The tale of Aeros

by Hyfnae

The tale of Aeros - Part 4

The tale of Aeros: part 4.

‘Where am I?’ was the first thing coming to his mind when he opened his eyes. ‘What in Equestria’s name is this place,’ he thought. As he looked around he could not make out any shapes. As if everything constantly changed shape, as if everything around him was made out of liquid. He tried to stand up but he couldn’t move a muscle. He then tried to shout but whatever he tried no sound was uttered. ‘What is going on, please some pony help me,’

Several minutes he laid there on the constantly shifting grounds watching everything around him slowly taking shape. He found himself floating inside his house. ‘Ados, Nasceth, Imeda,’ he heard. When everything took its final shape he watched upon himself constantly chanting those words. ‘What is this? I’m sure it’s me but… I can’t even remember doing such thing,’ then Nimeta walked in but the chanting Aeros ignored her initially. ‘what the… I would never ignore her,’ he thought. He then kept watching how Nimeta plead to him and he couldn’t prepare what came next. The chanting Aeros broke his trance and was rude against her, telling het to get out. ‘Can some pony tell me what’s going on already, what is happening to me?’ he thought.

Shapes once more got blurry and the next thing he knew he stood in a pitch black void. Nothingness surrounded him. Anxiously Aeros looked around but wherever he looked endless black was the only thing seen. ‘Aeros… what have you done?’ said a whispering voice. Aeros immediately recognized the voice as Nimeta’s voice. ‘Aeros… what is happening to you,’ she said in the same whispering voice. Aeros felt rotten from the inside. ‘what have I done? I can’t even remember. ‘NIMETA!’ he shouted loudly this time successful, but there was no response. ‘I’m sorry,’ the whispering Nimeta said. ‘Sorry for what?’ he thought.

Silence then filled the room and Aeros closed his eyes. He laid down on the pitch black ground trying to figure what was going on. ‘What is this place, please, some pony tell me,’ he thought. Several minutes passes before Aeros opened his eyes again. What he saw was a huge image of Nimeta’s face. Tears rolled down her cheek and she asked: ‘Aeros… why?’ before Aeros could answer the face was gone and utter blackness one again surrounded him.

‘I havn’t got the slightest clue what I going on here. The last thing I remember before I ended up here was me being in the small house in the Everfree forest. The spirit spoke to me about how he would make me a fellow guardian of the forest. After that it’s blank. Then I end up at this place, these images. I saw myself and how I acted towards my beloved Nimeta. How did I end up like this? what did the spirit do to me?’

Once Aeros ask himself this question he finds himself in the shack in the middle of the forest, where he spent many hours talking to the spirit, but he wasn’t talking to the spirit. The image Aeros saw made his stomach twist and turn. He saw himself as a lifeless puppet with the spirit controlling his every move. ‘This image can’t be true, this image must be false.’ He thought while watching the entire thing go in. when the surroundings of Aeros were cleared up he saw the helpless deer on the metal table. And him rising the sword high in the air. He also saw Nimeta and Twilight watching him decapitate the helpless creature with grim looks on their faces. The second the sword landed on the deer a bright flash followed, rendering Aeros blinded.

Minutes passed and Aeros was still blinded by the light. Still unable to look around he tried to move but his every movement or attempt to move made searing pain wave through his body. The only sounds he could utter were some incomprehensible grunts due to pain searing through his entire body. He slipped in and out of consciousness every once in a while.
Long hours passed and many jolts of pain had to be endured before Aeros finally woke up while upholding his consciousness. The blurry sounds he has been hearing turned clear. The blinding light became bearable as Aeros was awake for more than a few minutes. The beats of his heart represented by a peeping sound and lots of apparatus surrounded Aeros. ‘Aeros, are you awake now?’ a familiar voice sounded. ‘K…Kayle… is… t…that you?’ Aeros muttered with a lot of effort. ‘Yes Aeros, it’s me. As soon as I heard what happened I came looking for you. And fortunately I found you quite fast. When I arrived a few hours later you would have been dead.’ ‘But… w…what happened to m…me?’ Aeros asked. ‘A couple of days ago Nimeta came to my place. And told me everything until your encounter.’ ‘Days? Encounter???’ Aeros asked in utter surprise.

Several minutes of silence followed before Kayle asked: ‘What exactly do you remember Aeros?’ ‘Ados, Nasceth, Imeda… I dreamt about it… I saw myself in the grasp of the spirit. I was doing things I would normally not do,’ he said and right after that he pinched and grunted for another pain wave seared through his entire body. ‘Take it easy Aeros. Take your rest. Do you actually recall how you got yourself here?’ Kayle asked. Aeros merely grunted and nodded, showing clearly he had no recollection of the encounter Kayle mentioned before.

