//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Friendship is Scaleless // by Limescale //------------------------------// Being one with the ability to step into the dreams of other ponies, Princess Luna was no stranger to disturbing imagery. The mental well-being of Equestria’s citizens during their night time slumber was her charge, and as one who could honestly claim to have embodied both the greatest vision and the worst nightmare any equine could conjure up she thought herself able to face anything during her walks among the sleeping minds of her subjects. As she was now learning, even with centuries of experience in the above, there could still exist minds too fractured and warped for even her to handle. At first she honestly thought she’d perhaps made a mistake upon entering Seath’s dreams. The grey cratered landscape and desolate canopy of stars that greeted her looked more like something out of her own nightmares than what she’d expect from a dragon. It was only after she’d had time to look around at the scenery that she began to notice several differences between it, and that which had served as her prison for 1,000 years. To the common eye one moon looked the same as another, but for one who had actually been forced to live in exile upon such a planetary satellite there was no mistaking if they were to find themselves suddenly standing upon the surface of another. As Luna puzzled over what moon she was seeing, as it could clearly not be her own, another figure entered her field of view. He was a human creature (if she recalled what Lyra had told her during the last Grand Galloping Gala) with fair brown hair, a youthful expression and a lithe, healthy anatomy. He was also dressed in heavy plate armor, and wielding a massive sword with a blade that appeared to be made out of pure light and glowed with a deathly cold aura. As he approached her, the moon princess also noticed a look of determined loathing in his eyes as he raised his weapon in preparation to attack. Luna scrambled back, raising her own front limbs in defense. She gasped when what hovered into view were not her usual hooves but rather long white chitin claws, like that of an insect. Frantically, Luna looked down at herself and saw that she was in fact viewing this from the perspective of a beast that was equal parts majesty and alien. It walked upon two segmented white legs, and a glance behind revealed a great pair of angelic wings. She raised her claws to her face and explored a flat visage protected by a white cranial carapace. Who was this creature that she had taken the form of for this most surreal of encounters? Luna sadly had only a second to ponder the above before the wrenching pain of a blade lodging itself in her stomach jostled her back to the present danger. Automatically she drew back further, her claws flexing to fire beams of magical energy at the human as he ripped his sword out and made to attack again. Through its eyes, Luna experienced every slash, every cut, and every stab, each bringing a fresh arrow of biting, frigid cold as the creature was butchered by its opponent. In fairness, both combatants put up a good fight, but against that strange luminous sword, it seemed the angelic entity stood no chance. Eventually it succumbed to its wounds, the lunar landscape around it growing hazy as the human wiped off his blade and turned to vanish in a flurry of white light. The white bled outward till it had consumed all in the moon princess’ field of view…then came a voice. Harsh, gravelly and very deep, it boomed from all around her, congratulating someone known as ‘Austin Lyle Forester’, proclaiming him as the new Golden King for his success in defeating Seath and purging the darkness from Verdite. Seath? That creature she’d just watched be killed in extremely cold blood was Seath? But…but how? It had borne no resemblance to the dragon she’d met previously, well, save for their mutual color scheme. How possibly could they both be the same being? More questions arose, and went unanswered as Luna became aware of the white void around her turning dark. Much like when a pony went from REM sleep to deep sleep, the lunar mare found herself engulfed in blackness, isolated…but not alone. No, she was definitely not alone. Luna could hear breathing coming from every direction. Something alive was very close, and it was also very, very big. Feeling a sudden sense of being watched, Luna looked up, and her breath abandoned her a second time upon seeing an eye was gazing down at her from the darkness; a solitary, glowing red eye with a black slit for a pupil. It glared at her with murderous intent, and before the mare could move two rows of gleaming white teeth revealed themselves and parted to gobble her up, much like foals feared her doing on every Nightmare Night. Luna felt herself tossing and tumbling down the gullet of the beast, finally coming to rest upon a cold and sodden clump of what felt like earth. Slowly the darkness faded to a grey vista, an endless void of fog through which the outlines of what appeared to be trees, and rock formations were visible. Hesitantly Luna rose to her hooves, her horn now lit and charged to defend herself for whatever Seath’s psyche might throw at her next. She spied movement in the fog, and could hear the flutter of heavy wings. Suddenly the lunar princess experienced herself being tackled by several great beasts dive bombing her from overhead. Fresh pain cascaded across her body as claws and teeth viciously tore at her flesh. Above her the harsh laughter of multiple voices mocked her for her