Destiny's Calling

by Crimson_Moon

Forbidden Magic

Once again, Geralt stood before the two great doors leading to the throne room, stoic and curious. It has been a few days since Fluttershy was cured of the Lycanthropy that afflicted her, but there was an unforeseen consequence- she became comatose. Every day for more than a week he stopped by to check on her condition in Canterlot Castle, where she had the best care in the nation. Her friends rarely visited as a group, and he always kept a distance when they did. There was no point in drawing attention to the person that caused it, after all.

Nevertheless, the Witcher continued on upholding his part of the Contract, providing as much information he could remember as possible in case there were more incidents like this. Looking back, Geralt still couldn't shake the Werewolf's words out of his mind.

Is she really to be a Witcher?

Breaking him out of deep thought, the doors opened to the thrones of Equestria, one absent while the other was accompanied by the white Alicorn he came to know as Celestia. Stepping forth, he bowed in front of her. "Your majesty. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Geralt, I'm... Glad you could make it." The mare tried her best to be nice, but still had a bit of disdain towards the Witcher. "Have you found the accommodations to your liking?"

"It isn't Kaer Morhen, but it'll do. I still don't think it's necessary to-"

"Nonsense!" She interrupted. "Anything for a friend. And nearby too, to boot!" She wasn't lying either: the room provided to him was on the Castle Grounds, practically within spitting distance. Geralt didn't like it.

"I know you're spying, so enough of the theatrics." Her smile dropped instantly. " What do you really want?"

Celestia sighed. "Everypony wants me to be nicer to you, but I don't think that is a good idea." She motioned to the guards to take their leave. Once they were gone, her mask for politicians and others dropped, revealing her true emotion: hatred. "I am grateful for your help with Fluttershy, but I don't think it was Fate that you happened to be found the same time as the attack happened." She stepped a bit closer to the Witcher, the room heating up ever so slightly. "I don't know your game, White Wolf, but I will not use niceties for another foreign entity. Not this time." Her magical hair flickered wildly, it's color warping into a blazing orange.

Geralt's pendant practically jumped around his neck at the sudden surge in power. "You are nothing more than a distraction." Her teeth sharpened into knives and her eyes became slitted and orange. "A pawn in my little game." Celestia smiled devilishly. "See, the other half of me thinks you're something to fear, some part of a grand Prophecy to bring out the Heralding of Myths." He coat glowed with magical power as the feathers of her wings fell and the rest transformed into webbing to support her new appendages.

Geralt dare not move a muscle, else his life would be snuffed out. He tried to reach his sword, only to find it had melted from the sheer heat the Alicorn was putting out. "...What do you want?"

"Oh, no no no! You don't get to know, silly man!" She cackled. "I have big plans in store, and you're just the beginning. Now, isn't it time you..."

Wake Up?

---

Gasping for air, the Witcher quickly grabbed the sword near his nightstand and frantically looked around, preparing for a fight. Only to find nothing there. Suddenly, Twilight burst open through the door.

"Is everything alright? I heard a noise!" She asked, concerned.

"No, it's... Nothing. A dream, nothing more. I must not be used to hospitality like yours, and it's put me on edge." He lied. "Go back to bed, Twilight."

She looked at the clock on the wall, yawning. "Well, if you're sure..." Slowly, she crept out of the door and walked back to her room in the Castle of Friendship, leaving Geralt alone with his thoughts.

He looked down at the sword still in his hand, gazing at the reflection within. "Nothing makes sense here, that much is true." Setting the sword back down, Geralt continued. "But I know a vision when I see one. Heralding of Myths sounds a lot like a Conjunction of the Spheres to me..."

---

The next morning, Geralt went straight to work on looking up what his strange dream meant, much to the surprise and delight of Twilight Sparkle. It wasn't even daybreak when she woke up to find him hitting the books. "Oh my gosh!" She gasped. "A-are you researching?!" She teleported next to him before he even had a chance to blink. "Can I help?" She beamed.

"Hmm." Geralt's trademark grunt was taken as a sign of approval.

"Great! So what are you researching?" She peaked over his shoulder to take a look, but was immediately confused. " 'Of Myths and Fables'? 'Tales of Terror'? Why would you be reading about old Foal stories?"

"Research." Was all he said, turning the page of another book.

"For...?" She asked to elaborate.