‘now here I lay, every muscle in my body screaming. Every inch of skin burning. The bandages and the pain killers only help so much but what hurts the most is what I have heard. What I did and the pain I caused to the one I love. Nimeta, I solemnly vow to make this right, to redeem myself. I do not expect you ever to love me again but the least thing I hope for is forgiveness. But first I have to get out of this damn bed.’ (…) ‘Ok, clearly that isn’t working yet. The nurse came in then I started to grunt in my attempt to get out of bed. I think I’m stuck here for a little while. And every day I lose Nimeta gets further away. Can I possibly ever reach her when she is a few days or maybe even weeks ahead of me?’

Aeros found himself to have very much spare time. Except for the daily 30 minute visit of kayle and occasionally a nurse or the doctor checking in on him days were uneventful. The only thing he could do was to think about the things he had done. The recurring flashback like dreams he has each time he sleeps. Every time he recalls the spirit’s voice a cold shiver ran down his spine and goose bumps were seen on the little exposed skin he had left. ‘I need to get out of here’ Aeros thought when dusk set in and he once again prepared for a restless night of sleep where dreams would haunt him towards insanity.

Early in the morning Aeros woke up by an erratic noise. He found himself strapped to the bed unable to move his body. With each attempt he felt his barely healed skin stretch and even rip in some occasions, causing small droplets of blood to seep through the bandages. Aeros soon stopped his attempts when he noticed he started bleeding again. He opened his eyes and noticed 2 ponies pulling his bed forward and 1 in the back making sure he doesn’t topple over. ‘what are they going to do to me,’ he thought. Occasionally some hastily shouted command where heard but in no voice he could recognize. Not the doctor’s, not Kayle’s or any pony else’s voice he had ever heard. Fear got the best of Aeros as he saw no way out and did not know what his assailants were planning for him.

‘MASTER, he has come too!’ the pony on the back shouted the instant he noticed Aeros’ eyes were opened. Quickly the bed came to a hold in a rough way making Aeros slide forward a bit and opening some more of the old wounds. Aeros did nothing but grunt when his vision blurred due to the searing pain shooting through his entire body. Then all turned black for Aeros.

‘Master, what are you actually planning for him?’ one of the ponies asked. ‘Aeros is in a great deal of trouble. His wounds are severe, that alone is enough to be deadly, even after several days of healing. But there is something else. I don’t have time to explain it all, ask herself when we get there. Now keep walking and warn me the instance he wakes up again. I don’t want him to get in an even worse condition then he is already. Got that?’ Kayle ranted. His subtends nodded and swallowed when Kayle was done. ‘now keep moving numbskulls, we’re losing valuable time here,’ he shouted. Before a second passed Kayle and 1 student were pulling the bed again, while another one monitored Aeros and kept the bed straight.

Aeros once again regained consciousness but when he opened his eyes nothing but darkness is what he could see. Despite he couldn’t see anything he could hear voices and smelled several different unknown but pleasant scents filling the room. When he looked around he saw 1 thin beam of light coming from under the only door in the camber. Occasionally he noticed something obstructing the beam partially, perhaps a thin cloud of smoke or some dust. Even a spider web, Aeros did not know.

‘Now what, we got him here. Is there something you can do for him?’ Kayle asked. ‘I do not know my friend, for I have never heard of the spirit called Ados,’ a deep mare voice stated on a nearly poetic way. Aeros could now identify Kayle’s voice and felt a bit more comforted knowing he means no harm. ‘at least I hope he means no harm,’ suddenly shot through his mind. ‘no, master Kayle is the nicest pony I know. He wouldn’t harm me, would he?’ he asked himself. He quickly dismissed his thoughts as ridiculous. ‘Hah, I can’t believe myself. My mind must be playing tricks on me.’

Minutes later the door swung open and 2 ponies walked in. now the little clouds of smoke emerging from several smoldering bowls which were once filled with dried herbs were visible now. One pony he instantly identified as Kayle. The zebra however was completely new to Aeros. ‘Do not worry my wounded friend, my name is Zecora and I mean no harm,’ the zebra said. Kayle stood next to her with a hesitant smile on his face. ‘I hope she can help him, I hope to Celestia what he had told me isn’t true,’ kayle thought.

