//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Down the Darkened Path // by Shawn820 //------------------------------// Down the Darkened Road:       Prologue Listen to this with it Finally, done... I’ve done it... I found him. The Demon of Insanity. He plagued our lands with his brothers, and with each one I saw more and more death in these lands. Those who stood beside me have died, and I was forced to bear the death of those people on my shoulders. I could have done more... I could have saved them... But instead I failed to keep them alive. The Knights who stood by my side into battle. My friends who didn’t listen to me when I said to stay away. All those people, their towns corrupted, destroyed, and set ablaze. No more... No more! I stand here with the Blade of the Spirit. The only sword that could ever hurt the gods and demons themselves. The seven gods and seven demons, For every god had its opposite. Clarity, Insanity Charity, Greed Sacrifice, Summoning Order, Chaos The list goes on, but now it is time. They said I wouldn’t survive this fight, I... I have to die. Give a soul for another to leave. I thought that there could be another way. There should be, has to be... But no. The gods weaken with every moment I waste and now that I stand here I stand to my grave, with a sword in hand. I walk into the tomb, sword ready to strike. He knows he won’t survive, but at the same time he will take his fate knowing he took the one who took all his brothers down as well. Even in death he laughs at me, mocking the fact that I die too, but he still has fear... He doesn’t want to die, and I know this to be a fact. His whispers float in this tomb. Just give in. There is no hope. Leave and let me rule, and you get to live. “Demon! Your whispers won’t work, I’ve decided what I must do. Those people died just so I could make it here. They died by your brothers and sisters! Just so we could kill you all and bid you of this world! You Demons have burned the land, bloodied the soil and crumbled the towns. But no more, I stand before you. The only one left who would try to kill you, for you slayed the others, and I stand here looking at a empty tomb with your idiotic whispers! Show yourself!” With that said, I hear clapping looking to my left, there he is. His darkened figure a black robe with red running through it, his eyes pitch black and around them, their veins just as black. I clench the sword in my hands, it glows slightly. It all comes down to this... From day one, they ran out of the mines, screaming in fear... “Demons!” they shouted. Most didn’t listen, but I thought I would take a look. His cackling, I hear it to today. They destroyed the town, and the one after, and again... The only place with the knowledge to get rid of demons, The bedrock library. Only those pure of heart can enter, those with good intents. We learned to create the Spiritual Bane to rid us of their existence. A item that showed the Gods and Demons. Clarity and Insanity made up the blade, Clear glass, and Fogged glass. It took ages to make but I did it, and then they asked me.  To wield it into battle. And so we fought...  And fought... And our numbers dropped... And I was left alone... I looked to the demon, the sword weakening him to a mortal state that I can attack. This sword could kill gods and demons with ease. I chose to kill these demons to place their souls back into the place they belong. Contained, and left alone. The closer I get the more he laughs. He laughs at his death. He laughs at all those who died because of him. He laughs at those towns he destroyed. Most of all though, He laughs, For I will die when he does. “The one who slays the last demon with the blade will die along with him...” Clarity said to us... “I’m sorry, but there is no other way...” I stand next to the demon, he continues to laugh away. I lift the blade halfway when he grabs the blade itself and moves my arm to have the blade on his throat. His laugh calms down to chuckles. “Do it, You know you can’t. If you kill me you die as well.” He raised his arms to his sides. “Look around you! All of them DEAD and not one is here to stand by your side as you die.” He laughs more and more, louder and louder. I looked him dead in the eyes. “Your right and wrong. They may not be by my side but they damn well are with me!” I yelled angrily, as I slashed the blade across his throat. The body will die like a mortal should but I made the mistake, he grabs his throat as he dies, but at the same time, my breathing has stopped. And now I get to die by suffocating to death. I clutched my throat as I could not breath, and the last thing I think about is, Anyone could have done it, but I’m glad I did it. I die now, but my spirit is free... I fell to my knees, then to my side. I closed my eyes, I gave in to death... Stop current song and switch to this. And then I opened my eyes once more. In a layer of the sky, clouds