//------------------------------//
// 7 
// Story: Savior of Eternity 
// by Secrets and Lies 
//------------------------------//


(7)







The storm wall crept forward, rolling above in a slow and sliding fashion. Billows lurched forward and fell underside, building up into the great machine once more. Lightning sputtered and spat in the beast’s belly, which made the anvil cloud seemingly glow in reds, purples and whites. Thunder rumbled above and murmured afar, as if two separate storms cried for one another. The coming of a great shower was near.
        The air below was crisp and cool. The warmer, high altitude air was pulled down towards the land, washing over forests and pastures as the storm approached. Animals of all sorts remained under trees and snugged themselves into holes and nooks. The trees creaked and swayed with every gust that blew by. As far as one could look, the land was dark and sinister.
        On the edge of a grassy yard, where a ditch separated a weedy pasture—and beyond that a darkened forest—two boys watched the advancing storm. Brothers, watching with eager and dim eyes, looked into the face of the thunder cloud. Its expanse was like a mountain range from horizon to horizon, shielding the sunlight from all who dwelled below. It was frightening and terrible to both of them, but also exhilarating. The older brother, with burnt-golden hair, scanned far away as the younger watched the clawing cloud front draw near.
        The older boy pointed a finger and exclaimed, “Look!” The younger boy leaned forward and noticed a gray and wavering sheet of rain lapping over the distant landscape. It was fast, faster than they had expected as it raced towards them. The sound of its beating approach drove into their minds a fear of being pummeled to death by the torrent. Lighting cracked overhead for a split second and snapped at the children. Both filched, but the two remained in the open and in harm’s path.
        The eldest brother turned, with his left foot on the edge of the property line. He looked over at his sibling and gave a wry, sarcastic grin. The younger forced a sheepish smile on his face and joined him, placing his foot near his brother’s and arching his body into position. They were facing their home, more specifically, their concrete and sheltered porch. They could make it now if they ran, but waited for the right moment to race the rain.
        “Ready, Zack?” asked the older brother, already sounding exasperated.
        “Ready, Jason.” Zack’s eyes narrowed towards the house, ready for when his brother would give the word to dash. Jason turned his head back, watching the thick, hazy curtain splash forward over the forest and now into the pasture. It seemed to be coming faster the closer it came to the two.
        Mere seconds before they were to be drenched, Jason screamed, “Run!”
        Both the boys darted towards the house in an all-out sprint, though Jason took lead and was faster than Zachary. Passing the dirt driveway, Zachary looked back towards the storm that was soon about to swallow him and pressed his legs to go faster. Jason dived and rolled upon the porch, bruising himself in the process. He threw his head up and motioned Zachary to go faster.
        “Hurry! Hurry!” he yelled, reaching out his hand from afar. Zack held his arm out as he ran, as if his brother could pull him under the shelter from their distance. The storm was breathing down his neck as he felt its wet fingers patter his nape. He was on the edge of the rain wall and merely a dozen feet from his house. Zack closed his eyes and leapt onto the porch as his brother grabbed his arm and gave an extra pull. Zack was lifted onto the shelter as the rain now encompassed the world around them with the sound of heavy beating and sloshing. 
        They looked at each other, pleased and triumphant. Jason put his hands on his knees and sat back on the hard porch, leaning upon the panel wall of their house. Zachary knelt down, trying to catch his breath as his stomach felt tight and twisted. He looked out into the downpour and into a world of water. It was dark and forbidding, though the wind was inviting and light. It swept their hair back, cooling off the siblings.
        As Zachary’s eyes scanned through the damp, silver veil, he noticed something amid the dreary realm. He stopped and rested his eyes on the anomaly after having difficulty focusing in on it. It was a pair of haunting eyes among the drear. They peered out through the gloom like two amethyst stars amongst the deep of the night sky. He was frozen not just in knowing something was staring back at him, but Zack wondered how he could have missed it when running towards the house. The creature was directly before him, in the line that he ran from the storm.
        Its appearance became more comprehensible as the rain seemed to draw back around it. It was like a large dog to him at first, but then he noticed it had a golden and flowing mane and tail, unbroken and as two wisps of hair. The body of the creature was white and smooth, rounded and soft. Its oval eyes seemed to glow a deep purple through the rain and into Zack’s very heart. It soothed him, yet scared him. He could not look away.


__________


        Zack calmly awoke. His wooden loft was painted in the deep blue of night and starlight. A pale mauve light lingered on him; a midnight glow that had washed his form beamed down from the high window above Zachary. He looked to his side and noticed that Nox was intently watching him from the railing of his cot. Zack speculated that Nox had been doing so all night. He arose in his bed steadily, placing his hand next to his bird. Nox obliged his gesture with a loving nudge. Zack’s fingers smoothed over the bird’s head and down its back as he thought on the dream he awoke from.
        He hadn’t had a dream about Jason in a long time; he had not seen the pony with the purple eyes and golden mane in even a longer time. Even still after so many years of meditation and self-exploration, what they meant eluded his knowledge. All he knew of the pony was of what his conscious told him. ‘Something that has yet to come...’ . He wondered if maybe the pony wasn’t a pony at all, but a metaphor, a prophecy, perhaps even an omen of ill will. His thinking process ceased as Nox stepped onto his bed and approached Zachary face to face. 
