In the land of Equestria, the Wrath of Achilles comes. Sing, O Muse, of that rage that sent so many souls down to the dreary House of Death. Sing to me, O Muse! of the wrath that brought Ponykind to its knees.
Inspired by "your human and you" by MadMaxtheBlack and the Percy Jackson Universe( it is not necessary to have read the percy jackson books but it is recommended as this story draws a lot of elements from the books)
The ponies of equestria, alongside the rest of Equus, never really thought of humans as nothing more than savage animals that were incapable of intelligent thinking or common sense. They are merely tools to be used when needed or pets to be kept for their own amusement.
This is common knowledge.
So imagine her surprise when the princess of friendship, Twilight Sparkle, finds herself with a "normal" human capable not only of critical thinking and common sense, but of so much more. Things that a normal human should never be capable of doing.
Things straight out of mythology. It seems things are just getting started for our little alicorn princess.
Noah Castellanos, son of Thetis, hero of Olympus, and the greatest warrior alive since Achilles himself, finds himself stranded on an alien world after committing the ultimate sacrifice to save his world. Now,confused and sold into slavery in a world where humans are no more intelligent than the common cattle and were ponies are the absolute authority, he must learn to survive long enough to find a way back home.
At least there isn't some big bad primordial entity pulling the strings behind the scenes to make his life a living hell this time right? ... right?
I felt myself falling, but that was the last thing i knew before the end. Right before that, it was the numbness of the void crushing me. Beyond just my body, i felt as if the very essence of my being was condensed, collected together in a singular, miniscule point. Like being forced down a tiny hole the size of a pinhead.
It was not painful. It was not blissful or pleasurable. It is...nothing. TRUE nothing. I feel nothing, and that is perhaps the scariest sensation of them all. A lack of anything made panic rise within me, a mechanical, almost animalistic response. A way to assure myself, my body and soul, that i still existed.
It is futile though. Not the sacrifice in it of itself. Oh no, that was worth it. Taking out Gaia out of the picture for good will give them all a chance to truly live without the constant worry of armageddon. But i had to go down with her. No exceptions or substitutes. So it said "insert prophecy number bleh here". ... This was the end, i know this. There was no coming back from this and i decided that i was ok with that. I expected there to be pain. Excruciating pain the likes of which no man or god could handle. Or a heart crushing grief for all of my life's mistakes. I never expected an absolute numbness. And yet, a small part of me expected nothing else. This was Chaos after all: the primordial void. The source of everything. So it would seem logical that to become part of everything, one must first become nothing. Erase the borders that separated everything that made up...well, me. There can be no "I" on everything, after all.
All of this took less than a second. From an outside perspective, it was already over. I was already gone and yet it is an eternity to me. Between the crushing and the falling, a lifetime could have filled what remained between the seconds.
By god, is it slow. I want it to be over, for all of it to be over. I guess, even as i die i just can't catch a break. I think i am sensing a pattern here. A pattern spamming the entirety of the tragic comedy that is my life. It is already over for everyone, but here, within chaos...time is meaningless here. It will last for as long as IT wants. So, with what little time, with what little eternity i have left, what can i do to distract myself from the process of becoming undone?
...
Well, they always say that your life flashes before your eyes at the end. Nothing of the sort is happening to me right now, but i can at least recollect the events that lead to this moment, if only to pass by the few seconds of infinity left in me, as i merge and lose myself completely to chaos. Let's start simple:
My name is Noah Castellanos. I am a brother. I am a teacher and a mentor. I am a demigod. Son of Thetis. The most powerful sea nymph in the world. I was the wrath of Olympus.
Yes, that did the trick.
I see them now, the images... Like mirages in my mind's eye, all of my memories come to me without any effort. The good, the bad...mostly just the bad. God, now that i can really see it all like this, one memory right after another, it makes me realize how shitty my life was. How miserable i have been, with just the briefest intervals of happiness in between the shitshow that was my day to day. Ever since that moment, burned into my eyes forever, of the only mother i have known and loved being mauled by a true monster; ever since that night, it has been just one disaster after another.
Though that is in the job description when you are a demigod. To all of us, life is rigged against us from the very beginning. "Occupational hazard" as some called it. "Just the family business". "It could be worse" they said, as if it justified anything...
What a bunch of bullshit.
It doesn't matter anymore, but even now, here at the edge (and source!) of space and time, i can still feel the anger, the wrath i have tried so hard to contain through all these years. If there is a single silver lightning to all of this is that this wrath that has brought such misery upon myself and others, will finally end.
A wrath born out of pain...out of loss...
There is a new memory now. A new picture.
There, in the darkness of what remains of my consciousness, lies the image of a boy, barely out of childhood, with black hair and sea green eyes. Hopeful, determined eyes that haunt me even now. It hurts just to think about him, even here where it shouldn't matter anymore. But if there was any consolation to his death, was that he was spared of this fate. Percy is in paradise now, or as close as one can get in the underworld. A better man than him. Elysium has nothing on Percy Jackson.
It was almost funny in a way. I spent the better part of my life raising him, protecting him, training and guiding him in any way i knew or could. But in the end, it was him that proved to be better in every way. Above and beyond what i could ever dream of becoming: a true hero. Nothing like the legends or myths the gods made up to disguise their pettiness and self centeredness. No, Percy was the real deal. A real human being that cared. He simply cared, and that saved me more times that i could count. Times where brute strength and a sharp mind weren't enough. Times where simply surviving didn't cut it. I know little of anything else, but i tried percy, i really tried to be more like you. No blood connected bonded us. We knew it, and yet you kept reminding me of how much you loved me. We were family in all but blood. But when you were gone i..changed. I changed for the worse Percy...becoming less than a man and more of an animal. A weapon for the gods. Are you ashamed of me? Do you pity me? Can you see me now? Have i redeemed myself for killing you?
His image fades away, and with it the memory of him. A part of me fades away with it, never to come back here, in this world. The end is close, but i am not even halfway done through my life. My heart is missing. Where is my heart? It's not here, it was never here...where is it? There is a new manifestation, a new image, flashing down on me as if to answer the question.
A girl, woman really, donned in silver. Tall, graceful, and gorgeously beautiful: dark brown eyes look at me and i could swear to all the gods and devils of the world that my body felt warm, even though i knew i no longer had a body. Her copper-colored skin tantalized and teased me, even now. Silky locks of dark hair hugged her strong yet regal face; a face that made the most beautiful Persian princess look like the ugly sister by comparison.
There it was...that's my heart. Of the many regrets that i have, meeting you was never one of them my little Nightshade. Even if we weren't meant to be, know that my heart will never belong to someone else other than you. Because you are my heart Zoe, you are my love. ... Wow. Even as i am dying i can't help but sound incredibly cheesy and corny. I hope Chaos gets sick of it and pukes me out, though i won't hold my breath. Her image dissipates away too soon for my liking, but i don't have time to dwell on it. I literally have no time left. I can feel it. Or rather, i cant anymore. And soon but now and already done. Confusing, but nothing else in my life has ever made sense so why start now. As if summoned by my command, a barrage of memories crash through my mind, a parade of moving images and emotions, all connected through me.
I see my mother being mauled by the nemean lion. I see myself, taking my little brothers hand and just running away from all of the blood and into the unforgiving streets of New York. I see us in said streets, taking what we need, stealing what we didn't had and avoiding all kinds of monsters, mythical or just plain human.
Sometimes, humans could be worse than any monster.
I see little Percy. I see myself teaching him all the things that should have been his by birthright. All the things that were robbed from him that night.
Time passed, taking its toll on the both of us.
I see our promised land. Camp Half-Blood stood at the distance, a minotaur hot on our tails.
From there on it is just a downhill of fleeting sensations and emotions. I can't hardly make sense of it all as time runs out for me.
I recall being blamed for stealing a weapon of immense power. A weapon i didn't believe to be real till that exact moment. I remember descending into the underworld in search for such a weapon. The first, but certainly not the last time i would visit the realm of the dead. I remember being separated from my brother when our lives got even more complicated. Quests and prophecies dividing us and the time we had for each other.
I remember a labyrinth. Foreboding and dangerous, filled to the brim with monstrosities i want to forget. I can still feel the literal weight of the world in my shoulders. Threatening to crush me, and the world in a forbidden embrace that never should have been. I see myself taking on more and more of these quests for the gods, time and time again for no real reasons.
Maybe i was looking for a purpose beyond taking care of percy, like some sort of identity crisis, i don't know.
I remember the revelation of my heritage, the truth of my reincarnated soul. I remember meeting Thetis for the first time,. I can see the tears in her pale face, as if asking for forgiveness for all the things that had happened to me, and will inevitably happen to me.
I remember a war. A bitter, meaningless war. Demigods choosing sides, fighting the people they once thought as allies. A war were friends killed friends. Brothers and sisters killing each other for the sake of the world; for the sake of deciding which world order would prevail.
Traitors killed traitors and there came the awful sensation of having the one you though your ally, stab you in the back.
I remember the glimmers of the wrath surfacing within me, in the form of resent for the gods, who saw their children, their own flesh and blood, as nothing more than tools or weapons to use when suited. Nothing like an actual family. Through the pain and loss, i see a hunter in silver. I remember falling so hard for my little Nightshade. I remember all i had to do just to get her to recognize me. It was worth it. Her love was worth it, even when we were not fully free back then. i see myself change even further. power streaming through my veins. power i could not even comprehend. I remember becoming the strongest of my generation, gaining the favour of the gods in the process. the blessing of the Styx and the curse of Achilles made my life restless and violent.
I see expanding my horizons, seeing a world filled with gods and men of all types i thought i would never encounter in my lifetime.
But then there is pain. Nothing physical. just the pain of my heart breaking in two.
I see my brother falling. there is nothing i can do. he is too far away... that is no excuse but i am rooted in place, a war around me and i cant move a muscle. mesmerized and too powerless to stop it.
...and then the blinding wrath was born, compelling me to completely destroy my enemies without a single shred of mercy.
...the undying rage that pushed me away from the love of my friends. ... the images finally banish, and i am left alone. alone in the depths of chaos and just...alone. i hate being alone. It just stings so horribly. But now it doesn't matter. None of it matters now.
There it is now. the numbness is spreading. i will follow soon after and the man known as Noah Castellanos will banish from the face of the earth, taking with him the earth primordial and mother of all. If it weren't so depressive it might end up making a pretty good legend. "The man who saved the world by destroying the World". It sure has a flair to it, doesn't it?
Nut at least it will end, right? No more fighting. No more crying. No more loss or suffering. No more broken hearts.
But that also means no more family. No more love. No more happiness. No more me.
No more.
And among the plentitude of mistakes and regrets that bloody my ledger, leaving the few friends i have behind is going to hurt the most. more for my sake than for theirs. as far as i am concerned, their lives are better off without me in them. but i will miss them. i will miss them alot. I spend my final moments moping about how horrible my life has been, about how i wished i had never realized my own heritage, but they made it bearable. even after i lost percy. specially after...
They cuenched the wrath that was born in me the day my brother died. They made my life somewhat complete after the void that Percy left behind. It isn't fair to them that i failed to sometimes who them my gratitude and love. Then again...this world isn't really fair at all, is it?
Understatement of the century.
There... The second is over. So, once more...from the top till the end.
My name is Noah Castellanos. I am the son of Thetis. The Wrath of Olympus. Brother. Mentor. Friend.
...
My name is Noah Castellanos. I am the son of Thetis. The Wrath of Olympus.
...
My name is Noah Castellanos.
...
My name is-
And then he was gone. undone, unmade, deconstructed molecule by molecule. dust to dust, the one that was once known to the world as Noah Castellanos no longer exists in this plane of existence. At the same time, another the being known as Gaia, mother of the world, suffered the same fate. Neither of them were spared.
Such is the way of chaos. But if there is one certainty about the primordial void, is that it is uncertain.
And now, at the climax of narration, at the apex of fate, events will unfold in ways even the immortals can't comprehend. Chaos transcends thought.
It transcends the concept of lucidity and madness while also being tied down to them.
It is free of fate, and yet it works within it.
There is no knowledge unknown to it.
Nothing is hidden from its sight and grasp.
It is everything and nothing, all at once, shifting between the two planes like a pendulum.
Good and evil are nothing but a bad joke to it.
It stares at the movement of the atoms and the rotation of galaxies and sees little difference between them.
Who can possibly comprehend such inmensity, such and eldritch concept too far above the mind of gods and men alike. Who can possibly question it, when it will never consider you? Who can stand against it? Who can match it in size and power? Who can negotiate with it? Appeal to it? What could such a being want from you?
So there it is. There is nothing to be done about it. Chaos will do as chaos does: What it wants.
From the depths of unconsciousness, Noah stirred awake within the void of his mind. taken aback by such a development, the parts of his mind that were already waking up failed to find any sort of explination to his current condition. that condition being completly unexpected after his quote-on-quote "sacrifice", to save the world.
if Noah werent busy trying to gather his bearings and shake off the veil in his mind, he might have scoffed at the idea that not even the primordial void itself was capable of ending his suffering.
lucky him, huh?
regardless, it became apparent that coming back to the world of the pressumed living was going to be a meticulous,, if not slow process. so he had to do it correctly, little by little, step by step. Just like with a computer, or a smartphone; just like any other machine, his body needed to "reboot". One by one, each of his enhanced senses began to awake from the troublesome nothingness encompassing him at the moment
first of the all came touch, and at first all he could feel was the uncomfortable surface he was lying on. A rocky and rough floor on his back, accompined with the incredible heat from what he assumed was the midday sunlight greeted him to wherever he was.
Then came his smell, allowing him to note the "course" and "rough" nature of his surroundings, smelling a particular fragrance that was very reminiscing to that of sand and dust.
Afterwards came his sense of taste. Giving his mouth a try, he slightly winced at how dry it felt. As if it were exposed to unforgiving elements for a very prolonged time and just now it had the unique opportunity to humidate itself, taking a break from the rough atmosphere surrounding it.
With that, came his sense of hearing, which admittedly didn't give any useful information besides the slight sound of a very soft breeze hitting his very sore body. Practically non existent.
Last but not least, it was time to test his sense of sight. Carefully, Noah opened his eyes. He immediately regretted that decision, as his eyes were immediately bombarded with the sun's unforgiving light, forcing him to clench his eye shut in pain.
Muttering a small curse that he couldn't hear, Noah tilted his head to the right to avoid the sun's rays and carefully re-opened his eyes to the world. At first all he could see was a blurred image of indistinguishable objects colored brown,orange and yellow, nothing concrete.After giving his eyes many testing blinks , he finally exited his previously blurred state, only to be greeted to the sight of a very giant rock.
Well, this is anticlimactic.
This was not what he expected to see after throwing himself into Chaos. He didn't expect to see anything period! The rock itself wasn't anything special or unique, It was just a common rock you would find almost anywhere. If anything the only strange thing about it was that it was very close to his face, only mere centimeters way from his nose.
After appreciating its magnificence for what he assumed was a minute, Noah finally decided he had enough and proceeded to move his body to a more comfortable position. He was greeted by incredible soreness, almost as if his entire body was flung around and crashed into the ground with enormous force. It was not a pleasant feeling but far from the worst pain he had felt, not even among the top ten worst pains he has endured.
By summoning some minimal strength, he pulled himself to sit cross legged on the ground, to better see his surrounding with all of his senses. After looking left and right, up and down, he was greeted with what he could only describe as a canyon. Rocky and sturdy mounds seemed to spurt in all directions in random shapes and forms, all of the same yellowish-orange color as the dry soil beneath his feet. Not a single speck of green could be seen for miles, as this desolate land devoid of life seemed to just scream of isolation and unforgiveness.
Definitely not a place for the weak or the feeble.
If it were anybody else, they would surely freak out at the prospect of being all alone in an unknown land, with no clear way to civilization, with no useful resources to survive and without no food or water. Any other person would have entered into shock or into a panic. Lucky for Noah, he wasn't just anybody else. With all he has been through, tis is but a minor inconvenience; still, this was a definitely a first , even after all he has experienced. That does beg the question: how in the name of tartarus did he end up in the middle of nowhere when he was positive he plunged himself with gaea into the heart of the void?
Did chaos...spit him back into the earth?
Unlikely,Noah thought with resolution. as funny as that image appeared to be, than conclusion didn't make a lot of sense. He has never heard of anything like this happening, at least everyone he has talked to about the subject always told him that being absorbed by Chaos is the one sure way to end an immortals life. That is what Athena and many others told him about it, when he asked so it was fair to assume that this was not the case.
And even if it were ,then, by all intents and purposes, gaea herself should be here with him as well. Fortunately for him, the primordial was nowhere to be seen. He didn't feel at full strength just yet and going a few rounds with her, in this condition, was the last thing he wanted. Unless she was thrown into some other location on the world, which in that case...no. Better not to dwell too much on those thoughts. the last thing he needed right now was to panic on the prospect of gaea crashing into the heart of either new rome or the camp.
he would just assume, regardless of how unlikely it seemed, that he was the only one that made it out of chaos.
Thank the gods for little miracles i suppose.
It was also safe to assume that, as obvious as it should be, this was not the inside of the void. Another thing that Athena told him about the primordial entity is that since all things in the cosmos came from chaos itself, getting back into it would most likely "decompose" said being into the original element the void itself is composed of. That is precisely why they all decided to defeat Gaea like this, as she would merely disappear from existence, made whole with her father. But that's besides the point right now. That was then and this is the now.
Remembering the past won't help me at all right now. I still have no idea where i am.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Noah finally reached a definitive thought.
Regardless of his situation, he was positive that no answers or solutions would come to him while he sat on his ass on what he assumed was the middle of a freaking desert canyon; taking action seemed like the only logical conclusion to his current dilema. So without any delay, Noah stood up from his sitting position, cleared away the sand and dust from his jeans, and proceeded to walk away from his spot on the ground. His first order of business was to understand his surroundings, to find out just how big this canyon was and possibly find a way to a populated area. To do that he would need to reach high enough ground as to see beyond the multitude of rocks and mounds that seemed to expand beyond the horizon. Noah began his journey, not once taking notice of the giant rock a few feet behind him that seemed to be on the brink of falling apart due to a very peculiar human like whole made at the top of it, as if a person had fallen from the sky at great speeds and crashed into the rocky construct, almost destroying it completely.
I should stop talking to myself though. It would be bad for my mental health to engage conversations with no one if i am too far from civilization.
...
Wait...did i just said that out loud or just thought about it?
...
Am i even speaking right now?! what the hell!?
There was something definitely wrong with voice. To clear all doubts, Noah opened his mouth to yell some profanities but only silence came out. Shocked, Noah placed his hands around his throat and tried to replicate ANY words only to be met with an equally deafening silence.
