The Last Human

by Crooked Djinn

Resolve

"Anon...Do you remember what you said to me? Aboard the Radiant Dawn?"

Your limp body sat snuggled into the underside of Princess Celestia. She held you close, like she often did, but now it seemed like she was trying to pull you into her very being. The last thing she could remember was you standing on the bridge, your body wracked with stress and magical energy. She saw as each of your shields shattered, only to be replaced in an instant. What happened after was unknown to anyone. She remembered then waking to Spike at her side, then to Howl's limping body as he called for help. Shortly after, they found you collapsed. The bridge beyond you broken.

None of them knew what happened. Spike said he heard a loud crash, but was too panicked to even look for the source. Howl was hardly breathing and battered. Now the four of you, the only survivors, sat at a very large gate. It lead into the city, the place she had wanted to see so badly. Now she felt she had seen enough. It wasn't worth this, all of you nearly dying.

"You said I was strong."

Celestia's voice was hushed and reserved. In the past hour she did nothing but mumble to herself and you as you laid wrapped in her wings. She laughed to herself an empty, hollow laugh that barely left her mouth.

"I'm not strong at all. Truth is, Anon, I was terrified. I was afraid, not of my own death, but of yours. Believe it or not."

Celestia had lived a very long life. A life full of such destinies and fates even she could not hope to change. It came with the package of eternal life, knowing how the universe worked, knowing that you couldn't change the past, or what had been set in stone for the future. Oh sure, numerous times she had tried to fight it, conquer destiny, but each time she failed and ended up causing a lot more trouble for everyone around her. She had finally learned her lesson, but that didn't change the fact that the idea of destiny frightened her. She tried to warn you. Caution you not to fight against a being higher than herself, but she failed and you fought anyway.

"But I imagine you didn't listen, and now you're paying for it. As for the others...."

She trailed off, not wanting to think about the demise of fifty stallions all at once. Howl was heart broken. This past hour he did nothing but stare out into the orange lake below.

"How afraid were you, Anon? You must have been shaken to the core. I saw the look in your eyes... You were so determined, yet fear plagued you like a sickness."

Celestia's grip grew tighter as she closed in on herself. She was beginning to fear you would never wake up. For some reason, she found it terrifying to never hear your voice again, or to watch you light up with excitement when you would find something interesting or odd to you. Would you ever remember yourself, and tell her all there was to know about you? She wanted to know everything, everything you were, and if possible, show you everything that was hers.

"......I've changed."

She looked down at your face that was half buried in her chest. She watched you as you worked your way through the fever that you inflicted upon yourself. Periodically, she would wipe the sweat from your brow and stare some more. You were such an oddity to her, something that she couldn't comprehend so easily as most other things. She thought back to the look in your eyes, right before the last spell was cast. You were smiling.

"What are you? Even when you could hardly stand and all seemed to be lost, you smiled.."

She pulled you away slightly so that she may see all of you. To her surprise, the faintest of smiles played across your face. It shook her violently. If you could still smile, after everything that had happened, it meant you hadn't given up. She took that as a sign that she shouldn't give up. Celestia said she'd help you recover your past, and that was exactly what she'd do. The idea of a human was incomprehensible to her. She couldn't begin to try and work you out by herself, which is why she needed you. If she wanted any hope of completely knowing, she would need you in her life; this was her resolve.

"Even asleep, you're quite a mystery. Oh the things we could show each other. Perhaps, when this is all over, you could come with me to Canterlot.."

Celestia then went silent. She concentrated as countless thoughts flew through her mind. Then, an emotion started to rise up within her, one that she had been avoiding for awhile. But as she held you so close to herself, it became more violent, more eager to be known to her. Yes...that would be nice, she thought to herself. But alas, you were something of a complete mystery to her. Yet, with time..who knew? Perhaps a relationship of a sort could work out between the both of you.

But it was too early for that. The both of you still had an adventure to complete. Such things like 'romance' should've been in the back of her mind. Still, she supposed she'd allow the fantasy for now. She figured she deserved a break, and so she settled down next to you and pretended. Feigning ignorance of current events, she lived in a sort of fantasy where she ruled alongside a strange human from a time long forgotten.

