Savior of Eternity

by Secrets and Lies

4

(4)

A silver sun rose over the bleak peaks of the Icicle Mountains. Its shine broke through the thick mantle of gray and lit the blankets of snow in a pale blue. The giants of stone and ice breathed in unison, exhaling frosty wind through the crevices and jagged ridges. As the lifeless morning continued, something bellowed deep below the ancient mounts. A low roar moaned through the under earth, a noise that was uncommon to the gelid lands.

Through black caverns and endless halls of stone stirred something of evil intent. Bent to the will of a greater, a creature was captured from a far corner of the world and was dragged under the towering mountains, into the dungeons of the ancient world. There, it was broken and reforged, mind melded with dark thoughts, twisted by corruption and chaos. Only two knew of this monster, a beast that would shake the foundations of the world of light. Malorga would soon rise.

The land above the secret prison which held the terrifying beast was bitter and chill. Not far from its location was the hidden city of Gryphus, nestled between the rocky spires of the clouded mountains. In the high halls of Kyanite Castle, a meeting was scheduled where Vallak and his mentor waited. The King of the Griffons sat back on his stone throne, loosely gripping the burnt stave. The weapon’s head, a gem glistening with the haunting hue of living blood, floated freely within the confines of contorted metal and wood.

The staff–the imprisoned spirit of Tirek–spoke through in a deep whisper, “The time is now. Allow them to enter.” Vallak rose a talon towards his guards before the doorway, they knew the signal and began to pull back the large, iron-braced doors. A row of different and unique creatures, draped in contrasting royal attire, stood before the door. A single, studious looking griffon promptly glided over to introduce each of the members who were to take part in the coming meeting. The faithful servant cleared his throat and announced each accordingly, allowing them to step forward upon his remark of them.

“May I present Lord Acadain of Hoovegorod.” An umber coated earth stallion stepped forward, bowing his head in allegiance to Vallak. He wore iron braces and knee guards, while underneath he sported thick wraps and a belt around his chest. A large, deep red and narrow cape draped around his back and neck, and he held its hem in his right hoof. He made his way into the room as the next leader moved forward.

“May I present Chief Desig of Ravaged Ravine.” A large stone troll presented himself, striding heavily with each step before inclining to one knee. He towered over the others in height and his sheer strength could collapse the palace in one mighty heave. His skin was broken, yet firm–chipped from battles long ago. His eyes were cold and black, as lifeless as stone itself. In his hand he held a sinister and rough halberd, its head carved from a large, silver jewel. He arose after his prolonged bow and walked into the chamber.

“May I present The Venerable Emperor Cycinann Delcex of the Gleaming Pines.” A headstrong and straight postured centaur entered the room. His eyes shimmered like polished amber before he diverted them towards the floor, bowing slightly while keeping a hand on his chest. His coat was of a dark, forest green, while his hooves were of burnt red. He wore no armor, though a single crown of jade narrowly encompassed his head. On his back he carried a rounded shield with the sigil of his kind crossed with a blade and sheath. He arose and stepped aside, allowing the last of the four to enter.

“And lastly, my I present Alpha Baskavail of the Endless Plains.” A large and dark hound, slender though agile, stepped into the chamber. Vallak had heard many rumors of Baskavail, and of his prowess; he and his lineage were a legend which spanned across Arteria. He stood tall and steady on two hind legs, a rarity among the sentient canine. He leaned forward and bowed before Vallak, silver eyes affixed on the King before him. His coat was jet black, with short hair and long, sharp ears. His paws were narrow, though claws honed; his tail was docked and his muzzle long. He promptly stood after giving his respects and made his way forward.

Before them all was a long table with two wooden chairs on each side, and throne was located at the end of the table. Each leader—excluding Vallak—stood behind a single chair, and simultaneously they sat themselves down upon Vallak’s gesture.

The Griffon King leaned forward and commenced, “Welcome, allies of old, to the Griffon Kingdoms. We of the scattered realms come under one roof for a common goal, to bring a new era upon the world.”

