//------------------------------//
// 29 
// Story: Slave of Eternity 
// by Secrets and Lies 
//------------------------------//


(29)






        The sound of wind rushing over a distant meadow could be heard far away. Water flowing around half sunken stones babbled the sweet song of a near by river. Birds sung to one another from tree to tree, calling out to their kin. The warm rays of a midday sun bathed over a pony as he slowly awoke. He was not sure where he was.
A gentle light filled his eyes as they opened and blurred from slumber. He blinked a few times, taking in the familiar sounds that felt so strange to him. He knew he wasn’t suppose to be here, and he thought that maybe perhaps that this was some dream. The breeze that blew across his coat and mane as he lay on the grass assured him that his was too real to be a dream or vision.
He slowly rocked himself up off of his side as his sight finally adjusted to the light of day. He sat up with his head held high in alert, looking about the area where he was. The stallion found himself in a calm, grassy field with the forest far encompassing around him. To his left he spied the source of the river as it snaked along the eastern edge of the field, flowing from the far hills north and the even further mountains. He looked up to note the blue sky with hardly any clouds on the horizon; even though this wasn’t a dream, it seemed surreal and uncomfortable. The troubling notion came over him that this place wasn’t suppose to be here, and then finally his memory came to. He had died atop the mountain with his lover. Discord had killed him.
A great panic consumed him. He had become flustered and uneasy, almost sick from the thought of death and that this place was the afterlife. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to take everything in with a new meaning, and that’s when he noticed something odd not too far away. A depression in the tall grass took the stallion’s attention, filling his worry with confusion. Something was there, lying in the field below the weeds and greenery; and cautiously he approached it to see what it was.
Once he saw what was in the grass, he gasped aloud. It was a mare lying unconscious on her side; he stepped closer with his eyes affixed on the beauty. He gently nudged her with a hoof and brought it back quickly. The pony awoke relaxed and steady, taking as much time as the stallion did to fully awake and realize what was going on. She turned her head upward and her eyes met with the stallion’s. The two looked at one another with strange bewilderment on each of their faces. He finally reached a hoof out to help the mare up and she obliged his gesture. He sat her up on her hooves as she began to look around and take in the bright world around her. They stood silently, each was unsure as to what to say, for they had no real clue where they were.
She finally looked up at him and softly asked, “Are we... dead?”
He looked back at her, answering with uncertainty in his tone, “I’m not sure... you remember the–”
“Yes, I remember... we died.”
“So it would make sense that we’re dead.”
The two were quiet once again, listening to the wind and birds over the strangely recognizable landscape. Both had parallel, uncanny feelings set over them–seeing this world and taking it in as the place you go to after you die.
The stallion wondered aloud, wanting a second opinion on his speculation, “The land of the dead sure does look a lot like Equestria...” He looked to his side and mentioned, “And my wing,” he noted, noticed he still only had one wing. The other had been torn off during the battle; yet here in the land of the dead, his injuries had not been healed fully.
The mare agreed, “It does resemble Equestria... but wouldn’t this place be filled with others? Like my grandmother or... or Zachary?”
The couple’s attention were cut by the sound of a distant pair of wings flapping. Over the top of the forest flew a single gray pegasus pony with a brown, leather bag saddled over its side. It spotted the two ponies from high above and began its shaky descent. As its hooves made contact with the ground, the pony skidded to a halt, tripping over its own legs before the two. It quickly rose up and shook its head wildly–the pony’s yellow, short mane flipping side to side.
When the mare recovered, she remarked, “Sorry ‘bout that.” She began to look around the place she had landed with both eyes searching in different directions.
She lightly commented, “Nice place to have a picnic! You know, it took a while to find you guys, but I did it!” The mare then turned her head and undid the latch on the side of her saddle bag. As she searched her satchel, the couple looked at each other with baffled faces. The stallion knew who this mail mare was, and he began to think that maybe this wasn’t the afterlife at all. The mail mare turned back with a white envelope in her mouth. Valiant used his one wing to take it out of the mare’s mouth and scanned the outside of the message.
As he did, the mail mare commented, “That’s some high priority mail right there, straight from the Princess herself!”
The stallion noticed Celestia’s royal seal stamped on the back with wax, and on the front it only read, ‘To Valiant Steed - Six Star General of Harmony’. Gale came closer to him to read the front of the envelope, as did the curious mail mare who hovered behind the two. He opened it in his hooves and from it he unfolded a small, light yellow card. Before Valiant and Gale could read it, they looked back at the mail mare behind them, giving her the signal that she was to leave. The pegasus pony blushed and hurried away off into the sky to complete her routes.
Once she had gone, the two read the message in privacy. As their eyes followed each line of text, smiles found their way across their faces. Once they read the letter, they looked at each other and hugged one another triumphantly. With no time wasted, they quickly galloped away off of the hill and left the letter and envelope in the grass behind.





        In the darkness of a vividly colored bedroom, a pink pony was snuggled up in her sheets. She bore a gentle smile on her face as her light breathes moved the covers atop her up and down. A quiet hoof brushed through her hair once after putting her in bed. With deft hooves, they moved to tuck the blanket in around the mare. Finally, the hoof from the unknown pony laid a single, small envelope on the edge of her bed with the same royal seal waxed on the back. As the equine walked backwards away from the sleeping pony, it clumsily stepped on a squeaking toy which yelped out loudly. The pink pony did not stir and the stealthy being retained its secrecy. It finally crept back out of the room and closed the door, silently turning the knob before shutting it completely and making sure it would not make a sound when finally closing.
