//------------------------------// // The Forest Part 1: Contact // Story: The Guardian // by InsaneBatPony //------------------------------// The sun set and the moon had risen to take its place. Luna looked to the darkened skies with a frown. The nocturnal forests came to life with the sounds of crickets, Timber Wolves, owls and other creatures of the night. Sticks crunched under Luna's silver shooed hooves, making noise wherever she stepped. Volos followed slowly behind her, keeping some distance between them. She looked back and could only see his glowing eyes; the rest of his body was obscured by shadow and darkness. His feet stomped and shook the ground as he followed her through the forest. His eyes traveled around the shadow, looking for nothing specific. He looked ahead and saw that Luna had stopped walking. He watched her turn her head around at him and glare. "We'll make camp here tonight," she said, turning away again. She sat down and summoned sticks from the trees around them. The sticks piled themselves into a neat stack and were ignited quickly. A blue flame flickered in front of them, casting small shadows. The heat given off was minimal at best and had a chill to it. Luna sighed heavily and closed her eyes. A small smile formed on her lips. "Princess of the Night and I can't even make a proper fire that gives off heat," she chuckled. She curled herself into a ball on the ground, her astral mane and tail still flowing. She began to whimper and shiver in the dim light of the unusual blue flame. Volos stayed silent and still, never moving forward. Luna remained in that position and did not move. Volos started to walk slowly toward where she lay and sat down beside her. Luna did not stir. He reached a hand over and placed it on her side. She fidgeted under his touch for a second. He moved it down her side and moved it back up again, repeatedly. "I'm not a dog," she said coldly. "Please stop." Volos removed his hand from her body and sat in silence, keeping his hand close to himself. "This is your fault you know." Volos looked over to her. "I had to take responsibility for your stupidity earlier and it got us both banished from the castle for a week." She looked up at him again, taking in what features she could see under the light of the fire. "Why did you leave the castle and cause such a commotion? When I found you I was ready to blow your head off your shoulders! Tell me why!" she screamed. She sat up again and glared daggers into Volos, who still remained silent; the only sound coming from his breathing. "Oh, that's right. You can't speak can you?" Volos looked over to Luna, his eyes lit brightly and casting a faint red glow onto part of his face. He stood up and turned away from Luna. She watched as he went farther into the trees and vanished into the darkness. Luna continued to glare into the nothingness before her, her eyes hard and cold. She felt her lip quiver and shake until she let out a cry of agony. Her eyes' floodgates opened and she let the hot tears flow. Laying back down, she continued to cry. 2 Volos walked through the darkness, his largely enhanced vision making casting a yellow outline over any and all solid objects while giving off a green tint to the available light. He continued walking and only stopped to examine any unfamiliar surroundings. He saw a large log in the distance and sat down on it. He looked around the spans of trees, shrubs, and grass before him. The forest was filled with sound and yet the immediate area was silent and void of life. He strained his auditory sensors, amplifying all sound around him. He could hear all the voices of the forest. The birds, the wolves, and down to the smallest of creatures. Voices. All living things have a voice. Volos let out a low rumble and increased the volume slightly each passing second. Eventually his growl reached a decibel level similar to a roar but stopped just short. He stopped and listened again. All the sounds had stopped. now the area around him was filled with total silence. "Why do you do this to yourself?" he heard a voice ask. He waited and listened for the voice again and growled. "Pull yourself together, all is not lost," he heard again. He looked around but still saw only darkness. He checked his A.I slot and found nothing in it. "Your mission remains the same, but you must gain control of yourself. Do not give in to your instincts." The voice disappeared and the silence took its place. Volos stood up again and punched the tree next to him, shattering the impact zone into a thousand tiny fragments. The tree remained standing, but only slightly. His head turned as he heard a noise and saw a faint blue light approaching from the distance. 3 Luna's small blue flame continued to flicker dimly in the darkness while the Princess of the Moon kept her head on the ground and her eyes closed. Her sobbing had ceased and all that remained of it was the matted fur below her eyes and an occasional sniffle. Her chest rose and fell steadily and her breathing was more regular than not. A cold wind blew from behind her. She shivered and curled herself into a tighter ball, squeezing her eyes even more. The wind continued to blow and howl throughout the Everfree Forest until it suddenly stopped. Luna opened her eyes and looked around when a warmth fell onto her body. Standing in front of her were two extremely large Alicorns. One had a large, muscular build, and massive wings were tucked to his side. Its horn stuck out a full four feet out from its head and had large steely eyes. The other was of a similar build but with a skinnier frame and a more delicate demeanor. "Luna," the larger one said. Luna's eyes became large and she stared at the two Alicorns. "Mom? Dad?" she asked, disbelieving. The two Alicorns nodded. "But how? Where are we? And..." "Relax child, all your questions will be answered," spoke the thinner Alicorn. "Mother, what is this place?" "This is the Astral Plane love. This is where