Death, Sacrifice, and the man in blue

by MrTyrannousaurusX

Chapter 17: Was this fate?

Silence.

The man in blue was foolish to believe that he knew the true definition of the word all his life. A lack of sound. Completely devoid of anything that even slightly resembled it. Easy enough. He couldn't have been more wrong.

This. The utter and complete quietude that instantaneously conquered every inch of the corridor after the details of Platinum’s fate escaped her lips was the true meaning. Absolutely nothing. Bare bones. Zilch. Every last shred of all that that dared to even barely bear a resemblance to a noise was cast out. Laid to rest by the thick, concrete brick walls forming the spacious passageway. The very same one posthumously built in the honor of the revolutionary commander. Or, in better words, Princess Celestia’s savior.

Levi wouldn’t allow the mere thought of speaking to even cross his mind. He was in desperate need of the right words to say that would perfectly shatter the silence without making the sorrow he knew was in Celestia’s heart to blossom into something devastating. Much to his dismay, his pleas were condemned to censorship, forever being hushed and forcing the man to fabricate another option. Exactly as he expected, his efforts proved fruitless, leaving the pair to suffer through more of the deathly thick absence of sound. The only other living thing within the walls of the colossal hall besides the duo was Levi’s swirling, raging storm with a vague silhouette of a coherent mind within it.

“Celestia, I… Wow.” Were the only words Levi could conjure. The only thing in the foreseeable future that would fill the impossibly thick silence.

In truth, he couldn’t muster a response to the harrowing recounting even if he put forth every last ounce of his effort. The brunete was amazed he could even fabricate a reply at all considering the unfathomable levels of information dumped into his skull during the grim tale.

“Ever since that day-” Her words were severed in two by another one of her many sniffles, immediately followed by her golden sabaton removing yet another tear from existence. The stinging pain ravaging her nerves like a starving lion to a gazelle couldn’t hold a candle to the gnawing sorrow devouring her heart.

“I try to honor him every chance I get. Luna thinks I’ve done enough but.. Nothing seems to be enough for what he did for me. At least that’s how I see it.”

“I think you did well,” Levi added, his ability to speak without the need to forge an answer slowly coming back to life. “He would’ve liked this.”

“He would’ve liked you, as well. You have the heart just like he did.”

“You think so?”

“I do indeed,” The alicorn replied, the dark trails left in the wake of her drops of grief defiling her once flawless features. “I like to believe you would’ve done the same given the chance.”

“Definitely.” Levi looked back on that fateful moment within the cold, unforgiving walls of the decrepit castle corridors.

The sound of the millenia old carpet, which clearly hadn’t heard the word clean in decades, crunching underneath his feet like dead leaves as he staggered through the halls. Not knowing whether the Grim Reaper was looming around one of the countless dark, imposing corners. However, the very moment after he crashed through the feeble double doors and were met with headlights, it was clear death had found him. However, in spite of the clash that nearly left all parties involved six feet under, the important takeaway was the very same thing that led to Gary’s death. Alleged death that is.

The flame. The insatiable, undying urge to protect. The one that led to the thunderous shockwave of raw unadulterated power that left the demon in turquoise, hopefully, deceased. Maybe, by some wild stretch of the imagination, Platinum and Levi were more alike than he initially believed. The both of them would do anything possible within the bounds of reality to shield the ones they loved from danger. Even in the face of the dangerously high chance their life would reveal themselves to be the ultimate price. If it meant that the ones they held close to their heart would be able to wake up in the morning and draw breath, any and all who stood in their way would fall. Strikingly similar to the savage battle that occurred just the night before.

The further he cemented the belief into the wrinkled walls of his brain, the more it began to click into place why the princess had brought him here to begin with. The spark. The immortal impulse to stand in the way of impending doom so their comrades’ hearts could beat again. Two and two came together at last. Platinum and Levi weren’t just remarkably similar to one another. Their drives were nearly identical. They both shared a mutual animosity for anyone that somehow mustered the courage to inflict any form of distress upon the ones they cherished dearly. Perhaps there was some way the duet was connected. Be that as it may, looking into the deep hazel eyes of the beautifully painted pony felt… odd to say the least. Was it deja vu? Was it the feeling he received from reuniting with an old formerly lost friend? His best efforts on pinpointing the feeling that invaded his heart proved fruitless.

