//------------------------------// // Learning a troubled past. // Story: Golden Shadows // by Sylif Daring Doo //------------------------------// _______*Ponyville, two days later, Umbrea's house, 10:00 AM*______ Firefly lay wide awake in the bed that Lyaroa had arranged for her, she had woken up an hour ago but had been unable to go back to sleep. She sighed to herself as she rolled to her side and looked at her necklace, the broken claw was in remarkable condition, she slowly sat up and clutched it. Firefly closed her eyes and concentrated, while she knew that the claw allowed her to relive her memories, she had discovered some time before they had to flee the old world, that it also had to the ability to link minds temporarily. She originally used this link to talk with Storm, mostly for advice and easing her mind, lately however she noticed that he was no longer answering her. Firefly sighed to herself and got off the bed and looked over her shoulder, Apache was in the bed next to her's, and on the other side of the room was Spark, who was asleep in a cot, at his own request, for whatever reason. Firefly yawned quietly and walked to the door, she opened it and carefully closed the door behind her as she left the room. She sighed in relief and walked to the stairs, she soon found them and headed down, she heard someone using the sink in the kitchen as she walked into the living room, she took a seat on the comfy brown couch, content to never move if she could get away with it. She looked over her shoulder and saw Lyaroa in the kitchen, staring at the sink as it ran the water, she raised an eyebrow at this and spoke. "Why are you just staring at the sink?" She asked curiously. Lyaroa visibly stiffened and looked at Firefly. "It's......complicated." She said as the sink shut itself off. Firefly watched as the Sentinel walked around the kitchen, grabbing cooking supplies and getting things ready for breakfast. "If you don't mind, can you wake the others up? I need to get breakfast started." She asked as she moved around the kitchen in an apparent daze. Firefly got off the couch and walked over to Lyaroa, while making sure she wasn't in the way of course. "What's wrong?" She asked out of concern. Lyaroa set the frying pan down and looked at Firefly. "Like I said, it's complicated, and it isn't something you need to worry about, go on, I'll get breakfast made up." The Sentinel said dismissively as she went back to work. Firefly reluctantly headed upstairs to wake the others up. 'I guess her mother showing up rattled her more than she thought.' She guessed mentally. ______*Later that day, Night Frenzy and Roxanne's house, 3:00 PM*______ Night Frenzy looked out the window and sighed to herself, even though she was free and completely her own entity, she still felt unhappy for some reason, she watched with a small smile as she watched some kids playing, she heart a footstep behind her. "Makes me miss my childhood." She remarked. "Not me, I'm happy to be back to normal." Roxanne said as she sat down on the nearby chair. "What's eating at you Nightmare........sorry, Night Frenzy?" She asked with concern. Frenzy chuckled and looked at the fox. "Don't apologize to me about my old name love, as for what's wrong......it's nothing you can help with." She dismissed as she looked outside. Roxanne walked over and placed a calming hand on Frenzy's shoulder. "I may have created you as a barrier, but you ARE my sister now, come on, tell me what's wrong." She said firmly. Frenzy smiled and looked at Roxanne. "Ok ok, I'm just down alright, I'm not feeling like myself anymore and I need time to adjust, it's as simple as that alright?" She replied calmly. Roxanne crossed her arms as she stared at Night Frenzy. "Your depressed." She stated seriously. Frenzy then lost her smile and closed the blinds, she walked away from the window and then looked at Roxanne. "Alright, I am depressed, I lost my friend Roxie, the girl I loved is gone, and Lyaroa......she hasn't even considered bringing her back!" She snapped. Roxanne closed her eyes and sighed. "I.....I don't know what's going on with Lyaroa, she's not left the house and won't even talk to me, I think Gelesh did more damage to her than we thought, we don't even know what Lyaroa's past was like, so how could we know?" She said to herself, rambling just a little. Frenzy sat down on the couch and looked at Roxanne. "We should ask her, she knows everything about us, but we don't know anything about her." She suggested. "That was the original idea." A voice suddenly said. Roxanne and Night Frenzy jumped out of surprise. "Lyaroa, don't do that." Roxanne snapped. Lyaroa looked terrible, her eyes were bloodshot, she was shaking and was covered in dirt. "Sorry, didn't want to go out in public." She apologized. As Lyaroa and Roxanne took seats, Night Frenzy spoke. "Why hide your past? it isn't fair to us at all when you can literally know everything about us just by looking at us." She asked. Lyaroa took a shaky breath. "I.....I didn't want you to get caught up in it, my past isn't a good one and I would prefer to keep it a secret." She replied. Roxanne reached and placed a hand on Lyaroa's knee, she gave her a calming smile. "You can't bottle this up, we won't judge you for your past Lyaroa, we just want to understand." She said quietly. Night Frenzy cleared her throat. "Also, if we are going to be attacked because of it, we would like to know why." She added. Lyaroa sat still for what felt like an hour to her, but she eventually nodded. "Ok, I'll tell you." She took a deep breath and began. ______*Forge of the Void, back when Lyaroa was very young.