower Planes.
 
“Yes, heed my words little prey, I will find you, and when I do you’ll wish that the Fallen One had allowed me to kill you in Elysium!”
 
 

--------------------------------------

 
I woke with a start, cold sweat pouring from my body, my heart was pounding so fast I was afraid it was going to burst, and my head rang with pain and discomfort unlike any I had felt before.
 
‘The Balor’
 
The revelation hit me with overwhelming force, my mind surging with painful thoughts as I realised the implications of the Greater Fiend’s words.
 
‘He knows I’m in Equestria, he’ll come hunting for me, using whatever unholy means he has at his disposal.’
 
Just thinking about what corruption and destruction the Balor would bring with it to this peaceful world sent bile to my throat, had I been of weaker spirit I was sure that I would have emptied my stomach right then and there. Damned be the mortal human body! For the second time in my life I felt helpless, I knew that he would eventually find his way here, and with myself in such a state, devoid of all but the most miniscule power, there would be nothing I could do to stop him.
 
I was promptly brought back to reality by a pair of large azure eyes looking worriedly at me, Crystal having placed herself on my chest in order to look me in the face, uncertainty and fear clear in her innocent blue eyes. Without a word I brought my functioning arm up, embracing her in a tight hug, ignoring the feeling of my body being soaked in ice cold water. And for the first time in my very long life, I cried.
 
I wept tears of fear and despair, everything that had happened to me came rushing back, the destruction of my home, the death of my friends, what happened to the Flame of Life and Ezekiel, even my loss of immortality. Thoughts of my own wellbeing were quickly replaced by images of Crystal at the mercy of the Fiend, of a burning Old Stable and the dead littering the streets. I hadn’t spent much time on this world, but already had I felt the kindness and sincerity of these ponies. The very idea of Sweet Peach and Ivory Scroll losing their lives because of me, some stranger who did not belong here, sent a new pang of pain and misery through my form; causing me to hug the small unicorn even closer, eliciting a quiet gasp and her placing hooves around my neck in return.
 
I’m not sure for how long we stayed like that; all I knew was that at the end of it I had calmed down considerably, the coldness of my body replaced with a comfortable warmth courtesy of my young friend. In that moment I decided that I’d do whatever I could to keep these ponies safe, even if I had to give up what little remained of my soul.
 
With newfound determination I broke the embrace, getting on my feet despite their shaking and sending Crystal a smile.
 
“Thank you, Crystal.” To her credit she just stood there, returning my smile in full. “We should go get some breakfast, and I’m going to need another bath.”
 
I was sure that she’d ask me about it, but once more she surprised me with wisdom well beyond her years by staying silent, all youthful curiosity forgotten in that moment, knowing full well that it wasn’t something I could so easily talk about.
 
An hour later we had both gotten something to eat and cleaned up, it felt nice to wash away the sweat and troubles of my night, and not for the first time did I wonder if I’d ever get a true night’s rest in this place.

After saying our thanks for the food and bath to Sweet Peach, we headed out into the early day sun with a plan for the day.
First we’d get me some new clothes, if possible I’d want to get at least some basic leather armor, guessing that an actual armorsmith would be unheard of in these parts. Then we’d gather supplies for our continued journey: backpack, travel rations, flint and steel, canteens, a compass and at least a simple map being the top priorities. Possibly even bedroll or sleeping bag if we could find any.
 
The first thing I noticed when we came out into the street were the stares. Or rather, the lack thereof. While the ponies still looked at us curiously we didn’t actually stop anypony in their track, and my own gaze didn’t send them running for cover anymore, instead eliciting only smiles or simple nods, which I responded to in kind. Turns out that Sweet Peach had already spread the news of our arrival, skilfully manipulating rumors like only a true innkeeper could. I suddenly felt very thankful to the kind mare, deciding that I’d at the very least pay a bit extra for our stay.
 
Our day progressed like we had hoped; the marketplace was full of various merchants with a surprisingly large variety of goods, easily picking out the places we’d need to go after having seen the tailor Sweet Peach recommended, Silver Lining.
 
Silver Lining’s store was easily one of the prettiest buildings in the town, it was a single-story structure painted in whites and light greys, a rather large porch with intricately carved wooden columns and round windows with matching patterns, purple drapes slightly visible on the other side of the glass.
It looked comfortable and welcoming to me in a way, despite the fact that I had never put much weight on architecture or the likes, judging a vessel almost entirely on what it contained.
 
As it turns out I didn’t need to be concerned about the owner of the store, as the first thing Silver Lining did when she opened was to gasp in shock. At first I believed it to be because of my own form, but I quickly discovered otherwise when her firm professional gaze wandered between the dirty rags which served as my meager clothing.
 
“What is that you’re wearing!?” Her voice was aghast. “Did you steal a diamond dog’s clothes and decide to roll around in garbage simply because they weren’t dirty enough!?”
 
I’ve never been the most fashionable person, but I’ll be the first to admit that I did look like a wandering beggar more than anything else. It didn’t stop her words from hurting though, especially with Crystal snickering at my side, the clothes were a necessary sacrifice after all, it’s not like I wanted to look this way.
 
While she was busy looking absolutely horrified I took the chance to look her over in turn, she was a white unicorn with a curly greying mane, her eyes were a pleasant magenta and on her flank was her cutie mark, a needle with silver thread stitching a piece of cloth.
 
I coughed lightly to draw her attention back to me. “I realise my clothes are not quite… in the best of conditions, which is the reason I’ve come to you. Sweet Peach told me you were the best tailor in town.”
 
She looked at me incredulously for a moment. “More like the only tailor, dear. No need for more than one when ponies so rarely wear clothes.” A smile appeared on her face before she continued. “Now, you must be this ‘mysterious creature’ I’ve heard about, to be honest a lot of the rumors say that you’re some sort of ugly diamond dog. I think you look quite pleasant really,” she gave my ‘clothes’ another look-over. “If only the same could be said for your choice of clothing.”
 
Before I could respond to her accusations I was enveloped in a pink aura and quickly brought through the door, then deposited unceremoniously on a small pedestal. Having myself practically forced somewhere didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would, finding instead a small amount of joy in how dedicated to her work Silver Lining seemed to be.
 
“Now, you just stand there while I take your measurements, won’t take long at all!” Her voice was almost singsong, betraying her excitement. “Oh, and you my dear,” she said, motioning to Crystal. “Feel free to look around, and do tell me if anything catches your fancy.”
 
Crystal happily obliged, trotting around the shop with excitement clear in her features, I somehow guessed that she wasn’t used to seeing beautiful clothes like this. At least I guessed that the clothes were beautiful, I could obviously tell that they were made with careful and experienced craftsmanship, but my own knowledge of fashion in pony society was very lacking to say the least. It wasn’t on the top of my priorities when it came to gathering information.
Some of the dresses seemed very… extravagant to me, with frills aplenty, a multitude of colours and a healthy amount of both silver and golden thread.
 
We spent roughly an hour with Silver Lining, at some point Crystal had slumped down in a couch for a nap, and during that time I was surrounded by measuring tape, scissors, and a very large amount of gossip I had no context for. It was somewhat terrifying. Despite almost constantly talking while she worked, Silver Lining seemed very proficient at manipulating her tools with magic, supposedly a skill developed for use in her tailoring.
 
In the end she had gotten the measurements she needed and we had decided, though I suppose it was mostly her, on the clothes I was going to have made. A white tunic and pants to replace the ones I had ripped apart, as well as a double layered robe which I was used to wearing. While she insisted on a rather colourful robe, I was able to convince her to stick to something a bit more inconspicuous, mainly making use of white, blue and silver in its design.
 
She also promised that she’d try and figure out some better footwear, and I also had some luck in trying to get her to reinforce or at least harden pieces of the clothing. At first she didn’t really see the purpose of such protective garments, but in the end I managed to convince her that travelling could be dangerous, and that I’d need some additional protection so I wouldn’t damage the clothes, or more importantly, myself.

In the end she promised that she’d try her best with what she got, and what I could afford, though she had assured me, despite my protests, that I’d get a decent discount. Something about me walking around in substandard clothes being some sort of ‘crime against fashion’.
 
Deciding that Silver Lining was somewhat eccentric, though still kind and generous enough, I chose not to press the subject, and I left the tailor feeling better than I had previously. It was uplifting to meet such good people, or ponies rather.
It would take a few days for her to finish my clothes, and during that time I’d take as much rest as I possibly could, certain that I’d need it for the future. I wasn’t terribly afraid of staying in Old Stable for a bit; even if the Balor had managed to find Equestria he wouldn’t be able to find my exact position quite so easily, especially considering how weak my aura was.
 
After returning to the marketplace we were able to pick up the few things we needed, though we didn’t exactly find a ‘backpack’, it was more like a modified saddlebag of sorts. The compass and map was the most expensive, but with our stay in Old Stable possibly shortened we were able to afford them regardless.

Deciding against picking up travelling rations until the day we actually left, we returned to the Green Clover for lunch and relaxation after a long morning of walking around.
 
That night I decided to meditate before going to sleep, putting in place as many mental barriers as I could in a bid to keep any Fiendish intrusions from my dreams. I also chose to follow Crystal’s advice and give a short prayer to Luna asking for pleasant dreams, which was apparently a common method of keeping away nightmares in this world.
If it was because of my countermeasures or simply because the Balor didn’t try, I still found that night’s sleep peaceful and restorative.
 
My first real rest in Equestria.
 


> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 7

 
 
We spent another couple of peaceful days in Old Stable, resting and eating at the Green Clover while spending our remaining time mainly by wandering the small village, conversing with the few ponies we had befriended, as well as reading quite an amount of books courtesy of Ivory Scroll.
 
I like to think that I learned many a thing about Equestria and its inhabitants during my stay there, but no matter how many texts or tomes I perused, no matter how many ponies I talked to and befriended, I just couldn’t shake the feeling of being out of place. As if I didn’t belong in their world or among them. The feeling was disheartening to say the least, and I got the sensation that the ponies felt it as well; it was almost as if I was an unnatural alien entity, and while my physical form was certainly a reason, I wasn’t sure if that was entirely it.
 
My suspicions were confirmed one day, when I decided to more closely observe the world’s inhabitants with my Ascended senses. After hours of simply walking around the village, using my Soul Sense to view the ponies’ souls, I discovered that their souls were very different from what I had first expected. It wasn’t something I had noticed before, the oddity so deeply buried in their spirit that it had at first glance been impossible to notice. It would seem that these ponies had a greater connection to their world than I had initially thought, each of them possessing a small sliver of essence, some sort of magical link to their world, almost like a secondary soul within the first.
 
I’d be the first to admit that I knew very little about other worlds and what effect different worlds would have on their inhabitants, but I was fairly certain that at least Ascended and humans did not have this peculiar connection. When I had originally read about Equestrian magic and its leylines, I had believed that they were just a field of magic to call upon like in all the other magical worlds I had heard about, yet it seemed that I was fundamentally wrong in that regard. It also explained why I felt so out of place, I was the proverbial alien organism in the living being that was Equestria in its entirety, and I could only imagine how the world was trying to rid itself of me like any living body would an invading entity.
 
The thought… freaked me out a little, to say the least.
 
It also started a new train of thought. I knew that a living organism could react in a number of ways to such an unknown. It could either attempt to repel and destroy it, and since I hadn’t yet been ripped apart by the heavily magic-saturated environment of Equestria, or felt especially threatened by anything, I could somewhat conclude that the magic of the world was simply too ‘kind’, or Harmonic as it were, for such a destructive solution. That left the other more likely option, that of absorption or integration of said alien entity into the collective organism. I theorised that given enough time, Equestria might seek to add this unique ‘connection’ to my own essence in an effort to deal with my presence.
 
I just really hoped that I wouldn’t somehow turn into a pony.
 
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I had anything especially against these creatures; they seemed quite peaceful and content really. I just couldn’t see myself with hooves and fur, though it did make me wonder what my potential cutie mark would look like…
 
 
“Uhm… Lysander, what are you looking at?”
 
The uncertain voice of my travelling companion brought me out of my reverie, and I suddenly realised that I had been standing still, probably staring into empty air like an idiot for several minutes now. With a slight blush and a cough, I quickly dismissed the thoughts from my mind, returning to my initial method of dealing with anything weird and Equestria related. Namely me doing absolutely nothing at all, since I probably couldn’t even if I wanted to.
 
I turned my attention to the white unicorn filly at my feet, doing my best to avoid the awkward gazes I was getting from the ponies doing business in the market. I had really picked a nice spot to suddenly space out in.
 
“Oh, uhh, it’s nothing at all; just fell into thought there for a moment.” At this she cocked an eyebrow, making it clear to me that it hadn’t been for just a ‘moment’. “Let’s not stand around now, we still need to get to Silver Lining and see how she’s doing.”
 
With a serious expression I set into a long stride towards the tailor, just barely picking up an exasperated sigh from Crystal Heart before the sound of her clopping hooves signalled that she was following me again. I also promised myself that in the future I’d pick better places for these small contemplations of mine. Damn mortal brain.
 
A few minutes later we were at Silver Lining’s shop, not even able to pause by the door before we were swiftly spirited inside by the eager unicorn in question.
 
“Well come on in, we really need to get you out of those rags as quickly as possible!” She exclaimed, the urgency of her voice better suited for a situation with someone about to receive first-aid after losing a limb.
 
Despite my best protests I was once more dragged along like a ragdoll, placed in front of the single tall mirror in the shop. There I was left standing for a few minutes in silence before she returned with the finished clothes.

The tunic and pants looked quite a bit like the ones I had previously worn, they were both a simple white colour, light blue rims set in a simple pattern, and the wrists and ankles were embroidered with silver thread in arcane symbols I did not recognise. All in all they were simple but nice, the shirt had long sleeves and a tall collar, and both pieces were obviously meant to go with another piece of clothing on top, knee and elbow padding quite visible.
 
This last piece of clothing was of course the robe, and I couldn’t help but be impressed with the result. It was in the same white colour as the tunic and pants, the sleeves reached down to the elbow, it had the same tall collar with a button like the tunic, though the throat and shoulder piece was made in a tough form-fitted material. The rest of the robe seemed like it would fit well, if a bit baggy, and just around the waist was an indenture for a broad belt which lay to the side. It looked to be made in some sort of leather-like material, and had several tall pockets on its sides.

Just below the crotch and on the opposite side the robe was split in the middle, going down to a length a bit shorter than the pants. The same azure blue and silver threading was used in its design, flowing seamlessly without seeming extravagant.
She had also managed to make a pair of boots in the same not-leather; they had hard rubber-like soles and fit surprisingly well considering she had probably never made anything like it before.
 
After looking the clothes over I gave an impressed whistle, it was obvious to me that she had put quite a bit into my order, possibly in excitement over the new and unique challenge it presented. And I certainly couldn’t complain about the end result.
 
“These are really nice,” I said with a sincere smile. “Remind me to come back here if I ever need anything made again.”
 
Silver Lining simply beamed at the praise. “Yes, it certainly was an interesting affair. I dare say that I wouldn’t mind making something like this again.” At this she turned her gaze expectantly towards me. “Well, what are you waiting for dear? Go ahead and try them on!”
 
I blinked a moment before sheepishly lifting my broken arm. “I’d really love to, but it might be a bit difficult in my current state.”
 