Whatever it was, looking into the confidence-filled orbs of someone he knew was dead and gone felt unusual. Especially after knowing the sheer level of death and murder he witnessed with those very same irises. Not to mention the hemorrhaging head of the most certainly doomed pony under his hoof, his skull being pushed into the dirt without a hint of mercy. To say it drove swarms of uneasiness into his core would be a criminal understatement.

“But, I believe now is a perfect time to tell you what I really brought you here for.” Immediately following Celestia’s soothing voice, threatening to lull the man to sleep with every word, the harsh and unsympathetic clinking arose again.

Levi battled the urge to wince as each time her golden sabatons met the reflective floor, the agonizing onslaught unleashed its wrath upon the man's ears. However, much to Levi’s immense relief, the borderline unbearable pain ended after a mere six steps to the center of the passageway.

There, resting in the core of the posthumously dedicated passageway was Platinum Wing’s crystal cutlass. The moment Levi first laid his eyes upon the glory, the aura around it warranting respect and honor, he thought nothing of it other than an ancient reminder of Equestria’s bloody past. But now, after having every gorey detail of its history relayed to him, the sight gained a much more sinister undertone. His imagination had no limits when it came to trying to visualize the limitless levels of brutality the weapon had witnessed. The amount of heads who’s relationship with their neck being severed, both figuratively and literally. The number of hearts pierced. The countless pools of blood spilled. The pure massacre. Levi chose to cease the train of grotesque thoughts there.

Celestia stood at his side, green and magenta irises consecutively, gazing at the magnificent relic of a time long lost. A aide-memoire of a period that once was, the dreadful generations beyond the realm of understanding for the man in blue. A reminder of a pitch perfect example of how to handle grim and catastrophic events. An article of virtu left behind by the particular pony it was forged and held with honor by, but abandoned for a noble reason.

Celestia let a sorrowful, grief-stricken, woeful sigh escape her lungs. Her calm gaze abruptly donned a fresh layer of dejection, falling ever-so-slightly from the flawlessly polished glass and to the solid marble base. She couldn’t stop the whirlwind of memories, both bittersweet and pleasant of the stallion, from conquering every last inch of her mind. All this remorseless attack of recollections did for the alicorn was mock her evident missing of her dear friend.

As much as she hated to admit it and tried her best to hide, she longed for her companion dearly. She yearned for his boisterous laugh, his joyous presence, the jokes he would crack over the dinner table, causing everyone attending to fall victim to a giggle fit. She pined for it all back. But, over the centuries following his untimely passing, she slowly began to come to terms with the fact that Platinum was gone. Forever. No longer having his ironclad hoof console her during times of almost unbearable stress was a hard pill to swallow. Since the banishment of Luna, Celestia didn’t have anyone to run to for comfort when the road got rocky. No one was there to aid her in her journey back to a state of peace and tranquility. After all, being the ruler of every last colony that resided within the land of Equestria was the furthest thing from easy. In fact, saying moving the heavens would be easier was nothing short of the truth.

After his departure from the land of the living, and the everlasting pain of having condemned her sister to the moon, the path got beyond rugged. All she had now was an overly large castle that a family of mountains could live in, an overbearing sense of loneliness, and the weight of the world upon her shoulders. The only thing that remained of tranquility within the royal stronghold was the very same hall Levi and Celestia stood in. The one she paid laborers handsomely to construct restlessly. One where, on days where the responsibilities got too hefty for comfort, she could reside in and swing open a book and be lost for hours. Hecklers called it unusual. Others speculated they were lovers. The truth was further past their boundaries of knowledge, the roots buried within a grisly story nobody knew and would probably never know.

Except for one. Levi Cronell. The self same who would carry the legacy of Platinum Wing for as long as his heart still beat on earth. The method of how he would go about doing that would reveal itself before he knew it, and in a way he never would’ve expected in a million years.

Celestia’s horn engulfed in the all too familiar golden cloud of magic, the lively brilliant yellow glinting in the man’s gleaming emerald irises. Also reflecting in the brunete’s intelligent orbs was the sudden and entirely unexpected, bright aureate ring that formed around the borders of the glass prism. The exact one that housed Platinum Wing’s crystal dagger. The heirloom, previously deserted in a ichor-infested battleground, that Levi assumed would rest inside the container until the end of time.

