My little Ner'Zhul: Friendship is plagued

by Vex the Rabbit

Roads and rage

Ner'Zhul woke up to Twilight trying to push him off the couch she let him sleep on. Groggily he moved his head to
look at the mare attempting to move him and gave her a puzzled look.
"May I help you?" He spoke gruffly.
"No, but Treble is waiting for you downstairs, and I think he wants to leave as soon as possible." Twilight informed
the tired colt. Ner'Zhul got up as Twilight began to push once more, making her fall on her face from the lack of

force countering her.
"You really should practice balance a bit more if you just fall over like that!" Ner'Zhul ordered Twilight while
stepping off the couch, ready to grab his sword which he laid at the end of the couch.
"Oh, hahaha, really, I let you sleep here and you've been nothing but rude!" Twilight snarled. Picking up
Frostmourne's sheath and throwing it on, Ner'Zhul turned around to face Twilight, then stuck a hoof out. Twilight
looked up at Ner'Zhul because of the gesture he just made, he wished to help her up. Twilight knocked his hoof away.
"Don't try to act nice all the sudden, I remember what you are, the only reason I haven't done anything is because
Treble seems to think you can change!" Twilight barked while getting up with Ner'Zhul's aid. Unknowingly to hurt,
Ner'Zhul felt hurt at that statement, while it's true his original intentions still exist, he was trying to make an
effort in change. Ner'Zhul put his hoof back down and walked out of Twilights room, not wishing to make things
harder.

As he made his way downstairs Ner'Zhul was greeted by a small green dragon, who had his meal ready for travel,
and held it out for him to grab. Ner'Zhul just stood there, not knowing what to do.
"Are you going to take your breakfast or not?" Asked the dragon. "I'm really busy and can't stand here all day!"
Ner'Zhul simply gave a light nod in thanks then used his magic to levetate it before walking out the open door.
"Hay there Ner'Zhul" Treble greeted his new partner while throwing a saddle bag his way. "No time, gotta move
before Pinks finds out I'm gone!" He finished, but not before running off to the train station. Ner'Zhul, barely
keeping up, finally noticed the weapon on Trebles wings, or what he thought were weapons, as well as a very unique
collar. As they ran toward the station, Ner'Zhul could swear he could someone shout Treble's name, in a cross
between a very sad, and extremely angered tone.
Finally closing in on the station, Ner'Zhul noticed a train adorned to match the night, he also heard something
charging for them. Ready to pull his weapon and fight Treble spoke up.
"No fight, just run!" He ordered. To this, Ner'Zhul was more then glad to do if this made Treble frightened.
Entering the train, it took of at an amazing speed the second both colts were on. Looking back, Ner'Zhul saw

Pinkie, slowly fading from view.
"Phew" Treble sighed. "If she caught me, she'd never let me leave." Ner'Zhul only gave a glance at Treble before
walking over to one of the luxurious seats. Looking around the inside of the train was decorated like the night as well,
the ceiling looked as though it WAS night out, while the dominant colors seem to be dark blue and black with
moderate lighting.
"Any plans on how we get to this king?" Ner'Zhul asked the only other passenger while pulling a blind to the side.
"Yes, the princesses are meeting us at the border of Saddle Arabia, along with their representatives. We will be
masquerading as caravan guards, we will be paid for the safety of the caravan as well as the success of our main
mission." Treble replied.
"Two other things, first, whats with that....collar?" Ner'Zhul asked, hoping not to offend Treble.
"This?" Treble replied with another question, holding up his pair of headphones. "They're my headphones, Pinkie gave
them to me as a gift while she helped me get used to other ponies. As for the second question I know you are going to
ask, the things on the back of my wings are bracers, activated by my sound. They.... make make my wings more
blade-like to put it simply." he finished
"I see, that's a unique way to fight, I take it you can make sound in to a blade you launch?" Ner'Zhul wondered as he
remembered his first encounter with Treble. "On a second note, forget that question, when we first met, you seemed
intent on killing me, why the change in plans?" To this, Treble gave a light heart chuckle.
"Heh, about that..... I actually sent a report that I'm either going to detain or kill you, and forgot to send an update
to the princesses...." Treble's attitude became a bit more sullen. "As for my own change, you remind me of myself
when I first came to Ponyvill." Ner'Zhul pondered, did Treble only get this strong with help? how much stronger can
I become? He began to think about thing he never would have back in Lorderon.