There was no pain, no discomfort, no soreness.
Only silence.
He was mute now.
Noah groaned-mentally because...you know-in frustration. His face darkened and fell into a furious scowl. His clenched fists began to shake in anger and he was positive that, somewhere, a BIG storm was brewing on the ocean. After everything...EVERYTHING he went through, all of that shit just to get rid of gaea, and THIS is how the world repaid him?! As if waking up in the middle of fucking nowhere, with everyone thinking he was a goner, weren't frustrating enough, now he had to deal with being mute!
Ok noah, relax...take a deep breath and don't lose your marbles just yet. At least wait until some monster or dickbag appears so that you can kick its ass till next sunday. That is the way to blow out some steam. Not throwing a fit.
Clearing his head from the anger made him realize that,taking into consideration all of the deadly and impossible shit he has endured and surpassed so far, being mute was actually just a ,somewhat, mild inconvenience.
...Well, okay, a major mild inconvenience.
One he hoped he could resolve once he reached home. He didn't want his friends to suffer the loss of another friend if he could avoid it. Not again. Not if he could spare them from another session of grief and excruciating, emotional,pain. There was enough self loathing already with him. It is kind of his shtick.
And who knew, maybe things will look up to him after all of this.
Maybe his situation will even improve from how it is now.
...Yeah, right! Like that is ever gonna happen. Noah "chuckled" to himself as he walked, venturing himself into the unknown.
The sun was glistening with a comforting and warm light, covering her white coat with an indescribable feeling which could only belong to the magnificent summer daylight. Her multicolored mane was actually waving to the refreshing winds of the north that, in no way whatsoever took away from the pleasuring warmth that only her sun provided. The grass beneath her hooves was soft and fluffy, green and healthy. It added to the beauty of the fields near Sweet Apple Orchard.
All of this serenity appended to the natural allure of this place and all Celestia could think about was how this was such a wonderful day to be alive. And that was just the scenery, the company was just as good, if not better. She could hear them now, the typical chattering and laughing that belonged to the precious ponies of her life.
Her closest friends;her pride and joy.
Right near the edge of the field, just as the apple orchard started its seemingly endless line of trees, a group of ten individuals began to enter the scene with mirth and happiness so bright and contagious you couldn't help but join in with the smiles and laughter as well.
The elements of harmony lead by her best student and friend, Twilight Sparkle, her beloved sister Luna, her lovely niece Candance accompanied by her dear husband and big brother to Twilight , Shining Armour, and last but definitely not least, the ever growing Spike the dragon, adoptive little brother and Twilight Sparkles number one assistant. They were all brimming with life, chattering while making their way towards her. As they took notice of her presence, their smiles got a whole lot wider and warmer, as if waiting for this opportunity to show their greatest love and affection towards her. But it was a different display of affection, it was not the same endearment one would show towards their ruler.
No.
This was the affection friends showed each other. The easy going but respectful affection that was strictly reserved to those one would trust their life with. The cordial respect and and strict reverence were gone and it is place, they showed her a friendly glee and an easygoing companionship that cleared away all airs of royalty. It was most definitely not the way to approach the ruler of all the land, who just so happens to be an nigh-immortal alicorn who could move the sun. That is why Celestia was in heaven right now. This right here was what she always wanted but never received from her little ponies. In all of her exhaustingly long life, all she would ever dream of, was to be an actual part of the community. Not some superior force that might as well be light years away from it.
To be treated like family and a friend rather than an absolute ruler that demanded respect and even fear. If it was up to her, she would throw that ugly crown away, rip the pretty dresses apart, to break the perfect picture that she was, and just roll around in chocolate cream and cake frosting until her coat smelled like vanilla, chocolate, and cinnamon for weeks, maybe even years.
...
Yeah she was weird like that. Many ponies did not realize that almost all princesses are secret eccentrics and freaks. Candace had a "love" obsession, Luna was a bit of a sadist, Twilight was a knowledge fanatic and a bit of a control freak, and she herself had her cake addiction and her...trolling addiction.
Still, being a princess of Equestria is not all bad. She likes being treated free cakes when she is in Canterlot and she most definitely enjoys being able to play some practical pranks on the uppity nobles back at the castle, just to teach them a thing or two, and being able to get away with it just because she can. She is their princess, they can handle a little humiliation from time to time. Especially her annoying, whiny, pompous, smug and arrogant as heck nephew, Blueblood. Ugh, just thinking about him sours her mood. But that is not the case here. Here, with her dear friends, she doesnt have to put up a front, she doesn't have to be princess celestia, co-ruler of equestria and master of the sun. Here, with her family, she can just be plain old Celestia, lover of cakes and the ultimate troll you would ever find. This is everything she have ever dreamed off.
Then it fell apart like a house of cards.
It was as if all the colors, and the beauty, and the serenity and the allure of the environment from before just vanished from sight. No. It was as if it... Was hiding... As if it could sense what was coming and didn't want to suffer the consequences of intervening. The forest, previously homey and inviting, now seemed to thicken and to darken, giving it an imposing and threatening aura. The grass seemed to hide from the surface, leaving only the dry and coarse soil exposed, devoid of any green or life. But the worse of all was the sky, that seemed to be at the verge of a tempest of incredible magnitude.
The shocking part was its color, as if the heavens themselves started to bleed from a fatal wound, coloring the clouds black and fiery red, followed closely by red lightning that boomed the sky and shocked the earth. It was as if all the good and right in the world was sucked into some sort of void , leaving only despair, decay and death.
The smiling faces and the cheerful demeanor shifted to horrified faces and anxious attitude, as if they were waiting for something to occur but at the same time, hoping it would never come. Suddenly the earth in between her subjects and herself split open, further separating her from the now panicking group. For reasons unknown to her, all she could do was watch, for her body was paralyzed with what she could only assume was fear.
From the other side of the gap, from the depths of the dense trees, dark figures began to emerge. They were bipedal and tall, six feet tall to be exact. Thin and black as the night, with razor sharp claws for fingers, maws full of yellowish, sharp, teeth, drooling in primitive anticipation and glowing red eyes that seemed to stare right into the spirit with a hunger that could only be described as ancient and primal. The came by the thousands and didn't waste any time to launch themselves at the horrified ponies that, apparently much like herself, were too paralyzed by fear to fo any kind of evasive action.
Faster than what she thought possible, the battle had started and she was left helplessly behind, at the other side of the gap, incapable of doing anything to help her friends. Those things surrounded them, blocking her view from the fight. Blood began to splatter all over the area, it was a complete slaughter and...was that a dismembered pink hoof that just flew into the air?
Were they...eating them?
If she wasn't just so shocked and paralyzed by such a display of brutality, Celestia was positive she would have puked all she was worth. In the end all that remained were them and her faithfull student, who was ,from horn to hoof, covered in blood. Some of it hers, but the majority was most definitely not. And despite the fact that she was completely surrounded by those horrid abominations, her friend appeared to be fueled by anger and determination, not a speck of fear in her nuzzle, channeling powerful magic into her horn, to blast those monsters to kingdom come.
Sometimes Celestia forgets just how powerful her student can be.
Not in terms of raw power, but in strength of spirit. Here she was, presented with an apparent suicide mission and she didn't even blink or turn away her eyes from them. If only she could be more brave like her student right now. Even if she knew the outcome of this one sided battle wouldn't change.
However, just as the horrid creatures lunged themselves at the exhausted twilight, something amazing happened.
From the depths of void born from the rapture in the the earth, quicker than lighting, another figure emerged, bringing the familiar scent of the rain and the sea with it. Like the living omen of an imposing and powerful hurricane.
A male human figure, standing tall and defiant towards the horde of demons.
Now, celestia was not unfamiliar with humans herself, being such a common but useful animal in equestria. However this human in particular was different from all other humans she had ever seen and most probably will ever see.
First of all, this human was un-naturally handsome.
It is not a secret that the general male human population tended to have rough and unbalanced facial features that would be very unappealing for most ponies (mainly mares); good looking humans were considerably rare and an oddity, female humans being the exception. However this human had the most handsome face she had ever seen. Youthful but strong, with a mop of short, messy, yet shiny, black hair adorning the head. No part of his face was exaggeratedly big or ridiculously small, everything from his chin to his forehead was perfectly balanced. symmetrical perfection. The most alluring part of his face, however, were his eyes, a pale green, reminding her of the light glimmer of the oceans waters. What a rare eye color for a human. The eyes even held a strange glimmer to them. A peculiar blue hue, reminiscing of a lightning bolt in the middle of a black storm cloud. As if there were an actual intelligence and power behind the green typhoon.
But that was just ridiculous. Everypony knows humans are not pony-smart.
If anything, the only off-putting thing of his face was the long scar going from the edge of his right eyebrow, all the way down to the edge of his lower lip. But even that was attractive on its own right; it added character to the young face, giving it a mature and experienced look. The rest of his young human body was no less impressive. A lean but Athletic build, with strong and powerful muscles, built for speed and agility, adorned pretty much every corner of his body but not excessively so, giving him a flexible but imposing figure. As if he could go from giving you a warm and kind hug, to snapping your neck with little to no effort in the span of a millisecond. Powerful, yet very much restrained. Almost mortal.
Almost.
His body was covered in what she could only assume was an armour similar to that of her own royal guard, but fitted to the human himself, which only added to the impossibility of the situation.
Humans could be really deadly and dangerous when they were on the wild but when trained properly, they could be excellent trackers. However, even the most trained and "whipped" of humans couldn't ever match a common soldier in terms discipline and efficiency, so armoring a human up was rather pointless and a waste of time. But here she could tell it was not the case. The armor fitted the human all too perfectly if she were to comment on it. As if it belonged there.
And above all else, this human gave of a sort of...presence. A peculiar scent that was completely different from all the other humans she had ever encountered. He smelled so...different. He stood out like a candle in a dark room or like the sun on a cloudy day. It pulled her towards him like a magnet, making him the center of her attention no matter how hard she tried to pull away from him. That very same aura must have affected the "demons" as well for they seemed to act more erratic and rabid than before. As if they couldnt wait to tear the human to shreds.
She didn't have time to think on anything else as the human did an impossible leap into the middle of the field, standing between the creatures and Twilight. The creatures began to screech and roar loudly in excitement, making the trees and the ground shake in response. It was the most horrible and disgusting sound she had ever heard. It made her ears burn and hurt and she could swear they were bleeding. Twilight gave the human a look she couldn't quite place. It was somewhere between complete adoration and caring worry, as if she was really glad to see him but also incredibly worried of him being here.
This was all turning rather bizarre.
But just as the battle resumed, with Twilight standing her ground next to the male human, and with said male just about to slash a creature with his bronze sword, everything went black and all she could hear was the chilling laughter of something right behind her. Slowly, Celestia turned her head...only to be greeted with...
Oh faust, what even is that...
It is getting closer...oh gods above it was about to get her...
She must run!... Do something or all will be... .... Why was her muzzle wet?
She looked up and...
THERE YOU ARE!!!!
Celestia woke up with a blood curdling scream, nearly falling off her bed and almost breaking her vocal cords due to the force placed behind the shriek. The door to her room was blasted open with incredible force revealing two of her most trusted and fierist soldiers, assigned to guard the princess with their lives while she gets her well deserved rest.
"Your majesty!? What is it!?, whats wrong!?" the guard, Solar Swirl, a young unicorn mare of aquamarine colored coat and a sunny yellow mane equipped with the elite set of royal armour, didn't waste any time in making sure her princess was unharmed while also scanning the room for any potential threats that might have slipped by them.
The second guard, Onyx Bolt, an earth stallion of white colored coat with a jet-black mane equipped in the same type of armour, taking notice of the slight gesture his partner gave him, began his thorough search of the royal chambers for any evidence of a break in. The princess in question, who was soaking wet in sweat, was just beginning to catch her breath and calm her shivering body after the unpleasant dream that by the life of her could not remember. It was as if a blank veil was placed on her memory, preventing her from forming any kind of clear image regarding her dream. All she could remember was the unparalleled sense of dread and a beautiful pair of powerful pale green eyes, belonging to a powerful human male. Once she was in a relatively calm state, Celestia finally decided to give her pony the attention needed.
"I...i am sorry Captain Swirl...it was just a bad dream, nothing to worry about". Even her words were slightly strained due to her sore throat and slightly shaky breath.
The guards didn't buy it.
"Your majesty, you just gave a scream loud enough to wake up the entirety of Canterlot, you'll forgive us if we remain slightly skeptical about this".
Swirl shot a quick glare to her partner for saying such words. It was not their place to question royalty.
"I appreciate your concern Mr Onyx and while i admit i am far from okay, i can assure you that i am in no deadly danger as of this moment. I know i startled you both", and maybe the entirety of the castle, Celestia muttered under her breath, "But it is over now, nothing to worry. In fact it is time for me to rise the sun anyway".
Celestia tried to calm her protectors by giving them a reassuring smile that couldn't hide completely the remnants of the night terrors. The two guardians exchanged a worried glance, clearly not buying into the excuse. Their duty was not to question, however. The princess was fine, at least physically and the change of shifts would come as soon as the sun was raised into the sky. It was not their place to question her judgement.
"Very well your majesty. We will take our leave then".
Solar then gave a respectful bow and proceed to leave the chambers with her partner following her example. But just as they were about to leave the room, Onyx stopped in his tracks and said something that left the princess in a dilemma.
"Should i...inform this incident to princess Luna your majesty?"
This left Celestia with quite the conundrum. Due to the position of the moon in the sky, she could assume that there were just about one minute left before luna finally finished her dream-walking routes and proceeded to lower the moon completely. She was thankful that she was not here to witness her little episode , otherwise she would not hear the end of it. First and foremost, she needed to clear her mind, and the sure way to do so was to move on to her duties as ruler. Once she had, she will approach her sister and tell her of what happened in her dream. That is if she can remember it by then. Alicorn dreams and normal pony dreams were completely different after all.
Realizing that she has left her most trusted guards hanging with their question, she decided to put an end to their worries. Shaking her head kindly, providing them with an honest caring smile, Celestia responded:
"I will personally inform my sister of this incident once i finish with my duties for the day, there is no need for you to tell her about it. Thanks for your concern though, it is very appreciated but i believe it is time for your well deserved rest my little ponies. You are both dismissed".
Satisfied with this answer, the guards gave one final bow before finally exiting the chambers, closing her door with one loud click. Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, Celestia got up from her bed and walked into her balcony to prepare her daily ritual of raising the sun. Giving the night sky a final glance before the moon disappeared completely from the horizon, Celestia closed her eyes in focus and then proceed to give the morning light into the land.
As the sun began to rise from the frontier and as the rays of light, signifying the beginning of a new day, shone into the earth; Celestia, for the life of her could not shake away this persistent feeling of dread.
Or to be more accurate, this feeling of anxiety.
Something is about to happen, something big.
With this final thought, and with the sun finally on its sure way into the sky, Celestia began her duties with the constant reminder, or rather distraction, of the only memory of her unprecedented incident.
A pair of beautiful pale green eyes and the smell of rain and sea.
It took Noah a total of 3 days for him to reach the very edge of the canyon. The evening sun blared mercilessly upon him, being unforgiving with its heat just as it had been during his arduous travel through the deserted land. During that time, our stressed, tired, and thirsty demigod had made some interesting findings regarding his strange condition. There was little for him to do but to reflect on his situation as he made his way through the canyon afterall. It would seem that whenever he tried to convey other sounds beyond words, such as growls, roars, yells, hums, sighs and laughter, they would come out rather naturally and without problem; however when he tried to form any actual sound that even remotely resembled a word, his throat would not produce a single noise. Instead he would enter a very painful coughing fit, as if trying to regurgitate a ball needles, tearing its way through his throat. Now, Noah is no stranger to physical pain. He prides himself in his great endurance and stamina -leading the kind of life he has would do that to a person- but this was easily among the top ten worse sensations he has ever felt. It was so painful trying to speak that after the third attempt he just gave up entirely, thinking he should at least figure out exactly what was wrong with him instead of pressing on without knowing if what he did actually made his condition worse.
All in all, it was all rather confusing for Noah that some sounds could be made without a hitch while actual words caused him so much discomfort. It was too specific to be an accident or some random magical event, so the only logical conclusion that he could think of was that the moment he arrived -wherever "here" is- someone or something nullyfied his ability to speak while he was unconscious. There was always the possibility of his current disability being the byproduct of phasing through Chaos himself, but he had his doubts regarding that particular theory. If he somehow made it to "the other side" of the void (whatever that meant), he seriously doubted that being mute would be the only single symptom of being exposed to the very origin of everything.
It was too simple, too forgiving. And his life is many things, but forgiving is rarely one of its traits.
Still, during the days and nights it took Noah to reach his destination, he disregarded his broken armor and remained simply in his camper clothes, which weren't doing any better if he was to be honest. The armor, if it could even be called that at this point, wouldn't be of any use to him now in the state it was in, they couldn't even protect him from a butter knife, much less anything really deadly. They were just dead weight to him. And so, exposed solely with a pair of jeans, his hiking shoes and his camper shirt, he journeyed on the dry and unforgiving terrain while passing the idly hours, thinking of all the stuff that where probably happening back home.
With Gaea gone for good-at least he hopes she was- his fellow campers and friends would probably mourn their losses but also celebrate saving the entire earth from a rather unpleasant end.
Some gods may even participate in the celebration, be it on the camps themselves or on Olympus itself.
He could see it in his mind clearly. the camp would grief, but eventually, they would blow out some of that pent up sadness and aggression in the form of a big ass party. he could imagine it: the campers laughing and playing, even if it was a little forced. Everyone partying and trying to enjoy themselves, celebrating the fact that they were alive to see another day.
Well...at least most of them would be happy.
His closest friends: Jason, Leo, Nico, Bianca, Thalia, Calypso, Reyna, Frank, Piper, and Rachel would seriously grief his "passing". They were against the idea of sacrificing himself for them from the start, and even towards the end they tried to change destiny, to alter the prophecy so that it could be more forgiving to his fate.
They should have known better.
There was nothing they could have done to change things, it was impossible from the beginning. Such is the nature of fate.
He wasn't sure about Annabeth though. She tried to hide it (poorly he may add) but even towards the end he could see i, clear as day. She still didn't fully forgave him for what happened to Percy.
Not that he could blame her. He still hasn't forgiven himself after all.
...and probably never will.
And Zoe...his precious little nightshade...he didn't even want to think of what she must be going through.
Just thinking about her made him feel as if his heart was caught in trap of thorns, with each individual thorn digging into it deeper and deeper with each beat , making it bleed out slowly and painfully.
