//------------------------------// // Prologue 3: The Adventure Begins // Story: My Little Warriors // by DisgruntledBrony //------------------------------// Twilight awoke to the feeling of warmth. She was being clutched by some sort of life form. Oddly though, she did not find it scary. The embrace felt warm, and caring. Almost like a hug. As she stood up, a pair of long limbs fell off of her. “Arms. They’re called arms.” “Wha...?!” Twilight stumbled back at the sound, falling off the being in the process. “Call me Zeke.” Twilight searched for the source, spinning around to get a 360 degree view. She stopped when she saw her friends hiding behind Princes Celestia. “Hey girls…Um…Why are you hiding?” “They’re probably scared of me.” “Who keeps talking?” Twilight wheeled around again. She again saw nothing but her friends and her teacher. “No one is speaking, Twilight. What do you hear?” Celestia took a step forward, the five smaller ponies right at her heel.” “Y-you mean you don’t hear that voice?” “Ah ain’t heard nothing unordinary since that thing fell over.” Applejack chimed in, slowly moving from behind the Princess. “Yeah,” Rainbow Dash followed Applejack out. “What is it, anyways?” “Um…I think he said to call him Zeke” Fluttershy whispered. The small cavern helped amplify her voice to an audible level. “Wait…Did you say Zeke?” Twilight’s face froze. She felt a panic attack rising in her. The voice only she could here had called itself Zeke as well…Maybe a coincidence? “I think not.” The color seemed to visibly drain from Twilight. A voice no one else could here. That meant either a spell she hadn’t heard of before that allowed singular communication within earshot of multiple ponies, or the voice was in her head. The first was a definite no. A spell that useful would be common knowledge. Which left… “Ah. Seems the kindling finally caught flame. I’m sure you have many questions, but the one who attacked me is still injured, and I don’t know how long she has left.” “Who attacked you? And what did you do to them?” Once again, Twilight found herself looking around the small chamber. The ponies who were previously staring at her like she were crazy suddenly remembered Luna, and rushed over to her now unconscious form. Celestia bathed her sister in a magical aura. “She will recover, but she needs medical attention now. I shall return shortly.” With a moment of hesitation to look at the fallen body of Zeke, she whisked her sister away in a flash of light. “Whatever were you thinking, Twilight?” Rarity was first to break the short silence. “I admit I’ve seen you do some crazy things, but touching an unknown magical item with your horn? And now look where we are! Luna is lucky to be alive.” “I don’t know what happened to me, Rarity.” Twilight lowered her head in a depressed manner. “My element just seemed to take over for a second. The next thing I recall is waking up with this voice in my head.” “I told you my name. Is it so hard to use it?” “How about before you go asking favors, you explain why you’re in here in the first place?” “There are a few reasons. The only reason you can hear me now is because my body is resting. While it does, my mind dwells within you. “And why is such a thing necessary? Can you not stay in your own head?” “Apparently not. This is the nature of such a bond.” “Are you speaking of the contract? What does this contract entail? Aside from having a monster in my head.” “And who, pray tell, is the one who woke this monster?” “Had I known the implications, I never would have approached the dais.” “And your world would have burned for your vanity.” Twilight flinched at the sudden hostility in his voice. “What do you mean?” “If I am awake, then the seal is broken. He is free, if only partially. It is only a matter of time before he moves to destroy this world.” “What are you talking about? Who is he? What evil did you bring to us?” “ENOUGH! If you want more information, then perhaps you should find something less monstrous to share your mind with.” At this, the voice fell silent. A faint presence that Twilight had felt during the conversation dwindled into a small speck in her mind’s eye. It was clear that Zeke would talk no more. “UGH! What is with him! He invades my mind, and then complains when I ask why?” Twilight snorted in frustration. “Think about this from his perspective, Twilight.” Celestia had returned during the mental banter. “He has been imprisoned here since before I even had this castle built. The fact that he has the mental capacity to hold conversation is impressive in itself. Yet the first thing he experiences as he steps from his prison is an assault and now being called a monster.” “Look at him!” Twilight vigorously pointed at the prone body with her hoof. “What else could he be but a monster?” “If I recall, you said the same about Zecora. How lonely do you think she felt at that time? And