But, he had been wrong before, and this was just another one of those times.

“As you know, Levi, I was awaiting your arrival into Equestria for decades.” Celestia spoke, an uncharacteristic sense of eagerness braided within her words.

“As I spent more and more of my time looking over those paintings in the library, I began to wonder. How is this ‘man in blue’ supposed to protect Equestria with no magic to his name,”

The clear lid protecting the priceless curio from any and all harm known to man separated, allowing the sword forged from pure gem to feel the afternoon sun for the first time in generations.

“So, after a lot of careful consideration, I made up my mind. If the ‘man in blue’ plans on protecting Equestria,” Celestia’s sun-yellow aura shifted from the lid, which now sat idly on the blemishless flooring, to an item that made Levi’s jaw threatened to divorce his skull.

The next target for the princess's magic aura was none other than Platinum’s blade. The one still relaxing comfortably and peacefully in the tattered, war-torn sheath. Levi’s eyes turned to dinner plates. His optics disappeared underneath a sea of shock and utter disbelief, being swallowed whole beneath the waves as his heart was swiftly dealt the same treatment.

‘W-What?’ Levi thought, even in his mind, he couldn’t escape the stutter that conquered his words at the baffling sight. ‘Is she serious? This has to be a joke or..something. Right?’

Levi’s peeper’s shifted from the mind-boggling event unfolding before him and up to the collected magenta globes belonging to the alicorn. No sign, not even a sliver, of anything that would suggest all of this was a comedic stunt for laughs. On condition that was the extremely rare case, it would be downright distasteful, even if the the most world renowned comedian pulled it on the brown-haired man. The only microscopic speck of evidence suggesting all of this was a comical ruse was the small, sorry excuse for a grin yanking at the corners of Celestia’s lips. In spite of her brain’s best efforts, the smile would be doomed to never fully form on her features.

“Then he should carry the legacy of the protector before him.” Celestia pulled the cutlass and worn sheath into the orange afternoon sun flowing through the windows, finally freeing it from the infinite cycle of bobbing up and down at long last. The umber baldric, painted with wrinkles and tan creases, served as a reminder of the centuries that have come and gone since anyone alive had last brandished it. However, based on the events of the past few hours and the event unfolding before Levi’s very eyes, it was clear the cutlass found its new owner. Whether the man being involuntarily endowed felt deserving of it or not.

The snake-like strap, that once coiled comfortably around the ironclad form of Platinum Wing, had seen better days without a shadow of a doubt. Small nuggets of the chocolate-brown leather were missing, allowing the pair’s irises access to the unprepossessing tawny core underneath. The chestnut-colored pocket, the one that had been housing the crystal blade ever since its desertion, was not spared from the cruel hand of time. A medium and larger sized hole defiled the once beautifully hand-crafted holster, allowing the soon-to-be warrior to get a sneak peak at the drop dead gorgeous craftsmanship of Platinum Wing’s dagger. The vibrant hues and shades of the raw gems it was formed from blending pleasantly. Despite the little amount he was able to see through the cavities vandalizing it, the delightful pink tint sent slight shivers of excitement rippling through his being at the prospect of bearing Platinum’s legacy.

Yet, as the ancient artifact of Equestrian history began to curl around his waist, which placed a weight upon his obliques he couldn’t prepare for, an unprecedented feeling wrapped its tendrils around his heart. A sense that the man wasn’t worthy of carrying the weight of Platinum’s legacy at all. And especially not like this.

If Levi was being brutally honest, this object was a relic of a time long past, of someone who Celestia held so close to her and dearly missed each minute of the day. Not a second went by when the tan pony never crossed her mind since that fateful battle. With that being said, the princess putting the fate of everything Platinum worked for his entire life in his hands felt like a task too momentous for him to tackle. Levi was practically staring at a mountain without arms and being told to climb.

Learning to use it wasn’t impossible, not by a longshot. It could easily be done with months, maybe even years, of practice in fencing. Hell, to think of actually using the sacred artifact to attack another person much less kill them seemed too out of the bounds of reality. With the sheer brutality and overtly barbaric circumstances the heirloom had endured in its time of active use, putting it through even more savagery seemed disrespectful.