She dreamed of sunny days, full of laughter and happiness, none of the heavy sorrow and loss that followed her down into the depths of the Devil's dominion. For in her dreams, Celestia was happy. For now, they were only dreams and that was fine. Perhaps it'd be better if it were just a dream and never took form in reality. Who knew? She didn't, and at that moment, she found herself not wanting to know. So she laid there with you tucked under her foreleg. When you awoke, the remaining four of you would have to journey through this colossal city alone. They all waited for you, Spike, Howl, and Celestia. They waited for you to awake, and lead them into your world.

---

[PLAY]

You came to in a daze, the last few hours being void and empty of any memory. As you took your breaths, you began to assess the situation. First of all, you were alive. You think. You felt pain in every area of your body so that must mean something. In your head, you try to recount the day before. Slowly, it all came back to you. You were in Agartha, but a conflict halted you and the others on the East bridge. There was an accident and the entire company of fifty soldiers fell into the magma below.

Wait.. there was more, wasn't there? You thought hard, making an effort to scrounge up any missing information. You were currently immobilized because of the accident, and if you remembered correctly, you had poured every ounce of your strength into your aegis. Your left hand shot sharp pains through your body as you tried to move it. In addition, Howl was unconscious, as well as Celestia. You groan as you try to sit up, but to no avail. You had to make sure she survived. If anything, you would need to see her well and know she was alive, but you were in too much pain to even move a muscle, so you laid there and continued to think about current events.

It didn't take long for the memories to come back in full, especially the most painful. You were now a murderer. A laugh of sorts escapes you as you lay on the cold, stone ground. Then the laughter became quiet wails of pain. You cursed yourself, wishing you had taken the fall, if it meant the survival of the fifty. You open your eyes finally. At least, you're sure you had. You blink, and then once more. Confused, you begin to struggle. You were blind. There was nothing but dark. Nothing but a darkness that stretched on for miles and miles. You began to call out, but found that your voice had been stolen from you. Each time you tried to form the words in your throat, it felt like trying to expel sharp pricks from your mouth.

Now you tested each of your senses. Sight was out by default. You could still hear and feel, the various sounds of the cavern and countless rocks and pebbles prodding your skin confirming that. You had no way to test for taste however, and there was no way you were going to lick the ground. You could still smell the sulfur in the air, so that made two out of five senses absent, including speech of course. But you couldn't stay on the ground forever, you needed to find the others as soon as possible. Prepping for the pain, you position your arms so that you may lift yourself up. The pain comes as quick as ever and you collapse near instantly. A few gross groans leave your throat as you work through the pain and prop yourself up. You don't get very far though. Half way through, you're forced to fall onto your back before you fall back on your stomach. Just then, you heard someone call out to you.

"Anon? Princess! He woke up!"

Spike hurried over to you, the sound of his small footsteps being all you had to go on. Soon after you heard more steps and you counted them out. Two other ponies. That meant both the princess and Howl were alive. You feel Spike's hand slip under your back and begin to lift. You lift with him and groan as you both work to prop you up. Gasping for air, you shiver from the pain. This was a lot worse than before. You may be immobile for an entire day or two, or at least you hoped.

"Anon, how are you feeling...?"

That was Celestia's voice. She sounded....sad? The three of them waited for your reply, which was a poor low groan. It was as if your throat were a desert. You tried harder to produce words, keeping it simple. The others gathered around you curiously. They watched as you desperately tried to choke out whatever it was you were trying to say.

"Bl-in.....Blind."

The word finally comes out, but your voice sounded like a raspy old man's.

"He cannot see? Perfect, he's useless now!" Howl scoffed.

You would have asked politely for him to shut the hell up, but seeing as how uttering even a word was a heavy task, you opted to remain silent.

"Enough Captain. Still, this is troublesome. We'll have to wait until he regains his sight. If he even can." Celestia said.

"You want us to just sit here? Wait for those monsters to come and pick us off!?" Howl's voice climbed an octave as he said this.

"Captain, need I remind you who it is you are addressing? I encourage you to not raise your voice with me."

Now Celestia's tone was commanding and stern. A moment's silence passed until Howl finally relented.

"...My apologies, Princess."

"So how long will it take for Anon to be able to see again?" Spike asked.

You also wondered this and awaited the answer.

"Usually, a day. But who knows? He used so much magic, its a miracle that he's still alive." Celestia replied.

A whole day without your sight. Who knew how long you had already been out. You struggle to get out another word.

"Wh-where?"

"Where? Oh yes, we're just outside the east gate. Beyond here is Agartha, Anon. We've made it." Celestia's voice changed again.