The statement was met with a cold glare from the tailor, seconds before it was replaced with a mad glint and an unnerving smile, her horn flaring into a pinkish aura at the same time.
 
“Oh no you don’t, I’ve worked long and hard on this and I WILL see the finished result!”
 
I took a nervous step away from the terrifying tailor, doing my best to look for a way out of my predicament. Finding none I returned my attention to the unicorn, her magic already levitating the assembled clothing threateningly towards me. I gulped.
 
What followed were several very uncomfortable, rather painful moments, as she used her magic to envelop and somehow dress me in the entire collection of clothing, luckily not upsetting my bandaged arm all that much. After she finished she took a few steps back, shooting me an appreciative glance while she took in my clothed form. I for one could only stand there breathing harshly, both glad to be free from the dominating unicorn, yet at the same time somewhat thankful that I finally had clothes covering my entire body. It had been a cold few days.
 
While she was taking her time walking around me, I looked at myself in the tall mirror in front of me. The clothes fit almost perfectly, only the chest-piece being somewhat baggy, which didn’t bother me all that much. It wasn’t too heavy or too light, I didn’t feel my movement constricted in any way, and being layered as it were I was also quite sure that I would be able to keep a somewhat decent temperature in them.

For the first time in a while I was also able to get a good look at my own face, it was almost the same as I remembered: Amber eyes and blond hair which was currently unkempt and went down to my shoulders, my skin and complexion was still the almost perfectly smooth of my Ascended form, with not a wrinkle or pigmentation out of place.
 
I could hear Silver Lining humming thoughtfully before she made it all the way around to my front, giving a satisfied nod and smile at her creation.
 
“Yes, I do believe I’ve outdone myself this time.” She couldn’t keep a hint of pride from her voice. “Celestia knows I’ve been in a creative dump for a while now, I think this was just the thing to get me going again.”
 
“It certainly looks very nice,” I said, not noticing that she seemed somewhat miffed at my use of the word ‘nice’. “You mentioned that you had some additional pieces to go along with it?”
 
For a moment it looked like she was going to correct me on something before she simply turned around, activating her magic and levitating four pieces of hardened not-leather towards me. A pair of vambraces, and a pair of greaves. Both pairs were adorned with the same silvery symbols used in the robes. They were designed to fit over the tunic and pants, covering the lower parts of the arm and leg respectively.
 
“I’ll be the first to admit that protective garments are outside my area of expertise, but I had Ivory find me a book with instructions.” She gave the pieces of armoring a glance before fitting one of the vambraces to my healthy wrist. “And at least it looks like they fit, though I’m not sure if they’d turn a blade away.”
 
I made a few swings with my arm, satisfied to find that the vambrace didn’t restrict my movements.
 
“It’s perfect, thank you very much.” I said, giving her a grateful smile and bow.
 
Silver Lining beamed back at me. “Think nothing of it dear, I suppose I could’ve done far worse.”
 
After placing the protective pieces in my not-saddlebag I paid Silver Lining the determined upon amount, making sure to give my thanks and saying farewell before I went to retrieve Crystal from whatever colourful frilly gown she was gawking over. We left the tailor shortly after, the pouch in my new belt much lighter than it had been before.
 
Crystal Heart looked up at me with a pout as we exited the store. “It’s not fair, how come you get new clothes and I can’t get even one dress?”
 
I looked down at her with a teasing smile. In truth she had been gushing over the various gowns and dresses every time we had been there. “Well, for one thing you don’t need clothes to stay warm, I do. Besides, travelling in one of those things would be pretty hard, and you’d probably ruin it.”
 
When she didn’t relent, and at this point was giving me a puppy-eye stare, I sighed. “Tell you what, if we manage to get our hands on any more bits before we reach your home, I’ll buy one for you then. How’s that?”
 
For a moment she gave me a hopeful beaming smile, until it faltered a second later when she turned her head down to look at the ground, mumbling something incoherent to me.
 
“What was that, Crystal?”
 
“I said!” She exclaimed as she looked at me with annoyance. “That we don’t have any tailors in my home…”
 
I gave her an apologetic smile, rubbing the back of my head with my hand. “Sorry, I’m sure we’ll manage to figure something out.”
 
She didn’t look entirely convinced, but after a while brightened up somewhat. And on that note we went back to the Green Clover to pack up our things, having already decided earlier that day that we would be leaving when I had gotten my clothes.
 
A few hours later we had returned most of the books we had borrowed from Ivory Scroll, managing to buy a couple of particular interest to us. Most of our things were already packed and ready to go, I had paid Sweet Peach for our stay, making sure to tip her generously.

We were just eating our last meal at the inn, enjoying the company of a few quarry workers returned for their lunch break when I noticed something unnerving.
 
It started with the air growing heavy, a cold chill going through my spine shortly after, and for a moment I was sure that the atmosphere had dimmed slightly. I suddenly got a terrible feeling of unease, a feeling I hadn’t felt since a few nights ago.
With fearful hesitation I activated my Soul Sense, glancing around my surroundings, taking in the forms of the earth pony workers, and that’s when I saw it.
 
Their souls were tainted with an ugly black, almost seeming like oil running through clear water in contrast to their otherwise pure souls. I instinctively knew what it was, and the realisation filled me with dread.
 
‘No…’
 
Shakingly I got to my feet, moving to the door and out of it in silence, hoping that I was somehow wrong, that it wasn’t what I thought it was. Yet I knew that it was true, and it was confirmed when I walked into the street, quickly locating more earth pony workers coming back from the quarry.
 
Each of their souls were affected with the same disgusting black taint.
 
 
 
The black taint of Fiends.


> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 8

 
 
The actions and intentions of those who wish to do only good, to give themselves entirely to a cause they view as just, are often confused with those of a madman. How else do you describe someone who is willing to throw their life away in a fruitless endeavour, with no real hopes of actually accomplishing anything despite their greatest sacrifice?
Most rational beings would call one such mad, or a fool perhaps.
 
I may be one such fool.
 
And I’d have it no other way.
 
-         Lysander, 3 B.NMM.
 

------------------------------------------------------

 
 
My breath came rapidly, the mortal heart in my chest pounding painfully fast, and all the while I had only a single thought in my mind. To find the source of the fiendish taint, and remove it. The very idea was preposterous of course, here I was, mortal body with a much weakened soul, broken sword arm and without access to any of my Miracles. To believe that I’d have any chance, against anything stronger than a few Imps, was nonsense.
 
So why had I told Crystal Heart to stay at the tavern, strapped on my new armor-pieces, followed the trail of fiendish energy, and ended up at one of several tunnel entrances in the quarry? I instinctively knew that if I continued, followed the trail to its end, and found the Fiends responsible, that I would die. There was no way around it, with the level of fiendish residual taint I could sense, it would simply be too much for me to handle.
 
Yet my legs kept moving, taking me inside the dimly torch-lit darkness, closer and closer to my inevitable end. For all of my fear, my understandable feeling of dread, I simply couldn’t make myself turn around and leave for a safe place.
 
It wasn’t that I had no control, not that I was someone’s puppet on a string. I just couldn’t stop myself from doing what I was doing; a small piece of me knew that I would almost certainly die. Yet a larger piece, perhaps a remnant of my Ascended will, was making it impossible for me to take any other course of action.
 
And for some unexplainable reason, it just felt right.
 
I walked for a while like this, lost in my own thoughts, in my determination and fear alike, the tunnel growing darker the further in I walked, the further I came towards my goal and the further I came from the almost beckoning light of the sun outside.

It gave me time to think, to try and rationalise the presence of Fiends on this plane and world so soon. I couldn’t believe that they had found me so quickly, there was simply no way for any being short of an Archfiend or one of the Seraphim to do so, and I very much doubted Ezekiel would even waste his time trying to find me, if he even knew I still lived.
 
Same thing with the nine Archfiends, even if they knew I hadn’t died in Elysium, my very existence would simply be too far beneath them for them to even bother noticing me. They would view me with the same insignificance one would an insect.
 
So unless my Balor hunter had made a deal with an Archfiend, which was entirely unlikely considering the nature of such ‘deals’ between Fiends, I could say with some certainty that at the very least these Fiends weren’t here for me, and that it was just unlucky happenstance that they chose to appear in this area.
 
Realising all this obviously didn’t make my situation less dire, but it also meant that the chances of me running into a certain Balor were almost nonexistent.
 
As I rounded a corner, continuing my stride down another gloomy illuminated tunnel, I found my thoughts drifting to Crystal Heart. She was the first creature on this plane to show me kindness, friendship even, and I knew that she was partly the reason I had found myself unwilling to leave the fiendish presence alone.

I had promised to take her home, promised to be a friend to her, and I’d sooner see my soul burning in eternal agony in one of the Lower Planes than let any harm come to her. Something I knew would certainly come to pass if I let Fiends gain a foothold in Equestria. I knew that telling her to stay at the tavern had been the right thing to do, I just hoped that she would do so and not attempt to follow me, my excuse for leaving had been less than believable, and I had never been a good liar to start with.
 
Was I wrong in my actions? I knew that if I died down in the quarry, if I fell to the Fiends I were pursuing, that I wouldn’t be able to keep my promise to her, and that she would most likely be saddened, if not heart-broken, by my death. It was the strongest uncertainty I carried, yet I still felt that I had to do what I was doing, and I felt terrible for feeling that way.
 
A putrid stench brought me out of my thoughts, causing my head to whip around to spot something rather out of place. It was an opening in one of the rocky walls, obviously new and without the tell-tale signs of pony influence, looking more like a roughly dug tunnel created with teeth and claws. Judging by the lack of torches, and the stench and trail of fiendish energy, I knew that I had found what I was looking for.
 
Without hesitation I picked one of the nearby torches from the wall, edging closer to the opening, doing my best to silence my footsteps.
 
What I saw when I approached filled me with anger, making me tighten my grip on the wooden torch painfully.
It was the body of an earth pony, a young brown stallion who had obviously been one of the workers in the quarry mines. His corpse was covered in deep wounds, ugly lacerations still seeping his lifeblood into the rocky ground beneath him. He had been killed recently, and by Imps from what I could discern.
 
The sight brought me so much anger that I barely noticed when a faint shimmer encompassed his form, ethereal energy gathering above him in the spherical shape of a Soul, glowing a softly white light down on its former physical vessel.
It hovered there for a few moments, almost in uncertainty, as if it could not decide in which direction it was supposed to go.
 
Then, it started floating towards me, a ghostly tail of white light in its wake, ever so gently making its way towards the only other living thing in its vicinity. The sight confused me, for all of my knowledge and experience, I had no way of knowing what a soul would do if it could not return to the Flame of Life like it was supposed to, no way to return to the natural cycle of rebirth.
 
My confusion lasted only another moment, as a purple mass of goo fell from the ceiling, encompassing and devouring the pony soul within its form.

I almost roared in indignation, but I managed to keep painfully silent as I watched the spectacle before me, the purple creature shifted on the ground, slowly taking on an almost amorphous shape of a featureless pony. The entire thing disturbed me greatly, but I already knew what this being was.
 
A Hollow harvester, a soulless construct created by Fiends to absorb and gather the souls of the recently dead, giving them no chance to return to the Flame of Life. The Hollow would take these souls and bring them to their master; their master would then extract the souls and use them either as currency in the Lower Planes, or for creating new Fiends as minions.
 
The sight sickened me, and I wanted nothing more than to destroy the abomination and rescue the soul it had so unjustly taken, but I also knew that its presence was a gift in disguise. Hollows never had any real intelligence, and they would always return to their master after collecting their bounty, incapable of holding more than a single soul at a time. All I had to do was follow it back to its lair, and I’d have found what I had been looking for.
 
As I watched the Hollow shuffle into the tunnel, clumsily bringing along the body of the dead earth pony, I suddenly realised what the Fiends were most likely doing here so soon. They were investigating the plane, gathering souls as samples to discern the relative power of its inhabitants and the value of a possible invasion or individual operation. The possibility gave me somewhat renewed hope, it meant that it was unlikely that they had brought along any real fighting force, unneeded as they were for a simple ‘prospecting’ mission.
 
It was with this line of thought that I felt a grim smile come to my lips, following after the Hollow as it made its way into the barely human-sized tunnel, the single torch my only source of light. We walked for several minutes, taking a few twists and turns inside the crude tunnel network, until finally the pathways started growing slightly bigger and more refined, the Hollow disappearing through a larger opening with the corpse still in its clutches.
 
I could hear the movement of several creatures from inside of what turned out to be a large almost spherical natural cavern, a multitude of dimly glowing blue crystals jutting from the ground, not providing nearly enough light to illuminate the ceiling or far corners of the cave.

Inside the cave, several more Hollows were milling about, entering or exiting through various other tunnels, the ones with souls to deliver heading for the centrepiece of the cavernous room, a 5 feet tall, 3 feet wide jagged purple crystal. I instantly realised what it was, a Soul Crystal, and a very large one at that.
 
The Hollow I had been following was dragging the dead pony towards a corner, and when I peaked around to find out where it was going, I almost charged into the cave out of sheer indignant anger.

It deposited the corpse by a pile of at least a dozen dead ponies; all of them earth ponies who had been working the mines, each of them with brutal lacerations covering their pale dead forms. A menacing cackle brought my attention to the other inhabitants of the open space; above on the cavern walls were a multitude of imps, perching lazily like the disease-ridden vultures that they were, apparently finding great joy in seeing their kills being gathered inside the chamber.
 
It took all of my considerable willpower to not rush into the room, wanting nothing more than to replace those smug laughs with shrieks of pain and fear. To bring justice to the lives of those who had been so wrongly murdered at the claws of these unholy creatures.

But I didn’t, I realised that it would be paramount to suicide, as not only did I only have the use of a single arm, but the Imps would be able to use their flight for superior mobility, with myself being effectively grounded due to the condition of my own wings.
 
So what was I supposed to do?
 
I tried my best to come up with a plan of action as I watched the Hollow I had followed make its way to the center crystal. As the amorphous pony came into contact with it I saw how the Hollow and crystal glowed a bright purple for a short moment, before the soul was absorbed by the Soul Crystal, leaving behind the harvester in its original form, that of a dark purple slime.

Drawing my gaze away from the disturbing sight I glanced around the cave, counting no less than ten visible Imps in the area.
 
‘Hardly a challenge if my powers were still intact.’
 
But they weren’t, and it was unlikely that they’d reappear any time soon. It’s not like it really mattered though, I had not expected to return to the surface alive after all. That wasn’t going to stop me from killing as many of the repulsive Imps as possible, or freeing the unjustly captured souls of Old Stable.
 
I was just about to summon my longsword when I heard a scratching sound from the tunnel behind me, just barely spinning around in time to catch the claw of an Imp on my new vambrace, the attack surprisingly leaving only a shallow scratch on its surface. Using the remaining momentum I continued my spin, catching the Imp on the side of its head with a powerful kick, sending it crashing into the wall next to it with a loud thump, its dark blood painting the stone in crimson paint.
 
With a low growl of annoyance I summoned my sword, grasping it in my left hand as I turned back to the cave entrance next to me, already hearing screeches and wing flaps of activity. They knew I was there if nothing else, but making my stand in the narrow tunnel would severely limit their mobility, removing the advantage of their wings. I just hoped they’d be stupid enough to actually try and charge me.
 