“Yes we know, Vallak,” remarked Acadain. “For long my kind has suffered, more so than the Griffons and any other here in this grand hall. We know the pains of being cast away from our promised land. We know the torment of being alienated by the lack of this ‘cutie mark’ other ponies possess. You need not remind me of why we fight; take heed though, the equines of Equestria are more powerful than you might imagine. Are spies assured me that their technology is soon to surpass even the griffons.”

Desig grumbled out with a voice of gravel and spite, “Why have you waited so long, Vallak? Why wait when we could have crushed the equine years ago when their powers were lesser?”

“I wish to know this too,” Cycinann concurred with Desig. With a lighter tone, he approached the manner with sincerity, “We understand your desire to amass your forces. After kingship was reformed within your realm, your forces were bestrewn in bandit camps. If we were to have had this gathering earlier, our combined efforts would easily topple Celestia’s forces.”

Vallak raised his hands and made his motives known, “Though they have risen to my kinds’ knowledge, they are blinded by the years of peace Celestia has brought them. No army can enter through their realm without Celestia’s knowing, though our spies can with ease. They slip into ranks, befriend and ally the ponies; my kind has been accomplishing this for many years.”

He knew this was not an acceptable excuse, so he went on, “Besides this factor, they were in possession of a weapon that could eliminate even spirits.” Each member at the refractory table was astonished to hear those words–excluding the stolid and reserved hound. They knew of the spirits and of spirit kind, the ones who possessed forms of alicorns. The pony civilizations spanned far across Arteria in days of old. There were once many alicorn rulers who held high rank and established their reign over the world, pushing the former natives into outer lands. The hatred for the equine grew and lingered on even till the last great pony kingdom was established, which was Equestria.

Desig questioned Vallak, “How did the Equines come across this weapon?”

“It came to them through the means of another. He is a wizard of great power, and I have met him once long ago. A being not of this world has allied with them, and though his presence is no longer known within the kingdom, I have been informed that he is still of this world.”

Vallak looked about each leader, “He will return upon our invasion, though we will be ready–for I have the brother to his weapon.” Vallak levitated the staff over the table, and as it hovered in silence, its real form became known to them. No longer was it a stave but a blade. Bathed in the darkness of the void and tinged with ethereal shadow, it glistened in the bleak halls with energy unfamiliar with their world. Their eyes were locked onto the spirit-crafted weapon, though the hound seemed unimpressed.

Vallak noticed this and asked Baskavail, “Are you still doubtful of our soon-to-be victory?” The canine’s eyes narrowed on the griffon and Vallak couldn’t resist the slight discomfort Baskavail had awoken from inside him.

“This sword seems to be a master of you. I shan't rely on a weapon and master who is not proven in battle.” Vallak tensed with anger as the hilt of the blade met with his hand. He gripped the sword and pointed it toward the unmoved canine.

“The Line of Pinscher is nothing compared to the power of the Afflicter!”

Baskavail retained his apathy and fierce manner as he stated, “No magical weapon will grant you victory, nor can the beast you bent to your will will grant you success.” Baskavail eased himself up from his chair and looked over his allies. “I will still aid you all so that I may reclaim my forefathers’ crystal realm under the capital—but be wary my friends. I know of these equine, I know of their might in magic and skill. The Royal Sisters will be our demise if we should slip only slightly. Through keen judgment and stern command can we defeat them.”

The Emperor of the Gleaming Pines spoke up, “What about this wizard that will aid them in battle?”

“I will sever him.”

The Alpha of the Endless Plains promptly exited the council chamber and met with his generals on the vestibule of Kyanite Castle. The city before them was alive with many creatures, most of which were soldiers ready for war. Two lean hounds approached Baskavail, armed with wicked and thin blades strapped to their backs.

One of the two hounds asked, “What is your bidding, my Alpha?”

“You both shall come with me, along with six more of our fastest and strongest. The rest shall follow under Vallak as he takes the combined forces into Equestria. We shall go ahead and seek out the Wizard. I believe Vallak is not in control of this war, for I felt a fifth presence among us; a more powerful force not of this world. Vallak is a puppet of higher powers.” He looked towards his hounds and concluded lowly, “Now come.” Baskavail and his hounds began their descent down the five-hundred steps. They made their way through the city streets, gathered their assault group, leading them towards the high gates to the east. There they set out without provision or guidance through the Icicle Mountains.

