The full moon was high in the sky as a pony in a old tattered cloak walked silently down the dirt road. She wore a mask to hide what was left of her face. If she still had one that is; her bright red eyes caught sight of a campfire glowing on the side of the road. A traveler here? It had been a very long time since anypony used this trail. She moved closer to the camp being very cautious. Sitting on a log tending to the fire, was a young unicorn stallion. He wore a light gray traveler cloak, his saddlebags sat next to him. His mane was silver and glowed in the moonlight, his coat was white as snow. However, what drew her attention most were his eyes. They were gold and shined in the firelight. There was something about this pony that made her shiver; she had not felt any fear for a long time.
She couldn't understand why, but something about this pony frightened her. The stallion stared at her, to him she probably looked like an old scarecrow. She didn't really care how he saw her, all she wanted was to get this meaningless encounter over with. She calmly asked the stallion if she could share his campfire for a while. The white stallion nodded and pointed a hoof to the tree stump across from him. As she sat down, the stallion spoke, "It is rare to see another pony traveling on this road. What brings you out here, miss?"
"Could ask you the same thing," the mysterious mare answered. "Its very easy to run into trouble."
"And which are you?" he countered. "For any pony that wears a mask could be seen as dangerous."
She had no retort for that; strangers are always wary of other strangers. She would be more suspicious if he was not on his guard. However, "This poor fool has no idea just how screwed he is about to be." the masked mare thought.
The white stallion levitated up a large stick, broke it in two, and threw it into the fire. He looked at his guest for a long moment. Hard times didn't even begin to describe her; it was more than just her appearance. There was a smell to her, not the smell of needing a wash. It was the faint smell of blood. He smiled slightly, his quest was almost complete.
"So, is that your Nightmare Night costume?" he asked.
His guest glared daggers into him, her bright red eyes glowing just a little brighter. The stallion raised both forehooves, "Sorry miss, didn't mean to upset you."
This stallion was really starting to annoy her, "Good," she thought. "That will just make things easier."
"You asked me why I am out here," she said out loud. "I'm looking for somepony who is very special to me."
The stallion caught the clear sadness in her voice, despite her attempts to hide it. It was quiet for a moment, the only sounds being the fire and wind. The white unicorn's smile got slightly bigger, "That's a funny coincidence," he said in a cheerful tone. "I'm looking for somepony too."
The way he said that, made her cold heart thunder for a second. For an instant, she almost jumped up and attacked, but something inside her warned against that. Again she didn't know why, but she was scared of this pony. There was nothing really intimidating about him.
The masked mare composed herself, "And who are you looking for?" she asked with a small tremble.
"That is my business," he answered. "Just as the pony you're looking for is yours."
Well, he had that right, still she wanted to be done with this stallion. So, she asked the question that she asked everypony, "Alright, well, since we are here, would you like to hear a story? To pass the time."
"Oh, you're a story teller?" he asked excitedly.
The masked mare nodded, finally she had him, and soon she would never see that face of his again. She began one of her dark tales, her eyes started to glow with power. Suddenly, the stallion raised a hoof for her to stop. She growled in frustration.
"WHAT?!" she demanded.
The white stallion sighed deeply, "Sorry miss, but I prefer to hear happier tales. Do you have one of those?"
It had been a really long time since anypony had asked that. Did she have one? After so long she had forgotten them, but there was one story. The one story she could never and would never forget. She looked at the white pony, her eyes softened by unused emotions.
"Yes," she said with deep regret. "I do have one."
For the first time in years, she began to tell him a much different story; it was her story. Her's and her beloved's; it was a tale of two mares meeting completely by chance. And yet, their love was so great it had to have been fate, but it ended in tragedy. One of them had a great power, one even she was unaware of, and in a moment of anger she had used it on her beloved, now cursed to endure endless torment. The cursed mare now wandered Equestria, damning ponies with her stories. Hoping against everything to see her beloved again.
The white stallion's eyes were filled with tears as the masked mare finished her story. She looked at him with her heart in knots.