They were, and they did. No sooner had I readied myself by the entrance before an Imp came rushing through, quickly finding itself decapitated as my prepared attack severed the head from its body, spraying fiendish blood into the already foul smelling air.
 
With a few swift steps I put some distance between myself and their point of entry, doing my best to summon any and all of my Ascended powers to strengthen my body. I only got a single second of breathing room before the Imps were inside the tunnel, so eager in their pursuit of killing me that they hadn’t realised the cramped space they were in, effectively making the first two Imps to reach me incapable of anything but flailing their limps uselessly in the narrow confines. A quick slash from my blade and I opened the throat of the closest on, continuing the movement into a cleave which gave the other Imp a grievous wound across its torso, and with a frontal kick I sent it sprawling back towards the rest, pinning another Imp to the ground in its painful thrashing.
 
The other Imps had managed to get a grip on the situation, creating some semblance of a strategy by alternating between attacking once, and then swiftly retreat to allow another to get into reach. It was working surprisingly well, and I had to spend all of my time deflecting or dodging the fast attacks, incapable of countering effectively before my opponent was replaced by another, their smaller size making it easier for them to reposition themselves.
 
I was fighting a losing battle, and I knew it. The only advantage of being defensive was that I was able to avoid taking any serious damage, parrying the single attacks with my blade or catching them on my hardened vambraces.
 
‘I can’t go on like this, I need to get through!’
 
At that point I had only one objective in mind, to get to the Soul Crystal and free the souls inside, at the very least denying the Fiends their price, and allowing the ponies of Old Stable to discover something was wrong and mount a defense somehow.
 
With a roar of anger, adrenaline rushing through my body, I charged recklessly forward, earning myself a painful claw to the face, but also managing to cut down my surprised attacker in my sudden move. Its dying screeches filling me with grim determination. Another step forward and a second Imp sank its teeth into cast of my broken arm, causing me to wince with pain but also giving me the opportunity to stab my blade into its heart, kicking the dead Fiend away from me afterwards.
 
At that point the remaining Imps were looking less sure about their situation; they obviously weren’t used to fighting something which didn’t have any regard for its own life or well-being, and with great haste they evacuated the tunnel, returning to the cave from which they came.

Without hesitation I burst through the opening, unwilling to let the Fiends escape my righteous fury, all pretense of being able to get out alive gone.
 
I managed to graze one of the Imps, leaving a trail of blood dripping from a wound in its leg, before they all managed to take to the air, returning to the various outcroppings of the cave walls, screeching at me in their anger. Realising that they had gone out of my reach I yelled my fury back at them with all the sound I could get from my hoarse throat.
 
“Come down here you soulless cowards! I’m going to kill every single one of you, if it’s the last thing I do!”
 
With pure fury fueling my actions I lashed out at the closest thing I could get at, a Hollow in its base form, which burned away into black ash as the last of my soul’s strength seeped into my blade, causing it to glow a hotly white. Ignoring the shrieks of protest from the Imps above I cut down another Hollow, then a third and a fourth, destroying Fiends the only thing I could think of as I lost myself in the depths of mortal human emotions for the first time.
 
Which is also why I failed to notice a flying Imp above me before it was too late, a solid rock the size of a large fist colliding with the top of my head, sending me reeling in agony to the ground with a painful gasp and grunt.
 
My vision was going black, I could taste blood in my mouth, the entire world was spinning and even the dim light in the cave was painful to my eyes, the mocking cackles of the Imps around me causing my head to throb in the throes of the sudden concussion. Brought somewhat back to my senses I managed to stagger back on my legs, gathering all of my will to somehow ignore the reactive signals of my brain telling me to lie back down. And with heavy painful steps I started making my way towards the purple crystal, clutching the hilt of my sword with all of the strength I could muster, the light of its blade growing brightly in intensity until golden flames started licking its length, every last ounce of my being pouring into it.
 
With rapid gasps and darkness quickly encroaching on my vision I moved towards the crystal, the sounds of my surroundings suddenly sounding far off. I only barely noticed the black shape of an Imp diving towards me from above, claws outstretched and ready to sink into my soft flesh, shredding and ripping me apart. 

Just seconds before it collided with me I saw a green light from outside my vision, the Imp suddenly bursting into brilliant emerald flames, sending it shrieking to the ground.

I ignored it, ignored the sound of dying Imps, the unfamiliar buzzing of insectoid wings, green light and flames exploding all around me, incinerating the Fiends in blazes of fiery death. I ignored it all.
 
The only thing on my mind was the crystal in front of me, every step taking me closer to my goal until I finally stood less than five feet from it. With a last mighty surge of strength I lunged forwards, stabbing the blade of golden fire into the Soul Crystal housing the spirits I had sworn to liberate from their dreadful fate.
 
The crystal burst with a great bright light, blinding me to my surroundings and sending new stabs of pain through my body. From the destroyed mass of crystal came a host of souls, rushing out of their prison towards freedom.
 
My last conscious thought before I blacked out was a realisation, as the Soul Crystal burst and the souls were freed, I noticed that they were all surging quickly towards one point.

With the Flame of Life destroyed and no other place to go, the souls of the deceased would likely seek out the closest thing they could associate with the Flame, a product of its essence.
 
‘Me…’
 
Then, the immortal souls of more than a dozen earth ponies smashed into me.
 
I never even noticed when I hit the floor.


> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 9

 
 
I woke up screaming.
 
The pain felt like nothing I had ever experienced before, agonizing beyond anything else. My body, no, my entire being was aflame as I writhed around on the hard rocky floor, my vision was white and I was unable to hear anything other than my own distant screams. I had bonded with souls before, it was the duty of any Caretaker after all, but never had so many taken residence in my physical form, it felt like my body would explode under the sheer pressure. The souls were in chaos, fighting for dominance in a battle to reach their perceived safe-haven, the core where my own essence resided.
 
It was almost impossible to think, but I knew that if I didn’t bring the wild spirits under control; they would ravage my meagre mortal body, and rip me apart from the inside. Using several centuries of experience in this exact discipline, I gathered all of my focus, willpower, and determination, trying with all of my spiritual might to divide and corral the individual souls threatening to overpower and consume my being. To bring them into some semblance of harmonic resonance, as trying to force them from my body would be nigh impossible, and most likely lethal.
 
With painful exertion which sent another bolt of agonizing flames through my body, I managed to split a single soul from the chaos, allowing it entry into my spiritual core. The same process I had undergone so many times before when preparing souls for their rebirth. I felt some familiarity with it, and it brought some slight relief from the unbelievable pain.
 
And then I braced myself for the new pain I knew was coming, for the process of purifying a soul was never a pleasant one, as one was forced to relive the worst moments of the soul’s most recent life. Its death, all of its trauma, heartbreak, pain, everything would be experienced by the Caretaker. With this in mind I prepared myself as I fell into the depths of the soul’s memories.
 
 
His name had been Stone Turner; he was born into an old family of earth ponies native to Old Stable, the oldest of four, he had had two younger brothers and a younger sister. His life had been simple, yet peaceful and joyful, he had been content in almost every way he could think of, he had even gotten the mare of his dreams, Lily Blossom, to say yes when he had asked for her hoof in marriage.
 
Working the quarry had been hard work, but he did his best every day in order to save up the money for the weeding he felt Lily Blossom had deserved, wanting nothing more than to make her the happiest mare in Equestria.
 
Indeed, his last thoughts had not concerned himself or his own well-being, even as the fiendish creature opened his throat and his lifeblood escaped his body, all he could think of was how sad Lily Blossom would be, how he could no longer make her happy as he had promised.
 
And then, Stone Turner, no more than two decades old and with much love left ungiven, had died.
 
 
As the young stallion’s memories ran through my mind I felt a profound sadness, every regret, every emotion leading up to his death, and then finally the moment of death itself, new pain running through my already stricken body.
 
And then, the soul of Stone Turner settled in my being, basking in the comfortable aura of my soul, and content that its story had been told.
 
Without hesitation I plunged back into the sea of souls inside me, splitting them apart from each other one by one and allowing them access to my own core. Each of them bringing with them new pain, new memories and new emotions. And even while I was wracked with these experiences, the good times and pleasant remembrances of their lives did soothe me to a degree.
 
There had been more than a dozen, fifteen as it turned out, most of which had been workers in the mines and quarry. Young and old stallions alike, each with their own tale to tell, their own memories and stories which they desperately needed someone to listen to, and that someone was me. There were even the souls of some unfortunate marefriends and wives, who had gone down to their partners with food instead of having them return to the village to eat. Those particular pairs were the easiest to handle, as the presence of such familiar loving souls meant that they were calming to each other.
 
Every time one of the earth pony souls settled into my being, I felt the pain lessen more and more, the souls themselves drifting lazily around the pleasant flame of my own, like water flowing down a gentle stream. And in turn I felt the closeness of so many souls invigorate my own spirit, the small flame growing ever so slightly in the comfortable presence of so much purified spiritual energy.
 
When the last soul finally joined the others in my core, I felt the pain leave my body complete, soothing coolness moving through my form in a welcome embrace. My head as well as the rest of my body still ached greatly, but it was nothing compared to what I had just been through.

It was then that I noticed I had stopped screaming, fresh tears still running from my eyes as I fought to come to terms with so many painful memories, so many deaths. Thankfully, Equestria was a peaceful land, and most of the unpleasant experiences the ponies had had in life were somewhat manageable. If these had been the souls of more unfortunate creatures, I feared that I would have been unable to handle it.
 
Very slowly, my body still groaning in aching pain, I shifted my functioning arm and used it to get to my knees, taking deep painful breaths as my body settled after the unpleasant experience. I looked around the cave with dull throbbing eyes, the previous white gone from my vision. It looked the same, save for the shattered and scattered pieces of the Soul Crystal, the dim illumination provided by the various crystals reflected in their surfaces.
 
The space was otherwise empty, the only notable difference were the many piles of dark ashes spread around the room, some of them still flickering with emerald green fire, hungrily devouring whatever remained of the Fiends. It was the same green fire I had seen Crystal Heart use, and I suspected that my savior, or saviors, had been unicorns themselves. But why then had they simply left me alone afterwards? Surely they wouldn’t have just come down here to kill the Fiends, and then leave me to writhe in agony.
 
‘Well they’re gone now by the looks of it, no need to waste time trying to make sense of it just yet.’
 
I shakily got on my feet, my spine popping and creaking uncomfortably as I stretched out to my full length. Most of the pain in my body had receded at this point, but I still felt the stinging of the claw wound on my cheek, though the blood had already mostly dried up. The cast on my broken arm had been ruined, but to my surprise I didn’t feel much pain in it at all, even being able to move my fingers freely. Either the little magic Ivory Scroll had used on me had worked better than I thought, or the slightly rejuvenated state of my soul had worked wonders on my health. I was incapable of knowing just what effect purifying souls would have on a mortal body, but it was possible that they had somehow healed me during the process in a bid to take care of their new ‘host’.
 
Despite how I felt I decided not to tempt fate and move my right arm as little as possible, the sling luckily still somewhat intact despite the frantic battle I had just been in. Looking around the cavernous room didn’t tell me anything, the air was still tainted with fiendish energies, but at the very least my spiritual senses informed me that it was unlikely that any Fiends were still nearby. My unicorn saviors had been thorough in their extermination. I noticed that they had even moved away the pile of pony corpses.
 
All in all I was still alive, actually feeling a bit better than when I had originally decided to come here, though I still had no idea how long I had been out. Deciding that getting out of the mines would be the wisest course of action; I started down the tunnel I had come from, doing my best to remember the route I had taken earlier.

Less than half an hour later I made it to the exit, the sun welcoming me back in its blinding, though comfortable embrace, as I stepped outside into the early afternoon day.
 
After taking a minute for my eyes to get used to the light, using my left hand to shield me from the sun, I noticed a presence and small shape sitting in front of me a few feet away.
 
“I guess this means you didn’t really buy that story then.” I said with a small sigh and an apologetic smile towards my observer.
 
Crystal Heart looked up at me with a narrowed gaze and clear annoyance etched on her face. “Of course not, I’m not some clueless foal, you know.” She said as she huffed, looking away from me in mock insult. After a moment of silence she peered back at me questioningly with a single blue eye. “Did you do what you came here for? And why are you hurt again?” Her tone was low and she was clearly still annoyed that I had lied to her and left her behind, but I also detected worry in her voice.
 
I looked at my young friend with a sincere smile, relief flooding my system as the realisation that I had actually come back alive hit me. I wouldn’t have to break my promise to her after all. Not like Stone Turner or any of the other ponies had been forced to do. Without hesitation I stepped forward, scooping the unicorn filly up with my arm despite her protests, bringing her struggling form into an embrace, tears threatening to form in my eyes again, entirely ignoring the familiar chill running through my body.
 
“Yes, I did. And I’m very sorry for worrying you.” She was still struggling, probably doing her best to slap me with one of her hoofs. “I promise that I won’t lie to you again… Forgive me?”
 
The filly stopped thrashing, begrudgingly returning the embrace. I felt at peace for a few moments, right up until the point where she chomped her teeth into my left arm in a strong bite, causing me to yelp in pain and let go, allowing her to leap down onto the ground again, her gaze locked towards me and an almost sadistically playful smile on her lips.
 
“I forgive you, but if you ever do anything like that again,” her blue eyes narrowed dangerously and I couldn’t help but gulp lightly. “then it won’t be pleasant for you. Understand?”
 
I nodded quickly, suddenly very determined not to break any future promises with my unicorn companion. In fact I felt that I’d much rather go through another horde of Imps than raise her ire.
 
Crystal’s demeanor instantly shifted, beaming up at me with a big smile. “Good! I even brought along our things so we wouldn’t have to head back into the village.”
 
She motioned with a hoof to the ground where the refurbished saddlebag sat, with her own smaller saddlebags next to it, radiating pride at her foresight. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight, the small unicorn certainly kept surprising me time and again.
 
“Good thinking, no real reason to go back there now since we already got everything we needed.”
 
After placing the bag over my shoulder, and Crystal doing the same in turn with her own saddlebags, we started walking away from the mines, heading through the empty quarry and eventually made it to the road leading away from Old Stable towards the north. I felt a slight twinge of regret coming from the earth pony souls at the idea of leaving the small village, but in the end they were at peace with their situation, allowing me to continue forward with only little hesitation. A part of me wanted to return to the village in order to tell the inhabitants what had happened to their loved ones, but eventually I came to terms with the fact that the unicorns that had saved me would most likely explain the situation.

Besides, I was unsure as to how they would handle the idea of their loved ones’ souls residing inside me, or if they would somehow blame me for what had happened.
 
As for the fiendish energy still tainting some of the earth pony workers, I knew that it would disappear given enough time away from any more Fiends, and the only side effects they would suffer during that time would be a greater likelihood of nightmares and heightened responses to negative emotions. Nothing I knew they wouldn’t be able to handle.
 
We walked for a few hours on the old dirt road, the map in our possession indicating that we would need to cross a low mountain range if we didn’t want to take the long way around, either into the Mild West or further east into the heart of Equestria. It wasn’t especially dangerous according to Crystal, and at the base of the range on the other side there was supposed to be another small town, a place called Cobalt Crag. After that we would need to go through another large forest before finally reaching Crystal’s home at the southern edge of the Badlands, a tiny hamlet without any real name, and which wasn’t even on the map.
 