around me, and the sky so bright. “You have done it.” I turned to the right to come face to face with what I believe to be Clarity. His voice is the same so I have to say it is. “Clarity? I... I have died, haven't I?” I began to say, sorrow filled my voice for I did not want to die, not yet at least. “Yes you have. But I must say to you, you have showed so much to fight for, but what did you have to fight for?” “The only ones who were with me, my friends.” “But not of your family.” I shook my head. “They died so long ago for me.” Something caught my attention. “Where are the others? Your brothers and sisters?” “Fear not, they are working on the world below. But you have cleared the sights of most for which I do not need to help, thus I can talk to you.” “What use have you to talk to me?” He chuckled a light hearted laugh, “Oh my dear boy, I talk to you for you have done the job in which us gods could not.” “Anyone could have done it. I’m nothing special.” “And yet you were the one who did.” Clarity walked over to me standing by my side as the clouds cleared to the land below... Yalin. The land I lived in, and died for... “You know I can’t send you back, but I want to ask you something.” I paused for a moment. “What is it?” “Would you like to go to another place, to live the last years of your life that you should have.” It was a nice offer, sure I wanted to live out here in Yalin still but I have died here, I can not return, and so I looked up to the God of Clarity, and with a smile beginning to show on my face. “I would love to...” Clarity smiled, “I knew you would like those years, we will always be with you and keep an eye on you, in these new lands they do not know fully of us except for two of them.” “What would their names be?” I asked with a hint of curiosity. “Their names are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They know of us and we can take a moment of time to talk with them. I have spoke with them both already and they understand who you are, what you are, and what you have done.” “What I am? Are they Orc? Perhaps Dwarven?” Clarity laughed a little, I must be wrong... “No, no, In the world you are going to it is of ponies, unicorns, pegasi, earth, and of the Princesses,  Alicorn, a mix of all three. The world consists of Dragons, Griffins, Diamond Dogs, and creatures in which you have never heard of. Before you ask, no, there are no humans. I wanted to bring you to a place without the touch of a human, somewhere new for you.” I understood Clarity fine, but how would the populace of ponies take my presence? A lone human or in their eyes a creature. I just hope for the best. “Prepare yourself, be ready to land for when you arrive. I leave you with a gift, a gift of knowledge, you will be given information from the princess to help you understand their land.” I could feel myself being pulled away, towards the new land, to live out the rest of my life. As I closed my eyes, even in a spiritual form I could feel the tear roll down my cheek as I was given a second chance, another life in words... My eyes still closed and I could feel my self drop to the ground, but I was ready, as I landed on my feet. I looked upwards and opened my eyes for the first time, and what I saw amazed me. There before me must be the two that Clarity told me about, as I took a kneel. “Princesses.” I said while facing the floor kneeling, arm across my chest. “Please, you have no reason to kneel before us. Clarity has told us of your tale, and we were happy to have you come here.” I heard this voice in a light manor, one of a mother. “Rick, you are a hero where you are from, and we were told of how your tale will be spread for years to go.” I heard this second voice, one of silk, smooth to the sound. I began to stand up and looked at them, Celestia, as light as the sun and as motherly as well. Luna, as blissful as the moon. But behind them stood six more, two unicorns, two pegasi, and two earth ponies. “Who might these six be?” Celestia looked back to them and then to me again, “Let me explain in which Clarity asked me to.” she said as she placed her horn onto my head and lit it. I closed my eyes and accepted the magic in. The memories filled my head as I took on faces, names, creatures, history, and all sorts of things I would need to know. I opened my eyes once more, “Ah, the Elements of Harmony, it is nice to meet you.” I said with another kneel. I respect those who have worked to help in such high amounts. I could hear them talk to one another, I began to stand again looking to them, with a smile on my face. I looked around to see the beauty of the place, and I thought outloud, “The end of my story arrived, and now it is time for the next book to be written.” Hello everypony, as you can see this is a new story I wanted to write, it was bothering me constantly. So I finally wrote it. Sorry I delayed my other story but I wanted to write this out of the way.