It wasn’t long afterwards until the pink mare shot out of bed in a quick panic. She remembered everything that had happened to her and began to feel her chest for the hole that was made from the fatal beam of magic. To her surprise, she felt and saw nothing. She was fine and seemingly healthy, but was highly confused as to how she ended up in her bedroom.
She never noticed the letter as she tossed the blankets off onto the floor and pushed away the drapes over her window. The light of a new day broke through as she squinted her eyes. As her vision adjusted, she opened the window and looked out over Ponyville to see it like it always is at this time. It was bustling with ponies going this way and that, going about their business and out shopping in the local markets. She stood in the window for quite some time, her mind racing as to how this could have happened while her expression sported bewilderment and stupefaction. She disregarded the friendly ponies who saw and waved at her below the window above Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was too caught up in her mind and rudely she stared wide eyed at the ponies below who were once dead not too long ago.
“Good Morning, Pinkie Pie,” a friendly, yellow earth pony said from the streets below. “I didn’t see you when I went to get my breakfast this morning at Sugarcube Corner. You must be feeling under the weather. I hope you–”
Pinkie blurted out in a sudden rage, “Nothing makes sense anymore!” She reached out and slammed the window shut with a force that nearly broke the glass. She raced out her bedroom door, ignoring her pet alligator, Gummy, who held the envelope with her answers in it. Her pet was persistent however, and he slowly waddled after Pinkie, dragging the letter along.
In an instant, she zoomed out of the front door of the bakery and towards Twilight’s Library for answers. She cared not for the individuals in her way, knocking over other ponies to reach her destination quicker. The pony was usually very courteous when navigating her town, but today was different and she madly sought the truth. Pinkie finally reached the Ponyville Library and with a great leap, she broke down the wooden door and slid to a halt in the middle of the library.
Twilight Sparkle was in the middle of her midday tea break as she witnessed Pinkie Pie break down her front door. Her mouth gaped open as tea trickled down her chin and onto the floor. As soon as she swallowed, Pinkie had pressed her face up against hers, unreasonably inside of her personal bubble of comfort.
“Pinkie Pie,” the unicorn demanded, with a hint of fear in her voice, “what in Equestria is wrong with you!?”
“What in Equestria is wrong with Equestria!” She frantically breathed as cold sweat poured over her pink coat. Her eyes were wet with panic and face was red with uncontrollable emotions; Twilight came to realize something dreadful had happened, so she changed her upset mood to cope with whatever Pinkie was dealing with.
She tried to console her saying, “What happened? What’s going on?” Pinkie began to blurt out words, pushing out her rapid thoughts too fast to fluently speak or make sense of.
“Discord! Changelings! Luna! Airships! Everypony dead! Ginormously big ‘ol ‘huge’ death ball thing! End of the world! Za–” She suddenly stopped as her ears perked up. She had nearly forgotten about him, and this seemed to upset her even more. She placed her hooves on Twilight’s cheeks, pushing them together and screaming in her face, “Zack! Zack! Where’s Zack? Where’s Zack! Tell me where he is! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Where is he? Tell me! Tell me NOW!”
“What are you talking about? What’s Zack? What is a ‘Zack’?” Twilight pushed off of Pinkie saying, “I thought you were crazy before, but this is insane! What about Discord? We defeated him a few days ago, remember? Changelings, what are changelings exactly? Luna? Airships? A large death ball? End of the world? You’ve really lost it this time, haven’t you?”
As those words left the unicorn’s mouth, Pinkie did finally snap. The earth mare violently pushed Twilight out of her seat and knocked the chair she had once sat in out of the way. She became hostile and Twilight realized this quickly. The unicorn shuffled backwards as Pinkie stomped forward, pinning her against the wall. Her nostrils flared with every rising breath as her eyes burned with a fury the purple pony had never seen. Spike raced down stairs to see what was going on and Pinkie noticed. He smiled upon seeing the party pony, yet didn’t take in the fact that Twilight was in danger.
Trying to be cool, he nonchalantly said, “Where’s the party at?”
She quickly turned, grabbed one of the legs of the chair she had pushed over and flung it at the dragon. Spike was nearly hit as he ducked for cover. It shattered to pieces above him and he scurried away for fear of his safety. The pink mare turned back around swiftly–Twilight had remained in her position, too afraid to move.
Pinkie roared out, “Don’t play games with me, Twilight Sparkle! Ponyville was taken over by changelings and then set on fire! How is it still here now? You were killed when Zack stabbed you in the chest, as well as all of our friends! How are we all alive? What’s going on? What’s happening around here? I want answers! I want answers!” Twilight didn’t know how to respond, she had no memory of these events and was utterly confused. One wrong word could send her friend into another frenzy, but she didn’t know what to say.
“I... I don’t... P-pinkie...” the unicorn stammered, making the earth pony even more angry. 
Before Pinkie did anything she would regret, between her legs ambled her little alligator. Twilight and Pinkie looked down to witness Gummy turn towards his owner with the envelope in his jaws. Pinkie held her breath and grabbed the letter from Gummy’s harmless maw. She proceeded to open the letter by tearing it wildly from each corner until she left a heap of ripped paper on the floor. She turned the letter upside down and began to read it, Twilight patiently watched to see the outcome of this even stranger moment. Once Pinkie finished, she lowered the letter and softly smiled at the purple pony before her. As if all of her emotions of anger, fear and sadness were suddenly swept away by the wind, she appeared like her old, blissful self again. She forcefully laughed while backing away from Twilight, feeling utterly ashamed of herself.