‘Aeros, do you know why Kayle has brought you here?’ Zecora asked. Aeros nodded and Zecora sighed deeply. ‘Well, your condition isn’t as bad as I feared but except from the wounds you suffered during the fight, the spirit left you something too. Call it a corruption or a taint. Not physically but in your mind and soul. Sometimes these cause your body to fester from the inside out, cause growths and such, but in your case I’m unsure what the effect is. It will pose no immediate threat, but once you notice strange things are happening, please come visit me as soon as possible.’ Zecora said. Aeros looked towards Kayle who was not confidently smiling and then to Zecora. ‘W…Will I be okay?’ Aeros stuttered. ‘You will most likely be back on your hooves within a few days, especially since I treated all your wounds with these special herbs I gathered from the forest.’ Zecora said. ‘Let me untie you, that might be a bit more comfortable,’ she chuckled when she carried on.

‘Ah, fine, a corruption of my mind and or soul. When you think it can’t get worse then it’s just karma’s hobby I guess to prove you wrong. But anyhow, I can actually walk a few steps again. 1 day with the herbal treatment of Zecora has helped more than one and a half week in the hospital. But still, how about Nimeta. I should get back on my hooves right away and go after her. But Kayle will probably disagree. Well, can’t blame him there. The mare has suffered enough as it is, I don’t think seeing me right now is going to help, especially in the state I’m in now.’

Days passed and Aeros’ recovery was fast beyond anyone’s believe. First he barely could walk 5 phases with assistance from both Kayle and Zecora. Now he trots around as if nothing happened. ‘Kayle, could we please go to the village today. I feel like I can handle it,’ Aeros said. ‘I don’t know Aeros. Let’s consult Zecora first, how about that?’ Kayle stated. Zecore spoke from a dark corner: ‘Yes Aeros, you’re strong enough to go home now. But please remember to come back to me as soon as you think something is wrong. ‘thank you zecora, those herbs of you are truly miraculous,’ Aeros said with a smile while walking enthusiastically outside.

When Aeros trotted towards the center of Ponyville he noticed he was being eyed. Somehow a hush fell over the crowd wherever he went. ‘okay, I know I am scarred, battered and bruised. But somehow I think that’s not exactly the reason why these ponies are acting this way wherever I come. ‘… … ..ssing…. … .. … abduct…. …’ was what Aeros heard several ponies say when he passed. Only hearing fractions of what ponies were trying to tell each other. ‘Hah, now I have to deal with this. They of course think somepony abducted me and ment harm to me. I guess I have something to explain to them I guess,’ he thought while having no idea how to do that exactly. Seconds after his thought a pony he has never seen before started shouting his name: ‘Aeros! Aeros!’ He turned towards the shouting pony and instantly noticed the typical hat and note block. ‘now this will help,’ he thought. ‘What can I help you with sir?’ he asked the hooded pony, appearing oblivious to the fact he is from the paper.

‘Let me first introduce myself. My name is Marco Pressroller and I am with the Ponyville newspaper. As you might have noticed it hasn’t gone unnoticed that you suddenly disappeared from the hospital. Let alone it has gone unnoticed what happened. Strange and different stories rotate amongst the inhabitants of Ponyville. Every pony seems to tell another tale. Just to get the facts straight I would like to hear what you have to say mister Aeros. What happened and how did you end up with all those scars? And how did you disappear from the hospital?’ the press pony said. ‘I Don’t want to talk about how I acquired my wounds, and I was taken from the hospital by a friend of mine to have me examined by an alternative healer. And what she has done for me in a week, would have taken at least a month in a normal hospital.’ Aeros exclaimed.

The press pony was writing furiously while Aeros told him in short what happened. But then started to drone about what happened prior and still persisting about getting information how he acquired such grievous wounds in the first place. ‘LEAVE HIM!’ Kayle suddenly shouted. ‘When he is done talking to you, he is done talking to you. Got that mister?’ Kayle hissed towards the press pony while taking a protective stance towards Aeros. ‘Aeros just went through hell and back, and you find it strange he doesn’t feel like elaborating everything? Just let him be.’ Kayle carried on. The press pony lifted his head and snorted once. ‘gosh, some ponies just don’t know when to stop. Are you okay Aeros?’ Kayle asked. Aeros just nodded and looked with a blank expression towards Kayle which slowly changed into a faint smile. ‘Thank you Kayle,’ Aeros said softly.