In the end we decided that it would be the safest and probably fastest route, as going west into the Mild West would be dangerous considering there weren’t any pony settlements in the area, and going east into the heartlands of Equestria would most likely take us through the capitol city of Everfree, and my presence there would probably evoke a bit stronger of a reaction than it had in Old Stable, quite possibly slowing us down considerably. Besides, I was afraid that meeting the alicorn sisters might set in motion a serious of events I wasn’t really ready for.
 
We kept walking through the day, almost in complete silence save for the occasional spirited humming of my companion, or the loose comment about something either of us had spotted. Equestria was a very beautiful land I once more realised; rolling hills, green grassland and the occasional forest dotted the countryside, giving our surroundings an almost idyllic atmosphere, with small critters aplenty and not a real predator in sight if not for a few foxes. Indeed, during that day of travelling my appreciation of Equestria only grew, I even felt a special connection to it I hadn’t before, an almost alien sensation of peace and joy, but if that was because of the pony souls in my core or something else entirely, I couldn’t be sure.
 
As evening approached and the sun started setting, we managed to find a comfortable spot between two hillocks not far from the road; it offered some shelter from the elements, though the cold late-day breeze wasn’t all that harsh. Having already gotten used to sleeping in the same bed during our days together, we had opted for a single large bedroll and a woollen blanket in order to minimize the gear we would need to drag around. It didn’t bother me much, in fact I felt a strange comfort when I had someone, or in this case somepony, to sleep next to. Probably another peculiarity of my human body, and Crystal Heart seemed more than happy about it, so I certainly wasn’t going to complain.
 
After eating our meagre ration, a combination of bread and some specially prepared vegetable dishes made with longevity in mind, we settled down by our small fire, Crystal with one of the books we had brought along, and I with my thoughts, going over everything that had happened to me that day. The souls were still content with simply floating around my own, and I for one felt comfortable with their presence, their spiritual energies resonating with the small flame of my essence. Perhaps they really were rejuvenating my damaged soul.
 
‘Only one way to find out…’
 
Drawing a deep breath I fell into deep meditation, conjuring and gathering whatever energy I could. As the spiritual energy came together I already knew that my soul had been restored somewhat, but would it be enough? Holding the energy steady I opened my eyes, lifting my left arm out in front of me and willing the gathered power into form as I released the Sealing Mark on my hand. At this point Crystal was looking up at me in curious silence, and after a moment I saw the sigils in my flesh glow brightly, just as a tall brass lantern appeared, hanging from its handle in my grip.
 
With a sight and satisfied smile I placed the lantern on the ground, its own centre glowing with a pleasant ethereal light. Already I could feel the channelled glow of my own soul soothe my tired body, even aiding in the recovery of my broken arm if the tingling sensation was anything to go by.
 
Crystal was looking at it with great interest and wide eyes. “Uuuh, what is that? I thought you only had that sword.” She looked up at me questioningly.
 
I gave a small chuckle at her enthusiasm before explaining. “This is a Lantern, I’ve told you about how my magic comes from the soul, right?” The filly gave a nod at acknowledgement at that. “Well, unlike unicorns I don’t have an external focus for spellcasting, so while unicorns use their horns I need something else, and this,” I said as I motioned to the lantern. ”is that focus. It acts as a sort of conduit to the power inside me, basically allowing me to channel my soul. That’s the light you see from it.”
 
She looked the lantern over a few times, pacing around it with an inquisitive gaze before stopping to look up at me again. “So it’s like a unicorn horn then?” I gave her a nod and her gaze became a bit uncertain. “But, uhm, is it supposed to be so fickle?”
 
I winced internally at the comment; it was quite true, the light coming from the lantern wasn’t anywhere near as bright as it had once been, flickering uncertainly from time to time.
 
“Not optimally, no, it reflects the channeler’s soul as I said, so therefore it also reflects my state of health.” She looked worried, but also uncertain, so I continued. “A soul is made up of Positive energy, the energy of life. And while all souls are connected to the Positive Energy Plane in order to stay alive, the soul of an Ascended such as I is mostly connected to the Flame of Life I told you about.”
 
The filly nodded understandingly at this before her eyes grew wide in concern. “But you said some bad pony broke it! Is that why it’s so dim?” She said as she gazed worriedly at the lantern.
 
I gave her a reassuring smile and patted her head; she really was quite clever for someone so young. “That’s pretty much it, when I lost the connection to the Flame I only had that small attachment to the Positive Energy Plane left, which is why the lantern doesn’t give off much light.”
 
She still seemed fearful at the idea of that small glow supporting my life; it really looked like it could go out at any minute. Despite this her curiosity got the better of her and she continued her line of questioning.
 
“So you can use magic then? Like a unicorn?”
 
I rubbed my wounded cheek for a moment before answering. “Not quite, a unicorn draws magic from the leylines of Equestria, then uses their natural focus, the horn, in order to structure and cast spells.” She looked at me with a deadpan look, already quite aware of how her own magic worked. I chuckled in response. “Well, I don’t really have the same connection to Equestria that unicorns do, and even if I did I doubt I could channel it through the lantern. The magic I use is something we call Miracles, and it primarily uses the Positive energy of our souls to heal, enhance and protect. And while it can’t truly be used to conjure anything really destructive, Positive energy being the energy of life and creation after all, I can use my Ascended powers to transform it into something called Holy energy, which can be used to hurt evil beings.”
 
Crystal Heart nodded her head in contemplation, taking in the new information with a practiced ease any scholar would’ve envied her. Then she looked back at me with another question, though she clearly wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer or not.
 
“You said ‘hurt evil beings’, evil beings like what?”
 
With a sigh I fell back onto the bedroll, feeling the comfortable cloth beneath me as the rejuvenating light of my lantern enveloped us in a gentle embrace.
 
 
“With any luck, Crystal, you’ll never have to find out.”


> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 10

 
 
We travelled for several more days, walking the same old dirt road leading from Old Stable towards our destination, the Deepglimmer Mountains and the town of Cobalt Crag. The mountain chain itself was rather massive, clearly visible on the horizon even from several days’ journey away, the three largest mountain tops reaching all the way into the sky, past the clouds. Judging from our map and its approximate size, I guessed that it would take at least a day or two to actually cross the thing when we got there, and luckily there was supposed to be an old trade route leading straight through, meaning we wouldn’t need to do any actual climbing.
 
The entire trip was rather nice and relaxing, the early spring weather creating a comfortable atmosphere for travelling, keeping us somewhat warm at night and cool during the day, and also giving us the chance to gather various sorts of food on the road, mainly berries and wild vegetables or fruit, yet it was certainly a nice change from the bread and root vegetables we had gotten from Old Stable.
 
During the day we mainly spent our time talking or taking in the sights, both of us enjoying each other’s company by telling stories, talking about Equestria and its ponies, or, surprisingly often, discussing magical theory and application.
 
By the Seraphim, that filly was intelligent. I kept wondering why she hadn’t gotten her ‘cutie mark’ as some sort of scholar or magical prodigy; she was certainly knowledgeable and dedicated enough. I wasn’t sure if I should feel somewhat ashamed that my own level of magical knowledge wasn’t quite up to par with hers. It wouldn’t surprise me if her parents had hired private tutors for her, as she really was quite exceptional.
 
Our evenings were used for eating, reading and relaxing after a long day of walking. I made it a habit to conjure my lantern at our camp and use it for warmth and light, it was easier and safer than starting a campfire, and it had the added benefit of accelerating the mending of my broken arm as well, which was already getting better and better each day. Nothing exciting happened during our nights either, my powers hadn’t returned nearly enough for me to start putting up any wards against wild animals, so we chose to make camp in somewhat hidden places, and I had always personally been a rather light sleeper.
 
A handful of days after leaving Old Stable behind, we finally made it to the foot of the mountain range, the path visibly winding its way through the rocky area. From what I had been able to gather in Old Stable, the path was rarely used, only the occasional trade caravan or traveller even passed through the mountains anymore. Apparently airship travel was becoming something of a big thing, allowing ponies to entirely bypass most mountains such as the Deepglimmer range.
 
I noticed a number of things as we started our trek through the mountains, for one the road was surprisingly well maintained considering that nobody were supposed to be travelling on it often, the atmosphere was also surprisingly oppressive, the overhanging cliffs and mountainsides reaching eerily towards us, creating the illusion of them being just about to pounce us as wild predators would. Crystal also became more attentive of her surroundings, her searching gaze betraying her nervosity, despite the fact that she had been the one to tell me that the mountains were largely peaceful. Another thing was the effect that coming to the mountains had had on the pony spirits lounging by my essence, namely that they seemed to actually tug me further into the mountain range, most often urging me to go down. If it was just a reaction caused by their former lives as earth pony mine workers or not, I couldn’t be sure, but I was fairly certain that going down into the mountains wasn’t exactly on the top of our to do list.
 
After walking for a few hours we came to a bend around a cliff face, and as we came out the other side we got the most majestic view of a great green valley in an almost oval shape between the mountains, and despite the fact that we were already almost five hundred feet above the ground at that point, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at the sheer size and beauty of the valley. It was almost as if a large forest had decided to just sprout up in the middle of the grey mountainous region, adding a splotch of colour which contrasted nicely to the monotone rocks and cliffs. It even surprised Crystal Heart if the small gasp that came from her was any indication, and when I looked at her I saw none of the uncertainty she had displayed earlier, only marvel at the great haven of nature far below us. Once again I felt a tang of annoyance that I wasn’t able to use my wings.
 
I looked down at Crystal with a grin. “It really is beautiful, almost makes you wish you were born a pegasus huh? Imagine the freedom one would feel soaring through this sky.”
 
The small filly looked thoughtful about something for a moment before simply looking up at me with a shrug. “Guess I don’t have the same need to fly that winged creatures do, I’d rather stick with my magic anyway.”
 
Her phrasing of ‘winged creatures’ instead of pegasus made me recall that I hardly knew anything about the other airborne sentient creatures of their world, supposedly there were both griffins and dragons too. I had read of both species before from books kept in the White City, but just like the unicorns and pegasi differed from what I had expected, I was sure that any other species I knew of from Ascended sources would most likely be very different too.
 
“What got you so nervous earlier anyway?” I said as we continued on our way. “I noticed that you were rather anxious after we came here.”
 
If I hadn’t been looking at her when I asked the question, I might have missed the quick look of uncertainty on her features, lasting only a second before it was gone again. Then she looked up at me with a somewhat forced smile.
 
“Sorry, I guess I just don’t like mountains much… mother says there’s dragons in them.” She visibly shivered at the thought, before continuing in a lower voice. “I hope we don’t run into any…”
 
I gave her my most reassuring smile, relieved that her fears had been rather physical at least; I wasn’t sure how I’d deal with her being afraid of something like heights, or any other such phobia. “I’m sure we’ll be fine, if they’re anything like other dragons I’m familiar with, they won’t bother us as long as we stay away from their hoards. Dragons here are like that, right?” She contemplated the question for a moment before giving me a simple nod. “And we’re not planning on stealing from a dragon, are we?” She responded with a shake of her head. “I guess we’ll have nothing to worry about then, as long as we don’t stray off the path we shouldn’t get anywhere near a cave, or a dragon lair for that matter.”
 
She gave me another nod, apparently satisfied with my reasoning; despite how unfounded in reality it really was. I personally doubted that we’d encounter any dragons during the couple of days it would take us to get to the other side of the mountains, and even if we did we’d be able to spot or hear it long before it could discover us, giving us the chance to hide from it.
 
We continued on our way, the valley on our left side the entire time as we walked the mountainside, both of us keeping lookout for anything that might be dangerous, and especially listening for the flapping of wings, as even if encountering a dragon was unlikely, anything predatory with wings would spell trouble for us, considering our grounded nature. Despite our almost constant vigilance it was a rather nice trip, the fresh mountain air and warm spring sun made the entire trek rather comfortable, easing our worried minds to some degree. Crystal was still somewhat on edge, but at least my reassurances seemed to have calmed her down enough for her to enjoy our surroundings.
 
Another hour went by in almost total silence; the only sounds were from our footsteps and hoofsteps respectively, as well as the minimal amount of wildlife at the altitude we were at, roughly six hundred feet at that point. The green valley was still down on our left side, allowing us something interesting to look at in the otherwise bland landscape.
 
Just as I was about to pick up on our discussion of dragons we had abandoned an hour earlier, my curiosity getting the better of me, I heard the slight shifting of stone and rock as I watched a few pebbles roll down the cliff side only ten feet on our right. Quickly whipping my head upwards I noticed that something was partly blocking out the sun, just barely managing to yell out a warning to Crystal before the first rocks of a small landslide came crashing down on us.
 
“Crystal!”
 
With a gasp I threw myself forward, just barely managing to dodge a large stone before it cracked the ground where I had just been standing. I heard Crystal yelp in surprise as the rocks came raining down upon us, and I knew that staying on the path would be paramount to suicide. With determination I leapt forward, scooping up the small unicorn just as she managed to move out of the way of another collection of rocks. I could feel her squirming in my grasp, clearly panicked by our situation, and I quickly evaded another larger boulder before I shifted a few feet closer to the edge of the cliff. Just as I was about to spin around and sprint back towards safety a stone the size of a small fist collided with my temple, sending me reeling and stumbling dangerously close to the edge with a yelp of pain, warm blood making its way past my ear and down to my throat. Another large boulder crashed down next to us, causing me to take a step backwards in surprise, failing to notice in my disorientation that I had just taken a step backwards off the edge of the cliff.
 
Gathering my wits I managed to push off from the cliff with my other foot, sending us a safe distance away from the cliff side and its deadly jagged outcroppings. Air rushed past my head, blood was sent into the air in our wake, and Crystal tightened her grip around my shoulder and arm as she screamed in fear. Doing my best despite the possible concussion I spun around in the air, suddenly facing the hastily approaching ground beneath us. Clenching my teeth I gathered power to the seal on my wings, unleashing it just three hundred feet above the green canopy of the forest, and with a mighty surge of strength I managed to brace my wings against the onrushing wind, causing us to hit a wall of air which almost knocked me unconscious. Fighting back the darkness I shifted my wings, and instead of trying to halt our downward momentum I positioned myself to ride the current in a downward angle, doing my best to dampen our fall with my heavy wings. I was largely successful, but the trees and ground were fast approaching, and I knew that we would be in for a rough landing.
 
“Hang on! We’re going to crash!” I managed to yell over the roaring wind at the filly clutching my shoulder in fear. I prayed that she would be safe from the fall, doing my best to position myself to soften the impact on my passenger.
 
I felt our descend slow down slightly, but at that point it was already too late. There was just another hundred feet before our abrupt meeting with a canopy of branches, trees and finally the ground.
 
I tightened my grip on Crystal, bracing myself for impact and turning around with my back towards the ground. I could feel the throbbing pain in my head dulling my senses, but I fought back against inevitable unconsciousness, doing everything I could to prepare for impact. At fifty feet I closed my eyes and folded my wings to my sides, then I crashed hard through the crown of a tree, a branch whipping me across the face and another handful breaking as I impacted with them, sending splinters of wood flying in all directions.
 
