//------------------------------// // Chapter 17: Answers // Story: The Universal Traveler // by Jason Monroe //------------------------------// 3rd POV Celestia, Luna and Jason sat in the living room of Jason's mansion. Celestia and Luna were looking around at all of the modern amenities while Jason simply smiled as he waited for Alexander to return with their drinks. Celestia and Luna had been so caught off guard by all of this that their brains still hadn't registered the fact that Jason said Alexander was a demon. Luna was fascinated by everything and eventually her eyes locked onto a fourteen foot long great axe that was hanging on the wall. Luna stood up and went to touch it, only for Jason to teleport in front of her. "I would appreciate it if you would refrain from touching Moskstraumen. He was made specifically for me by Hlér, the Norse god of the sea." Jason said before grabbing Moskstraumen, causing the great axe to shrink and turn into a steel bracelet with the axe hanging off of it. He smiled as he put the bracelet on his left wrist before sitting back down. Luna stood there staring at Jason for a few minutes before something finally clicked in her mind. "Wait! Did you say that Alexander was a demon?! Why are you allowing a monster like that to live?!" Luna shouted before suddenly finding Jason holding Rudra at her throat. "I would watch your words. Race and species does not make one a monster. The actions committed are what makes one a monster. Now sit back down and silence yourself before I show you why I have the title of god killer." Jason said in an unnervingly calm tone before putting Rudra back on the wall with Agni. The three sat there in silence before Alexander came out with a silver platter that held pots of tea and coffee that were on portable burners. The platter also contained a bottle of bourbon and a glass of root beer as well as two empty cups for the sisters and some milk, sugar and cream. Alexander simply smiled as he set the platter on the coffee table before pouring some bourbon into the glass of root beer and handing it to Jason. "Thank you Alexander. The tea is for Celestia and the coffee is for Luna. Ponies tend to like sweet things, so add a bit of sugar and cream to the coffee." Jason said while smiling, causing Alexander to nod before doing as he was told. Alexander set the cups of coffee and tea in front of the corresponding ponies before leaving. Celestia and Luna cautiously stared at the cups in front of them, causing Jason to let out a sigh before taking a swig of his drink. "I guess it's time to explain a few things, starting with the easiest to explain. I am a half demon-half angel, which can be called a nephalem, a demonic angel or an angelic demon. Regardless of what you want to call me, the important part is what that entails. I specifically am one of two sons of the ruler of Hell in my universe. I also happen to be the grandson of God in my universe, but he's a prick that hates me for simply existing. Then again I can understand that, mainly because his daughter died while giving birth to me and my brother. Another thing to point out is that, in my universe, demons and angels have a natural weakness to magic. This means that I cannot use magic without causing harm to myself and risking permanent death, but it also means that any non-offensive magic will cause me pain instead of doing what it's supposed to do. Luckily for me, angels and demons have their own sources of power in my universe. These sources of power are commonly referred to as angelic energy and demonic energy, mainly because the only beings that can use these energies are either part demon or part angel. These energies are very easy to come by and are formed depending on the actions of others. If someone helps someone else, the neutral energy in the air is transformed into angelic energy. If someone hurts someone else, the neutral energy in the air is transformed into demonic energy. Any questions?" Jason said in a very practiced manner before taking a sip of his drink. It seemed like Jason had been in situations where he had to inform people about himself in the past. Celestia and Luna were silent with wide eyes as they just stared at their drinks, processing the fact that one of their closest friends was part demon. Their entire world had been shattered with that one bit of information. They had always been told that demons were evil beings that only wanted to destroy everything, yet Jason had only ever tried to protect others and even sobbed for days on end when the Crystal Empire was lost because of Exitium. Celestia stared at the cup of tea sitting in front of her before using her magic to lift it up to her mouth. She took a sip and seemed shocked before she smiled and continued to drink. Luna followed suit and started drinking the cup of coffee that had been provided for her. After a few more minutes, Celestia finally spoke up. "Would you die if you were hit with the Elements of Harmony?" The room remained silent for a few minutes before Jason stood up and walked over to Celestia. He simply looked at her and nodded before hugging her as she started to cry. Jason simply held Celestia and ran a hand through her mane in an attempt to comfort her before Luna walked over and hugged Celestia as well. Celestia calmed down after a few minutes and wiped away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. Jason pulled away while smiling before looking Celestia in the eyes. "I don't blame you for what you did. It would be hypocritical of me to do so considering the fact that I destroyed an entire continent after losing my brother." Jason said with a sad smile on his face while Celestia and Luna looked at him in shock. They had heard Jason mention his brother on several occasions. Every time he mentioned anything involving his brother, his mood would always change and he would stay silent for a few minutes. He would always deflect their questions about his brother and now they knew why. Jason sat down before taking a sip of his drink. He set his drink down as he noticed that Celestia and Luna's expressions had changed. "Oh no! I know those looks! I refuse to be given an award for being a good person. Now I think it's time for you two to leave. You do have a country to rule after all." Jason said before creating a portal back to the Canterlot Castle and pushing the sisters inside. Once the portal closed Jason sighed and flopped onto his couch with a groan. "I need a vacation."