Just to give you an image of how he feels. it could have been simpler to say that he just missed her to death that wouldn't be quite as dramatic now would it?
Noah spent the vast majority of his time letting these dark and painful thoughts cloud his mind, further dampening his mood and leaving him a brooding mess and, before he even realized what had happneend, 3 days had passed, finally standing before the very destination he had sought.
Before him laid what he could only assume was the edge of the canyon, a gigantic rock formation resembling a wall that stretched almost beyond of what the eye could see, tall as a building and brimming with plant-life.
It was rather odd to see such plantlife near the border, and ONLY near the border, all he had seen up to this point was rock, dirt and sand, as if life made its way to avoid at all cost being in contact with the very earth beneath his feet, but he wasn't complaining.
He could even make out what appeared to be a small pond near the wall itself.
Water! At last, just what the doctor ordered.
thank god! I was in no hurry of going another day without a sip of water.
As he reached for the oasis, Noah didn't waste any time into digging his head into the water to quench his thirst. The moment his skin made contact with the water, it was as if all the soreness and the tiredness flushed away from his body, being replaced instead by overflowing energy and strength. He was a dead phone and the water was his battery. And he was charging up fast with each glup.
The perks of being part nymph.
It was a rather silly sight though. To see the strongest demigod head in first in the water as if he were a starved dog digging its face into the bowl of food, but right now dignity was the least of his concerns.
He knew from experience that even the most weakest of demigods (as if there was even such a thing as a "weak demigod) could survive what to a normal human would be an instant death or at least a very severe, near deadly, damage.
Regardless, he was in no hurry to test the limits of his endurance regarding thirst and starvation. He was okay with staying healthy and in pinnacle condition thank you very much! Experimenting with such things was never his style, he was more the do-everything-in-your-power-and-ability-to-survive kind of guy.
With his thirst finally quenched, Noah removed his head from the water,allowing the trails of the heavenly liquid to drift along his hair, face and throat, all the way to the base of his stomach feeling the familiar healing and rejuvenating sensation that could only belong to his unique demigod regenerative abilities.
While not as quickly as it is with ocean water, Noah felt as the liquid melted away all remaining soreness, his sunburn skin regaining its light olive skin tone, and his energy returning to one hundred and ten percent.
He was at full strength now, without a single speck of tiredness, insomnia or pain to be felt in every corner of his body. Water healing truly came in handy in situations like this.
As Noah cleared away the dripping water from his hair hairs and face with his hand, he took a look upon the waters that helped him and gazed upon his reflection.
It was more obvious to him now the sorry state his shirt was in, completely ripped and tattered, the words camp half blood breley recognizable, with the sleeves pretty much non existent and a gigantic hole to the right side of his torso; this shirt was useless now.
Grabbing the collar of the shirt, noah ripped it from his chest with one simple swipe to the side, leaving only noah's exposed torso free to feel the heat of the sun and the moisture of the water that was still dripping from his head.
With his exposed body fully receiving the light of day, sans his legs, noah could better see the current condition of his body and while he never really considered himself very handsome (so he says(he is humble like that)) he takes pride in his physical condition.
While he would never actually brag about it in the open or with others (so, as the writer, i will have to do that for him), Noah is considered the most physically fit in both camp half blood and camp jupiter, surpassing many of the Ares and Hermes kids, who are known to be the most physically active.
Years of surviving on the streets, followed by constant training at camp, accompanied by extensive combat exposure, mainly done by monsters and enemy demigods, will do that to someone.
The reflective properties of the pond served like a near perfect mirror that detailed the multiple scars that ran along his body, each representing a different reminder of his previous fights. However,among all the memories of his battles, the one that stands out the most is the one on his very face, a little goodbye present from Kronos scythe, given to him by the father of zeus himself, or rather...the vessel he was in.
A long scar going from the edge of his right eyebrow, all the way down to the edge of his lower lip.
Running his moist fingers alongside the scar, Noah stared back at the pair of pale green eyes looking straight at him from the pond. As if those eyes were judging his very existence. Judging his very heart.
"What have you done to yourself Noah Castellanos,how could you have failed us so." The eyes seemed to scream at him.
...
He couldn't answer... how could he?
To answer such a question would imply going to places in his mind he rather leave behind. Wherever this place may be, it sure doesn't need "The Wrath of Achilles" unleashed without control. He was supposed to be better now...or at least he tried. It was deafening, the sound of silence and solitude, crushing him heavier that the skies he had lifted so long ago now.
Or at least it would have, were it not for the sharp scream that pierced the silence like a hot knife to butter. Standing up upright in a flash, all of Noah's senses went into override and his hand instinctively shot straight to his pocket where he exposed to the air a peculiar object.
A silver and gold twist ballpoint pen.
Without wasting any time, Noah twisted the cap of the pen twice to the right, immediately transforming the ordinary pen into a silver, leaf shaped double edged sword with a brown and golden handle : a xiphos.
The blade was emananting an unnatural humm and glow that most certainly did not belong to the glistening of the sunlight beams, as if the blade itself was in great anticipation for the oncoming conflict, aching for action and ready to cause a little mayhem.
As the scream became louder and desperate, Noah didn't hesitate to jump right into the center of the pond, splashing water all over the ground in every direction.
Closing his eyes in concentration, he felt the familiar and welcoming tug in the base of his stomach. He sensed the very flow of the water as it began to move and crawl its way up the waist and into his torso as if alive and sentient, following the command of the demigod.
The water began to boil and to weave as if exposed to great amounts of heat and, faster than anyone could blink, the water shot up into the sky like when a powerful geyser erupts from the depths of the earth, propelling Noah high into the sky like a rocket. As he flew upwards to the top of the canyon, Noah concentrated once more on his surroundings, only this time, instead of the water on the earth, he commanded the very air and wind around him; willed it to propel him upwards even faster than before. Immediately after, the wind currents responded to the command,surrounding him like a shield, speeding him up like a bullet even further while also making him look more like a blur as he began to ascend faster than before, while leaving behind a trail of moisture, reminiscing of the one found in storms on the ocean.
it smelled like rain.
He continued doing this without haste or hesitation until he reached the very top of the ledge at maximum speed, were he stopped his concentration and allowed the winds to cease their help. The effect was instantaneous, as the momentum from the fast ascension stopped dead on its tracks and he began to float for a few seconds off the ground, only to fall like a leave, not making any sound nor disturbing the earth of the forest as his feet touched the green soil beneath them.
He was presented with the sight of a thick forest, from which the sounds of screams only became louder and clearer. Searching with his senses, Noah was able to pinpoint the exact location of where the yells came from. not wasting any time, ,with an incredible display of speed, no different from the one he displayed before, noah made his way into the depths of the woods. if someone where to actually see him in action (if they could see such a fast moving object at all) they would swear his feet were actually glidning on the air, just a few centimeters above the ground. Again, leaving a trail of moisture behind him.
As Noah moved expertly into the forest, dodging with skill the occasional log on the floor or in-the-way branch blocking his vision, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of familiarity to the situation at hand.
Playing hero is the one sure way to expose himself to the unknown elements of this land and that means that his chances of survival might be tested in the most unpleasant of ways. It was not the wisest of decisions, but after all the mistakes he has done, all the people...the friends he has failed and let down, there has to be something he can do right, to make up for all of his sins. Even if that means helping a complete stranger from an unknown danger in an unknown land.
This was the right thing to do.
...
At least...that is what he thinks Percy would say.
Celeste Dawn never, in all of her professional life, thought it would end like this. Sure, such kind of thoughts could be attributed to the innate hubris that the ones around her told her was her "character flaw", but she liked to think that she only acted the way she did because she was confident in what she was good at.
And in all of the scenarios that she could have foreseen related to how she would die, this was not one of them. She could think of many other, "better", ways she would rather die. Painless eternal slumber due to old age, a painful beating, contracting a rare and incurable disease, calling Celestia fat.
So many ways to die, all of them with at least some speck of dignity. All of them way better options than to be mauled alive by a savage human. Thinking back to before all of this bullshit, maybe she should have seen this scenario coming, however miniscule the possibility was at the moment. But, as always, her damm hubris or whatever, prevented her from seeing it. And it all started with the mission. When she was first asked to go undercover into a caravan of human pit fighters by princess Luna herself, she was more than ecstatic, she was thrilled!
Finally! A chance to prove herself more than just the average lunar guard grunt, a chance to prove all of her other comrades in canterlot that she was more than just the upstart rookie, that she was more than just a gifted batmare. This was her time to show all of her superiors that she was worthy of being a lieutenant, despite her young age. This mission was her golden ticket into an ascension; after all, this was no walk in the park.
The leaders of the caravan she was after were among the most wanted ponies in all of equestria, famous for their illegal human trafficking, organizing most of equestrias pit fights and of illicit human experimentation and pit training.
They were the owners of most pit arenas around the land. Infamous for their cruelty, abuse and total disregard towards human life. And while it is true that their reach in cruelty is not limited to JUST human exploitation, it is their bread and butter.
They are the specialists. The absolute elite at being the worst.
What made them especially dangerous and elusive in comparison with other criminal organizations was their subtlety, their anonymity. They couldn't be found unless they wanted to be found, that is were their strength laid. That and the lack of evidence to incriminate them. They had their sticky hooves on pretty much everypony. They were secure within the deep pockets of currently unknown corrupted nobles, giving them an almost perfect immunity and apparent innocence.
Bringing them down not only would be a massive hit towards the pit fighting business and illegal human trafficking, but it would also put a dent in crime AS A WHOLE! They were no pushovers and this mission was definitely not for newbies or rookies.
Only the best of the best were allowed to take part on the mission, so imagine her excitement when she was selected to infiltrate the enemy ranks to gain their trust.
The concept of the mission was simple: infiltrate deep into the caravan, gain the trust of the main leader and trick him into operating a pit fight in the crystal empire where an ambush was prepared for them to arrive, allowing the crystal guard to catch them red handed. Taking them down and everyone involved with them. It was the perfect set up.
It took time, effort and a lot of sacrifice before she was able to enter the inner circle of the caravan, learning their secrets and tactics.
The leader of the group, Somber Shade, was a cold-hearted and slightly sociopathic Unicorn that believed in two things: human exploitation and in profit. Everything else OR anypony else was either an inconvenience or a tool for him to use and discard when it pleased him.
She liked to call him sir ass-hat when he isn't near. She liked to think it was clever.
Gaining his favor was not a simple task (nor was she proud of how she gained it) but after a lot of ass-kissing and some really bad sex, she managed to get into his good graces and influenced him to hold a special pit fight in the crystal empire, which not only would be the biggest yet but also would include special guests, such as the majority of benefactors that allowed for said fights to take place.
When Celeste heard that, she couldn't believe her luck and had a very hard time keeping her cover. Not only would she aid in stopping a major crime syndicate but she would also help in exposing most of the noble ponies that were involved in protecting them!
Hitting two birds with one stone.
Forget lieutenant, after this she would surely become a Captain. Or even better: the personal elite guard to the princesses themselves! Only the best of the best, the elite of the elite, could achieve such a thing.
However, before her dream could become a reality, she needed to make sure that the path to the crystal empire was a smooth one. They were still a long way to go, just having left Apple-lossa two days earlier and making their way near the edge of Badlands, hoping to reach Baltimore before the week ended.
It seemed that their secret to avoiding the law's eye for so long resided in a combination of bribery, light traveling and some incredibly strong cloaking magic.
We are talking about ultra-high levels of magic that she only thought possible if performed by the unicorns in the elite guard, and those guys are only second to the princesses in terms of magic-aptitude, so it was no laughing matter. Still, even knowing that she could be discovered by the slip of the tongue at any moment was not enough to dampen her good mood. Just a few towns left and all of them would get what they so justly deserve, especially her (in the good sense of course).
And then shit went sideways in the most colossal way.
They were just about to exit the border of the desolate and unforgiving canyon that was the badlands when out of nowhere a massive tremor, that seemed to originate from the badlands itself, shocked the path they were in, tumbling the carts in which the humans where in, setting them free in the process. The humans made a run for it into to the forest faster that any of them could blink and before they knew it, all of the ponies were chasing behind them as well, trying their best to catch them before they were out of their range.
Now normally, an ordinary human, be it male or female, would greatly struggle to keep up with the speed of the most common of ponies. Even with their impressive stamina, they just couldn't outrace a earth pony , a unicorn, no less a pegasus or other winged creature.
Their bipedal physiology simply did not allow for them to keep up with the quadrupedal ponies. However, these were no ordinary humans, these were pit fighters!
Trained in the most horrid and unforgivable conditions since birth, giving them an exceptional physical condition, allowing them to fight and kill not only themselves but also against the worst creatures equestria had to offer. This gave most the pit-humans an edge over other ponies, and Somber's humans were specially deadly; not only were they "equipped" with the latest in human alteration weaponry but they were also immensely savage. She has seen many of them, in the pit fights she was forced to supervise, take on manticores, timberwolves, pretty much anything deadly with fangs and claws, with mindless savagery and primal fury.
And they were in their natural habitat.
She, alongside the rest of the caravn, were at a very high disadvantage that only seemed to increase with each day that they failed to find them. Trying to look for them by air was pointless thanks to the forests thick flora that made it downright impossible to make out any other form of moving life.
Trying to use magic was another pointless effort thanks to the special magical brands etched into their skins that prevented them from being located from even the most advanced of tracking spells. (they were not the most elusive human traffickers for nothing).
So basically they would have to find them the old fashioned way, or rather the earth pony way. It was terrible. But that wasn't the worst of it.
The real terror began once Celeste realized that, the moment they stepped into the thick and dark forest, they were being hunted by the very creatures they once subjugated.
One by one, ponies began to disappear, the only reminder of their existence being the loud cries for help and the horrifying sounds of chewing that penetrated the trees, cutting through the ominous silence that once reigned in the forest like a sword.
She didn't want to admit it but she was scared. Scratch that, she was terrified!
Such horrid things...back when she was a rookie, her trainers had been pretty straightforward towards the kind of things she could witness on the job. She never actually took them seriously. She took the advices and recommendations to heart but was so confident in her skills, she never considered this outcome. To feel actual fear on the job... it was a thought so many light years away from her mind it might as well not even exist.
But here she was, being hunted like an animal BY an animal!
By the third day she was pretty sure she was among the last 5 remaining ponies (out of 20) to still linger in the forest. The anxiety and fear within her was so grand that she was seriously considering just turning tail and running away, consequences be damned.
Fear can change even the proudest of ponies. She could see that now.
She was already heading in the direction the road was, completely prepared to explain her superiors how she failed to complete the mission they had spent months a investing on, when she stopped dead cold at the sound of it.
The sound of a low growl.
Celeste turned around slowly to find the source of the growling and was met with one of the humans she needed to find, but in this scenario, the human found her.
He was standing a full 6 feet tall, with no hair to cover its head, a bundle of thick and powerful muscles, horribly scared due to his exposure in all the pit fights he had survived, completely naked and with a horribly beaten up face that displayed his univen and terrifying facial features, resembling more a gorilla than anything else.
He was one scary looking motherfuker but even that was not the worst of it.
Where his right arm was supposed to be, there was instead a metallic prosthetic that had a very nasty looking spike-drill, rusted and with specks of dried blood from its previous victims.
But the drill in it of itself was not what made Celeste almost run away with all of her might, rather what was impaled in it. Hanging from the end of the drill, with all of its hairs tangled in an uncomfortable way, forming some sort of knot, with its broken horn emanating small sparks and lights, was the blood dripping head of one of the members of the caravan.
If she remembered correctly, the unlucky mare was Lila love.
Despite being part of the organization, she was a rather sympathetic unicorn, respectful and surprisingly caring, even towards the savage humans. In the few conversations she had with her, she discovered that the only reason she was part of the caravan was because she needed the money to treat her little sister who was fighting a rather powerful and seemingly incurable sickness.
Despite being far from innocent, she had solid reasons for being part of something so grotesque, and in her eyes that was enough to earn a second shot at redemption, in fact, celeste actually planned to spare her from the fate awaiting her other companions at the crystal empire.
Not like she could do that now.
By luna, those lifeless eyes and that face, stuck forever in a permanent soundless scream, would haunt her for years to come.
Celeste was so lost in thought towards the horrible deed and too shocked to move, that she failed to react to the bolting human that closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds with a bestial roar of animalistic desire, crashing into and knocking the wind out of her.
The next thing she knows, she is pinned against the ground, trying to regain her breath and doing all she can to push away the towering human who was using his legs to pin down her wings painfully across the earth, alongside the rest of her body.
The human, who was growling and drooling uncontrollably, began to activate the drill with a single thought, which still had the head of poor Lila tangled in the mechanism, and began to lower it towards the head of our terrified lunar guard.
Celeste bucked and struggled with all of her might but the strength and weight of the beast had her pretty much trapped with no possibility of release.
Desperate, and with the drill coming each second dangerously close to her forehead, Celeste threw away her warrior pride, casting away the hubris, and did the only thing that she could do at the moment:
-Please! Somepony! HELP ME!
How humiliating...her fellow guards back at home would be so disappointed in her. To resort to such pathetic pleading, but at this point what other choice was left?
With death apparently imminent, Celeste shuted her eyes in fear, ashamed of herself for being so incompetent, all the while awaiting the slow and painful drilling sensation that would no doubt send her in an uncontrollable fit of pain and torment.
...
...
...
Except it never came, as the grunting and growling of the furious human were replaced with the muffled sounds of choking and a strange tightening noise.
Opening her eyes with hesitation, Celeste was met with a rather incredible sight that, in her life, would have never thought possible:
The ferocious human, that was previously inches away from turning her head into swiss cheese, was locked in a strange hold by another, unknown human, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Her savior was using both his arms to immobilize the beast, using his right arm to grip the prosthetic one, moving it away from her forehead 90 degrees to the right, and his left arm grasping tightly around the neck with enough force to make the savage turn blue, his own arm trying, and failing, to pry the strangeling apendege off his neck.
Before Celeste could even blink, the new challenger stood up and, with the savage still in its grasp, spun him around and threw him like a ragdoll in a incredible display of strength, right towards a big tree almost 20 feet tall and 5 feet wide, snapping it in half with a resounding crack, as if the tree itself was made of weak little twigs.
Celeste forgot how to breath at that moment, her jaw comically dropped almost touching the ground. She was having a difficult time even accepting that what just happened actually happened.
That beast was among the strongest humans of the caravan, having won more pit fights that she bothered to remember. It took her all of her combined strength and might just to hold him off long enough to buy herself a few seconds more of life and yet, this human holds him off with little to no effort and just throws him around like a bag of potatoes and throws him into a tree, breaking it in the process.
