//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Awakening(rewritten) // Story: Flame of Courage. // by shattered_sky //------------------------------// CHAPTER 1: AWAKENING By the edge of the small town of Ponyville, the Everfree Forest is located. Nopony dares to enter the forest, except for a whimsical rhyming zebra who lives there or the occasional curious colt or filly. Rumours have it that the forest houses all sorts of danger. From manticores to hydras and timberwolves, supported by the fact that- many who have entered this forest have never been heard from again. This forest is also wild, unlike the rest of Equestria which was tamed by its multicoloured equine residents. Deep within this forsaken forest is the abandoned castle of the Alicorn Sisters. In this once glorious castle the Elements of Harmony have made their resting place, set on a pedestal in the middle of the throne room. But this is not the focus of our story. If you go deeper in this castle, there are other artifacts that have withstood against the test of time. Among these is a statue of a bipedal creature, his face, chiseled in a mask of rage and agony. But it is no mere statue. His name is Nathanael Arroyo Garcia. He was once a great warrior during the Great War waged on Terra. His skills with the blade were graceful, his strength was not of the average man. His power was more than a match for the Royal Sisters themselves. But this wasn't his greatest weapon, he was dauntless. He would dive through situations no sane man would dare, his courage raised the moral of his soldiers as he lead them to victory. He was both celebrated and despised by the ponies and other races alike. But one day he failed. Disheartened by his inability to save the Crystal Empire and Princess Luna's fall to darkness he began to break. Followed by the massacre of his men and a town. The final push was the death of his beloved, Clover. Enraged, he unleashed his wrath against his aggressors- the Changelings. His flames burned them and many others fell by his blade, both innocent and the guilty. Effectively wiping out the changelings from the face of Terra... Or so he thought. He became what he swore to destroy, a monster. Princess Celestia, fearful of Nathan and the damage he could do to Equestria, once more wielded the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned him in stone. And up to this day- his fate sealed in stone- he was placed in the Castle of The Two Sisters. Now fate is cruel to those who get caught in its gears. But tonight, Nathan is given not just a second shot at life but a third attempt at it. ------POV: NATHAN----- *Sigh*.Damn I ran out of songs... How long has it been? I never bothered counting actually... It's hard  being stuck in stone, my nose is itchy, my neck is sore and I think I pissed my pants a long time ago! At least I have a roof over my head, dissy and Jared have to deal with bird shit in the canterlot gardens. Did I mention I was stuck in stone? Speaking of Mr. De Lancie, he comes once in a while for a visit. At least I managed to keep (some of) my sanity intact. Yeah I like that guy but he wants me to help him take over Equestria. Over my dead body. I'd rather lock myself in Tartarus. I may be on not so good terms with Celly, but I wouldn't doom a country. Well I wasn't imprisoned because Celly is racist (speciest) nor because I ate her cake (maybe a nibble). Tia used the 'Friendship orbital Rainbow Cannon' on me.... Well.. Because it was my fault. I won't go into detail... Oh wait! Only Tia did it... Oh! Where are my manners my name is Nathaniel A. Garcia, first Captain of the guard, Wrath Incarnate, Spirit of Courage, The Living Flame, yadda yadda blah blah etc. etc. But titles aren't worth a fuck right now. I still can't get over the fact that... Celly never visited me in a thousand years! Sure I fucked up... But still! Yeah she rules a country and all that... But it wouldn't hurt to visit. My train of thought was interrupted by a malevolent chuckle that echoed around the room. "Oh hello there my good o'l friend Nathan." Discord appeared in his astral form wearing a suit, a fedora and a candy cane(size of a walking stick mind you) in his lion paw. "Why don't you come out for a chat?" I'm actually very grateful, without Discord I might have gone bananas Well at least he remembers. I focused and my spirit slowly left my body, my astral form then manifested in front of Discord's. I am 5ft. 9" tall with a athletic build, I was wearing a white sando paired with brown pants with too many zippers and pockets, black flip flops and a pair of shades. "Please leave your coat and hat on the rack."  