Pinkie was crying non stop, her friends trying to cheer her up, her mane completely flat and lifeless.
"Why would he leave again after he just came back like that? Does he hate me?" Pinkie asked herself out loud
sniffling in between words.
"Of course he doesn't darling, he loves you, and you know that!" Rarity scolded Pinkie for thinking like that.
"Yeah, it just would have been harder for him to leave you with you begging him not to go Pinkie." Twilight spoke up.
Fluttershy came back from the kitchen after cooking some food with Spike for the group, laying the food out on the
table with the little dragon. She slowly trotted over to the group, making her way to Pinkie. Patting Pinkie on the
back, Fluttershy sat down.
"There there, he'll come back safe and sound, just like always, he made a pinkie promise, remember?" Fluttershy
encouraged the crying mare. Pinkie looked up to meet Fluttershy eye to eye, revealing a pendent with the musical
symbol for a treble laying in a pool of tears.
"You really think so?" Pinkie asked with an optimistic smile.
"I know so, since when has he let any of us down?" Fluttershy told Pinkie, picking up her pendent to put it around
Pinkies neck. "Now let's eat, I'm sure you are all hungry...."

Around three hours later, an extremely bored Ner'Zhul began to burst out.
"Gah, WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET THERE? I THOUGHT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FASTEST TRAIN
AROUND HERE!" Treble only sighed as the other pony started an out-rage.
"You do know that the station is coming up, right?" Treble asked the impatient lich king. Ner'Zhul stopped his small
rampage and turned to blankly look at Treble who looked as bored as he felt.
"....er...right. I knew that!" Ner'Zhul lied, refusing to look the part of a fool.
With a screeching halt, the train came to a stop. Two princesses and a pony dressed like a nomad await on the
outside, awaiting Treble to give him more details on how to carry out this mission. The train doors slide open as a
light gray colt came out of the train first.
"Damn Treble, acting all level headed! 'It's only boredom, learn to deal with it like I do!' who does he think he is?"
Ner'Zhul muttered
"Guards, sieze this intruder!" Luna commanded as a few lightly armored station guards came over with their
weapons already drawn. Ner'Zhul, quickly thinking, smashed one of his hooves in the guards direction, causing a
splintered wall to jot up in front of them. Using this time, he drew his faithful blade out of it's sheath.
Feeling the shock wave of Ner'Zhul's slamming, Treble let out an aggravated groan.
"Can't even wait five minutes to start a fight, I feel like I got stuck with baby siting duties." Treble picked up their
bag of supplies after finishing his final check. Walking out, he trotted before his rulers, setting his bag down and
bowing before them.
"Forgive your majesties, I failed to give you an updated report. I chose to introduce him to the rest of the Echo's. My
failure will not happen again, I promise." Treble informed Celestia and Luna, to which they only replied with
chuckles. This confused both Treble and Ner'Zhul.
"Guards, stand down, he is with our operative!" Celestia commanded. Treble got up from his bow, and looked up to
the two alicorns.
"I do not understand..... I revealed your secret militery-"
"To somepony who clearly belongs in it" Celestia cut Treble off. "I have seen no other with that amount of power
before Treble. Although I do worry..." Celestia turned to Ner'Zhul with her business face. "You are not from this
world, are you?" She asked, to which Ner'Zhul only nodded that he wasn't.
"I am not, I am Ner'Zhul, Lich Ki-" Ner'Zhul stopped for a minute, what if he left that life out, he could start over
here, he knew Treble would vouch for him. After taking the minute to think about his wording, Ner'Zhul continued.
".....I am Ner'Zhul, fallen orc chieftain, forced to become a lich king!"
"I see, then tell me, why should I not kill you lich? there is no place for you here!" Celestia replied, her voive
becoming as cold as Ner'Zhul's soul while her horn began to glow.
"My reason is my own, should you wish to kill me, do so, I know you are only protecting you subjects!" Ner'Zhul spoke
in a shout. Grabbing the bindings that hold his sheath he flung it off and away from him, readying for the princess's
powerful magic. "I have but one request, you bury me in the frozen arctics of the North!"
Celestia stood there, sizing up Ner'Zhul's words to how much he meant them, in a few seconds, her horn stopped its
glowing, and her stance became a lot more lax.
"You have pure heart, but your past corrupts your soul, within time, it may heal, but until then..." Celestia turns
back to take her place next to her sister. "I trust Treble to keep an eye on you." Ner'Zhul glanced at his blade, a look
of regret for ever making it now.
"Celestia, right?" Ner'Zhul asked the tall white princess.
"Yes, that is my name." She assured.
"Take that blade, do not envelop it in magic, do not touch it, lest its power consume you... I no longer wish to carry
remnants of my past. In your abandoned castle my amour is there, kill my manticores I raised and destroy the
armor. Ner'Zhul spoke, fighting to conceal his seething blood lust at what he just said.
"But you'll have no weapon!" Treble reminded the gray pony.
"If you can make do without one..." Ner'Zhul's blood lust now replaced with a sense needing to be needed. "..so can I"
"Right then, now here is what the best course of action you two should take, the caravan is waiting at the other side
of the station. Use your ploy to your advantage, meaning should the griffins try to brush you two off warn them no
guards, no more war supplies." Luna gave them their orders, which both saluted to. Treble and Ner'Zhul began their
walk to where the caravan was was patiently waiting. Upon turning the corner, the caravan came into view,
walking up to what they were supposed to guard, the merchants who owned the caravan gave them looks of
disappointment.
"We only get two, unarmored ponies who don't even have weapons?" Spoke a husky unicorn, whom both presumed
was their leader"
"Trust me, we don't need weapons, or armor, and just the two of us and hold off an army!" Ner'Zhul stated
smugly.
"Prove it!" The husky pony dared. Ner'Zhul was more then happy to accept this challenge, pushing himself up to
stand on his rear hooves only, he came back down, causing a small shock wave of raw power as well as creating a
small crater.
"And my friend here can take anything that I can't reach!" Ner'Zhul scoffed at the caravan's leader who left him
with his eyes bulging.