deformed body, for her lack of scales, for her inability to hide in the fog due to her bright white coloring. They taunted and tortured her till she just about screamed for death, before she felt her body being elevated from the ground and hurled into the void. As she fell forever the voices decreed that she pray to the worms to stay dead this time, lest they hunt her down and claim her head as a trophy for offending their grandeur with her presence. Luna crashed agonizingly onto another plane, this one bearing a more granular consistency, like sand. She could smell the heavy scent of salt on the air and sense the presence of water nearby. Her body felt too beaten and wounded to do anything aside from lie there and rot, but Luna quietly reminded herself such was only a manifestation of Seath’s mind. Casting a spell to isolate her astral self from the sensory input of the dreams, Luna hobbled back to her hooves again and looked around. She was on a beach of some kind, a narrow strip of land snaking its way through a lake sitting under the impenetrable canopy of fog. In the distance more trees could be sighted, but around her the black alicorn could only sense an overwhelming feeling of emptiness, as if time and change meant nothing here; the place existed for no purpose and offered nothing but loneliness and stagnation. Deciding she’d had enough of just letting Seath’s dreams take her wherever they wished, Luna focused her powers and sought to delve deeper into the dragon’s mind, to assume control and make him show her what she’d come to see. The lake around the beach promptly erupted into fire, a sudden wall of choking heat closing in on Luna from all sides. Ignoring the momentary fear of suffocation, the moon princess concentrated on an image visible through the flames, a silhouette of something tall, black and serpentine. She ordered the flames to let her pass, and found herself staring at another visitor to Seath’s mind as they parted. Mounted atop a snake’s body was a repulsively humanoid looking face, lined with huge yellow teeth that clicked frightfully together, and two demonic eyes that gazed at her with sadistic glee. “At last thou standeth before us, herald! Thine arrival is most punctual!” It welcomed with a flick of its long neck, indicating it wanted Luna to follow it somewhere. “Come, we have such sights to show thee! Thine purpose must be fulfilled with all haste!” The serpent disappeared into a hole that had opened in the beach. The flames promptly surged forward to join it down into the depths of darkness. Luna felt a sudden urge to do the same as instructed. She decided not to fight it as she walked forward and hurled herself into the whirlpool of the abyss. In the darkness, Luna could see the fire burning in the distance, yet no matter how much she tried to increase the speed of her descent she could not close the gap between it and herself. Quite why she would want to was yet another question that would have to be added to the list of things to ponder later. Right now, all Luna knew was she couldn’t let the flames escape from her. She flapped her wings and strained her hooves, trying to reach the flickering golden inferno, yet no sooner did she appear to gain some speed than something blocked her path. A wall of shining blue flesh suddenly slid in front of the alicorn, blotting out the light of the flames and giving her cause to now try halting her descent. She turned herself around, flapped her wings to slow her velocity…then felt something cold and slimy wrap around her midsection and wrench her out of the darkness. Gasping for breath as her barrel was squeezed like a sponge, Luna turned and nearly screamed as she found herself looking at…something that just defied description. From her vantage point gripped in one of its numerous tentacles the alicorn wagered it was around 50 times her size, and bore the same body shape as an octopus… A blue octopus… A blue octopus with no head, Luna again corrected herself A blue octopus that had no head, because the tentacles swirling around it WERE its head. Underneath she could see another limbless body thrashing about, like that of the serpent that had addressed her previously. It twisted and squirmed as if in the middle of a fit, its tentacles flailing wildly as it reeled Luna in closer. The black alicorn fought to free herself, but found her strength depart her as another voice came to her ears. “No. Do not resist.” The octopus creature raised its two front most tentacles, revealing a vertical slit underneath that flexed and smacked itself like a mouth. “This is thine own doing. This is what thou wrought.” The voice was distinctly feminine, melodious in its tones, but also sad, as if mourning some great tragedy that had just occurred out of view. “Thou had a choice, and sinned of thine own free will.” The mouth yawned open, allowing a metal spike to project outward. “Thou knowest this to be the only fate thou is worthy of.” Luna was brought up to the mouth, and watched as the spike was launched at her like an arrow. “To be rewarded as both a traitor and a monster deserveth.” The spike smashed against the alicorn’s skull, breaking her horn in the process. An image shot through her mind of another human, kneeling on the floor as if in prayer. His head was bent back at a most unnatural angle and his face was wracked with pain and fear. Behind him Seath stood with his hands curled possessively around the human’s head, while to the side a robed figure stood in the shadows, holding out a strange helmet with six eyes. “A monster.” The spike was retracted and launched