that was only a few years’ worth of isolation. He’s been alone for longer than Luna or I have been alive.” Twilight's voice caught at that. The incident still hit her worth pangs of guilt. And now the same situation was before her again. A chance to redeem herself. And she had failed. She looked to her friends for support. But found none. They all looked at her with the same expression Celestia now wore. Disappointment. Twilight bowed her head, humbled. “You’re right, Princess. I should not have judged him so harshly. Can you forgive me?” “That is not a question you should be asking me.” Twilight sighed. Why did doing the right thing make her so nervous? “Hey, can you hear me?” The silence echoed loudly “He’s not answering. I…may have angered him.” “Then you should apologize as soon as he has calmed down. In the meantime, I think we’ve all had enough of this cavern.” “Thank you, Celestia! I can’t wait to get to the open sky again!” Rainbow Dash jumped into the air, snapping the tension with her usual spunk. “Oh, does this mean I get to throw a welcome party?” Pinkie bounced over to the body…Zeke’s body, Twilight told herself…and began prodding it with her hoof. “Maybe later. I don’t know if he’s ready for a Pinkie Pie party so soon after waking up.” Twilight walked over to Zeke. Focusing her magic, she lifted him with a levitation spell. As soon as she did, she felt a strange tingle in the mental speck that Zeke currently inhabited. She hoped he would return, but all she got was a mental image of the claws on the altar, with the metal bands around them. She assumed they were important and picked them up as well. When everyone was assembled, Celestia teleported them out. “I must go and replace the wards around the cavern.” She announced. She called for one of the guards outside the throne room. “Take these ponies to the guest rooms. They are free to stay here until I say otherwise.” The guard nodded once and gestured for the ponies to follow him. “I will come to you when I am finished, Twilight. There is much to discuss regarding this…Zeke…” “I will be waiting, Princess. Each girl had gotten their own room. Zeke had gotten his own as well, though Twilight decided to stay in his room until the Princess showed up. Zeke himself lay silently on the bed, his lower body covered by a single sheet. The rise and fall of his chest was the only thing that proved him still alive. Twilight sat on an armchair next to the bed. The more she thought about her and Zeke’s conversation, the worse she felt. He was probably happy beyond belief to be freed, and she treated him like so much dirt. What’s more, she had blamed him for the entire situation. And the whole time, he was probably just as confused as she was. Eventually, her inner thoughts passed into a fitful sleep. Flashes of fire and metal glinted at her as she ran through a forest. Something yelled behind her, and she screamed as she felt a searing line of pain cross her back. She awoke and promptly fell out of the chair in shock. The dream had felt so real. Yet she had never seen a forest like that one before. Remembering where she was, and why, she glanced at the bed. Then did a double-take. It was empty. She stared at it for a few seconds, wondering if the past day had been just a great big dream. A breeze blew through the room, drawing Twilights attention to the balcony door, which was wide open. As she walked around the bed to get to the door, she nearly tripped on Spike. Twilight had told him to stay in the room given to her, but it seems he was too worried, and had opted to sneak in here to sleep next to her. She carefully stepped over her number one assistant, making her way to the balcony door. Her dream theory was shattered as she spotted the bipedal form of Zeke standing at the balcony’s edge. He had tied one of the bed sheets around his waist, and it softly fluttered in the light breeze. He appeared to be speaking to someone, in a language she did not know. The voice of Princess Celestia responded in the same language. Twilight had planned to let them continue in peace, but something caught her eye. Stretched across his back was a large scar. Twilight shuddered as her mind traced the path of pain from her dream. Apparently, it was more than a dream. Her curiosity peaked at this new theory, and she decided to intrude on the conversation. “Is that you, Princess?” She asked softly. She had not seen Celestia, but her voice was hard to match. “It is. Did we disturb your slumber?” Celestia dropped down from the eaves above the doorway. Twilight could not fathom why she was up there. “No…A nightmare woke me…” “Ah. I hope it wasn’t too unpleasant.” “Actually, it involved a great deal of pain. A wound which would have left a scar similar to Zeke’s.” Celestia frowned and returned to conversing with Zeke in that language. Twilight tried her best to discern any familiar words, but none could