With a regretful tone, she chuckled, “Heh, sorry about... that...” She suddenly turned towards the door and quickly blurted out, “Got-to-go-bye-see-ya-chao!” She dashed out of the broken door of the library without a word as to where she was going.





        As the train left the Canterlot Station, from the platform sauntered Valiant Steed and Gale. As they exited their gate and out into the Canterlot Entryway, Gale looked about and took in a breath of fresh mountain air.
“So this is where you grew up,” she asked Valiant.
“Yep, but you should have seen it years ago. It wasn’t as clean and, well, ‘ostentatious’ when I lived here. They did a whole reformation of the city about several years ago. In fact, if we were to go back in time, this location would have been the slums.” Gale had a hard time taking that in, seeing as how this seemed to be a high-end part of town with luxury stores and alabaster-colored buildings.
Their attention was caught suddenly by a frantic, sweaty Pinkie Pie looking about the cobblestone streets as if searching to see if Zachary was walking about. 
Gale pointed out the pony with hesitation, “I-is that that one pink mare who was on Dragon Peak with us?”
Valiant affirmed her suspicions, “Yep, looks like that’s Pinkie. Wait, we never saw her on the train though... Did she run here from Ponyville?”
Almost as quickly as they saw Pinkie Pie, she saw the two watching her with wondering looks. Her eyes grew with disbelief and soon the pony rushed over in a frantic gallop, nearly colliding into Valiant. The pegasus stallion had stopped her before she barged into him, then hugged her tightly with affection. Gale was not informed of their relationship, but could clearly see that Valiant was only a friend to the pink pony. He held her back away from him as she looked up towards the tall stallion. Her lower lip quivered with distress as her form trembled with uneasiness. 
She then spoke out in a shaky voice, “D-do you remember me?” Pinkie wanted to make sure Valiant still knew her, even though he had just hugged her.
“Of course,” he laughed. “How could I forget you, Pinkie Pie?”
She looked away, still unsure if he really remembered her. Not once did the pink pony notice or even acknowledged the mare beside Valiant, who waited patiently to properly greet herself. Pinkie’s mind reeled with wanting to know if Valiant truly remembered her. Her flustered and panicked mood soon took a drastic turn as her eyes flashed with intensity.
She snapped at the stallion asking, “If you really remember me, then who’s my best friend?” The pony pressed her nuzzle against his with a grave look of concern and vexation across her face. He blinked, very confused as to what Pinkie was actually feeling and wanting to know.
He answered with uncertainty, “Zack?” She raised an eyebrow at his response, seeing how he was right. Nonetheless, she pressed her nose against his once again, demanding for him to answer another question of hers.
“Ya well, who’s Zack?”
“Zack’s... your best friend?”
“...Then who’s my best friend?”
Valiant pushed her away and insisted, “Yes, I remember Zack. Yes, I remember being killed. And yes, so does Gale,” he said while resting a hoof around her. Pinkie never got to know Valiant’s mare friend, but she had seen her before when they were all atop Dragon Peak.
Valiant introduced her saying, “Pinkie, this is Gale Marestorm. She’s Cloudsdale’s leading General.” He turned to the gray pegasus mare and followed up his greeting, “Gale, this is Pinkie Pie, one of the six Elements of Harmony.”
Gale smiled saying, “It’s so nice to properly meet you! Valiant’s told me so much about you! It’s a shame we were only able to meet now instead of before that whole dilemma.” She went on to clarify, “Oh, I’d like to retire that old title of mine, I don’t believe that I was truly cut out to be a warrior pegasi anymore. I’m just a regular pony!”
Pinkie had zoned out after the pegasus pony finished her first sentence, thinking about other things. She had practiced long and hard on how to pretend to look as if still listening intently to others while truly being submersed in her own deep thought.
Pinkie was a bit annoyed–seething over the fact that this mare had taken her second choice when it came to a possibly fruitful relationship. She had always found Valiant attracting, even before Zachary seemed enticing in her eyes. She guessed however that this was a good thing–for Valiant at least. He had never seen the stallion hold a smile for this long ever, even around her he would have to force a smile across his face; barely would he ever truly smile in her presence, and Pinkie could easily tell real and fake smiles from everypony she met.
As Gale continued to talk, Pinkie blurted out, “It’s a pleasure!” She took the pegasus mare by the hoof and shook it vigorously, gritting her teeth. Valiant made an effort to salvage this conversation, seeing as how Pinkie tensed up before Gale, almost as if Gale seemed to be a bigger threat than Discord was. He walked up towards the pink pony and brought a friendly hoof around her.
He rhetorically asked her, “You read the letter you received, I presume?”
“I’m not sure what persimmons have to do with this, but I did get a letter from Celestia.”
“...Right–well, as did we. She said not to panic if no one remembered you and to head straight to the castle for further information.” Pinkie blushed with embarrassment. She had skimmed through much of the letter, but even before she had read it she had went notably haywire in Ponyville.
“I might have... skimmed over a few parts about the whole 'not to panic’ thing.”
Valiant agreed and kept going, “Well, no matter. You found your way to Canterlot.” The two looked off into the distance, seeing the grand ivory castle towering over the sloping city before them. It almost seem to glow in the light blue skies beyond it.
Valiant pressed Pinkie along beside him and said with assurance, “Me and Gale are just as confused as you are. But we’ll walk there together and soon we’ll figure this all out.” The three set out through the city towards the high castle, equally yearning to finally know the truth as to what concluded.