*CRASH*
 
With a large thud I collided with the thankfully soft forest floor, pain shooting through my body as I landed on the upper part of my back first, then rolled away with the force, before finally coming to a stop a handful of feet away from my impact point. I gave a low groan in pain, agony running through all parts of my form, blood slowly dripping down on the ground below me from the wound on the side of my head. Taking haggard gasps of air, each breath resulting in more pain, I felt Crystal shuffle on my stomach, struggling in my grasp and sobbing silently into my chest.
 
Taking another deep breath of air and feeling the accompanying pain, I finally released the filly from my tight embrace, prompting her to sniff one more time before she managed to get shakily on her legs, still standing on top of my stomach and looking down at me with teary eyes. I could already feel myself slipping away as the adrenaline subsided.
 
“Lysander…?” Her voice was shaky, afraid and sounded very far away, I thought she said something more, but I didn’t manage to hear anything else before the world faded to black.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I awoke not so long after, if what little I could see of the sun through the thick forest foliage was any indication. My body was throbbing with pain and my limbs felt numb, I wasn’t aware of how long I had been out, but I could hear the gentle ebbing of a small creek on my right, and felt a piece of cold damp cloth on my forehead. It was almost idyllic, and the coldness brought much needed comfort to my aching head. I gave a small sigh of relief, glad that I had at least survived the crash without any permanent damage from what I could tell.
 
“Lysander!”
 
The worried voice of Crystal called out to me, and I shifted my head slightly in its direction. Not far on my left the white unicorn filly was in a quick trot towards me, obvious worry and fear plastered on her face, her eyes still red from crying. Before I could open my mouth to say anything she threw her hooves around my throat and head in a hug, nuzzling my cheek affectionately.
 
“I was so worried! You weren’t moving after hitting the ground and I wasn’t sure what to do, you were bleeding and didn’t wake up so I tried moving you but you kept sounding like you were in pain and I’m not very good with healing magic and I’m so sorr-..“ I stopped her rambling by placing my hand on her head and bringing her into a tighter embrace, petting her head caringly.
 
“Thank you, Crystal, looks like I’ve been in your care again.” I said in a thankful voice, an inkling of mirth evident. “I’m not sure what I’d do without you.”
 
She managed to loosen herself a bit from the hug, looking at me with guilt in her eyes, speaking in a low voice. “You’d probably get hurt a lot less…”
 
I gave her a stern look, seriousness in my voice. “Don’t say that, nothing bad that has happened to me is your fault.” I shifted my demeanour and gave her a smile. “You’ve been nothing but a blessing to me ever since I came to this world. I promised that I’d take you home and I’d gladly endure a bit of pain to make that happen.”
 
Her guilty look disappeared slightly, replaced by teary eyes as she planted her head below my chin, returning to the embrace while quietly sobbing. I hardly noticed the familiar chill when it returned, intent on comforting my friend in every way I could.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Once again I wasn’t sure how long we stayed like that, not that I cared either way, every one of my thoughts having been focused on calming down my upset companion. It was a warm and comfortable time for me, as she was alleviating the pain in my body simply by being close to me. When she had finally gathered herself again she detached herself from our embrace with a last sniffle, running a hoof across her eyes to remove the remaining tears. When she looked back at me her sadness had been replaced with determination and happiness, finally giving me the smile I had been waiting for.
 
“I’m the one who should be grateful you know, I probably wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you…” She left the meaning of her words hang in silence, before returning to a much more cheerful disposition, pinning me with a serious gaze. “Now you stay put, I’m going to get you some water and change the cloth on your head.”
 
I responded with a mock salute and a chuckle, which prompted her to nod her head sharply as I had obviously gotten the message. As she left to fetch water from the small creek I took the time to bring out my lantern, placing it next to me and focusing the majority of its power into healing. It wouldn’t do for us to spend too much time in such unknown surroundings, the faster we got back on track the better. That did bring another question to my mind however, the path we had fallen from was more than five hundred feet above on a steep mountainside, and while we had been on it we had found no indication that there were any easy paths leading from the valley onto the mountain. Chances were that we’d need to search the border of the forest in order to find a path back to where we started, as trying to climb the cliffs would be almost impossible with my broken arm, despite how much better it had gotten over the last week.
 
The next half an hour or so I spent recovering and contemplating the dilemma, all the while Crystal made sure to nurse me to the best of her ability, which was really quite endearing. She also didn’t have any ideas on how to return to the mountain path, aside a miraculous recovery of the use of my wings, which was entirely unlikely.
 
When I asked her about the accidental landslide however, she did say something which was quite troubling, especially considering that I hadn’t had the slightest idea.
 
“Wait, what did you just say?” I looked at her in surprise, slightly unnerved at the implications.
 
She pawed at the ground for a moment, possibly uncertain about repeating herself again after it prompted such a reaction from me.
 
“I just said that I don’t think it was an accident,” her gaze drifted back and forth between me and the ground. “when I looked up the first time I saw somepony up there, I couldn’t really make them out all that well but I’m sure of it.”
 
I placed my hand on my forehead and gave a sigh. “That’s trouble then, do you know who it could have been?”
 
Crystal looked thoughtful for a moment before responding uncertainly. “I don’t know, nopony was supposed to live in these mountains, and we’re still nowhere close to Cobalt Crag.”
 
With another sigh of resignation, annoyed that enemies were cropping up everywhere I went, I managed to get back on my feet, despite Crystal’s protests that I should stay put. My entire body was sore, and it felt extremely good to finally be able to stretch out, my bones almost creaking.
 
“More the reason to get a move on then, it would be bad if we were found by something hostile while recovering.” I looked down at Crystal, who was still obviously worried about my condition; I simply chuckled before bending down to pat her on the head. “I’ll be just fine; I had a great nurse after all.”
 
She giggled at my joking compliment before nodding, trotting over to get her saddlebags on. A minute or two later we both had our bags ready, setting off to find our way out of the forest and back on the road to Cobalt Crag.
 
 
Another few hours later, the sun slowly getting ready to set on the sky, we still hadn’t found any way to leave the enclosed valley. There were no paths into the mountains, no small cliff face we could scale, not even a way leading out on ground level. We were almost completely trapped by mountains on all sides, the only other course of action being a large cave entrance which led into the mountain from which we had fallen, strange twin pillars of worked stone standing vigil on both sides of it, and heading into it was starting to become the only choice left to us.
 
My alabaster companion looked up at me with fear in her eyes as we once again had made our way back towards the cave, it was clear to both of us that we’d need to take our chances inside the mountain, but neither of us felt very good about it. Strangely enough, the pony souls I carried were almost ecstatic about heading into the mountain, as if they were being drawn towards something. I couldn’t be sure what it was, but it wasn’t exactly something I wanted to brave more caves to find out.
 
With a last reassuring smile towards Crystal I summoned my lantern, its gentle glow illuminating our way as we headed through the entrance, making our way into the mountain and whatever dangers its dark depths held in store for us.


> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 11

 
 
The dark narrow tunnels inside Deepglimmer, the walls just barely illuminated by the weak light granted by my lantern, brought with them a strange fear I had previously been unaccustomed to, claustrophobia if I had to take a guess. This was only the second time in my memory that I had been wandering such a confine, the first being the mines of Old Stable’s quarry, yet at that time I had had a purpose capable of dispelling my fears. Being an Ascended brought with it a great sense of freedom, and the longer I stayed inside Deepglimmer’s depths, the greater my fears of eventually being swallowed up by the mountain became.
 
Indeed, inside Deepglimmer I had not the same determination as when I had previously hunted the Fiends; the only company inside those wretched tunnels were the flickering shadows, the pits of darkness my light could not penetrate, and thankfully, my unicorn companion, Crystal Heart. Her presence was the true light that brought me comfort, for each time I thought of her, each time I looked at her, I was reminded that I did have a purpose, a mission, to get her safely through the mountains and back to her home.
 
It brought me some level of solace, yet it did not take more than an unknown sound coming from inside some dark passage for my heart to start pounding again, and there were plenty of such dreaded passages, filled with unknown fears and dark shadowy creatures just out of my field of vision. The entire mountain complex turned out to be a large system of tunnels, if they were natural or not I could not be sure, but the further in we walked the more the entire thing started to remind me of some large ant hive. It could be that they were actually mines, long since abandoned and lost to time, or it might still house burrowing creatures, just biding their time to swarm us and carry us away to an uncertain doom.
 
The dark thoughts were dispelled from my mind as I once more looked down at the white and pink filly at my side. It was odd, ever since entering this place she had actually seemed more at ease, as if she found some sort of familiar comfort in those desolate gloomy tunnels and passageways. For whatever reason, her cheerful demeanour made me slightly more comfortable with the situation.
 
Then there were the earth pony spirits within my being, they were still excited about our course of action, actively guiding us through the network of tunnels. A good thing too, considering that I had absolutely no idea which way we were supposed to go. I was more than happy to let the souls show us the way to their perceived destination, wherever that might be.
 
In any case we made progress, continuing ever deeper inside the mountain if my fears were to be believed, every time I seemed to hesitate or falter Crystal would nudge my leg and give me a reassuring smile, and each time without fail I would regain my composure and continue onwards. I hadn’t been lying when I had spoken to her outside in the valley; I really was lucky to have met her.
 
I couldn’t be sure of how much time passed, an hour perhaps, maybe two, but at some point the tunnels started to look like actual worked mines, the walls showing increasingly growing proof that they had been mined and reinforced, the same odd stone pillars we had discovered outside showing up more and more often, and at the same time I was certain that the alien sounds were becoming more frequent. Crystal seemed to notice as well, as her pace had become less bouncy and more careful; slowing down ever so slightly as she cautiously looked down each new passage we came across. Unless ponies had better vision in the dark than myself, I was sure that she couldn’t actually see anything through the openings, but each time she would nod in satisfaction after peering down the tunnel, as if reassuring herself that there wasn’t actually anything there.
 
Regardless of her ability to perceive anything in the darkness better than I, it did not take long for both of us to agree that we weren’t alone in those tunnels. It started as the sound of something scratching against stone, sounding almost like claws raking the earth in order to dig through it, and then we started hearing low footsteps echoing softly from the various passages. At that point I had already decreased the light of my lantern, both of us moving as silently as we possibly could without stopping our advance entirely.
 
Our first encounter with the subterranean creatures was heralded only by the low scratching noise coming from a passage in front of us, and in an instant I had spirited Crystal into one of the narrow side passages, turning off the light of my lantern entirely as we kept still and the creatures approached ever closer through the tunnel we had just left. It was completely dark; the creatures didn’t bring any source of light with them, which meant that they were quite capable of seeing in the darkness. It also meant that the only thing I was capable of observing when they passed us, just narrowly avoiding their notice, was that their bipedal shapes weren’t very big, perhaps at the height of a full grown pony and just as broad. They would have reminded me a little of Imps, if not for their obvious lack of wings and Fiendish aura. Shifting my sight into my Soul Sense also did not reveal much, the two creatures were obviously young, as well as native to Equestria if I had to wager a guess, but their souls were both marred with the ugly deep purple of sadistic evil.
 
A minute went by as their footsteps disappeared down the tunnel, and I eventually let out a sigh I did not realise I had been holding, cautiously returning the glow to my lantern and illuminating our surroundings yet again. I glanced down at Crystal who looked just as nervous as myself, before bending down to pat her on the head and catch her attention, giving her a reassuring smile before motioning back to the tunnel we had come from. She gave me a nod in acknowledgement as we moved around the corner, continuing on our way towards our unknown destination.
 
Another handful of minutes later our surroundings started changing again, where before there had been no sources of light at all, at some point clear green crystals started poking out of the walls, giving off a dim greenish light which brought some measure of illumination to the tunnels. I had initially been confused about them, considering that the creatures clearly didn’t need them to navigate in the dark, yet after a few more minutes of silently walking through the tunnels we discovered their purpose. We were warned of their approach by the jingling of chains, and just as we took cover we saw them cross through a nearby tunnel.
 
Ponies, at least five in total, each of them chained with a collar around their neck, connected to the pony behind them by a rusty old chain, they were all dirty and obviously malnourished. There were stallions and mares, young colts and fillies, three of them were earth ponies and the other two were pegasi, and they all looked absolutely miserable.
 
I gritted my teeth at the sight in front of me; it was obviously some sort of forced labor, they were all carrying saddlebags filled to the brim with gems and crystals, each of the ponies sagging under the weight of their burden, and behind them, keeping the ponies moving, were their enslavers. A duo of bipedal reptilian humanoid creatures, their scales the color of dirty brown, they had short tails, with long crocodilian snouts and deep red eyes. In their clawed hands they carried short spears with jagged tips, and they spoke with clear agitation at the ponies in an almost yapping language. Everything about the situation made my blood boil, and when one of them stabbed at the pony furthest back, a grey and blue pegasus mare, it was only Crystal’s hoof at my side and a sad shake of her head which stopped me from jumping at them then and there.
 
Calming myself down as they passed out of sight I slid down onto the ground with a sigh, looking at Crystal for some sort of idea on how to proceed. She for one simply stared into the ground, a hoof under her chin in contemplation. After a while she returned her gaze to me, doubt and a hint of fear evident on her features, her voice almost shaky as she spoke in a low voice.
 
“There’s a dragon here…” At the silent question on my face she continued, her eyes scouting down the tunnel we had seen the group disappear into. “Those were kobolds, small draconic creatures that gather in tribes around a dragon in order to worship it, that’s why they’re collecting those gems.”
 
I nodded my head, pondering the new information. “It doesn’t matter what they are, if they’re taking innocent ponies as slaves we can’t just let it go.”
 
Crystal glanced up at me with a look which clearly showed that she had expected my answer, sighing lightly before motioning with a hoof towards the tunnel. “I know it’s the right thing to do, but we don’t know how many kobolds are in there,” another sigh. “and if there really is a dragon I don’t see how we’re going to free the ponies anyway.” At this point her eyes had started getting slightly teary. “I don’t want to lose you, I know you’re strong and everything, but you’d die if you tried fighting a dragon.”
 
With a smile I reached down, picking up a surprised Crystal before depositing her on my lap, running my hand through her unkempt pink mane, dirty after several days of walking without a chance for a bath. She gave me a short look of desperation, knowing full well what I was going to say, before sighing and finally looking at me with sad acceptance.
 
“I’m sorry, Crystal, but you know I have to do this. I don’t want to break my promise to you about getting you home, but even more so I don’t want you to live in a world where something like this can happen.” I gave her another smile, continuing my petting. “If I simply left these ponies here I’d never be able to forgive myself. I told you in Old Stable that I wouldn’t lie to you anymore, so I’ll just come out and say this.”
 
I looked down at her; she was laying spread out on her stomach, clearly enjoying the attention I was giving her tired body. The filly glanced back up at me with a single eye, giving me a sad hum, telling me to go on.
 
“I might not return, it’s possible that I might even die, or I could succeed and return the ponies to their freedom. Either way, I want you to know that I love you very much, and nothing is more important to me than your safe wellbeing. You’re the first real friend I’ve ever had, and you’re the entire reason I’ve even gotten this far, the entire reason I’ve been able to overcome the obstacles I’ve encountered during my time in Equestria.”
 