The council of leaders continued without Baskavail, though they no longer needed his presence. In secret they went over the plans of attack and the area where the battle was likely to commence. Vallak told them nothing of the monster he held captive in the depths of his mountain kingdom. In the black halls of ancient days, in caverns and dungeons that had never seen the light of the sun, was imprisoned the foe of the equine. A magnificent and terrible demon of the old world who wearily rested, saving its strength for what was to come.

__________

Outside of Canterlot castle, on the high porch of the Western Keep, Twilight Sparkle focused her thoughts. Her mind’s eye stretched far over the landscape towards the area where Celestia made known to her through deep insight. Across an ocean of absence she found an island of land, a coastal province of high, tan reeds and gray cliffs. On a sliver of a protruding cliff she saw the shack where he would be and there she pinpointed her magic. An anchor in her mind was set on the location, mentally tethered across thousands of miles of land. She was deeply afraid of failing, but fought against the wavering emotions. With a quick burst of magic, her body vaporized and zipped through the air.

Her sense of time and perception was always absent when she siphon relayed, though it was only for a mere moment; however now she felt utterly lost in all senses. The amount of distance was the likely cause and her comprehension on many things slipped away. It was a brief sensation of total abandonment, but to her (during her time siphoning) it felt like hours of darkness. Without sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, body and consciousness, she floated through the nothingness of another world.

Just as sudden as a veil being drawn back to the light of day, she perceived this light once more. Sight was the first of her senses to return, then came the others just as fast. Her vision was muddled at first, but her senses aided her in establishing her surroundings. She felt the touch of the grass and ground against her coat, the smell of salt and greenery, the taste of the sea upon her lips, the sound of distant, crashing waves and swaying stalks. As her sight reformed, she noticed that she was on her back, looking up at the slate gray mantle of endless, lumpy clouds above her. A new feeling could be perceived as her senses were tuned even more from the recent and jarring teleportation: the coming of rain.

She stood up on her hooves and looked about her; the tall and thick stalks of sea plants towered over her as she regained her ability to balance and walk. Her knowledge of flight and magic was still gradually coming back to her, she knew she could not warp or fly out of the maze of vegetation.

“Hello?” she called out in a tiresome tone. The wind swept over her and blew her mane back through the reeds. She had no choice but to make her way through the plants until she found high ground and so she did so.

She pushed her way through the reeds, pressing them back and making further advancement. Her sight was hindered by the amount of greenery and her hooves could tell that there was no elevation of land. For a few minutes, she wandered aimlessly through the sea of reeds, with no direction or source for direction (being that the sun was behind the blanket of storm cloud). With little to no luck, she found a narrow pathway through the reeds that snaked off beyond her sight. She took the stone-laden trail and walked down it until the road rose up slightly. She followed it still until finally the reeds ended and the exit was in sight. As she left the confines of the natural labyrinth, her eyes fell upon the shack she saw in her distant vision and the bitter bite of sweeping wind gnawed on her form.

She approached it cautiously, for the house before her seemed in poor condition for living in. She swore it looked more homely when her mind had focused in on it. She stepped onto the wooden porch and noticed that behind the railings at the foot of the house were blown over figurines. She stopped, stepped back and picked one of the many up for a closer inspection. It was a delicate carving of her friend Pinkie Pie, but why she and many other wooden ponies that were seemingly blown over the railing’s edge and were not picked up eluded her.

She stepped towards the door and knocked on it, saying aloud, “Zachary? It’s me, Twilight Sparkle. Are you here?” No answer came to her. She pressed her ear against the door, she could hear nothing from the inside except the cackling of a weak fire. She eased her hoof towards the face of the salt-eroded gateway, opening the screen door first and then the wooden door. A living room sprawled out before her with a much more lively appearance than the outside of the shack. Her eyes met with a large, red couch and in it sat the human reading a book. She was unafraid by his appearance, for her mind had been opened by Celestia once more and was comforted by it.