a second time, breaking Luna’s skull completely. An image of more humans, females this time, shot through her mind, showing them being forcibly pulled from their homes and their families by the six eyed beings, now wielding giant tridents. “A traitor!” The spike reared back and came at Luna again. This time it pierced straight through into her brain, bringing with it a fresh vision of the female humans, now shackled and chained to the floor. Their bodies were in the process of changing, arms melting into tentacles, legs fusing together into bizarre serpent like shapes. Their voices screamed for help as Seath maliciously loomed over them. “MONSTER!” Again the spike retreated, and again it skewered the alicorn’s brain. Now came an image of Seath smashing open the doors to what looked to be a regal chamber of some manner. With one accusatory finger he pointed to two females tending to one who was clearly a princess of some kind. As tall as the dragon that stood before her, and draped in a flowing gown of white and gold, the stunning amazon looked most horrified as more of the six eyed creatures charged at her attendants, their tridents raised with malicious intent. “TRAITOR!” The spike speared what remained of Luna’s head and pulled it from her shoulders like a champagne cork. She promptly teleported herself off the dreamscape and fought to find somewhere else in Seath’s mind to set down. Feeling herself be drawn to a deeper recess of his subconscious, she flapped her wings and sensed her hooves alighting upon another hard and dusty surface. She took a moment to catch her breath, still reeling from the horror of what had just assaulted her. Was this what Seath’s prior existence had been like? A never-ending trial of pain and suffering? No wonder the poor soul was such a mess! And yet…that last bit…the words she’d heard…what was that about choice? And sin? Traitor? Monster? Why did Seath deem he deserved such terrible tragedy? What had he done in his past life? Luna raised her head and prepared to set off again for more answers but then she stopped. The new dreamscape was coming into focus, revealing she was back on the moon… No…not the moon from before…. HER moon! Luna whipped her head around, half in confusion, half in fright. Yes, there was the Crater of Falabella, and beyond it the Manipuri Trench… This was the same spot she’d initially landed in upon being banished by her sister! “Such fear at the sight of thine old abode. Strange, to me the moon promised a peaceful retreat from the strife of its mothering sphere, the only solace I could hope for in the hell that was my existence.” Luna turned and froze as Seath, the current Seath she knew, flew down from the stars, alighting upon the lunar surface before her. “Many colorful tales hath I been told, of those who walk among the slumbering in the mist of their nightly visions. Mere drunken jests were they deemed by many, but as sorcerers’ do value the sanctity of their minds we did strive for a means to prevent others from fouling it with their trespasses, as we did manipulate the visions of those foolish enough to try regardless.” He snarled. “How ironic, after so many centuries past should I be delivered unto a realm where such beings are fact rather than lore.” Luna glowered as the white dragon drew himself up to his full height, reminding her that even at her exaggerated alicorn status he still stood around 40 feet taller. “Thine skills continue to impress, noble Seath. Please accept our apologies for this intrusion, we meant thee no harm.” She stated, keeping her voice loud and firm, if only to cover up the extreme unease she was feeling underneath. “The emotions thou expressed when we last conversed….we could not help noticing many of them matched what we ourselves experienced when we fell to the temptation of evil. We desired to know why.” Seath lowered his muzzle till it was on the same level as Luna’s face, his blood red eyes glowering silently at her. His breath felt cold, lifeless. “And now that thou hast seen, is thine curiosity sated, equine?” Luna ground her hooves against the lunar surface and fought to remain calm. “We…. We have seen…but…such darkness, such terror…never have we witnessed such a magnitude before!” Seath snorted in disgust. Luna again reminded herself that this was her domain and she could leave in an instant if she wanted to. Seath might have surprised her with the change of scenery but she still had a few tricks of her own to pull, if necessary. “We beseech thee, Seath, help us to comprehend! What hast thou done to haunt thine mind so repulsively?” The dragon’s eyes glowed like gems filled with pure evil. “And were I to answer, what wouldst thou offer in return?” He demanded. Luna felt a sliver of confidence creep into her soul. “At the very least, we can dash these visions from thine sleep. We do not just walk among dreams but also guard the dreamer from their nightmares. It is the least we can do to atone for our…past.” She replied while looking at the silent terrain around her. Even if she and the moon were affiliated as one, she still found herself oddly avoiding this particular spot on its surface. Despite having been forgiven for her past crimes and living in peaceful harmony for going on five years, it seemed the memories of what she’d done, what she’d allowed to happen still lingered in the darkest recesses of Luna’s mind. Fortunately this little admission of guilt seemed to quell a bit of Seath’s fury. He drew himself back, and contemplated the princesses’ offer. “The sting of these visions hath long since dulled…yet the embers