        Upon the trios arrival to the front entrance, the gates were heaved open as they approached. Royal Guards saluted Valiant Steed and his associates as they made their way across the long cobble walkway, passing the elegant and well kept lawns on their sides. Pinkie noted that this would be the first that she was properly let into the castle, without sneaking or forcing herself in. They reached the top of the winding, stone stairs as the tall, front doors parted before them with the aid of unicorn magic. In the main parlor–the area where guests first enter the castle–Princess Luna greeted them. Next to the tall, dark mare were two other ponies. Neighmo and Spitfire turned to welcome them with comforting smiles; and finally all who were called to meet were present in the castle.
“Without further due,” Luna announced over them, “Let us proceed to the meeting chambers where we shall inform you all as to what has happened.”
They all strode along the decorated hallways that spanned long distances and bent left and right at every end into more halls. The high ceilings with arching windows shown way to the afternoon light. The sun’s beams which fell over the halls shimmered and shined over silver vases and ornaments which filled the sides of the corridors on cherry oak tables. Gale was speechless and awestruck by the beauty and splendor of this place, yet every other pony looked as if they had been here before, hardly taken back by the magnificence of Canterlot Castle.
Upon turning a few corners following Luna, nearly everypony halted when their eyes met with a very uncomfortable sight. Luna proceeded to walk on like nothing was to note, however she waited for the others to recuperate from the sight at the far end of the hallway. What they saw were four Royal Guards transporting–with difficulty–a large statue in the shape of Discord.
“Come now,” Luna stated firmly, “Let us not waste time. Everything will be explained shortly.” With the Princess’ reassurance, the five continued behind her. Valiant couldn’t comprehend it though, nor could he take his eyes off of the stone statue before he turned around the next corner.
He thought to himself, “Hexarch is still in his draconequus form, and he is still around after whatever has happened...”
After climbing some more, spiraling stairs which lead out onto an outdoor patio, a great bridge spanned out and arched over a valley below. It was a wide bridge with no guard rails of any kind, but was well built and safe. It was patterned in purple and ivory marble tiles that were unstained by time nor weather. At the end of the bridge was another building which looked like a rounded temple or chapel of sorts. A large, curved door was magicked open by the Princess of the Night and the group followed behind.
They proceeded to walk down the red carpet towards the end of the room where a giant stone slab with many carvings adorned the far wall. The building itself was hollowed and empty, their hooves echoed from corner to corner. Rows of stain glass portraits and scenes of great events long ago glowed with the sun’s light, showering the room’s floor in bright hues.
Luna stopped before the far marble wall and bent her head downward. She then moved her alicorn horn into a slot in the wall while pulsating magic into the relic. The giant slab was sundered by a narrow rod of light that stretched from top to bottom. The great stone slid away and behind it was revealed a new, darkened room. The six entered the cold Enigma Chamber behind the alicorn. As Gale, the last pony to enter, came into the secret room, the great stones closed behind, shutting them all in.
The large chamber was in a hexagonal shape with a ceiling which stretched onward into a navy blue nothingness. Strange orbs of magical fire floated about in a phantasmic way, lighting the chambers in pale greens and steel grays. Gale looked beyond towards the center of the room, which stepped downward as if they were proceeding down into an stone-clad arena. The pegasus pony noticed two dark figures close to one another in the center of the chamber, yet she couldn’t tell who or what they were from her distance. Suddenly, Pinkie sprinted off towards them and Gale finally realized who they were. Princess Celestia and Zachary stood next to each other awaiting their arrivals; when the pink pony finally reached her friend, he knelt down and hugged the mare tenderly. As they five finally made it to the center, she could now see Zachary and Celestia in full view. Gale noticed Zachary in an odd attire and took note of it, as did some of the others who arrived.
Zachary was wearing a strange, long robe which shown in a pearl white. It was trimmed down its shoulders and across his torso in purple and yellow streaks. Yet even in his new attire, which made him look more like a holy saint than a fierce warrior, he still wore his outlandish and unfitting blue sneakers. The same shoes he had supposedly worn upon arrival in Equestria; he had come call them Converse All Stars, or for short, his chucks.
After a short while of Zachary hugging and greeting every other pony for sparse moments, Celestia came to say afterwards, “I’m glad you all came, now let us explain what exactly happened.” Her horn began to sparkle white with powerful magic and from it shot a nearly translucent orb that floated before them. It slowly swirled with streams of sliver, and eventually began to form into a solid shape.
Celestia gave a preamble to what was about to occur saying, “You are about to witness the combined events of my memory, Luna’s memory, and Zachary’s memory. Together, you will see what all that proceeded during the final battle, why no other pony remembers what Discord had done, and why Equestria is unharmed by the fires Discord had lit.” The great orb before finally swirled into a moving image as the ponies and Zachary watched with first-person perspectives of the events that took place.
They were all silent, watching from when they all arrived to Dragon Peak to overcharging the Catalyst Stone. Each member of the audience focused deeply into the magic before them, trying to take in everything that was happening. When they were finally caught up on the events and what had taken place, nearly all of their questions had been answered.
As the magic faded, Spitfire started off by asking Zachary, “So no one remembers anything?”
Zack answered, “Almost everything in the confines of Equestria has been restored from only a few days prior to Discord’s coming. The population’s memories have been erased to that point as well.”
Valiant questioned Zachary asking, “Then what about my wing? How come my body hasn’t been restored?”
