Savior of Eternity

by Secrets and Lies

11

(11)

There was a hollow feeling within Zack’s chest. He felt lighter than air, without form or bodily constraint. He was dreamily confused: he didn’t know how he got here or what exactly was going on, though he didn’t mind the situation. Blackness absorbed him completely. Then——seemingly always there——he noticed an aperture of amber light in the distant expanse. From the size of a pin-hole, it expanded outward; soon he realized it wasn’t empty light, but a window. As the opening grew, more was revealed. When it fully encompassed Zachary, he found himself in the vast halls of Canterlot castle. Unmistakably he knew it real, though he found himself in awkward disbelief. His senses were tangled in a maze of disorder. He couldn’t feel the rug beneath him, but noticed the lapping sunlight’s warmth on his bare skin. He never once looked towards his body, feeling that if he did, he wouldn’t see anything. Goosebumps lined his arms and nape, yet he didn’t know the reason why.

Before his thoughts caught up to him, a peculiar lulling of a stringed instrument moved his attention. It was far off, almost outside of the castle itself. It was an ethereal whispering; sweet and longing. It filled the corners of the chambers, from the very reaches of the citadel ceilings, to the innermost place of his soul. The music——ever so gently——grew louder. His heartbeat eased into rhythm with the noise, and soon Zack realized the song that played was a piece he knew. It was familiar: it had brought back a presence within him he had nearly forgotten. A younger, far more hopeful Zachary woke from his depths, and then he recalled, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.

A clamor of hushed steps became known to him and he turned. From the far corridor, where the hall turned toward the Western Keep, a filly raced around a corner and out of sight. Her soft laughter enveloped the warm, copper-hued halls like a slow brooke’s gurgling. Zachary moved without thought, without constraint, without hesitance. His form glided slowly down the corridor, the music increasing ever so slightly. The violin which carried the song began to enamor his very being. A myriad of celestial hues faded into vision and sprawled forth before him, flowing forth from a great, stained-glass window. He gently eased inside of the light; his every being flourished in the gilded tones. The radiance consumed him, he floated upward to heights unknown. The castle was no more, the walls and ceilings replaced with refractions of surreal light. A rainbow of ever-changing colors; dancing, twirling, fleeting with the increasing sonate.
Before him, beyond the colors, his eyes met with the filly——now mare. She floated with him in the chamber of shattered sunbeams. She looked up, eyes glistening from the world around them. An angel of unearthly wonder, perfect and intangible. He looked up, his spirit lifted from his very core and he became no more than it itself. Her soul had done the same, her form became that of misty vapor. They reached out and melded into one. Together, they lit into a pure orb, an alabaster flame that burned eternal. Now, they were one. Deathless, holy, boundless, breathless. Everlasting. Now, they were one.

Zachary found himself standing on the high porch of the Western Tower. The horizon was beginning to glow awake. The stars seemed beyond even the heavens themselves as he peered into the vanishing night sky. The crisp, mountain air filled his lungs and embraced his body. He leaned on the railing and gazed towards the mountains. The presence he felt in his dream found its way into waking life, and this assured him. He felt deep within him a great longing, an immense state of satisfaction swept over and through him. At first mystified, he came to realize what it was: hope.

_____

Zachary left the high porch and proceeded into his bedroom as the delegates of Equestria were starting to arrive. Each appeared in their own fashion, whether by stallion-drawn coach, elongated automobiles, or by sky chariots or dirigibles. No more than a few minutes after dawn, the castle gates were drawn open to allow an impressive magitech-powered limousine to ease in. Steam rushed from beneath its rear axle as it carefully maneuvered through the gate and came to a halt. A young stallion raced from around the car and opened the back-passenger door. An established earth stallion——gray maned but strapping——exited the vehicle, followed by his most trusted advisors. He patted down his dark-beige suit and readjusted his pin-striped fedora. He reached for his pocketwatch and with a press, it flipped open. He read the time and looked up at the castle, studying it as if it were a problem needed solving.
The pony huffed, “Quaint, though not as homely or impressive as Manehattan.”
“Very true, Mr. President,” automatically confirmed an advisor. The others in his entourage agreed and the group moved forward, as if they were a school of fish, towards the front steps.

