//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: So Close Your Eyes... // Story: He Who Walks The Graves // by The Zealot //------------------------------// He Who Walks The Graves By: The Zealot Chapter 15: So Close Your Eyes… I had been following a golden trail for what could have been hours, it was impossible to tell in the Forest, and time was an arbitrary thing in reality, why bring it into the land of the end? So far removed from the other trails was this one that I was certain it belonged to a saint. Allow me to clarify, a saint in this world is very different from one in my old home. A saint is any being who, during their life, did tremendous good deeds, upheld some part of being, or did other relative things. It was, actually, very easy and hard to become a saint at the same time. Take being a saint of loyalty, for instance, this can be achieved by, very simply, being loyal, to friends, to work, anything that you could be loyal to, really. The reason it is hard, however, is because even a one time falter rescinds your sainthood. This being the reason why trails of saints were so rare, that I had found a total of perhaps six, the one I was following made the seventh. As I walked further the forest thinned, giving way to the sun and a beach side. Ah, the Golden Shores. For many of extreme goodness they gained a special place to ‘live’ until I came along and brought them to their proper rest, it was a beach front for many, although I had seen one in the mountains and another far underground. The reason it was usually a beach, I surmised, was probably due to the inherent relaxation a beach provides, and so it was a common sight among those apart from the common. As I reached the end of the line I saw something that surprised me, two ponies. A mare and a stallion, married it would seem by the way they held each other, resting on the shore and looking out across the water. This was odd indeed, very few times had multiple people been gathered in the same clearing, even rarer was that these both were saints. As I approached I noted the appearance of them both, the stallion was a dusty orange color, three sliced apples on his flank, whilst the mare was of a color akin to a green apple, she as well had a quarter slice of what looked to be an apple pie. Interesting indeed. They noticed me as I approached, no fear in their eyes, they had waited for long it seemed. They were ready, and when I told them of my business they simply nodded and followed as I led them to their afterlife. It was, just as they were about to leave that the stallion turned to me and made a request, this was strange as many once dead forgot almost everything of their life, but not them, it seems. He asked me of his daughter, a filly they had sadly left at a young age, and who they hoped had grown well. He requested, that if I saw her, I would relay a message. I agreed, of course. [J’lr Kor Dm’k Q’ldr’kah ????] ***** I stood upon the highest tower of the destroyed castle, looking out across the forest and the rising sun, next to me stood Sunset Carol, her coat glistening in the low light of dawn. She turned to me, “Not that this isn’t beautiful sir, but why are we out here? And why so early, if I may ask?” She looked tired, presumably she hadn’t gotten much sleep, perhaps fretting over what the day might bring? “We are here for your initiation, my dear, it is very important after all and requires a scene to remember, wouldn’t you agree?” I replied, my unmasked face turning to her, a small smile upon my face as she replied to my reply with a simply ‘oh’ and a nod. “Let us begin. Sunset Carol, you are here because you have seen truth through the lies, because you believe in what has been hidden, because you have discarded your life for one of justice. Is this not true?” She was across from me, as I moved in front of her, the sun shining past me, creating an image to be remembered. “Yes sir, that’s why I joined you.” Her answer had no waver, her face betrayed no signs of nervousness, she was ready. “Then we shall start. You have given away your life, but not entirely. If you continue on, dear Sunset, you will never be able to betray me and you will serve until you die of old age. You will be devoting yourself to the uncovery of truth in the lies, to bringing down the kingdom you have so long served. Once you agree, once you bear my mark, there is no going back. You will be in it for life, do you still wish to press on?” I would not lie to her, I would not sugar coat what would happen and I would certainly not allow her to hope for an easy way out, this was a life choice, and it was not something to go back on. “I do, sir, I’m ready.” Still steadfast she was, I will admit she brought an even larger smile to my face, it has been so very long since I’ve had anyone, anyone at all. “Then kneel.” She did as I said, using her front hooves to keep from falling to the ground, she lowered her head and did the pony version of a prayer bow. I outstretched a gloved hand, wrapping it around her horn, an impossible glow of dark surrounding it. Not a second later she dropped to the ground, a scream dying on her lips. From her heart radiating across her flesh in a spiderwebbed pattern was a series of runes and markings, they traveled all across the front right of her body, even about halfway up her face, glowing a bright white as the did until they faded away to nothing upon rest. She looked up at me, tears daring to form in her eyes, her mouth trying to make words but only bringing her pain, I saw the question though. “Why does it hurt? Is that what you are wondering?” She replied with a nod, realizing she wouldn’t be speaking for the present. “It hurts to reinforce your decision. This is no mere agreement, nor a pact, this is a covenant. The pain is to show you, to remind you, that there is no going back. You have agreed to this, you have thrown your life away in pursuit of truth and justice. You will serve me until you die of old age, as I told you before. Be joyous though, dear Carol, you are the first to bear my mark in many a year, and with it comes advantages.” As I spoke I could see the pain fading from her, by the time I was done she could even speak again. “I- I understand sir, I still stand by my decision, it’s not like I can go back now anyway.” She had resigned herself to her fate, yet held a strong face. She was a soldier before, she knows what it is like to devote one's very life to a cause. “Very good, now, on to step two. But first, an explanation. Bearing my mark makes you different, unique, if you will. You will gain powers, as I gift them, and they will be yours to