be heard. “It would seem you are reliving some of Zeke’s old memories. During his imprisonment, his body was deformed into a very basic outline of what he originally looked like. As your bond deepens, you will more than likely experience more memories of his, which will slowly return his form to its true state.” Celestia stepped inside, shivering slightly from the cool night. “I must say, I am more than interested in this strange connection. We have never fully understood the Elements of Harmony, but every time we think we understand something new, they perform a new miracle, and leave us staring in awe.” During this entire conversation, Zeke had remained still, facing the night sky. He now placed his hands on the railing, resting his weight on them. The sudden movement caught Twilights eye, and she suddenly remembered that she owed him an apology. “Princess, can I ask you to translate something for me?” Catching on, Celestia smiled faintly. “I could…but it would seem a lot more sincere if you did it yourself…” “But he can’t understand me…” “If your heart is in the right place, I’m sure he will get the message.” Celestia moved further into the room and motioned for Twilight to join him on the balcony. Twilight slowly walked out into the breeze. She immediately shivered. She had no idea how Zeke could stand it out here in nothing but a bed sheet. Maybe he was originally from a cold climate? But he was trapped above a pit of lava for Celestia knows how many years. Surely he must find heat more comfortable than cold. Unless that was another part of the torture he had endured. Her thoughts were laid to rest as she approached him. He seemed to radiate a very real warmth, and she felt the shivers leave her almost instantly as she approached him. “Zeke…Hey, Zeke?” Twilight softly prodded his leg with her foreleg. This caught his attention, and he looked down at her. “I just wanted to tell you…I was being very insensitive back in the cave. I should have thought about how you feel, but instead I just thought about myself. That was very selfish of me. I have no idea what you are or why you are here, but I promise I’ll help you any way I can. Really…I’m just trying to say…I’m sorry…I hope we can still be friends?” Twilight continued staring into his eyes after she had finished. She could barely see them in the low light. They were much smaller than a pony’s. After a while, though, he had still not moved. Twilight began to feel embarrassed. Maybe he had not gotten the message after all? But Celestia said if her heart was in the right place…Was it in the right place? I mean, sure, she had wanted to apologize, but was it for her benefit or his? As she stood there, slowly beginning to doubt herself, her head lowered. She could not bear to look at him anymore. Her guilt began eating away at her. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she heard a rustle as Zeke moved. She lifted her head to stare directly into his eyes. He had kneeled, and was now just under eye level with her. She was finally able to get a good view of his eyes. What she saw caused tears to slowly stream down her face. She saw her own eyes. A familiar shade of purple. Probably another side effect of their bond. But she also saw more. She saw pain, loneliness, desperation, sadness. A whole host of negative emotions smoldered behind his eyes. But on top of all those, she saw something else. Something that spoke to her plain as day. She saw acceptance. He had gotten her message. As her tears fell from her face, Zeke slowly wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into a hug. It’s strange. Worlds and eons separated them, but a hug still meant the same thing. The morning sun shined brightly through the stained glass windows of the throne room. Celestia and a still injured, but much very much recovered, Luna sat upon their thrones. The Elements of Harmony, Spike, and Zeke stood before them. Celestia had asked the royal maids to prepare a simple robe for him, as they had no idea how to make proper clothes for his form. "Zeke and I have discussed his reason for being here. He says that he and five others willingly submitted themselves to what was supposed to be an eternal prison, using their own bodies, which he says were extremely powerful, in a sealing ritual to imprison an evil being that wished for the destruction of their world. The very evil, it seems, that was released when Sombra fell. This evil will undoubtedly attempt to destroy our world as well.” “Pffft! Big deal! We’ll just zap this evil dude with the elements and BAM! Back to prison with him!” Rainbow Dash proudly flashed her necklace while saying this. “I believed that as well, at first. But after describing the Element’s power to Zeke, he seems to believe that the gems that give power to your harmonious traits were somehow draining said power from him and his friends. If they could not fully defeat