"The Traverser"

by TheTwins

The Hill

“The Traverser”

Chapter 9

“There are many types of darkness in existence. The one that most are familiar with is that which comes at the end of a long day. The darkness eclipses the worlds and creatures seek shelter. Their fear justified in a sense by the unknown danger that often comes with the night. But this darkness is not to be feared. This darkness is natural and gives existence a time to rest and sometimes an opportunity to bask in the beauty of the night. The darkness that truly must be feared is the evil that conceals itself within the shadows of the night. Creatures who face this darkness had best know what lies within themselves lest they are tainted and cast into that darkness themselves, adding yet another wolf hunting mercilessly that which once they had. For me, however, I am not scared of what the darkness conceals. I have seen true darkness and its tricks. I am not scared because I am the most terrifying thing in the night.”

As we drifted, we were in complete silence taking in the world around us. Of course, it took little time as it was nothing but a space of darkness. Nothing even supported our bodies as we drifted into the void. I closed my eyes or at least assumed I did as nothing changed in my view. I sensed the life around us to no success. It was just me and Simon. “Where in existence are we even?”

Simon grabbed my leg and pulled himself onto my back. “I have no idea, but if we aren’t careful, we could get really lost…I think we were sent into a pocket dimension or something” I could hear Simon scratching his head. “Can you sense any life Silver?”

I shake my head before realizing the little green pony couldn’t see my movements. “I haven’t yet, but maybe if I try further out.” With this, I concentrate and double my search parameter. I registered nothing at even that rate but could tell the void kept expanding. “Maybe with this, it will work.” I focus my aura and begin to glow illuminating myself and Simon. I focus again and send out a strong signal several miles in every direction around me. At first nothing but static, but as I kept it up, I finally hit something. But it wasn’t really a life form, but voices of millions. “Wow, I don’t know what it is, but it feels like there are millions of lives compressed into an area.”

Simon squints and gasps. “Hey Silver! What about another door, I mean he sent us into a pocket dimension, so maybe there are other doors to get out.” The green pony jumps up and down. “Oh yeah! Pocket dimension professor at your service!”

I laugh at his happiness and nod. “Good thinking little green, just don’t give me any pop quizzes and your good with me.” I charge myself and begin to rush towards the life source. “Let’s go save a princess!”

Simon grabs my fur and straps himself in. “Woah! Don’t you know how to drive this thing?” The little pony pulls my hair and his eyelids begin to tear up. “I am going to be so sick!”

I grin and continue to increase in speed. “Sorry Simon, this is a little far away and you know when you drive the first rule is let the horses run!” I chuckle and get serious as we make our way through the void like a comet in space. It continued to amaze me how despite the distance we covered, that the darkness just kept getting farther out. As we were nearing the area, a small sphere began to come into sight. Then another one followed by more and more seem to just pop into existence until we were in what seemed like an asteroid field of spheres. “What are these things?”

As we got closer to one of the small orbs, Simon shakily jumped off my shoulder and looked into the sphere. It was light blue and had a white aura circling it in many directions like a ring on a planet. It blinked softly in and out of view. “Woah… I um think you’re going to want to look closer Silver.” The little green pony drifts aside to let me, peer.

As I close one eye and stare into the sphere, I am amazed at what I see. These spheres were actually not doors back into Equestria. They were miniature worlds drifting in the darkness. “Simon, this is amazing, all of these worlds are just here and we are someplace in between dimensions. I guess it is a pocket dimension after all.”

Simon gently taps the sphere and it acts as if it were a puddle, rippling around it. “So, are you saying we can get to other worlds from right here?” Simon glances at me curiously as to what it could mean.

I think for a moment and remember how we had gotten here. Not because of a silly ability that creature Discord had, but how we had gotten to Equestria. I also thought of how we had a job to do even if it wasn’t of our own choosing. Simon looks at me and taps my leg. “Shouldn’t we be trying to get back to Luna and Celestia so we can help them and tell them about this amazing place.”

Looking into his eyes, I see his sparkling pupils full of a bright hope. I, however, did not remember the way it had felt in myself. But I did remember a certain blue pony and a dream of fiery destruction. “Yes Simon, we are going to help but not in the way you think. We should take this chance to leave Equestria…”

Simons' ears flipped back and he shakes his head in shock. “Uh what, but what about Discord, we have to help save Equestria!”

I frown and look at the little pony growling. “Simon, don’t you get it! We are not saving anyone, we are just holding off the very thing we are going to do to them! We are murders, Simon, even if it’s not our fault…” I look at the green pony who has now formed tears in his eyes.

“I know Silver…” He begins to cry and sob. “I don’t want to do this any more than you, I mean this is my only reason for existing…” He looks at the sphere and frowns. “But do you think we're doing this universe a favor by packing up and going to it! His words stung and I look away. “Silver… I know you are afraid of being attached to Luna but you can’t let our curse stop you from finding enjoyment… and the Silver I know wouldn’t run away!”