He turned and looked over at Twilight as if he had never seen her before; but before Twilight could speak, an emerald blaze engulfed him from foot to head. Twilight leaped back in fright as his form changed when the magic fire dissipated, revealing a changeling. The alicorn took a firm stance in the doorway and mustered up the power to conjure magic in her horn, ready to attack.

“What have you done with Zachary?” She cried out, on the verge of blasting her old foe to dust.

“Wait! Stop!” He pleaded from the auburn recliner, “I’m not like the others! Queen Chrysalis is not my master, I know of Zachary and where he is!” A new presence entered from a far corridor Twilight could tell from the corner of her eye. She pivoted her head and lost focus for a moment, wheeling back in disbelief.

“D... D... Discord!” She couldn’t believe it at first, but as she looked over the studious and straight postured draconequus, she realized that this was not Discord at all. His limbs were of different animal appendages, though his frame was much like her old enemy’s.

He looked upon her with surprise saying, “Oh, an unexpected visitor? An equine from the far realms south of here, yes?” He bent over, frightening the mare even more with his strange, un-chaotic behavior. “I’ve only read about your kind in the books the wizard left behind here at Rhignes Rock. That, and seeing the figurines he once made of you all. It’s quite odd looking upon a pony in the flesh.”

“Roren,” the changeling barked out, “stop pestering her! She’s trembling, for Celestia’s sake.”

He stepped back and apologized, “I’m sorry, my mare. Hearth keeps reminding me that my ways of approach are... dated, so to speak. But! I am learning every day to be better at such areas of communication!”

Twilight, finding her courage once more, asked the two, “So you both know Zachary? You’re friends with him?”

“Indeed,” Hearth answered. “He’s helped us out in some way or another. He came to us and trusted us to watch over his home.”

“So he’s not here?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Roren elaborated on the matter, “The Cervians came for him and off he went.”

“Cervians?”

“The deer folk, my dear.”

“Where did they take him?”

Hearth sat up from the chair, turned and stated in a lofty manner, “The Realm of Cervidas. In the high city of Concordia. In the House of Lady Nabeleen.”

“He wanted to go,” Roren explained to the befuddled mare, “that was his plan all along. He knew he would have visitors, so he assigned me and Hearth to travel here and watch over his home. The journey from Firelight Woods is what I needed, and soon I wish to travel to Equestria.”

Twilight rubbed her chin and murmured to herself, “Fascinating...” She had read about these places before in past books, but never has she known anyone mentioning them. She assumed they were lost lore of vacant and abolished places. She then made eye contact with Roren and questioned him, “I’m happy to know that Zachary is safe, but where is Cervidas? I need to meet him soon, there is great need for him back in Equestria.”

“We are not sure how you arrived here,” Hearth said with a lack of enthusiasm, “but Cervidas is further than your journey from Equestria.”

“A Panexus will not take you there,” the draconequus spoke up, “for there is none leading there. If anything, you will need a boat to pass through Blackwater Bay into Eternity’s Crossing, and finally onto land to Cervidas.”

She swallowed weakly, she wasn’t ready to siphon relay again she didn’t know if she could. Her mind was unsteady and she couldn’t quite focus her magic. Hearing that Cervidas was further than Equestria made her tense up. Twilight began to explain how she arrived here and by what means, explaining to them the complications of siphoning to such a far off place without prior knowledge of being there.

Hearth made his thoughts known to her after she finished, “Couldn’t you teleport to closer locations and not make a long jump?”

“I could, however I’m not so confident in my ability to teleport to places I’ve never been to. The only way I made it here was through Princess Celestia’s prior knowledge of the location and making it known to me through my mind.”

“Well,” Roren wondered aloud, “Maybe we can help in some way.” He turned and reached a folded parchment from atop the fireplace mantle. The changeling, draconequus and pony surrounded the dining table as Roren unfolded the tan piece of paper, revealing a much dated map of the known world.

He brought a lit candle closer to the map as he said, “Zachary gave this to me. It was a map he made while here, only using the limited information from the books and charts Celestia gave him in his library here. Maybe you could use this to aid you.”