        Zack smiled and softly spoke, “Alright, alright. One moment.” He perched Nox onto his forearm and yawned. He turned his body and placed his bare feet on the floor, stretching his still sleepy legs. The human arose and made his way towards the glass porch doors. He unlocked it and pushed them to the side, they glided outward soundlessly. Nox took off as soon as the world was open to him to stretch his wings and explore Cervidas. Zack knew he wouldn’t get anymore sleep anytime soon since later in the night Nox would want back inside the High Watchhall. Even if he wanted to, his mind would not permit him slumber. It was awake with the pestering thoughts and memory of his strange dream. He leaned over the porch railing and looked out over the sleeping forest with an unrested mind.
        The heavens glittered above in dense clusters. Soft clouds of Arteria’s local galaxy reached its arm across the night sky, as if cradling the planet. The wind moaned through Cervidas, and unfamiliar insects about the forest chirped and chatted with one another. The blinking lights of small luminescent bugs and animals flickered about, somewhat reminding him of his adventure in Firelight Woods. It seemed so long ago to Zachary, and sometimes he wondered if it really all happened or that perhaps it was a long dream he had yet awakened from. He had his reasons for believing such things.
        Zachary’s eyes caught something that glistened far below under the canopy of branches and leaves. Like the glint of a mirror in sunlight, it captured his attention as he stared deeply below into the underbrush. He had never noticed it before, and he had been out on this high porch many times throughout the years. His curiosity was piqued and decided that maybe just tonight he wouldn’t be so easy going, that tonight he would be a little daring and curious like he was when he was younger. Zack quickly put on some appropriate attire and exited the confines of his room. He hadn’t been this hungry for wandering since his days of exploring Canterlot Castle.
        Quietly, he made for Matron’s Loft and out of the Gailexium. He had no reason to sneak, but did so anyways, masking his every footfall with a little bit of lunar magic. With the same craft, he formed himself into a blanket of starlight and swept through the main hall underneath the shadows. He moved like Princess Luna, however Zack was nowhere near as proficient as his teacher. Lunar magic could be performed any time of the day, but was superior during night. He could only do simple spells for short periods of time, and like equine magic it strained him, more so than regular magic use.
        As Zack made his way upon Matron’s Loft, he circled around High Watchhall and maneuvered his way down a flight of carved steps that swept down gently along the edge of the World Tree. He didn’t know how far away the glimmer of light he saw from the porch was, but continued to head down the winding stairways. Large mushrooms hung over certain areas of the stair as they twisted around the bumps along the World Tree. As he descended, he didn’t see or come by any other cervian, but knew that some were out during the dark hours of the night.
        He looked over the edge for a moment to see if he could find a flash or wink to guide him to where the source of the light was. After a long and silent pause, a glister of pale light revealed itself off of the stairway below. He continued his lingering walk towards the mysterious light until the stairway broke off into a new path. One path kept spiraling down the World Tree while another crept down a few more flights and turned into an arched walkway, then into a bridge that connected itself to a lower branch.
        Zachary changed his course and took the bridge path, making his way towards the branched section. The branch separated out into multiple paths and hugged the ground near its base, where the limb joined the tree. It was cradled in a wooded hilltop where smaller trees and saplings wavered through the pathway of splitting branches, creating separate concourses. Zack stopped for a moment to ponder on where to go and which path to take. His uncertainty prolonged him until finally his ears picked up the subtle movement of water. As if something was gently moving through a body of water, he pointed himself in the direction of the noise.
        His route was through dense shrubbery and thickets of impassable forestry, but he knew better than to stop here. He reached out his arm and felt the magic pulsing about, faint magic that ebbed from nature around him. He used this and directed it with his mind and into his palm. He put his foot forward and his obstacles moved away from him. With every step forward, a new path was being pulled away, and from behind the forest formed back around the path concealing it. He maneuvered with ease through the greenery as a hole in the canopy of branches followed above him, lighting his way with incoming moonlight.
        Cerjian magic was much different than equine magic, it required an entirely new way of thinking and mastery of magic. To Zack, it was like using a muscle he had never used before, which was an experience very similar to his use of equine magic; however unlike equine magic, cerji used a muscle that felt outside of his body, rather than in him. Cerji is the art of giving and taking, it was sacrificial to the user and the world around the user. Everything has a life force, and that energy cannot be destroyed or created. Equine magic manipulates this energy, taking it and exploiting it. Doing this does not allow the wielder to use this energy to its full extent. Cerjian magic takes the life force energy in exchange for other energy around them, even their own in life or death situations. Zachary’s many examples of this throughout his years of training spanned from many outlets. Such as using cerji to grow plant life exponentially, while trading its life span to do so, making the plants die sooner. To light a candle using cerji, you would take your body temperature and use its energy to light it effectively. The larger the amount of energy used, the greater skilled the cerjian user must be. If used properly, a master of cerji could outperform any other user of magic.
        He finally came out on the other side into an open area that overlooked the forest beyond Concordia. His view before him were branches and hills with pools carved into the wood and land itself; beyond them were an ocean of tree tops that stretched out into the horizon. The pools were rounded and filled with strange, dark and still water. The surface of each body of liquid was undisturbed, even the wind did not touch their black faces. The moon’s light danced across the water, lighting the overarching sanctuary in a bluish, onyx lambency. This was a hidden place he knew nothing about, and it seemed hidden from the rest of Concordia as well. There was no entrance or exit, only an impassable greenery and an open roof where the stars and moon shone down from.
        A presence unsettled Zack and sent a sharp shiver down his spine. He turned towards the nearest and largest pool before him as he witnessed the water gently bubble. Like a noiseless phantom, a white and rounded figure emerged slowly from the pool. The pool water rippled, dancing moonlight into Zachary’s eyes. He shielded his vision for a moment as the light appeared to grow stronger and steadier than in flashes and shimmers. A pure, silver light shone forth behind his arm, as if a celestial being was in his presence. Zack unhindered his sight to gaze upon the wonder, and lo, it was Moonsinger whom had arisen from the dark waters.