command so long as you do not betray me. The first one of many is your life. No, not letting you live, keeping you living. With my mark you will never die, not permanently anyway. You will come back, always, yet you will feel everything. Make no game of death, for that is my realm. It is both a blessing and a curse, you will never get sick, your mind shall never fail you, and ailments of the body will be cured with death. But you will never know peace until your age kills you. That is the only way you shall find peace, and for that I am sorry. I know not why that is your only way out, the magic imbued in my mark is a slight mystery even to me. But that in of itself could be taken as a blessing. As I told you, your mind shall never falter, and so you shall not suffer through senility. You will be able to tell to your children and their children after of all the many adventures you’ve gone on and such. But as I said, a blessing or curse is for you to decide.” She managed to stand, gaining strength as the pain left her fully. She looked out into the rising sun. “Step two is rather simple,” as I spoke I retrieved a white rock spike, sharp enough to pierce flesh, and held it out to her, “this blade thirsts for your blood, and so you must gift it.” She looked at me then, as if I were mad. “But, sir, this is just a pointy rock, what am I supposed to do with it?” She asked, taking the spike in her magic, looking over it. “For your power to be full you must die, this will be a catalyst for that. This is the only death I will require of you, and it shall be the least painful one. At the origin of my mark upon you, introduce this blade to your heart’s blood and it shall be a great gift to you for years to come.” As I spoke I could see that she did not yet understand, yet she tried so very hard. She had faith in me, in that I would not lie to her. And so she followed out my order, and plunged the crude blade into her heart. She was dead the second the rock tasted blood, for it was no ordinary stone. Moonstone, it was called, named by some olden wizard with a childish crush on the young Princess Luna, he thought it would get him in her good graces, but that is a story for another time. Truly it does not come from the moon, and I never studied farther into it past what I needed. You see, moonstone is a highly toxic material, enough so that it could kill a pony in but milliseconds after being introduced to the blood stream. It was painless and quick, which is why I used it for such a ritual. But, it also had a secondary property, one of magic, it bonded with the soul of whomever’s blood it was fed with, and it changed to be more useful. Sunset’s body fell to the floor for a second time, she lay there on her side dead as could be, blood leaking from the goring she had inflicted upon herself. A moment passed and suddenly my mark was alite, the now red stone slid from the wound it had caused, which was quickly closing as magic was working. And so it was done in but seconds, and Sunset Carol was once again alive. “I- I’m alive… you weren’t lying but, but why did you tell me to do that.” She asked, standing upright once more. “As a test of your faith, for one. As well as to provide to you power, and a weapon that shall serve you until the end. Look now, it is forming as we speak.” I directed her attention to the spike of rock, which was no changing as we watched. It elongated itself, became thinner as well, shaped itself as we looked until a sword was left. It was a thing of beauty, silvery metal made up the blade although it glowed with a dull amber tint, not unlike that of Sunset’s coat. It was made as a longsword, about three feet long with a double sided razor edge, and a sharp poking end, a worthy weapon for combat. As she took the blade in her magic I turned to her once more. “Your initiation is complete, welcome to the Seekers of Truth. You must choose two names now, a new name for yourself, to signify your new life, and one for you blade, that it will bond with you even more. I shall leave you now, do what you will. Practice, rest, read, enjoy yourself today for tomorrow I have for you a mission.” I turned away, moving over to the stairs that were strangely still intact, after the years of disrepair they had suffered. As I was walking down the first two steps she called to me. “Sir, I just wanted- thank you sir, so much. You’ve given me a chance to change everything now.” She had tears in her eyes, of joy it seemed. I did not shed a tear, but a smile grew on my face. She was a perfect choice, and I was very glad indeed that she had gone through this all. I gave her a nod, and continued walking. [1014 A.B. 7:24am] ***** I was walking through a cave carved into the rock itself, by whom I did not know although the ponies it was most certainly not. In my arms I carried the case containing the Elements of Harmony. I could sense that they had been used overmuch, and the world was dying because of it. As I reached the glowing doors I pushed through, revealing a large crystallized tree, glowing with a white light and that of the rainbow. Yggdrasill I called it, the World Tree. For it was, truly, it contained all magic in this world, it was the source and were it to be destroyed or captured this world would destroy itself from within. But it was growing weak. As I stepped closer the ever present field of protection around it allowed me entrance, like an old friend greeting another. For many a year before my banishment I had sat beneath this tree, studying or relaxing, it was a way to get away from it all while I could. I stepped up to the trunk, running a gloved hand over all the places where the Elements had been carved from the bark, the dark pits of void that where now contained there. I lowered myself to the ground, releasing the clasps on the case, picking up the Elements one at a time. As I replaced them to the tree I could see it regaining strength, its glow grew stronger and the rainbow that had seemed on the cusp of fading was now shining at full strength. It was done, the Elements were at rest once more as they should have been long ago, Celestia had neglected the health of her very world, what a good thing it was I’d come along. I could barely hear the faintest whispers of a word of thanks in my mind, but surely that was just me imagining it, what else could it be? I left the cavern that held Yggdrasill, leaving it with a wave. Sapient perhaps it was not, but it had an intelligence born of a magnitude of magic, it was one of the few things in this world I had vowed to protect, and one of the few things I still respected from the old days. [1014 A.B. 8:12am]