Walker of the Abyss

by lunarstallion

Protector of those who are weak

"... And that, my small companions," Artorias said, getting up and stretching (At least, as much as he could stretch in the small house), "was the tale of Artorias the Abyss walker."

Artorias looked around the room to see mixed reactions come from the ponies. Even with his toned down version of the story, skipping the first 2 years or so of him being a servant of the Abyss, all of them had some sort of horrified expression. Fluttershy had fainted about halfway through, though Artorias had continued without her, electing Twilight to fill her in on the rest. Rainbow Dash looked like she was about to vomit, and Twilight herself looked like she could start crying at any moment.

'Perhaps I should have toned down the fight scenes a bit more...' Artorias, still hunched over so he wouldn't hit his head on Fluttershy's roof, looked to Twilight. "Are you three okay? You seem a bit shaken up about my tale."

"A bit shaken up?" Twilight said, slowly looking to Artorias, "You just told us an hour long story about how you killed a bunch of your own kind! What did you expect our reactions to be?"

"Well, I expected you to take it in stride." Artorias sighed, "My world is a cruel one, and I am much too used to even the bravest or kindest of men falling prey to the demon inside. I assumed this world would be at least similar..."

Twilight sighed, opening the door, "Well, since that seems like all I will be able to get out of you for now, why don't we go introduce you to the town?" Walking out, she added, "I know a few ponies that would be ecstatic to meet something as... exotic as you, Artorias."

Bowing slightly, not an easy feat due to his current position, Artorias motioned for Twilight to go ahead, "I will be at your back, M'lady." Twilight rolled her eyes and giggled, motioning for him and the rest of her friends to follow her.

Before they could all leave, Rainbow Dash stopped Artorias. "Listen buddy, you may be stronger than me, but nopony is faster than I am. Try anything funny, and you'll regret it." She turned, before remembering something and turning back, "And you'll have to take that helmet off eventually, and I'll be there to see it."

"I'd like to see you try." Artorias walked through her, shoving her to the side. Before Rainbow could say anything, she looked to see him and the other girls way ahead of her.

Continuing down the path, Artorias, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash headed towards Ponyville with excitement. For Fluttershy, she loved all animals, and Artorias, at least to her, was just a lost animal in a new land. For Twilight, Artorias was something new to be discovered, a metaphorical pool of knowledge just waiting for her to take a dip into. And for Rainbow Dash, well, she saw him as a new challenger. He had shown his ferocity and powers to her, to an extent. Not knowing what all he could do was troublesome for her, but she tended to not dwell on these things for long. She knew she was faster, and possibly a better fighter.

As for Artorias, he had very different thoughts about everypony he had met so far. He thought of Fluttershy as some sort of healer, thinking to himself that she would've made an excellent fire keeper, had she been born to his world. Twilight he thought of as simply a fellow studious mind, and actually looked forward to learning about her world from her, and telling her about his world. Well, his world, at least, before the Abyss attacked, and before the cursed darksign began it's plague. Rainbow Dash, however, was a different story all together.

He had seen the way she, not only fought, but how she viewed new beings in her land. He saw how fast she reacted violently when Artorias emerged from the water. Her decisions were brash, she was easily angered, and worst of all, she had the speed and skills to back it up. However, there was a good side to her. Apparently, she was almost willing to die for her friends, as she defended Fluttershy from the 'big scary monster' that came from the water. She also had a pretty color scheme.

All in all, Artorias felt very highly of the ponies, as they had shown him kindness, something only a few had done since the darksign had shown up, and their land was peaceful. He was about to ask a question about the perpetual peace in the land, but Twilight interrupted him with a "Oh look, we're here!"

Looking around, Artorias saw small houses everywhere. Each house looked to be made of wooden planks, some metal, and thatched roofs. Each one of their doors came up to about his lower chest, and was smaller than the door to Fluttershy's house. 'She must take care of some of the larger animals...'