Her savior, who had his back to her and looking straight into where he had thrown the beast to make sure that it was down for good, turned to look in her direction and-hamana hamana hamana hamana hamana hamana HAMANA!!
Hello there handsome.
It was as if all the tension, fear and anxiety of the last three days simply evaporated into the air and was replaced by curiosity, attraction and a little bit of arousal.
This was the most handsome human she has ever seen.
Wait, scratch that...
This was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most handsome anything she has ever seen PERIOD!
He was roughly 6 feet tall (give or take a centimeter), athletic yet strong with scars covering his muscled torso and powerful arms. His legs, which were covered by ripped pants, displayed a layer of muscles that practically screamed speed and agility. Strapped to his hip was an impressive looking sword that seemed to glimmer and shine despite the thickness of the leaves blocking almost all forms of sunlight. His face and, perfectly symmetrical, were complemented with a bundle of jet black hair and a very uncommon pair of pale green eyes, such a big contrast to the common human male. The scar on the side of his face was a little unnerving, but it didn't take away from the overall attractiveness of this fine specimen,
Not to say that cute or handsome human males are impossible to find, just very rare to find. It was not something you would find just anywhere with anypony but there were cases nonetheless.
But this was different. She couldn't fully explain it but it was as if this new specimen was surrounded by an aura of power. Thick and imposing, his scent was overwhelming her senses. She couldn't possibly begin to describe that magnetizing smell, but if she focused hard on it, it would be like the smell of oceanic rain. Life a drift of marine winds, pulling her closer and closer towards the ocean and into the thundering storm in the horizon. She felt attracted to it, like a slab of metal being pulled by a powerful magnet. She couldn't keep her eyes away from him.
like a tiny boat being pulled in by a powerful whirlpool it didn't want to escape from.
In a way it reminded her of the royal sisters. Their mere presence alone spoke of the power they held, the life they had lived and of the knowledge they carry. Every time she was next to Luna, the few fortunate moments she was assigned to be near her, just passing by or just standing to attention while she walked the gardens, she could feel it. As if the moon itself came into the ground to grace her puny mortal life with its mighty shine of silver light. Calming but very much superior and imposing to her in every way, a goddess in pony-skin.
This human was similar but different, and that is all she could make of it. Besides, even with unnatural beauty and abnormal behavior this still was just another human.
It is not like he actually helped her because he knew she was in danger or anything.
Humans only aide and protect others to which they had bonded with or have been subjugated by them, and she highly doubted this was the case with this peculiar being.
Still, even knowing all that, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that in that pale green stare headed in her direction was filled with an understanding and empathy, so much beyond that of a mindless beast.
It was as if he could understand her situation, beyond the primal instinct of an animal. But it was more than that, as if he was seeing into her very soul, her very being. As if his eyes were seeing beyond the proud lunar guard, desperate for recognition and admiration, and was seeing the underdog batmare that wanted nothing more than to be somepony worthy of remembering.
Maybe that pit-human hitted her harder than she thought because there was no way that was the case right?
He was just another, albeitly, strong human right?
Noah's mind was racing with all sorts of possibilities as he dashed into the forest, blade at his side and his senses on high alert, expecting to find the source of the screaming and to help with whatever situation he was confronted with.
He was preparing himself to any kind of situation, be it animal attack, monster attack or just plain human attack. Being familiar to these three types of encounters, it was within his abilities to act accordingly to either of these situations. What he wasn't expecting , as he entered the clearing from where the scream came from, was to find a giant of a man with a prosthetic drill-arm, grunting and growling in animalistic fashion, trying its mightiest to drill into the nuzzle of what appeared to be some sort of bat pony mare.
At least he assumed it was a mare due to the slight slender of its body and...well...the lack of male genitalia that he could see from his position behind the murderous man. the pony couldn't be more than four feet tall, barely made it up to his thigh. It was such a tiny thing, fighting this behemoth of a man, who clearly lost all semblance of sanity by the way it was acting.
This...is a new one...
When he first heard the scream he assumed it belonged to a girl, that high and clearly femenate pitch yell for help could only belong to the voice of a woman, and yet, arriving to the place from which the wail came from, no sight resembling a girl could be seen anywhere, aside of the two individuals that were currently brawling on the forest soil.
It couldn't have possibly been the man, as his physical appearance and current position in the fight left little possibility of being in any kind of distress.
And there was no way the yell came from the bat mare.
Was it?
Not that he was questioning the impossibility of the existence of bat horses, he has long since discarded those kinds of close minded thoughts the moment he discovered his bloodline and entered camp half blood.
He was actually questioning the fact that it was most probable the mare (?) who spoke and that he UNDERSTOOD her without problem.
Noah has many abilities and skills but equine communication was, unfortunately, not one of them, that was more Percy's area.
He was more of an equine empath.
So either he has gained the blessing of poseidon without him noticing it...or that was a talking horse.
...
...yeah okay.
That seemed like the most reasonable and logical conclusion he could reach at the moment, he has definitely seen weirder so this was not so much a shock.
He has always loved horses even before he was aware of being a demigod so this was a plus in his opinion.
He was sure that, at this point with all of what he has seen and experienced, nothing could surprise him.
No doubt he would have continued to muse over this if not for the deadly reminder that this mare was in danger and in desperate need of help.
This would be good change of pace. For once he would save the mythical creature from the dangerous and savage human.
It was nice to change from his usual encounters with the monstrous kind.
Without wasting any time, taking advantage of his position behind the preoccupied brute, he leaped towards the struggling duo, clashing against the back of the now surprised beast-man and imposing upon him the wrestling hold he had practically perfected at camp.
All of this hapened in less than a second, the speed of his attack shocking the wild man into an unwanted submission in which every passing moment was one where less and less oxygen could make its way into his closing lungs, courtesy of the imposing arm crushing his larynx and esophagus.
Before he could could even try to free himself, Noah applied even more strength into his arms, stood up and threw the giant into the nearest tree with such force that the poor trunk fractured in two as if it had the durability of chinese chopsticks.
The savage rolled in the ground before coming to a stop past the now broken tree, giving the two spectators a rather comical sight of his body, with the butt in the air and the head facing the rough earth.
He looked like he was doing a poor imitation of a snail, which was made even more ridiculous due to the sheer size and musculature of the man, making this scenario all the more silly.
For a few seconds, silence reigned in the forest with the only sounds being the agitated breaths of the exhausted mare trying to catch her wind and the echo of the crash resonating in all directions, bouncing from tree to tree into the unknown depths of the woods.
Noah waited a to see if the muscled man would stand up to his attack with a counter of his own. Even if this man was a complete animal he still should act accordingly and lash out against him, however nothing of the sort happened and noah was slightly disappointed to see that supposedly strong man had been knocked out cold due to the force of his previous throw.
that was...easier than i thought. It seems all of those muscles didn't help softening the impact. Then again, i do tend to forget how strong i am compared to other mortals. I should be more careful with my strength. Didn't even gave him a chance to fight back.
With the apparent danger out of the way, Noah directed his sight to bat pony that until now was just starting to get back on its feet, so to speak.
Actually, now that he could take a good look at the mare, he realized that he was going to revoke his previous statement of "nothing can surprise him anymore" and start humbling his mind again because what he was staring at right now was most definitely nothing like the equines he has seen "back home".
It was a small pony, barely reaching up to his hips. Its slender yet strong legs showed that this pony was trained to handle all kinds of rough works, its coat was a beautiful midnight blue that reminded him of the clear night sky he would often see back in the camp. Its mane and tail were of a mint blue that seemed to shine against the few rays of sunlight that could get through the thick leaves. Her bat wings were of a darker color compared to her coat and on its backside he could see some strange tattoo that resembled two bat wings emerging from a small silver dagger.
The most outstanding feature of this mare however, was its face. The muzzle was incredibly short, completely different from all the horse muzzles he had seen before. Its eyes, which were a emerald green, were ridiculously huge, almost cartoonish like, which seemed to make up most of her face and yet displayed an impressive amount of emotion and intelligence.
This mare looked straight out of a kids cartoon and yet it didn't seem unrealistic or out of place with the rest of the world around him.
It was a strange thing to say but, in a way, that mare naturally belonged there with the rest of the world, as if it couldn't have been made or seen any other way.
In fact, it was strangely attractive in a way, alluring even.
It belonged there and yet it was so alien to his eyes.
yep, this is definitely a new one for me. And here i thought i had seen it all.
Noah was so enthralled with admiring and analyzing the pony's appearance that he failed to notice the uncomfortable stare he was receiving form the mare herself and, also, the shifting and russtiling of the bushes surrounding them both.
wait a minute, something's not right, what is that-
He couldnt even finish his thoughts as his instincts flared up to attention, snapping him out of his trance, allowing him to perceive the bolt of yellow energy that shot out from the darkness of the forest and incoming into his position; he barely dodged by throwing himself to the left and out of the way of the energy blast which left a small smoking crater in his previous spot in the ground.
He wasn't given the chance to understand what was happening as new multiple blasts of silver energy shot out in succession from different directions, making his situation all the more difficult.
Taking the sword from his hip, noah held the hilt with both hands and began to take action by deflecting the bolts with the blade with lightning reflexes , as if actually trying to redirect multiple flaming baseballs coming in at blinding speeds with a flat baseball bat.
Without realizing it, he had left the bat mare completely forgotten.
Each deflected blast left something akin to an after-heat in the blade that spread all the way from the tip to the hilt, as if he was actually deflecting balls of molten steel, making him feel as if he was holding a flaming steel rod.
It was becoming very difficult to endure such a pain constantly but he was capable to pull it off.
But it was all for nought.
The more he deflected, the more the bolts began multiplying in number, each bolt he reflected, three more would make their way to his face, making it all the more difficult to redirect the deadly energy with his xiphos, leaving him with no choice but to coordinate dodging with deflecting, a task that became more and more challenging as more and more attacks began to appear.
Before he realized it ,he was literally backed up to a corner, with his xiphos glowing red from the hundreds of magical impacts it had to withstand and with Noah himself, panting and feeling the strain in his arms growing ever so strongly.
And yet he couldn't help but feel a smudge of pride, making itself present in the form of a smug grin.
aaaand that was the two hundredth blast that failed to hit me.
The bolts stopped their constant firing and the forest returned to its sepulchral silence.
Whoever was attacking him, would have to try harder than that if they planned to kill him.
Many have tried and failed to do just that and he doubted that they, whoever they were, would succeed where others, way more powerful and experienced, have failed.
Ironically enough, that tiny display of hubris would result to be his undoing in this battle as ,unknowing to him, a figure literally cloaked in shadow had sneaked her way behind the unsuspected and slightly tired demigod, approaching ever so slowly with a glowing, sparking horn that lighted up the darkness in an electric blue hue humming with magical power.
He realized the trap too late, as he felt his neck hairs stand up to attention and his survival instincts yelling at him to turn around only to see the blinding light of a powerful blast being directed straight into his face.
He heard the impact before he felt it as the charged magical blast rammed with full force at the center of his nose, rocking him off the ground and propelling him into the trees, creating an explosion big enough to create a powerful shockwave that expanded all the way to the very edge of the forest, shaking and blowing all the trees outward with a blast of wind, creating such a blinding flare that if someone were to watch it from the sky they would have been rendered temporarily blind.
It was as if a solar flare was going off in the surface of the earth, nearly burning the forest down.
Then, slowly, the flare began to die down, revealing a very big crater in which our bruised and injured demigod resided, with his back facing the sky and his face getting intimate with the ground.
Whatever remained of his clothes was burned away by the explosion, leaving him in nothing but his birthday suit, which was thankfully covered in thin layers of dirt and furthered hidden by the resulting smoke emanating from the ground and blocking the sight of his full moon to the world.
The magical sword was nowhere to be seen, having been blasted away from his hands and into the penumbra of the woods.
As he felt his consciousness slip away, with the distant sound of clopping approaching his resting ground, all noah could think of right now was of how he could have been so stupid to let this rather incompetent defeat happen to him.
Such a rookie mistake, to let his pride take hold of his thoughts, it could cost him his life now; if the others at camp knew of this they would never live it down.
He was Noah Castellanos dammit! He didn't make rookie mistakes.
But it seems when it matter the most, he just can't make the right call, can't he? After all, he has certainly failed others before, hasn't he? Why would failing even himself be any different?
Before he could beat himself up even further, the edges of his vision darkened and everything went black.
-Celeste POV-
As celeste looked towards the smoking crater that once was the human that saved her life, she couldn't help but think that this current situation was the very definition of shit hitting the fan in the most colossal way possible.
When he first rescued her, she was undoubtedly relieved but a deep anxiety made its way to replace that relief, as he stared deeply into her own eyes.
After all it was not uncommon to see humans kill each other just so one of them could claim the same prey.
Humans could be possessive when it comes to their own hunt, so celeste was having a difficult time hiding her fear from him, especially after he disposed of that pit fighter in less than a second.
It wasn't that hard to deduce that she wouldn't stand a chance against him when he eventually decided to maul at her.
However, as the seconds turend into minutes, she watched as the human did nothing of what she expected him to do and just continued this rather one sided staring contest.
The way those beautiful pale green eyes stared at her almost implied a sense of facination and intrigue, almost as if he was analyzing her in a critical way to understand her.
And that was just downright impossible.
Humans came in two categories: they were either submissive and stupid or they were violent and savage.
There was rarely a middle ground between the two.
Sure, humans could be trained and domesticated but it takes a certain amount of effort to pull off depending on the human and the specific training implemented. When done properly they could prove be very useful and practical regarding the tasks they were given.
However they never display any form of conscience or intelligence besides basic survival instinct.
The pit humans she was trafficking were the best example of that. They were trained since birth to experience all kinds of battles and fightings, not to mention enduring all kinds of invasive and painful experimentations and forced augmentations.
They were arguably the best killing machines she has seen, and yet they were still as dumb as any other human, with the only knowledge and skill available to them being the ones taught to them from the beginning. They knew how to kill in an "entertaining fashion" and that's that.
The rest is just primal instinct.
And yet, this human was disproving everything she knew with just a simple look, displaying an incredible amount of docility she thought impossible for a human that just smashed another human into a tree with enough force to break it in half.
Little by little, the anxiety and fear left her and instead they were replaced by curiosity and gratitude.
She had no idea were this human came from or why he was here as it was very obvious that this was not one of their own pit humans, but somehow it heard her cries and actually came to her rescue.
Be it by sheer curiosity or an actual miracle in her favor, she wasn't going to look at this second chance with hesitation.
Regardless of intent, this human allowed her to continue her mission, albeitly with a few setbacks and for that she was glad.
He was her savior and that alone was worthy of praise.
And he was a total hottie too, so that was a plus!
Allowing herself to relax, celeste continued to admire her savior not knowing that things would go from bad to worse in the next few seconds.
While the human seemed rather preoccupied with his staring and failed to notice the signs, celeste was nowhere near as distracted and immediately noticed the multiple figures coming from the dark woods and into the bushes, preparing for what she could only assume was an ambush on the distracted individual.
Before she could even muster any kind of warning towards the human a volley of energy bolts came straight at him with enough force to break apart any other normal human into many pieces.
Again, faster than her eye could keep track of, the human drew his sword and began to deflect, with exceptional expertise and skill, the oncoming death volley of magic combining cleverly done rolls and jumps with professional strikes and swings from the blade.
It was unlike anything she has ever seen in her life. The average magical bolt, when fired, could move at speeds equal or above 1,700 miles per hour and these were no amateurs throwing around random spells.
These were the most wanted criminals this side of equestria, which mant those were no basic level magic they were throwing around.
At best those were advanced light bolts, which meant that not only were they powerful enough to knock out a manticore in a single blow, they were also among the fastest offensive spells known to pony kind, being at least thrice as fast as the average bolt.
Unless you were an elite wonderbolt, dodging this kind of attack might as well be impossible.
And yet this human was not only dodging them, he was reflecting the attacks! With his sword none the less!
The impact of the blows alone should have broken every single bone in his arms, blowing up the tendons and the ligaments like they were rubber bands.
Meaning this human was leagues and bound beyond even the strongest of humans. Hell, he was stronger than most other beings she has ever seen, and she has seen plenty.
There was something about him that just didn't seem human at all.
It just didn't make any sense.
Just what in the name of tartarus was this thing!?
She was knocked back into reality when a redirected bolt of energy nearly blew her hooves off, helping her realize once again that she was in the middle of a big ass battleground and her probabilities of survival would diminish if she remained sitting on the floor LIKE A FUCKING ROOKIE!!!
Allowing her training to take over her mindset, celeste did what she was trained to do: move out of the way and search for a good scouting position for the battle.
Once that was out of the way and the actual scouting began she could hardly believe her eyes. Second by second, attack after attack, this human was surpassing her expectations (or what she thought her expectations were) and began to actually consider the possibility that his human maybe was no human at all.
It wasn't until the beams of magic disappeared and that the human seemed to relax that she realized what was going to happen.
Before she could muster any kind of sound resembling a warning, the unicorn hidden from the warriors sight made herself known by charging up a suspiciously familiar attack.
By the time the human turned in alert, it was already too late to dodge, as the bolt of light went straight for his forehead, creating a shockwave so big it knocked the caster, herself, and every pony within a 2 mile radius off their hooves as the blinding light obscured the entirety of the forest, accompanied by the familiar sensation of excruciating heat and powerful energy.
The telo lumen. A forbidden, highly volatile and incomplete spell, known only to those within the inner circle of the twin princesses or to those with knowledge of the spells of Star Swirl the Bearded.
Known for its powerful impact and explosive nature, the telo lumen was created as an offensive spell meant to eradicate all forms of defense with a mighty bolt of light.
It sounds like the perfect attack incantation, if it weren't for the fact that the spell was never completed, and there is nothing more dangerous and unpredictable that an incomplete spell.
It greatest drawback, besides leaving the caster completely drained mentally and magically, its the fact that the energy released by the attack is so great that maintaining control over it is impossible, causing great harm not only to the caster but also the surroundings, damaging indiscriminately anything within its predestined radius.
A very risky spell. For somepony to use it...they must be really desperate or really stupid.
And since she knew that the ponies she was accompanying were no fools, at least when it comes to what they do, she can testify that whoever casted the attack was desperate enough to use it.
When the light and heat cleared up, all that remained of the human was a smoky crater with no apparent signs of life. After a minute or so, celeste stood up from her rather awkward position in the dirt and began to make her way, slowly, towards the hole in the ground that was once the human who saved her.