*______ A small white wolf ran through the streets of the city, her fluffy tail wrapped around her waist as she ran quickly, she wasn't running away, she was simply running because it was fun. Adult Sentinel's moved out of the way as the small girl ran and laughed happily as she jumped at a building and then leaped off of it. This wolf was Lyaroa, and she had discovered how to permanently change her form, if only for one obstacle. As Lyaroa turned the corner past a bakery, she came face to face with the one person she was not hoping to see. "M....mom!?" She said out of surprise. The older Sentinel woman glared at her daughter in disappointment. "Lyaroa Pioax Juzor, how many times must I tell you to not hide who you are?" Gelesh asked in an annoyed tone. Lyaroa clutched her right arm and looked down. "Only one......but mom!" She pointed at her fur. "I like this body! it feels right!" She argued futilely. Galesh grabbed Lyaroa and began heading home. "Your father spoiled you Lyaroa, that ends now." She stated firmly. "Dad doesn't spoil me mom! he says i shouldn't be ashamed of who I am." Lyaroa said in defense of her father. Galesh sighed. "I have said the same thing Lyaroa, but you hide your true self as though it were a dark secret." She pointed out, Lyaroa crossed her arms. "I just don't like my Sentinel body, it creeps me out." She said. Galesh waited on the sidewalk of the streets for the road to clear. "Do I creep you out Lyaroa?" She asked. Lyaroa's eyes went wide and she frantically shook her head. "No no no no no! MY Sentinel body creeps me out, it doesn't feel like it's me is all!" She adamantly stated. Galesh looked at her daughter and set her down next to her. "You must get used to it Lyaroa, it is your true self, and it will be like that forever." She said calmly. Lyaroa rubbed her arm as she walked home with her mother. "Have.....have you ever changed your body, just to try something new?" She asked curiously. Galesh nodded. "I have, there was a time when I was I took the form of a falcon, it was an enlightening experience." She replied. Lyaroa looked at her mother with a curious look. "What was it like?" She asked. "It was liberating, for those short few days, I was able to relax, however, as I did so I began to lose sight of who I really was, so I returned home and have not changed my form since." Galesh replied. Lyaroa looked at her claw and rubbed it slowly. "It can't be all bad, if it let you relax for a time, there has to be an upside." She said as she smiled. Galesh sighed. "Lyaroa, your obsession with shapeshifting is unhealthy, you have been in that form for a week now and won't stop admiring your own fur." She pointed out. "I just feel better like this, i don't feel constipated like when I was a bear, and I'm not accidentally stinging anyone like when I was a scorpion." Lyaroa replied, she then flinched at that memory. Galesh looked at her daughter as they walked. "So that WAS you who sent old man Harvey to the hospital." She said. Lyaroa rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "I.....I did tell him I went for realism." She argued pathetically. ____*the present*_____ Roxanne and Night Frenzy blinked at Lyaroa. "Your mother actually had a moment where she wasn't heartless?" Frenzy asked. Lyaroa bit her lip. "She isn't my mother anymore, and yes she did, she was actually a good mother for a while.....and then the fighting started." She said ominously as she continued her story. _____*Forge of the Void, The past*______ Lyaroa sighed sadly to herself as she heard her parents arguing, it had been four years since she went on a walk with her mother, and their relationship went downhill from there. Her mother had gotten more strict in the last few years, and she couldn't even have a quiet talk with her anymore. Her father had also gotten fed up with her mother, as they were always arguing now, Lyaroa walked away from the door and looked out the window, she was not in the mood to play, and she didn't dare interrupt her parents argument, she looked outside and saw her only friend outside talking with his cousin, they appeared to be in good spirits. Lyaroa's eyes shone red and she saw the 'Web of Life' as her mother called it, she claimed that not many Sentinel's had this rare ability, in Lyaroa's eyes it was beautiful, but according to her mother, it was a burden and a nuisance. Lyaroa smiled as she looked around the outside of her home, the web was everywhere, it's red shine shined like a star as it spread around the city. Rapidly paced footsteps by the door caught Lyaroa's attention, she looked over her shoulder and sighed, her sister was awake, and she was already running about. "Whatever." She said quietly as she looked outside. ______*The present.