Some heroes never come home.
Ruarc looked to the sky as the bomb fell, he chanted a song in a language as old as time, he had left his last words, his love for his family, his fiancee, and his nakama. He smiled and closed his eyes at the last moment as his body dissolved into energy, as the nuke grew closer. The golden energy shot forth and surrounded the bomb, quickly dissolving it and fading away, nothing left of Ruarc nor the device.
**Three months after**
Ruarc woke in an orchard and looked around, memories of a life before and of the purge after it. He stood, dusting the dirt from his black slacks and coat. He fixed his blue button up shirt and looked around
.
“Where did they drop me off, and what was the assignment they had in mind?” He sighed as he picked an apple and took a bite, thinking a moment on what Charon had said.
“There are cases where the gods will send a soul back somewhere for something important. Take care while you are there.” Ruarc recited the words of the ferryman in his head and shook it before starting down the orchard and finishing the apple as he did.
As he walked down the orchard, he came across a large red pony, who was bucking the apples out of the tree. Ruarc cocked his brow and looked at it “Uhhhhh, did they send me to the wrong place?”
The pony looked up, cocked his head, and stood back a bit from Ruarc. “What are you doin here big fella?” The pony asked as he stopped after a few feet.
Ruarc jumped a bit and took a step back as well “You can talk?”
The pony nodded and chuckled a bit “Yeah, have you never seen a talking pony?”
Ruarc stepped forward “I have not actually, only talking humans and the occasional bird.”
The pony chuckled and walked foreword as well “Well, I am Big Macintosh, call me Big Mac for short” He reached out a hoof and looked up at the tall man before him
Ruarc looked down and shook his hoof, still looking a bit confused “Hmmm, I-I think I will be off then, probably meander my way to somewhere where I apparently supposed to do something.”
Big Mac nodded and toward a farmhouse on the horizon “Mah sister just left for Canterlot, which has had some threats the past few weeks, I hope she doesn’t manage to get herself into more trouble”
Ruarc cocked a brow and looked at Big Mac “Where is Canterlot from here, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Big Mac pointed towards a large mountain in the distance, which looked like it had a city perched on top of it. “It’s over there, a few hours by train” He smiled a bit as he talked “If you were to make yer way there and make sure trouble doesn’t happen, I would gladly offer you a place if you don’t have one.”
Ruarc nodded and smiled a bit “Thank you Big Mac, I would appreciate it.” Ruarc says as he walks off towards the mountain, waving back at him. As Big Mac nods and goes back to work, Ruarc starts jogging towards the city “Alright, merc skills go, trouble in this Canterlot could be what I was sent for, if not, keep going. My gut tells me that this is the way to go and I should stick with that” He grinned “I am glad I was able to retain my spells,” He said as his feet started glowing and he leaped into the air, bounding hundreds of feet in an instant and repeating.
After about half an hour, Ruarc made it to the base of the mountain and saw a large bubble around it. Pondering a moment, he started climbing the mountain and managed to teleport himself into the shield and get a look around. He spotted a few guards and stealthily moved past them.
As he reached an alleyway, he muttered a spell, transforming into a black dog, and makes his way deeper into the city as some strange creatures gather at the top of the dome and start slamming into it. Ruarc looks up and sees them, cursing to himself. He runs through the streets and a dark blue Alicorn stops him. He looks at her as she looks back in shock “What would a dog do with as much power as you have? Show yourself Changeling” She bares her teeth and her horn lights up as Ruarc yelps and quickly transforms back.
“Woah woah, careful with that, I came here for a purpose, and I think I found it, I am no changeling, I am human,” He says as he holds his hands foreword, showing that he is not aggressive towards her.
She stands to her full height and looks him in the eye “If thou came to help, then move quickly, but if you betray us, I will find you.”
He nods and looks around a moment before the dome cracks and shatters, dispelling the shield around the city. The changelings descend as the citizens start panicking. Guards gallop out and start combating the changelings as the strange blue mare begin firing spells at the changelings, taken aback by the suddenness of the break.
Ruarc begins weaving through, attacking the changelings, using a primal lightning to his advantage, stunning the changelings he hits. He grits his teeth as he is tackled and is hit several times in the face by a changeling before a dark blue aura envelops and tosses the changeling into a building. The blue mare walks over and offers a helping hoof.
“Call us Luna, now, make your way to the castle while I help here in the city, our subjects need us here.”
“Nice to meet you, though not in these terms” Ruarc says as he takes her hoof and stands, wiping some blood from his split lip “I’ll be off then, hope to meet you again.”
Luna nods “Farewell, we hope to see thou again” She states as he starts
sprinting for the castle with haste. After a couple minutes, he reaches his destination, albeit short of breath. He shocks a couple more changelings into submission and runs through the gates before being stricken once more by an abnormally large changeling.
He lies on the ground, as the changeling looks him over, grinning evilly “Well well, it seems we have another source of power for the queen, fetch her.” He says to a pair of small changelings, who immediately take off and fly to the throne room, moments later returning with a changeling of large size, a strange crown on her head.
“They say you have something that would interest me?” She says as she looks to Ruarc and then back to the large male.
“Yes my queen, this creature possesses a wealth of magic power, what shall I do with it?” He says
“Hmmm, take it to a tower, and I will attend to it later” She replies
Ruarc looks between them and ponders a moment before realizing just what he had arrived in Equestria for. He began muttering a familiar spell under his breath, one he had used once before.
The queen flew off before the male turned and smiled “Our glorious queen will feed well tonight, guards, drag it to the highest tower”
The changelings bind his arms as he quits mumbling the spell, trying to find a different way before they can get to him. The changelings begin dragging him off and get him up to the high tower, throwing him into the room with a pair of blue doors. The room seemed to be moon themed as he took a glance around.
After a moment, he began pondering as he felt a strong urge within him, his sixth sense was telling him of a gathering of energy in a room far below. He closed his eye as a tear fell down his cheek. He knew that he had to do it again; he had to die for someone else, regardless of his own wants and desires.
He stopped himself and began uttering the words of the forbidden spell, knowing well that he would cease to exist after, the familiar aura returned. “Mom, dad, I am sorry to have gone so soon, and no I must go again. Brother and sister of mine, I wish I could have given you more than I had” Tears flowed as he let out all of his regrets, his fears, anything that had burdened him as the golden aura turned pink and consumed him once more, his body becoming energy. Below, a unicorn and alicorn cast a spell, aided by Ruarcs final breath, and blew the changelings far away, into the badlands. Nothing remained of the hero, and only a whisper stayed behind, his final words. “Some heroes never come home”.