“I don’t know what you are talking about Simon! I could care less for Luna, she isn’t strong, she isn’t important, and I don’t care about destroying her!” I look down and Simon is no longer crying.

“Silver Watch, I have known you for over two thousand years and for all of that time, the one thing you have never been is a liar. I mean look at you.” The little pony drifts towards my face and wipes a tear from my eye. “See, even the destroyer of all can let down his wall once in a while."

Looking at his wet hoof sparked something inside of me, Simon had meant to show me something positive but to me, I saw an opening in my defenses. My entity had been compromised. “No… I cannot have feelings for these ponies.” I shook my head and gritted my teeth. “Sorry Simon, but its better this way.” Without warning, I grab Simon by the skin on his neck and start into the sphere. Simon yells at me but we begin to slip through the world. I see a bright light and grin. However, as we get about halfway through, everything stops. The light turns black and red lightning strikes us sending us back into the void convulsing. “Ahhhhh!”

“What happened!” I yell angry and releasing Simon from my mouth. He looks at me and frowns. It wasn’t you was it?” I ask him but his face narrows as if to say I was both being accusative and a jerk. “But what went wrong?” As to answer, the void began to become windy and all the spheres begin to swirl around us. They spin so fast that they start to blur into single white and blue lines blinking on and off. The light begins to intensify until we are forced to look away and close our eyes.

As the light begins to fade, I open my eyes once more and feel a familiar firmness below my hooves. Blinking, my vision begins to clear and it's easy to see where we were now. Below my hooves, green grass grew and the chill of the air sent shivers up my spine. “Simon? Are you ok?”

I look down and the little green pony remained silent but looked at me with a worried expression. I took a moment to take in my surroundings and came to see that we were on a hill. It was clearly night time where we were and the stars shined brightly. Other hills and mountains covered the area and the moon was full. “How ominous… but why are we here?”

My body began to glow and a dark aura began to form around me. “Uh, Simon!” The little pony looked at me concerned but mad.

“Are you ok Silver? Not that I even care right now, but your looking kind of weird right now.” He nudges the dark aura and it moves with his touch. “Yuck, that’s creepy, can you turn it off?”

“Uh no I can’t turn it off, I don’t even know how I started it.” I try and scrape the aura away but it billows up and then stops. But what happened next was perhaps the most sobering moment of my existence. From the aura, a black pony head appeared. It was a unicorn with piercing white eyes and a long black mane. It actually appeared to be similar to me. But as a grin appeared on its muzzle, I knew all to instantly what this creature was.

“Well hello there my associate, seems you have been up to no good, haven’t you?” The dark voice said to me freezing Simon and my breathing. The shadowy pony began to detach itself from me and float around us. His bottom half still attached to my neck and he appeared as a ghost. He stared into my eyes piercing my soul and grinned. Out of the corner of our view, a small pebble hit the ghostly figure in the face.

Glancing to the side, Simon was looking up at him holding another small pebble. His voice was shaky and his body more so as he frowned and looked at the newly appeared creature. “Do not… touch…Silver”. His body trembles as he begins to throw another pebble hitting his target in the eye.

The ghostly unicorn frowns and squints his eyes at Simon. “Begone servant.” He waves his hoof and Simon begins to glow and by the look on his face he is clearly in pain. With a scream, my little green partner dissipates into energy and absorbs back into me.

“Simon! No!” I look at the creature and growl. “Dammit Silence, why are you doing this!” I look at the new form of Silence and grit my teeth. “Why are you here?”

The black aura had now become smoother into the shape of a pony that looked like me but rougher and sporting a horn. “Silver? Is that your new name? Well, its always good to have a fresh start now isn’t it. However, what isn’t very good is my Traverser trying to leave a universe without doing his job. I wonder what could make you do that?” He grips my face in his hooves and looks into my eyes. I feel him enter into my mind and flashes of my time in Equestria fill my mind. Finally, this search ends with the same dream I feared. In a snap, we come back to reality and I gasp for air. “Oh, interesting. Why don’t you tell me who this Princess Luna is, you seem really fond of her?”

I catch my breath and look at Silence frowning. I do not have anything to say to you Silence.”

“Oh really, it would seem you need to apologize for trying to leave Equestria, you know I haven’t come for you yet. There is still much to learn of course. Maybe I should get rid of certain distractors, however, yes I believe you should extinguish that Luna Silver.”

My eyes widened and I shake for what seemed like the first time in a thousand years. I couldn’t handle the pressure Silence was putting on my mind and began to feel pain as he placed his energy into my mind. Shaking my head, I saw a flash of myself piercing Luna through with my sword and her body collapsing onto the ground. “No!!!, I will not kill Luna!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. I finished only to see a sadistic grin forming.

Silence began to separate himself completely from me and stood a few feet in front of me. He glanced at the moon and then to me. “Oh, but Silver, you most certainly will. If not now, then when the time comes I will force you to do what you agreed too. What you sold your soul for.”