sparked from thine welcome warms me still.” He said thoughtfully. “What hath I done? The answer to that is as varied as the points from which it may be viewed. I hath done what I had to do, what fate demanded I do, what I yearned to do, and what I did simply because all failed to stop me.” Again those eyes turned to Luna, looking at her not as a princess but rather like something smeared on a microscope slide. A specimen to be studied then simply be cast away once its worth to the drake had expired. “First impart to me, if thou will, thine own personal standing on thine fall to the beast dubbed Nightmare Moon. Thine lore is clear on the how of thine transformation, but as for the why, it grows muddy.” Luna glared as Seath crossed his arms. “T’was it envy of thine sister’s skills that drove thee to evil? Jealousy that thine subjects adored her more than thou? The need to restore harmony to a scale become unbalanced by the love for the day and neglect for the night?” Seath growled. “Or t’was it simply because fate demanded thine downfall and saw it be so, no matter the cost?” Luna blinked and silently wondered if Seath was trying to trick her. Her reasons for becoming the terror that every pony had feared for 1,000 years were obvious: the land and those who lived on it seemed to all have been attuned to only benefit from the day, while the night held no comfort nor beauty for them. She’d deemed this unfair, and with that the seeds that had led to her eventual fall to darkness had been planted. “T’was our hatred and envy for the reasons thou has posited, Seath. Why ever would thou believe otherwise?” The lunar landscape vanished, being replaced by a scene that was likewise unpleasantly familiar to the moon princess. It was the throne room of her and Celestia’s palace at Canterlot, at the moment Twilight and her friends had unleashed the Elements of Harmony to finally seal her fate. Images of the six ponies stood silently before Luna, the aura of their respective powers enrobing them each as they prepared to deliver their final blow. “With thine acts of treachery, thine sister was reminded of why she needed thee by her side, the six who now stand as thine most powerful warriors, or so thine lore states, found their purpose and their strength from battling against thee. Indeed much of what has shaped thine land would not have come about had thou remained on the side of good.” Seath mused. “So tell me now, pony, will thou still stand and declare thine acts were of thine own doing and not because a higher power guided thee?” Luna raised her hoof, her mouth open and ready to give a resounding affirmative response… …except…. …except no sound issued forth. She had to pause, repeat to herself what Seath had said. She thought about her previous point on how so little in Equestria seemed attuned to thrive during the night, then remembered that had been the case even before she and Celestia had assumed their roles as diarchs. They had a lot of say in how their kingdom functioned, but its natural state had been set in stone since time began… …so then who had determined previously that all assets of their world would only benefit from the sun and not the moon? Luna’s hoof fell back to the ground as she glanced at her cutie mark. Even with centuries of study and research behind them, the exact nature of the one defining aspect of ponies still puzzled her. Some ponies were good at certain skills, some were better at others. Once one worked out what their special talent was they got marked with an indication on their flank so everypony would then know where their strengths lay. But still, who determined what made one pony better in a specific area than another? Talents weren’t something one developed over time, rather it seemed each pony’s specialization was chosen for them…perhaps even before they were born… Was there another power making these choices? Were all their actions the command of some greater mind? Luna furiously shook her head. “We know our will did dictate our acts! Why dost thou seek to cloud our mind with other possibilities?” She demanded. Seath spread his four wings and flapped them in lament. “To arm thee for what I am about to show thee; a small fragment of what has consumed mine thoughts for centuries….” He turned and applied a light to the images of Twilight and her friends. The six burned away like paper cut outs as the scenery around them caught fire and was likewise reduced to ashes. Behind it lay a vista unlike any Luna had seen before. Against a soulless amber sky stood hundreds upon thousands of pillars, supporting a spiral design of walkways and arches all wrapping around a monolithic stone tower. Heavy black ash covered every available surface like a desert, as far as Luna could see, yet the tower itself was scorched clean by the light of a great inferno burning within its walls. “Thou sayest that my past and thine are similar. Having delved at length into thine history I ponder if thou suspects how alike we truly are.” Luna was afraid to breath, lest she risk inhaling the acrid darkness closing in on her. “Wh-What is this place?” She asked. “The place where Lordran’s birth cry was heard, and where its death knell shall be sounded.” Seath morosely explained. Luna swallowed hesitantly. “And…why are we here?” Seath sighed as if disgusted by the princess’ inability to keep up.