The other delegates and royals arrived soon after. In short time, the front lawn of the castle became a parking lot for a variety of elongated vehicles. The amount of traffic began to cause a stir among the locals as they curiously watched the limos and airships enter beyond the castle walls.
Following the president of Manehattan was Governor Spitfire of Cloudsdale, who was inwardly excited to meet again with Celestia, but outwardly indifferent. Governor Loose Leaf of the Coastal Provinces arrived only a moment after Spitfire entered into the castle. Miss Leaf, an over-analytical unicorn mare and direct descendant to Clover the Clever, arrived with the Director of Magitechologies, Quicken Gear, the son of Captain Neighmo. The two were deep in friendly banter about how the rise of magitech wouldn’t harm the loss of standard pony jobs, but increase the market. Mayors and leaders of smaller pony villages and townships arrived afterwards, but only a few held power when it came to the coming conference.

The dining hall was repurposed to house the leaders of Equestria. Many of the castle corridors were transformed into simple bedrooms for those staying in Canterlot. The meeting was soon approaching as the Royal Sisters entered into the busy dining hall. Celestia and Luna sat at the head of the table as equals; the chatter died down as the leaders took to their seats. As the delegates seated themselves, butlers and maids of Canterlot castle offered breakfast and tea as the meeting began.

“Welcome, everypony,” began Celestia, eyeing and smiling to each individual as she spoke. “I’m glad my call was answered in prompt timing. Allow me to introduce to everyone the high leaders of this assembly.” The princess looked towards Twilight and entitled, “Princess Twilight Sparkle, former protégée of mine and the Element of Magic within the Elements of Harmony.” She smiled at the others at the table, most of whom starred at her. Many had never seen her or the Elements; to them, they had only heard stories of the great deeds the Elements had performed in their lifetimes.

Celestia continued, “Next we have Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire; and her husband Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard of Canterlot...” She moved to each delegate with less commentary. “...Governor Spitfire of Cloudsdale, Governor Loose Leaf of the Coastal Realms, President Mica Granite of Manehatten, Director of Magitech Industries Quicken Gear.”
She peered over at Zachary and concluded, “Lastly, Master Zachary.” The high leaders and other unnamed leaders’ sights fell onto the strange looking creature sitting with them. None of the foreign delegates knew who or what he was. Zack looked around at the ponies and smiled, briefly waving to the group.
The odd looks continued towards Zachary as Celestia spoke again, “Some of you may know why I have summoned you all here, others are still unclear as to why they have been called.”

“Excuse me!”
Celestia looked over and noticed Loose Leaf reaching her hoof upward as if she was in grade school. “Yes, excuse me, my Princess Celestia?”

Celestia grinned and replied, “Yes, Governor Loose Leaf?” The goldenrod-yellow unicorn mare turned her attention toward Zack. He nervously readjusted himself in his seat as she fiddled with her glasses. Her anxious movements prompted him into a state of unease.
“Yes! Well, my question——you see——is, and pardon my ignorance! But, who, Master Zachary, are you?” Zack took a moment to absorb her words and make sense of it. She acted and sounded like a mare who was too strung-out on coffee.

He leaned towards her direction and answered, “I am a human of Earth, Master of the Prevailer, and student of Celestia, Luna, and Nabeleen.”

“A human, you say?” inquired Loose Leaf. She placed her hooves on the sides of her temples and shut her eyes. “Human, human, human, human....” she muttered repeatedly under her breath. She then shot her head up, transfixing her hazy, purple eyes onto him.

She stated, “I’ve never heard of a human before.”