I stood there listening to him and realized he was right yet again. I would be doing this job forever and the blood would always be on my hooves. As long as Silence was around, The Traverser would destroy. I see a little patch of burnt grass where Simon was before and kick the burnt area. I then think to myself. All the times before, I was always sent to Silences dwellings for our end of destruction meetings and Simon was never able to come forth. “Come to think of it, none of my weapons or powers would conjure either. But Simon had been right there so what if…” I stretch my hoof out and attempt to summon peacemaker and to my surprise, it appeared.

Silence turned around and looked at me curiously. “Traverser, are you paying attention? What are you doing?” He begins to walk towards me black aura coming from his snout.

I grin and a warm feeling emerges from inside me. “I will not let you destroy again!” I summon Shooting Star and immediately point it at Silence. The creature grins and shakes his head. My sword by some miracle begins to respond and does something it has done only a few other times. Instead of opening, the sword begins to crack and slowly dissolves releasing every ounce of power I have available. I feel amazing and my aura changes into a clear film around my body. My mane gently moves as if it was being blown in the wind and my eyes light up as if having caught fire. “Well, I knew it would come to this…”

Silence begins to laugh and I sense a great energy growing from inside him. “I think I will allow this tantrum, after all, I haven’t stretched in many thousands of years young Traverser. I will let your trainings extent show for a bit.” As he finishes, he begins to ascend upwards calmly awaiting my response. And I certainly give him one.

I know that if I hesitate, it will be over before it begins. I immediately unleash a fury of blows in his direction ripping into reality and distorting the space between us. He instantly dodges the attacks and sends a blast of his horn towards me. Instantly I teleport to his side unleashing an explosion from within myself covering more than a mile around us. The mountainside had been reduced to a crater bone chillingly familiar to my mind. Silence takes no time in regenerating and whispers something I cannot hear. My ears begin to bleed and my brain heats up instantly doing damage that would kill a normal stallion. Falling my body regenerates and I catch myself.

Looking for Silence seemed impossible as he had vanished from my sight. Then from in my mind, I could feel his presence eating at my brain. I concentrate my aura into my mind expelling him. “Do not go in there again!” I burst forwards colliding with him and sending us both flying backward. As we hit the ground, I roll onto my hooves as Silence forms himself once more. I clench my hoof and form an energy in it that shines and sparkles like a galaxy. Before he finishes recovering, I punch him in the face screaming the name of one of my fiercest attacks. “Take this Silence, Decimate Stardust!”

The hoof colliding with Silence begins a reaction of light and his whole form starts to glow and an explosion goes off destroying his body. I teleport high into the air as a mountain-sized chain of explosions eats away at the ground and the ghostly Silence. I knew that wouldn’t be enough but it seemed to hurt him at least. As I thought, a few seconds later, a cloud of smoke formed and recreated Silence. “My that was a terrible attack you prepared, but I think I will remind you just where you stand in the scheme of things.”

Silence teleport in front of me generating Trick Wish and quicker than I can see slices all four of my legs clean off. Shocked, I begin to fall to the ground hitting the soil hard and bleeding out. Slowly my body regenerated as Silence descended to the destroyed landscape. “hurts huh Silver? But not as much as the pain you will feel when you destroy the ponies you have come to actually care for. Its been a long time since you let your wall down hasn’t it.” He begins to trot forward and holds the sword at my throat. I will particularly enjoy slitting the throat of a certain Princess Luna.”

My legs healed, I hear Silences words echo in my ears. I stand up and look at his bright white eyes. “I do not know how Silence, but I will defeat you in your actual form, and I refuse to let you destroy this world. And for now, I know that this isn’t your strongest form. This one I can beat if I try a little.” His head cocks to the side as I grin. “Fuck you Silence…”

I clap my hooves together and the world stops moving. Time had stopped for me and I was the only one able to move. Silence in his form could not pierce through this. So, with every last ounce of energy I could bring forth, touching Silences horn he begins to glow slowly dissolving. This particular technique was only usable when I was at my strongest and unrestricted. It erased a creature’s existence on the cellular level putting them back into the world causing no more effect on the future. Of course, with an entity like Silence, I knew it would only have a certain amount of effect.

Silences essence faded away and time began once more. This time, I was put back into the void where I had started my dark journey. But even this did not last long as the darkness cracked and shattered as well. I found myself laying in the same field where the battle with discord began. My body felt heavy and I was losing consciousness. But as I began to slip away, I caught a glimpse of two regal sisters and a statue before them that looked very much like a Lord of chaos. “Thank goodness you’re ok…Luna”

“I had gained a glimpse of hope that day, a victory even a small one gives a creature the thought of a promising future. Of course, the long sought-after hope of a creature of destruction was doomed from the start. Soon I would feel a pain unlike any I had faced till now. The Traverser is not allowed a cherished moment, that rule became all to clear for me. The next event simply reminded me that my place was simply obeying and being Silent.”