Once the caravan was completely ready, they all set off for the long trip. Taking off from the town, the husky
unicorn came up to Treble.
"So, what can you do? I need to know both of you can keep us safe, there are things that stalk the night"
"You mean the hyena tribes? We can deal with a few weaklings..." Treble replied, not wishing to chat with this stuck
up pony any longer.
"Then I'll have to dismiss you!" The caravans leader sneered. Looking at Ner'Zhul, Treble got a nod in acceptance.
"Fine, but tell me your name first!" Treble ordered.
"Cold Cash, and watch your tone with me boy, I'm a very powerful unicorn!" Cold warned.
"Well then mister powerful.." Treble stopped for a moment and flung his left wing outward, causing a huge scar in
the land a few seconds later. "It seems you'll be third rate here!" Treble spoke, leaving an angered Cold Cash there
cursing Treble's name.

Sun now threatening to set, Ner'Zhul began to set up his and Treble's tent, but neither had any attention to use it.
Watching Treble playing with the kids that had to come along with their parents.
"What a child, how could he disgrace himself by lowering his standards like that!" Ner'Zhul spoke quietly.
"I dunno, I think it's kinda cute" A mare said while sitting next to Ner'Zhul. "He'd make a great father for what ever
lucky mare has his eye! My name is Clover by the way"
"What, how can you tell a mare caught his eye?" Ner'Zhul asked shocked. did she know more then what she
appeared to?
"The headphones he's wearing have two cutie marks on them, on one side you can see his cutie mark, on the other..."
She began waiting for Treble to turn around. "See those three balloons? who ever has that cutie mark is a lucky girl!"
she chuckled. "You wouldn't be that bad of a father either ya know, you have a strong heart, and a stronger will."
With that, she left Ner'Zhul there, watching Treble wave goodnight to the foals he was playing with. Walking over to
his thinking friend, Treble knocked on his head.
"Hey, anyone home?" he asked. "Time to start our cover job!"
Ner'Zhul knocked Treble's hoof away.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, sun goes down, we wait for whatever." Ner'Zhul shot Treble down.
"...What's with the attitude again?" Treble asked worried about his friend.
"It's..... I'm sorry, I'm not one for this kind of heat, I need the chill of the North! and.... never mind, I may just be
thinking things..." Ner'Zhul spoke, hoping to put Treble at ease. Treble inhaled before beginning to speak again.
"I know you don't need me to look after you but,....... You'll get your cool air soon, night in the desserts are cold, and
tell me what else is bothering, anything that may threaten peace is something Echo's need to know about, even if it's
just a hunch or feeling!" Ordered Treble. Ner'Zhul looked up hoping he wouldn't have to mention them, hoping they
could stay dead, guess this was just hopeful wishing.
"The Burning Legion....." Ner'Zhul told Treble.
"The what?" Treble asked.
"The Burning Legion, demons from many worlds gathered for a similar purpose, burning worlds should the races of
it be to weak to be used by them, or defy them. They are the ones who did this to me!" Ner'Zhul shed a tear. "They
made me forget what it meant to be mortal, and made me hate it to boot, I thought they were dead, but it's like I
can feel them, I fear this world will be next...."
Treble could only stare at Ner'Zhul in empathy and sorrow, unable to find words.
"But I will die before I see this world burn!" Ner'Zhul finish, slamming a hoof down for emphasis.