“Better question,” Quicken Gear chimed in, straightening his posture and facing Zachary. “My father, Neighmo Gear, told me about you and the Prevailer. If you are the master, then where is the sword? May we see it?”

“Good question,” Zachary nodded with approval. “I actually don’t have it on me. Didn’t think I’d need it for a meeting.”

Quicken remarked, “I would like to have assurance that you are still in possession of it. It is of the utmost importance we have it for what is to come.”

Mica Granite added with a forceful tone, “And that is what we should be talking about!” The President of Manehatten swept his hoof across the table and elaborated, “Enough with the formalities, enough with the useless chit-chat. We need to get down to business here, ponies!”

“I concur,” Luna said. “King Vallak of the griffon race has waged war on Equestria. He has amassed a large force of griffons, centaurs, trolls, hounds, and earth ponies.”

Loose Leaf gasped, “Earth ponies? Who? Why?”
“Lord Acadain of Hoovegorod,” answered Princess Cadence. The room buzzed with low chatter and hushed gasps. Zachary was at a loss as to why Lord Acadain was so important.

He leaned over to Twilight and whispered, “Who’s Lord Acadain?”

Twilight replied, whispering back in his ear, “He’s the lord of northern Equestria and the brother of Mica Granite! The northern Equestrians of that realm lack cutie marks and have a history of bad reputation within Equestria.” Zachary wouldn’t have believed her unless Twilight had said it; the fact that a form of racism in Equestria existed didn’t seem right to him.

From the back of the table shouted a zebra saying, “We should have had him exiled long ago!”

“We would have lashed him to death in Saddle Arabia!” another delegate cried out.

“All of you shut up!” exclaimed Mica as he stood from his seat. “I couldn’t have done a thing about it, you hear!? Lord Acadain, a.k.a. Ignus Quarry wouldn’t accept my help. According to him, I abandoned my family and heritage. No, I was tired of hurling stones and scraping by on mere morsels of food. I chose to propel my knowledge and leave behind our dying lands. He’s hardheaded, but believe me when I say he only wants justice for what little has been done to aid his ponies.” He looked toward Celestia and pointed, “This isn’t about that; we’ll deal with that later! I want to protect what’s left of Equestria.”

“What’s left?” questioned Spitfire. “What do you mean?”

“Vallak decimated Manehatten with his pet dragon!”
Cries and murmurs filled the room again, but Mica continued towards Celestia, “I thought Canterlot had spies in Gryphus! How did a dragon the size of your castle slip past you unnoticed?”

Shining Armor rose in defense of Celestia and attested, “We had royal guards scouting in the Icicle Mountains a few days prior to the attack on Manehatten! They were killed, all of them! The griffons had planned this and to the best our knowledge the dragon was kept in dungeons beneath the Icicle Mountains.”

Luna glowered towards the president, “You do realize there are massive, abandoned dungeons below the Icicle Mountains from the days of the Ancient Masters? The earth ponies built them with the griffons. This was beyond your time, but I hope you see that we and the griffons were not always at each other’s throats.”

President Granite sat himself back down and replied, “Even still, the blame lies only on Celestia. With fair warning, we would had known the dragon was coming and tens of thousands of ponies would be alive today.” Luna rose from her seat, as did Shining Armor and Twilight, but before any could rebuff the stallion, Celestia waved her hoof before them.

“I take full responsibility,” she stated in a level tone. Celestia met eyes with Mica and expounded on her reasonings. “The dragon was too fast for us, we couldn’t contact your departments in time. It went straight to Manehatten, as if it was ordered to. Our spies have been no use to us, and we can’t locate the dragon at this time. With that reasoning, Vallak could call the dragon to Equestria at his whim.”

Mica cleared his throat and said, “We couldn’t scramble enough pegasi after the attack to locate the dragon. Who knows where it could be now. However,” he placed his hoof on the table and reported, “Our more competent spies managed to detail us that Vallak was on his war campaign. We successfully halted their progress in the Icicle mountains, and because we did, we now have a few extra days to ready ourselves instead of fighting them today!”

