A overwhelming sense of terror filled me as I ran blindly into darkness fleeing from some unknown terror, while malicious laughter echoed all around me. My bare feet pounded on cold stone as I ran, The barely visible silhouettes of the walls around me passed by in a blur as I fled. Then suddenly the hall turned sharply to the left, forcing me to take the turn at a full sprint hoping for the best. But as luck would have it my foot slipped and sent me crashing into the wall groaning in pain, while my vision faded in and out as I tried to regain what little bearings I had. But before I could recover a terrible chill crept over me while every hair on my body stood on end. And in the silence soft footsteps could be heard, followed by the clack of claws on stone. Then the darkness before me began to warp and swirl like smoke and something could be seen moving within. Paralyzed I could only sit and watch as the she wolf from the ruins stepped through the shadows, a malicious smirk on her face and a gleam in her yellow eyes.
"Is the chase over so soon, what a shame." She purred as she watched me, her eyes moving up and down my body as if she were appraising me.
"Good it seems you have lost most of the fat on your body and replaced it with muscle. It simply wouldn't do for you to be out of shape and unable to be of use." She said her voice sweet and loving with a dark and malicious under tone. "Ohh and your eyes so beautiful, a light blue like glaciers ice. But illuminated by a fierce fire burning bright in you're soul, such a tantalizing sight."
For a moment we remained in silence, my mouth sealed shut by fear of the dark creature above me. While she simply gazed down at me licking her lips on occasion. A almost tangible hunger or desire to have what she gazed upon filled her eyes and sent violent shivers down my body. Then a small wave of light came flying down the hall and then vanished, a almost disappointed look crossing the she wolfs face.
"It would seem the princess has finally sensed my presence here." She stated absentmindedly as she glanced over her shoulder leisurely. "Ohh and it seems my presence has given her cause for distress, how sweet that she remembers me."
When she turned to look at me once again, gone was any pretense of kindness or care. Replaced by a vicious smile as she licked her lips once more. And in a instant she covered what little space separated us and held me aloft by my throat with one arm, while I struggled to break her grip.
"Until next time little one I look forward to toying with you again soon." She said with a smirk before she disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, leaving me to fall for what felt like hours until I could just barely see a light rushing up to greet me.
My return to the waking world was rather sudden and unpleasant for all involved, which thankfully only included Luna and I. When I woke my entire body jumped as if I was stabbed in the back with a cattle prod, which led to me bouncing off the bed and onto a rather surprised Luna. Who only took a couple of seconds to shake off the shock and return us both to a upright position. Which meant she was holding me by my shoulders gently shaking me while trying to say something I couldn't quite understand.
"Ok, Luna calm down." I said grabbing onto her shoulders to calm her just as much myself. Both of us taking a moment to collect our breath and scattered thoughts.
"What happened Travis what did she want?" Luna asked her demeanor calm and serious, with obvious hints of concern here and there.
"Who Luna? What did who want? You're the only one here?" I asked my mind still bound by the fog of sleep.
"Venatrix, the she wolf, the werewolf, the one from your dreams what did she want?" She said her tone concerned, while she shook me by my shoulders as if she were trying to wake me up.
"She didn't say what she wanted, she just commented on my physique and promised to toy with me again when she sensed your presence." I said as I shivered and glanced around the room, unable to shake the feeling I was being watched. My gaze finally returning to Luna after a quick sweep of the room. Only to find her gaze distant and unfocused as if she was lost in thought once again. We both sat there on the floor in silence for a good ten minutes before Luna seemed to return to herself and her eyes became focused once more.
"I came here this evening to see if you were willing to begin your training, but in light of what just transpired we don't have a choice." Luna said her eyes scanning the room as she stood and then sat on the bed, patting the space next to her. It took longer than I care to admit for me to realize what she wanted. Getting a annoyed huff and role of her eyes from Luna while her horn lit up and I began to float. Only to have Luna drop me onto the bed beside her and she began to hum softly.
"Uhh Luna I thought we were supposed to be training?" I asked completely confused by what's going on. Earning a heavy sigh from Luna as she stopped humming and stared at me for a moment.
"We are training Travis now relax." She said using her magic to pull the covers up to my chin and she began to hum again.
"We are training by putting me to sleep?" I said earning a exasperated sigh from Luna as a response.
"I am going to gauge your mental strength, your ability to stave off invaders from you mind. But it would be so much easier if you were asleep. So yes going to sleep is part of your training." Luna said while she shot me a mild glare. "Are there any more questions?"
Luna took my silence as a no and began to hum again. The tune soft and sweet and it wasn't long before I found sleep once more. And for the remainder of the night we trained in my mind. Going over things such as meditation, mental exercises, and how to ward off invaders. The last part coming to me the easiest, with me imagining myself behind various walls and defenses from back home. Though my mental strength needed work, especially considering all the things I put between Luna and I posed no great challenge for Luna to surmount.