Twilight studied the map closely, looking over deft pen strokes the human left behind. Then she saw it, a single island that was in the middle of the Sea of Eternity. It was relatively small, a quarter of the size of Equestria, but she knew she could teleport there, then to Cervidas with ease.

She pointed to the island and indicated, “This island here, I can siphon onto it, regain my strength, and finally siphon towards Cervidas.” The others inspected the island closely before Twilight asked either of them, “Is this island, Gallopfrey, safe? Have any of you been to it?”

“I can’t say I have,” Hearth answered.

“I know nothing of this place,” remarked Roren.

“It seems like this is the only way to it unless I took a boat or went beyond the edge of the map to find a similar crossing which I doubt there is.”

“How great is this cause for Zachary’s presence?” asked Roren. “I believe it would be safer to take a boat there; and though it would take longer, you would be much better off.”

She knew that Roren was right and she truly didn’t want to do this to siphon into the unknown. It would be a feat as great as Starswirl’s, and she never once compared herself to such an astounding and powerful unicorn. She didn’t have the will, and every fiber of her being told her not to perform such a task; however a pin-hole of light, a single gleam of faith, shown through that made her believe in herself. Whether it was bravery or foolishness, she could not determine, for the line between them is thin.

“I think I’m going to do it,” Twilight breathed in an almost breathless sigh. The others looked at her keenly, they too had kindled faith in her. She had shown bravery and strength by siphoning here, they knew that an alicorn as powerful as her would be able to handle her own in the wilds of the untrodden world.

“Whatever you believe is the right thing to do,” Roren acknowledged, “then I believe it so.”

“Likewise!” happily added Hearth.

They all stepped outside as Twilight trotted towards the center of the lawn away from the others. She stopped suddenly when her eyes fell upon a certain object wedged into the end of a jutted cliff before her. The scared object, the magical artifact that had slain so many evils, stood tall before her. The white blade shown bright and shimmering in the backdrop of the far off ocean and dark horizon. The majesty and craftsmanship, along with the legends and lore, together they sown intertwine, creating the living essence of the beautiful weapon.

In reverence, her lips quivered out, “The Prevailer...” She took a step forward, then another, carefully creeping towards the stolid masterpiece. She continued to speak in a soft tone, as if to a lover, “The knowledge I now remember of this blade, the sheer magical power in its essence, it is beyond words made for comprehension that I wish to express of its... pulchritudinous.”

She gently placed her hoof on the timeless relic’s face, it was as smooth and faultless as the day it was forged. A desire grew in the pony to reunite this weapon with its master, as if it was speaking to her alone to do this act. If she could, she would willing take the blade to him; but only the master of the Prevailer may wield the sword. It was difficult to break away from the enchantment she had fallen under, but she did so, for she had a higher duty in that moment. She turned and faced the both Hearth and Roren, who stood silently on the veranda of the shack watching over her.

“It is quite captivating,” remarked the draconequus, with his eyes now affixed on the weapon beyond her.

“Why he didn’t take it with him to Cervidas is beyond me,” furthered the changeling.

Twilight pondered aloud, “I can’t necessarily remember, but has Zack always been this... mysterious in his plans?”

Roren answered, leaning his elbow on the porch railing, “It seems like it. He only passed us limited information on our instructions, though it was enough to make us travel beyond our means to stay here. The wizard works in mysterious ways, often hiding his true intentions and thinking over ever possible outcome before setting them to action.”

Hearth commented on Roren’s remarks, “He isn’t perfect, his plans do fail often more than succeed, but he’s witty enough to overcome his failures quite quickly. So we’re sure he knows what he’s doing.”

Twilight calmly nodded in approval, shivering slightly from the chill air about her. She slowly turned back towards the cliff, but stopped mid-way, pivoted around and questioned the two one last time.

“Do you think we’ll meet again, all of us together? I would love to hear everyone’s tales and stories; perhaps I’d write a book about it all, a collaboration, so to speak.”