        The first thing he noticed was her amethyst eyes that pierced through him as they always did. They glistened like the long retreating night before a new day. It was the only description that Zachary could relate their majesty to, and yet still he had never known of a deeper purple that he could compare her irises to. Her coat matched the tint of the naked night sky. Dark and flawless, her navy form was a gift to his vision. Then, like a crown of unmatched perfection, her long and flat hair gleamed in the moonlight, alit by her wet mane. Zachary was once again stunned by her beauty, as he always was when they would meet; however, this was the first time they had met since his days in Rhignes Rock.
        “Moonsinger,” Zachary spoke as soft as the wind. He approached swiftly, his eyes unbroken from hers. Once he neared her, he knelt down and took hold of the mare with a warm embrace. He no longer cared about his dry, warm clothing as he comforted the soaked unicorn. He pulled away as they met eyes again, drawing his hands away. When he did, he felt upon her furless scratches and scars, imperfections he did not notice before.
        “What happened?” he stressed, eyes filled with worry.
        “I’m fine, for now,” she sweetly stated as if nothing was wrong.
        “These scars...” his vision trailed over her form as he spoke, “I don’t remember these at all in our past visits.” He placed a finger on one of the many marks and followed the blemish from tip to tip. Most were small grazes that would heal over with time, others were long gashes as if slashed by a blade. He looked up at her again and asked, “What do you remember the last time we met?”
        “We have had many meetings so far, but I believe it was—” Her mouth closed, then opened again to say something, but she pressed her lips back together as if sudden thoughts suppressed her words. Then with meandering eyes, she looked at Zachary in a new light, as if she hadn’t seen him in a long time. She placed her hoof upon his face, feeling him and peering deeply over him.
        “Zachary... you’re so old. Older than I’ve ever seen you. And your eyes,” her oval and starlit orbs grew with wonder as she looked into his very pupils. “Your eyes tell your age more so than your appearance. Oh, the knowledge you have gained from the world around you. And yet still, still you are young and naïve.”
        Zachary was brought down by the mare once more, but in an enlightening way. He always held a high reverence for Moonsinger, as if she was his teacher. He stood back to his feet with his back straightened.
        His eyes fell towards the pool as he spoke his mind, “Why are you here?” He knew the answer, but asked anyway.
        “You know I cannot choose my own path. My soul is pulled and pushed by the tides of time. It is not my doing that I do this, it is Tirek’s.” Her head turned towards the pool as they shared the same view. Both seemed entranced by it; with eyes searching as if both were looking for something deep within the water.
        Moonsinger’s voice awoke Zachary from the water’s spell as she said, “Beyond my reasoning I was brought here, to these pools of healing. I was gravely injured by the Ancient One, and torn by the splinters of time.” She indicated slowly, “As you can see, my open injuries have been sealed away by the water’s purity. Whether it was beyond me or not, I was taken here to bathe in its waters by a merciful force.”
        “And you are most welcome here,” a voice spoke behind them. They turned and beheld Nabeleen, walking among the drawn back forest road. “Child of the moon and dreamer of paradise, your presence is always a blessing.” Her eyes shone clear like an emerald riverbed as they glided between Zack and the mare. Moonsinger formed a smile on her face towards the bemused human; he considered what all had brought them here to this place. Moonsinger stepped forward and bowed to one knee, lowering her head in revere.
        “Arise,” the cervian matron spoke; the leader of the Ballad rose. “It has been a long time, my dear.”
        “I wish we did not have to meet like this. I must ask however, was this your doing? Sending me to your domain.”
        “I desire it to be so, but it is not,” Nabeleen admitted in a low, though friendly manner. “The pools before you two are not for bathing, but for seeing. The Cervians name these springs The Mirrors of Somerro. These springs quench Arborbus, the World Tree. Streams and falls flow from here and mingle into the forest itself. Without these, the realm of Cervidas would be barren and fruitless. These pools are different than others, for they flow also with pure Ley magic itself.”
        Zack found himself drawing closer towards the water, but stopped himself as his dark complexion reflected into his eyes. Moonsinger and Nabeleen joined on each side of him as his attention was still focused on the pool.
        “Take heed, Zachary. The waters draw you near, and you may enter, but will you so easily be able to exit its confines? The waters accept only few, but peering into them they accept only those who are willing to see. Kings and queens, gods and demons, the wise and beautiful, the good and evil, all who look into it see only their reflection. Looking deeper, only those who are adept with the gifts of magic, and are willing to see beyond their own desires, will see far over the world. The waters flow into Arborbus, and from Arborbus Arteria is connected. From the mirrors, one may look through the arboreal kin of Arborbus, and many trees are kin to the World Tree.”
        “Curiosity drives you,” she spoke solely to Zachary, into his mind. “You have given up Equestria to find peace and solace, yet you know you are being called back. You will have to leave behind your tranquility to aid your loved ones in battle. It was a fate you knew of long before coming here.”
        “No.” Zack retaliated through his mind. He turned and spoke to her audibly, “I will not! I will not kill again! My strength was used against me to harm the ones I loved. I cannot bring them back a second time if my might is used in the hands of the enemy. They must solve this issue on their own.”
        Zachary turned away from the pool and the two others. He was on the verge of walking away when Moonsinger stopped him saying, “You are a Master, you wield the prevailing blade. Tirek can only be stopped with that weapon. He will slaughter them all. He will murder my kind and destroy what we both love.” Zack stood silently, unable to retaliate. He did not turn around towards her, but looked up into the night sky, breathing heavily as if emerging from a long plunge.