"All right Travis one last time for tonight, and put everything you have into it." Luna said completely unfazed by the events of the evening while I was so exhausted, that if this were anything more than a dream I wouldn't be able to stand. A low growl was the only response Luna got as she turned and walked away from me, coming to a stop and facing me when a fair distance was between us. A angry scowl covered my face while I tried to think of a way to keep Luna from succeeding once again. And then almost as if fueled by my frustration the world around us began to stretch and mold to a new shape. The white plane became a dark shade of red as stone walls began to take shape around us. And the environment took on a much darker oppressive atmosphere with the screams of the damned filling the halls. The area around Luna formed a circular stone room with jagged metal bars making up the door. while the floor was littered with skeletons of many different creatures, some old some new. And then a hallway formed between us that began to stretch until Luna was almost impossible to see across the vast distance. Then periodically down the hall torches burst into life revealing countless dark doorways, leading only to shadows.
Luna took a moment to look around at her new surroundings, a small shiver running down her spine. Then she turned her gaze back to me and spoke her voice easily reaching me across the distance that separated us.
"This is new and rather dark Travis but is this the best you can do with your mind?"
And as if to prove her point, Luna took a step forward and the metal bars shattered and vanished in a flash of white light as she stepped past them. Only to come to a stop as the sound of heavy doors opening filled the hall and figures began to appear in the darkness of the hallways that met ours. And out of the darkness stepped every daedra, dremora, daedric prince and lesser daedra from all planes of oblivion.
"You would do well not to underestimate me princess." I said as I disappeared from her field of view and reappeared in a large room on the other end of the hall. "Now enjoy your stay in Oblivion." And as soon as my voice finished echoing in the hall, all the Daedra charged Luna. Brandishing weapons, magic, and claws and teeth. Hell bent on beating the princess back into her cell and keeping her there. And for a while it seemed as if it would work as the overwhelming numbers began to push Luna back into her cell. But in the blink of an eye she was gone and all the Daedra lie dead down the hall. While Luna was nowhere in sight but the sounds of battle and dying Daedra still filled the halls. And then for a moment a eerie silence filled the halls. Only to be broken when the large doors that separated me from Luna began to shake in place with the force of thunderous impacts that struck them from the other side.
In a panic I began to search my surroundings for some means of escape or a means to delay the inevitable, but found none. Refusing to accept defeat I threw my head back and screamed my rage fueled defiance for all to hear. While the torches that filled the room began to snuff out being replaced by green floating orbs. And the room itself underwent changes as the walls began to bow and holes began to appear on their surfaces. And from within these holes thousands of eyes began to glow the same color as the orbs that barely lit the room, and began to slowly crawl forward and take up position all around the room. Focusing solely on the warped metal doors that still shook from the assault on the other side. And then with one final earth shaking impact the doors blew off their hinges inward. The light that followed barely even scratching the surface of the darkness that now surrounded me, and a terrifying screech filled the darkness and the monsters I summoned charged the door and the figure silhouetted against the light. And just when victory seemed to be in my grasp a bright flash of pale light light up the hive as they charged and the room we were in. And then all was drowned out as a massive wave of sound and light blew me off my feet and destroying anything I managed to create. Stunned and confused I peeled my eyes open only to hiss and force them shut after I was blinded by a intense white light. Then a shadow fell over me, making me open my eyes expecting to see Luna, but only seeing a shadowy figure before a fist encased in light struck me across my face.
When I finally returned to reality the sun was just beginning its ascent into the sky. Still dazed from the events of the night before I looked around the room almost missing Luna sitting in a chair across the room from me a pensive look on her face. For a few tense moments I sat there in silence watching Luna as she continued to stare off into space. Until finally without a word or so much as a backwards glance Luna stood from her chair and left the room, leaving me to puzzle these events in silence. And I did for what felt like hours, simply lying in bed wondering what could have happened to worry Luna so much. But when my solitude grew tiresome as it always does I stood and made my way for the door, forgetting my lack of any clothing on my upper body until I was already out the door. But that didn't matter so much as navigating the maze the was the castle's many corridors. But finally after what seemed like hours of mindless wandering, I turned the corner and saw Luna entering a room on the left side of the hallway that was flanked on either side by guards. My curiosity from this morning beating out the common sense part of my brain that said to ask later. I strutted down the corridor and made as if to knock on the still slightly ajar door. Only for the sound of someone clearing their throat beside me made me stop look the guard standing next to me.
"What business have you with Princess Celestia?" the guard said a glare hidden poorly behind his helmet.