She sounded excited, yet...the slightest bit regretful. And who wouldn't be? No doubt they had thought about the loss you all just took. You shudder. It was hard to gather your surroundings, not being able to see and all, but you knew where the three of them stood, more or less. It was like a memory game. Celestia's hoofsteps suddenly approached you, echoes resounding into your ear. She stopped beside you, sitting.

"Would the both of you leave us? I would like to speak to Anon in private."

Then you felt Spike's hand leave your back and his footsteps travel over to where you think Howl was standing.

"...Alright then. I suppose Spike and I will have a slight look around. We won't be far."

Howl said as he began to trot away with Spike in tow. You listened to their hoofsteps as they faded away, growing quieter and fainter. You imagine Celestia did the same as she watched them go. At first you were relieved to not be crowded and to be alone with Celestia, but then you realized just exactly what this was about. She wanted to know what happened. You tensed up as you felt her brush up against you from behind. Without your sight, every sensation was something to be instinctively cautious of.

"Anon. I'm only going to ask you this once. What happened?"

ou could hear how serious she was. You would have to tread carefully. This time when you spoke, it came a bit easier.

"Angels....destroyed...the brid-ge."

The pain in your throat lessened with each word. Your speech would be the first thing to return.

"Is that all that happened? What happened exactly after I fell?"

You could sense that she was right in your ear, prodding you, trying to get the truth, but you couldn't tell her. You couldn't tell anyone. If you did, she'd probably kill you herself.

"You fell. They came...for me. The company, fought with me. The angels...then flew into the crowd tog-...together. I fainted after."

You choke out the lie like the words were knives. Each word was a shard of glass grating on your vocal chords. Celestia remained silent. Her silence was like torture. Without your sight, you couldn't read her expression. You couldn’t see what emotion she was wearing, and that frightened you. What was she thinking?

"You know Anon, it could have been prevented."

She surprised you. It made the guilt from before pile on all at once, almost stealing all the strength from you.

"A-ye.."

"You should have let me die, but instead, you chose to fight."

She sighed heavily, and then, as if being wrapped in velvet, her wing surrounded you.

"A lot has happened today, things that both of us will regret, but if there is anything I have learned in my long life, it's that you can never changing the past and hoping to do so is foolish." You felt her chin rest itself atop your head. It was always nice to be so close to her.

"We've lost so much today. I hope you are ready for this kind of guilt Anon. It will pile on over time. At times, it will grow to be too much for you to bare, and you may succumb to it."

You listened intently, each word jabbing you in the chest. The guilt will surely pile on, that much was true. Even now you wanted to do very little. You'd rather lay back down and sleep and forget you were the cause of something so grotesque.

"But I won't let that happen Anon. I'll be your support, just as you were mine today. No matter what the cost was, you saved my life and I will never forget that. Thank you."

You felt a heavy sadness sweep across your heart like a tsunami of grief. Then to your surprise, you felt a kiss plant itself on your cheek. You would have reached out to her, but your arms were still wracked with pain. You wanted to hold her, right then and there. You wanted to be someone who would be able to comfort her everyday. Someone to calm her fears. But she soon arose, her wing pulling away from you, as well as her touch. She stood over you now and you turned your head upwards to find her, your open eyelids searching blindly.

"I have something to ask you when this is all over. Try not to die before then, alright?" Celestia joked.

Your eyes locked on her instantly. She stared into them, shocked. It was as if you could really see her, in spite of your blindness. Still, she couldn't help but stare.

"Aye."

You had no way of knowing, but the biggest smile graced her face, almost ear to ear. As she turned away to find the others, she thought to herself. She thought about how your eyes were the same as before, on the bridge, full of fear, but determined. You heard Celestia begin to trot away, saying she was going to go find Howl and Spike, but you didn't want that. Right now you wanted nothing more than to just sit with her.

"Celestia."

She stopped, you heard the intake of her breath and her hesitant hoofsteps as she stepped a bit closer.

"Stay with me."

The words come out on their own. You had no control over your speech anymore. Your body was on autopilot now, going off of instinct and acting accordingly to your emotions. Right now you were unguarded, unable to filter what you said or did. Celestia saw this. She saw how vulnerable you were, not only physically, but emotionally. You didn't want her to leave you. Your sight was gone, you could hardly speak and most of all, you were frightened. What could you do now other than beg for her to stay with you? It would be torture to be left alone.