        Nabeleen encouraged him with powerful words, “I advise you to look into Somerro. See what the enemy has unleashed.” Zack turned slowly, eyeing each of his mentors before him. He pivoted around and stepped forward, vision locked on the mirror pool.
        Its dark confines had a tint of deep blue, the stars glinted softly upon its face. Without any restraint, he let his mind itself peer deep into the darkness. He brought himself to his knees and leaned nearer, but did not touch the pool. His refraction was cloaked in the shadow of night, the light of the heavens seemed to circle him like an aura of a holy figure. He felt an alien presence pull on his mind’s eye, drawing it into the waters. He fought back for a moment, but knew he would be safe and let go of his worries. A sensation overcame him, his subconscious was being forced deep into a well. Blackness grew around his sight as the stars and moon came together into a single orb of light. Soon all he could see was a lone beacon of white energy, and that energy trailed off like the cracks across a frozen lake. He followed one of the many, endless pathways that meandered left and right upon the plains of eternal night. At the end of one he saw an archway, a portal that gave way to a new view. He floated towards it and looked inside.
        A powerful crimson overtook his sight. Deep and light reds, and billows of heavy, black smoke was all he could see at first. Then the landscape was made out below as if he were on a high mount looking down into a wasteland. The world was scorched and flattened beyond the mountains he peered from. Blackened stumps and ash had charred that land, scarring it till the end of its days. A savage and gruesome death had stricken this land. A fiery sun darted between the distant ranges and mantle of bloody clouds.
        A shadow fell over him and then before him. A dark bloat of a terrible beast flew over the cloud coverage, the sound of its wings like bellowing thunder. Far off it broke through the crimson blanket, crashing towards the dead earth. Clouds of dust and cinder were thrown upwards in a great, encompassing wall. The inky silhouette of a dragon emerged, looking over his destruction. It was unnatural and tampered with. Its scales were replaced by heavy iron plates, its eyes burned like infernos. Twisting horns, gilded with steel rivers caught the fleeting sun’s rays in the distance. Its jaws opened revealing rows of serrated and barbed teeth, then its maw alit with a brilliance Zachary could not directly look at. Mountains of flame spewed forth, gushing in waves and acting like water. Zachary was overcome with terror; a dread he had not felt in a very long time.
        He forced himself away from the vision and broke free, tripping backwards near the edge of the pool. The two watched him in somber silence, Zack gripped his chest where his heart was pounding. Sweat drenched his face and neck. His eyes were vacant and gaping wide, staring off into the distance as if still looking upon the horror.
        “It will find you,” Nabeleen said without emotion, “it will find Cervidas soon and set it ablaze.”
        “I cannot defeat that.” Zachary shuddered spasmodically. “It is too great.” Moonsinger knelt down next to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder.
        “No one will stop it unless you set the path for them,” she said as if she were his mother. “Together, you and your allies can do this.” A glimmer of hope made itself known to Zachary.
        “You know of this? Have you seen it?” Her eyes fell to the side and her grip lessened on his shoulder.
        Zachary’s heart sank, but Moonsinger reciprocated in an uplifting tone, “I do know you can do this. You are Zachary.” He took a long breath and recollected his wits. He gradually stood and relaxed his shoulders, looking up at Arborbus.
        “In everything I do, I am always alone. I am the one who turns the key. I will most definitely face this beast on my own.”
        Nabeleen denoted, “The monster, Malorga, will make an appearance before you in due time. No matter where you are, you cannot run. He must come to you and you must end him.”
        “Alone...” Zack added, lowering his head. “Alone... I am alone and will be alone when I fail the world.” A brief silence fell over the three. The sounds of the forest and wind became known to Zachary once more. He had almost forgotten where he was and who he was talking to.
        “I need to tell you something,” Moonsinger began slowly. The softness in her voice was like the gentle pull of a calm river. Zachary turned his attention towards her and away from Nabeleen. “I think it is time you knew a truth; a truth that I have long since kept away from you. I waited for the right moment, and now I believe that moment is now.” Moonsinger leaned down and curled next to the pool’s edge. Zack joined beside her, keeping his focus on her alone. Moonsinger swallowed and took steady breaths, as if about to take a plunge. She stared with hollow eyes into the waters, taking in her pale reflection.
        “There were six of us in total when Celestia called us. I was so afraid of leading them all, but Selene, mother Luna, assured me I would do well. We set out, journeying for many miles, further than any of us had been and going to places none of us had traveled to. There were times of peace; we camped out under the stars, we grew closer as companions and became more of a family in the end. There were times of danger; being chased and attacked, being lost and terrified. The odds of success seemed so distant that even I had given up on Celestia. And for a long time I believed that she had sent us on a quest to never return from. Oh, how I was bitter and cold, foolish and distrustful.” She seemed to be almost musing to herself, forgetful of her solemn mood and place among the others around her. Her eyes were glazed with wistful longing. Moonsinger looked upon each memory and each visage from her own time, looking deep into the nothingness before her.
        “Then, near the end of our journey, we came upon a temple. We were told that deep below the temple a Panexus was hidden, one that would lead to Arberes...” Zachary remembered this as the tree that connected all of the Panexi together. It was located in a place that can only be found by ones who had already discovered it.
        “It was a foreboding place in a valley below the Icicle Mountains. Once filled with life and warmth, it had been sapped of such things by something we could not tell. I was against going in at first, but we had no choice. We delved deep into it, too deep...” Her voice grew cold and her eyes grew vivid, as if seeing something she did not want to see.