“Thou saw how...welcoming my kindred were to one so far removed from their norm?” Luna shivered and rubbed a hoof over her legs. Even if she couldn’t actually be hurt while on the dreamscape that didn’t stop her from feeling phantom twinges of pain. “Their treatment of thee was ghastly indeed. Truly, they subjected thee to such horror for no reason than thine physical differences?” Seath nodded darkly. “Year after year was I reminded of how I repulsed them, again and again was my own feeble mortality rubbed in my face as they celebrated their everlasting status. Long did I seek for reasons why I was cursed to be born a pariah, an outcast fit for no one….until one day…when I lay torn and bleeding by a forgotten lake, that a visitor came to me, bearing an answer.” Luna nodded. “The serpent?” “Yay. Declare Kaathe did that I was destined for a purpose greater than exile, higher than a degenerate. I was to be the herald that would bring forth the end of the Age of Ancients and take my place among the gods that would rise up in its place!” Seath glared at the tower in the distance. Luna looked again and noticed that an immense crowd of figures now surrounded it, legions upon legions of what appeared to be armored warriors stood waiting in the ashes as voices were heard inside the structure. “Unto me the serpent revealed that I was not alone in my suffering under my kin’s tyranny. Many souls had been oppressed by their stone grip, and now had found the means to overthrow the dragons. My wounds were healed and to here I was lead, to the place where the fire had newly bloomed, and within it the Lord Souls freshly birthed: The Kiln of the First Flame!” Seath bade for Luna to follow as he began descending down towards the tower. “Around the flame three factions had gathered, their leaders discussing how to utilize the Lord Souls.” The first mass of warriors came into view. They appeared to all be humanoid skeletons of different sizes, some small, some gigantic. At their head was a creature that could best be described as a walking, sentient pile of skulls and bones, clustered together in a rough semblance of a body and draped in a flowing black cloak. In one hand he held aloft a brilliant golden flame. “Gravelord Nito, first of the dead, and his legions of reanimated shells.” Seath explained. He walked around the silent mass of corpses to where a group of more lively folk were gathered. These were all female humans, clad in fancy robes and gowns, and tending to fires they were feeding with some manner of magic spawned from the staffs they clutched. At their front stood a female of several more years and much more elegant attire, her hands folded together under another of the golden flames. “The Witch of Izalith, and her Daughters of Chaos.” Seath said while moving onto the third faction. This one was by far the most traditional of the lot, consisting of row after row of beings encased in shining silver armor, their form and pose as perfect as could be hoped for an organized army. Leading them was a towering human male, dressed in regal clothing with a tall, spikey crown upon his head. His facial features were mostly hidden under a flowing grey mane and an even longer grey beard, and in his hands he clutched perhaps the most brilliant of the flames. “Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, and his faithful knights.” Seath declared before glancing at something out of the corner of his eye. Luna followed his gaze and briefly glimpsed a tiny silhouette darting away from the flames while clutching something to its chest. She was about to inquire about it but Seath seemed to have already forgotten and moved on. “To each of these a Lord Soul had already been claimed. They had the power to challenge the dragons, but knew not where their weaknesses lay. T’was my purpose, the serpent spoke, to see they succeeded.” Slowly the words from before became clear to Luna. Traitor, monster, herald, Seath had been picked by destiny, or some similar power to fulfill all three. “And what did you do in response?” She asked. Even if she already knew the answer she still wanted to hear the one responsible give his account. “I stood on the precipice of the Kiln, watching these beings plan my kin’s extinction. The moment in which I debated the prophecy told unto me seemed never-ending , yet still, I walked the path shown to thee, approached these three and began to speak.” Seath replied, staring at the scene before him with eyes that danced in the throes of one emotion after another. It seemed even after all this time he still didn’t know what to make of what had actually taken place here. “You betrayed your own…” Luna commented. Seath nodded with no hint of regret. “I told Gwyn of how his mighty bolts would peel apart the dragons’ stone scales, I showed the witch and her daughters how to weave great firestorms that would char the dragon's hides and ruin their wings, and I instructed Nito to unleash a miasma of death and disease in the wake of it all to see that none of my kin survived. The talk continued long into the night…til at last I found myself standing beside the new gods on the battlefield, and unto my fellow dragons I unleashed a millennia of rage and carefully researched power. The death toll increased more from my own assault than it did any other…least I remember it so.” Despite standing right next to a raging inferno, Luna felt the deathly chill creep into her again. Seath talked about the downfall of his race as if he saw it as an accomplishment, as if he was proud of having slaughtered his own kind in their hundreds so that only he lived to see another day. Granted from what she’d witnessed of how he’d been treated she could understand his actions, but that most certainly did not excuse the sheer monstrosity of them! “But…why?” She asked breathlessly, drawing