Aeros went home and for the first night in many he slept in his own bed. No longer haunted by nightmares but still the memories fresh in his mind. The most painful part was still the vacant spot next to him in bed. The place where nimeta used to sleep. The pony he still loved above all else in the world. ‘What happened to her and what did she do after all that I’ve done.’ He thought time and time again when lying awake in his bed. ‘I still wonder if I should go after her, or grant her the space she needs. She probably thinks I’m dead. (…) Why aren’t I dead? Is there a reason I survived?’ he thought while slowly tiredness started to kick in and once again drifter off to the realm of dreams.

It seemed like a second to Aeros when he woke up again. Now not sore and completely ridden of all scars that ran over his body. The upcoming purple sun threw a strange hue over Ponyville and the street on which Aeros had a view from his window. The sky colored brightly orange wasn’t really helping Aeros either. ‘This is rather odd, this must be a dream. SNAP OUT OF IT!’ he thought. But nothing changed. Slowly the sun rose higher coloring blue rather than purple when it rose and coloring the sky yellowish when it rose even higher. ‘Why can’t I snap out of it. Normally it works.’

Doors from houses across the street and next to Aeros’ house swung open and strangely formed creatures walked out. All black as if no light could illuminate them. The Aura of corruption around them clearly noticeable. The creatures resembled a hybrid race between ponies and some sort of hellish hound like creatures. Their shape mostly concealed by the darkness surrounding them. The creatures remained a certain distance from each other but at a certain point some of the creatures broke the imaginary barrier and attacked eachother.

Loud howling noises followed soon after the fights began and the winner of each fight seemed to consume the loser, absorbing its very being as well in soul as body. Aeros just hid underneath the window, peeking on the streets where the creatures ravaged and consumed one another. ‘What in Celestia’s name is going on here,’ Aeros thought while he witnessed more and more smaller creatures turning bigger. Then after the smaller creatures had been consumed the larger, even more distorted creatures attacked each other. Dark bolts emerged from the fight as small embers emerge from a fire, only these bolts don’t dissipate when launched away from the source. When these bolts got close to Aeros he could literally feel the taint, darkness, fear and sorrow engulfing his entire being.

The fights of the bigger creatures ended the same as the ones of the smaller creatures. The winner of the fight engulfed the one that was defeated. This kept on going for a little while, until two creatures remained. Both 5 times larger than any building around remained. They stood against each other, both emitting an aura of blight which made Aeros nauseous. ‘this is a dream… it can’t be anything but a dream. WAKE UP… WAKE UP IN CELECTIA’S NAME’ he thinks in a shouting way. He then finally succeeded to wake up.

Never was he happier to wake up battered, bruised and sore. Groaning in pain he got up, taking a look outside and noticing a dim orange and purple hue on the eastern horizon indicating it’s just mere minutes before the sun would rise. Aeros couldn’t get himself to get to bed again, not after the horror’s he had just witnessed. When the sun got up it’s ways lightened Aeros up occasionally when they managed to avoid the few cumulus floating slowly and peacefully over Ponyville.

‘Should I tell any pony about the dream I just had? The corruption I felt was the same as I felt during the connection with Ados, Nasceth and Imeda. I think it means something. Those beasts consuming each other? And then the final fight. 2 beasts of equal strength, might and corruption facing each other. A fight between such entities would sent the entire likes of Ponyville to the gates of oblivion, or leave a permanent taint over all of equestrian, corrupting everything good and dear to us. If only I had the slightest idea what the dream tries to tell me, or even warm me about.’

Kayle had stocked Aeros’ shelves with plenty of food at the time he spent at Zecora, recovering from his injuries and trying to get back on his hooves. He made himself a crude and hastily makeshift breakfast but once he sat down to eat the haunting images from the dream recurred. ‘once I think to be ridden of the corruptions and the darkness, it proves me wrong.’ He mumbled while stirring his fork in his food rather than eating it. ‘Would they understand even the slightest bit of what I’ve dreamt tonight?’ he wondered.

He finished his food rather quickly when his mind came to ease and just when he was about to clean the plate loud knocks where heard from the door. When Aeros opened the door he saw Kayle standing outside. ‘Hey Aeros, how was your first night back in your own bed?’ he asked. Aeros merely grunted softly and gestured Kayle to come in. Kayle’s face turned a bit grim for he figured this might have something to do with the corruption the spirit left in his mind and or soul. ‘Aeros, please tell me what happened, I know something has happened,’ he stated confidently.