        “We uncovered something sinister and broke its seal by mistake. Tirek had awakened and took the form of a unicorn himself. It was a temporary form, but in this body he hunted us down. How he knew about us I do not know, but he desired to stop us. We tried to escape through a Panexus, but he found us still. One by one, the equines I grew to love were murdered by him. Soon, only I remained. Deep within a forest I do not know of, lost in the dark and on the verge of breaking...” She stopped and gathered herself, Zachary couldn’t take the suspense much longer. Her eyes welled up and as she forced out in a long whisper, “Him... he found me.” She looked up at Zachary, hot tears streamed down her reddening cheeks. “It was Jason.”
        The name shook Zachary took his core. He felt stricken by a blow to the chest, an emotional impact he didn’t expect. The memory of Jason was something he couldn’t comprehend to be mentioned here, and he had resurfaced into this reality, a place where he wouldn’t have to behold such memories anymore. He didn’t know if what he had heard was what she had truly said, or what his mind had wanted him to hear. There was no distinction between the two as his brain raced for a clue, frantically wondering how Jason could be here.
        “He told me...” she began again, her voice steadying to a normal pitch and bringing Zachary’s focus back. “He told me that he was called here, and that he was alone. We walked long into the forest and talked about our lives, how we got here, why we were sent here, and our different troubles. He told me about you, but I did not know you until long after we parted ways. He also told me that he was on a quest, though that quest remains a secret to me. Days were spent in the forest until finally we reached the end, and at the end of the forest was Tirek. Jason tried so hard to stop him and protect me, but he was no match. Even though Tirek’s unicorn magic could not affect the human, he was still subdued and gravely injured. That was when Tirek turned to me, and split my essence through time...”
        Zack was speechless. Questions that had been lost in the dark had reemerged into the light. This, however, only gave way to more questions. He did not know what to say or ask, or even if he should speak at all. His vision strayed away, unsettled by the fact that he truly was not alone. It sounded as if his brother had died and that he was not immortal like Zachary, but his presence, quest, and state of being was more of a mystery than his own calling to Equestria. Moonsinger brought her hoof under his chin and raised his sight to hers, bringing his attention back once more.
        She mewled thoughtfully, “You are not alone, Zachary. You are never alone.” Zachary placed his hand to her face as a wavering smile formed upon his distraught expression.
        “Thank you,” was all he could muster to say. He arose again and looked back towards Nabeleen. “You knew?” Zack firmly questioned the cervian.
        “I had met him more than one thousand years ago. He made his way to Cervidas, and from there he went north into the Barrengale, the Forest of Night. That is where Moonsinger came across him.”
        Zack stood still, feeling the rage inside himself swallowed by the waters of tranquility. He had known better not to become angry, his diligent meditation while in Concordia paid off.
        He spoke lightly to himself saying, “I will go to Equestria again.” He turned and asked Nabeleen, “If I fail to defeat Malorga, Cervidas will perish. If I fail to defeat Tirek, he will come to you and eradicate you and your children. So if you believe in what you say, will you not aid Equestria in this war?”
        “I care for my kind, I love them.” Nabeleen appeared unconcerned, but her tone told otherwise. “However, I do not care for the equine. I see your sight, and know that the enemy can overtake all in its path. What allies Equestria will muster will not be enough to stop them, and if they cannot stop them, we will not stop them.” She closed her eyes and became silent. Then slowly, under her lids a green flare flashed out, great cervian magic was unleashed within her. Her eyes fully opened, revealing the glitter and gleam of powerful energy. Then, across the expanse of Cervidas, she spoke to all who would listen. She spoke directly into each and every mind within the forest.
        “Awaken,” she whispered, her voice soft and echoing, powerful and sincere. Twilight Sparkle shot out of bed, thinking that perhaps she had been dreaming. The voice continued to her dismay, and she calmed down to listen.
        “Awaken children, arise and be strong. Our peace has be threatened, our livelihoods are endangered. Great evils shall take flight across the Crossings of Eternity. They will pass the oceans and enter our realm, they will not stop until every living thing perishes under their hold. Tirek is the enemy, and we shall join forces with the Equestrians upon their battlefield. Arise and let loose the sails of our ships. Gather your arms, gather your armor. Stags and does, come with me. Come and retain peace for generations to come. I will lead you all.” The voice echoed away in their minds, and the Cervians arose for war.


__________


        To the east rose a new sun over the wide, green lands of Cervidas. Shafts of sunbeams broke through the forest and in Concordia the metal of warfare blazed with its red light. The streets and roadways were filled with cervians who worked tirelessly overnight to haul great vehicles out of the city and into the forest. One third of the deer folk were called to war, the rest remained in the city and forest, helping the Concordian warriors prepare for the voyage to Equestria.
        The chosen stags and does strode towards the lake, eyes fearless and heads high. Each was adorned in light plate armor, coated in silver with vines of gold trimmed upon their shoulders and barrels. They were warriors and trained as such, and though they had never been a part of a war, they knew the ways of warfare. They knew these things only because of their history, and the art of which it brought. They had no rank or honorary name, they held no pride or dignity that was not of their own kind. They were only cervians, the silent and secret ones of Cervidas.
        A wide road was spread through the forest, bending back as the masses of cervians moved themselves and their vehicles to the desired location. Where they marched was the Dyrfount, the mouth of the Illigo River which leads into Eternity’s Crossing. The Dyrfount was a small and clear lake, like a blue island among a sea of green. At its banks it was clear enough to see the many, gray river stones. Near the center where the spring bubbled up was dark and deep, like a navy pupil with an iris of azure. On the banks of Dyrfount were boathouses and docks built by the cervians to hold their many ships, both for river and sea travel.