Almost in an instant, you felt Celestia by your side once more. Subconsciously, you leaned into her, your head resting at the base of her neck. You could hear her heartbeat as you sat together. It was strange to you. Now that you no longer had your sight, you payed special attention to any sounds that were made near you; they all sounded much more vibrant. You could hear nearly every aspect of the sound and they were alien to you, but none of them could compare to the monotone heartbeat in Celestia's chest.

As you listened, you heard it evolve. It was no longer a simple two-beat drum, but an array of sound. It was more akin to the heart of a star now. It was impossible to describe. The beat increased as you leaned in closer and you felt her body warm considerably. It was like listening to another world. You chuckle to yourself as you listen to the complicated sounds being produced within her. It fit her perfectly. She was such a strange being to you. For all you knew, there was an entire world within her, a world that was relatively peaceful, but as time went on, began to liven up and become more chaotic.

Celestia's heart was like a powerful citadel under siege. At first the walls stood tall, but over time, the invader had chipped away little by little. Before long, the stone walls of her heart were nothing but the walls of a sand castle. Her heart had been infiltrated, toppled by the strange invader that was your own heart. She felt it as well, though she didn't say anything. She calmly placed a hoof on your chest. With your armor gone, you could feel the bottom of her hoof as she placed it over your heart. You felt as your own heartbeat increased, pumping the blood all over your body. She listened and felt it, every tremor, every quiver as she touched you. Celestia slowly began to understand you, as well as realize her own feelings. It was an emotion you both shared.

There was no need for words. While you stared into the dark, you could see nothing but two hearts begin to meld into each other. The sight was akin to watching two binary stars slowly spiral into each other to create an even bigger star, one that shined brighter and burned more intensely. But it was still delicate. Too much power from either side, and the star would collapse in on itself. Too little power and it would slowly die over time and be only an ember in the darkness.

It was just right, perfect beyond your belief. You both were now apart of each other's worlds and knew this completely. You wonder when you started to feel this way. You've only known her for about two weeks. When did she start to feel this way about you? As you thought about it, you began to make a variety of theories, but all of them boiled down to one concept. It had been present between you two the entire time.

Curiosity. You wanted to know everything about each other. Down the line, perhaps it underwent a change within both of you. That curiosity became more of a desire for each other, a desire to know each other in every sense, including intimately. Was this okay? You thought to yourself. She was royalty after all, and an entirely different species at that, but those boundaries were already crossed.

You both sat together under the massive gate that loomed over you. Agartha was waiting for you, and in a way, so was your former self, but you hardly could find it in yourself to care. Right now you were absorbed in another world. You found that you no longer had any more fears, all your doubts were washed away in an instant. Just as they had been when you spoke with Celestia on the rock. Now that you both had come to this point of mutual understanding, you owed it to her to finish this. No matter what, you had to press on.

You decided that the fifty you killed were going to give you strength rather than burden you. It was sick in a way, but you would immortalize them as a testament to your foolishness. If not for anyone else's sake, surely you'd finish this for theirs. You were beginning to accept their deaths, though it was painful, but as Celestia said, there was no changing the past, and only a fool would try and do so. You had enough of being a fool. From this point on you would work to understand this world a lot more, as well as things like fate and destiny.

Celestia had shown you that there were limits, lines that shaped the world and boundaries that couldn't be broken. It was her world you were in now. Humans had long since vanished, their world destroyed along with them. This meant you would have to adopt a new way of thinking. No longer did you fear your loss of sight. The darkness was just temporary, and like the night, it would end and the sun would rise. You decided that she would be a beacon for you, something to hope for, something to believe in in your times of strife.

It was quiet now. Celestia's heart had steadied and and had finally submitted to the siege. You found enough strength to lift your arm and clasp Celestia's hoof. She stayed silent, watching you as you slowly tightened your grip. You could feel her heart pulse through her hoof and into your hand. Then you realized, your hearts were synced completely. It seemed like you pushed yourself to the limit with just that motion. The pain had faded away long ago, now you were just numb. The only feeling you had was Celestia's warmth and that was fine.

You allowed it to lull you back to sleep. You still needed your rest and staying awake would only prolong your healing. She'd want you to rest, to save your strength as much as possible. You assumed it was night by now on the surface, Equestria was probably getting into bed right now. For the first time in a long while you thought of the others. Mostly of Princess Twilight and her strange friends. Twilight was probably very lonely without Spike, and Princess Luna probably paced around the castle in worry for her sister.