Which leaves us to her current position, staring aimlessly at a gaping hole in the ground without the faintest idea on how to feel. On one hoof, this human, despite all evidence and previous experience telling her otherwise, saved her from what would have been, a horrible death by drill. She should feel sad that her rescuer spared her from such a fate. On the other hoof...well, he is a human, and humans do what they do, which means it usually doesn't end well for ponies. Especially such a violent specimen. She should feel relieved.
"Well...that was certainly interesting" a deep and cold voice snapped her out of her musings, sending shivers down her spine and tremors to her wings. Glancing to the direction of the voice, she was greeted with the sight of her "boss" and leader of the caravan, Somber shade.
If she were to describe the stallion before her in one word, it would be "intimidating". His jet black mane contrasted heavily with his blood read coat in such a way that it almost made one uncomfortable to look at his general direction. As if he could actually hurt your eyes just by looking at him. His single golden orb would stare coldly and indifferently while his white, scarred, left eye would seem to see into your very being. As if that single eye could see past the social masks and into the heart of a pony. His cutie marks was of a black cloak being pierced by a silver dagger.
Cloak and dagger...just another reason for not trusting this guy.
If it weren't for the seemingly permanent scowl in his face though, he would be a very handsome face to look at.
"Yeah that is one to put it" her response sounded more forced that she intended to, which was easily caught on by him. He arched a brow at her. "You don't mean to tell me you regret this outcome do you? This...thing could have killed you if it wanted to. It certainly seemed capable to do so" "Well...yeah, but come on! Telo lumen!? You have to admit that is a little overkill!" "I wasn't the one who casted the spell, though i will agree that this conclusion is a little...overdramatic to say the least". "Wait...if you didnt cast off the spell...then that means..." "It means i got the job done. Your welcome by the way!" a feminine and teasing voice interrupted her train of thought leaving her with a scowl and a bad taste in her mouth. Two mare unicorns came into light entering the newly formed clearing. A pair of twins she knew perfectly well made themselves know. Aura and Mare. The trouble maker duo that loved to be a pain in her ass. Despite being twins, the one clear way to differentiate one from the other was, of course, the color. Aura had a silver mane with a teal coat while Mare had a teal mane with a silver coat. And just like that, one was the opposite of the other. While Aura was stubborn, emotional and a complete bitch, Mare was silent, emotionless and a complete bitch.
...ok maybe she was biased but it was true nonetheless.
They were once part of celestia's school for gifted unicorns until they were expelled for...unacceptable behavior and prohibited practices.
They may look cute but their insides are just as rotten as their new career choice, lets just leave it at that. But she never suspected that one of them had enough knowledge to cast such a taboo spell like the telo lumen.
" Oh yeah! Thanks alot for almost killing all of us while using a super risky, unstable and unfinished spell! Truly, we owe you our lives.it is not like we could have...oh i don't know...DIED a very painful death!"
Celeste hated the twins, no doubt about that. But if she had to play favorites then Aura was definitely her biggest annoyance. Her smug and arrogant attitude was terrible enough but her tendencies with humans were...disgusting.
"Oh give me a fucking break! You saw how that human was acting. He would have killed us all if he could. Didn't you see the way it was moving!? If given the chance he could have ripped us apart with his bare hands. That is not an ordinary human! I made the right call." "So you just use a potentially lethal spell that could have killed us all just as easily? Oh yeah! Hell of a right call!" Both sombre and mare rolled their eyes in annoyance while somber had to hold down a groan. They knew that once aura and celeste got into one of their famous arguments, it would take some form of divine intervention for them to stop. As it so happens, something similar was about to occur.
"I saved your life" "I didn't need saving" "Yeah right, so i guess i just imagined you, on the floor, screaming for help like a little bitch. Must be something wrong with my vision or you were actually crying like a little fillie." "I wasn't crying!" "Oh yes you were! The little baby celeste!" "Oh that is very mature! You are a bitch!" "Cunt!" "Sadistic whore!" "Useless ass!" "Uh...girls?" the usually emotionless and indiferent voice of mare was laced with a tone of uneasiness and fear as she looked wide eyed towards the flaming hole in the ground that was, slowly but surely, getting clearler by the second,knocking both girls and stallion out from their fighting.
Mare rarely displayed any kind of emotion, so in the rare times that she did, it was always to express that something important was at stake. One everypony was looking in the direction she was looking there were three surprised intakes of breath and one dissatisfied growl.
As the leftover smoke cleared from the crater one could clearly see the very much breathing and slightly bruised form of the human covered in a thin layer of dust and dirt, presented to the ponies with nothing but his birthday suit. The sword was nowhere to be seen.
"That is impossible!" aura gasped indignantly. "That spell should have turned his body to ash". "Then you casted the spell incorrectly" Mare responded trying to get her shocked expression out of her face. "I have never failed when it comes to spells. You know that". "Something happened. Whether you did the incantation wrong or this human is actually though enough to survive a magical blast created to turn manticores into dust"
Celeste was more than shocked. This day has dived right into the impossible and the bizarre but she couldn't help but feel glad that he was alive. Call it gratitude or whatever, but she was pretty sure she would not be alive right now if it weren't for him.
Before she could voice any kind of opinion towards this dilema, somber did something that shocked all three mares at the same time.
He smiled. While looking at the human.
" You know...this might be a blessing in disguise. Due to our little incident we lost more than half of our cargo with the rest just running for it into the forest. It is safe to assume that we won't be able to get all of our assets back, which means that we are left with 10 successfully captured humans. That is not good. We still have at least 20 more fights before the big one up in the crystal kingdom and with our current predicament, the humans will not last all the fights we have in stored for them until the big day".
The three companions gave each other worried glances. They had an idea of what was going to happen.
" This specimen has proved to be 20, maybe even 50 times more stronger, faster and smarter than the finest brutes we had before! As much as we might not want to admit it, if we are going to make a profit in the next week before our big score in the crystal kingdom...we need it". "But sir...how do you plan to control such a beast?" Mare asked while circling the human with an analytical glint in her eyes.
"You let me worry about that. You, on the other hand, return to the caravan and make sure that everything is ready for us to move inmideatly.repair all you can and secure the assets in place. Tighten the chains so that this doesn't happen again down the road. This accident not only has left us short staffed but also has altered our schedule. If we are going to get back on the rails we need to make some adjustments to our plan".
Mare nodded diligently only to teleport back to the road. Somber then directed his now focused and determined glance to aura, who now had a conflicted and confused glance towards the human. "Aura, it may be a longshot but use your scouting spell again. See if you can see any other cargo nearby. We have to salvage all that we can before we get out of here. It would be a shame if we lose anything else just because we weren't thorough". It took a few second for her to recognize her order. "You got it boss-man". Giving the human one last confused look, she shook her head while running back into the forest and disappearing from sight.
"Celeste, you and i will chain this human and deliver him into the caravan. Normally you would be able to do this on your own, but with this particular...something...i don't plan on taking any chances".
And so, it happened. As if nothing was wrong, everything went back on schedule. Some time passed( by then it was already dark in the forest) and they all eventually resumed their journey, with the human chained extra tight in the very back of the caravan, with some extra inhibiting spells just for good measure, also accompanied with a nightly watch, just to be sure.
Right now, it was celestes turn. And as she watched the unconscious human dangle from the the wall with chains strapped at both his arms, all she could think of at that moment was:
Contrary to what many ponies believed, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza (Candace for short) was actually more ferocious and passionate than her loving and charming exterior would lead many ponies to believe. One could be fooled by the compassionate and kind demeanor that she showed to her subjects and underlings. This display of genuine affection,which is as true as celestia's sun, would be enough to convince anypony of this act. However, below that beautiful and wise shell of a princess, there lays the strong spirit of a warrior and the heart of a true ruler; willing to do anything for her beloved kingdom and every single pony that resides in it.
Many would find that fact hard to comprehend, as such ferocity has barely made an appearance in the totality of her reign. Nevertheless it exists. Like the calm before the storm, her tenacity remains hidden until a moment arrives that demands it to be unleashed.
For only love could have such strength and resolve, empowering her to protect the ones she holds dear. After all, her kingdom was like her family. A beautiful and enormous family that works everyday to achieve all of its dreams and happiness.
A family that helps and that seeks help from others. A family that laughs and that weeps. A family that knows the value of giving love and being loved.
And ever since becoming a princess, she has been a part of this family. She is the head of it in fact. And having such a big position, she has to carry all of the responsibilities that comes with it, all of it in her back. Sometimes it weighs her down, making her own life so much harder than it needs to be. Sometimes she wakes up in the morning, wondering if she can truly go through the entire day without wishing she could just stay in bed, hoping that the day would just end right there and then.
But you know what? She wouldn't have it any other way.
After all, what kind of monster wouldn't do anything in their power to ensure the safety and prosperity of their family? If the situation ever arose, she would gladly throw herself into the darkest pit in all of tartarus, just for the sake of saving one single member of her kingdom. Or better yet, she would gladly throw her enemies into tartarus, relentlessly and without mercy.
For love could be brutal, unforgiving and cruel. If needed, candance can tap into these dark aspects of her element to unleash punishments to whoever dared threaten her domain, and righteous ruling over her land when it needed it the most. And the most recent turn of events have created the opportunity for her to unleash this side of herself.
Recent news have been revealed to her, thanks to the messengers of her aunt, concerning the specific movements of a certain dangerous, and very much illegal, group that was making its way upward in equestria, with its final destination being her beloved crystal kingdom.
She has heard stories about this peculiar organization within her royal meetings and by talks with celestia and luna. Specializing in human trafficking and in the hosting of the most infamous and secretive pit fights all across the land, not to mention all their charges in illegal and invasive experimentation, extortion and abuse of humans; this group has truly outdone itself in being the best at being bad.
And that is just the crimes that they know off.
Who knows what other horrible and illegal deeds they have done to get in their current position today? Arming themselves with political protection and immunity, this group was nearly untouchable due to the lack of concrete physical evidence pulled against them. You could think whatever you wanted about these scumbags but one could not deny that they are pros at what they do.
That was all going to change in the next weeks.
Thanks to the collective effort of their net of spies, the rehearsals and simulations of the totality of the royal guard, the secretive collaborations of loyal bureaucrats, and months of preparation have finally created the perfect scenario in which those criminals have no better choice than to enter her domain and set a pit fight right under their noses, just as planned.
She could hardly wait to put those criminals in their place for all the atrocities committed against pony kind AND mankind.
While she has never cared much for humans, she has read the reports on the previous pit fights this organization has been involved in. To say they were brutal and unforgiving would be the biggest understatement of the world. She actually felt sick to her stomach just by reading the autopsy reports of the humans that were unfortunate enough to perish during the massacres they called pit fights.
The abuse and extortion were bad enough but these sons of whores just decided to turn it up a notch by augmenting their humans with very painful and invasive prosthetic enhancements. This group truly knew no mercy when it came to humans. No other being should be subjected to that kind of treatment and abuse, regardless of who or what they are.
It is just wrong on all the levels.
And so, she would play her part into putting an end to their activities once the day arrives, three weeks from now. Even now as she gazes into the pink skies of dawn from her balcony, she can't help but twitch in anticipation.
In many previous occasions, she has wondered if it was healthy for her to feel such a estatic sensation, considering the future situation she would find herself creating. Many nights and mornings, just as this one, had been spent thinking if she might be just a little wrong in the head for enjoying these rare opportunities to simply cut loose from her usual daily monotony. To escape the boredom of royal daily life to enter the realm of crime and punishment, justice and victory. Just like the books she used to read when she was younger. Nevertheless, duty came before pleasure. The situation demands immediate action and as a respectable and dutiful princess, she will provide. Regardless of how much she might enjoy it in the end.
"You really are a morning bird, aren't you?".
A soft and gentle voice broke her out of her train of thought, bringing a loving smile to her face and dispersing away all previous thoughts regarding future battles or anything like that. Right beside her, admiring the morning light, was her handsome husband shining armour. Just like her, he seemed to just woken up from his slumber to accompany her in contemplating the dawn of a new day, or at least it was one of his reasons.
It hasn't been the first time he has done this too. Being captain of the royal guard for so long has trained him to awake ,or remain awake, at any time of the day, as a standard part of his training. Waking himself up just to keep his beloved company was way more easy to do. His unkempt blue mane moved with the cold morning wind, creating such an alluring scene for her to gaze at that she had to fight down the urge of pouncing at him and claiming him right there and then. She really was wrong in the head, wasn't she?
"Well, you didn't have to accompany me you know. You could have stayed in bed for a couple more minutes before i had to wake you up". Candace said as she nuzzled in closer to her husband's neck, feeling the comforting heat of his body that welcomed her like a hot cup of delicious chocolate on a cold morning such as this one.
"And leave all here to you're lonesome? What kind of husband would do that to his beautiful wife?" "A dumb one". "Well, then you are one lucky mare for having such a dutiful and loyal, not to mention incredibly handsome, lover such as myself to keep you company", shining said as he puffed his chest outwards while speaking in an exaggerated tone. "Oooh my hero...but it seems i have forgotten such a fact", candace said while batting her eyelashes at him while giving him that look. "I sure hope this strapping...virile...and strong stallion can remind me of how lucky i am over...and over...and over again" she finished saying while ending her sentence with the tone that she knew drove shining mad.
And he didn't disappoint. The moment she finished her sentence, armour went wide eyed and redder than a jalapeño. She loved her husband, truly, but sometimes he made it too easy. He might like to tease her with this little bouts, but when all is said and done, he didn't stood a chance against the princess of love and the queen of teasing.
And now she will have her reward.
Recognizing the look she was giving him, a now mude shining armour understood what was about to happen and, quicker than a bolt launched from a crossbow, he ran straight to the bed in great anticipation for their...games, so to say. Grinning and chuckling maliciously to herself, candace began to walk sensually into her room to claim her prize, only to be stopped by the sound of thunder accompanied by a harsh gush of cold wind that pushed her hair all the way to the front of her face, effortlessly slapping her muzzle with it.
A sensation akin to an electric shock crawled its way from the back of her spine, all the way to the back of her neck,making her shiver in an unpleasant way. She stopped in her tracks as she turned one last time to the outside of her balcony, gazing with narrowed eyes into the sky, trying and failing to find the flash of lightning that came along with the thunder. All she saw was the normal morning sky, just as before. She narrowed her eyes further, as if expecting it to come alive at any moment, dread filling her heat to the brim. The wind smelled odd...like the breeze you'd expect to feel near the ocean, all with its distinctive salty smell.
Something...was about to happen.. Something big. The sky looked just as normal as it has been for the last year, and yet she couldn't shake away the feeling that it seemed...wrong, for some reason. As if the morning sky was an omen for the upcoming storm that would shake the earth and drown the land.
The calm before the storm, as the saying goes.
The voice of her impatient husband shook off the unpleasant feeling, making her realize that only her heard the thunder. Realizing she had been standing still while staring at the sky for more than a minute, candace shook her head to shake away the bad thoughts filling her head and, regaining her smile once more, approached her bed with the now clear intention of waking the entire castle with her moans of pleasure and his grunts of ecstasy.
Not that it would be very hard to do.
The mere touch of his skin on hers drove her mad, with the little nothings he whispered in her ears making her fall in love with him all over again. She was truly addicted to her husband, and she thought of that with pride. She really was lost without him. Her rock, her lover, her dear and precious shining armour.
Hers and hers alone.
But even the overwhelming pleasure of his constant penetrations, and the ever so rough love bites and kisses, all with different positions and stances (she was nothing if not flexible) , couldn't shake away candace's gaze at the window from time to time, or more specifically, at the sky, hoping that the ominous feeling overcoming her head was nothing but the anticipation of the upcoming ambush taking over her mindset. She knew better though... And she could only hope.
the minotaur was closing in on us both with a speed i thought impossible for a being that big and bulky. It didn't help that the extra weight on my already bleeding shoulders, courtesy of my unconscious brother percy, slowed me down as i ran through the woods, all the way from our spot in the beach, to somewhere down in the valley. This "half-blood hill" better be the safe haven that was promised to us. Otherwise that goat boy is going to get it real good. Following the instructions of that weird goat boy that wouldn't stop following us from all the way back "home" in manhattan didn't seem like a good idea at the time, considering all the encounters with the supernatural since our mothers death have been less than pleasant, but having a enormous bull monster trying to rip you to shreds with its bear hands, would convince anyone very quickly.
And the day had started with such promise...
Thanks to all of the extra hours i had done, plus all the tips i had saved from the last four months, i was finally able to buy an entire week on our favorite spot at the beach in long island sound. Percy was doing surprisingly well in his studies an d i decided it was a good time as any to give ourselves a little vacation. A little break from the constant running, fighting and working ourselves to the bone, it was going to be a nice change of pace. A week of relaxation in which we could create good and meaningful memories; a contrast to the shity hand that has been dealt to us in our life.
Or at least, that was the idea. While we never really expected our little vacation to be problem free, we also never expected to be chased down and hunted by a mythological monster this far out from the city. While monster encounters like this one have been to us somewhat of a "normality" ever since our mother was mauled by a giant lion, we have learned how to avoid them as time went on, and this trip was the perfect move regarding that issue.
But i was wrong.
I should have seen this coming. I always try to foresee this kind of things, it's my job, my responsibility to look after percy . To care for him. To train him for the unjust life he has ahead of him and incredible moments like this dont really help- the roar of the minotaur snaps me back to reality. It sounded closer than it was before but i are not to look back. Focus Noah...focus on running. Don't think about the hulk reject closing on on you. Just think about the pine tree. That is your goal.
There! I can see it, just up the hill! We are so close now! We can do this, I can do this! There is no stopping us-why can't i feel the ground? Oh..it seems the minotaur was closer than i realized and has decided that the ground is too good for us, so he punched us into the air.
On the bright side, there is surprisingly little pain...oh, there it is.
I hit the ground HARD, percy falling not far from me, still unconscious. He has lost too much blood. If i don't do something i...will lose all the family i have left on this world. Come on Noah! Get up! Move your ass. You are so close now, the pine is just a few meters away, you can do this! Your life, percy's life depends on you! The minotaur is roaring at me again, as it prepares itself to charge once more.
As i stand to my feet, arms to the side and head downcast, preparing myself for my own charge, i can't help but think that if this wasn't such a big life or death situation, this scenario right here? It would make for a very kickass comic book. Or a very good book chapter. Shaking those thoughts away, i stare into the eyes of the beast as it stares back. I clench my butt tight, lower my back until both my hands touch the ground and prepare my body for all the strength it has left. Blood drips from my shoulder wounds, were the tip of the minotaurs horn remains incrusted almost all the way. It stings and burns a lot but i push through the pain.