        The grand boathouse near the furthest edge of Dyrfount was a sweeping spectacle to behold. Its sides were of wood that seemed golden and its roof like amber leaves of autumn. Tall and thin spires peaked about its corners, the roof swayed upward like a circus tent, though it was carved tediously from a single piece of wood and not a cloth. Its rooms were vast and ceilings lofty, enough to hold two dozen cervian sailing vessels. Great pines like sentinels circled about it; it was as if the forest itself protected it.
        As the cervians entered into the boathouse, they boarded the silver vessels which took them down stream. They were much different than their regular cruisers that held a few dozen, these could hold a hundred cervian and sail fast upon open waters. Their vessels were catamarans, built for speed and maneuverability. Their sails were of silver and ruby thread that glistened curiously in the sunlight. The hull was cloudy gray, a soothing color that danced upon the rippled water. Upon the hull were many vaulted ports that had oars controlled by cerjian magic which lightly pushed the boats downstream. One by one, each catamaran sailed near silently down the Illigo. Only its wake and the patter of hoof falls upon the deck were the only disturbance in the vast woods of Cervidas.
        On a lone balcony from Arborbus stood Zachary, Twilight, and Nabeleen. They looked out over the laborious city; each cervian was silent in their own thoughts. Twilight was pleased that Nabeleen was aiding Equestria in this war, however she was still dreadfully worried of the coming war itself. Zack leaned over the side, hands firmly placed on the balcony railing. A persisting feeling he once knew of resurfaced within him, a feeling of quiet dread and inner fear. These feeling were born from the ashes of Canterlot and the fires of Equestria. For long years since he had learned to train his mind with the help of the cervians. To learn cerji, one must be willful and diligent, a consistent student of the world around them. Through it, he had enveloped his past and had sought peace, and for a while he was content. He thought he had solved his post-Equestrian problems, but he was nearsighted. Now he realized that he had only put it away momentarily, that now Zack was battling peace against strife. Only Nabeleen was content and fearless, though she could not see the outcome of such a war.
        “And so we answer Equestria’s call,” stated Nabeleen. She turned towards the pony, and he towards her. “When will you both be departing my forest?”
        Twilight answered, “Soon, my lady.” Twilight hesitated, but said nothing. She felt an inner guilt for causing such things. It concerned her that she hadn’t spent enough time in Concordia. She now felt renewed and refreshed, as if the world around her gave off a glow of tranquility that she became a part of. She almost lost herself in her own contemplation when she realized only she remained standing on the balcony. She turned and noticed Zack and Nabeleen leaving the room behind her and she quickly caught up to both of them.
        The three walked down a wide and spiraling stairway that encircled the interior of Arborbus. The deer they passed bowed to their matron and Zachary, but to Twilight they did not acknowledge.
        As they continued down the steps, Twilight spoke to Nabeleen saying, “My lady, may I ask a favor of you?” The matron stopped her descent and looked pleased towards Twilight.
        “Yes, Twilight Sparkle?” Her tone and visage was true to her emotion. She was happy before the unicorn, as if she had entirely forgotten the situation at hand.
        “There is the equine island, Houyhaven. I believe it is in the path of Equestria itself. If it would not be burden, I would suggest going to the island and rallying the Houyhnhnms. I had spent a time there on the island and I know some will join us to fight against the opposing forces we face. They do not have any watercraft that can brave the oceans like ages ago. So I wish that you would take the warriors of Houyhaven to Equestria.”
        “I know of the Houyhnhnms, Twilight Sparkle. We once traded with them in the years of our fruitful endeavors. I will see what I can do.” She turned away and continued her descent with Zachary. Twilight followed behind, unsure if her presence was a hindrance.
        There was a level platform at the end of the stairs, and at the far end of the platform was another stairway of equal width that descended to the ground floor. To their right was an open archway, leading to a viewing deck, and to their left was a narrow and high gated bridge that lead to the rootway. Zachary softly pivoted towards Twilight as the three were upon the level crossings.
        “Please,” he requested towards Twilight with friendly courtesy, “Follow me.” She did so and the two made their way towards the arching bridge. One by one they went, Twilight following Zack with his white and silver robe trailing behind mere inches above the ground. The bridge was long and narrow, it vaulted slightly upward towards the middle and gently sloped down. It stretched all the way across the expansive interior of the World Tree and was three shoulder-spans wide in cervian standards. When the two reached the rootway, Zachary used some cerjian magic to call forth the elevator. He watched Twilight as the alicorn peered over the edge, looking over the bustling activity and the dense number of deer about.
        “Do you have a certain feeling within you?” Zack asked in an undertone that was light and wishful. Twilight turned back and looked at him, though his eyes were towards the rootway shaft.
        “What do you mean, Zachary?”
        He looked up, “This place, it’s dreamlike. When I arrived here I felt as if I had stepped into a new world. This is what peace is meant to be, this is what Equestria could become. Do you think this is what Celestia strived for? To make Equestria into a country like Cervidas?” He gleefully sighed, eyes hazy with remembrance and wonder. “Perhaps Equestria was once a land of peace, kin to Cervidas in many ways. And if that were true, how do you think that all changed to what the world is today?” Before she could answer, the rootway doors opened and the risen platform arrived with other cervians on board. Some of the deer exited as Zachary and Twilight entered. The vined gate closed and the rootway smoothly rose.