Shining rose up from his seat again, his face twisted and livid. He was about to leap across the table, but before he could, Cadence said to Mica, “Do you want us to congratulate you?”

“Of course not,” he hastily replied, “I just want to show you all how democracy functions on higher levels compared to a simple monarchy. Leave everything in the hooves of a few and watch nothing progress.”

“Thank you, Mica.” Celestia concluded. “If we may continue now with why I have brought everyone here today, we might get something done.” Mica sat himself down and sighed heavily.

Zack was astounded at Celestia’s tonality and air. Of all the emotions to express, she was calm and collected. After President Granite’s public disapproval of Celestia and Luna, nearly everyone on the Canterlot side of the table was frustrated with the stallion. Only Celestia was even-tempered and clear-headed among the tense ponies. Zachary was unsure what to think, so he attempted to remain empty and open to the ideas being expressed.

“Vallak will be arriving here in two days,” Luna declared, rising from her seat and conjuring a scroll before her. “I have here a list of infantry from every leader present or will be present. I will read the list on who will participate in the coming battle.” She cleared her throat and began naming off the leaders and how many forces they would be contributing.

“Of Equestria, Canterlot: one thousand four hundred. Manehatten: six thousand. Baltimare: eight hundred. Cloudsdale: four hundred and fifty. The Crystal Empire: one thousand. Fillydelphia: two thousand seven hundred.” Luna stopped and looked over at Twilight Sparkle with a raised eyebrow. “Ponyville: six.” Twilight grinned, Luna rolled her eyes.

She continued down the list, naming off each contributor down to the last village that supported Celestia’s call. After every contributor in Equestria was named, she moved onto those outside of Equestria.

“Zerba: fifty. Capra: three hundred. Houyhnhnms and Cervians... to be determined.”

Quicken spoke up when Luna had finished, “What of the airships? Will we be using them during the battle?”

Celestia looked over at Shining Armor and he replied, “We won’t be using airships due to Vallak’s rocs. They would secure our victory, but the rocs are too fast and can easily take down airships before we can even launch them. We would be better suited using trained pegasi to handle the rocs. Can you elaborate, Spitfire?”

Spitfire leaned forward and said, “Since the Battle of Cloudsdale, I have personally reinstated the Firebolt division of our military. Those individuals are trained to combat all kinds of threats. From changelings, to rocs, to griffons, they can handle’m.”

“Very well,” Quicken ended, leaning over to murmur something to one of his advisors.

“If I may,” President Granite addressed the high leaders. None were too pleased to hear him speak again, though no one stopped him from doing so. “Our combined forces are nowhere near in number to Vallak’s. At least one-to-two, according to my strategists. But even still, could any of our numbers stop the dragon that Vallak could call to the battlefield?”
“Maybe,” Loose Leaf fumbled out. “Well, the Elements, perhaps? They can take on a dragon. They’ve done it before a few times, ya’ know?”

Twilight rose up from her seat and denoted, “It’s very unlikely we could do such a thing to stop a beast of that magnitude. The Elements work mysteriously, sometimes they work for us and other times against us. If it knows it can stop the dragon, it will, in some form or another.” She peered down at Zachary and indicated, “Our answer to the dragon is Zachary and the Prevailer. He will-”.

“I will not fight the dragon.”
Twilight turned, flabbergasted at his response. Luna looked away from him, Shining Armor shook his head in defeat. A hushed murmur fell over the crowd. Quicken leaned over the table and looked towards Zack.

“I beg your pardon?” Quicken said, his mossy eyes sharply glaring towards the unphased human.