Zachary acknowledged him with slow articulation, “What I meant by, 'almost everything' is that some things could not be changed–like your wing. Me and Celestia noticed this about a few things, such as Hexarch still being a statue, which you all probably saw being moved to the dungeons. About your wing, Valiant, I can’t say for sure why you haven’t been restored. It doesn’t make sense seeing as how Pinkie has no scar to show for when she was killed or that I,” he said, holding out the palm of his hand before the ponies, “have no burn marks of the Elements of Harmony on my fingers or palm, a wound I had kept after touching the Catalyst Stone in Equadeus Arx. Yet strangely enough, I still bear a scar in the middle of my chest where I, well, stabbed myself. The only conclusion me and Celestia had come to is that some points in time are fixed moments, things which cannot be undone. These purposes may be part of a grand scheme of things to come, we are unsure though. It may just be that the Catalyst Stone was not powerful enough to fix everything. Maybe right now there’s some pony in Ponyville who was once dead from the inferno Discord unleashed over the village. It would seem the pony went to bed and just magically disappeared overnight. That’s the only thing we are still confused about–I’m sorry about your wing however.” Valiant took in those words and stepped backwards. Gale comforted him by placing her wing around his side.
Neighmo spoke forth when the time was right, “What ‘bout the changelings who escaped Equestria’s boundaries?”
Celestia answered this time saying, “The ones that fled Equestria, the few soldiers that remained of Hexarch’s armies were spared as far as we know. Even if they made it back to their hives in Aerothel–or commonly known as the Badlands–they know they cannot possibly invade again with their low numbers. A real concern of mine is who’s going to take charge of the changelings after Hexarch’s demise?”
Neighmo hummed with concern, “Ta ev’ry hive there’s a queen, my Princess...”
Pinkie finally gave her concerns and asked Zack with worry, “Are you... are you serious about leaving Equestria still?” Astonishingly, everypony nearly forgot about that remark he made near the end of the memory in the magic orb. Their eyes almost simultaneously turned towards Zachary and he sighed with defeat.
“Yes,” he breathed. He turned his eyes to the floor, feeling suddenly horrible about his answer. 
Pinkie pressed him for a suitable answer, “Why, Zack? Tell me why? You don’t need to do this!”
“I do though,” he replied. He looked back towards Pinkie and gave detail to his meaning, “Ever since I’ve been here in Equestria, I’ve always felt alone. And I just feel... I just feel I need to cut myself off from this world, for a while at least.”
Valiant stamped a hoof in agitation saying, “How are you going to feel better by making yourself even more alone? How would that solve what you are going through?”
“From what I recall, Equestria has been in peace for a thousand years before I came. Since then, the world’s gone to hell and back, and many evil things have happened in my presence. I feel not all of it was my cause, but a large proportion of it was. By staying in this place I know that more troubles will come here, and that by going elsewhere I will know for certain you all will be safe. That, and well, I feel I have a larger purpose.”
His mood turned somber and sad as he continued onto his next point, “What’s done is done. No one remembers me except you all here. I don’t plan on sticking around and trying to make every pony remember me and what I did. Some stories are meant to be forgotten; no pony would like to remember what truly happened when Equestria fell. My purpose, I believe, is still out there, and I have many questions that have yet to be answered. Staying in Ponyville is only hindering my true purpose, and possibly my destiny.”
He looked back at Celestia and said, “Me and Princess Celestia have talked about this in advance. She is preparing me a place to stay, away from the world, but not too far away. I’ll be staying here in Canterlot, in the Western Tower where my old room was until the establishment is in place. I plan on keeping in touch with you all, writing to the Princess and then she would deliver it to you.”
He looked over every face before him and with a rougher tone stated, “I trust you all. Keep my story and what occurred in Equestria a secret. Not for my sake, but for everyone elses. No good outcome would come from this if you decided to tell anyone else the truth. It’s one thing I ask–, no, implore you to do.” The five looked at one another and turned back towards Zachary, nodding their heads in approval.
Valiant spoke softly towards Zachary, “If you feel this is the right thing to do, who are we to question your motives?”
Pinkie looked away, unsure as to what to feel for the moment. She wasn’t as sad as she thought she would be. The thought of Zachary leaving didn’t settle well with her though, but she had no true emotion to express what she was feeling. Zachary noticed Pinkie and her mixed feelings for what he had said. He stepped forward, went down on both knees and hugged the mare, holding her gently and resting his head beside hers. He pressed his ear against her form, listening to her pattering, and once again beating heart. Her cotton candy scented hair smelled the same as the day they slept up in a tree away from the dangerous Everfree Forest below. The smell brought back distant memories which made Zachary choke back tears.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. She said nothing in return, but he knew she meant well.
He lightly pushed away from her and the two locked gazes with one another. Her eyes shimmered like twin pools of the purest waters, glistening from swelling tears and natural beauty. He stood back up on his feet, the pink pony watched him do so with quickening breathes. Zack looked about at the others, they all awaited his next words; yet he knew there was no good way to end this meeting.
He rose his hands and politely encouraged them, “Well, you all can stay for dinner if you wish. I won’t be attending it, since I’ll be upstairs in my chambers. But feel free to dine with the Princesses tonight.” He awkwardly put his hands down slowly, not really sure if that was the appropriate way to end this conversation.
He walked past the gathering of ponies towards the Enigma Chambers inner doors as they slid open upon his approach. Light seeped into the dark chambers as he turned to see if anyone was going to follow behind him. He looked back and held his hand out around his chest, his palm facing upward as if holding an invisible ball. His hand gave off a ruby red aura and soon he conjured an object in a small flash of light. It was a strange, frightening mask Celestia once showed him long ago, she had given it to him before he met with the group.