you became an Alicorn. It seems like it was so long ago now. Doesn't it dear?" The larger Alicorn nodded slowly. "Yes it does. But this is not the reason you are here once again." he spoke in a commanding tone. "The reason we have brought you here is that we have an important matter to discuss and it can no longer wait." "Yes. A matter that should have been addressed when you were still just a filly, but we hesitated to bring it up," Mother spoke. "Why now though. This seems so sudden," Luna said, concerned. "Because now is a good time and we are running out of time," Father said. Mother stepped forward and sat down in front of Luna. "We have been watching you since the day we passed the throne onto you and Celestia. And we have been so proud of you," she said softly. "But we need to discuss the Nightmare Moon events." "I put that behind me! I don't need to be lectured! I know what I did and I paid the price!" Luna shouted. "We know. But the matter of how it came to happen is what we need to discuss, as well as another matter regarding your birth," Father spoke once again. "How do mean?" Luna asked. "When you were born there was something different about you, sweetheart. The jealousy you felt was a completely natural phenomenon, but the intensity of it was greater than normal," Mother explained. "When a colt or filly is born their souls are pure and the experiences during their lives are what shape them and new emotions will develop as a result. Some ponies are extremely generous, sometimes exorbitantly so, while others feel the need to take and never give back. The same is true of every pony in existence, including you father and I." "What does this have to do with Nightmare Moon?" "You were born with a soul as dark as the night-skies you command. This was unheard of and, to be blunt, repulsive," Father said. "However, your mother and I raised you up anyway. And while I would never regret the decision we made, the older you became the darker your spirit became. When the time came for me to pass on my throne to you, I did so willingly. I knew that the time for my reign was over and yours was to begin." "But as you ruled the night, I passed the throne to Celestia," Mother sighed. "And we watched as Celestia received the glory that naturally came with daylight and watched as you fell deeper into Celestia's ever growing shadow. Then one day you refused to lower the moon..." "And on that day, your soul became a void, Nightmare Moon surfaced and remained," Father interrupted. "But how is any of this relevant?! You speak of my soul and how it was dark and a void but I fail to see how this is important!" Luna screamed, trying to block out their words. "You became jealous of your sister and tried to steal her right to rule! Your jealousy went far beyond the bounds of any normal Pony and you took your anger and hatred to a level unto itself! You were not jealous and angry at your sister, she became the target of it! The hatred and rage that drove Nightmare Moon did not come from the jealousy you felt but from somewhere else entirely!" Father bellowed in anger, causing Luna to recoil. "We speak of your soul because it not of Ponykind!" Father quickly became silent. And looked away from Luna and her mother. "Forgive my tone, it was uncalled for." He looked over his shoulder. "These things you hear are for your ears only. Celestia vaguely knows as much as we have said already and I have said too much." Father's form vanished in an instant, without another word. "M...M...Mother? What does he mean?" Luna asked, between sniffles. Mother sighed and looked into Luna's pleading eyes. "Unfortunately dear, some things we cannot tell you. I cannot tell you directly about what your father meant but I can tell you what to do next. And when the time is right, we will speak to you again." 4 Volos remained still as the blue light became brighter until it overtook him. His eyes never shut down as he observed the change in scenery. The world around him twisted and bent and sank into the ground below. In its place came a large, enclosed room of silver metal with a blue apparition standing in the center. Volos stared. The apparition stared back and scowled. "I am Athena," it said. "It took long enough to contact you, Volos." Volos began to growl and looked at the ghost tentatively. "Be silent. I only wish to speak with you for moment." Volos remained in his current status. "Very well," it sighed. "I have been watching you Volos. Your endeavors thus far have been adequate at best. However, I have sensed something growing inside the creature that travels by your side. I am unsure of what, but its power cannot be denied or ignored. You must keep her close and keep an ever watchful eye over her." Volos relaxed his posture slightly and continued watching his visitor, and hummed quietly as his intrigue grew. "I see that you are taking my words to heart. This is good" The room began to disintegrate slowly and fall apart. The apparition looked around with worry. "My intrusion into your mainframe was weak at best, and now I'm being kicked out! Keep vigil over the creature you travel with! Something is in it that should not be!" The room continued to break and crumble around them. "I will upload your next mission to you. It will help you later!" 5 The world collapsed around Volos and he was standing inside the forest once again. He growled and moved through the trees again. The flicker of blue fire showed slightly through the trees as he followed its dim light. He emerged from the trees and found Luna staring into the fire. He went over and sat down beside her. Luna looked over and scooted closer to Volos. "Sorry about earlier," she whispered. She lay down on the dirt again and closed her eyes, and drifted into sleep. Volos remained sitting and looked at the fire. His glance passed from the fire and onto Luna. He hummed as he watched her sleep. Activating his scanner, he put himself into standby; the scanner never stopping.