“Look, everyone,” he turned, meeting with as many eyes as he could while starting to stand up. “I know this wasn’t the answer many were looking for, but if you know me, you know what I’ve done. I am a threat by being in the presence of the enemy, which in turn forfeits your safety. Even me being in Equestria right now, I am endangering you all.” He closed his eyes and concluded, “I feel there might be a better way to deal with Vallak that doesn’t involve bloodshed.”

“Aren’t you forgetting,” Mica Granite fumed, “there’s already been bloodshed?”

“But Zachary,” Twilight said, looking up at the human, “we need you. You have strength that we could never have. We need you to at least guide us.” Zack took a breath and lowered his head.

“My powers, my strengths... they’ve been abused and turned against the ones I love. Vallak has the ability the persuade others with magic unlike any I had ever felt. I was lucky, at the time, when he tried and failed to use it against me. I am almost positive he has mastered that ability by now.”

“Won’t you consider it again?” Spitfire softly pleaded. “In the end, things turned out alright, remember?”

Luna spoke up, “By staying in Concordia and learning their ways, you’ve grown soft for the world around you. Nabeleen is wise, and her teachings are true. The world can be a better place, there really is no need for senseless killing. I see your worry, but Zachary, now is the time to put that aside. The world is in danger, and nothing can avert this coming crisis unless we meet blade to blade with those who wish to poison the world.”

Celestia added, “What you’ve done is nothing compared to what Vallak will do. Your mind is honed far greater than when you met him last, you can easily overcome him.”

Zack looked over at Celestia and replied, “Vallak isn’t who I’m afraid of. It’s the Afflictor——Tirek. I’ve seen what he’s capable of, I’ve seen what you, Luna, and Alwaid had gone through.” Celestia’s eyes widened; Zachary had never told her that he knew that.

Zachary looked over the others at the table and concluded, “I will consider it, but I must meditate on the choices I have.” Zachary left the dining hall, his footsteps echoed through the silent castle.

——————-

Zachary waited outside the hall until the meeting was over. It took a fair amount of time to conclude their business and strategy, which Zack had been listening to beyond the doorway. The princesses explained their line of defenses as well as location of the battlefield. Among the news, Zack, hearing that Whitetail Woods would be nearly cut down for a supply line to the battlefield, weakened him to his core. He knew Pinkie, and especially Fluttershy, would be devastated to hear that the thriving woodland would be torn down.
As Celestia departed from the hall and broke away from the crowd, Zack approached her. She smiled at him as both walked together down a separate hall, away from the delegates. The two were alone as they stopped at a window, overlooking an equestrian valley.

“You made quite the stir today,” Celestia noted with a grin.

Zack smirked. “Yeah, I figured my answer wouldn’t be too popular.”

“You must have a lot on your mind, judging by your appearance.” Zachary looked down and realized his fingers were tapping nervously on his sides. His posture was locked straight while the heels of his feet bounced up and down.

“Sorry,” he breathed, readjusting himself. “A little tense from...”

He searched for the right words, but Celestia aided in, “War? Equestria? Tirek?” She gave a tired smile and looked away.

Zack elaborated, tightening the muscles throughout his body, “I feel more worried about this war then when Alwaid came. It’s always been in the back of my mind, but I ignored it. I thought it would never come. If anyone can relate to what I’m feeling it’s you.” She didn’t reply, she merely kept her gaze away from him, processing his words mentally. He looked away from her and down the hall, his mind drifting and churning as well.

He sighed and began anew, “Where was Mayor DeBates?”
“Oh, yes, DeBates.” She tapped her chin and thought for a moment. “It must have slipped my mind to send him an invitation.”
Zack laughed halfheartedly, “You really are something.” His momentary cheer subsided as his last meeting with him came to mind. “I think you need to do something about DeBates... After this war, of course. He’s up to no good.” He had assumed she had already known this, and saying what he said was old news to her.
“He knows about me, where I’ve been the last thirty-three years, about Pinkie, even about my dealings at the Friendship Fountain those many years ago. He knows a lot and has threatened me.”