“Watch this,” he said, putting on the magical artifact known as, 'The Thief of the Night’. In an instant of putting it on, all except the alicorns were shocked to see what Zack had become. To them, he looked like a regular earth pony stallion with a caramel coat and brown mane. The strange magic could fool anyone’s eyes who looked upon Zack while he wore the ancient mask.
Zack spoke out, “I can’t do a lot in this form, it’s more of a visual disguise than a tool for shapeshifting. It’s good for going to one place to another, but not really for interacting with most things. If I look down over myself, I still see my human self, but you all probably think I look like a pony. This is how I’ll be going about my business for the time being, but it’s not a magical artifact I could wear twenty-four seven.” He stopped and looked about the room below him for a time being, still standing at the edge of the doorway. With one last look at the group before him, he turned and walked away.
The six did not stay for dinner with the Princesses, and the alicorns could understand why. The ponies went home, equally depressed and crestfallen. The more they thought about Zack, the more they thought of how they were going to miss him. It was going to be a sleepless night for the few who remembered the sacrifices Zachary made for their home.





        
        Four long days had came and went while Zachary was cooped up in his former home in the Western Tower. Even though it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, it felt as if he was a grown adult living in his childhood bedroom. It was too comfortable, almost to the point of a sickening condition. He would find himself more often on the high porch outside of his keep rather than inside. The warmth of the sun and the coolness of night was a delight to his senses, along with the high mountain winds that made it seem like the castle swayed. He could feel it in the air, slowly but surely Autumn was coming. Every day the temperature would drop and the trees on the far off mountains in the horizon would subtly change to a warmer hue. Even though he had been up there for no less than a week, he could tell the changes of the seasons.
Celestia would stop by every once in a while, dropping off food, beverages, books and other sorts of entertainment that would keep him occupied only for a limited time. He had read most of the interesting books the Canterlot Royal library during his stay here six years ago, so nothing was really new to read. She did bring him a violin and bow however, an instrument he had not played in years. Celestia also brought some chord books with Equestria’s classic hymns and famous compositions. He found the most entertainment in relearning the violin and soon enough, he had taught himself to play again and was writing short and sweet tunes for hours on end. He was so engrossed with his music that he had forgotten about asking about the status of his new home away from Equestria.
On the fifth night of his stay he lingered outside, kicking his feet back in a chair made to suit his size. He threw his legs up on the guard rail and leaned his chair back on two legs, peering up at the multitude of stars. The circular sliver of the moon shown bright, hanging over the distant black mountains. In the curves of the ranges, the moonlight flowed downward like great rivers that lit the old and unoccupied forests with a white glow. He could see the flickering, orange lights of the ever expanding Ponyville now in the distant valleys below, something he never saw the years ago he lived in Canterlot. 
He began to think about Pinkie Pie and how she was doing. Zack wondered if he would ever see her again. His mind trailed off though on the others he affected and once knew him well. The five mares who also represented Elements of Harmony, and of course Spike the dragon. He thought about Rainbow Dash then, and if maybe she would ever remember him some how. Perhaps they all would remember him one day, either as a distant memory which they would play off as a fictional one or perhaps a reoccurring dream–Zack would never know.
“Good Evening,” a voice called out from behind him. Zack jolted from his deep thinking and fell backwards onto the hard porch surface, banging his head in the process. He shot upwards, spun around and soon cooled himself when realizing who it was.
“You scared the hell out of me,” exclaimed Zack in a single, hushed breath. He held a hand on his chest, trying to catch his breath from the sudden excitement. 
He suddenly realized something was off and he asked the stallion, “How did you get up here? You can’t fly.”
Valiant gave a confused look, “I took the stairs, stupid.”
“Oh...”
“...Ya.”
Valiant clopped over and took the empty chair next to Zack. The human picked his chair up and calmly sat himself back down again. The pony removed a saddle bag from around him and began to fumble through it.
“We’re clearing out your old house in Ponyville,” he said, searching through the bag still.
“We,” Zack questioned.
“Me and Gale, under orders of the Princess of course.”
Zack leaned over and inquired, “What about your job here in Canterlot, you’re still that Six Star General of–”
“I quit. Honorable discharge.”
“Why would you quit though? You were making some serious bits in that position.”
He turned towards Zachary and explained, “There’s no need for a General now, no sense in being one. That, and Celestia offered me quite a privilege. She said I could stay in Ponyville under royal housing services and full pay, kind of like what Twilight Sparkle is doing. Instead, I get to claim your house, since you won’t be using it anymore. I assume this proposal is compensation for going beyond the duty during the Fall of Cloudsdale and Discord’s mayhem. But hey, I’m not complaining. I no longer have to work–it’s the easy life from now on.”
Zack was a little ticked off. Not over the fact that Valiant was taking his house, but for the fact that no one told him in advance he would be doing it. At least Celestia would have told him something.
Zack looked up into the dark sky and assumed, “So you and Gale are moving in together...”
“That’s the plan. Here, take this. It’s yours anyway.” 
Valiant held out his hoof and in it was a curved, wooden pipe with etchings of vines and greenery around the shaft, bowl and piece. Zack smiled and took it, moving it around with his fingers while inspecting it. It was a pipe given to him a few years back by Valiant himself, a birthday present of sorts.
Valiant then took out his own pipe of similar making with one hoof, and in the other took out a small, cylindrical can. The stallion removed the lid and from the can he began packing his bowl with a finely dark, dried substance. He brought it over for Zachary to take and he too packed it. They split a match box and lit their pipes. The two leaned back and breathed in the rich smoke that the substance produced, enjoying the silence around them
Zachary took a few tokes and remarked in a relaxed tone, “This is some fine stuff you have here. It’s been a while since we smoked together.”