It was a cute thought. The surface was a completely different world outside of the Badlands now. It continued turning, unknowing of the bizarre happenings that you went through everyday, but soon you'd return with Celestia, and all of Equestria would know the things you both had seen and the knowledge you had gained. It was only a matter of time. And so you fell out of the waking world and into another. However, Celestia did not come with you. She continued to hold you for awhile longer. She watched as your blind eyes closed and rocked away.

That night you had a dream. You stood on a ship, rocking in the ocean. Looking out to sea, you smiled happily. Where you were heading was unknown, but you looked forward to your destination. The sun hugged the horizon and you looked to it. The dream concluded with you turning the ship to starboard, towards the sun that lay waiting on the horizon.

---

You wake again. It was a mystery how much time had past since you were last awake. For all you knew, it was an entire day. The pain from before was now fading, though slowly. Still, you felt considerably better than before. You could now bare to move your arms and even stand. You feel around, your hands gliding over the smooth stone beneath you. Celestia was no longer nearby. You start to call out, but find that it was still a bit difficult to speak and you choke on your words.

"Woah there. Easy now, we wouldn't want you to strain yourself."

Your head snaps to the origin of the voice. Howl sat a few feet away, watching over you while Spike showed Celestia inside for a while.

"Morning." He said.

But you remain silent, feigning muteness. Howl stood and stepped closer, his hooves echoing off the stone. You sat upright, crossing your legs and opening your eyelids out of habit. Howl stops when he sees your eyes fall upon him. He glared into them, but saw no reflection. Your eyes were a murky swirl of sickly black umbra, but it looked as though you could perceive him through the effects of the aegis.

"Can you see?" He asked.

You shake your head, your eyes never leaving him. You trained your gaze on the spot you assumed he was and continued to stare. It unnerved him and he tried to avoid it by stepping around you, but you followed the sound and shift your stare to wherever he moved.

"Can you speak then?"

The question takes you by surprise as he reminds you that language was something you were indeed capable of. You trace the length of your neck with your fingertips, messaging the throat. Opening your mouth, you begin to make an effort.

"It's easier now. But still a bit painful, you see?"

Your voice sounded like an elderly man who just got out of bed at six in the morning.

"That's good. Little by little, you'll get your strength back, but don't strain yourself."

"I'll try not to."

The two of you exchanged an awkward silence. The both of you were on bad terms with each other at the moment. Rather, he was on bad terms with you. You weren't sure how Howl felt about you. You were probably strange to him, alien in fact.

"Where are Spike and the princess?" You ask, breaking the delicate silence.

Howl looks up at you, realizing you had just asked a question.

"They went on ahead. Yesterday, Spike and I found some interesting things, something that seemed like a library. The books are almost impossible to read." He laughed to himself.

You imagined that your language was very difficult to read for them, but with your help, they'll be able to master it in no time. Just as you had begun to understand Equestrian text and speech, they would be able to comprehend human text. After all, the two languages were both very similar. You join in with his laughter after thinking about Celestia hunched over her desk and rubbing her temples, trying to comprehend the phrases and sentences within the million year old books. To think, you tried to kill him the day before. You laughed at the irony of that.

But soon the laughter between you two died all too quickly and you both returned to silence. You shifted in your seat uncomfortably, wishing you could leave and go find the others. Then Howl spoke, stopping any movements of your own.

"Is this all worth it for you?" Howl asked.

His tone was suddenly bitter and slightly hostile. You imagined the look on his face was morbid and filled with sorrow. You remained silent. For now, you would only listen to what he had to say to you. He deserved at least that.

"They died for you, human. Fifty -good- stallions died yesterday, and even before that. Picket, Beagle, Willy Peter, Stripes, Redleg, the list goes on! Soldiers that I knew personally are dead. Dying so that you could reach this damn city, and you walk with your head held high, so proud, so arrogant, looking as if nothing happened."

Howl’s voice raised higher and higher with each word. You did nothing to argue with him. As he spoke, you found yourself agreeing with him. Before now, you hadn't cared for their lives at all, they were just escorts to you, Spike, and the princess. And why should you have cared? You weren't responsible for any deaths other than the fifty that perished the day before. Those deaths, even now, meant very little to you, but it didn't make your disregard for their lives justified.

"You're right. I didn't care."