Aeros sat down on the couch and sighed deeply. ‘I had a terrible nightmare, but it felt as if it was trying to tell me something, as if it tried to warn me about something. It was about creatures fighting one another and consuming the one that met its demise.’ Aeros said. Kayle stood there listening and visibly trying to figure out what it actually means, tho he could not manage to think of anything that could be remotely useful. ‘Don’t you think you should inform Zecora about that dream? Maybe it has something to do with that taint she mentioned,’ he said to Aeros.

‘I don’t know Kayle, I honestly don’t know what it could possibly be. But I too think it’s a good idea to at least inform Zecora. I have to inform her about anything odd happening and I’m sure this was no normal dream. This dream was meant to tell me something. Kayle nodded in agreement and started to trot towards her cabin deep inside the Everfree forest.

Aeros and Kayle where kindly greeted by Zecora when they entered the cabin but soon her smile changed into the same serious expression as Aeros and Kayle wore. ‘Zecora, I’m afraid the corruption already manifestates itself since I had the most grim of dreams last night,’ Aeros said. Zecora frowned and gestured Aeros and Kayle to sit down on some strangely shaped stools made from a wood like substance. ‘Now Aeros, tell me what you have seen,’ she spoke.

Nodding and occasionally humming she listened carefully to every word Aeros said about the dream and once Aeros was done she fell completely silent too. Visibly she was thinking what could cause such a dream but her mind was vacant of any idea’s. ‘I don’t think it’s the corruption here, just a bad dream for everything you’ve been through Aeros.’ Zecora said. Both Aeros and Kayle sighed in relief. ‘You might keep seeing those for a while Aeros, and whenever you doubt, come to me as quick as you can,’ she said. Then Aeros and Kayle took off, relieved by the news Zecora told them.

‘I have to take off back to Manehattan now Aeros, I’ve been blowing off my students for 2 weeks now, I think it’s time for the both of us to pick up our normal lives again, especially for you Aeros. And I know it might be hard for you after what has happened but try to meet some new ponies, make some friends. I’m most certain you will be allright my green friend,’ Kayle said. Aeros merely nodded as Kayle packed his saddlebags. ‘okay Kayle, I wish you the best of luck and my sincerest apologies for all I put you through. But there is one other pony who I should apologize to, Nimeta, if only I knew where she was.

‘Aeros! I know how much you loved and love Nimeta. But this isn’t the right time to look for her. I shall tell you what happened when she arrived at my home. You might want to sit down for this,’ Kayle said and then silenced for a while before continuing: ‘when she knocked on my door her eyes where wide open. Her mane looked raffled and beaten accompanied by blood stains and stains of filth. The expression on her face expressed fear, pain and most of all sorrow. The one she loved most, the one she wanted to spend het life with turned against her in the most horrible of ways. Downing in tears she told me what went down in that little shack in the Everfree. She explained to me what happened prior to it. She told me you were dead, killed by the powerful spell twilight cast upon you, while you were fully possessed by this spirit and held Nimeta in a death grasp. That’s when I packed only the bare necessities to survive and came looking for a body, but it wasn’t a body I found after almost 2 days of travel. I found you, unconscious you laid there on the ground barely breathing and your pulse was weak. I dragged you to the hospital and later stole you from the very same hospital I took you to in order to let Zecora treat you. That’s what went down in the time you were unconscious.’

Aeros remained stating in dead silence towards kayle for about a minute, processing what exactly he just heard. ‘I… I… how… what…,’ he uttered in a confused state before breaking down in tears. He tried to dig his head as deep in the table as possible, bashing into it several times before coming to a stop and laid still, except from some occasional involuntary shocks his body made due to the crying. When he rose his head again his forehead was bruised and cut as a result from the numerous bashes against the table. ‘I’m sorry Aeros, but you had to know. The only thing I can advise you when I’m gone is to try to pick up your life as usual and don’t go looking for her. You will only hurt yourself more. Give her some time, she probably needs a lot of it. When she feels the time is right she will come back, but I’m not sure if she ever wants to speak to you again.’ Kayle said trying to comfort Aeros a bit. ‘Now I’m off to Manehattan again. May celestia be with you my friend and may your recovery be swift.’ He said while walking to the door. Aeros waved Kayle goodbye and the door shut seconds later.

‘Pick up my normal life, he isn’t the one corrupted by an evil spirit. He hasn’t tried to kill the only one he ever loved. Still, somehow I think he is right about 1 thing. Nimeta needs time and so do I. me and her both endured great torment now, we both in our own ways. We are both left devastated by this spirit. I don’t know if we even ever recover from what happened. Building up a new life, or actually picking up my own life won’t be easy.'