He wondered if his choice of words had been correct. For one moment there had been a completely shocked silence as they simply stared at him with open mouths. Then, all hell had broken loose. He observed in silence as the ponies unloaded all of their shock upon him and once again, time slowed down to an eternity.
Between a fainting Fluttershy and a fuming Rainbow Dash and Applejack he could see Rarity wail in terror. He saw Pinkie's hair deflate considerably and Twilight Sparkle's magic light up. He saw Luna shout questions at him using her best royal voice, the shock waves carrying like ripples through the air and shattering tea cups and plates alike, making the glass of his mask vibrate softly.
And he saw Celestia. Motionless. Still and silent. Looking at him with those ageless eyes as he returned her stare, ignorant to the pandemonium around them, seemingly frozen in time. Time returned to its normal pace.
He heard their accusations and felt the air tremble with their shouts and anger. Still, he simply ignored them as he and Celestia watched one another in silence.
“ENOUGH!” Celestia's voice thundered above all else, making the walls shudder at her outburst. It was a rare occasion for her to use the royal voice, he had not heard it in centuries but she still outclassed her sister by lengths. Always the big sister...
As quickly as the commotion had started it was ended by her outburst, all of the ponies looking at her with shocked faces. None of them had ever heard Celestia raise her voice like this before. He had, but what surprised him was the strange expression in her face as she approached him again.
She stopped only a meter away from him, staring into his face with an expression he had not seen since the day of Luna's banishment. “How long?” she quietly asked.
He remained silent for a moment, this certainly wasn't the reaction he had expected. “I do not know.”
“How will you know?”
“I will hear it coming.” it would start with a soft murmur, a sound only those that were connected to the void could hear. Then, it would slowly grow louder, until it was like a thundering wave crashing down on them. Then, it would be time.
“And then?”
“Then, I will take what I need.”
“Explain.”
“No new life can be born within the void, and nothing that is created within it can escape it.” he started, “A long time ago, our kind had its own world. But just like all creation, it was destined to die. When we saw that our end was near, we made a desperate decision...”
“And you stepped into the void.” Celestia said with an even voice.
“We did... but it came with a price. We could no longer have children and there was nothing to sustain us within the endless darkness, so we had to find another way. We learned to create life within the void, bonding our technology and old flesh, infusing the new bodies with the old memories of our dead... but one component was missing.”
“What was missing?” Twilight asked with horrified fascination.
“Life.” Celestia's voice had become very quiet, “This is the reason of your presence, isn't it?”
“Every form of sentient life collects through its actions and words something you would consider 'karma'. It is a reflection of how its life was spent, whether there was purpose to its existence or not. When that being dies this form of energy is set free along with the soul, creating a single, short spark of light that echoes through all the dimensions before vanishing again. It is the last spark of life. It is my duty to collect these final flashes before they vanish, and to keep them stored until the time has come to send them... home.”
He looked up at Celestia, “This spark... this last flash of life is what allows us to survive. It is both food and birth to us. Without it, we would simply starve and vanish from existence.”
“Those are millions of lives...” Celestia said with concern, “How do you 'store' something like that?”
He carefully reached out with his hand and placed it on the cold floor, “When we arrive on a new world we consider promising we immediately start to imbue it with the void...” he slowly drew up his hand again, black shadows seemingly escaping the stone to follow the motion of his hand. “It takes us millenia to create it, but when we are done a thin web covers every inch of your world. Invisible to you, nothing more than a shadow to this existence but there nonetheless.”
He waved his hand slowly and watched the shadows disappear again, “It catches those last, precious flashes of life as the souls pass through it. And as time continues, it slowly starts to fill.”
“Wait.” Twilight interrupted him, “If nothing that is created within the void can escape it, how can you be here?”
“He was born outside the void.” Luna said with a strange voice, “You saw your own world die, didn't you?”
“I did. There are others like me, born before our step into the void. We are the purveyors. We supply our kind with what they so desperately need.”
Luna paused for a moment, “If you so desperately need this form of life why wait all this time? Why not send it to your kind the moment you collect it?”
“The transfer...” he began, “Can only be performed once.”
“Why?”
“The transfer of something so pure and untainted requires to tear open the very fabric of space and time. It requires a direct connection to the void itself, but creating this tear...”
“It would shatter this world to pieces...” Celestia finished quietly.
“And that, is why I wait. When this world ends its last moment will bring forth a flood of new life among my kind.” There was a moment of gloomy silence as he finished his words, all of them trying to digest what he had told them.
He looked outside and checked the position of the sun, it was time. He slowly started to get up. “Where are you going?” Luna asked as he rose from his place.
“The reason for our conversation has become irrelevant.” he replied, “Until this moment, you could always have found me with the blood I left in your throne room. Any attempt of mine to evade you would have been futile. But by now, enough time has passed and you will no longer be able to track me... I will disappear... and you will never see me again.”
“How many?” Celestia spoke up quietly, “How many worlds have you watched die?”
“Enough to know that every world will come to an end sooner or later.”
“Did none of them fight?”
“They all did, all of them trying desperately to outrun the inevitable.” his voice sounded tired, “And I know you will fight too. It is in your nature... but ultimately...”
“Will you help us?”
He froze, “What?”
“Will you help us save our world?”
He turned to her and studied her for what seemed like minutes, “Why? What makes you different from all those other worlds? What makes you better or worth saving? Why should I dare interrupt a circle that has existed from the beginning of time?” he let his words sink in for a moment, “What makes you different?”
She eyed him with a sad face, “Nothing.” her voice was so quiet the others had to strain their ears, “Our lives are not worth more or less than any others... but life is always worth saving.” she took another step towards him, “There is nothing that makes this world special among all those others your kind has seen, I am sure... but it is our home, it is my home... and it has been your home as well. So please, help us.”
He simply stared at her, shocked at the weight of what she was asking him to do. In all the years of his tormented existence he had never found himself in such a situation. It scared him. Without another word, he vanished.
---
When he reappeared inside his cave he let his mask dismantle itself with a soft hiss before drawing in a shuddering breath. Help them... the idea left a sour taste in his mouth. They still knew only half the truth. They didn't know yet what would happen if his kind grew tired of waiting.
They did not know what he would have to do, should the hunger of the humans demand it.
He let out a long sigh, help them... what a strange request.