You could hear Howl stand, his hooves stomping the ground as he stood over your sitting person. You raised a hand, calming him as you stared at him blindly.

"But now... now I understand the sacrifices that have been made. I can't say I am proud to carry the lives of so many brave soldiers, but I'll say this: they were soldiers Howl. Nothing but statistics. Are their lives really that important to you right now? Look around for me Howl. See what I cannot. Look where you are!"

You stood, your knees wobbling and aching. Still you worked through the stress and outstretched your arms.

"You are among those who will discover an entire civilization! You will be making history! They will live on in your achievements. After all, they took orders from you, not from me. You were their leader. How do you think they'd feel if they heard you speaking this way? I've made up my mind to carry on in their memory. I owe it to them to see this through to the end. You insult their sacrifice by questioning its worthiness!"

For a long while, Howl was silent. He merely stared at you as you stood before him. Arms outstretched as wide as an eagle's wings. Then he finally spoke, a low growl of a voice seeping from his mouth.

"How dare you..? Will this discovery bring them back then? Because if you ask me, their deaths weren't worth this. This whole ordeal is nothing but a waste of lives."

"And that's your way of seeing things? How grim."

Howl was now seething with a smoldering rage. He stepped closer to you, inches away.

"They looked up to you, you know? They saw you as some wise man, leading them on an adventure across unexplored territory. You were their leader, as well as I was. Don't pretend you are not responsible for their deaths!"

You saw what Howl was doing. Though you were blind, you saw through his hostility as well as gazing through glass. He was trying to hurt you, make you feel guiltier than you already did. He wanted you to be crushed by the grief and blame yourself. He wanted to 'take you down a peg' as it were. Perhaps he wanted someone to share the blame with him, but you wouldn't have it. Two could play the game after all.

"Leader? Oh no, to tell you the truth, the military field is something I have very little interest in. I'm no leader, I know nothing on how to lead or issue commands. No, I'm just a simple man. Besides, you said so yourself: I can't protect everyone. Isn't that right, Howl? And judging by the way things turned out, neither could you."

That got him. The insult practically stabbed him in the heart. It hurt him to feel his own words turned on him and he began to shiver. Captain Howl was nothing but a hypocrite in your eyes now, and there was nothing worse in the world than hypocrisy. You smiled politely at him, wishing you could see his face. You would have continued, but you were knocked to the ground by a hard and heavy hoof smashing into your jaw.

The blow near instantly rendered you unconscious as you hit the ground. You laughed, sending Howl into a rage. It felt good to win. It felt fantastic to be able to show someone how wrong they were. As you lay on the ground, you began to think to yourself. Were you a terrible person? Who knew? Perhaps you were living up to the legacy humanity left behind. He was right of course, you were too proud and arrogant, but you couldn't change this about yourself.

"Hear me, human. I want nothing more to do with you. The sooner you regain your sight, the sooner we can move on. You are a danger to us all and quite frankly, I'd rather you had died yesterday."

Then you felt a wetness land on your face as Howl spat at you. Though you lay on the ground, now unable to move, it felt nice knowing Howl wished you were dead. It made it so you felt very little guilt over the fact you wanted him dead as well.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Captain. Just make sure you don't die first."

You shot him a blind glare with one eye. Again it unnerved him how you could tell exactly where he was standing. It made him want to go as far as to stomp out your eyes. But in that moment, your words sparked a fire within him. He vowed to himself that he would not die here. He was determined to live on, for the fifty's sake. This was his resolve and it burned within him as brightly as his growing hatred of you. You didn't notice as he trotted away in a fit of anger and spite. The blow to your head really did a number on you and you found it'd be easier to just return to sleep. With a little bit of luck, perhaps your sight would return the next time you opened your eyes.

---

For the third time you awake. You were sitting up against a wall and a cool rag soaked in water lay on your brow. You open your eyes, hoping that the blackness would be replaced with light, but the dark was still there. But it wasn’t just the suffocating darkness, there was something else, a being. You immediately get sick. It was the same being you saw in the labyrinth and the airship. Panic began to overtake you as you scrambled blindly. You couldn't tear your eyes away from it, and from what you could see, it had no intention of escaping your vision either. It wanted you to see it, to behold all of its being. The terrible figure then drew closer ever so slowly. It was in human form, its arm outstretched so that it may touch you. You began to scream, trying desperately to avoid its touch.