*_______ Roxanne leaned back against the couch. "I thought you said you didn't have any siblings?" She asked. Lyaroa looked at Roxanne. "Not anymore Rox, she vanished and is presumed dead." She said as she looked at the ceiling. "Estalli would probably be my sister, if it wasn't for what happened the next week." She said as she continued her story. ______*The Forge of the Void, one week later*______ Lyaroa and her mother were on a walk, they were invited to visit a sacred temple, one that not many Sentinel's had the privilege of seeing. "What temple is this again?" Lyaroa asked eagerly, as they approached it, the temple was massive, almost as big as the city hall, the walls were made of abyss iron, black and purple metal that was nearly impervious to damage, the roof was that of void steel, the classical black and gold metal that almost every Sentinel structure was made out of. Galesh chuckled. "It's the Temple of the Sword Wraiths, it is a sacred place, not even the council can go in whenever they want." She answered as they entered the temple. Lyaroa rushed in and looked around in absolute awe, the interior was gorgeous, paintings and pottery with incredibly accurate art adorned the walls and small tables, while a large fountain made of abyss iron sat in the center of the chamber, she looked up and her eyes widened, statues built out of Hellion marble were in a circle around a large stained glass ceiling, the colors were vibrant and the statues were of some of the greatest Sentinel's to ever live. And above the door ahead of them, a statue of Invalom Deactus, the oldest Sentinel alive, was proudly displayed above the door, carved out of Hellion marble, dark red and gray marble that never decays or crumbles in the face of time. Lyaroa looked at her mother. "This is incredible mom!" She stated out of joy, Galesh smiled as she watched her daughter look around the room, the door ahead eventually opened and an old Sentinel with a well built body emerged from the doorway. "Ah, council woman Galesh, we have been expecting you." He said calmly, he seemed to radiate wisdom. Lyaroa looked at the Sentinel curiously, he was dressed in an elegant robe, it was gold with Crimson trim and was loosely fitted, clearly not made for him. The door closed and the elderly Sentinel looked at Lyaroa. "And this must be young Lyaroa, i am pleased to meet you young one." He said. Lyaroa nodded with a smile. "Thanks! this temple is amazing!" She said, pointing around the room. The Sentinel nodded and looked at Galesh. "Come with me miss Galesh, we have much to discuss." He said as he opened the door again. Galesh looked at Lyaroa. "I'm sorry Lyaroa, but you need to wait here, I won't be long." She said. Lyaroa nodded and went back to looking around the room. As Galesh turned to follow the elderly Sentinel, she mentally frowned as she walked. _____*A few minutes later.*______ Lyaroa sighed to herself as she sat on the floor, her tail idly swishing around behind her, she rubbed her arm slowly and smiled as she watched her fur get pushed down, then go back to place as though nothing happened. She looked at the door and groaned as she laid back on the floor, wrapping her tail around her waist. "Where is she?" She muttered to herself. As she closed her eyes, she felt an unfamiliar presence enter her mind, she opened her eyes and looked around for other people, seeing nothing, and feeling the presence leave, she closed her eyes again. The very moment that Lyaroa closed her eyes, the presence returned with a vengeance and Lyaroa felt herself lose consciousness, all in an instant. _____*the present*______ "So, your mom just left you there for you to be kidnapped?" Night Frenzy asked. Lyaroa nodded slowly. "And more, after a time, I learned that she got rid of everything I owned, and practically forgot about who i was, she only wanted me to be a weapon." She replied. Roxanne shook her head and looked at Lyaroa. "What happened next?" She asked. _____*Forge of the Void.*_____ Lyaroa's eyes opened slowly as she groaned, she felt weak, hungry and thirsty, she could see nothing but blackness as she tried to force herself to get up, her hand slipped and she heard the sounds of chains rattling, she groaned in pain as her chest hit the floor. She gritted her teeth and attempted it again, she was unable to fully stand right away, and fell over quite a few times, but she eventually stood, she diverted a little of power to her eyes and soon she could see clearly, she was inside a cell with void steel bars, she looked at her hands and saw that she was in her Sentinel form, she growled mentally and then noticed the Abyss iron shackles around her wrists, she attempted to pry them off but found that she couldn't after a few minutes of attempts. Lyaroa dropped to the floor and cried silently to herself, she huddled into a ball as best she could and cried in the dark. Footsteps nearby however, made Lyaroa stop as she looked up, she attempted to change her