As the monster charges with all that is has and as is do the same, screaming from the bottom of my lungs, i can't help but wonder if all of this craziness is all my fault.
That if i had not been picked up by sally jackson as i appeared on her doorstep that night, an infant just two years older than her newborn son, that she would still be alive and that percy would have grown in a somewhat happy life. Maybe... I am the reason for both our misery...maybe i should just die here and spare percy a lifetime of pain.
But it is too late for that kind of thoughts. What is done cannot be undone and the dead can't come back to life. All we can do is move forward. And hope that the future brings better joy than the past has brought.
But now is not the time for pessimistic delusions. Now is the time to fight a giant minotaur while protecting my brother, hoping that someone hears my screams of pain and its animalistic growls, and comes to help us. I am not letting my hopes up though. Besides, not to blow my own horn here...but i think i can take it.
What this monster has in strength, it lacks in brains, and while i am pretty strong myself, i am not willing to test my limits with this bull monster. If i play my cards just right, i can actually kill this thing, or at the very least harm it ins such a way that it buys us some much needed time. I have killed most monsters i have encountered so far, so i have the experience to back up my claims. Let's just hope my plan actually works. Well...here goes nothing...
It was the rocking of the caravan that woke noah up from his power nap in the small cage that he has called home for the last seven weeks. It should have been impossible for someone to sleep while having both arms chained to a wall, dangling the rest of their lower torso off the ground ,but alas, noah has slept through more uncomfortable positions that this one before. It helped that he had some clothes on this time. A very good upside considering the first few days of his imprisonment were spent with his naked butt dangling from the air.
He has been in many strange situations before in his rather unorthodox life, but even he had to admit that being chained to a wall, in a human trafficking caravan lead by a bunch of talking cartoon-ish ponies was a new one. He didn't realize this at first though. It took him a while to wake up from his first blackout, which was...rather humiliating on his part. He has fought monsters, titans, gods, other demigods and more often than not he came out victorious. Then a bunch of painfully colorful unicorns take him by surprise and pretty much knock him out cold without too much of an effort. It was a terribly big hole to his pride. To make matters worse his sword, his precious "star of thetis", was left behind in the forest were they beated him. While he knew he could recall the sword to his pocket, just like riptide, his lack of arm mobility and, well, pants, made it impossible to recall his desired weapon.
He was very close to giving in to his wrath the moment he regained his senses the first time, just about ready to rip open the bindings in his arms and to destroy his kidnapres with his bear hands. However, he stopped himself right as he was straining his arms to rip the chains open, and took a big shaky breath. It would do him no good to act on his wrath in what was, probably, a whole different and unknown world Ever since percy, he has trained himself to better control his anger, as it tended to blind him from logic and common sense even when the situation demands more brain than brawn. While he is no child of athena, he takes great pride in his own analytical skills and tactical thinking in dire situations. It's the maine reason he has kept himself and his adoptive brother alive before the years in camp half blood. Surviving and killing monsters was part skill, part intelligence after all.
And so, calming his mind and calling upon the blessing of athena he began to asses his situation. It was fair to assume that right now he was located in an entire different world to his own. The evidence of this laid on the fact that this was, most probably, the other side of chaos. While he lacked any real evidence to support that claim, noah assumed that to be the case the moment he encouintered the transformed humans and the multi-colored ponies. Both of these beings were completely different from the ones he was accustomed in his own world, even when taking into account different pantheons of gods and other supernatural beings. He could be wrong but his gut told him otherwise. Even if he could not prove this theory right away, he could just wait and see what his kidnapres would do to him and where they were taking him. They wanted him alive, that was for certain.
If they wanted him dead they would have done so already the moment they knocked him out all the way back in the forest, so that meant they needed him for something of importance. What that was however, was still unknown to him, adding another reason for him to just remain in place until he has more information.
Patience was key in this conundrum, and to survive he would need to adapt.
As time passed, the entrance of his cell would be opened , greeting him with the sight of the female bat pony that he saved from the savage mortal. She wouldn't speak at all (not that he expected her to) and refrained from looking him into his eyes. All she did was readjust the chains, feeding him water and bread with a long distance spoon, cleaning him up with a sponge, which sometimes took more time than needed, and leaving as soon as she could. He noticed how, sometimes, she would whisper to herself little things that were too silent for him to pick up, even with his enhanced senses. The things that he did pick up, where among the lines of: "stay on the chest girl. Go lower and you might just drool" and "just how ripped are you?" and also "why did you save me?", "just what in tartarus are you?" and finally "...thank you".
Usually in that order.
As if she was having a hard time deciding on whether she should be afraid of him, grateful him or just ignoring him, for her own safety. It was as if his very existence brought confusion and disbelief to her very being. It had lead him to the conclusion that humans in this world were either not sentient or just plain psychopathic. He was leading towards answer c: all of the above. This made things clearer for him, as it explains the way this bat pony reacts whenever she is near him. It would be the equivalent of him meeting a sentient, talking horse...oh wait.
Still, it was a little funny to watch.
It was her who eventually dressed him up in makeshift rags which covered his chest and legs. They had no pockets and were barely comfortable, but it was a nice change from the usual nakedness. Also he had the suspicion she only did it because his body...distracted her. He honestly didn't know how to react to that.
A bat pony found him attractive...yep! Still nothing.
Time passed, or he assumed it did. It was hard to tell if time in this new world would function the same as it did in his own. They would stop from time to time, but only for a few hours, nothing really substantial. He couldn't see where exactly they stopped due to the lack of windows in his little prison but each time they resumed their voyage, he noticed how the caravan felt lighter and lighter with each stop they made. It would stand to reason that in each stop they loaded off cargo, which was in this case human beings. For what purpose though, he could only guess but as the hours turned to days and the days into weeks he came to the revelation that the only human left on the caravan was him. "Saving the best for last" if the voices he sometimes heard outside in the latest stop were to be taken seriously. Regardless, he began to grow anxious in the little space he had in the caravan. A demigod could only be patient for so long and his ADHD prevented him from getting too calm and collected, all while being chained with limited movement besides the little exercices he could do in his position.
If they didnt do...something with him soon, then his patience would run out. What would follow after that won't be pretty for anyone involved.
At first he was forced to take power naps in order to pass the time and to save energy. Not the most productive way to spend the hours in his little cell but thanks to it he has made an incredible discovery: ever since waking up in the desert, his voice had been robbed from him. Inhabilitating him from producing any kind of sounds that might display his intelligence. In return, he was capable of sensing some sort of disturbance in his throat. Like a pressure constantly presente whenever he breathes, a constant reminder of his condition.
Regardless, ever since being defeated by those ponies he has sensed some sort of relief around his throat. As if the spell around it has weakened. He hasn't been able to confirm this but he suspects that with time and patience, the magic preventing him from speaking will vanish. Maybe if he can prove his intelligence to his capturers, at the very least towards the bat pony, he could appeal to their good nature. But he highly doubted they had anything that even resembled good intentions, considering his current predicament as a prisoner. But this still was unknown territory and it would be foolish to act without fully knowing the consequences. He had done enough reckless things in the past, so if he could avoid unnecessary confrontations, he would. Especially if it could lead to come clue along the way to get back home. If such a way existed. So his best plan would be to just wait until the foreign magic disappears from his body and work his way up from there. It wasn't the best plan but it would be a good star if his communication skills returned. The cart suddenly stops, mildly startling noah as they haven't stopped in quite a while. Had they reached their destination? Was there a problem down the road? Was there danger nearby? The lack of any windows in his cell frustrates him to no end, especially now.
dammit! I hate not not knowing what the hades is happening! This is such bullshit! It would be better if i wasn't chained to the freakin wall but i swear this bindings must be infused with powerful magic. No matter how hard i pull they won't budge!
His frustrated thoughs were yet again interrupted as he hears muffled voices outside his cart again. Some he recognizes, some he doesn't as always. He can't pick up anything concrete but they sound...excited? The kind of tone he would hear in new campres when seeing the campgrounds for the first time back home. Or the tone lady Artemis would get whenever she captured men that were doing less than grateful things to virgin girls.
It gave him a bad feeling up his spine.
Whatever was going to happen couldn't be good for him. He has jerked around as the cart began to slowly spin on its own axis, as if they were a merry go round, but only for a few seconds as he soon found out that rather than moving forward or backwards, the cart was actually moving down. As if he were on some makeshift elevator. Surprises never stop coming apparently. Eventually, the moving stopped, leaving noah without any clue of where he was or what was going to happen. No different from how he was just a couple of minutes if he was being honest with himself.
Without any warning, the door to his cell slammed open, greeting noah with the first real sight ever since his capture. He was greeted by a crystal cavern/tunnel,, not unlike the quartz caverns he had seen back home in magazines and in television; however, the crystals within this cavern were giving off an unusual blue hue as if they were imbued with...something, he wasn't quite sure what. Not seeing any real point in remaining in the little cell he was in when a new path just opened to him, noah stepped inside the tunnel, always on high alert and prepared for any nasty surprises that may wait for him in the darkness. He couldn't sense any danger yet but it never hurt to be cautious. As he walked forward, slowly but surely, he began to notice some sort of light towards the end of the tunnel.
heh.they always say to never go towards the light but i may just make an exception only this once -noah couldn't help himself as a tiny grin formed on his face. The situation was already very ridiculous on its own without metaphorical concepts taking form on the "real world".
Irony aside, the light wasn't very bright or substantial but it was clearly artificial. A great contrast to the light produced by the crystals around him. He could only deduce that the light was the product of intelligent life, meaning that whatever was expecting him at the end of the tunnel would be what the ponies that captured him were saving him for. Clenching his fist in anticipation and preparing for the worst, noah made a little jog towards the exit, noticing that the sound of cheering and joyful screaming was becoming louder and louder by the second. What he found on the other side stopped him to a halt.
It was some sort of underground colosseum made entirely out of crystal and black marble, with ascending levels of podiums that reached a massive crystal ceiling that somehow simulated sunlight, illuminating the massive arena where dried blood and strange body parts could be seen scattered around in the ground. It was impressive how it resembled the roman colosseum, only to a smaller degree and how, unlike in a normal colosseum in which the seats would be filled with human spectators, this area was filled to the brim with cheering colorful ponies, going from unicorns, to pegasus to "normal" ponies. By focusing his sight he could see that, at the very top of the colosseum, there laid the bat pony he saved, accompanied by three other unicorns he did not recognize but could only assume were her companions and fellow kidnapper's. Two females and one male, though due to the distance he could not see the looks they were giving him. He could only assume.
Now, as said before noah is no stranger to the supernatural or the divine. He has seen enough weird and fantastic shit to last up a lifetime. However...this right here...was the weirdest most fucked up shit he has ever seen. Period.
I...have no words. If i wasn't lost before then i am definitely now. Never in my life i would have thought that, even for a moment, i would end up as gladiator entertainment for a bunch of ponies. How low have you fallen noah castellanos...how far... He almost felt the need to cry if it weren't for the simple fact that he had no more tears left to shed, but he did felt the need to curl up in a ball and just die. It was just a fleeting thought though. He had to remain sharp for whatever was about to happen wouldn't be good for his health...or for the unfortunate soul that ended to be his opponent.
Suddenly, right above his head, a white and black pegasus began to circle around the arena, all the while addressing the crowd in an exaggerated, presenting maner.
"Ladies and gentle-stallions!! welcome back to the manslaughter you have been waiting for! i know it was fun to see the previous match end in a splat, but let me assure you folks: You ain't seen nothing yet!!! now i know...you might be asking yourselves: Just how will this match ever surpass the magnifency and brutalness of the previous one? Well my dear spectators...you're about to find out! Now, let's get this party started!"
His hyping was met with even louder cheering and screaming from the audience , nearly deafening noah with their volume. before he could get his bearing, a bright light exploded right in front of him, forcing him to block it out with his hands to protect his eyes from the glimmer.
As the light subsided and the cheering somehow increased, noah was surprised to see, now in front of him, probably one the biggest manticore he has seen in recent times, easily 15 feet tall. Or at least he assumed it was one as the lack of wings made it a difficult to decide whether it was or not a manticore. Its yellow coat was covered in all kinds of scars and bruises and what once could have been a majestic red mane, was now unevenly shaved, with little smears of blood in the sides, accompanied by a glowing black collar that seemed to be inflicting some sort of pain to the beast, if the hot steam coming out of it was anything to go by. Its scorpion tail, black and gross, was leaking green liquid that corrosed the soil as it dripped from the its aculeus. Its scarred face was giving animalistic growling very distinctive and characteristic to a lion mix This thing wanted to kill him badly. It was just about ready to pounce at him to turn him into a bloody mess on the floor.
The feeling was mutual.
And so noah took a fighting stance and closed his eyes. as the darkness greeted him everything went silent. the cheering became nothing but static and the announcer all but disappeared to him. The colosseum was gone, the cave was gone and specially the crowd was gone. All what was left was him and the tortured manticore. standing alone in a complete empty space, just the two of them, the hunter and the prey, the demigod and the oversized kitty, the true weapon and the mindless beast. The hurricane and the tiny, little, defenseless,boat.
Ever since the death of sally jackson, noah had developed an almost irracional hate and distaste towards lions, anything that belonged to the feline family, and even independent beings resembling felines were subjects to his wrath. It was irrational, but that is how the mind works after being exposed to a traumatic and horrifying experience so young. This beast was no exception. the moment it appeared on the arena, noah allowed any other thoughts that weren't related to disarming this monster, at the back of his mind, only permitting his warrior instincts and hunter sense to take over his mindset to allow better performance on the upcoming slaughter. He almost felt giddy in anticipation, but did not allow himself to make the first move. the first rule about dealing with monsters, never make the first move. allow the beast to attack first. Get a glimpse at its attack pattern, understand the way it lashes out, watch the movement of its muscles to anticipate the direction of the attacks. Once you understand how your prey hunts, hunting it would be child's play. Each mythical creature noah has fought had fought differently from each other, all depending on anatomy, sentience, and overall strength. No two different beasts fought exactly the same.
There was no warning (at least for the crowd) as the punished animal leaped for action in hopes of ending this match so it could get its reward.
Fortunately for noah, this wasn't his first fight with a manticore. First, it would pounce at him, claws first, in an apparent attempt at opening his guts. this was a ruse attack. The real move would be made from its coiled tail, ready to stab him in the neck with its poisonous stinger. Other tactics would be meaningless for it, due to the lack of aerial mobility. It wouldn't get a second move ,however, for the moment the tail uncoiled itself like a metal spring, shooting out at blinding speed to meet its mark, it was stopped dead in its tracks by the hand of a very focused, very angry demigod.
Heh...cute.
If he cared to let the crowd in, noah would have heard the entirety of the spectators grow mude or loudly gasp at the spectacular, and very much impossible, sight. Everything was silent for a moment.
The stinger, just centimeters away from his face, struggled to move out of the death grip, with the lion hybrid in too much of a shock to do anything about it. Deciding not to prolong this squabble more than it need to be,and to avoid wasting time, noah simply decides to end this barely started match with an incredible feat of strength. Using both of his hands, the wrath of achilles takes hold of the tail and begins to PULL with little to no strain. The manticore is immediately yanked off the ground and begins to experience what it would be like to be inside a tornado, as it is spinned and spinned without remorse, losing any resemblance of direction and balance. then, after what feels like an eternity, the monster is launched at the nearest arena wall creating a small explosion of smoke and rock as the wall is cracked by the seer impact of the blast. The beast sees nothing for what feels like hours before it regains consciousness. It seems the impact knocked it out cold for a few seconds. The manticore struggles to get up as the overwhelming pain of the impact messed with its senses, making it difficult to spot its prey. when it finally gains the strength to get up it notices it is still somewhat out of balance. Odd...its tail usually prevented this sort of feeling from overcoming its...oh.
It seemed its tail was gone.
More accurately, it was ripped off its butt and was nowhere to be seen. Seemingly unable to hold back the pain, the creature rored in agony, shaking the walls of the cavern and forcing the very much shocked spectators to cover their ears, in pain and fear. And they were sure it would have continued to scream were it not or the sudden impalement of a dimemberd scorpion tail on its very wide opened mouth. Blood began to spurt out of the beasts mouth like a fountain, as its roars were muffled by blood and poison flooding its mouth all the way to the throat, making these disgusting gurgling and bubbling sounds that were as loud as the previous roar that filled the colosseum. As the creature entered into shock and felt its consciousness slip away, this time for good, saw for the very first and last time, the eyes of its killer. They were unlike any pair of eyes it had seen on its previous preys. They held a glow that penetrated into its very being. Those pale green eyes were like the ocean water during a storm, unforgiving and powerful. Those eyes held power and strength it never thought possible for human prey. This was not a human. This...was a god. Then the beast stopped breathing and felt the peaceful embrace of death.
Unfortunately, its body wasn't granted the same peace, as noah yanked the tail out of its now deformed mouth and began to stab the rest of the corpse with such force that the ground beneath his feet was beginning to slightly shake. Blood and guts spew from every wound, posing deforming and melting both bone and muscle creating this now unrecognizable blob of meat and bone that once was a mighty manticore.
Panting slightly, but nowhere near exhausted, noah gave one final stab before finally standing upright to gaze and admire his work. Seven times. He stabbed the best seven times, as it symbolizes the start of his misery back on his world. For it was at the age of seven that noah had to witness the death of his beloved adoptive mother at the hands of a nemean lion. He felt it was a little poetic he delivered the same amount of punishment into the now former manticore. poetic? a little. petty and unnecessary? maybe.
With the fog of anger disappearing from his mind, the world began to return to noah, making him realize the scene he was in. There he stood, covered in blood from head to toe, standing at the edge of an arena, with what once used to be a massive manticore monster, with the now terrified spectators too scared to even breath, watching the human they thought wouldn't last a second in the ring, massacre the ever living shit of their monster champion in less than 18 seconds. then noah did something that truly sacred them shitless: He smiled. At them.
The human was "smiling" at them. That was,for them anyway,physically impossible.
It was such a unique, charming and innocent smile too. as if the human didn't just destroy another living, much bigger creature with its bear hands but rather, just spent its day at the park chasing butterflies and smacking on trees.
It was such a strange, unique and bizzare sight that the ponies just stare in a mix of profound terror and pure fascination. As if seeing an upcoming hurricane. Inevitable but beautiful in a destructive way. The ponies really didn't know what to do now.
And noah was sure they would have kept staring at him, as if he was the very first human they had ever seen, if the ceiling didn't suddenly explode with energy, shocking the colosseum down to the arena, revealing the sight of a very bright, very prissed alicorn princess of love.
months before the pit fight at the crystal empire.