"Wow, I never expected that kind of story from the Lost Narrator," he said deliberately.
The Narrator's crimson eyes widened in alarm. He knew! Now everything made sense. She jumped up and readied a spell, her horn glowing with red fire. At the same time, the white stallion stood up on his hind legs and threw back his cloak. A blinding white light suddenly surrounded him. Unable to cast her spell, the Narrator shielded her eyes.
"Put away your magic, Curse Word," cried the stallion, his voice amplified with power. "I have not come here to fight you, but if you force my hoof, I will defend myself."
Curse Word was in utter shock, this mysterious pony just used her real name. Keeping her eyes down, Curse Word yelled out, "Who are you? And what in Tartarus do you want?"
The intense light began to fade away as the stallion spoke again, "My name is Sunblade," his voice calm and no longer filled with power. "And I am here to talk with you on the princess's behalf."
He wrapped his gray cloak around himself and sat back down on the log. Curse Word could still feel his power, but it felt far off. Faint like through a veil. His face was gentle, but Curse Word had just seen his scary side. Curse Word slowly walked back to the tree stump, and sat down.
"He's here for the princess?" she thought. In some way, she knew that this would happen. She had been telling her stories for years, and a lot of ponies had died by her power. There was no way that the princess would just let a monster like her roam free forever. "Talk?" she asked out loud, "About what?"
"Why you do what you do, but I think, we understand that now." he said with sympathy.
"How did you know my real name?" Curse Word asked curiously.
"Legends often have some truth to them. Celestia and I had heard about you from many travelers, some even claimed to have escaped you. However, all their lore must have had a source. It took me some time, but I found your home town."
"And what did everypony say?" Curse Word said, a little frustrated.
"They all had mixed feelings," Sunblade said putting his chin on his hooves. "Some spoke highly of you, others did not have a single kind word, but it was from them that I learned everything. From there, it was easy to find you."
Despite herself, Curse Word chuckled just a little. "Yep, that's what I expected."
She had been friends with a lot of the ponies in her hometown, though sometimes she had butted heads with a few of them. However, when she lost her beloved, everypony in the town slowly began to treat her like she had lost her mind.
Curse Word stared into the fire, her feelings tangled up in hard knots. It had been so long to just talk to somepony, and it felt odd to hear a kind voice again. It brought up more memories, of her home and her beloved. Who was this pony? In the span of a few moments, he had both scared her and reminded her of happier times.
"Well, now you know everything. So what now?" Curse Word said, readying herself.
"I have a question." Sunblade said without moving.
Curse Word's tense shoulders slumped and she rolled her eyes in irritation, "Fine, what is it?"
"How can a pony endure eternity?"
Curse Word froze; that was the last thing she expected to hear. Yet, it was a question that she was perfect for; after all, she had lived for ages. Sunblade sat like a statue of marble, waiting patiently for her answer.
"I don't know," Curse Word finally said. "For me, eternity has been nothing but pain. It feels like this decaying body of mine is just destined to keep going and going." Her voice started to get a little angry. "I'm just stretching on and on never stopping. Sometimes it just feels like the whole world is messing with me."
"You think your pain is what sustains you?" Sunblade said, raising an eyebrow.
"WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE!?" Curse Word shouted.
Sunblade's eyes looked sad, "Love."
Curse Word felt as if she had been pierced with thousands of knifes. Had she really forgotten that? Everything inside her snapped and tears fell from under her mask. Had she gone so far into darkness that she just believed it was her fate? However, if love was what kept her going, why was she like this?
"Yes, but a pony like you could never imagine how this endlessness feels." she threw back at him.
A smile appeared on Sunblade's face, everything felt very still for a brief second. Then the white unicorn said, "Actually, I do know. Because I'm like you Curse Word, I too have endless youth."
The masked mare was speechless, never before had she met a pony with the same affliction. She had always believed that only the princess knew how eternity felt. Regaining her voice, Curse Word chuckled a little and asked, "What did you do to tick the world off?"
The stallion shook his head, "Nothing, I chose to be like this."