form, but the shackles sent sharp pain through her body, causing her to yelp in pain. Lyaroa looked and saw a large Sentinel approach the bars and look at her. "Pathetic, this is who they gave us? a little girl who breaks down and hides behind a false body?.....and they wonder why the order is dying." He said in a gruff voice. The cell door opened and Lyaroa backed up to the wall in a feeble attempt to stay away from the large Sentinel. The Sentinel raised its hands and the shackles around Lyaroa's wrists broke off the wall and bound themselves together, the chains on the wall then shot out and latched onto the shackles before the large Sentinel grabbed them and tugged, forcing Lyaroa to the ground. "Ahh!" Lyaroa yelped as she was on the ground again. "Get up, or I will drag you." The large Sentinel ordered in a commanding voice. Lyaroa felt a chill go down her spine as she got up and followed the large Sentinel wordlessly. They walked for what felt like an hour, but eventually, Lyaroa was thrown into a small room with a slimly built Sentinel who held a long and sharp metal rod. "Please let me go." She pleaded, her eyes watering as she lay on the ground. "Silence!" The angry voice of the slim Sentinel snapped as she struck Lyaroa with the pole. If it were just a regular metal pole, Lyaroa would have been alright, but whatever it was, it sent so much pain through her system she almost passed out. "AAAAAHHHHH!!" She screamed. The slim Sentinel struck Lyaroa again, and again, and again, but no matter how much pain she suffered, Lyaroa would not pass out. _____*the present.*_____ "That's horrible." Night Frenzy said. Roxanne nodded. "Why didn't your mom do anything?" She asked. Lyaroa looked at Roxanne. "She gave me to these people Roxie, she allowed this." She looked at Night Frenzy who had a look of disgust. "To be a Sword Wraith, one must feel no pain, no emotion, so that nothing can stop them, to that end, the Order of the Sword Wraiths work to remove Pain, by inflicting so much pain, they cannot feel it, and to remove emotion, they break their spirits, their will to survive, to love and laugh, everything." She looked at Roxanne again. "Most that become Sword Wraiths are tortured for at least one hundred years." She stated. "How......how long were you tortured?" Roxanne asked. Lyaroa sighed and looked at the ceiling as she laid back. "Six thousand years." She said quietly. Both Night Frenzy and Roxanne's eyes widened as they did a double take on that. "Six thousand years!?" Night Frenzy asked out of disbelief. Roxanne shook her head as she took in this information. "But Lyaroa.....that's about eighty percent of your life!" She said. Night Frenzy sighed. "How old were you when you were taken." She asked. Lyaroa nodded. "I was taken when I was six, and trust me, it was......horrible, I know I said I came to Equestria three thousand years ago, but obviously I lied, i didn't want to tell the entire truth for a good reason, in truth, it was only a thousand years, the rest of those years I lived my life, it wasn't perfect, but it was better than my old one." She explained as her hands shook. "I'm going to skip ahead, no one needs to know the atrocities I suffered there." She said as she continued her story. ______*Forge of the Void, six thousand years later.*______ Lyaroa sat in the center of a dimly lit room, the elderly Sentinel from six thousand years ago, Kornas, walked around her in a circle, as a few other Sword Wraiths observed. "Lyaroa Pioax Juzor, daughter of Galesh Juzor and Huralo Juzor, you have been deemed worthy to ascend, and be named, Sword Wraith, you are here now, before your peers, ready to stand up and become equal." He said calmly and with conviction. Lyaroa looked at Kornas as he reached his arm out and motioned to a sword sitting on an altar, sheathed in its black casing. "Rise, Lyaroa, and claim your weapon, rise, and become one of us." Kornas said. Lyaroa rose from her seated position and walked to the sword slowly, it hummed with power and whispered to her, as she reached the altar, she reached out and gripped her blade, she felt it link to her and she knew for certain, this was HER blade. She turned around and saw the other Sword Wraiths watching her intently, she knew what she was supposed to say, and she could have easily done so, but she felt something she hadn't felt in years......anger, as she felt her mind break free of the illusions she was taught, she formed a plan. Lyaroa put her sword in front of her, and slowly drew it, as was tradition, she held it in front of her face and examined it, the blade was dark red and had violet streaks in the metal, she knew this metal well, it was an extremely rare metal known as Abyonhelion, impervious to almost anything, and it can never dull, rust, corrode or break. [1] Lyaroa discarded the sheathe and it vanished into thin air, she then spoke, following her plan with ease. "I, Lyaroa Pioax Juzor, daughter of Galesh Juzor and Huralo Juzor.......denounce the Sword Wraiths and declare vengeance on them all." She said, surprising everyone the room. The other Sword Wraiths in the room called their respective blades to their sides but were swiftly annihilated by a swift blast of power to the head. Lyaroa quickly dispatched Kornas with a strike to his heart as she took on the form of a white wolf. "You.....traitor!" Kornas coughed up blood. "I cannot betray those I held no Loyalty towards, you tortured me, and now I will take my revenge." She said before she removed her blade and beheaded Kornas. Lyaroa then wiped her blade clean and walked out the room, she was on one of the upper floors, she looked down one of the halls and then to a nearby window. 