Continuing along the path, they quickly came to what looked like a marketplace, with ponies behind stands hawking their wares to anypony that happened to be trotting by. Though, usually, marketplaces are very loud. And not filled with ponies that were looking at the massive, bipedal knight standing in front of them.

Which may or may not be the exact situation that Artorias currently finds himself in.

Panning his view about the market, he quickly identifies three different emotion levels in their stares: One, "EVERYBODY PANIC WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE" Two, "KILL IT WITH FIRE!" and three, "What the hell is THAT thing?"

Choosing to completely ignore all of their stares, Artorias motioned for Twilight to introduce him, secretly hoping that the ponies would run away, as then he wouldn't have to deal with their constant staring anymore. "Um, hello everypony." Twilight said, scratching her neck with her hoof, "This is Artorias, a creature we found in the forest."

"In the Everfree?" Some random stranger said, obviously trying to start a riot of some kind.

Twilight sighed, knowing that there was fixing to be mass panic, "Yes, he was found in the Everfree, but that doesn't mean that he's a-"

"MONSTEEEEERRRRRR!"

And then everypony started to panic. Mares screamed loudly enough to make Artorias' ears ring, and stallions simply ran off, hoping not to be called into battle with the beast from the forest. Artorias sighed and looked to Twilight, "Is this how everything that's new is viewed around here? With screaming and running?" When Twilight nodded, Artorias sighed yet again and shook his head, starting to get ticked off at the screaming ponies that, instead of running into their homes, seemed to only run in circles, as not a single pony has left the area yet.

Taking matters into his own hands, Artorias took out his talisman and held it high above his head, letting it emit a blinding yellow light, and casting runes around everypony in the market. Upon seeing the golden circles and their own impaired movement, the ponies simply closed their eyes and awaited doom. However, they were not expecting the beast from the everfree to speak to them. "Good, now that that's over with, how about we go about this like how I assume civilized ponies do." Taking a sweeping bow, Artorias said to the crowd, "My name is Artorias, and I will be staying here for an unknown amount of time. Get used to seeing me."

Nopony relaxed very much, but they at least stopped looking like they were about to be gutted. "Well then," Twilight started, "Thank you for that, Artorias. As he said, he will be staying in Ponyville until we can find a way to send him home, and until then, I expect you all to treat him with respect and dignity." At Twilight's words they relaxed, softly nodding and mumbling to one another.

"Well that went better than expected." Artorias said, looking to Twilight, "I was expecting torches and pitchforks."

"Torches, maybe, but Ponyville isn't such a violent place anymore, not since Pinkie started having parties to keep their spirits up," Twilight said, continuing along their path through the town, "And even before then, they only apparently got violent if something attacked, not if it was different."

Artorias nodded slowly, still looking around at all of the curious ponies staring at him, "I presume that you've been in this town for a long time, Lady Twilight?"

Twilight giggled, "Just Twilight is fine. But no, I've only been here for a couple of years now, I only know all of this stuff because I live in the library."

Artorias nodded in understanding, and fell silent. The group continued their journey through Ponyville, everypony making their own contributions to Artorias' history lesson.

"Over there is Rarity's boutique. She's a fanatic of all things fashion, so when you end up meeting her, expect to be asked to step out of the armor." Twilight said, giggling a little bit. Artorias slowly nodded, warily eyeing the building.

The three ponies lead Artorias around the majority of Ponyville, showing him all of the major landmarks; Sugarcube Corner, the Spa, Town hall, etc. It was during the trip to the library when Twilight turned back to Artorias with a questioning look.

"So, Artorias," Twilight said, trotting up to him, "about your magic..."

"If you have a question about my magic, lady Sparkle, then I would suggest talking about it in a more... 'secluded' place." Artorias looked around, noticing a few straggling ponies continuing to stare at him, "I don't think most of these ponies are ready for what I have in store."

Twilight sighed, "Well, I guess you're right. Come on, let's go to the library."