It was almost the same as handing an elderly, borderline crippled war veteran a rifle and commanding him to kill. Why would Celestia let her best friend’s most prized possession be exposed to the cruelty of the world all over again, when it could happily rest peacefully within the comforting confines of the castle. In the corridor created specifically for its owner.

Although, feeling the buckle of the beyond beaten and battered girdle strangle his waist for a split second, Levi knew good and well Celestia had other plans. After all, she was the one who was awaiting his arrival for who knows how long, she had more than enough time to think. This plan that she came up with, the one she thought about as generations came and went before her eyes, must’ve been spectacular to warrant this. All the man in blue could do was hope.

Abruptly, just as quickly as it spawned into existence, Celestia’s golden embrace died. The heft of the expertly-honed blade fallin was like a belt of stones suddenly coiling around his midriff. If what Celestia was suggesting to the man wordlessly was not an exaggeration by any means, getting used to the feeling would be a colossal task in itself.

Green irises met the metallic, snow-white hilt accompanied with a gold ring reaching from one end to the other. Trying to find acceptance that the event unfolding before his very eyes was anything but a ruse was like searching for a needle in a vast ocean of hay. It wasn’t happening anytime soon. Yet, even as the alicorn took a step back as if she was admiring a trophy in a case, his mind remained swallowed by a thick sense of incredulity.

To even think that the Princess of Equestria would give an item harboring so much emotional baggage to him of all people didn’t sit right in his psyche. For all intents and purposes, the dagger’s permanent residence until the end of time was rightfully in the glass repository. Being constantly surrounded by immaculately illustrated pictures of his valiant, lion-hearted possessor. Instead, Celestia chose to put the wellbeing and honor of the armament in his hands. Levi didn’t know the first thing about fighting with any sort of weapon other than a gun, something he indulged in once in a blue moon, much less sword fighting. Possibly after many frustrating months he would master the art. But even then, why Levi specifically?

Other than his selfless clash with Gary within the frigid walls of the old castle, he never viewed himself as heroic as Celestia was making him out to be. Especially not someone like Platinum Wing. The altruistic measures he took to shield and take the brunt of every last strand of harm that dared to even touch them was an impossibly high bar that no one could surpass. At least not anybody Levi knew or would probably ever know. Apparently, in some way shape or form according to the princess, the man in blue could. The sheer weight of the commander’s sacrifice was enough to deter all from even thinking about stepping up to the same level as him. No magic to his name. No special abilities, sans the unexplainable shockwave inflicted upon the monster the previous night. No… anything. He was just Levi Cronell. A man living through a prophecy he couldn’t even begin to understand. Mayhap the ancient path dug for him before he was even a word in anyone’s mouths would clear someday.

Whenever that happened to be.

Levi snaked his fingers around the somewhat chilly handle. In spite of the hundreds of thousands of seasons that must’ve passed since its forsaking, it did nothing to aid the unforgiving temperature of the age-old steel. The superbly acuminated edges let out a soft, barely noticeable ring as it slid against the elderly leather. A sound he imagined so many troopers heard before their, hopefully, merciful end swiftly came. Slowly but surely, inches of the vibrant hues from the crystals it was molded from so long ago emerged from the brown pocket it had known its whole life. When the dim and somewhat pleasant chime came to a satisfying end, with the crystalline blade no longer hidden behind an auburn mask, the man’s eyes were finally granted access to his new method of self-defense. Both now and in the decades to come.

He rested the icy handle against his palm, the stinging that never ceased to ravage his palm making itself evermore present, and the keen end of the cutlass relaxing against his opposite one. Now, with full unadulterated viewing pleasure of the beyond magnificent brand, he could lay his orbs upon the world renowned headman’s weapon at long last. To say it was worth the wait would be a criminal understatement. But, even though the wonder he held in his manuses with as much respect and dignity he could muster, it still didn’t sit right with the brunete not one bit. In spite of his best efforts to force his brain to come to terms with his new circumstances, it couldn’t. This sword shouldn’t and couldn’t belong to him. Platinum was an expert, a prodigy in all things sword fighting and battling in general. Levi on the other hand was merely a mindless chimpanzee holding a knife in comparison, scratching his scalp in confusion without even realizing it.