“Walking” through the shapeless realm of the dreamscape always brought a sense of peace within Luna. Feeling the loud colors brush her mane wild, and to feel the singing path beneath her hooves was true bliss for a pony in a big need of relaxation such as her. it was a much grateful break from the monotony of running a kingdom, with all of that detestable paperwork and other bureaucratic duties, but mainly the paperwork.
Seriously, luna often joked to her sister, in her much younger and naive years, that singing papers all day couldn't be that bad. There was no way that could even be considered a nuisance. If anything that should be the easiest part of ruling a whole country, right?
Now, as the co ruler of equestria, she was seriously considering banishing herself back to the moon. The crippling isolation and silence from that grey rock was looking more and more appealing than that accursed paper torture. At this point, actual torture is starting to look like a more attractive way of passing her time.
Sure, she was being a tad bit dramatic, but come on! You’d have to see those mountains of paper to understand her pain. On a good day, they were taller than her actual tower-chambers. On a bad day, well...the least the thought about that the better, least she starts to consider death as another escape route for such torment.
Not that what she was about to do was any better. Which is why she tries to, at least, enjoy her journey towards the deepest parts of the dreamscape.
Speaking of it, the dream realm was as busy as ever, never staying in a single form, always shifting and changing. Nothing new for the princess of the night.
Of course if you were said princess ,there was nothing bizarre or unpredictable in such place.
Then again, one wouldn't be able to see or sense the complicated patterns and connections that made up such a realm unless one were a multidimensional being capable of undertaking an ethereal transformation, such as the one luna was currently undergoing while inside said dimension.
It was frustrating thing, trying to explain to other ponies how such a thing was possible, even to the smartest and wisest of ponies. The best luna could to, in terms of explanations, was saying that this was the place everypony went after dark. The place where dreams and nightmares met and she, as the princess and ruler of the night, was the one in charge of maintaining harmony and order there. As such, she had special privileges in controlling such a domain, allowing her to do the things many others found incredible and downright impossible.
That was the simplified, mediocre, answer she gave to her subjects. The truth was way more complex and rather overwhelming, even to her. To make a very, VERY, long story short, the “real” world and the dreamscape where intertwined. Inverted and twisted reflections of one another.The actions and events occurring in one could affect the other. Granted, the rates at which the effects take place between the two vary a lot. Time was irrelevant in the dreamscape after all. One cannot survive without the other. One representing reality, the other representing all that is not reality. All the things that transcend it reside there.
More than dreams, the dreamscape housed all manner of concepts, such as ideas, emotions, memories, stories and a bunch of other metaphysical crap she hadn't even begun to explore. Those with more free time in their hooves than her have argued and theorized that, within the realm of dreams,magic itself originated, alongside the concept of the soul, and even the gods themselves, took shape within the non existent walls of the dreamscape. So far however, the evidence to support such a claim has yet to appear before her.
Moreover, it was thanks to her alicorn nature that allowed her to enter the realm, while also adapting to its ethereal nature. Physical bodies could not survive for long here without risking iminent deterioration and eventual fusion with the realm. She could imbue others with a protective barrier, protecting their corporeal bodies but it was impractical considering everyone could enter at any time in their sleep. It is a forever opened realm for everypony in equestria and beyond. But it wasn't without it's dangers, hence her responsibility and duty of maintaining some semblance of order in the dreamscape. She dreaded to think of all the dangers and evils that lurked in the corners of the dream realm, nightmares being nothing but a minor inconvenience in comparison to what lurked in the shadows. Preventing such dangers from leaking into the waking world was just one of her labors.
One single drop of such evils escaped the dreamscape long ago into the waking world and it was one of her biggest shames and regrets.
“Speaking of evil things that bring me shame, it’s about time i paid her a visit”, luna bitterly said to herself, her voice echoing through the shifting mass of colors and shapes.
The deeper one went into the dreamscape, the farther one went from dreams and ideas, and entered into the domain of nightmares, obscure thoughts, and sealed up things, chained up by luna herself to prevent them from making havoc in the sleeping minds of her subjects or to escape into the waking world via her ponies.
Many of the trapped creatures here didn't have a distinctive shape to categorize them. They were simply shapeless accumulations of negative energy that only took shape once they entered into the nightmares and dreams of the sleeping citizens of equestria.
But this isn't where she wants to be. No… she must dwell even further.
Going beyond the captive creatures, into a space within the dreamscape devoid of even the resemblance of light, there she stood, chained with invisible binds, Nightmare Moon herself. Of course, she wasn't on her alicorn form but it was easy to identify her thanks to her bright, serpentine eyes, glaring daggers towards her warden.
“Well, well...if it isn't the gracious princess luna! It must be a good day for the queen of the night to grace me with her presence! Lucky me!”, the venom and sarcasm in her voice was obvious to luna, as it shook her to the core.
“Moon… still as energetic with your response i see. You should work on that sharp tongue of yours, now that you have all the time in the world”. That last part she said with a little smirk at the corner of her mouth. She couldn't help it and while she couldn't see the scowl she knew would have formed on nightmares moon face, the narrowing on her eyes was the reward she got.
“Well, you know me. It is a little hard for me to work on my tongue when the only one i can talk to is myself. But you would know all about loneliness and isolation, wouldn't you?”
“It is exactly why i know of that that i tell you. You are trapped for good in here. No spell can free and no pony can break those bindings but me. At the very least you should try to change your attitude. You are not going anywhere”.
“Is that a fact? Cause, if memory serves me right, there were those who thought that the peace brought by the sister princess would never fade. That their beloved rulers would never dare rase their hoof against them. You sure showed them though, huh?”
“It was your twisted, corrupted influence that changed me! If it weren't for you, my little ponies wouldn't look at me with so much suspicion or fright! Even know they keep their distance and distrust my words. The damage you did still lingers on!”
“Oh stop being such a drama queen! We both know that the whole ‘it-wasn't-me-it-was-the-big- bad-shadow-demon’ is a bunch of bull shit! You know exactly what i am, and of where i come from, so you should stop the whole innocent act while you can. You are as guilty as i am, if not more”.
Luna remained silent for a few seconds, a deep frown forming as she dwelled on those words.
Yes, she knew that moon wasn't wrong in her accusation. The dreamscape is a reflection of the waking world, but not as exact and identical as an actual mirror reflection. It was more like a “funny house” reflection. The things found on the realm where always twisted and complete distortions of elements and ideas found in the real world. Nightmare Moon was no different. It was thanks to her jealousy, her anger, that gave birth to moon in the dream realm. At first it was just a mindless idea. What if her ponies could always enjoy the bliss and beauty of her night? Surely such a gift would be loved and cherished by all her subject right? It would give her the recognition she so rightfully deserved.
And so, the idea began to grow and flourish under her constant nurturing, giving it a mind and soul that where all too identical to her own. But as the being became too infused by her hate and greed, it gained her power and might, making it very difficult to tell which was the one that controlled who. Was it luna the one who dominated the idea or was it the other way around?
Eventually, the idea gained such power and consciousness that it came to impose its will over the princess of the night, succeeding in switching place between them, such that it was luna in the end, who was trapped at the dreamscape, with the idea herself, nightmare moon ,as she got to call herself, at the other side of the wall, running wild with her body.
As you all know, the rest is history.
If only she were a little more strong willed at the time. If only she wasn't so jealous of her sister and learned to appreciate her duties and privileges more. If only...all that remained where the “what ifs”. One can't change the past, regardless of their desire to do so. All a pony could do was to learn from their mistakes and move on, onwards towards a better tomorrow
Yeah! Easier said than done.
“All i wanted was the best for them”.
“Huh?”. Luna snapped out of her self-hating to look towards her prisoner. The floating eyes seemed to go soft for a fraction of a second, revealing all of the pain and grief she knew she felt. For a split second, they both connected.
“All i ever wanted to do was give them something that they could enjoy and to call truly my own. A gift that could last forever without losing its charm or beauty. Something truly worthy of the ponies whom i loved so much…”
“I know that is what you wanted...because that is exactly what i wanted. I still do. Even now i wish my subjects could bask on the magnificent shows i put out every single night. Some ponies do enjoy them and i am grateful for that, i really am...but…”.
“It is never enough with just a few…it has to be all of them”.
“Right”.
Silence reigned in the dreamscape for a couple of minutes...or where they hours? It didn't matter. Time didn't matter here. It was all irrelevant.
“Still...You are awfully talkative today! You usually tend to just...glare angrily towards me. This is real improvement! You might not believe me, but i am glad we have this moments. that you are talking to me in such a cordial matter. This tiny windows are proof that the magic of friendship just might be within our reach after all!”
“Fuck you”.
And just like that the moment was gone and the hate was back. With a vengeance!
“...really? You're going to be like this? We were having a moment!”.
“The only moment i want is the one where i step on your tits while you yell ‘harder master! Harder!’. Mark my words, my day will come!”
“Well, joke’s on you! You don't have any tits!”.
“Joke’s on me!?! Joke’s on you, cause even when i don't have any tits, they are still bigger and better than yours!”
“You take that back you egocentric fart!”.
“Who are you calling fart, you worthless cunt!”
“Better to be a cunt than a formless shit!”.
“You sadistic whore!”
“Evil bitch!”.
“Fuck you!”
“Fuck YOU!”.
Then it happened.
It was hard to describe the sensation but to the two bickering beings in the dreamscape, it felt like a massive pulse resonated all through the realm. Like a powerful heartbeat or a massive wave that clashes against the shore of an island. It sent shivers and tremors all over lunas body, silencing her immediately. Apparently nightmare felt the sensation as well, for her insults halted and instead the two floating orbs winded in surprise and shock.
Not much after the pulse, another thing clashed against the two ponies, just not in the way they expected it.
It was as if her mind ignited into flames, bringing an incredible pain too great to describe. Her ears began to ring painfully and it was then that she became aware that she was screaming from the top of her lungs.
She was not alone in it, for nightmare was also screeching painfully to the dreamscape, alongside all the trapped creatures alongside her. Their screams, however, were not of pain but rather of excitement.
Like the welcoming salutations of an awaiting army towards their commander.
Images began flooding lunas mind, blinding her eyes and numbing her senses. Images with no apparent or coherent sense.
A meteor falling into a canyon.
A typhoon forming on the horizon.
Ponies of all races battling each other.
A peculiar and strangely familiar bat pony, nursing and caring for a chained human.
A special lavender alicorn adopting that said human.
Humans falling to the ground, dying.
Monsters running wild and fearful into the towns and cities.
And a human in armor, with the same lavender alicorn, fighting an unseen force which consumed all light into its corrupted belly.
Many more visions passed in front of her and, before she knew it, it was over.
Stumbling into the “floor” of the realm, it took luna everything to stand on her legs, her body weak and frail.
Nightmare moon looked even worse for wear, especially considering she was just a mass of energy.
No words where needed. They both knew what each other saw, and neither of them could make any sense about it, even if they tried. The images where already fleeing from their memory, like breath on a mirror.
No amount of magic could bring those visions back. They just knew it.
At that moment they both came to the unnerving realization that their shared space and supposedly private conversation was no longer private.
Even if it was impossible, even if everything within her told her otherwise, luna knew exactly what was wrong.
They were not alone right now.
“You k-know what moon, i… i think this is enough banter for today. I believe it is time i return to my the castle. It is time for Tia to raise the sun”. Luna couldn't keep her voice from shaking or from giving up a sense of fear. It took everything just to keep herself from eying her surroundings suspiciously.
“...yes, that is right. I grow bored of hearing your voice anyway. It takes away from the cold embrace of solitude”. Moon was far better than her in keeping her emotions in control, but even she was eyeing her surroundings in suspicion, her slit pupils becoming even more thinner and pronounced.
Luna nodded to her counterpart, turned around slowly and began her usual way out of the dreamscape, leaving her other half alone with a force she didn't understand. But now was not the time for doubting herself.
Eyes where upon her now and who knows for how long. She needed to act as natural as she could, as to not lose the element of surprise. Whatever was in here, couldn't know they knew about it. Nightmare was perfectly capable of defending herself of what may be lurking in the realm, even if part of her magic was sealed away.
That is just how powerful she was in her place of birth.
Talking to celestia was also a no-no. She needed to handle this quietly, with the least amount of intervention or attention possible. She was the princess of the moon for faust’s sake! She could handle this...whatever this was. And if not...well, the elements of harmony where not too far away from her reach. “Luna”
The calm voice of moon stopped her in her tracks, but she didn't turn around. She patiently waited for her shadow to continue.
“Do you remember that bat pony rookie you talked about on your last visit? What was her name?...Celeste Dawn?”
Luna blinked in surprise. That conversation was ages ago. She was surprised nightmare even remembered that. She guessed she really listened to her when she came to visit.
“You should probably send her on a mission far from canterlot. I suppose she has had enough of waiting and training in the castle. It is time to give her some action”
Luna’s eyes winded for a single margin. She knew what moon was doing. That bat pony of her vision looked almost identical to celeste dawn!
But...why? Why her? What did that vision even meant? what relation did it have with whatever was lurking near them as she spoke? Dawn was still a rookie. Granted she had potential and a strong attitude to prove herself but that just might be her hubris, that could very much cost her life in any mission she assigned her.
It was foolish to do such a thing. And yet…
“I'll see what i can do”. And with that, luna banished from sight, and the prison of nightmare moon became lonely once again.
With the the loud colors brushing against her bindings and the singing path beneath her to keep her company, Nightmare began to feel an emotion she had not felt in a very long time, and she doubted it would be the last time she felt it.
Noah watched them go as they approached the camp borders, the silver light of the moon guiding their path to the wilds with the warmth of a friends embrace. Not once did they turn back, their gazes ever forward, as they went further and further away from his sight until they were nothing but silver specks, blending in almost perfectly with the greenery of the forest. As they completely banished into the depths of nature he couldn't help but feel a heart wrenching pain in his chest. He had no mirror for reference but he was positive that he was making a face. His eyes spoke of yearning and shameful desire, his brows were knitted together in frustration and his mouth tightly pressed, but twitchy, as to avoid turning into a scowl.
A typhoon of emotions and Noah was caught right in the middle of it, being swallowed by them and brought right into the depths.
The reason for his torment? The hunt was leaving Camp Half Blood to resume their journey into the wilderness of the world. He wouldn't see them again for a long while but he didn't care about them. At this moment, he could care less about lady Artemis or her all-girls-no-boys-allowed-posse. No, he only cared only about one person, one huntress, one lieutenant, one two-thousand year old girl. It was all so incredibly bizarre when you thought about it, and it only got worse when he began to recall all that had happened since his arrival back at camp, after a year of absence: meeting a resurrected daughter of Zeus- which had been, as far as he understood, a giant tree for a very long time-, a pair of stray demigod siblings way out of their time, along a group of men hating huntresses (wich, at their helm resided the previously mentioned, and beautiful, lieutenant), partake into a very competitive and not so friendly game of capture the flag against said group, stop a petty fight between his reckless brother and previously mentioned zeus spawn, receive a prophecy right at the end of it that involved him partaking on a quest to rescue the biggest man hating goddess of all time, fight a powerful titan, save the world (again) and receive an ominous warning about how a child of the big three would fuck the world in the ass or some crap like that; if you had told him ALL of that before it happened, Noah would have straight up punched you in the face and then proceeded to walk away laughing his ass off.
Now...now there is nothing funny about his situation. Not only does he have to keep an extra eye on his brother Percy but now his heart was more conflicted than ever before. Never in a million years would he had ever expected for something as unreliable as love to strike his heart, even less so in the middle of a quest. And yet, at this very moment, he wants nothing more than to abandon everything, the world be damned, and follow that stubborn and old fashioned huntress to the ends of the earth. That was...a very scary thought. Never before had he felt something quite like this; something so strong and powerful nesting at the core of his heart. You could make an exception with Percy in mind, but the love he feels for him and the... whatever he feels for Zoes Nightshade are hardly the same.
One is the bond of family and the other is...he doesn't even know what it is!! He feels weak yet strong. He feels as if a storm raged in his mind, yet he couldn't be any more calm. He hated feeling this vulnerable, and yet he yearned for it minute by minute. He loathed this and yet...well, he wanted nothing more than to feel this for the rest of his life. For the first time in years he was completely lost and didn't have the slightest idea of what to do. And then she appeared. He didn't even need to focus to feel her aura. It was thick and imposing, but not completely unpleasant. Just the opposite in fact... it did nothing to ease his growing nerves.
"A drachma for your thoughts?" her voice rolled into his body like sweet, delicious, honey. It made his body shiver and tremble in anticipation. It didn't help that her voice sounded almost, if not exactly, like her voice. He hated hearing her. He loved it and couldn't get enough of it. God, being in love is so frustrating.
"Lady Aphrodite", he responded her as emotionless as he could, trying his mightiest from giving anything away, even though it was an utterly pointless effort. He didn't even turned around to greet her eyes, which he suspected would be a perfect pair of brown orbs. His stomach twisted into knots and his palms began to sweat. "It is highly unusual for you to show such an expression out in the open like this. You are usually far more composed. I wonder what could possibly be eating you right now...". The way she said that last part... Her words were practically dripping with mischief and delighted sarcasm. Of course she knew what was wrong with him. Leave it to the goddess of love to know when someone else was in love. Shocker. So instead of dignifying her with an answer he kept his eyes forward, even at the risk of insulting an olympian. He might have to respect them out of his desire to live, but he sure as hell didn't have to give them any sort of satisfaction, screw the consequences. If she was insulted by this she didn't show it.
"You know...for the longest of time i was positive that the only love you felt in your heart would be reserved solely for your dearest brother. Now don't get me wrong, it has been quite a long time since i have felt such a powerful bond. In all honesty it is quite refreshing to see that in this day and age. The last time i felts such a love was between Achilles and Patroclus, or Hector and Paris. Unlike those however, you seemed considerably distant towards anybody else, even when others consider you their friend, even when you do care about them; you would keep them at arm's length, never quite close enough to be meaningful. That is, until now!" "My lady, if you would be so kind to get to the point of your visit" "Oh come one Noah! You can't expect me not to get excited when you suddenly go from a second Hippolytus to the love starved child you are supposed to be! I thought you were lost for sure!" "Ok, first of i think calling me a "love starved child" is pushing it a little too far, second-" "Nu-uh! It isn't. You can't hear it because you are not a god of love like me, but your heart is practically screaming to me for help. As if it were in a cage, completely isolated from the rest of the world. Rotting and growing cold; the only thing keeping it beating was the love you have for Perseus Jackson".