He grunted in frustration. "Simple ways to get a pony to brew some coffee before she starts asking too many questions." She took the hint and started a pot, leaving him alone for the time being. Pouring through the tomes had gotten him some partial headway, but no closer to a definitive answer, until...

"Chapter 11: Prophecies and Predictions Throughout the age." He read aloud. "Hmm..." The Witcher read the passage further, until he found what he was looking for:

...Of all the Prophecies made by soothsayers throughout the years, only two have ever been proven true, with a third hypothesized to happen in the near future.

The first describes Discord, the avatar of Chaos, threatening Equestria with an unending apocalypse of Chaos. That prophecy stated he was to be stopped by two Alicorns and bring about a Golden Age of Harmony. This turned out to be none other than Princesses Luna and Celestia using the Elements of Harmony to imprison him in stone.

The second, more recent Prophecy tells of Luna's maddening spiral into Nightmare Moon, who was stopped a few years ago by Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends wielding the Elements once more. However, there are some who believe this was the beginning of another, more powerful Prophecy that talks of a "Heralding of Myths"- an apocalypse that will bring about an interplanar event that sends various beasts and monsters into Equestria, bringing about an age of inner conflict and war.

What's most terrifying is the mention of a "White One, with Wolven Fur" that will plunge the world into eternal fire. However, the reader need not worry; due to the vague accountings of this on ancient Equestrian structures, as well as the impossible odds of such an event occurring, the Heralding of Myths will most likely never come to pass...

"They're talking about a Conjunction of the Spheres..." He exclaimed.

"Conjunction of the what?" Twilight asked, levitating a cup of coffee in the air for Geralt.

"Nothing, it's just a coincidence." Grabbing the cup with his free hand, the Witcher brought over another book and turned open its contents, pointing at the illustrations inside. "I was looking for ways to help your friend wake up from her coma."

"Oh?" She levitated the book closer, reading the pages he highlighted. Her eyes began to bulge out in surprise. "You want to use Poison Joke to try and wake her?!" The Witcher nodded. "No!" Twilight slammed the book, trotting in circles. "No no no no no! That plant is far too unpredictable! And believe me, I know unpredictable!"

"Twilight-"

"Not to mention potential side effects! I mean, what if she gets stuck with Flutterguy voice permanently?!" She began hyperventilating.

"Twilight, listen-"

"Or worse- what if she's somehow not cured from her Lycanthropy and this brings it back full force?!"

"ENOUGH!" Geralt slammed his fist on the table, cracking it slightly. It seemed to do the trick, and snap the mare out of it. He sighed. "I'm well aware of the risks, but what I'm going to ask next is going to be even riskier and requires the highest authority in the land to give me permission."

"What could be worse than Poison Joke?" She asked incredulously.

Geralt sighed, hoping it would never have to come to this, but seeing as how Modern Medicine has failed and his strange dream and warning from the Werewolf were to coincidental, it looked like he had no choice. "I'm going to perform the Trial of the Grasses on your friend..."

Twilight stopped moving. She knew what the words meant, it was explained to her during one of the exchanges of information between him and the other Princesses, aside from Cadence. "You can't mean that... Not after what you told me." Even with the vague recollections Geralt had, just attempting such a ritual was beyond conceivable.

Geralt said nothing. Nevertheless, the facts added up in her head, and even Twilight couldn't deny there were too many coincidences between Fluttershy's condition, and what Geralt described when he explained what he went through as a young boy. "Y-you really think she's..." She looked into his slitted eyes- the same one Fluttershy now possessed. Tears began to form.

"I wish it were any other way..." Slowly, the mare approached and pawed at him, at first out of frustration, boring into his eyes, but then softened. She broke down, grasping his body tight and sobbing into his chest. They laid like that for hours, each knowing what it meant to ask the Princesses something like this.

Eventually the room grew quiet, and Twilight moved away from the Witcher. "Do you think you could make a stop by our friends? They need to know."

Geralt simply nodded, not finding the need to say anything more. The Trial of the Grasses was something he never wanted to witness again, but now it looks like he didn't have a choice...

Author's Note:

A few more chapters until the next monster, but now we got some side plot going on!

If you couldn't tell already, this is gonna be really sad and/or horrifying for the next few chapters. Have fun with that.

Comments

[Killercraft]

Can’t wait for the next one

[Kadigan]

I have to admit, I'm thrilled to see this play out.

Finally, a story about witchers and ponies where a pony possibly gets to be one!

[Maksvel]

Daybreaker