back as Seath turned to her again. “Such is the question I posed to thee at the beginning, princess. T’was it my hatred borne of abuse that drove me to turn traitor? The promise of reward in becoming part of the new pantheon? Did I act simply because I was told? Or was the choice never mine and would I have done so no matter my choice? Art we beings born of free will, or mere puppets blind to the strings that bind us? For eons have I pondered, and as of now I find myself no closer to any answer.” The white dragon leaned down to stare Luna right in the eyes. “Whichever it may be, thou knowest what I hath done, and seen the deed that hath joined our souls in union!” Luna backed away, lowering her head and lighting up her horn in anger. “This is NOTHING like what we did! We killed no one! We sought not extinction!” “No, but thine acts would have lead to such regardless. The cataclysm thou would have wrought was only averted because thine sister acted quickly to banish thee.” Seath replied. Luna ground her teeth in denial, every nerve telling her this was a blatant lie! She intended harm to no one! She only wished for them to show the same appreciation for her night as they did for Celestia’s day…. ….except as she’d acknowledged before, there was little on Equestria that could thrive during the night. If she’d hadn’t been stopped crops would’ve started to die, a famine would’ve gripped the land, ponies would’ve starved and died and… “Oh…oh Faust, no!” Luna cried as the truth became clear. Her intentions may have been different, but the outcome would have indeed been the same. Had Celestia not intervened she’d have been responsible for exactly the same sort of extinction level event as Seath! Luna’s legs felt weak, the glow of her horn flickered and died as she looked up and saw the white drake nodding in quiet satisfaction at her horror. Anger licked at her again as she destroyed the image of the Kiln and summoned a more comforting scene of her balcony overlooking Canterlot, the moon bathing all in a soothing white light. “Thou now sees the truth of it.” Seath commented as Luna flopped against the railing and got her breathing back under control. “Yes, and now that thou hast revealed some of thine past crimes I seek to know: dost thou intend to bring similar disaster upon us?” She demanded. Seath looked offended, though for once the usual contemplation of murder did not follow his expression. He looked out over the rooftops of Canterlot, remembering a time when the city of Anor Londo had looked similarly alive and peaceful. “Nay, princess, not if I can help it. Thou hast shown me more care and acceptance than any before, and too full art thine lands with new opportunity and potential. There is no justification nor gain in alienating thee.” Seath closed his eyes in thought. “Likewise I am too enthralled with how thine fellow princess excels under my tutelage. A fool I would be to risk losing her trust if not thine own.” Luna snorted ambivalently. “She does seem to enjoy learning from you.” “And I cannot deny the warmth of pride’s old ember, fanned as it is by her enthusiasm. A better student I have never encountered…save for…” Seath’s eyes shut tighter as his teeth revealed themselves. The balcony railing crumbled in his tightening grip as a great pain overtook him. Luna studied this reaction with intrigue. “Regardless…I shalt not strive to sacrifice a boon granted after that I hath wrought.” He quickly added to cover for his momentary fit. Luna narrowed her eyes. “We saw more than just what followed thine encounter in the Kiln. Thine sins did not stop at thine betrayal of the dragons did they?” Seath turned and stared daggers at the moon princess. “Of what relevance is that to thee? What was done in Lordran affects thee not, nor shall thou fear me repeating it in thine lands.” Luna sighed wearily. “I fear that is where thou is mistaken.” Seath promptly pulled himself up from the balcony, crushing it further in the process. “And what wild prophecy dost thou intend to reveal with that?” He demanded. “One that may explain thine presence here, if thou will listen as I have listened.” Seath nodded he would and Luna began to recount what Celestia had told her previously. To his credit Seath didn’t throw a tantrum nor did he decry her as insane for her claims (like that would make him look any better at this point). He just grumbled in annoyance and hung his head as his wings wilted against his sides. “Woulds’t thou deem this information accurate?” Luna asked after she had finished. Seath tiredly massaged his eyes and slumped back against what remained the railing. “T’is not impossible. T’would not be the first truth of a devil revealed to me.” He said in dismay. “I ask thee though, now that thou knows at least part of mine past crimes, what will thou do about it?” Seath glared with fresh loathing at the miniscule alicorn. The fire in his eyes burned most fierce, yet his body remained slumped as if exhausted. It wasn’t like this was actually helping him sleep any better after all. Luna thought carefully about her answer, turning over everything Seath had revealed to her and weighing her natural disgust towards it against the valid fact that he’d technically committed no crime against her or Equestria…yet. “For the moment, nothing. T’is true thine evils were against thine own land, not ours. More so, if what I have told comes to pass, we would benefit more from thine assistance than thine opposition.” She glared menacingly at the drake. Seath had to give her props for managing to put on such a defiant stand against one as superior