this evil with their full strength combined, how could we hope to defeat it just from borrowing some of their strength?” “What sort of evil is this, Princess? Surely it must take some kind of form.” Twilight looked at Zeke. “Did he not say what this evil was?” “He says that not even they could figure out what it was, where it came from, or why it wished destruction upon its world.” “Then it seems our next action is clear.” Rarity stepped forward. “We must find these poor beings and free them. It seems to be our only hope.” “I agree. However, there are a few things we must take care of first.” Celestia levitated a roll of parchment over to Twilight, who took it in her magic. “That is a written consent form, signed by Luna and I, allowing the being Zeke to operate with Equestria as a foreign agent. This afternoon, we shall publicly announce his existence to the world, and ask that any unusual magical signatures be reported to the Royal Guard. Hopefully, this will speed our search for the other five. While we wait for information, I want Zeke to go with you to Ponyville. I want you to begin teaching him about our culture, traditions, and, more importantly, our language.” “You can count on us, Princess!” Pinkie Pie was suddenly on top of Zeke’s shoulders, smiling like the fate of Equestria didn’t rest on them yet again. The other ponies froze, nervous about Zeke’s reaction to Pinkie’s peculiar ability to break reality. They relaxed after he showed no reaction. In fact, he seemed to be rather bored. His vision wandered all over the room and he occasionally muttered to himself. Considering he had not understood a single bit of the conversation, he probably was bored. Celestia decided to wrap things up before he got too bored. Best not to test the patience of a being with such power. You never know how they’ll react. A few hours later, they were on the train and nearing Ponyville. Spike, being the only one who could communicate with Zeke, was trying to explain the train’s mechanics to him. It had taken way too long to coax Zeke into the “loud metal monstrosity,” as he had apparently said. After his initial anxiety, his curiosity took the lead, and Spike had to constantly ask the girls for information before relaying it back to Zeke. As the train pulled into Ponyville, the group was surprised to see a crowd gathered at the station. Twilight trotted over to one of the local guards as they entered the private car Celestia had arranged for them to travel in. “What’s going on out there?” The guard sighed. “Princess Celestia announced the presence of this Zeke fellow about two hours ago. As you know, pegasi fly faster than a train can roll, so the news arrived here about a half hour ago. This crowd immediately formed, hoping for a glimpse.” Spike looked out the window before jumping back as a green unicorn plastered her face to the other side. “Uh…Twilight? Lyra’s here…” “Oh, great. So much for doing this the easy way. Sorry about this girls, but I’m going to teleport him to the library. It’ll be easier than trying to hide him.” Twilight trotted back from the guard to stand by Zeke. “I’m sure your families will want to hear about this and celebrate your return, so how about we meet at my place, say…tomorrow afternoon?” “That sounds fine by me, Twi.” AJ waved her hoof at the pair. “Ya’ll stay safe now.” The crowd outside watched as the private car’s windows flashed purple. “Spike, I thought you were gonna tell him about the teleport?” “You didn’t give me enough time!” Zeke, upon arriving, had fallen to the ground, before scampering into a corner. “Well, tell him now!” “I’m trying, but I keep having to stop to answer you!” As the dragon spoke to Zeke, Twilight watched, willing him to calm down. A flash went off in her head. He was showing her the image of the claws with the metal bands again. She went to her saddlebags and retrieved the sculpture, levitating it to Zeke. Who promptly took it and smashed it to the ground. “Hey! What was that all about?” Spike shrugged. “I dunno…He hasn’t said anything.” He rifled through the rubble, picking up the metal bands and sliding them onto each individual claw as he found them. Eight in all. He continued searching, before looking up and flashing another picture in Twilight’s mind. It looked like some sort of medallion. “Tell him I didn’t see anything like that, Spike.” “What? Okay…” Spike relayed the message. Zeke responded with a rather rough sounding hiss. “I’m…not gonna translate that…” “Has he calmed down at all?” “A good bit, actually. Those bands must be important.” “Can you ask him if he’s alright enough to start learning our language?” Spike asked, then nodded. “He says the sooner he can talk to you, the better.” Twilight blushed lightly at the sight desperation in that sentence. “Well then, let’s get started.” She said, levitating a roll of parchment, a quill, and a dictionary over to her desk.