Sometimes I go along with Discord's randomness, it's fun to mess with people. Discord promptly threw his hat and  coat in front of me which materialized into a table!?! "How did you do that?" He's in astral form he shouldn't be able to use magic! "You underestimate the power of the dark side. Mwahahahahaha!" Horrible reference, horrible timing, shoot me for fuck's sake. "Oh I don't want to shoot you! You are a very chaotic and interesting, individual it would be a shame." How did he... "'Read my mind'? I can't read minds. Well I read the chapter when it was first published . It was bit fast paced." .....Huh? He was holding his chin like he was in thought as he talked. "This chapter is rewritten you know." Uhhh... The only response I could think of... "Eh?" Toss that topic out of the window. Now. "Discord then conjured a board with 'TOPIC' written on it, he then threw it away. Brain. Hurts. I thought I learned all of Discord's 'tricks'. "So how's Jared?" I asked in an attempt to change the subject. "Oh you know the usual, he's been talking about revenge, revenge  and more revenge against Tia, Lulu and you. He's amusing sometimes though, whenever I talk to him telepathically he calls it mind rape." We laughed at that, that's priceless! "So what are you planning?" He inquired. "My plan?" Plan... To be honest... I have no idea. "Yeah! When I get out, I'm gonna mix things up a little." I lied. Well what should I say? "Ooooh pray tell." He then wore 3d glasses and grabbed a bucket of popcorn. He then threw away the popcorn and lifted his glasses and smiled at me. "Ahhhhh... But you don't have one. Why won't you join in, in my... Little shedang." He's good at these kind of games... "A walking lighter, a guy with a fancy gauntlet and a failed mad lab creation, a very tempting offer indeed, lemme think about it... Nah! Discord merely chuckled in amusement and I continued "Pray tell, who are you recruiting next? The Grinch? Killer bunnies? The infernal she/he thing gay demon Justin Beiber?" We both then laughed, me and discord are actually good friends even if we occasionally fight for the fate of Equestria, it's just.... business . "Oh HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! that is why you are my favorite human! It's such a shame you're a goody two shoes." Discord said while wiping a tear from his eye "You have a bone to pick with Celestia, you were loyal to her, where did it bring you." He spread out his arms as he talked. "Let's face it, you gained nothing by being nice. You were merely swept under the rug after your glorious mistake." He said in a dramatic tone, as he held his claw to his chest and extended his paw in the air. And he started crying fake tears. "......." Discord, he always hits below the belt. At least I'm not adopted. He then wiped his eyes with a handkerchief. "But we have power! These ponies are nothing but toys that we can play with." I was taken back the sudden change of Discord's tone, his tone grew dark as he said these words. Discord doesn't act like this... Usually... I still said nothing so he continued. "We can rule this world if we want to! We can shape it to our desires! After all chaos, destruction and power go together." He then touched my body's shoulder after saying this. *sigh* I am really grateful for armour enchantments. "Your specialty is manipulation discord but... I'm not a normal person. Your brainwashing won't work on me." Well it would if he could break my will. Plus I'm mostly bluff, It's hard to maintain the illusion that I'm invincible.  "Well it was nice talking to you but you have to go now!" I said cheerfully while pushing him out of the basement . "Wait we haven't had our tea yet!" Discord sputtered. He then made a teapot appear in his claw. "Sorry dissy we don't have bodies yet." I pointed out while still pushing him. "Oh come on Nate's I'm just pulling your chain." I looked at Discord and he was holding a chain in his hand.I then looked at my right foot and I saw a chain attached to it. I returned my gaze to Discord, and he shrugged. He then snapped his fingers and the chains disappeared. "Hey nothing changed in this scene!" "BYE BYE!"  