as himself. “Just promise me this, Grandfather of Sorcery: thou shalt hide none of thine past from Twilight, and whatever does happen thou will train her to be ready! She deserves to know the bad and the good of those she trusts her life to, and her safety and that of Equestria requires everything thou can impart to her!” Seath stared aghast at the insinuation that he’d do anything less. Growling at the pony he rose and nodded. “On my oath, what worth it may be, I shalt not falter in making her the greatest sorcerer to ever live! As for revealing my less favored secrets, that duty shalt be undertaken whence forth it is deemed necessary, and no sooner!” He leaned in again, viciously pushing the princess back with his muzzle. “With that, is thou assured of my loyalty?” Luna nodded warily. “Then respect my desire for slumber, and be gone!” Sighing in resignation, Luna faded from Seath’s dreamscape, taking the image of her balcony with it. Left in the void of his own mind, the dragon let himself be likewise removed as a mercifully dreamless sleep took over and gave the dragon a chance to actually rest. *** Sometime later, Twilight awoke to the sounds of birds cheerfully heralding the rise of a new day. Celestia’s sun slowly rose from the horizon as the alicorn likewise dragged herself away from her pillow and rubbed her eyes. She sensed a gentle breeze drifting across her face, bringing with it the smell of freshly brewed tea. Stretching herself out, Twilight looked around her room and paused at noticing a great number of her spare pillows were piled up on the floor. Looking to her balcony the alicorn snorted in bemusement upon seeing it was open, with Seath quietly staring at the dawn while sipping from a steaming bowl. “Come to make sure I didn’t miss a second of potential learning?” She queried. “Nay Twilight, mine own weariness bested me not long after thine. I lacked the strength to retire to mine own chambers upon placing thee in thine own, thus did I make use of what was available.” The dragon replied. Glancing to the pillow mountain again, Twilight giggled as she hopped out of bed. “Do you normally make it a habit to sleep by the side of your students? Some might take that as a suggestive approach.” She teased. Seath glared at her as he drank his tea, his posture tightening in offence. “Thou speaketh out of turn, young equine. Tread no further in this line of thought!” He ordered. Twilight sighed and helped herself to some tea. “Joke, Seath. That was a joke. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” Twilight soothed. Seath grumbled and stared gloomily at the reflection in his bowl. “I’m not really sure if I go for the whole ‘cross-species’ relationship thing anyway. Seems like it’s more trouble than it’s worth.” Seath’s scowl grew in magnitude. “I would say otherwise...” Twilight cocked a curious eyebrow, but her teacher raised a hand to indicate she not ask for more details. “Is something wrong, Seath?” The alicorn queried. Seeing his drink was getting low, Seath reached for a wooden container of powdered tea and added two more scoops to his bowl along with more water from the pot. “A visitor came to me in the night. Thine fellow princess of the moon sensed my dreams were troubled, and sought to know why.” Twilight’s ears rose. “Oh yeah, that’s one of Luna’s special abilities. She’s always checking to make sure everypony is sleeping well and peacefully!” Seath’s wings wilted, as did his student’s ears. “That wasn’t too much of a surprise for you, was it?” Twilight cautiously asked. Seath picked up a whisk and mixed his tea. He turned the bowl slowly in his hands as he thought over his response. “Of us, I believe she was the more startled. Worsen it did I when I sensed her sifting through my memories. Words were exchanged between us. She feared what I had to show.” Now Twilight look worried. “You two didn’t have another argument did you?” “Nay, she was most diplomatic. More so than I have come to expect from such an empowered soul.” Seath paused for another sip, meditating on the richly flavored tea flowing down to fuel the fire within him. “After contemplating it for a while, I believe I owe her a debt of gratitude for not decrying me as the monster so many others see me as.” Twilight’s worry abated. “Well that’s hardly necessary. She just wants to make sure you have a decent night’s sleep.” “Regardless, thou hast mentioned a day of considerable significance is to be upon her soon, nay?” The dragon asked. Twilight nodded. With a mirthful snort, Seath set his bowl down. “Then for part of today’s lesson I ponder, woulds’t thou care to learn how to create life?” *** Elsewhere, the Chosen Undead crawled over to where her bloodstain was slowly soaking into the floor of the coliseum. She could hear Artorias closing in on her from behind, but right now all she cared about was recovering what she’d lost before she died again. Next to her the remains of one of her previous bouts with the fallen knight still lay wet and sticky, one of many such blemishes dotting the arena that told of how long Artorias had literally been mopping the floor with her. She knew she could still try to fight, still try to escape. Leeroy’s shield remained firmly in her grip, she could still use her pyromancies even if her opponent was known for wearing armor that had been enchanted to resist fire… But as Artorias’ great sword again impaled her through her gut, the Chosen Undead knew the problem didn’t lie with her not being able to hold her own. This wasn’t a case of just trying to pit her against a greater opposition as with the