Your throat felt like it began to swell and the fever within you began to burn like Hell's fire. Your chest was pounding and there was a terrible ringing in your head. You close your eyes, hoping that the figure would disappear and leave you, but even as you tried to escape the darkness, it took shape in the darkness of your mind. It burned itself into your brain like a parasite. In your mind it drew closer, its 'hand' reaching out for you.

"What do you want from me!? What are you!?"

Your frantic screaming draws the attention of the others and they rush towards you. To them you looked mad, crawling around on the ground, trying your damnedest to escape an invisible enemy. You began to feel noxious, the acid in your stomach rising into your throat. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't shut it out of your thoughts. It was a being that lived within you. You couldn't hear the others as they called to you. Either your screaming was too loud or their voices simply couldn’t reach your ears. Suddenly, you felt someone grab you and in a panic you shoved them away.

The ringing in your head intensified as the man in your head continued its advancement towards you. You had to run, despite your blindness you had to escape. Even if you had to throw yourself over the edge, you would do it. You rise to your feet, a struggle as your body resisted your will. Now you felt multiple beings grab you, beings you could not see or comprehend. The man in your mind was the center of your focus now and you had to avoid it at all costs. It was like Death's hand reaching out for you.

Shoving the other beings aside you struggle to move away from the man. You start into a light run, but soon find yourself tripping over yourself and falling to the hard ground. Then you felt something trying to restrain you. You crawled away, the man right on your tail, but you were weighed down by the physical strength of three bodies. It was coming. You could hear the footsteps echo in your skull. It was coming, it was drawing nearer and nearer. You had to leave. Run. Escape!

You needed to protect yourself from it, do whatever was in your ability to escape from the monster that pursued you, for it was worse than any danger you faced, worse than any angel that hunted you. This was a sickness that sought to absorb you and ultimately imprison you. The thought evoked a lot of power within you, and though you could not see it, the aegis reacted and encased your body in light. The light then expanded, throwing off the beings who were holding you down. Quickly you rise to your feet again and stumble forward. Now you could hear the others as they called out to you, but by some strange fluke, you couldn't connect the voices to their owners. They were telling you to stop, to turn around and to be calm, but that was impossible.

You had no idea where you were or what your surroundings looked like, but the fear of falling off the cliff and into the sea of fire below was almost completely absent. No fear was as great as this man. You turn, some form of instinct commanding you to turn and look upon the man once more. It was terrible, vomit inducing. It was a sick being that only -seemed- human. You knew now that it was following you. It had been following you this entire time. It wanted something from you, but it was impossible to know. It induced an irrational fear that eventually would have drove you to the same madness you were experiencing at the moment.

Each step it took towards you, you took a step back. You no longer heard the voices from the others, you could only hear your own screams and curses as you shouted at the threat they were unable to see. The distance between the two of you was considerable and you found the further away you were from it, the better you felt. You thought of turning and running, never looking back, but you were blind, you didn't know which way was right. But then to your ungodly surprise, the distance between you collapsed in on itself and the man stood towering over you. Your blind eyes shoot open as you cry out in terror, its hand approaching you slowly. You couldn't move now, your limbs were unresponsive.

You could no longer feel anything but the pounding of your own heart and the sickness spreading to every corner of your person. Watching in terror, you stare at the man's hand as a single, slender finger reaches out to you. Fear controlled you now. You had no hope to escape, but as you stood paralyzed, you found an urge, an incredible will to command your feet to move, and so you did, making a single step backwards. Just as you had stepped backwards, the man's finger touched you and your body felt like it was the host of all the magical energy in the world, and then suddenly, to your surprise, you could see.

The man disappeared as your sight returned to you. Around you was the rough walls of the cavern and the mammoth gate ahead of you, but these sights were fleeting as you began to fall backwards. The pit in your stomach began to rise as you fell backwards, that single step spelling your doom. You could no longer scream, too surprised and bewildered to even form a thought. You were done for. But as you prepared to fall into the fire below, you felt something grab you by the ankles. The interruption of your rapid descent shook you awake and you could feel your senses rushing back to you. Now all you saw was the swirling inferno below you as you hung upside down. Looking up, you could see Celestia hanging onto you for dear life.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" She shouted.

To say you were dazed was an understatement, but as you stared at the fire below, you thanked your lucky stars.

"P-Pull me up!" You shout back.