"None I wish to speak with Luna and I saw her just enter here so I was going to knock and ask her permission to enter. What does any of this have to do with Celestia?" I said earning a annoyed huff from the mare who stood guard apposite me, while the guard I was speaking to just rolled his eyes at me and said.
"The large symbols of the sun on the door for one thing." the guard said haughtily, as he motioned towards the door
"Uh-Hu sure i'm sure I would have seen large suns......" I began only to stop and almost slap myself silly when I saw the two large suns painted on the door just above my eye level. "Ohh whatever I can wait I really don't want to deal with Celestia right now." I said as I turned and was about to move on only to stop when I heard a voice drift from behind the door.
"I have much I wish to discuss with you sister, But first I just came from trying to train Travis and while I was working with him I saw deeper into his mind and I saw something I think you should hear."
The few seconds it took for that information to sink in seemed to stretch on forever as the implications of what was just said came to me. But when it all finally sank in it only took a split second to make a decision as I spun around on my heel and kicked the door the rest of the way open a sickening crack echoing as my foot hit the massive wooden door..
"You saw what?!" I roared as the sisters jumped from the sound of the large door hitting the wall, while my foot came down and I fell over in an undignified heap. Spewing obscenities in such a rapid fire manner that even Pinkie Pie would have had a hard time understanding me, while the guards tried to restrain me and remove me from the room. For a few agonizing minutes I continued to spout obscenities as I tried to right myself only to fall once again when any pressure was applied to my foot. While somehow simultaneously managing to stave off the guards attempts to bind me. But thankfully at least one of the princesses had some common sense in their heads. Which was shown as Luna floated a chair over and placed me in it, while she dismissed the guards and closed the door and returned to her sisters side.
"You have no right to barge into our privacy or conversations Travis......."
"Bullshit!" I yelled stopping Celestia mid sentence while I fixed them both with a smoldering glare. "I have every fucking right to barge into this conversation. Especially since one of you betrayed my trust and did something that any fuck with half a brain would tell you is plain fucking WRONG!!!!!" Luna recoiled as if struck while her sister matched my glare with one of her own and stepped forward placing herself between her sister and I.
"And what grounds do you have to make such a accusation?" Celestia said her voice even but carrying a undertone of anger while her main whipped about as if it were fire, instead of the gentle movement of being caught in a breeze.
"I heard it straight from the horses mouth!!!" I roared my anger and indignation getting the better of me as I stood to face Celestia nearly faltering but catching myself at the last second. Which set off a screaming contest between Celestia and I. While Luna was motionless for a moment her expression downcast, like that of a guilty child. Until she spoke one word and nearly blew her sister and I off our feet.
"Enough!!!" She yelled the force of the royal canterlot voice threatening to steal what little balance I had from me. Which shut both me and Celestia up as we gave Luna our undivided attention.
"This is the very reason I feared to discuss this with you Travis!!!!" Luna yelled her voice no longer in the royal canterlot range but still loud enough to hurt our ears.
"When I defeated you in your dreams the blow to the head was meant to wake you. But instead I found myself temporarily trapt in your subconscious. The blow landing you in a deep dreamless sleep rather that returning us to the waking world. And I saw many things I did not intend to in my quest to escape your mind. I saw how much you valued your privacy and the sanctity of your mind. I saw memories, I saw the few you hold close to you." Luna said her voice stern but it softened as she spoke. Her face taking on a more sad, or compassionate expression when she stopped speaking.
"I also saw some of the reasons for your anger at the world...... and the anger at yourself."
As soon as the words left Luna's mouth, my back stiffened while my fists and jaw clenched painfully so. While I waged an internal war on how to proceed. The rational part of me kept saying she was only trying to help, and out of all the ponies she would be the only one. Who could even think of claiming she understood. But that voice was quickly losing to the voice that screamed rage and retribution. She invaded my mind and looked at all I was laid bare before her it screamed.
"I saw your mistrust of my sister, and I know you heard our conversation about you knowing magic." Luna continued softly a sad almost motherly smile on her face as she began to take slow steps forward.
"what reason has he to not trust me?" Celestia demanded haughtily crippling my self control and feeding my temper, throwing the chances of me listening to any anything more straight out the window. While Luna froze mid stride and chanced a smoldering glare at her sister out of the corner of her eye.
"Sister now is not the time." Luna stated earning a snort from her sister who folded her arms across her chest and faced her sister proper.
"I hardly see why not." Celestia stated plainly earning a annoyed sigh from her sister.
"And there we have our answer." I growled sarcastically as I twisted my neck, trying to release the tension building rapidly throughout my body. Gaining the attention of the two princesses.