'You know what, losing its grandmaster it's a large enough loss, no point going on a killing spree.' She walked over to the window and charged up her power. Lyaroa threw her hand out and blasted a large hole in the wall, sending iron and glass everywhere, she jumped out the hole and slid down an angled roof as she headed down. It wasn't long before a loud alarm began throughout the city, Lyaroa simply focused as she landed on the ground, cracking the road with her blade, she took a breath and began running, her blade now dismissed. Lyaroa sped up and ran past many Sentinel's who jumped back in surprise, she ran into the town square and stopped as enormous blades surrounded the area, she growled and turned around to face the source, she was surprised to see who it was. "Mother?" She asked curiously. Sure enough, Galesh held her hand up, it was crackling in power, any Sentinel's that were unlucky enough to be caught in the area were forced to watch the showdown. "Lyaroa, what have you done?" She said in an angry voice. Lyaroa looked at the blades. "Mom......what are you doing?" She asked curiously. Galesh lowered her hand and began to float. "You cling to that word like a child, you are a Sword Wraith now, show some dignity." She snapped. Lyaroa blinked as she quickly put two and two together. "You gave me to them?" She asked as her hands trembled in anger. Galesh slowly clapped patronizingly. "Good, you figured that out, now make this easy for yourself, surrender and I will ensure you are not executed." She ordered. Lyaroa summoned her blade, shocking the nearby Sentinel's as they backed away. "No......you gave me to those monsters.......you are no mother of mine!" She looked at her mother with eyes that sparked with anger. "You are nothing more than a butcher!" She snapped as she readied her blade. Galesh seemed surprised, but her shock was overtaken by anger. "You dare to raise your blade against your own mother!?" She shouted as she summoned several blades that sparked with power. Lyaroa charged forward as Galesh sent the blades after her, she sliced them in half and unleashed a powerful blast at Galesh, fueled purely by anger. Galesh threw up a barrier but the blast impacted her anyway, she then summoned a wall of blades and detonated them. Lyaroa saw the attack coming and teleported behind Galesh and immediately blasted her with a mighty explosion of power. Galesh flew into a nearby wall and the entire building collapsed down on her, Lyaroa walked up and looked down at the rubble. Lyaroa watched as her mother forced her way out of the rubble and looked at Lyaroa, she was already beaten to a pulp, she was bruised and battered, and her left arm looked dislocated. "Lower the barrier." She demanded. Galesh's breathing was ragged and she couldn't move her right arm. "I will not allow you to go free...." She said. Lyaroa tightened her grip and raised her sword. "This was your doing, this could have been avoided." She said as she swung her blade. Just as Lyaroa swung, a hand gripped her shoulder and she reacted quickly, she moved her sword and thrust her blade into the heart of the newcomer. Lyaroa gasped in shock as she realized who she just stabbed. "No....no no no!" She said in panic as her eyes widened. Huralo Juzor had grabbed Lyaroa, he gasped for air and clutched at the blade. "Ly.....Lyaroa, w-why?" He said before he fell to the ground, his body not moving anymore. Galesh screamed in agony, the barrier dropped and Lyaroa quickly ran away from the scene. Lyaroa did not look back, her face was riddled in tears, she ran until she could run no more, and then she teleported away from the Forge of the Void, she refused to go back, and from that day forward, she vowed to never use the blade as she named it.....Bane. ______*The present.*______ Lyaroa sighed to herself as she looked at Night Frenzy. "I feel better....thanks for listening to my story, when you see Skitter.......tell her I'll get Garth back when she's ready, and Night Frenzy, I'll see about getting Umbrea back." She said quietly before teleporting away. Roxanne looked at Night Frenzy. "I.....I feel like she's missing something, dont you?" She asked. Night Frenzy nodded. "Yea, but for now, I don't think she needs us making her doubt herself." She replied. Roxanne looked out the window and saw Firefly playing with Spark and Apache. "I can't wait for things to go back to normal." She said. Night Frenzy nodded as she looked at a picture of her, Roxanne and Umbrea all covered in mud with grins on their faces. "Agreed." She added silently.