Noah grew stiff. Not because of what she said, no one knew those fact better than himself, but rather how she said it. She began speaking with the same characteristic confidence he has heard in all the other olympians, but near the end her tone became soft. Almost hurt, as if she was the one suffering from aches in the heart. It was a most unusual thing to hear on a goddess that has almost never known heartbreak in her inmortal lifetime. Then again, what would he know about that...
"But now all is right in the world! You sir, at long last, have been smitten by the golden arrow of love, or maybe should i say the "silver arrow" of love! You have some very good taste if i do say so myself".
...And we are back to the teasing. Bad enough that he couldn't make heads or tails about all of this, the last thing he needed was an olympian messing around with him, making everything worse...
"And she has excellent intuition as well! Who would have thought a hunter of artemis would be so proficient when it comes to choosing her...interests. But now that i think about it, it is not that surprising. I mean, look at you! Reliable, caring, strong, very powerful, determined, not to mention a total eye candy! If only you smiled more often... I could make a total heartbreaker out of you. All in all, is no wonder she is so smitten with you!"
"Look lady Aphrodite, i am very honored that you have decided to grace me with your presence, truly, but if you would be so kind to just..." Wait.
Wait.
WAIT. ... ...
What?
"What?"
"Oh, oops! I think i was not supposed to tell you that". Her melodious, almost mocking, voice was really starting to get on his nerves. He felt the familiar, almost uncontrollable, anger bubble up to the surface. He clenched his fists until the knuckles turned white and his palms began to bleed. It hurt, but it was better than blowing up on an immortal goddess. They really knew how to get on his bad side very easily. It was like they weren't even trying. Either that or he had a very short fuse.
He turned to met her for the first time since the start of the conversation and then immediately regretted it. He knew that this particular goddess had the tendency of changing her appearance based on her specific targets desire. She would always be attractive because she would always be whatever you wanted her to be. Right now she was tall, graceful, and gorgeously beautiful. She had dark brown eyes, a slightly upturned nose, copper-colored skin, and even the same characteristic silver circlet braided into the top of her long, dark hair. If he didnt knew any better, Noah would assume that he was in the presence a Persian princess. Any words he had in his mouth evaporated into nothing, along with his anger. He felt his mouth openly gape at her and his eyes widen in admiration. Based on her satisfied smirk, he could tell she was very pleased with his reaction. Noah almost slapped himself to snap back to reality. Get it together, he yelled in his mind. She is not her! She will never be Zoe. It did little for his racing heart. "Oh fine! Since you are so persistent i will tell you". He hadn't uttered a word. "Alright, here is the deal. No secrets and no deceptions. I am going to be as clear as i can possible be for this to get through your thick head: She may try to avoid it, she may try to distract her thoughts with the sense of duty and loyalty she has developed over the decades, she may even remind herself of the severity of her oath, but rest assured that what you are feeling for her right now, she feels twice as strongly towards you!" ... ... All of the what... How...how could this be. He understood Aphrodites words but he couldn't assimilate them. They didn't make a lick of sense. Ever since meeting her, Noah became aware of a connection between him and Zoe. Somewhat akin to what one might call "kinship". It was inevitable of course, even if he didn't found out about it at first. Both their lives could hardly be considered normal, ordinary or easy, despite the differences between them. He couldn't help himself from relating and reaching to her when she was among the few that could really understand what it was like to truly live with violence. As their quest progressed and he learned more about her, it became clear to him that this connection was something much much stronger and powerful. Nevertheless, he never once considered the possibility that she might feel the same, mainly because he never once saw any indications that she was as troubled or conflicted with her own emotions as he was. If anything she seemed as confident as always.
"That cant...you are lying to me..." Noah grunted in frustration and with a barely contained and resurfacing anger. "By olympus you really are dense with this sort of thing. Not that i can blame you, that Zoe really is good at masking her true emotions. But do not fret my dear Castellanos, for i swear to you that all of what i am saying is nothing but the truth".
"As if i could trust the word of an olympian god" Noah all but spat as he glanced away from the brown orbs in front of him. He felt judged under them; as if they were mocking his uncharacteristic indecision. If he weren't already still as a statue he would have slapped himself hard in the face for being so defiant and downright insulting towards THE GODDESS in front of him. There were easier ways to kill oneself, and all of them would be more quick and painless compared to what one would experience when faced with the wrath of an olympian, if the myths are to be believed; and he believed them.
There was an uneasy and thick silence after that. How long it lasted he couldn't tell. Was it seconds? Minutes? Hours? It sure felt like hours. And then it ended with the words of the goddess of love.
"Noah, look at me" she ordered. Lost were the mirth, the teasing tone or the joyful charm. This was a different tone: the tone of an olympian god, a true divine being that has lived more than he could ever expect to live and has power beyond the physical realm. If she really wanted, she could drive him mad or turn him to dust with nothing but a flicker of her pinkie. He might be defiant, he might not like them, but the gods, regardless of their attitude and lack of empathy towards the world and its inhabitants, they deserve to be respected. If only because he values his own life. Slowly, Noah turned to meet her gaze. He was welcomed by two bright pink emeralds that shined with great intensity, as if he were glancing at two stars plucked right out of the night sky and placed on this feeble earth for him to admire. He almost forgot how to breathe, captivated by such beauty. But there was more to it beyond aesthetic perfection. There was power behind that stare, a power older than man and even gods. Maybe the right term for it would be "primal" or "primordial". The power considered the impulse, even the driving push of creation itself. Love. What a terrifying power...
"Listen to me very carefully Noah son of Thetis, because i am only going to say it once". She had his complete attention. "I swear on the river Styx that i am not lying to you regarding the romantic feelings that Zoe Nightshade, huntress and lieutenant of Artemis, has over you". Her voice boomed with the strength of thunder, equal to the actual booming, courtesy of the thunder that resonated under the night sky. Noah eyes might as well had been dinner plates from how wide they were as he heard such words. An oath on the river Styx is not something to be taken lightly. She was not lying. She couldn't lie. Which meant that Zoe does really... Noah felt his legs weaken and tremble. In fact, all of his body was trembling. Weather from excitement or anxiety he could not say. Regardless...
"This doesn't change anything. In fact, things may be even worse for the both of us. She has lived for over hundreds of years and in that time she has forsaken men and their world, not to mention all other forms of romantic bonds. What could i possibly offer to her that would make up for the only life she has ever known? And that is not all: even if she were to..."indulge" herself to the love you say she has in her heart, the consequences would be huge! Exile, discrimination, torture... I have no idea what kind of punishment lady Artemis would impose upon her if she found out about it. She has done worse things for less, so can i can only imagine what she would do to Zoe if she broke her oath... she is her most trusted huntress after all. Her crime would be fueled by the sting of betrayal. I would never forgive myself if my own desires brought her any form of repercussion".
"Even after such a brief encounter? You both barely know each other" the goddess said as if she didn't knew the answer to that already. He knew that she knew. She just wanted to hear it from his mouth, to confirm it If he said spoke it out loud...it would be real. And making it real would mean having to deal with it. And now, with a goddess as his witness, he had no other choice but but say it.
"I know it does not make any sense. I don't believe in the concept of love at first sight. There is no such thing. But i can't deny that what i feel in my heart is real. More real than anything in my fucked up life. More real than any prophecy the oracle could provide. I may not understand all of these emotions swirling around inside me... I might not know if all of this can end happily for the both of us...but i know that it is what i want. For the first time in a long time i want something for myself. Something i can belong to other than my brother. Someone i can be with that can make me happy. I guess...that sums up everything i am trying to say..."
"I want to be happy... I want to love and be loved".
And then the goddess of love beamed at him with such a smile for a moment Noah thought it was the sun. Such a happy and selfless smile; he didn't know a god could make such a face.
"Thank you Noah...that is exactly what i wanted to hear. A hard and dangerous path lies in front of you. It might not end well for you. In fact, there is a very high chance that all of this will end badly for all parties involved. Are you positive this is what you want? Are you up to the task? Are you willing to risk it all on this one chance?"
"I am".
"Then i will be your guide Noah Castellanos, your guardian goddess! I will not directly interfere but you can be damn sure i will guide you towards your hearts desires. It will be hard, impossible even, but don't you ever forget that in the end..."
LOVE CONQUERS ALL...
Despite the uncertainty of the future, at that precise moment, Noah Castellanos felt his insecurities dim away just like the fading light of the moon that gives way for the first rays of the morning sun. The makings of a brand new day. He couldn't deny that something wicked was brewing in the horizon; what he experienced in the last few days being nothing but mere echoes of the drums of war. There would be no rest for his brother, for he will be key into either bringing fortune or ruin to the world... or so the oracle says. Noah was never one for believing blindly in ridiculous "fixed fates" or such silly thing as "destiny". No...what Noah believed in, more than anything-more than his brother- was in his own strength. So hearing such words from the mouth of the goddess of love herself, despite his discomfort towards the divine and their realm, despite the upcoming battles that would test him in the future, Noah could feel one particular emotion swelling within him and twisting his face into a small smile:
Determination.
Thanks to a lifetime filled to the brim with constant fighting and struggles for survival, with rare instances of rest in between, Noah has developed a wide arrange of skills and abilities to aid him in evening the odds. Among those skills, one he is especially proud of is his advanced awareness to the "presence" that surrounds certain mystical beings. The best way to describe it would be to referring is as an "aura". Reflections of the inner essence within a being -the mind and soul of an individual- made bare in the physical world but concealed through barriers than most can't see through. Veils like the mist would keep them hidden, preventing them from overwhelming the minds of common mortals. To demigods however, detecting such presences is a fundamental ability when in combat; helpful when avoiding surprise attacks or detecting any hiding monsters.
Naturally, gods have the thickest and most powerful auras. So mighty in fact, that they have to limit their physical form, as their true nature, their true aura, can turn mortals and demigods alike into nothing but dust with a mere look. However even when limited, Noah was able to tell apart the energies surrounding them and other supernatural creatures. He can distinguish between them, even if he is not directly looking at them. For example, Zeus, being the skyfatther that he is, gives out an electric aura that always seems to charge the air around him. His aura makes the hairs on his arm and neck stand up, as if a current of static electricity went through his body. Hades aura on the other hand, always sends up a chill up his spine. As if someone where standing on his grave.
The point is, Noah trained this sense of his and became a natural at detecting auras. This made him an excellent tracker, helping him out in more than one hunt or two. Didn't matter if it were demigod, monster or god; with enough focus and a little of controlled breathing, Noah became quite a master of detection with this skill. He was so good in fact that it was very hard to deceive Noah into thinking you were someone different than what your very aura entailed. Of course, it was not a perfect technique as he could still be caught off guard when his focus weavered or when the situation simply didn't allow for him to gain said focus, just as it happned back in the forest with those...ponies. Still, it was an ability that guaranteed accuracy whenever he used it. Which is why he has a very hard time coming around the fact that the pink flying alicorn that just smashed the roof of this underground colosseum in a bright pink light, like it was nothing but paper mache, has the same exact aura as the goddess of love Aphrodite.
Nevermind how ridiculous that statement sounded when he thought about it. His life was ridiculousness incarnate.
His dwelling didn't last long however, as the debris and crystals that fell from the ceiling nearly crushed him under their weight. if it weren't for his body acting on its own, dodging the massive falling rock with practiced ease, he would have been trapped beneath said stone. As the pieces of falling rocks spread across the arena, a cloud of dust rose with their impact all the way up to the stands, blocking the sight of the arena for the shocked and very wide eyed spectators who long had lost their interest in him and now had their stares directed towards the royal newcomer. Shaking his head in frustration, Noah berreted himself for allowing that alicorns arua to overwhelm his senses. His situation was severe enough on its own and what he definitely didn't need was to lose his valuable focus on some unnerving similaritie. He simply couldn't waste his time into staring at a magical pink alicron and wonder on the likeness between her and a certain love goddess. It would cost him his life, and he would not go down to hades knowing it was a pink pony that sent him there, be it directly or indirectly.
Thank god for ADHD. Saving the lives of demigods when they are too busy being awed by whatever bullshit comes their way, Noah thought as he covered his mouth and nose from the great deal of dust, sand and dirt that rose from the ground, clouding his vision. The temporary silence that reigned after such an impact, was immediately broken apart as the all too familiar screams -both in panic and in righteous fury- filled the grand coliseum. Accompanying them were the indistinguishable sounds of doors breaking apart violently, hooves desperately running across the upper floor, wings flapping and whizzing across the air in a hurry and the clashing of blades. Another peculiar sound that he could distinguish vaguely, reminded him of the firing of lightning, and if he were to take a guess -and based on his own experience back on the wounds with his captors- he would say that magic was being used at the moment. Not a too far fetched idea as he clearly recalled seeing unicorns (the now established magic users of this strange land) alongside the other ponies and pegasi in the stands, watching his fight.
It was clear that whatever was happening right now was the result of a bigger, more complicated operation. What it was and what was its purpose are questions irrelevant and unimportant to Noah at the moment. Whatever operation these ponies had been running was now on the midsts of being ruined thanks to this newcomer and her forces. Not that Noah would be very sad to see it end, as he is not very happy with being used as a means of entertainment for anybody. He didn't enjoy it back then when his life was little more than a plaything for the olympians and he certainly didn't enjoy it now.
For a very brief second, Noah wondered if the bat pony that became his "caretaker" on the train was doing ok. Being caught in this crossfire was bound to end badly for her. Despite her apparent kindness (or at the very least, lack of apathy and cruelty towards him) she was still very much involved in this whole scandal and there was no scenario in his head in which she would get out of this unscathed. Of course, he could still be wrong and she may find the opportunity to escape amidst all this chaos but that didn't matter to him in the end. In fact, as quickly as that concerning though came into his mind it vanished, as Noah couldn't give himself the luxury of caring for potential enemies when his own survival and freedom where on the line. It was irrelevant, not to mention illogical to put himself at risk for some...pony that had a hand in his capture and detainment on that jail-train. The time he spent in chains there was humiliating and degrading. An experience he wished NOT to repeat.
What he had to do NOW, and what should be his absolute focus, was to answer one important question: What to do know?
If the pandemonium around him was any indication, it would seem that the attention the spectators had on him has been shifted towards their attackers. They in turn are responding to that attention, if his suspicions are right, by detaining them just as any other officers of the law would. All of this works in his favor as it means no one has any eyes on him at the moment. Add to that the fact that he is even more concealed thanks to the thick cloud of sand surrounding him and you got yourself a perfect escape route. If Noah played his cards right he could exit this madhouse the same way he came in, through the same tunnel he arrived into in the first place. He could be out of here right before the dust begins to seattle.
Simple but perfect for my current situation, just how i like it. It is time for my ultimate move: the strategic retreat...
Noah squinted his eyes, his head quickly scouting his surroundings in an effort to find the whole of the tunnel hidden underneath the thick cloud around him. It took him a few seconds but a shadow on a wall could hardly be missed as something else but an entrance. A quick look around just to make sure no one was watching and a quick dash forward was all it took for him to reach his precious exit. Everything was going according to his hasty and totally convenient plan; now all he had to do was step inside...
Only to sigh in frustration as the whole hole had been blocked by a thick slab of wood, separating him from his well earned freedom.
Tch...figures it wouldn't be that easy. Still, it really shouldn't surprise me. No one would come to this arena just to watch a naked man run around from his opponent, only to see him run away towards a literal gateway to freedom wide open behind him. I was kind of hoping though...
Still, nothing to worry about. The wood was thick but didn't look particularly well cared for. It looked old and a little rotten, a few well placed strikes should break it apart easily. if there was one thing Noah excelled at was breaking stuff up, just ask any of the Hephaestus kids... Noah took a deep breath, coiled his fist, and drove it towards the makeshift door with a speed and strength that would give a professional boxer a heart attack out of sheer jealousy...only for it stop stop dead a few centimeters away from the surface.
Wait a second, is this really what i should be doing right now? Say i do get out of this pit in one piece. I go outside into wherever i am easy enough...but then what?
This was something that had plagued Noah in his past. He followed his instincts and used his head to think things through, but in the heat of battle he never saw beyond what he needed at the moment. That kind of directive has its own merit but it was never useful in the long run. His mindset was fixed to only work things out in the very moment they happned, never bothering with trying to think in the long term of the situation; never quite trying to see "beyond the fog" of the present. This was why he and Percy had a hard childhood. Noah was so preoccupied with what they both needed that very instant but never bothered into thinking into what they might need and the consequences those needs might bring. He has been working on it though, as this exact moment is prove enough of his maturity and critical thinking.
Ok, first things first, i have to gather everything i know of this place. i have to accept the reality that whatever heppened to me by entering Chaos, brought me to a world of colorful ponies, pegasi and unicorns that use primitive humans as a means of entertainment. Based on what little i have seen, those very same humans are either incredibly primitive or otherwise savage and ferocious. It could be the signs of slavery if it turns out that a small part of humanity is like this, but if that turns out to be false then it means that humans here are not sentient in the same way most life on my world is. To them, i may seem little but a fighting dog to be used and then thrown away. At least... that may be the case with my captors and to these spectators. To this newcomers i might be the equivalent of a wounded and abused animal. I have to assume that the two forces at play here are the equivalent of organized crime the respective officers of the law. To them i am the equivalent of an "innocent bystander" or at the very least a case of animal cruelty. It all depends on the viewpoint these "officers"-that pink alicorn couldn't possibly be acting alone- have on my species. It helps that none of them have actually bothered to restrain me in any way, which means that not only i am not a priority at the moment. all of that can change though, if i make the slightest of mistakes. I am going in blind here, which means that now i have to ask myself: What is now the best possible course of action?
If anyone bothered to watch noah at that very moment they would have found the scene quite humorous. A naked young adult frozen in what appeared to be an attacking position towards a wooden slab with a deep and conflicted look upon his face with a thick fog of dirt slowly reverting back into the ground. Time seemed to come to a halt as Noah's mind began to brainstorm ideas and predictions. He was no Athena, but right now it was just a matter of logic and problem solving.
Time resumed as he began to pull his arm away from his only means to escape, going back to his side. The chaos around him was receding, meaning it was coming to a violent close very soon. If Noah was to make a decision on how to act, now would be the only time to do so.
Slowly the concerned and focused look on his face banished, his eyes closing for a couple of seconds. Noah took in a deep, slow breath from his nose and then proceeded to exhale just as slowly from his mouth. He couldn't see this, but the dirt cloud around him was already gone, reverting into the thin layer of dirt beneath his naked feet. He was now exposed to the eyes of everyone around him.
Pale green eyes, like twin rough emeralds, filled with determination opened after what seemed like an eternity. Noah knew the answer to his question.