“I know we will.” Roren concluded, “Now go.” Twilight smiled, as did the other two. She faced the stretching sea below her and concentrated. Her mind’s eye peered south-east, breaking from the mainland and sailing swiftly over the dark waters. It took a much longer while to seek out the island, only having knowledge of it through the markings of a crude map, but eventually she discovered it. The shattered chain of Gallopfrey was isolated in the center of the sea. She couldn’t quite pin-point where she could land, but nonetheless anchored her mind onto the island itself. Where she would teleport onto the island was unknown to her, but her magic fastened her to a solid point of firm matter that she could almost feel underneath her hooves. Once she felt this sensation, she opened her eyes slowly, taking one last glance out towards the ocean. When she did this, a deep roar of far thunder roll bellowed beyond Blackwater Bay. A storm was brewing, cooking in the deep of uncharted waters.

She feared not the troubles of the weather, and in a flash took towards the skies in a thin mist of fleeting magic.

__________

Her body shifted uncomfortably through the realm which senses cannot comprehend. As her form contorted back to its original and familiar state, her senses came to much quicker than her first long siphon. The first sensation she noticed was the painful patter of heavy rain beating against her coat, then the sway from the ground beneath her. Twilight stumbled across a wet, wooden deck, and knew almost immediately that she was on a ship in the storm that she saw from Rhignes Rock.

The roar of crashing waves, the pounding storm upon the vessel and the cries of a seafaring crew ushered chaos itself aboard. She couldn’t make out who was working on the craft, the veil of night and dreary weather cloaked everything before her. A violent jolt upheaved the edge of the ship as the alicorn tripped sideways, barely catching herself on the port-side railing. She needed to get off this vessel to ensure her own life, she wasn’t fit for this type of danger.

Her magic was unsteady, head scrambled from the failed siphon. She was afraid of flying overboard to find land, knowing that she would most likely be swept away in the storm gales. She frantically thought of a likely escape from this hell, though her disoriented mind declined to produce results. Her stomach churned, her head throbbed, and her body was bruised from the constant falling and crashing upon the deck; Twilight saw no way out of this and begged Celestia for it all to stop.

A sudden flash illuminated the deck, a powerful blast of sound shot through her ears as her eyes darted upwards. A bolt of lightning pierced through underbelly of the storm and sundered the main mast. Fire engulfed the timber post as everyone was thrown onto their backs from the force of the discharge. The cracking of splintered wood could be heard over the storm as Twilight watched in horror what was about to befall her and the crew.

The mast split and fell to each side, crashing down upon the ship and breaking through the hull itself. Bodies of equine-like creatures were sent flying through the air as the vessel heaved back, separating its bow and stern away from each other. Twilight scrambled backwards against the quarterdeck, but was flung forcibly from the ship as the deck beneath bent and split from the fall of the main mast. She felt wind enter her ears and noticed that her hooves were off the ground, yet her vision was blurred by salt and sea spray. Suddenly, water rushed around and she submerged underneath the violent ocean.

The flair of lightning was the only light her eyes could make out as she held her breath and desperately tried to swim upwards through the murk. Twilight looked beside her, seeing a large chunk of the ship sink into the dark and unknown abyss which tried to consume her as well. As her vision darted back upwards, she panicked seeing the shattered mast break through the water and plummet towards her. Without much thinking, she focused her mind and teleported beyond the mast and towards the surface.

Twilight tried to stay afloat around the fierce and monstrous waves, fighting for air as she was continually being taken under the upsurge of the sea. Another crack of lighting made her eyes notice a broken piece of hull floating among the fragmented vessel and corpses. She concentrated and warped towards the buoyant object. She wrapped her forelegs around the portion of the ship and kicked with her hind legs to stay afloat. It was enough to keep her adrift and above water, but she had to be strong in order to stay on top of it during the squall.

The night drew on, as did the storm, and Twilight didn’t know how long she was out amongst the swell. Her memory fleeted her as she grew tired quite suddenly, gripping still the drifting piece of hull.

Comments

[timelord2511]

OH MY GOD YOU MADE ANOTHER!!!!!!!! YEEEEES!

[jack the reaper]

my god did you seriousley reference doctor who?;)