I then kicked him into the corridor. "Give my regards to Jared!" I shouted before turning my back. ------POV: JARED----- Begone you filthy birds! I thought to myself  hoping to get them go away. *PLOP* Gah! You shitty flying pieces of shit... Shitters! *PLOP*. When I get out of here I will make that oaf suffer! I'll give him every kind of torture imaginable! But without my gauntlet I'm powerless. Why did I accept that job?  It just said I had to kill someone! It didn't say anything about these damn anthropomorphic horse nor superpowers! *PLOP* FUCK IT ALL! Oh the princesses will pay. I will keep them alive but barely, after all I need somebody to raise the sun and moon, but sadly I only need one of them alive. I'll wait for the proper time to strike. I'll ditch discord after I regain my power. I will then... *PLOP* Curse you filthy pigeons! Soon you will face my wrath! Shit I'm going crazy. Wait. Discord's been quiet. It's... Very unusual... I'm thankful but... 'Did you miss me'?   'GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD OR I'LL TURN YOU INTO 7 BENTO MEALS!!! ' 'Oh Hahahahahaha! You may not as interesting as Nathan but you are a very chaotic individual. Discord approves!'   'Just get to the point and get to it fast. I want you out of my head very soon.' 'Soon but not now?' 'JUST GET TO THE POINT!' 'Look out we have a badass over here.' 'STOP PROCRASTINATING!' ' Oooooh big word. Fine you're no fun. I tried to convert Nathan to our cause. I can't brainwash him, he's too strong. What a waste on the take two...' 'Huh? Wait? How? What? Did you... Nevermind, it is of no importance! I will never work with that oaf! He will not be a hindrance to our plan anyway.' 'I like your plan though, turn the element bearers against themselves. Such chaos is wonderful!' 'Of course, it makes sense but if you fail its game over for us.' 'Make sense OH HAHAHAHAHA! Making sense that's a good one! Geez lighten up... Hey! You wanna build a snooooooow maaaaaaan!?' 'GET OUT!!! ' 'Ok gramps.' 'Finally! Discord left me to my own thoughts...' 'Wait this is no different from last time, you see...' 'GET! OUT!' "Tata~" Ugh! I can't stand him! But no matter... The gears of my plan are set in place. The fall of the Lunar and Solar Diarchs are at hand, and the Flame of courage will be extinguished, then I will then rule Equestria! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *cough* ahem Jared... But if that oaf is freed early I have a surprise for him... The freaks are coming... ---------POV: NATHAN-------- I can't believe it! He tried to brainwash me! After all we've been through, I didn't betray him I was never on his side! Plus he can't free me right now. Even if he did I'd end up back in stone. Whazam! Back to where I started. ........ Ok I'm bored , I wonder how long I can stay in my astral form? I can't go too far though but how long? Let's find out. I'll just wander around the castle.... Again... What's first? The organ? The Armory? The throne? ........ The organ it is! --------Few hours later------- I remember, Luna is the one who came up with the organ. Ah! Lunacy and Trollestia, it was fun back in the days especially when we trolled the other royals! I went over to one of the walls and tried to touch it my hand merely phased through. Did Celestia forget me? I never saw her even once in a millennium. It seems she abandoned the castle because of the memories... I can understand how she feels but... I can't help but feel bitter sometimes. I saved Equestria. I then fucked up. I was turned to stone and left to rot, swept under the rug and forgotten. Celestia on the other hand is revered like a god. Luna was turned into a character in a illustrated storybook. And I was forgotten, remembered by few as a monster. But I want to apologize for not being there for her. Sure me and Luna are suffering because of Celestia's decisions. But each of us carries the burden of a millennium's worth of guilt and regret, but Celestia's is the heaviest. I made my choice, she made hers. I looked at the once magnificent throne room, now ruined due to neglect and my battle against Nightmare Moon (It's a miracle that the whole castle is still standing). "Luna..." I lost to Nightmare Moon. I was always stronger in terms of raw power compared to Celly and Lulu but, I could never hurt them even in my enraged form. They are like my own sisters. They were my friends... My weakness is to