"Chose!" thought Curse Word, "How was that possible?" She gazed at Sunblade with astonishment. "But why? Why would anypony choose this?" she asked him. "How are you still sane?"
"Well, it helps if you have something to do for eternity, or if you have something to live for." he answered. "The princesses had each other and they decided to be of service to others. Even now, Celestia endures by trying to care for other ponies," he had a look of deep sadness. "If she didn't, I think she would fall apart."
Curse Word knew that feeling well, there had been times when she nearly fell apart. She definitely had something to live for; however, things were starting to look very grim. Did she even deserve to be happy at this point? Sunblade continued to talk as Curse Word pondered to herself.
"Like the princess, I live to protect others. I go into dangerous places and try to rid them of evil. In a weird way, I'm just like Discord, playing a game for eternity."
"A game?" asked Curse Word breaking from her thoughts.
"Yes, the greatest game ever," Sunblade said, his gold eyes sparking like stars. "Good vs Evil, light vs darkness and the whole world hanging on the edge." He chuckled a little. "But it is said that Discord always played his own game."
Curse Word smiled under her mask, then stopped. How long had it been since she last smiled? All this talk about eternity was starting to get overwhelming. She was done, all these feelings swirling around inside her. It was too much, in some ways she was grateful to Sunblade for making her happy again, but in others, she was burning with anger. All this could just be an act, pretending like he understood. There was no way the princess just send him here to talk.
"Why are you really here, Sunblade?" Curse Word asked in a cold voice.
The white stallion looked taken aback by the sudden ominous question,"I already told you."
Curse Word slammed her hooves down on the ground, her crimson eyes blazed. "Stop messing with me, I know there's more you're not telling me! Now spill it, or I'm done talking." Her rotting horn alighted with magic.
To his credit, Sunblade stayed absolutely calm, his expression turned serious. The tension in the air felt ready to burst. The stallion gave a sigh and said, "Fine, my mission was to find you and learn all I could about your mysterious power. The princess also wanted to know why you use your magic to kill other ponies."
"And after?" demanded Curse Word, ready to spring like a cat.
"If I deemed you to be a threat to Equestria, I was to eliminate you. Or take you to Tartarus."
"And if I wasn't a threat?" Curse Word asked, her anger boiling.
"I was told to bring you to Canterlot, so the princess could maybe find a cure for your affliction."
"Well, tell me. Am I a threat?" Curse Word already suspected the answer.
"No." Sunblade said with certainty.
Now, Curse Word was the one taken aback.
"However," Sunblade continued. "Your body and magic are badly corrupted. Although your search is pure, your past actions are not, and there may come a day when you do become a threat. So I will only ask you this once Curse Word, will you come back to Canterlot?"
Curse Word knew that Sunblade was giving her an ultimatum, but could the princess fix her, and could she bring Magpie back? No, deep down Curse Word knew somehow that only she herself could bring Mag back. On the other hoof, if she refused, then maybe this stallion with all his power could make it all stop. Curse Word didn't want to admit it, but she really wanted that too. In many ways, Sunblade was like the heroes in the stories she used to tell the foals of her old home town. He could do it, but in the end, this curse was her problem and no pony else's.
"No." she said firmly.
"So be it," Sunblade's horn ignited and Curse Word was lifted into the air by her neck. "Then I am taking you to Tartarus, where you will do no further harm. There you will stay until we find a cure for your curse."
"I AM THIS CURSE!" she yelled, breaking free of the spell.
Curse Word fired a huge bolt of magic at Sunblade. There was a flash and a loud ring like the sound of an enormous bell, but when the smoke cleared, Sunblade stood unharmed with a bright sword in front of him. Curse Word now saw the source of her fear; everything inside was screaming for her to get away from that sword. She gazed at it, the blade was pale and glowed beautifully in the light of the full moon. The cross guard and handle had strange arcane runes etched onto them. And adorning the pommel was a bright, light blue gem.
"If that is true," Sunblade said with fire in his voice. "Then I have no choice, but to send you TO OBLIVION!"