While taking in the moment, a noise snapped them both back into readiness, only for a sound in the opposite
direction to come up. Both colts tensing up, they stood up.
"Ner'Zhul, take the left side of the caravans, only stray from your path in a short distance then hurry back!" Treble
ordered while they began to move. "Stay as quite as possible!"
"Easier for you light hooves!" Ner'Zhul cracked a joke. Both of the colts on high guard scanned left and right every
second they could. Moving slowly, Treble caught a glance of the noise maker.
"Not so fast!" he whispered to himself. Treble flashed over to the shadowy figure, punching it in the process, sending a
wave of sound through its body, rupturing it's organs with sicking pops. Now limply on the ground, Treble got a
better look at it.
"A griffin soldier?" Treble asked spying a note on the griffin. "Treble, griffin soldiers, make sure the merchants are
safe, and keep them that way!" He hollered to Ner'Zhul, who rushed to each wagon, gathering them up to put them
in one wagon. Treble pulled the note out from the soldiers belt and opened it.

" Captain Lionheart, our inside agent, Mist, has informed that two Echo's will be masquerading as caravan guards,
kill the guards and the merchants, leave no trace that you, or any of your men, were there. failure to comply this
mission but return will result in dishonorable discharge!

-General Wind Runner"

"Mist is working for the enemy? Not good!" Treble spoke, anger of Mist's betrayal evident in his voice. "Ner'Zhul,
we're taking shifts, they know about our ploy! So get some sleep, I need to take out some anger!"

Morning came quickly for the Ner'Zhul, he had never noticed the beauty of a sun being raised from the horizon.
Griffin bodies scattered about from Treble's outburst of anger, his cruelness made even Ner'Zhul shiver. Was this
what Pinkie meant when she said he gave up his sanity once?
"Let's go Ner'Zhul, we still have a days travel!" Treble ordered.
Walking in silence, not even Cold Cash had anything to say, Trebles anger was still evident, and clearly showing in
the way he was walking. He seemed a lot more tense, ready to snap at the first pony who spoke. Ner'Zhul, knowing
something HAD to be said spoke up.
"Treble, how you acted was cruel, even by my standards, you had no right to torture them!" Ner'Zhul scolded
Treble who didn't seem to reply. "Are you ignoring me?" Ner'Zhul grabbed Treble's tail and pulled him back.
Treble's eyes moved to look at the one who pulled him down, without moving his head.
"Let go of my tail, now!" Treble gave a warning to Ner'Zhul. Ner'Zhul only continued to stare at the faded purple
colt.
"I said, let-" Treble was cut off by Ner'Zhul's hoof sending him sliding across the sand. The entire group of merchants
stopped, gasping at what just happened.
"You're out of place doing what you did, killing is one thing, but torturing is another thing!" Ner'Zhul growled
"Says the butcher king who raises the dead!" Treble spat at Ner'Zhul. Walking up to Treble, Ner'Zhul loomed over
him with mighty power.
"At least I didn't make them suffer like a TYRANT!" Ner'Zhul spoke, blowing Treble down from anger, to a lethargic
regret. "Now get up, we're almost at the border!" Ner'Zhul turned around, wishing he didn't need to to that, but
he couldn't stand seeing that much anger, even he was never that angry or cruel. Treble slowly got up, and followed
the continuing caravan from the back with his head down.

Two griffins swoop down to question the caravans purpose. Cold walked up as to tell them their reason for passing.
"Halt, What purpose does your caravan have in the griffin kingdom?" asked one of the border guards.
"We are here with your weapon shipment, we aren't early are we?" Cold replied. The griffin pulled out a list and
looked it over carefully.
"Yes, you are early, no matter, go through!" The griffins flew back up to their cloud stations as the caravan
continued into the griffin kingdom.

Comments

[Riddle the Rabbit]

I'm discontinuing this story because for some odd reason, no matter what I do, I can't get back in to this account! I'm sorry for any inconvenience.

I am however working on another story to make up for this loss, so if you would follow me instead....