blame for... "Damn this place is depressing." I then walked out but I stopped at the door, but I felt the urge to turn around. I turned around and my gaze fell upon the elements of harmony I smiled knowing that the mane six will wield them someday. Maybe I should take a stroll... I then exited the castle and I was greeted by Luna's night, I was always enthralled by the night sky. Darkness illuminated by the moon and a sea of a billion stars, each so far away and yet so close. When I was younger, my brother and I were inseparable, we would sneak out and lie on top of the rooftop of our house. We would gaze at the stars and dream about the future. But as we grew up we slowly drifted apart, until we were separated by worlds themselves. I remember it all to well... -----1503 years ago------ I was sitting in front of my computer, fooling around on a Gmod server. And I got kicked... again, maybe I should stop griefing in terraria and minecraft also. I didn't bother to open my League of Legends account, I didn't feel like playing today. That and I'm upset that I have Chicken pox. I was leaning on my chair until my cellphone rang. I leaned forward then answered it. I then leaned back and spoke."Hello? Ah! Hey Johnathan..." "......." "Joy? She's at comic con." I almost dropped my cellphone at his response. "$%#&@%¥£$@%!?!" Geeze that's loud. I held my phone away from my ears. "Why, I'm not her boyfriend. Well she's a grown girl... That and you can't do anything from the other side of the world." ".....%@&*&%@!" "Uhhh... She didn't tell you?" Oh shit. Fuck it I'm out. "H-h *static noise* lo? Y-y-our brea... *bzzzt* ken.." I was making sound effects with my mouth and crumpling a piece of paper. I then shut off my phone. Whew that was close, man he's way overprotective of his sister, he should work here in America. Well me and my brother are only half Americans. Me, my brother Michael and my cousin mark are here in America for vacation. Well I was supposed to go with them to comic con. By brother went as Trafalgar Law, Mark went as a hunter from Monster hunter, our friends Joy and Bill went as Blackjack and Engineer respectively. Oh and I was supposed to go as Luffy. I got bored after playing , so I decided to log in my Fimfiction account and read some fanfics. I was a brony since I was 11(I'm fifteen now), for some reason I fell in love with the show. It seemed so wonderful, a land of harmony and friendship! Life on earth is like a crappy game. There's no way to know the rules or the goal. Yet there are 7 billion people making whatever moves they like. If you win or lose too much there are penalties. You can't pass your turn, and if you talk too much you'll be ostracized. There are no parameters and no way to even know the game. Life is just ... A crappy game. Geez I'm becoming pessimistic like the old coot. Next I'll be talking like that jerk. Wait this seems Interesting. "Hmm? Power lottery group?" A new group? Sounds interesting, maybe I'll write a new fanfic with this style. I clicked on the power lotto link and scrolled through the instructions. I picked tier 4 and rolled five powers. Claw retraction Flower manipulation Courage empowerment Night vision Esoteric flame manipulation Wow this is crappy. I'll 'discard' flower manipulation( srly dude) and claw retraction ( sorry wolvie). Night vision might come in handy... I then 'rolled' for two more Powers and got... Wing manifestation Astral projection So basically my OC is empowered by courage and weakened by fear and cowardice. Can see in the dark, has an awesome set of wings, can project his spirit like brook, and can mow down enemies with magical fire. "Its... Its awesome!" ( RD is best pony, Luna is best princess and Dan vs. is more scary than sombra!) I decided to create a character on the site for the forums. I listed down the powers I got and the tier I used, I then clicked the create button. The screen then froze and the mouse pointer turned into the 'loading cursor thingy'. "Damn! Shitty computer." The screen went black and the computer started to shake! "Nonononono fuckfuckfuck!" I then froze. Words appeared on the computer screen. You're tired of living in this world? What. The. Fuck. I heard your wish. It's only a skilled hacker... I'm scared shitless in all honesty... This is creepy... I can make it true. "......." My wish... Look behind you... My instincts and mind told me no but I was