        They exited at Matron’s Loft and made their way towards the Gailexium. The sky was a blissful blue, without a single cloud from horizon to horizon. A spirited, clean wind blew over the heights, filling the pony with a natural nourishment. They entered through the thick, beech doors, the manor’s air was warm and cozy to Twilight’s fur. The entry hall was filled with morning light as fine specks of lonely dust danced within the sunbeams. The smell of crisp, polished wood and foreign scents delighted her nostrils, but her eyes and ears found no one besides Zachary present in the High Watchhall. The two took the first right in the atrium, which lead down a curved stairway into a series of short halls and nooks. The hall had many doorways, but Zack entered one as Twilight followed behind. In it was his small, quiet room. It was neatly organized and resembled that of the Western Tower in Canterlot Castle. Even the high porch was near the far end of the room where outside nested Nox the thunderbird.
        Twilight walked around and examined the room saying aloud, “This isn’t too bad. It reminds me of your old room in Canterlot.” Zack turned and smiled, he held an open bag that he was placing his belongings into. He went about the room grabbing his few personal things, trying to be swift, yet not wanting to miss anything.
        “You know,” he began, walking past Twilight to a chest in the far corner of the room, “it pains me to leave, Twilight. I know it doesn’t make sense to you now, but I’ve made friends here. I began a new life, gained a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. I’ve learned to channel my feelings, emotions, and thoughts into more positive routes of thinking. I don’t think I’ll be the same Zachary as I was those many years ago.” He looked towards his desk and removed a photo frame. He brought it close to him as he looked at the picture inside, seeing Pinkie and himself working behind the counter at Sugarcube Corner.
        “I can’t wait to see her again. It’ll take a while to catch up, you know how Pinkie is when she goes about explaining things.” He chuckled and stowed the picture into his satchel bag. He opened a desk drawer and pulled from it a silver pocket watch that gleamed faintly blue in the sunlit room. He put it up to his ears and listened to it tick. He tucked it away in his pocket and forgot about the silence he had established.
        He added after his long delay, “Others that remember me will want a better explanation to my... disappearance. To be honest, I don’t think I can give one that will please them.” He walked away from his desk and headed towards his chest of drawers across the room. “I could have chosen to stay, and I have no real excuse for choosing what I had chosen. But If I were to choose an excuse, I would only say that I needed this. I wanted this. And from that outcome I knew there would be consequences, but I left Equestria as silently as I came into it. That is what I wanted, to not leave a trace of evidence for anyone, friend or enemy, to find.” Zack looked back towards Twilight, wondering if she had even been paying attention. She was silent, but listening intently.
        Zack gave an easy grin at her attentiveness. “I’m probably boring you anyways. I’m sure you figured this all out, or could have and more by just the information that you were presented with.” He grabbed a few scrolls, each bearing a broken seal with Luna’s mark upon them, and placed them into his travel bag. He then slung the bag over his back and made his way towards the deck doors.
        “Zachary,” she said, making him stop just before the large glass doors. “You don’t need to explain anything. You aren’t apart of this world, you never could be, so you left the best way you could.”
        “I was offered a choice to come here long ago, an offer to come and learn to cope with my solitude. But no matter where I go or who is around me, I’ll be alone.” He looked over his shoulder and smiled at the pony. “I know that’s okay now.” Whether he meant it or not was unknown to him, but the feeling the words gave him made him happy. From what he learned last night, he knew he wasn’t always alone, and that there was a larger mystery to be solved.


__________


        “So it is time,” Nabeleen said before the two companions. They were on the floor of the forest before Arborbus and in the midst of the multitude of Concordia. Zack was adorned in clothes more fit for travel. He wore a strapping white top with hems that lapped over his shoulders, cervian-sown tan trousers that fell below his knees, a thick brown belt, and light moccasin-style shoes. He was dressed quite well for the adventure back to Equestria.
        Her eyes fell to both the human and the pony respectively as she went on, “We all must embark to reach a common goal, though each will have an entirely different journey before them. The days of comfort and peace have ended, and whether or not it can be sustained once again sways on the point of disaster.”
        The Emerald Lady added, “May the winds be in your favor, and let them take you swiftly to Equestria. We shall arrive on the eve of battle, and we shall not delay.” Before she gave them both her blessing, a few fawns came before Zachary, breaking away from the cervian company. They were crestfallen when Zachary looked upon them, eyes filled with regret and sadness. He knelt to one knee to be eye level with them.
        “Please don’t go!” said one of the young.
        “Please, please!” pleaded the others as they huddled closer towards the human. Zack stretched out his arm and embraced them all lovingly.
        Zack looked upon each saying, “My little ones, don’t be sad. Remember the times we shared here! Remember our stories and remember my teachings, for I will not forget everyone’s lessons here. I have taken them to heart and will never lose them!”
        He placed his large hand atop one of the taller fawns and smiled. “Vitreen, please do let anger come so easily upon you. You must be stronger than that.” He removed his hand and placed it on another deer, this time a young doe. “Never stop learning, and let not others be the folly of you, Kytris.” He went to each cervian foal and gave a last, personal farewell to each of them. Twilight was touched by Zachary’s display of affection towards each young one. She began to understand how he would miss Concordia, and how he wasn’t exactly able to put his feelings into words for her before. Now she understood and she felt somewhat ashamed that she was taking him away from the ones that loved him.
        He arose and looked towards Twilight with delight beaming off of him. “Are you ready, Twilight?” She looked about Concordia and towards the World Tree one last time, trying to take it all in for memory’s sake.
        She returned her gaze and nodded, “Yes, I believe so.”