The man didn’t have a fragment of a clue as to what Celestia was planning for him by doing this, but he sure hoped it was worth giving her closest friend’s most cherished possession to him.

“C-Celestia, I… why?” Levi somehow managed to stammer, the glimmering salmon-pink steel hypnotizing his perplexed globes with its attraction, like a siren luring sailors to their demise.

“What do you mean ‘why’?” Celestia inquired, “You’re his predecessor now, Levi. The one who will step up as Equestria’s next protector.”

“Celestia, I’m honored really, but…” His words were severed once more by the polarizing features of the omnibus weapon before him, “I don’t deserve this.”

“Why of course you do. Why wouldn’t you?”

“I’m nowhere near like him and I probably never will be,” Levi finally managed to free his eyes of the sword’s mesmerizing gaze, magenta met emerald, his trepidation clashed with her hope.

“I mean, you said it yourself, he was the best fighter the royal family has ever seen. I’m just… a man. I don’t know the first thing about sword fighting.”

“You could always learn.”

“It’s not just about that,” He chimed, “It’s about.. everything. This deserves to stay here, it’s priceless. If I use it, I’ll end up just embarrassing his name. I don’t want that and I know you don’t either.”

“Who says you will?” Celestia replied, “You have to stop thinking about the negative things ten miles down the road and think about the next step.”

‘Maybe she’s right,’ Levi thought, ‘I do overthink more than I should.’

“You’re the man in blue. There is an entire prophecy about you. Even Platinum knew about you.” Celestia continued.

That fact nearly blew the man’s head wide open. Platinum Wing, the very same one who’s weapon he was practically inheriting, knew about him. About the prophecy. A mix between honor and shock filled his heart all at once.

“Listen, Levi, you’re right, this does deserve to stay here forever. However, I believe you are the right one to give it a purpose again,” Celestia carried on, her optics briefly falling to her companion’s esteemed belonging before meeting Levi’s irises once more.

“I wouldn’t have given this to you If I didn’t believe you were worthy of having it.”

“But he was a hero, Celestia. He saved Equestria. All of Equestria. Including you.” Levi rebutted, “How can I top that?”

“I wouldn’t say top, but you surely did something close.” Celestia responded. “How you flew into battle to protect Rainbow Dash from that wicked man, you put your life on the line to make sure hers didn’t end. I’d say that’s valiant enough as it is.”

Celestia was more than right. Levi knew exactly what he was getting into on that fateful night. He could vividly remember the unsympathetic below zero air stabbing his being with every step he took through the foreboding castle, threatening to cast goosebumps upon his arms despite the toasty corridor. He could almost feel Gary’s piercing amber orbs jabbing into his like searing javelins. They say a person's eyes are a gateway to their soul. If that was the case, all that remained inside the bastard after his rule with an iron fist over Roseville was a heart of stone. Not a single shred of mercy or regret in sight. Exactly what he expected from someone like Gary Demonio. He recollected the moment he stood barely two inches under him, feeling his white-hot gaze boring holes into his flesh, the moonlight surging through the glassless window frames highlighting his sinister grin.

Right there, as he scowled deep into the peepers of the devil on earth, he had a decision to make. Either he tried to escape in vain and caught a bullet in the back of his head, essentially sentencing Dash to death. Or, he fought until his last breath to secure Rainbow’s safety and put Gary in the ground once and for all, in spite of the grave risk of dying he was aware of. The devastating headbut he delivered a nanosecond later cemented his choice forever.

Maybe he was as heroic as Celestia portrayed him to be after all.

“You’re.. You’re right,” Levi said in response, “But, does that really make me deserving of this?”

“Obviously, you don’t see your potential the way I do,” Celestia’s horn ignited, bathing it in the familiar golden cloud of magic. “Allow me to show you, Levi.”

In a blink and you’ll miss it event, the tip of Celestia’s cornet burned like a lightbulb lacking a glass dome. Suddenly, the most unexplainable and incomprehensible event he had ever bear witness to, or experienced in this case, flashed before his shell shocked eyes. A blinding sun-yellow blast engulfed his vision in an impenetrable layer of pure flaxen gleam for a fraction of a moment, like a supernova had commenced mere inches in front of his unsuspecting being. On instinct, exactly how he did it when Celestia cast out the darkness on the way into the corridor, Levi’s eyelids met once more.