Celestia then pulled and tugged and you could feel yourself being dragged up the face of the cliff. Then with a sudden jolt, you were lifted seemingly effortlessly into the air and caught by her front hooves, sending the both of you falling backwards. What you saw was almost equally as frightening as the whole ordeal, Celestia's angry, horrified, and stressed filled eyes. You had no choice but to stare at her as you laid on top of her. Then Celestia shoved you off of her, hard. Though the pain from your fatigue was gone mysteriously, it was replaced by this new pain as you hit the ground.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." She said as she laid sprawled out on her back and catching her breath.

"Aye.."

You sat up, rubbing your hip. Howl and Spike closed in on the both of you, their faces looking stressed. Spike rushed over to you, burying his face in your chest and clutching the collar of your shirt tightly. He was crying, his tears soaking into your shirt. Now that you think of it, that probably was enough to scare the demons out of someone so young. Someone as old as a thousand years however... You looked to Celestia who still stared at you. She was sitting upright and her forelegs were crossed, her expression unchanging.

"I'm waiting." She said impatiently
.

You look down to Spike and saw that he was also staring at you, his emerald eyes glistening with tears.

"Right.."

And so you began to tell them all exactly what just happened, at least, what you saw. You recounted the time you were in your cabin on the airship. There you only saw it for a split second, but you collapsed soon after. Celestia then recalled finding you on the floor the same night. You told them of the second encounter in the Virtue's labyrinth. That time you saw it completely, you could remember how sick it made you feel and how it stole all your senses from you.

The last time, just now, you told them what you saw. How you ran from it amidst the blindness and how every instinct told you to run. You told them of how it reached out to you and seemingly cured you of your fatigue. It was something you feared greatly, but at the same time, it helped you.

"I don't know what the being is or what it has to do with me. Actually, I think it has something to do with the Voice." You theorize.

"The Voice? Didn't it say the next time you would speak was when we've reached Agartha?" Celestia asked.

You nodded, rubbing your chin between your fingers.

"That is so, but I doubt it'd try to communicate with me this way."

"Then maybe it has nothing to do with the Voice after all?" Spike suggested.

It was a sound theory, but you couldn't be sure. You were sure of few things lately. But if it had no relation to the Voice, then what was it? And why did you keep seeing it?

"I don't think we'll get anywhere with this anytime soon. We don't have enough pieces to the puzzle yet." Celestia added.

She was probably right, you figured. You had very little to go on, but the Voice did say the next time you speak, it would give you all the answers.

"Right. The important thing now is that I am well enough to continue on. The answers are within Agartha's walls. If we keep searching, we will find them eventually." You say as you stand.

"Oh yeah, the princess and I found a lot of books yesterday. It's a long shot, but maybe we can find something in the books about it." Spike said, tugging at your shirt.

It was a long shot, but worth a try. Anything was worth a shot now. Now that you were in Agartha, you had no idea what to do next. For the first time, you found yourself without any direction or focus.

"Then that's where we'll start." You said with the clap of your hands.

"Right then, are we moving on?" Howl asked, not even trying to look in your direction. He faced straight ahead toward the massive gate.

"Yes. Gather your things everyone. We have a lot of work to do."

Spike then cheered up considerably at the thought of finally being able to go inside completely. He rushed away to collect his things in his rucksack and Howl followed him, leaving you to stand by Celestia who still sat on the ground. She stood, bringing herself to your height. You looked at her and she did the same. For a moment the both of you stood there, locked in each other's gazes. She no longer saw the murky blackness that swam in your eyes, but her reflection. The both of you thought back to the day before, when you laid with her and listened to her heartbeat.

She then smiled warmly, a sight you had missed recently. You had almost forgotten what such a simple expression could do. It warmed your heart considerably. Without any exchange of words, the both of you went to join the others as they prepared to move on. After everything that happened, this was the only pleasantry for you. Moments like these were scarce and lasted for only short amounts of time, but that was fine. The fact that they happened regardless meant that there was at least something to keep fighting for.

You look to the gigantic gate that towered above you all. It lead to the oldest city in the world. Millions of years of secrets awaited you inside, and you would share them all, with her.

Comments

[Type Six]

Nice chapter! I'm interested to know what will happen between Anon and Howl.

[Amethyst Blade]

Anon has just proven himself being no better than howl....he claim to be high and mighty hero while he himself is terrible.

[oddmin]

6342990
yeah but he never said he was better