compelled to listen. I turned around and.... "Holy shit!" A fricken space portal thingy! And I was slowly being pulled into it! "Nononono AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" I let out one last scream of terror then my consciousness drifted as everything faded into darkness... ------------------------ Its so cold. Wait. Cold? I'm not lying down on my bed but... Its soft... Snow!? "Where am I? Ugghhh..." I woke up with a massive headache. I got up and groaned as I opened my eyes... "MY EYES! Ow fuck so bright!" Why is it so bright?! I then fell back to the ground. I then crawled around and my hand came into contact with something... Glasses? Wait these are my shades! I put  on my shades then I slowly opened my eyes. My eyes were a bit sore but at least not in agony. I scanned my surroundings then I noticed I was in the middle if a forest. In the middle of winter. What's the big deal? It's supposed to be summer. I then started walking about... Wait! I'm relatively calm about this. Of course this is a dream! " Wow this is a weird dre..."  I didn't get to finish that sentence as I tripped on a tree root and hit my head on a rock. "Stupid rock!" I'm usually calm and slow to anger, but my temper flared right away, I felt my head and body heat up, I was so pissed... Wait... Oh I'm on fire... "OH FUCK I'M ON FIRE! I'monfireI'monfire!" I began to panic and flail my arms about in an attempt to extinguish the fire. Huh? the fire's gone. As soon as it came it left. I then stood up and clenched my fist then I opened it... My hand was engulfed in fire! But my hand is intact... I can feel pain from where I hit my head... "Oh fuck..." *Freakout session* --------Present----------- " You may never know what the worth of an object is until you lose it, may it be an arm, a leg, your morals, or your .... Friends." I looked at the moon and... The moon! The shadow on its surface is gone! That means... "Wooooona is back~!" I cried out." I just can't help it, I haven't had good news in a millennium! Or any news for that matter. Celly may be beautiful but Luna is... "Kawaii! *girly squeal*  ahem I shall await her arrival!" ------3 hours later------- "Arrrgghhh! So... Bored..." I was resting in front of the castle. ( I almost forgot that I was in spirit form). I then saw a thick fog in the distance and a.. Purple mist fast approaching. Said purple mist turned into a black alicorn with a flowing ethereal mane, she was clad in light blue armor said to be made of star metal, she had draconic eyes and she stood at a majestic 6ft 7" height. She had a smug look on her face, said look turned into fear upon seeing me. Oh this is rich. I then ran towards her in slow motion (just like in anime or in cheezy romance movies) and shouted.. " Wooooona~!" What can I say, I love messing with people (ponies) " You're baaaaaaack~!" I love that look, from fear to utter confusion. I then lunged at her. She managed to compose herself, she then fashioned a sword out of dark magic and took a swing at me. I merely phased through Nightmare Moon and her blade. I landed behind her and started laughing. "OH! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That is priceless Luna!" She was glaring at me like she's trying to make me explode or something. "Silent! Spirit of Courage! Your Princess Luna is no more!" Her smug look then returned. "You are not bound to your body, you can bring no harm to me! Celestia could not stop me, you are no longer able, and the elements have no bearers! And the night will last...." Ok that's a bit wordy moony. I then interrupted her "FOREVEEEEEEEER!" I then started laughing maniacally "Ok moony gotta go! Get ready for the boss fight! TTFN~!" I then disappeared in a flash leaving confused moony behind. I then reappeared in the castle.Man I hang around Discord too much. But still the look on her face, priceless! I haven't had fun in ages(literally)! I then flew up a support column and perched myself on it. On a related note I can choose to be seen or not while in my spirit form. Of course I chose the latter. From my vantage point I can see everything that is about to unfold. Oh and here they come! Applejack the orange farm gal wearing a red and black checkered button up shirt over a white undershirt and a pair of denim jeans. She towered 2 inches over me. Rarity, Mrs Generosity herself, she's wearing a blue dress and a pair of white boots(the fancy kind