They continued their journey to the library in silence, each one of them contemplating what their next move would be. Artorias obviously wanted to know more about the world, as he might be here for a long time without some portal to get back. Twilight was worried about Celestia's reaction to this creature from the Abyss. After the harrowing tale about the war with Manus, she wasn't entirely sure how badly Celestia would want to hurt Artorias. Rainbow was thinking about flying, obviously. Fluttershy was contemplating what foods she might need to stock up on, considering she didn't know what Artorias ate.

Naturally though, all of their thoughts came back to one subject alone:

"Something's going to go down at the library."

__~*(^^@+@^^)*~__

Twilight stopped the group at the door of the library. Voices could be heard from inside, 'Four females, possibly armed and dangerous. Be on guard.' Artorias thought to himself, his mind trained to do so after the decades of wars and battles he has fought in.

"Alright, listen up Artorias," Twilight began, looking to the giant, "You're a rather strange anomaly, even for this world. So, don't expect the... 'nicest' of welcomes. And be careful what you say, the co-ruler of Equestria happens to be in here at the moment."

"Co-ruler? I have dealt with kings and queens before, she should be no problem." Artorias said, no hesitation in his voice. Remembering the story he had told them, he quickly amended that, "Er, I mean, I have spoken with rulers before, not... you know what, never mind, let's go." He shook his head, confused as to why he was so nervous.

Twilight magicked the door open, to show four ponies sitting in a circle around the table.

One, clearly the most physically fit one in the room, had bright orange fur, a blonde mane and tail, and a cute little brown stetson cap on her head. Her cutie mark was of three apples in a triangle. She was the first to see them, as she was the one facing the door.

The pony to her left was... Artorias didn't know the color that she was, as it was far brighter than what he would find in his world, but she was COVERED in it. Her mane matched her coat by being simply a different shade of the color. Her cutie mark was three balloons, in the same pattern that the first pony's apples were in.

The third pony was, simply put, elegant. She had a styled up curly violet mane, and a snow-white coat, with no signs of dirt or grime anywhere on her. Her cutie mark was of three diamonds, in the same pattern as the other two.

However, the one that drew the knight's attention the most was the pony sitting with her back to him.

Clearly taller than the rest, she was the most unique. While all the other ponies had wings, horns, or neither, this one had both. Her white coat shined in the sunlight, emitting what seemed to be a white aura of light. Her mane flowed in an invisible breeze, making the multi-colored hair sparkle eerily. Her cutie mark was the most unique as well, being the sun itself. 'Huh, I know someone that would be happy to see that...'

Twilight walked into the room first, exclaiming "Hi everypony! I'd like you all to meet the creature that Fluttershy and Rainbow found!"

After realizing that Twilight had spoken, the first three ponies looked to Artorias, expressions of fear flickering across their faces. The white one let out a short scream and hid under the table, the second pony looked over and bounced behind the orange one, who was getting up and taking a fighting stance. "Jus' what in tarnation is that thing, Twilight?"

Before Twilight could answer, he spoke up, "My name is Artorias, and I'd appreciate if you treat me with respect."

That stopped all activity in the room, making the orange one look at him not with fear, but curiosity. "Oh... uh, well ah wasn't expectin' ya to talk..."

"Ponies usually don't."

During this whole confrontation, Celestia had sat still, silently listening. Suddenly, she stood up, closing the door with her magic. "Twilight, get Applejack and the others out of this room. I need to have a chat with your new friend. Alone." Twilight seemed confused at first, but after seeing the look in Celestia's gaze, she teleported herself and all of her friends upstairs, secretly listening in on whatever was about to happen.

Artorias stood by the door, in a defensive posture. "I assume that you're the princess?" He said, getting into a more passive mindset.

Celestia finally turned around to face him, and what he saw shocked him. Celestia's face was contorted in anger, her piercing gaze looking right through Artorias. "You..." She stepped closer to him, "You came from the Abyss, didn't you? I can smell its foul stench on you. What have you come to do to my subjects, monster?"