However, with that crucial blink that the alicorn most definitely intended for the brunete, the fabric of existence around him shifted. When his optics decided they fully recovered from the sight-robbing explosion of radiance, his lids divided a meager centimeter apart. When the stark shift in his surroundings hit him like a freight train kicked into overdrive, his eyes fully shot open to the size of planets, giving his irises no boundaries when it came to scanning every inch of his new environment. Or, better yet, lack thereof.

All around him, for hundreds of millions of miles reaching far beyond the bounds of the horizon, was just pure white. Nothing but white. All around him, stretching far and wide in every direction leaving not even a millimeter spared from the blanket of ivory, was blank. No signs of life. Nothing that would hint a corridor once stood high and mighty there. Absolutely, in every definition of the word, bupkis.

The man couldn’t believe what he was supposed to accept before him. His mind must be deceiving him. Some omnipotent being somewhere in Equestria, far powerful than any princess could dream of being, must have thrown into a false reality. A world with all remnants of color and life swiped away without hesitation. A land lacking existence. A vacant universe with nothing to show for it, other than the man in blue who stood in the dead-center like a dove in the night sky.

“What… where… am I?” Levi thought aloud, seeing no need to keep his words confined within his head. After all, there was nada as far as anyone could see. Who was gonna hear him? Certainly not the princess who sent him here against his will for no apparent reason.

Levi took a slow cautious step into the colorless limitless ocean, hoping to find more solid ground and not plummet never-ending depths below him. The bottom of his shoes met the ground, sending a shrill click radiating through the boundless sea of emptiness all around him, like a high heel clacking against tiles. The way the sharp clicking rippled through the infinite ocean of nothingness only reminded the man of the confusing yet somewhat dire situation he was unwillingly thrusted into.

In truth, Levi didn’t have a clue whether he should be worried, perplexed, or fearing for his safety amidst the circumstances he found himself in. Perhaps Celestia had some sort of plan for him here. Maybe, by some magnificent shred of fortune, this would provide him the answers he needed as to why he was chosen to support Platinum’s legacy. The brunete had zero way of telling. All he could do was lie in wait for anything to suddenly erupt from the scads of pure white all around him that would reveal the truth. Whatever that truth happened to be.

“Celestia!” The man called, trepidation braided within his words. Hearing the alicorn’s name bounce off the walls of the never-ending aisle of nihility and back into his ears only ignited the growing fire of concern within him more.

“Hello?”

“Don’t worry, Levi. This place is nothing to fear.” The princess’s tranquil tone echoed throughout the unbounded void overtaking him. “I only brought you here to show you what you clearly do not see in yourself.”

“What do I not see?” The man inquired, the harsh clacking emitting throughout whatever plain of reality he was at the mercy of.

“How much of a hero you truly are,” She elaborated. “Allow me to show you.”

If she had the power to teleport him and, very possibly, herself to an entirely different world, his imagination had no limits when it came to fabricating what “showing” could possibly mean. Clearly, capabilities weren’t an issue, it was only a matter of how the monarch would go about doing it.

Out of absolute nowhere, appearing before his very eyes with an unpleasant firecracker-like sound, was what looked like a portal. It was almost as if it was formed out of TV static and abruptly spawned into the barren wasteland mere inches in front of the rightfully puzzled man. The blurry, fading mess that vaguely resembled the edges of the loop seemed as though they were at death’s doorstep. One wrong gust of wind hurtling in their direction would cast them out of existence. Condemning them to be nothing more than a colony of grey specks amidst the breeze forever carrying them.

Regardless of the fragility of the porthole, the true star of the show, and the reason it was there in the first place, was what resided within the confines of the fuzzy ringlet. It was a memory. Or, more specifically, Levi’s. And not just any, it was the one leading up to the final confrontation of Nightmare Moon.