“Oh I know he’s slimy. The Ivory Guard has had their eyes on him since coming to power.”

“But how can Ponyville elect someone like that? He’s horrible for the role as mayor!”

“The ponies want him. I had no say or sway in the elections. I let them choose who they want. Always.”

Zack rubbed the back of his head and swallowed. “I don’t like him one bit. He’s bad news, Celestia.”

She shook her head and said, “I agree, wholeheartedly. But Zachary, the world is a changing place. You’re beginning to see this as well, though at a much faster pace than I have. Sometimes we have to let old ways die to new ones, we can’t hold on to the past. I’ve tried altering the course of nature and my kind. Every attempt fails or backfires, it’s not worth pursuing.” Zack thought about what she had said and remained silent.
Celestia looked out the window and began, “I hope you took what was said to you in the meeting with an open mind.”

“Of course, I’ll consider it.” He stepped closer to the window, peering down to see how far the descent would be to the bottom of the valley.

“Look at it from my perspective...” Zack elaborated. “I spent thirty-three years focused on meditation, dealing with the choices I’ve made, and with the harm I’ve caused. You can say I never had control of my actions, but it was me nonetheless. It’s something I can’t let go, and it’s something that’s going to haunt me for the rest of my days. Without the miracle of the Catalyst Stone, I don’t know what could have been done.”

He looked into the distance and continued, “I really wish not to harm any others, no matter how twisted they are. Death shouldn’t be an option. I know these griffons don’t want to fight, but they must. All their lives they’ve been behind Vallak, who has subjected them to hate us. It’s not their faults, they shouldn’t have to suffer.

“It’s this lifelong hatred I detest. Every side is turned against one another, even the ponies distrust the griffons. There seems there will always be conflict, and I don’t want to create more to this already complex issue. If there was a way to show them all the true nature of each side, without the influence of their leaders, there might be true peace.”

Celestia looked over at him through the reflection in the window. Her somber, weary expression seemingly aged her complexion.

She sighed, “Do you not think that’s what I’ve been trying to do all this time? Now you see the trouble with my role. Now you see the burden my sister and I have held for generations. Immortality shouldn’t be spent this way.” She paused for a moment, regained her composure, and asked, “When will you have an answer for me? If you’ll be aiding Equestria or not?”

“A day or so.”

“That’s good. Take your time, consider every aspect of your choices. But if you wish not to be a great fighter, then please be a great healer. We will need one after what will become of Equestria.”

_______

Zack wandered down the halls with no clear direction or heading. The castle was filled with more occupants than he had ever seen, however he felt more alone than ever. He had always felt alone in Equestria, being that he was the only human on an alien world, but in this instant, he felt abandoned. He was a tool to the Equestrians, or so he saw it, and that with or without him there would be hope or desolation for Equestria. Was there even a choice for him to make?

He felt that he was in an emotional state of limbo: he wanted to be left alone to mull over what was addressed to him at the war meeting, he also wanted to distract himself and not think about the choices he had to make. He felt like he was being tortured, and the only salvation was himself. His judgement was clouded and it affected his every being as he continued down the sunlit, arching halls of Canterlot castle.

As he rambled to and fro, some of the delegates attempted to approach him and start up a conversation, in attempts to make him see reason. He shook them off as soon as he could, saying that he was on his way to meet with one of the princesses and was late as is. He didn’t want to talk with any pony he came across, yet still he remained in public. He dared not to think about coming around a corner and seeing the six mares he had grown to love. He couldn’t handle dealing with Pinkie Pie’s exuberance at this time; the thought of her bouncing around him and asking him a hundred questions a minute caused a cold sweat to form on his brow.
At one point during his meandering, he bent down a hallway corridor at a quick walking pace, avoiding Loose Leaf’s clamor of questions as to why he was avoiding her and her questions. As he entered into a new hall, he stopped and noticed a familiar mare entering from the north-east balconies. She noticed him mere moments after she closed the door and raced over to hug him. He accepted this as if it were defeat in the hands of the enemy; so he greeted death with open arms.