Artorias held up his hands in defense, "I mean no harm to you or your subje-"

"DON'T TRY TO PLAY GAMES WITH ME!" Celestia shouted in his face, her wings flaring threateningly, "WHY DID MANUS SEND YOU HERE?"

"I no longer serve Manus." Artorias idly fingered the talisman on his hip, "Now, if you would be so kind as to-"

He wasn't able to finish before Celestia grabbed him and threw him into the wall with her magic. The impact shook the tree slightly, and cracked the wall. Artorias was saved by his armor, but he could feel the raw power emanating from the attack. "DON'T YOU LIE TO ME, BEAST! YOU SERVE THE ABYSS, AND I WANT TO KNOW WHEN MANUS PLANS TO ATTACK!" She stood over him as he slowly sat up, lighting her horn for another attack.

'That's it.' Artorias thought, focusing his power into the amulet that was now in his hand, 'time to end this.' Before Celestia could react, Artorias activated the amulet, and created a harmless shockwave, knocking Celestia back and giving him some space. He quickly put up a powerful magic barrier that could deflect attacks, and got into a readied stance. "I mean you no harm, but I will defend myself if necessary. Now, will you speak with me normally, or will we continue fighting like a couple of animals?

Celestia would have none of it. She stood up and fired a magic bolt at the knight's chest, which got absorbed into the barrier he put up. He raised his amulet and created another shockwave, pushing Celestia back even more before he held it above his head, where it created a golden light, and runes appeared around the princess. Realizing what he had done, she simply glared at him. "Why do you not defend yourself? FIGHT ME!"

"I see that Manus has been to this world before... this is troublesome..." Artorias said, slowly walking towards Celestia. She attempted to shoot him a couple more times before realizing his barrier was preventing all magic damage, so she tried to swing at him, which he deftly dodged. "Who did he kill?"

"And why should I tell YOU, monster?" Celestia snarled, still trying uselessly to land a hit on the towering knight, "You probably helped kill them, servant of darkness!"

"You must calm down, Princess. I only want to speak with you-"

"LIES! YOU'LL DO WHAT HE DID ALL THOSE YEARS AGO! I'LL NOT ALLOW MY SUBJECTS TO FALL ONCE MORE!" Celestia went into a blinding rage, firing as much of her magic as she could at Artorias, hoping to hurt him as much as possible.

But before she could fire any more magic, Artorias was gone. In the blink of an eye, the legendary knight had ran behind Celestia, still unharmed even after her constant barrages of magic. "It was someone close, wasn't it? Sister? Brother?"

"Parents?"

Celestia couldn't take it anymore. Centuries of suppressed feelings of sadness and rage were released at Artorias. She let out an ear-shattering wail, and would've fell to the floor if Artorias hadn't caught her. At first she tried to resist, but his grip was firm and gentle. She tried to tell him off, but all that came out were choked sobs.

"Heed my words, Celestia, for I will not repeat myself," Artorias whispered into her ear, making her pause to listen, "I will never allow Manus to take this land again. If he is to return, he will face the wrath of Artorias, and know true fear on that day. Fret not, for I WILL protect you, and all others that you rule." Artorias broke the hug, standing back up to his full height. "I was once stuck in his control, which is what caused you to attack me. The stench of the Abyss still remains on me, and even my control over some of its dark powers remain. However, I no longer serve him. I am no longer the servant of darkness, I am now the sentinel of peace. I will protect your lands, Celestia, or die trying."

__~*(^^@+@^^)*~__

Ghastly gorge. A dangerous place in the middle of the land of peace. Rogue winds constantly tearing at the floor of the chasm, large land - dwelling eels have made their homes in another part of the gorge, eating anything and everything that passes through their territory. Spiked vines grow wild throughout all of it. And even the walls are unstable, the slightest tap being able to cause a massive landslide.

However, it is none of the natural scenery that has brought us here today.

In the direct middle of Ghastly gorge, where the eel territory meets with both the vines and the wind, there is an unstable piece of reality laying at the bottom. This tear was first created when Manus, the primeval man and father of the Abyss, first came to Equestria. It is the weakest point in reality, and could be easily torn at any moment, given one had the knowledge to do it.