Crystal looked up at me with an odd mix of sadness and joy, tears starting to well up in her eyes despite my best attempts at comforting her, and without another word I bent my head down, kissing her gently on the forehead at the base of her horn, ignoring the chilling coldness that ran through my entire being. I’m not sure why I did so, the gesture was unknown to me, yet it seemed the right thing to do in the situation, and Crystal seemed to appreciate it as she pressed the side of her head to my stomach, nuzzling me affectionately.
 
We stayed like that for the longest time, me petting her and she enjoying every moment of it, just finding joy and warmth in each other’s company, the entire world reduced to just the two of us as everything else was shut out. Every worry and fear, every thought of the uncertain future and what it would bring, forgotten in that moment of love and friendship. I could feel our heartbeats fall into a synchronous beat, a warm sensation of strength seeping into my body as Crystal started shivering slightly on my lap, only causing me to move my right arm around to wrap her in a tighter embrace, ignoring the ever diminishing pain as it shot through my still damaged limb.
 
Minutes passed and eventually I felt Crystal fall asleep in my arms, clearly exhausted after everything that had happened that day, and with a thankful smile to my unicorn companion I placed her inside a small crevice nearby together with our bags, making sure to wrap her in the warm blanket and place a few rocks near the opening to act as camouflage.
 
‘Stay safe, Crystal.’
 
After making sure that she would be secure I started removing the damaged cast around my right arm, ignoring the dull pain still coursing through the limb. As the last of the cast fell to the ground I opened and closed my hand testingly, finding to my great joy that my arm seemed functional at least, thankful that it had finally healed enough for me to make use of it. If I was going to free the ponies I’d need every advantage I could get. With a thought I summoned the energies needed to conjure my sword, grasping the familiar hilt in my right hand, focusing power into the limb in order to strengthen the formerly fractured bones the best I could.
 
Without hesitation I set forth down the corridor, following the trail of the group I had seen pass by earlier, each of my steps silent and steadfast as I let my determination lead me along, the souls I carried eagerly feeding me energy, and eventually the tracks lead me to a larger opening, leading into a big room with only one other exit, large cages standing adjacent to the walls, chains and collars hanging from hooks on the walls and the various pillars adorning the room. Inside the room were at least half a dozen of the reptilian monsters, and each of the five cages could easily house a dozen ponies, with most of them already occupied by prisoners. From what I could tell there were at least twenty ponies in the room, both earth ponies as well as pegasi and unicorns, young or old, male or female didn’t seem to matter to the kobolds, obviously happy to take whoever they could get.
 
With a silent sigh I brought forth my lantern, feeling stronger than ever since I’d arrived in Equestria, the pony souls resonating with my just purpose and what I was going to do. Focusing my newfound power I started weaving a Miracle, sensing the familiar energy enveloping and strengthening my form as I managed to shape and cast a Miracle to enhance my strength and speed. Dismissing the lantern shortly after, I took one last deep breath before turning the corner with great speed, entering the room and making it to the closest kobold before they could even react to my presence. The kobold didn’t even get a chance to turn around as his draconic kin started yapping, his head cleaved cleanly from his shoulders before the others managed to produce their own weapons, the short spears I had seen earlier.
 
They hesitated, and a split second of pause was all I needed, quickly stepping forward in a flurry of sword slashes, each of the deadly attacks striking true, the next kobold fell dead to the ground clutching the stump where its arm used to be, yelping in pain. I didn’t even bother finishing it off, adrenaline and righteous wrath fueling my actions as the blade of my sword started glowing, each swing of the weapon sending blood spraying or downing another of my smaller and lesser skilled adversaries. It wasn’t even a fight, more of a massacre as I nimbly stepped around the attacks of a pair of kobolds that had tried flanking me, knocking one of the spears away with my left arm as I opened the throat of the other assailant, quickly spinning around to grant the other kobold a similar fate, both of them falling to the ground hopelessly clutching at their throats in a bid to keep their lifeblood from pouring out. I felt no pity, no remorse.
 
A frightened desperate yelp warned me of an attack from behind, whirling around just in time to deflect the stab of a spear with the almost burning blade of my sword, and as the kobold tried to spin around and run away I ended its miserable existence with a stab clean through its neck. 

Another loud yapping told me that more kobolds had entered the prison, and as I turned to the door I saw a dozen more stream into the room, surging towards me with readied spears. With a roar I charged towards them, turning aside their clumsy attacks with blade and vambrace, even in such a large group they were obviously uncoordinated, used to simply overwhelming their opponents with sheer numbers. That strategy wasn’t going to work on me; I had trained for centuries, being taught to effectively counter the swarm tactic common to Imps. These kobolds were much the same, but they weren’t nearly as deadly as the winged Fiends.
 
Shock and awe, make sure to always move around, give them no chance to flank or attack as a group. Those were the fundamentals, and as I tumbled through their ranks, nimbly sidestepping the awkward thrusts of their spears at such close range while killing or wounding a kobold with every slash, those fundamentals became a coordinated dance. With my enhanced speed and senses I dodged every blow, found every opening in their defenses, and soon enough the kobolds started to panic, yapping loudly in their ugly language as they pushed aside their fellows in an effort to get away. I wasn’t going to let them.
 
With another roar I leapt forward, cutting down every fleeing kobold I could get into reach of, feeling grim satisfaction in removing the evil ilk from the world. It wasn’t long before the entire room was empty of any living kobolds, the bodies of at least a dozen lying around on the floor, their collective blood painting the earth crimson. I took heavy breaths of air, feeling exhaustion slowly creep into my body. The power I had used had made me strong, but I still wasn’t anywhere near my top condition, and the expenditure of energy had started taking its toll on me.
 
Intent on getting the ponies free I glanced around for the keys, spotting a bundle hanging from one of the nearby pillars. With quick steps I made my way towards it, reaching out with my hand to grasp it just as a sleek dagger buried itself into the back of my hand. I gave a scream of pain, pulling the dagger free and throwing it to the ground, spinning around to find my new opponent.

Not far from the door a pair of kobolds was crouching low, having entered the room silently enough for me not to notice them. They both carried light leather armor, a wicked scimitar in the right hand and one of them a dagger in the other, his partner having used his own already. I narrowed my eyes at them, taking a step forward just as they went into motion, quickly making their way towards me in a practiced synchronised movement, still low to the ground. These two were obviously much better trained than their kin, their glowing red eyes shining with feral hunger as they closed in on me.
 
They both came at me with scimitars swinging, and I just barely managed to get my own blade up to block their combined attack, narrowly pushing a sudden thrust with a dagger aside with my other hand before forcing them back, whirling around to deliver a slash with my sword which one of them deflected with its scimitar as the other closed in on me, slashing wildly in their perceived opening. I quickly proved that notion wrong as I swiftly backstepped, bringing my left arm up to parry aside the attack with a fluid motion, delivering a swift kick to the kobold’s face as a follow up, sending him sliding across the floor just as his friend came back to attack my side. I managed to get my blade back to parry the attack, the kobold hissing at me in annoyance. Unwilling to wait until the other kobold got back on his feet, I pressed my advantage on the foe in front of me, calling upon even more of my dwindling power to fuel my strength and attacks, and the kobold didn’t even have time to counter my barrage of attacks, having to spend all of his focus on simply staying alive.
 
Just as I managed to disarm the reptile, leaving him with just the dagger, I felt a searing pain run through my back, glancing around to find another dagger lodged firmly beneath the reinforced part of my shoulder, the other kobold giving me a smug grin from the ten feet away where he had thrown the bladed weapon from. That was all the distraction his friend needed as he came back at me from the front, stabbing forward with the dagger which I promptly parried, but which allowed him to sink his sharp teeth into my left arm, causing me to yelp in pain once more. With a great surge of strength I grasped the creature with my wounded arm, spinning around and sending him flying through the room at his friend. Or at least where his friend had previously been. Barely had he hit the cage on the far end of the room before I heard movement from the other direction, turning back just in time to notice another pair of armored kobolds coming into the room, joining my other adversary and yapping victoriously as they produced a bound struggling form.
 
I froze as I noticed their burden; in their arms was a bruised Crystal Heart, her eyes filled with tears and her hooves bound by rope, desperation, fear and pain evident on her features. As she noticed me standing there, wounded and tired myself, her eyes only filled with even more tears, struggling feebly against her captors.
 
“Lysander!” She screamed as green energy started forming around her horn before my previous enemy ran a claw along the length of her horn, causing her to yell out in pain and the energy to fizzle.
 
“Crystal!” I roared as I went to charge forward, only to find the strength leaving my body and an excruciatingly sharp pain run through my abdomen, as I glanced down, my vision starting to fog over, I noticed the hilt of a dagger sticking out through my stomach, red blood starting to taint the white and blue robes, pain flaring with every breath, every movement.
 
I turned around feebly, noticing the sadistically grinning kobold behind me, just seconds before he thrust the pommel of his scimitar into my face. The last thing I remembered before unconsciousness took me was Crystal’s distant fearful screams.
 
 
 
“Help me!
 
 
 
Lysander!”


> Chapter 11.5 - Thoughts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 11.5


~ Thoughts ~

 
 
‘Idiot idiot idiot… idiot!’
 
I kicked the ground in frustration, wandering the small confines of my newest prison in anger. Anger directed mostly at myself. It was my fault after all, if only I hadn’t been so stubborn, so sure of myself, this would never have happened. It didn’t matter what he had said, it was always my fault.
 
‘It’s my fault… everything… I’m so sorry, Lysander’
 
With another moan of exasperation I kicked a small rock with my hoof, sending it flying out through the bars of my cell. The other ponies nearby didn’t even bother looking up, as if they had been drained of all reason to live, it was infuriating, it was pathetic, it was-…
 
‘No, don’t think like that, you’re just projecting your anger at them, it’s even less their fault…’
 
But it was their fault, wasn’t it? If they hadn’t been taken then Lysander would have had no reason to try and save them, if they hadn’t been so weak and helpless he wouldn’t have gotten hurt. It really was their fault, those stupid, weak ponies!
 
“GAH!”
 
Even yelling in anger didn’t rouse them from their inactivity, the most I got out of them with that action were helpless sighs and lost hopeless stares. I would find no help from them, how typical. There was only one other thing I could do, I’d have to-…
 
‘No! Mother said that we weren’t allowed, do you want a repeat of what happened the last time? Lysander isn’t here to protect us anymore, the best thing we can do is stay put and try to come up with a plan, if we only-…’

“SHUT UP!”
 
Still no recognition from the others around me, could be that they just thought that I was another slave who had finally snapped, gone mad in my imprisonment. Poor deluded foals, they knew nothing of what true imprisonment was… true loneliness…
 

Tears came unbidden to my eyes.


‘Please, Lysander, please be safe.’


> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 12


 


 

More than anything I learned that Equestria was a land of magic, its native inhabitants so permeated in its essence that they were practically part of the world themselves. I discovered this dual nature of pony souls early in my travels, and while it was yet another concept alien to me, I couldn’t help but feel strangely comforted by the idea.
 
Equestria was indeed a place of ancient magic and great secrets; and I’d learn that truth soon enough.
 
-         Lysander, 3 B.NMM.
 

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Being knocked unconscious was starting to become a bad habit for me; it was just another annoying human weakness I’d have to get used to. Regardless, I wasn’t entirely sure how long I was out after the battle, I briefly remembered being dragged along by a group of kobolds, shifting in and out of awareness every now and then, the green crystal glow and the sound of claws against earth my only company in that world between consciousness and sleep. I could still hear Crystal Heart somewhere in the back of my mind, crying for help in fear and desperation. Despite how strongly I wanted to aid her, to free her from those reptilian monsters, there was no way for me to fight myself out of the darkness.
 
It was maddening to say the least, I felt weak and powerless, even the pony souls inside me were in an uproar, but if that had anything to do with Crystal’s situation, or my own for that matter, I had no way of knowing. Could be that they were just reacting to something we were approaching, perhaps the reason they had been so eager to come here in the first place.
 
The idea of souls being able to react to anything was still odd to me, once they had been purified they shouldn’t have had any connections to the physical realm left at all, content to simply wait around until their eventual rebirth. I had always been told that souls were purposeless by themselves, that they could develop and ‘feel’ only when they had a living mind and body connected to them, and despite how close an attachment they had to me, they still weren’t my own.
 
In those moments of unconsciousness I thought back to a time before, many centuries earlier when my own mentor had spoken to me on that very subject.
 
 

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-------------------------------
Elysium - The White City
357 years in the past
-------------------------------
 
 
“Lysander? Are you listening to me, lad?”
 
The sound of my mentor’s gruff wizened voice brought me out of my contemplations, quickly glancing around until I finally remembered where I was. It was a beautiful day in Elysium, the sky a clear blue, the sun warmly shining down while a cool breeze brought with it the intermingled aroma of the multitude of flowers blooming in the Gardens of Tranquil. I came to a stop on the white marble path we had been walking, my gaze wandering across the gardens around me, trees and various plants in full bloom, before taking a moment to look at the man next to me.
 
I didn’t know exactly what species he had originated from; at first glance he might have been mistaken for a human, or even one of fey birth. He was big, standing at least seven feet tall and with a powerful build, bulging muscles visible even through the layers of the blue robes he wore. His head was bald, and so was the rest of his body that I was aware of, brilliant emerald tattoos adorning his skin instead, a faint light running through them every so often, and pointy ears on the side of his head. Despite his intimidating size, the two pairs of white wings on his back only making him even more imposing, he had gentle eyes, never before had I seen anything in those green orbs but kindness, a deep compassion for all living beings, and a hunger for scholarly knowledge to boot.
 
Yet at that moment he looked more annoyed than anything else, and I couldn’t help but give him a sheepish smile that I had been caught daydreaming during our conversation.
 
“I’m terribly sorry, my mind must have wandered elsewhere on its own, it won’t have happen again, Seraph Asteraoth.”
 
The giant of a man next to me merely sighed, bringing one of his large hands on top of my head, almost enveloping it with the sheer size of the limb.
 
“I’ve been teaching you for the better part of a decade, lad. Do I have to keep telling you to call me Aster, or at the very least Teacher? Or would you rather that I brought you back to the Scholars, so that they may teach you everything about cataloging the library all over again?”
 
I gave an involuntary shiver at this, the time I had spent studying with the Scholars had been interesting enough, but when it came to keeping records and making sure every tome was in the right place, they could become quite… spirited, if not compulsively obsessed.
 
“Sorry Ser-… I mean Teacher. It just seems so… informal to me, I suppose old habits die hard.”
 
The new life of an Ascended always started the same way; first they needed to go through basic education within all the different groups of the Order: the Caretakers, Pathfinders, Scholars and the Legion, the last of which was the longest by far, with at the least half a century worth of service and combat training. Then, after having been through all of them; an Ascended was given a test to determine which group they belonged in, and no matter which group you were assigned, you were always given a mentor to teach you and get you settled into the new role. Most of the time this mentor was just a higher ranking Ascended, but within the smaller ranks of the Caretakers or the Pathfinders it was very possible to have the Seraph in charge of the respective group take newcomers under their proverbial wing.
 