“It’s so good to see you!” she said, beaming up at him.

“Likewise, Spitfire!” She released him and they gave a good look at each other. Being that both beings were immortal, they knew very little about each other. He only knew that she was immortal, but she knew all about him from Rainbow Dash and Celestia.

A strained silence took hold of the two before Zack salvaged the moment from becoming too awkward, “So you’re a governor now? Wow, that must be a lot of work. I didn’t know you had any political background.” She chuckled, though Zack didn’t know why.

“Certainly! Well someone had to take over after our last mayor was impeached.” She looked off towards the ceiling and continued, “It took a few years to learn the biz, but last year I finally did it and earned the spot!”

“Well congratulations! I can’t think of another pegasus more capable of the job then you.” She flicked her mane to the side and keenly smiled. Behind the hardened demeanor and uniform, Zack saw a lovely mare. It was this that slowly moved Zack out of his clouded state of mind.

The mare’s eyes lit with sudden insight. Her manner shifted back towards the persona she had dutifully held throughout her career and looked up at the human, almost apathetically. Zack smirked upon witnessing the whole of the emotional act; he thought it was cute.

“I had just remembered,” she promptly said in a stern tone, “one of my Firebolts had been wishing to speak with you.” His heart skipped a beat--he knew who it was.

“You mean Rainbow Dash?”

“Affirmative.” She gave a nod and simper his way, then pointed a hoof towards the balcony doors behind her. “She’s waiting on the balcony.”

“Is she alone?”

She looked back and grinned, her voice shifting to a more casual tone, “Quite.” She lifted her wings and floated eye-level to the human. “Salutations, Master Zack. Until we meet again.” She smiled and flapped away and down the hall.

Zack approached the large double doors and opened them with a little difficulty. The wind pressed against the entryway, and it was troublesome to determine how much strength was needed to open them. Zack tried again with more force, though as he did, the wind let up and the door he was behind was flung forward. Zack opened it with such power that the silver knob on the other side of the door slammed into the alabaster wall of the castle, pinning it to the wall itself.

Zack stumbled out onto the porch and turned to see the damage he had done. He exclaimed, “Shit!” as he looked at the double door and how the knob had broken through the side of the castle. He turned back around with a sigh and had forgotten that Rainbow Dash, who was watching him wide-eyed, was at the end of the balcony.

She snorted and heartily laughed, “Typical Zack! Always making a wild entrance!” He lightened up upon seeing his love and chuckled with her.

The mood shifted between them in an almost eerie fashion. The two had hardly talked since his return. The weight of it all seemed to crash around Zack, his breath was short and his mind raced for the appropriate words to begin with. To begin a conversion, to tell her how much he had missed her, to tell her how sorry he was, to tell her everything that he wanted would take days. It would take years to mend such a relationship, or so he thought. Then it dawned on him, it didn’t seem she had even noticed that he was gone, judging by their brief sputter of comments upon his arrival. Then again, they hadn’t had time to themselves since he arrived.

He looked up and realized she too was entangled in thoughts as deep as his. The casualties she had personified earlier had evaporated, her eyes searched for in front of him. In that moment, both seemed to be lost, spellbound by one another's presence. Both had similar notions that this didn’t seem right, none of this seemed right. To be with their lover again, after thirty-three long, empty years. Time was still and the world held its breath, to them it seemed.

“Zachary,” a familiar voice said behind Zack. He turned, the spell had been broken as he noticed Celestia near the entryway to the castle.

“Yes?”

“I need to show you something, it’s very important and we can’t delay.” She looked over at Rainbow Dash and back towards the human. “I’m sorry,” she added, “but this will have to wait for tonight.”

He looked back at Rainbow Dash, she nodded for him to leave. He turned and followed Celestia into the castle, his hands shaking at his sides.