        He nodded in return and pressed his thumb and finger into his lips. He gave off a piercing whistle that filled the forest city around them. The shrill he produced rang off the trees and lifted into the air over the branches. Almost as soon as the whistle had faded off, a thunderclap could be heard in the distance. A subtle, deep pulse of wings came high above them all; even the cervians grew looks of fear, looking up towards the trees and murmuring to themselves. Through the branches tore through Nox in his stormy form. A great plume of storm clouds trailed from its wings and tail feathers. Its eyes blazed with a vivid and electric cyan, and its wing tips and talons radiated in a brilliant yellow. It swooped down and came to halt between the cervians and guests. Nox’s impressive wingspan was held aloft and it carefully tucked its wings in not to hurt anyone. Zachary approached his ally and caressed Nox’s dark crown, trying his best to ignore the static outputs with each stroke.
        Nabeleen walked around the bird and Nox acknowledged her as a friend. She said aloud, “This is what I assumed you shall be taking, and I was right.” She placed a hoof towards Nox’s beak as the bird lowered its head. “I shall miss Nox, for we have spent many days together here in Concordia. It is a rarity these days to find the mythical birds. No greater beast can be compared to the beauty of the Spirit Avian. They are a fleeting race in these present times, and few remain unfound.” She turned toward Zack and deeply requested, “I hope you take great care of him, for he will be a valuable asset to you on your journey.”
        “I shall,” he strongly answered. “We have both served each other many times and in dire situations. Never has he failed to save me, and I for him.”
        The Emerald Lady concluded, “Now is the time, Zachary. The sun seeks the higher heavens and you must depart swiftly. I feel that your call is needed sooner than we had surmised.” The human silently agreed and placed a hand on the Nox’s mantle. The thunderbird bent down so that both Zack and Twilight could mount him. He focused his inner magic and conjured a simple saddle upon Nox’s back. The cervians stepped back from the three as the young ones were pulled away by their parents. Nox arose with both human and pony on his back, unhindered by their combined weight. Twilight held closely to Zachary, deeply afraid of falling from the great heights Nox was known at flying from. Even though she had wings, she had never been a great flyer, even after the many years she had possessed them. She wrapped her hooves around Zachary’s torso, trying not to think about the soon-to-be troubles.
        Zachary looked down towards the Matron and said, “We will meet again soon.” He gripped the satchel to his side and held to the saddle reins—Twilight held her breath.
“Let’s go!” called the human and Nox bent his weight down. With a mighty heave, he took into the sky at a speed which tore around the two. The tall trees rushed passed and through the greenery they broke into the wide blue sky in no time. Twilight had held her eyes closed, but when she opened them she was far over Cervidas. The high winds rushed passed her, tossing her mane and tail carelessly about. Below was a sea of emerald and above was a realm of sapphire; she turned and watched the great World Tree drift away like a lonely sea spire.
        She turned and yelled out over the screaming winds, “How long is the journey to Equestria? Do you know how to get back?”
        Zack looked over shoulder and loudly responded, “Not entirely sure, for both questions. Don’t fret though! I’ve studied many maps and have been to many places in the last thirty-three years. The journey takes years by foot and boat, but by the thunderbird flies I do not know. We will make haste however, and we shall arrive when we arrive!” He leaned forward and pressed Nox to go faster. With little effort, Nox beat his wings down and the three were taken swifter in a great burst.


__________


The cervian catamarans sailed hastily down the twining rivers as Nox raced over wavering lands. They flew northwest as the sun dipped further west. The sky faded yellow in the afternoon as they passed the far line of wooded realm of Cervidas. The sea, once a thick line upon the distant horizon, had grown thicker and deeper in color as they approached near sunset. At the gloaming hour, the three made a quick stop at a freshwater lake near the ocean. They rested, drank and ate for a few minutes before setting off again over the expansive sea of Eternity’s Crossing.
        Twilight fell into deep slumber as Zack stayed focused and alert. Ahead were great thunderheads with narrow passages around them. Heat lightning burned about through the anvil clouds as heavy rain could be seen pouring from underneath. The waves below grew tall and terrible, and Zachary knew they had to fly higher to be able to avoid a catastrophe. Great and dark peaks of the cumulus clouds rose around them; Nox fearlessly maneuvered through the storm. Vibrant electricity burned at the tip of the thunderbird’s beak, it was St. Elmo’s Fire, a rare weather occurrence. The tropical disturbance didn’t last long as they swooped down the far edges of the cloud and made it on the other side of the storm. The clouds parted and the naked night sky was shown above. The light of the moon rippled down below, cascading silver slivers upon the waves below. Stars were scattered about above, a wonder that Zack felt hard to look away from.
        Dawn was approaching as they soared over a chain of small islands below. Unbeknownst to Twilight, a disheartened houyhnhnm looked up and noticed a strange and large bird passing swiftly overhead. Zack pressed on until the sun rose over the sea, glittering the ruby and golden waters like precious stones of treasure. They landed in the morning on a small atoll, surrounded by many sandbars. The salt air refreshed the three and soon enough they were back in the air. Nox flew close to the water, using the updraft and spraying wake to cool and wash himself. As they flew up higher, Zack spotted an expansive land beyond him.
        “There!” he pointed as Twilight was brought back from an uneasy nap. “Land! What I hope is that this is Equestria’s coastline! We’re only a day away—perhaps shorter!” Twilight as glad, but remained silent and still, still too deeply afraid to loosen up or relax atop of the speedy thunderbird. Twilight hoped, however, that they were not too late, and that nothing terrible had happened while she was away.