And that’s how I ended up with Seraph Asteraoth as my mentor, and after having spent more than a hundred years in the Legion, always acting with deep reverence towards Seraph Naya’il of the Guardians and Seraph Raziel of the Solars, well, let’s just say that Asteraoth’s informal and relaxed attitude was very difficult getting used to.
 
“That’s quite alright, lad. It’s in our nature to be slow in changing our minds and ways, comes from being so long-lived.” He gave me a low chuckle before motioning with his hand, prompting us to start walking again. “It is in fact something determined by our souls. Ours are much different from those of other shorter-lived species, for their souls aren’t nearly as strong as our own. Yet it is important to remember that this does not make them lesser beings, in fact, while our own souls are powerful they are also quite rigid, the amount of effort needed to alter and develop them being much greater than that of other creatures, whose smaller souls are much more flexible and adaptable.”
 
I eagerly absorbed the knowledge granted to me, if there was one thing I was truly thankful for, then it was the fact that I had been lucky enough to have Asteraoth as my mentor, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that I idolized him somewhat.
 
“This truth is in fact both a blessing and a curse, for while our souls grant us great power and potential, they are also much harder to truly impress ourselves upon.”
 
Without breaking the stride I looked to my mentor curiously. “Impress ourselves upon? What do you mean by that? I know that souls are like a basis for life, constantly altered and developed by our actions and experiences, but-…”
 
The large Seraph silenced me with a gesture before turning to me with a smile. “You aren’t wrong my young friend, but a soul is more than a simple basis. A soul is a living thing itself, and while it does give a creature life and potential, that creature also grants the soul something in turn, something that persists even through purification before rebirth, do you know what that is, lad?”
 
At this I stopped once more, my mentor coming to a halt in front of me, looking at me with patient expectance, obviously wanting to give me time to think the question over.
 
I couldn’t be certain of what Asteraoth meant; it was entirely true that a soul gave life to all living things, as well as the potential for growth and evolution. That was one of the first things any Ascended was ever taught, but I had never considered if the souls themselves got anything back in return, as far as I knew they were wiped almost entirely clean during purification, a necessary step for their rebirth. Pondering the question for several minutes I finally gave a sigh in resignation, looking to my mentor with an apologetic smile.
 
He for one simply laughed. “It’s not something easily answered, only few Ascended ever give much thought about it, after all, souls are just impressionable life-batteries, right?” The chuckle he gave me after that was a bit darker, almost bitter. “It’s a shame really, we’ve existed since the beginning of life itself, yet in all that time we have never stopped and asked ourselves: ‘why’? Why do souls take part in this never-ending cycle of life and death? What do they get out of it? Well, the answer is actually quite simple, yet it is not one you can find without first looking at souls like living beings themselves. For there is one thing they get out of it, something all living things have. And that’s purpose, lad.” At this he turned towards me, pinning me with gravely eyes which spoke of his millennia of existence, wisdom and strength beyond comprehension. “They grant us life, and in return we give them purpose, we give them an existence. All things are like this, lad. Always remember.
 
Purpose and existence, in all things.”
 
 
 
 

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I was brought out of my reminiscence by familiar pain, my body deposited roughly on rocky ground, jolts of agony leaping through my form from the two stab wounds I had sustained earlier. The world was blurry and my senses dull, despite my best efforts I wasn’t even able to get back on my feet, forced to brace myself on my arms in order to stay above the ground and avoiding getting dirt in my wounds. Another moment later I felt something sharp poke me in the back, causing me to let out an involuntary yelp, and prompting a collection of sadistic chuckles from the creatures around me.
 
With great effort I managed to get on my knees, gazing lamely around the cavernous room I was in while taking heavy gasps of air. The place was lighted with numerous green crystals, and all around me were piles of gems and various crystals of different colors, in the same room were at least a dozen kobolds, including the four leather armor-wearing kobolds from before. They were all giving me evil glares, sneering and obviously enjoying seeing me in pain. Giving them my best death glare in return, I managed to gaze around the space. That’s when I saw it.
 
It was without a doubt the dragon. Great body of blue scales, large leathery wings, claws each the size of one of my kobold escorts, a maw of sharp teeth, and yellow cat-like eyes, which were staring down at me with both menace and amusement, as well as quite a bit of curiosity. It looked like a predator observing a strange prey more than anything else, and I was quite incapable of hiding my fear at the prospect.
 
“Greetings strange creature, what unlucky fate has brought you to my lair on this day?” It spoke in a deep, gravely tone, each word carrying great strength and causing me another fit of pain.
 
It obviously didn’t notice, if it cared at all, simply staying back in its prone almost cat-like position, gazing at me curiously with those slitted eyes. Despite my best efforts at answering him, the only sounds I managed to get from my mouth were throaty painful coughs, causing me to spit up quite a bit of blood. Internal organs weren’t meant to be stabbed, fancy that.
 
Eventually the dragon grew tired of my constant coughing and groaning, emitting an annoyed moan which caused the cave to rumble ever so slightly. It then spoke something in a language I was unfamiliar with, pointing at one of its servants, who then left shortly after.
 
“My minions told me you were capable of speech, so I’m guessing you’ve sustained some damage during your fight with my elite. It’s really such a shame how fragile you non-draconic creatures are.”
 
The best I could do in response was sending it another glare, which only caused it to chuckle humourlessly. Another few moments passed while we waited, the dragon growing increasingly impatient if the tapping of its claw on the ground was any indication. At some point it even grabbed a handful of gems from a nearby pile, nonchalantly tossing them all into its great mouth, chewing contently with a noise which sounded more like as if he was chewing gravel.
 
Another minute passed with even more painful coughing, until eventually the kobold from earlier returned, carrying with it a cup made of blue crystal, in which was a clear liquid, possibly water. The dragon stopped its snacking as it looked down at the servant at me side, gesturing with a claw to hand me the cup.
 
“Drink up, I’m eager to get started on our little conversation, can’t decide what to do with you until then.”
 
He said the last part with an evil smile, and for my own part I simply looked to the crystal vessel offered to me. The liquid seemed harmless enough, and if the dragon had planned to kill me I very much doubted it would resort to poison, considering that I was pretty much at its mercy already. So with another glare I accepted the cup, taking a short sip of the drink, which turned out to be a very sweet spring water of some sort, before downing the entire thing in one go, feeling the cool water soothe the burning pain of my body. When I finally lowered the cup, giving another cough in the process, I felt much rejuvenated, guessing that the drink had carried some sort of healing quality.
 
“Excellent, do you feel like talking now? I’m not one for wasting my time.”
 
I gave the great beast my best glare, attempting to stand on my feet before promptly being prodded back down with the tips of multiple spears.
 
“What do you want beast? Considering you haven’t outright killed me yet, I figure there’s something you wish from me.”
 
“Quite right my little friend, you have invaded my territory, killed my servants and attempted to take that which belongs to me, why?”
 
Another attempt at standing up was foiled by the kobold guards, and I clenched my hands into fists, searching through my essence for some measure of power. No such luck, I was almost entirely drained, the pony souls being the only active power inside me. They were urging me to go down now for some reason.
 
“Those ponies aren’t your possessions! You have unjustly taken them and forced them into slavery, I only attempted to free them because that was the right thing to do.”
 
The great reptile looked at me for the longest time, until finally it broke down into peals of laughter, reverberating clearly throughout the cave and causing rocks to fall here and there.
 
“So you did all of this, simply because you wanted to free those pathetic creatures? You would go against a superior foe, enter into a battle you have no chance of winning, just because you couldn’t stand to see those ponies in chains?” It wiped a tear from its eye with a claw before turning its attention back to me, bending down to look me into the eyes. “You’re an absolute fool, I had hoped that such an exotic creature like yourself could have served me in some way, but I wouldn’t be able to stand being around such stupidity.”
 
I felt my blood start to boil, it’s not that I cared in the slightest what he thought about me personally, but I wouldn’t stand for hearing him spouting nonsense about rescuing those ponies being foolish. This monster was no better than its servants, it was just another creature which shouldn’t be present in the same world as Crystal, or any other pony for that matter. The souls in my being were in strong agreement, and as their demeanor got more and more agitated, for reasons entirely unknown to me, I started feeling power build within my very core, it was almost as if the pony souls were leaking into my own, charging my essence dangerously fast.
 
The dragon seemed to notice this as well, and just as it directed its guards to kill me I leapt to my feet, roaring in anger and indignation, letting out all of my defiance for the world to hear. I felt a burning sensation spread throughout my body, my skin glowing like a great torch as the light of my empowered soul sought any release into the physical world, any way of channeling the pent up energy without the use of a lantern. Just as the kobolds were about to leap at me, I felt the pressure reach its apex, and with one last great scream I exploded in a surge of light, impossible pain coursing through my body while the light blinded me entirely to my surroundings. The only sounds I heard were the dragon’s yells, the screams of agony coming from the kobolds, and the sound of rock and stone collapsing all around me, and just as the light dimmed I felt myself fall as the floor disappeared under my feet.
 
The dragon roared somewhere to my side, and I could feel it flail its great limbs around in anger, obviously intent on getting at the troublesome creature which had just blown up its lair. I felt grim satisfaction, which quickly drowned as the familiar pain returned to my body, opening my eyes I saw that the skin of my hands had been burned off entirely, red flesh visible underneath, yet surprisingly my clothing seemed mostly unharmed. Off to the side I saw the dragon falling next to me, the great hole we had fallen into much too narrow for it to bring its large wings around to bear, and in that very moment its hate filled eyes locked with my own.
 
It was angry. Very, very angry. Just as I managed to turn around to face downwards, the tunnel opening up only into more darkness as wind rushed past me, I felt the air heat up and glanced over at the dragon, its maw filled to the brink with fire, which shot towards me only moments after. With a scream of pain as the wave of fire barely passed over me I continued my fall, doing my best to right myself in the air. The dragon had other plans however, as no sooner had it released its fire at me before I felt its claws swiping at me, trying to get a hold of me in order to squeeze the life out of the damnable creature.
 
With what little power I had left I managed to stay out of its reach, gathering my arms at my side as I went into a dive towards the dark depth below us, falling past the dragon as I became more aerodynamic, the wind whipping past me as I fell at ever greater speed. Once more I felt the air heat up behind me, a great burst of fire just narrowly missing me as I brought out my wings, using them to swiftly shift to the side, feeling some degree of pleasure in hearing the dragon roar in its frustrated anger. The light produced by the flames illuminated our destination for just a moment, and I could have sworn that I saw a reflective surface of some sort, as well as a lot of very jagged rocks and stalagmites. Glancing behind me I found that the dragon had managed to fold its wings to its sides, facing down at me with murder in its yellow eyes, doing its best to go into an even faster dive after me.
 
With a groan of effort I shifted to the other side, making sure that the dragon followed my trajectory itself. A desperate plan had started forming in my mind, and even one mistake would spell the end for me, the whole ordeal made even more difficult by rampaging agony and a pounding headache.
 
Suppressing a desire to pass out I went into an even sharper dive, prompting the dragon behind me to pick up the pace and fire another torrent of fire at me, this one had gotten closer, but the opposing wind pressure made it almost impossible for the fire to reach me. Another second passed as I viewed the ground below us in the wake of the flames. I couldn’t help but smile internally. The ground came closer and closer, and with every moment I managed to position myself closer to my desired destination, at the same time I made sure the dragon kept on my tail.
 
Just before the ground below us became visible I whipped around, gathering what little energy I had left to release the seal on my sword as I did so, and as I finished my 180 degree spin I hurled the blade towards my target, the dragon’s linear trajectory making it that much easier for me. Before the dragon could even react to what was happening, the silvery blade of my sword impaled itself through its eye, going all the way to the hilt as the dragon roared in pain, thrashing in the air as blood poured from the painful blinding wound.
 
Gritting my teeth for what I was about to do, I quickly flapped and locked my left wing, the sudden pressure sending me into a wild spin as I felt the bone of my feathered appendage break, roaring in pain even as I felt satisfied that my plan had worked. By sacrificing my wing I had managed to change my trajectory, going into a dive towards the reflect surface of the great underground river beneath me, bracing my wings the best I could manage to take some speed off of my dive.
 
The dragon on the other hand, had followed me beautifully into a path leading directly towards the very deadly stalagmites.
 
The last thing I heard as I hit the water’s surface with a great splash and the sensation of all air escaping my lungs; was the satisfying sound of several thousand pounds of dragon being utterly crushed by a combination of gravity and very pointy rocks.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Despite my victory I couldn’t help but feel a shrivel of despair as I was embraced by the watery depths, having no chance to actually catch my breath first meant that I could already feel the water entering my lungs, choking me and promising me a dark grave at the bottom of a mountain.
 
Darkness was all around me, no light to show me the place of my death, and just as I had come to terms with my end, my last thoughts wandering to Crystal; who I dearly hoped would be okay, I felt something within me stir. A surge of spiritual activity caused a ghostly light to shine from my abdomen, illuminating my surroundings as the pony souls started fighting to escape, silent screams escaping me as the more than a dozen earth pony spirits escaped my form in a long stream. As they did so I noticed a great light shine from below me, and as I shifted my gaze towards it I saw a long line of bright blue energy running the length of the river’s bottom. The escaped souls were heading towards it at an almost frantic pace, as moths drawn to a flame. But the Flame of Life was gone, where could they be-… Realisation hit me.
 
 
‘Is that… a leyline?’
 
 
I would have laughed if I still had air in my lungs, looks like I had managed to at least let the souls return to Equestria with my death. It was fitting really, that at the end I would discover a way for Equestrian souls to be reborn without the use of the Flame. The unique magical connection I had found in all pony souls; looked like it could serve an alternate purpose.
 
It was odd though, despite the fact that I had just lost a large amount of spiritual presence, it still felt like they were there, or perhaps something else entirely. At the very least I felt at peace, and I closed my eyes to embrace my death.
 
 
 
 
 
‘What do you think you’re doing?’
 
 
 
The voice rang through my head, it sounded familiar, eerily so, yet I couldn’t quite pin it to anyone specific. Just as I had dismissed the voice as a product of my oxygen starved brain, I felt myself being pulled upwards by someone, strong limbs embracing me, my numb senses incapable of feeling much else. There was no way anyone could have found me after all; anyone else who had fallen from that height would have died.
 
Just as the impossibility of the situation hit me I felt myself breach the water, then deposited roughly on the bank of the lake, a spout of water escaping my lungs as something hard hit me in the stomach. The pain was tremendous, but I actually felt like I might survive the entire ordeal. Then, an all too familiar voice spoke to me nearby.
 
 
“Getting yourself into a situation like that, almost drowning too.
 
 
Don’t you give me any more trouble than necessary, lad.”


> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Seraphim


Chapter 13

 
 
’Wait, who is…?’
 
The thought passed through my mind as I wheezed for air, expelling even more water from my lungs in painful convulsions, my fingers digging into the dirty ground as I sought some sort of hold, terrified that something might drag me back into the dark depths of the nearby river. No such attack was forthcoming however and I slowly calmed down, taking deep gasps of the blessed air as my body fought to return some measure of warmth to my form.
 
‘Asteraoth?’
 
It had sounded so much like him, had he somehow survived Ezekiel’s betrayal and the destruction of the Flame? I gasped lightly as a warm thick liquid came into contact with my right hand, and I quickly directed my gaze upwards to hopefully find out who my rescuer was.
 