Comments

[Eliseo221]

Well hot dayum. Happy to see this updated!

[BrianPony]

It lives! Almost forgot about this story

[Techcrasher]

A Update😀😁😆🔥💥

[Stygian Tiger]

8347371
Secrets, mine friend, I still hold hope but one chapter every three years is little to hang on to.

Hope you're doing well,

[Secrets and Lies]

9337185
Thanks you kind sir
Lots of change and not a lot a free time these days. Started writing fan fiction as a freshman in college, but now that I've been forced into the work world and live with my SO, not a lot of time to write about ponies. Haven't watched the show or frequent any mlp-related sites in a long time. I guess I sort of burnt out and I don't know how to continue Savior. The original ideas seem too streamline and confusing, and there's so much going on throughout Savior so far that I'm afraid I'm going to miss something. I regret a lot of what I wrote in Slave, even though I still think it's a solid story. Biggest regrets writing Slave have to be Zack X Rainbow Dash... should have been Luna. Others being Valiant losing his wing, giant death/plot ball that made no sense, not enough Moonsinger, pointless artifacts in the engima chamber, and such. I already regret some things in Savior, mainly creating DeBates and a lot of useless banter that goes nowhere.

But! The show must go on! Somewhere...

I started drafting a special chapter that takes place between Slave and Savior, something that could be viewed as a potential end to the series, but haven't decided on if I want to write that. I might just start forcing myself to write the next chapter. I pretty much know what it's going to be, and it'll tie up a lot of confusion between a certain character that's been shrouded in mystery since Son. So I haven't lost hope in myself, yet

[Luna is back]

9339554
An idea could be to just cancel the story and continue as an alternative reality (or reimagining) based on Son of Eternity. It would be better than just being stuck.
I know this is LAAATE, but whatever. I hope this is helpful?

[Secrets and Lies]

10173771
Good ideas overall! I actually came on here to cancel it and saw your comment, funny how things work out.

Anyways, it is now officially cancelled.

I've considered rebooting the original, but then I'd have to re-watch the first season so I can make accurate callbacks as well get myself back into mlp. The series is over so I would think the fandom is on its death bed at this point, and it would be a waste of my time to write something MLP related when I can move onto writing an actual story that's not a fanfic.

I've been wanting to transition a lot of the ideas, stories, and characters into an original story I've been working on since last year. I've been drawing up fictional world maps and sporadically writing about the world and its people in a journal I carry around almost everywhere now. I find it helps to have something physical to write your thoughts and ideas down.

I plan on making a blog post about it once I have more of structure laid out and some actually chapters written up. Then again, I've been off the radar for so long on this site that I doubt many people will see my blog post. Since this pandemic is happening I should devote more time to writing and I hope to start on something soon. There isn't much of a story yet, but it does involve a high-fantasy setting with magic that can't entirely be explained (like in Lord of the Rings). It's set in a world that is almost entirely forest and mountains with no major roads or bodies of water. I'll go into more details in a future blog post. In a way, I am retelling Son of Eternity into a new story with a new cast.

Anywho, I do miss the feedback and group of people that followed my writings and Zack's story. I even met IRL one of my first fans who pushed me into putting my stories on FimFic, and so I'm grateful I took the time to dedicate my writing to ponies.

[Luna is back]

10181237
Honestly didn't expect you to see that post, but I'm glad you did, and you agree! Cannot wait till I can read the... Not sure what it will be....

[Insidiaphilia]

10181237
Better to read it six months late than never. Thanks for the update.

[Stygian Tiger]

10181237
Don't worry, Secrets, mine friend, we're still here. I'll be patiently waiting for that blog post. I really hope that you manage to keep on writing, I know I've said it before, but I have been reading and re reading the Eternity series for years now, Zachary sort of feels like a close friend. It would be an honour to be able to the spititual successor of such an influential story from my life. As always, onwards and upwards!