The stallion inhaled deeply and breathed out, “Very true. Too long of a time, I say so... Perhaps the last...” He turned towards Zack and finally answered him, “This is Hoofhill Amber, the finest hemp on this side of Equestria. Took a damn long time to get it, but I’ve been waiting to smoke this variety for a long while now–it’s been worth the wait.” The stallion puffed out a few smoke rings and blew them over the edge of the balcony, letting the wind blow it away into the night sky.
Zachary had smoked a similar variety of hemp with the stallion. The type of cannabis here (he presumed it was) was nothing like anything back on earth. It gave no psychological effects, except for the fact that it calmed one’s mind, much like smoking any other natural or clean substance. It was a very pure and hot smoke, and whenever he had the option to toke with Valiant he would take his offer. Zachary put the pipe down for a moment, watching the plant glow and dim in the bowl.
With his eyes still fixed on the pipe, he said with a smirk, “At this rate, it won’t be long till Gale starts popping kids out.” Valiant burst out laughing, and soon was having a coughing fit. Zack added, “So when’s the wedding?” Valiant recuperated, putting the pipe’s piece back in his muzzle and relighting it.
“She’ll be the one deciding that.” Zack had almost forgotten about the whole gender reversed roles in Equestria. It was strange he could forget something like that in the short while he was away from the kingdom. He surmised that the mares had more of a say in marriage than the stallions. It was like this in all aspects, except for maybe the military.
During these times they would have the deepest of conversations, and so they did long into the night. They talked on and on. Talking about things they had never talked about before, things they would tell no one else except to each other. He only left when the morning sun’s light began to creep into the eastern skies, pushing away the tides of darkness. The two hugged like close friends would do and he departed Zack’s chambers with a warm smile on his face. Zachary fell clumsily into his bed when reaching it and slept most that morning away.





        About a week and a half went by and nothing of importance had happened in Zachary’s life. Valiant had been busy elsewhere and he spent his remaining days alone and bored. Surprisingly no one had visited him except for Celestia and Luna who only remained in his presence for a short while before going back to their numerous tasks. A few days prior, he received word from Luna that they were nearing completion of his house, yet she could not identify where it was or what it looked like. Celestia had been in charge of the entire relocation process, leaving Luna in the dark.
Celestia had been using the Panexus relentlessly, moving things upon it and teleporting it to his future place of residency. She was in charge of the whole moving process, where others like Valiant and Luna only brought supplies and some of Zachary’s belongings for her to zap away atop the Panexus. She too was the only one who went to the mysterious place, assuring its secrecy. She would often go at night, placing her own Royal Guards under spells to help conceal her work. He didn’t exactly know why she was being so unforthcoming about it, but at this point in their relationship, Zachary trusted her.
It was right after breakfast time when Zack was called down. Celestia entered his bedroom, asked him to bring his few valuables on hand and come down to the Royal Garden. She also noted that he shouldn’t worry about wearing the Thief of the Night mask; she said he would have no need for it, but to bring it anyways. Zachary did so and gathered his things; he knew that it was time to go.
As he took his belongings, which weren’t very many at all, he couldn’t know what to feel about his departure. He wasn’t very sad, nor excited. He could only describe himself as curious; the accumulated mystery about the place he would be staying at gave him quite a chill as he stopped before exiting his chambers. He turned about when he grabbed the Prevailer and its sheath, overlooking the Western Tower’s interior one last time. He knew this would be the last time he would ever see its interior for a long while, if ever again. He closed the door behind him as he left its confines, holding the cold, metal knob for a few moments before letting go.
He began his descent down the winding stairwell which took at least a minute or two to traverse. He then walked through the warm halls of the castle, knowing which corridor was still which. His mind had the place mapped out so well that if he tried he could have hid in the castle for a whole day without any of the Royal Guard finding a trace of him anywhere. He smiled at that childlike thought as he wrapped around the corner and opened a wood and glass door that led out to the Royal Garden.
There he stood on an ivory porch, overlooking the guard-less area of the castle. The Spring and Summer flowers were still in bloom, dazzling the gardens with an array of majestic and wild colors. Plants he still never knew the names of gave off alluring scents which swept along in the wind as it passed through the greenery. Where the Panexus was however, a few stood awaiting his arrival. 
Celestia and Philomena of course awaited his coming. Spitfire–adorned in Wonderbolt attire–held her head high while Neighmo in his military ensemble, saluted him. Valiant and Gale–holding each others hooves–looked towards him with fond interests. Everyone it seemed bore a smile on their face to see his arrival, but in their hearts, they were saddened to soon see his departure. Zack looked about the kind faces, then realized a certain pink pony was missing from the group. He made his way forward, a bit distraught over the fact that Pinkie Pie wasn’t there with them.
Celestia asked him once more for assurance, “Do you have everything you need?” He nodded slowly, his mind still wondering about where his friend might be. He knew she wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world. Luna stepped towards Zachary and began to levitate his items out of his hands, placing them on the Panexus with gentle care. Zachary made his way over to the stone platform, taking his sheath and sword off of his belt and placing the weapon with the other things.
Spitfire spoke up from the group, “Over the past week, Valiant and the Princess have told me so much about you. About all the good and self sacrifice you have given. About the troubles and trials you’ve faced. And I would have thought I knew everything about Celestia’s secrets.” She put her hoof out and said, “It was nice being in your presence, even if it was for a short while. I wish we could have talked more, but time stops for no one.”