if course). She's an inch shorter than me. Rainbow Dash our favourite cyan pegasus and resident tomboy wearing a white hoodie with her cutie mark emblazoned on the back, under the hoodie is a black tank top paired with black workout shorts and a pair of... Wait is that pair of Nike? She's around 5ft. 5". Fluttershy diabeetus inducer and animal lover wearing a green sweater and a long brown skirt. I think she is 5 feet 6 inches tall. Pinkie pie the... Wait did she just wave at me? Meh, I waved back anyways. She was wearing a yellow blouse, a pair of jean shorts,  long purple striped socks and sneakers. I think she is 5ft 6". And finally Twilight Sparkle, the adorkable protégé of Princess Celestia. She was wearing a light blue blouse with a red ribbon, a dark purple skirt with her cutie mark on and a pair of purple boots. 5ft 4" in height .(she'll get taller in a few seasons) They walked through the castle until they came across the 'orbital thingy' that is holding the elements. Applejack was the one who broke the silence. "Whoa. Come on, Twilight. Isn't this what you've been waitin' for?" "The Elements of Harmony, we've found them." Twilight said, Flutters and RD then carefully lowered the elements one by one. "Careful, careful!" Twilight warned. Pinkie then counted the elements. "One, two, three, four... There's only five!" Pinkie stated. Now here comes the million dollar question... "Where's the sixth?" ...Coming from RD. Twilight then answered. "The book said: when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed." And Twilight nabs a million dollars ... Which is useless in Equestria. Applejack seemed frustrated at the riddle. "What in the hay is that supposed to mean?" My goodness it's simple! The spark is the connection between the bearers! Nakama! Friendship! I really want to tell them right now. Twilight then spoke up. "I'm not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back. I don't know what will happen." Applejack led everypony out of the room. "Come on now, y'all. She needs to concentrate." After leaving Twilight, she sat among the elements trying to activate the elements by using her magic. "Aah!" The elements swirled around her, she took this as a sign of success until the elements were enveloped in a purple swirling haze. The other ponies rushed back in to help Twilight. "Twilight! They shouted in unison. Twilight leapt at Nightmare Moon in an attempt to get the elements back. "The elements!" Twilight shouted before being teleported with moony. The mane 6-1 stood there Wondering what happened to Twilight. They then saw a flash in a higher part of the castle, they then ran towards the source. I was in no hurry so I just walked. I let down my cloak and started walking. I was stopped in my tracks as I heard a voice. "Nathan?" I turned around and was mildly surprised at who I saw. Princess Celestia. She was wearing a white toga along with her royal regalia. Her mane used to be pink now it is a four color rainbow composed of Light cerulean, Light turquoise, Very light cobalt and blue Pale heliotrope. (how do I know those colors?) She just stood there like she saw a ghost.(I am a ghost theoretically) So she still knows my name what a relief!(I'm being sarcastic.) I have no idea what to say maybe I should have practiced... It seemed like an eternity as we stared at each other. I said nothing and turned around. I then disappeared in a flash. ----------------- Well that was awkward. I reappeared to see the mane six were using the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon. Power was surging through me as I was watching. It's simple really if disharmony occurs near Discord he gets a power boost. I get a power boost from the courage of others. And this is a big power boost. Maybe I could use this extra power... I let spirit slip back into my body. As I returned to my body I could feel the power well up inside me. I never felt my power in more than a thousand years. Yes... It feels good... I drew upon everything I could muster. I heard cracks run along the stone shell, with one final push, the stone shell bursted. "Arrrggghhh!" I emerged from the spot I stood for more than a millennium. I smiled and looked at my body, my body was surrounded in a golden flame."I am free!" I never felt so good.I took a step forward then I felt like crap... "Freedom.... Ugghh.." I then collapsed (in a lame way) and fell into slumber...