//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Night visit // Story: The Watcher // by GnollReader //------------------------------// For hours he just stood in the cave, trying to clear his mind of his troubled thoughts. No matter how hard he tried to push the matter aside, Celestia's words still lingered in his mind. How should he carry on now? He could simply ignore them for the rest of his stay, but actually talking to someone after such a long time... the aspect of another eternity of silence seemed strange to him now. Would he actually miss talking to them? He shook his head with a sigh and refocused on his work, the night had come once more and he still had work to do. But first, he wanted to check on something. The void started to collect around him as he sought his destination. Finding the desired point he performed the phase shift and let the void consume his form, carrying him away to a small cottage on the outskirts of the Everfree forest. --- As he reappeared outside the small cottage he took a moment to observe it in silence. It looked peaceful, silent and innocent. This was Fluttershy's home, this was the place where she took care of the animals of the forest. It was a commendable occupation in his opinion, even if it didn't really serve a practical purpose. He walked up to the little door and without a sound he shifted his form past it, stepping through the void and exiting on the other side of the wood. The little house was peaceful on the inside and decorated with many flowers and small furniture. It was... nice. The purveyor silently ascended the stairs as he searched the flow for signs of life. He found her and two other life forms upstairs, sleeping. He entered the room and surveyed the scene. Fluttershy was lying in her bed, a little bunny lying at the foot end of the bed, covered in a little blanket. He couldn't help but admire how peaceful they looked in their sleep. Sometimes he missed sleep, it offered a peace only those that weren't able to sleep anymore could comprehend. He took a moment to find the third flow, it was weak, but it was there. He walked up to the night stand beside Fluttershy's bed. There, in a little cardboard box filled with cotton wool and tiny blankets, a small mouse slept. He checked the flow around it. It was weak, barely holding on... The infection had taken its toll on the little creature, it would not survive another night. It bothered him. Why should he care for something so small and meaningless? It was barely a grain of energy, not worth his time or effort. Whether it lived or died would hold no importance to him, its passing would go unnoticed to the rest of this world. Its life simply didn't have any worth to him... but still... He remembered Fluttershy's eyes, innocent, full of hope... and how he had crushed that hope. He reached out and held his hand above the small creature. Would it be wrong? He could just end it now and spare the little thing another moment of misery. Or he could... no, that would be out of line. His hand trembled lightly, was he really contemplating this? Why should he even care? Why should he? He continued to stare at the little thing in silence, lost in his inner thoughts. He remembered her eyes... her tears... why should he care? He remembered his daughter. The void slowly started to form from his hand, dropping down and encasing the little mouse. For a moment he hesitated, but then he let void do its work, realigning the flow and encasing it. When he was done, he removed his hand again. The flow had been restored, the mouse would live. He watched it sleep for a moment longer before turning to leave again, but just as we was about to depart a voice from behind him whispered quietly, "Thank you." He didn't turn around, but just stood there for a moment longer before disappearing into the void again. --- When the void had relocated itself again in the Canterlot hospital he hesitated to step forth from it, Celestia was waiting for him. She took a moment to recognize the void swirling softly in the hallway before returning to looking through the glass at the newborn, "I knew you would come here..." she said with a quiet voice. After another moment of silence he stepped out of the void and quietly walked up next to her, joining her as they observed the sleeping newborn. For a while, they just stood there in silence, each lost in their own thoughts and worries. "Did you think about my words?" she asked quietly after what seemed like an eternity. "I did..." he replied. "Will you help us?" she asked with hope almost betraying her voice. "What you fail to understand, Celestia, is that these things cannot be averted. This world will die, no matter what action I take. The question you should ask is, what can I do?" he shook his head, "Even if I was to take action, you would have to offer some sort of compensation. My kind hungers, and I refuse to let it starve. What would you be willing to sacrifice?" "I would gladly sacrifice myself if it could save my subjects." "I know... but that alone would not be enough. You should ask yourself this, how many lives would you be willing to sacrifice just to save a few... and what of the other races that live in this world?" "There must be another way, I cannot let our world vanish... and I am not willing to sacrifice anyone, be it my ponies or any other race." "Even the ones that hate you?" "Even they deserve to live." she replied without hesitation. He looked at her, "That is very commendable, but I doubt you comprehend the meaning of what you demand." "I comprehend more than you grant me. I understand your kind requires the energy of dying worlds to survive." her voice got serious, "And I understand that even with your patience you will grow hungry with time..." he looked at her in wonder, had she already understood what could happen? "I know what hunger can drive a species to do... the changelings carry a similar burden." she turned to him, "Tell me, purveyor, when your kind threatens to starve... do you end it yourself?" He stared at her for a moment, not believing she had comprehended this fact so quickly. He sighed, "You are correct. There are millions of us that hunger in the void, and there are only a few hundred purveyors left to feed them." he looked at the foals again, "When our kind grows too hungry, when all of our resources run dry... we select the world with the least promising yield... and we end it." "How often did you have to do this?" she asked with sadness in her voice. "More often than I dare to remember." he replied heavily. He shook his head, "It was a mistake to reveal myself to your world, and it was a folly to talk to you of these things. What use is knowledge when it holds no hope?" "There is always hope." "And in the end it was always the last thing to die..." he said with a grave voice, "I should not have allowed myself to act on such a petty impulse, it was a mistake and I..." he suddenly stopped and stared at his hand. "What is it?" she asked with worry. "My hand..." he said with a puzzled voice. She looked at his hand with a questioning look, "What about it?" "I was cut..." he whispered. "Yes, but I thought..." "You don't understand... nothing is able to cut me... except..." he whirled around to face her, the shadows around him dancing wildly as he felt his blood starting to boil in anger, "The dagger." She took a step back, for the first time she could actually feel his presence. It was a rage the likes of which she had never witnessed before, everything she felt from him seemed to scream at her in anger. And for the first time she felt how ageless he was, his very existence seemed to crush her own. "What?" "The dagger! Where is it?" his voice thundered throught the hallway, shaking the walls of the hospital and causing the foals to start crying. He was a fool. How had he not noticed this before? How could he have been so blind? It had been right there in front of him the whole time and he had not seen it! The reason why he had intervened so impulsively, the reason for his worry... everything... Someone was playing a game with him and it would cost them dearly.