phantoms, this was a blatant attempt to break her spirit by showing her how far even the most strong willed warrior could fall. A warrior who’s status in legend was matched only by his personal connection to her. With her life again bleeding out around Artorias’ blade, the Chosen Undead reached over and touched her stain, feeling the flow of humanity surge back into her. Briefly she was filled with fresh energy to stand up and face her attacker, but then had to contemplate what good that would do. Artorias had her pinned to the ground, and was going to keep her there until she stopped moving. She dared to look back at the knight, to again try and find some semblance of the man she once looked up to and idolized amidst the broken shell of his body. All she saw under his shining crested helmet was a black void, another confirmation that the one who had molded her into one of the most durable fighters in history was truly gone. With a strangled sob, the Chosen Undead succumbed to her wounds again. As if to mock her demise Artorias kept stabbing her corpse in a frenzy till it vanished into nothingness. He then threw his head back and roared in a mix of anguish and madness driven by unimaginable pain. As the Chosen Undead rematerialized by the bonfire she found her cheeks growing wet with tears as her old friend and mentor shouldered his weapon and charged at her with renewed want for blood. He would never stop, no matter what she did. His will was as unconquerable as his skill in combat. Whoever wanted her gone had made the right choice with its instrument of destruction. A truly, horribly right choice. Wiping her eyes, the Chosen Undead cowered behind her shield again. This was going to be it. This was how her story ended: repeatedly slain by her idol and Lordran’s most fabled knight, with both of them now trapped in some lost region of the world. Never to be remembered, never to find relief from their cursed existences… “Undead!” The husk was startled out of her woeful thoughts by a new voice. “Undead! Up here!” She looked up, her vision blurred by her tears yet still able to make out something that she prayed was not an illusion. Standing above the coliseum was another female figure, dressed in a striking royal purple outfit with a teardrop shaped helmet. A braid of pure blonde hair fell down one shoulder, and her face was hidden under a white porcelain mask. It was the Lord’s Blade Ciaran! “By Gwyn’s beard, it is you! Oh horror! How I hoped you wouldn’t follow us to this accursed place!” She lamented. The Chosen Undead’s response was cut off along with her head. Ciaran gasped helplessly as Artorias kicked the husk’s decapitated corpse to the ground and roared again as his opponent reappeared by the bonfire. “Artorias, my friend, my…..oh, why? I prayed the Lord would guide thee on this quest. Truly has he forsaken us all?” The Chosen Undead raised her shield, her previous despair now momentarily forgotten by both of the souls she idolized being present. Artorias paused and looked up at the Lord’s Blade, his Abyss driven insanity having seemingly developed a crack. “C-Ciara….” The knight turned to the Chosen Undead, his head hanging to one side as if his neck was no longer strong enough to support it. “Y-You…ngh…Aur-Aura…” The black ichor on the ground began to emit mist again. Artorias thrashed and flailed his broken arm about as it forced its way into his body. “N-No…stay…stay away! ARRRRRRGHHHH!” He leapt like a wolf into the air, performing a somersault and driving his blade into the ground. Recognizing this attack pattern, the Chosen Undead jumped as well to safely avoid the black shock wave that erupted from his blow. “For…give….me….the Abyss….NRGH…too strong…GRAAAAAHHHH!” Artorias ripped his blade out and executed a circular slash. From above, Ciaran held her masked face in her hands and fought back her own tears. “Aurelia, take these!” Rolling under a second circular slash, the Chosen Undead turned as Ciaran tossed two curved swords down to her, one colored gold, the other dark silver. “Exactly as we practiced! Prove you still are the one we proudly trained to join the Four Knights!” She ordered. The female husk grabbed the weapons, looking back at Artorias as he raised his blade and prepared to launch a wave of pure, searing darkness at her. “I would not suffer this task upon anyone, least of all you! But if there is to ever be one who could best Artorias it is his own….his own prized disciple. Free him from the Abyss, end his pain!” Ciaran now sounded like she was begging rather than ordering, a far departure from the headstrong and stoic lady the Chosen Undead remembered her as. “Eh? Excuse me? I’ll have you know I reserved this area for my own viewing pleasure! Do you have an invitation? Mwah ha ha ha ha!” A most unwelcome voice called out. Ciaran turned and nimbly dodged a crossbow bolt aimed at her head. Clenching her fists in anger she turned back to the Chosen Undead. “I forgive you. Please remember that!” She ran off to deal with the one making things difficult for her, while the Chosen Undead whipped around and deflected the arc of black sludge with her shield. All previous thoughts of just letting herself finally fall to the fate all hollows fell to were gone as she stored the shield on her back and readied her two newly acquired blades. Giving up in front of her mentors was unforgivable, and she’d be damned if she was going to let Artorias’ memory be tarnished by this shattered shadow. No, she would help him finally find peace. And then she was going to find who had done this to him and make them pay dearly!