"Tell me Celestia what is it you have against me, and don't lie to me. I may be a fraction of your age and have all the experience of a infant by comparison. But I am not stupid I see the strain and disdain in your eyes when you are forced to be around me." I growled opting to tackle the problem at the source rather than dance around it like a fool.
"I don't know what you expect me to say Travis, my reasons are my own. And seem to be obvious to everypony but you." Celestia said her eyes narrowing as if she was challenging me to question her.
"If your referring to your erroneous assumption that I hold ill will for your people or your country. You would be lying and proving yourself a coward." I said looking Celestia in the eye the whole time watching as my words had the intended affect.
"What did you just say?" Celestia spluttered her mane returning to its fire like state from before.
"I told you not to lie to me Celestia." I stated simply, ignoring Celestia's question while I shifted all my weight off my right foot a relieved sigh escaping me as the pain from my ankle subsided.
"Tell me Celestia is it simply because i'm not a pony?" I said returning to the conversation and seeming to surprise Celestia, as she seemed to real back as if the mere thought offended her. "Surely that is the answer Celestia since I have given you no other reason to hate me as much as you do."
"I...I don't hate you Travis." Celestia stuttered seeming to be still reeling from my accusation.
"Bullshit." I stated simply my voice carrying a tone of finality while my temper began to weaken and my better judgment began to return to me. "You hate something about me Celestia, I just don't know what yet. One would have to hate the person they are constantly casting as a monster or terror." A heavy silence filled the room while the remains of my rage and indignation left me, leaving behind the void that always haunts me when I know I have erred. Turning my once unwavering glare to a emotionless stare aimed at the floor.
"I have said my piece and you know where I stand lets do our best to avoid such confrontations in the future shall we." I said my voice hollow with no trace of the aggression that once filled it. And then with slow halting jerks that could be called steps I turned around and hobbled to the door. Not a word was said until I reached the door and put pressure on my ankle by mistake and fell to the ground with a undignified scream of pain. Only then did one of the princesses decide to speak.
"Let me help you Travis." Luna said only to brushed off as I tried to stand once more.
"I don't need your help." I growled pushing Luna's hand aside as I forced myself to my feet. Only to fall and repeat this process a few times before Celestia decided to intervene.
"Good grief Travis stop acting like a foal and let my sister help you." Celestia said her horn lighting up and the door before me swung open, narrowly missing my face as it passed. A annoyed grunt was my only response as I forced myself to my feet once more and tried to take a feeble step forward. Somehow forgetting the obliterated state of my right ankle as I stepped forward with my right foot and another sicking crack sounded. Followed by a blood curdling scream as what ever didn't shatter behind the force of me kicking the door snapped, and flooded my senses with the searing agony I had somehow kept at bay until now. Soon my eyes were flooded with tears as I began to sob uncontrollably where I fell just outside the door. Leaving quite the sad sight as I lay on the floor clutching my ankle, sobbing like a child. But to my surprise, at one point while I was blinded by my tears and overwhelming pain, I was lifted off the ground and was moving down the hall. Confused and not all there due to pain I began to wiggle and twist and turn to try and figure out how I was moving. Only to stiffen up and my temper to flair as I heard someone speak directly behind me.
"Stop your squirming Travis you are making it quite difficult to see where I am going." Luna said, telling me she was the one who aided me and was now carrying me down the hall. Now any sane person would have took this time to lick their wounds and count themselves lucky, getting any help at all. But not I, what was left of my pride and rapidly returning temper would have none of it.
"Put me down." I sobbed weakly, just barely loud enough for Luna to hear me as she stopped to try and figure out what I said.
"What was that Travis?" She said her voice hard but caring.
"I said RELEASE ME!!!!!!" I roared as I began to flail around like a mad man possessed. Only to get just what I wanted as Luna dropped me in surprise, and I cracked my head on the stone floor. For a long few seconds my vision swam from the pain and the blow to the head to the point everything I saw was just a blur of colors. But with time the pain began to subside and my vision began to return to me. I spent a good bit of time simply lying on the floor, rebuilding my resolve and preparing myself for what was to come.
When enough time had passed I took a deep breath and forced myself to my feet, nearly falling once again. Just barely catching myself on the wall as I began to fall. When I was certain I could continue I began to hop down the corridor leaning heavily on the wall as I went. The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps drew me from my concentration making me growl in frustration.
"I don't need your help, I don't want your help, and I refuse to accept your help so go do something productive and leave me the hell alone." I growled not even bothering to look to see who it was behind me. The silence that fallowed, broken only by a exasperated sigh and retreating foot steps telling me enough. After a moment to make sure I was alone I began to hop/ hobble my way forward only one thing on my mind.
"Where the hell is the infirmary in this god forsaken place." I growled to myself as I went, completely oblivious to everything around me.