There was no one there. No sign of whoever had rescued me.
 
One thing I did notice however was the great body of the dragon, broken and battered on a large collection of jagged rocks in front of me, stalagmites piercing its body in many places as dark red blood seeped out from its numerous wounds, flowing all the way down to form a puddle in front of me. With a disgusted grimace I removed my hand from the blood, clumsily getting to my feet and backing up a bit until I remembered the underground river behind me, coming to a stop and whirling around.
 
It was still there; looking entirely undisturbed with the same ethereal blue light shining from its depths, said light being the only source of illumination in my vicinity. I brought a hand to my chest, clutching the wet robe as I peered into myself, searching for something I knew was already gone. It didn’t take long for me to confirm it, the fifteen pony souls were gone, somehow returned to Equestria through the leyline. But something else was there in their place, it almost felt like another soul, but I knew that it wasn’t one of those I had carried earlier. It was odd, like it was apart from me, yet still a part of me, almost like…
 
The connection, the anomaly I had noticed in the souls of the native ponies, the thing that connected all ponies to Equestria and its natural magic. It was like that, yet different. I had no way of knowing, even explaining what it truly was. Could it have been a product of me carrying around those pony souls for so long? Or getting into such close vicinity to one of the world’s leylines? Perhaps a combination of the two?
 
Whatever the case, it made me feel strangely comfortable, as if Equestria had finally accepted me and made me a part of itself. Just by being near the leyline I felt empowered, it was fueling my soul and essence, and after a while I noticed that the new part of me seemed to be the channel making it possible, confirming my suspicion that it was indeed what I had believed it to be.
 
I started looking around my surroundings, trying in vain to find my rescuer, or even some clue to who it could have been. Still no such luck, the only movement in my vicinity was the occasional twitches from the dragon’s corpse. With a sigh I looked upwards again, just barely glimpsing the green glow of the many crystals of the dragon’s former lair, it seemed like my only way out of the proverbial hole I had dug myself into.
 
That’s when I noticed something else, my wings were still manifested, and even though I knew that I should have felt horrible pain coming from them, on behalf of one of my wings being broken and mangled, I felt nothing but their familiar weight. It wasn’t even the uncomfortable weight of lead that they had been like ever since I came to Equestria, no, they actually felt entirely fine. With barely concealed glee I gave them a few testing flaps, only to happily discover that they seemed quite capable of flight.
 
Not one to question miracles I gave my silent thanks to Celestia and Luna, as well as Equestria itself for granting me the natural magic making its inhabitants capable of flight, then I quickly turned my attention back to the great open space above me. Crystal Heart was still up there, and I very much doubted that all of the dragon’s minions had been in the lair with us, meaning all those ponies were at the mercy of leaderless draconic monsters.
 
With great haste I took to the air, finding joy in finally having the use of my wings returned to me, the feeling of freedom more refreshing than anything else I had previously experienced. As I soared upwards with heavy flaps of my wings, I suddenly noticed something upsetting. The further I came from the leyline, the heavier my wings seemed to get, and when I was no more than a stone’s throw distance from the lair I could feel exhaustion setting in, my wings taking on their annoyingly familiar leaden weight.
 
Cursing silently I managed to get a grip on the edge, pulling myself up and into the lair I had descended from. Piles of gems and crystals were still littering the floor here and there, but the only thing on my mind at that moment was confusion over the loss of my only recently regained flight. Could it be that I needed to be in close vicinity to a leyline before I could make use of my wings? That didn’t make any sense to me; the connection inside my being should have provided me with the necessary link to Equestria’s natural magic, allowing me to fly just as a pegasi would. So why wasn’t it working anymore?
 
The link was still there; the strange thing nestled close to my soul was still drawing in natural magic and feeding it to my spirit and body. Sensing no danger nearby I decided to take a moment to really look into my being, sitting down on the floor and falling into a meditative focus. Cutting off my external senses I fully entered my inner self, clearly seeing the two entities inside me.
 
The two were almost entirely the same size, my own soul, a flame of slightly smaller size and colored a light blue with streaks of gold, was gaining in strength as natural magic was being fed into it from the other presence, an orb of pleasant green intermingled with light brown. They were obviously in harmony, the green orb slowly flowing around my soul in a careful dance, it almost seemed like it was intelligent, fanning and feeding the flame while drawing sustenance from its glow in turn. It was a symbiosis of sorts.
 
With a sigh of annoyance I returned my senses to normal, glancing around the cavernous room before getting back on my feet, dismissing my wings and making my way down the tunnel I believed to have been dragged through earlier. The system of tunnels I entered were very much like the ones we have gone through earlier, meaning that they were entirely impossible to actually find your way in if you didn’t know your way around already. For some strange reason however, I didn’t feel lost at all, in fact it was as if I knew exactly which way to go. It felt a lot like when the earth pony souls had been pulling at me, but this time it was almost as if it was a sense originating from myself.
 
And so it was that I wasted no more than a handful of minutes in getting to my destination, having summoned my sword on the way just to be safe, and stepped inside the prison area. The place looked like itself, though the dead and wounded kobolds had been moved, and most of the blood had been cleaned up. I hadn’t actually encountered any kobolds on the way, guessing that they had decided to cut their losses and move on. I couldn’t really blame them, especially since they hadn’t even considered bringing along the slaves by the looks of it.
 
I quickly started looking around the room, taking in the cages and the numerous ponies still locked inside, only a few of them even glanced up when I had entered the room, quite possibly having lost all hope of a potential rescue already. I was glad to prove them wrong.
 
“Lysander!”
 
A familiar voice called out to me, and I couldn’t help but smile as I turned towards it, spotting Crystal inside a nearby cell, mostly unharmed and beaming back at me with obvious joy, words would fail to explain how relieved I felt at that moment.
 
“Hold on for a moment, Crystal. I’m going to get you out of there.” I spoke out, loud enough for the rest of the prisoners to hear me, and as they did I noticed a few of them getting to their hooves, looking hopefully in my direction. In one of the cages a young mare nudged a smaller colt awake, whispering something to him which made him turn his attention towards me. He looked fearful for a moment, but I simply gave him a smile as I walked to the centre pillar where the keys hang, securely attached out of sight from the cages so unicorns wouldn’t be able to get at them.
 
Grabbing the bundle of keys I made my way towards Crystal’s cage first, bending down on a knee as I started going through the various keys in my possessions, she for one simply waited patiently, the large grin never leaving her muzzle. I knew exactly what awaited me once I managed to unlock the door, and I braced myself as I inserted the right key.
 
A few seconds later I found myself tackled to the ground by a very happy filly, nuzzling my chest fondly. I brought my arms up in a hug, petting her back affectionately.
 
“Sorry it took so long, Crystal. Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” Despite my happiness I couldn’t help but put worry into my voice.
 
She went quiet in my embrace for a while, eventually looking up at me with sadness and guilt in her eyes, oh how I loathed seeing her like that, I could practically feel my heart breaking every time.
 
“I did it again… I was stupid and reckless, and I just-...” I silenced her at this point, bringing a hand down to close her mouth and cut off the string of guilty words I knew would come. Then I put on the strictest look I could manage in the situation.
 
“I’m not going to keep telling you this; I won’t get angry with you for doing something out of worry for me. You just did what you thought was best at the time, and even if it did turn out badly in the end; don’t ever question your intentions, understood?”
 
She gave me a weak nod at this, and I gave her one last squeeze before letting go of her, setting her back on the ground and standing up, gazing around to find that several more ponies had come out of their states of hopelessness, despite still being obviously wary of my presence.
 
“Now, let’s get those ponies freed and we can talk more once we get back on the road.”
 
After receiving a smile and nod of agreement from Crystal I set to work, simply unlocking the various cages that held prisoners and letting them come out of their own accords, knowing that they would still carry a lot of uncertainties and fears. Eventually however they had all made their way out of their cells, the braver and more hopeful of the bunch coaxing the others into action. The first of the ponies to approach me, who was incidentally also one of the first to help the others out of their cages, was a reddish brown earth pony stallion with a greying mane and a wooden cart for a cutie mark, he was obviously old but still managed to carry himself with dignity and purpose, despite how miserable and underfed he must have been.
 
“Excuse me good, uhm, sir. Am I correct to assume that you are in fact here to aid us?” Despite his collected demeanour he still sounded nervous, not surprising considering their previous experiences with bipedal creatures.
 
I gave him my most reassuring smile. “That was my intention, yes. I would ask that you look past my strange appearance, you have nothing to fear from me.”
 
“I see, well, let me be the first to thank you for our rescue, I was afraid we’d have to spend the rest of our days in this dreadful place.” He reached out a hoof which I shook in greeting. “My name is Dusty Roads; I’m the husband of Cobalt Crag’s mayor and owner of the town’s general store.”
 
“Very nice to meet you Mr. Roads, I am Lysander, and this,” I motioned towards Crystal. “is my travelling companion, Crystal Heart.”
 
“It’s truly a pleasure to meet you both, and please, call me Dusty.” He then turned his head towards the huddled group of nearby ponies. “Well come now everypony, there’s no need to be frightened, this is the hero who liberated us from our captivity after all.”
 
The other ponies only took a few seconds to between themselves before they instantly shifted in demeanour, coming over to say their own words of gratitude, most of the younger colts and fillies even going as far as hugging my legs in thanks. I suspected that Dusty Roads carried a lot of say in Cobalt Crag, but it was still impressive how easily he had eased their fears. Even Crystal was on the receiving end of some of the attention, mostly from the mares and the youths, much to her obvious embarrassment and chagrin. I for one simply smiled through the whole affair, to see them all in such joy warmed my heart greatly.
 
After a few minutes of exchanged greetings, as well as numerous invitations to dinner and other such pleasantries, Dusty finally managed to calm the gathering of ponies down enough to address them all.
 
“Please everypony, there will be more than enough chances for you to talk with our saviors, for now we should make our way out of this place and return to our home.”
 
A murmur of agreement went through the group, happy smiles and ecstatic whispers replacing previously forlorn expressions. Dusty Roads gave a nod in appreciation, and then turned his attention back to me.
 
“I’m guessing you’ve managed to deal with the nearby kobolds, but we’ll still need to be careful and move quickly before the dragon can marshal his forces, if he learns of our escape and decides to take to the sky, there simply won’t be anything we can do.”
 
Nervous voices sounded from the gathering, and Dusty himself looked fearful at the prospect. I quickly managed to speak up before my own voice was drowned out.
 
“That won’t be a problem; you no longer have anything to fear from the dragon, it is dead, its body buried deep underground.”
 
My statement instantly silenced the ponies, every one of them looking at me with wide eyes and disbelieving stares, all save for the youngest who instead looked at me with almost idolizing excitement. Even Dusty seemed lost for words, and before he could manage to speak up, a cheer went through the gathering, colts and fillies practically swarming me to ask about ‘how I had slain the dragon’. Crystal decided to simply giggle as I was almost forced to me knees by the sheer number of small ponies clinging to any limb within reach.
 
It took Dusty Roads much longer to finally calm down the ponies the second time, and as the dust settled I was left sitting on the ground with half a dozen fillies and colts scattered around my person. They all looked terribly disappointed as Dusty and a few of the others managed to pull them away from me. I simply gave them an apologetic smile, promising to tell them about it once we were in Cobalt Crag. That didn’t stop them from turning their numerous excited questions towards Crystal instead, who actually seemed to enjoy that particular attention.
 
Dusty then coughed lightly before turning his attention towards me again. “Terribly sorry about that, Lysander. You know how excitable the young can be.”
 
“No worries, I’m not offended. The story might not be all that interesting, but I’m glad to see that my actions at the very least brought you all some ease of mind.”
 
Dusty looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. “You say that the dragon is dead, and you have given us no reason not to trust your words. What about its lair then, does that still remain intact?”
 
“It does, though a large piece of its floor has collapsed into a deep chasm. Why do you ask?”
 
The earth pony gave me a sly grin before turning to the collected ponies. “Alright everypony, listen up. We may have slaved down here for Celestia knows how long, but at the very least we’re going to bring along the fruits of our labor. Let nopony say that the ponies of Cobalt Crag aren’t ones to get the most out of any situation.”
 
‘Ah, that’s what he had in mind. These ponies are quite the opportunists it would seem.’
 
It didn’t take long for them to gather up some saddlebags and a few carts, and shortly after we had set out towards the former dragon lair. The ponies seemed to know their way around well enough, probably because they had been forced to trot those tunnels for a long time. Less than ten minutes later we had made it to the lair, and eventually the saddlebags and carts were filled to the brim with gems of various kinds. I was once more amazed at how strong these ponies were, I was certain that I’d buckle under the weight of one of those bags. Just another advantage of being quadrupeds it would seem.
 
A few of the other ponies assured us that they knew a way out of the mines further above on the mountain, and a few hours later we all stepped out into the blessed light of Celestia’s sun.


> A small update
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello everyone, a few things. First of all, I'd like to apologize for the lack of any recent updates, I'll explain the reason in a bit, I just want you to know that I do not plan to cancel 'Seraphim'.

Now, as some of you probably aware, this has been my first real work of fiction, I've never been taught how exactly to write fiction, thus most of my basis for writing this story comes from several years of forum RPing, as well as reading more fanfics than is really healthy for a human being. 

Therefore it is probably to no one's surprise that I'd look for any possible way to improve my writing, it is for this reason that I made the decision to submit 'Seraphim' to EqD. I figured it would be the easiest way to get some actual critique, and then use said critique to improve my work. I'm still not entirely sure if it was the best idea, since it did turn out to be the thing which has stopped me from updating. In any case, here's some of the reply I recieved:




The biggest issue is one of exposition. You tell instead of showing, and don't relate information in a wisely timed and interesting way. You don't do anything early to make your reader particularly care about your character, so the exposition you indulge in early in your fic is just boring. In its current form, your fic will simply not find a receptive audience on Equestria Daily, so I cannot recommend it for posting. This is your first strike of three. If you'd like to resubmit, please find a way to make your opening more engaging. That's what's holding your fic back the most.




I felt that there was a lot of truth to this statement, mostly reinforced by the fact that there's a huge drop in views between chapter 1 and chapter 5, showing that I've been unable to keep the interest of quite a few potential readers. To remedy this problem I've been spending a lot of time trying to come up with some method to improve on the first chapters.

Thus far, I've had very little luck. I simply can't figure out exactly what I can do to improve them. You'll notice that I've added some inner monologue to the Prologue, as well as fixing up some sentences and whatnot. But I'm not sure if it's really enough. This is part of why I wrote this update, I'd like to ask for your opinions, dear readers, on how I can improve upon the issues spoken of in the prereader's message. If you have any ideas on how to actually deal with this, I would very much appreciate it if you would share them with me, I don't feel like I'll be writing any new chapters until I've worked out the problem.

Also, you'll notice that I've changed the formatting slightly, indenting the first line in every paragraph. Does this look better than how it used to, or should I just change it back to how it was before?


Yours truly,

- Salacar



On an entirely different note, I've recently started proofreading another fic called 'Machine and Might' by Kriegor, if you're interested in science fiction and is looking for a very good story of humans in Equestria, I suggest you take a look, the concept of the story is rather rare on fimfiction, as I can only think of one other fic which uses a similar idea.