With great speed the white stallion leapt towards Curse Word, he swung the blade and Curse Word ducked. She uppercutted Sunblade, then she turned and bucked him into a tree. After getting up, the stallion spat and wiped the blood from his nose.
"I met zebras that hit harder." he hissed.
Curse Word fired another blast of magic, this time Sunblade teleported. He appeared behind Curse Word and stabbed her in the back. The sword burned as Sunblade twisted it. Curse Word elbowed him in the neck. Coughing, the white stallion let go of the sword. Curse Word grabbed the handle with telekinesis, but her horn was pierced with pain. Gritting her teeth, she focused her magic on her cloak. She wrapped it around the sword and pulled it free. Curse Word inhaled sharply, she turned to see Sunblade channeling power. Curse Word's eyes turned pure red as magic surrounded her. They both released their fury on the other. White bolts of lightning met crimson fire as the two ponies struggled against each other.
The air felt like it would ignite, as Sunblade and Curse Word's wills battled between them. The ground under them cracked from the magical pressure. Animals ran for their lives as the energy finally popped. Sunblade and Curse Word were both thrown back; they hit the ground hard. Sunblade got up first, his back sore. He looked around and saw his sword. He called it to him just as Curse Word recovered. The two glared at each other, the masked mare uttering some obscenities, and as one they fired beams of magic, Sunblade's beam came from his sword. The streams of magic met and pushed against the other.
There was a great BOOM, and smoke and dust went everywhere. Curse Word's red eyes darted back and forth looking for Sunblade. Suddenly, he appeared in front of her in a flash of magic. One of his front hooves was glowing, he punched her right in the chest. Curse Word felt bones shatter as she was knocked off her feet. She was on her back looking up at the stars, when Sunblade came over and stood over her.
"Yield," he said, raising his sword above her.
"Never!" Curse Word said, feeling her bones starting to heal.
Sunblade had a look of pity, "If you were truly beyond hope Curse Word, this sword would have already destroyed you. Don't make me do this."
"F*** you!"
"Have it your way!"
Curse Word closed her eyes waiting for the blow to fall, finally it would all be over, but for some reason the blow never came. Confused, Curse Word slowly opened her eyes, but Sunblade was not looking at her anymore. His eyes were staring forward. Right now, unknown to Curse Word, Sunblade was looking into the eyes of a pink ghostly mare. Her eyes were full of tears, as she pleaded with him, not to kill the mare she still loved. The white unicorn's eyes widened with realization, this ghostly mare could only be Curse Word's beloved. Sunblade looked down at Curse Word then back up to the pink mare, and his heart grew heavy. He nodded to the ghostly mare and moved away from Curse Word.
The masked mare got up, completely stupefied. She watched as the white stallion put away that frightening sword. Was this fate messing with her more?
"But why?" she finally asked. "I thought this was your job."
Again, Sunblade was not looking at her. He still gazed at the ghostly mare. "It seems that fate has something else in store for you, Curse Word." He turned his head to the masked mare. "Yes, this is my job. However, even the wisest pony cannot see where destiny will lead. I have just been reminded of that."
He pulled the hood of his gray cloak over his head, turned and began to walk away. "Farewell, Lost Narrator. You will not see me again."
Curse Word called out to him, "Wait! Before you leave there is something I want to know."
Sunblade stopped, but didn't turn around.
"Why did you choose to be immortal?"
Sunblade stood very still for a long moment, then said, "I did it so my mother would no longer be lonely."
Curse Word's red eyes widened. "Wait, are you..."
Before she could finish, the white stallion disappeared in a flash of magic. The ghostly mare stood behind Curse Word in both relief and disappointment. She was relieved that her beloved Cursey was spared, but that stallion's soul had been powerful and now it was gone. Magpie looked at Curse Word, wanting more than anything just to reach out and touch her.
"We'll be together soon, Cursey, I just need more time." Magpie said, even though Curse Word could not hear her.
And so, The Lost Narrator continued her solitary walk down the dark, cold, road.