He looked down at the yellow at orange mare and agreed with a light chuckle, “Right you are.” He reached his hand out and the two shook. “I’m sure one day we’ll swap stories. I’d like that a lot.” Zack knew very little about Spitfire, but did know she had ties with the Princesses for a very long time. He let go of her hoof as Neighmo stepped forward this time.
“My how you’ve risen, Master Zack. And ta’ think we made it out of this whole predicament because of ya. I think my thanks goes without say’n. However, ya still hav’ a voyage to take wit’ me. To the ends, aye? Anytime ya feel like come’n back, we’ll sail out beyond the map’s edge. We’ll see what’s out there, cause I know together we can brave the greatest storms.” He hailed the human once more with a hoof to his forehead, Zack copied his gesture in a firm, upright stance.  The stallion concluded, “Farewell, Zachary. You will never be forgotten!”
Zack turned around to see Luna smiling at him. He approached her saying, “The Princess of the Night, without your help I probably wouldn’t have gotten far, nor would any of us be here now. If anyone, we all should be thanking you, Luna. But thank you so much for aiding me.” He bent forward and hugged the mare as she wrapped a hoof around his back. The alicorn no longer desired Zachary as more than a friend. She had seen his desires in his mind, and she was truly thankful that she was still a dear friend to him.
As he went backwards away from Luna, she stated, “I wouldn’t necessarily call this an end, Zachary. Your importance to our world assures us that your purpose has yet to reach a conclusion. I know we will meet again, but I support your decision to leave. We all must take different paths. We cannot always choose what we want or if it is the right thing to do, but from it we learn more about ourselves and what we truly desire.” Zack smiled at that her, her wise words meant so much to him.
Gale awkwardly shuffled up toward him and Zack’s attention was now on the dark gray pegasi mare.
“Like Spitfire, I can’t say much,” she began in a unsteady voice. “But what I can say is that you’ve helped Valiant through so many difficulties, and he’s helped you as well. Your deep friendship with him means a lot to me, and without it I don’t believe I would have ever met the Valiant I know and love today. So I thank you for that–and, well, saving Equestria and all.” Zack bent down on his knees and hugged the mare, their heads resting on each others shoulders.
“Take good care of that goofball of a stallion,” he muttered in her ear. “You two make a fine couple, I hope your love stays true as well as his.” They broke off and he rose back up on his feet. She looked up at him with contentment in her heart–forever she would keep those words of his chiseled in her mind. Valiant finally made his way over to Zack and he looked up at him with esteem and joy.
“So buddy, this is it. What more can I say that these fellow ponies haven’t already? Sure I’ll miss ya, sure we had some good times, but just be sure to write to me...” His words faded, as did his smug smile. Valiant’s eyes trailed off towards the ground as Zack brought himself back to his knees. He reached his long arms around the stallion and Valiant flung his hooves around Zack. The pegasus finally broke down, the pressure of it all fell over him as he began to weep.
“Zack! I’ll never forget you! I don’t want you to go. You’ve done so much for me. You’ve shown me what friendship is really all about and I never want you to leave!” Zack held him silently, stroking the back of the grown stallion’s mane. 
Zack spoke up in almost a whisper, “Never change, V. Please, never change... I’ll never forget you and what you’ve taught me.” They finally pushed away from one another gently and the stallion crept backwards with his head held down. Gale put an arm around him and the two cried together for their loss.
As Zack took in a long breath, he heard a voice from behind him call out, “I hope I’m not too late.”
Everyone turned to look atop the ivory porch where the voice had come from and saw that it was Pinkie Pie who had said it. Her eyes looked over towards Zack as he straightened his posture and returned a tender smile. Pinkie had tied her mane up in a light blue bow, the same bow Zachary had given to her long ago. It brought back distant and warm memories that gave him goosebumps. She wore it with pride as she made her way down the stairs and onto the grass. She approached him calm and collected; the pony seemed so different than before, so mature now.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” she apologized slowly and calmly, “I had to find this bow. It took a while, but obviously I found it.”
“And I’m glad you did,” Zachary stated, matching her relaxed tone. “It suits you well, and still matches your eyes.” The pink pony blushed at his comment, which made Zack smile even more so.  He went on to say, “I’m a little, taken back by the fact you’re so, well–”
“There’s a time to act silly, and there’s a time to act serious.”
Valiant commented, “I’m glad you finally learned that like the rest of us. It took you till adulthood, but I’m proud of you nonetheless.” Pinkie turned her head towards him and stuck out her tongue in a childish manner. He giggled at that, as did Zachary.
Celestia rose her head as her horn began to glow with magic. The runes around the Panexus radiate with a mystifying, cerulean light. Celestia stepped on the artifact’s platform as everyone watched her. She rose her hoof towards Zack and he came forward, taking the alicorn’s hoof in hand.
Celestia looked over the saddened group and her eyes finally rested on the pink pony. Without words, Pinkie trotted up next to Zachary on the Panexus, taking his other hand in her hoof. He didn’t understand, but supposedly Pinkie and Celestia had chatted in advance. Pinkie seemed to have asked the Princess if she could come, and she obviously answered her question with a yes. The alicorn and earth pony held Zack’s hands as he looked at each of them, who returned a reassuring smile towards him.
Suddenly, a great beam of light fell forth from the sky like a comet. The powerful magic overtook the three as they were veiled in a silver illumination. The others surrounding the artifact shielded their eyes from the great radiance. Within an instant, the magical beam of light narrowed and ebbed away–the ponies and human were gone.
Princess Celestia, Zachary and Pinkie Pie left Canterlot behind, as well as Equestria and beyond it.