Suddenly and without warning, the tear ripped open at a blinding speed, revealing an endless pit of darkness and despair. Black fog seeped about the edges of the hole, giving of an aura of fear and the unknown.

Only a few minutes after the tear opened, it began to spread wider, allowing easy access for the being that was about to enter the realm.

From deep within the hole, a massive hand came up, shrouded in darkness and covered in what looked like teeth. The hand smashed into the ground and began to pull, lifting whatever beast that was inside the darkness out into the light.

A dark, guttural voice chuckled from deep inside the darkness. "I have returned..."

Author's Note:

Alright, it's done, and the OOC is real. The second chapter of the Abyss has been put out there! Also, gonna throw it out there right now that the ending was literally written in about three minutes, after I hadn't had sleep for about 30 hours, so I can tell you right now that I will be fixing it up. Hell, this message may be pointless, it may already be fixed, YOU'LL NEVER KNOW!

Get it? You won't know cuz I never fucking publish the... Aw, forget it.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed chapter 2 of Walker of the Abyss! like it, favorite it, do whatever it is you guys do.

-lunarstallion

P.S. I thank everyone that told me about how Artorias should speak, and about his lore, but in reality, I'm probably just gonna stick with how I have him speaking. At least for now... The lore will be mentioned later, when a certain lunar princess I may be a bit too fond of decides to look into the guys dreams. Also, on an unrelated note, I'm kind of bad at writing Celestia anyway, so go ahead and give me shit about that. I just suck fat wangs with her dialogue for some reason... Or it might be that she's so OOC in this chapter, that it's hard for me to think you guys could see her like the aggressive vengeful bitch she was. And on a totally related note, don't expect very many ponies to be in character for very long, I tend to get brutal with my stories!

At least, I would if any of them decided to get their lazy asses out of my head and into the computer, but NOOOO, they just HAD to start getting into anime! Fucking Abyss here wouldn't stop binge watching Netflix long enough for me to make a longer chapter anyways, so yeah.

As you can see, I'm fucking insane. In case you're new here, thought I'd mention that.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

And before you say anything, I know that he has too many spells, I just gave him every spell from Dark Souls.

Why did you do that?

[Starlight Nova]

What does DLC stand for?

[spy11887]

4581615
Downloadable content

[lunarstallion]

4581609 It was easier than trying to give him certain elemental spells, like just dark bead or pursuers. Instead of needing to decide which spells would fit well for Artorias, I decided "Fuck it, I'm lazy" and gave him every single spell.

[Vinyl Nexus Scratch]

As sad as it is that Celestia and Luna lost their parents... Imagine what horrors Manus endured... Imagine what sick things happened to him that the only thing in the entire world that he desires or even thinks about is a broken, ancient amulet... Besides they just started to enter their home. I'd be annoyed if a bunch weirdos just turned up on my doorstep and refused to leave XD it's just that Manus's humanity is Primal and Wild... Also if the people of Oolacile were attacking Equestria was this before or after it was taken by the Dark?

[Mew Siul]

I'm kind of bad at writing Celestia anyway, so go ahead and give me shit about that. I just suck fat wangs with her dialogue for some reason... Or it might be that she's so OOC in this chapter, that it's hard for me to think you guys could see her like the aggressive vengeful bitch she was.

Celestia WASN'T being an "aggressive vengeful bitch". I just saw a very sad, traumatized mare with raging PTSD that she never got treated.
I find it really sad rather than enraging, on another note

It was easier than trying to give him certain elemental spells, like just dark bead or pursuers. Instead of needing to decide which spells would fit well for Artorias, I decided "Fuck it, I'm lazy" and gave him every single spell.

Please for the love of the divine Muses, daughters of Zeus. Don't make the characters in your stories needlessly OP, that's a trap many writers fall into. Many Harry Potter and Naruto fanfics come to mind.