Lacking color for reasons he couldn’t understand was Levi, the group, and the wrathful manticore rearing its head high in the air. Orbs of saliva catapulted from his wide, eager jaws. His canines like keen knives protruding from his gums. His eyes, sharp and focused, set fully on one of the seven. The man in blue standing high and mighty, his sorry excuse for a weapon constricted in a white-knuckle grip akin to an anaconda ready to devour a gazelle.

At the time, with a whirlpool of adrenaline utterly consuming his heart, fear was nothing but a trifling remembrance in the deep recesses of Levi’s mind. Now, looking back at the harrowing ordeal he willingly thrust himself into, it seemed foolish for him to do so. A meager human being with no special abilities to his name striking down a beast of that size and ferocity, much less with a scanty blade, was nothing short of an unfulfillable dream. A recipe for a violent demise. But, the one and only thing allowing his brain to make such a witless decision such as that was the flame. The undying urge to protect the ones he cared for the most, even if he was the one who would have to pay the price. The immortal fire that reigned supreme within his chest cast out any doubts before they had a chance to settle in.

Perhaps it was the same feeling Platinum felt during that fateful battle. Only time could tell what the true answer was.

“Do you see? You put yourself in a fatal situation to protect Twilight Sparkle and the others. Would someone with no heroism inside him do such a thing?” Celestia echoed,

“Well… no.” Levi replied.

Just as swiftly as the grim reminiscence dawned before him, it faded. In its place within the staticy borders of the cloudy circular gateway was a new evocation. This time, more dreadful than the last by leaps and bounds. A lot more dreadful.

Reflecting in his emerald globes, sending a half-mortified half-incandescent look splashing over his features, was the image of the bastard in turquoise. The one who had gravely wronged him years before and paid the price dearly on that fateful night. On one side of the foreboding nippy corridor stood the man in blue, aghast and beyond appalled at the sight before him. On the opposite end of the passageway, his insidious features highlighted in the moonlight that bathed him, stood Gary Demonio. The way the monster conquered the entire half of the hall he stood in with his presence alone was bone-chilling to say the least. The complete absence of color did nothing to aid with exterminating the piercing amber orbs that, despite the lack of hues, never ceased to impale him.

Even a minimal glimpse at the charcoal tiles of gloomy frigid castle awoke the feeling of dread from the bowels of his mind. The very same emotion that clamped its jaws around his heart the moment he learned of Gary’s reality-defying survival. Even in death, the raven-haired man never failed to strike ruinous fright through his being.

As a matter of fact, maybe “dead” was too gracious of a label for the monster.

“And this, when you struck down that wicked Demonio.” Celestia’s voice chimed through the endless realm of oblivion once more. “You were fully aware that you could have lost your life to that man. No questions about it.”

The alicorn couldn’t be more right. Levi knew with one-hundred percent certainty that sparking a vehement affray with the psychopath would end in one of only two ways: Levi lives to tell the tale with borderline catastrophic, and possibly fatal injuries. Or, Gary blows his head clean off his shoulders, essentially dooming Rainbow Dash to suffer the same fate. Something he wouldn’t allow to happen if he was alive to change it.

It was beginning to become clearer with each still-image displayed before him that he was a lot more valiant than he initially believed. Not at Platinum’s level, not by a longshot. But perhaps just enough to view himself worthy enough to carry his legacy upon his shoulders.

Levi fractionated his jaws, reeling in a breath to let yet another contradiction to Celestia’s claims pollute the void. However, the booming voice ringing through the limitless emptiness killed his words before they had the chance to escape his lungs.

Abruptly, just as swiftly as it entered, the snapshot of Gary and Levi’s fatal confrontation vanished. Assuming its position within the bleary ring of dread-inducing memories was a new snapshot in time. Not an echo of one of Levi’s many harrowing past experiences. In fact, it was anything but. It was almost as if Celestia had played some sort of prophecy right before the man’s deservedly bewildered orbs.

Before him, within the confines of the halo of static, was an image of a fierce battle. On one end of the white ring of fire the two adversaries found themselves in was Levi, well, what he assumed was supposed to be him. In truth, in spite of him having seen his reflections all his life from the time he was born to now, he couldn’t even recognize the disheveled male in blue that was allegedly him. Gone was his signature camo hat, shouldering its position was a sorry, pathetic excuse for a head of hair. The light brown heap adorning his head like a repulsive, nauseating crown were his once satisfactory locks. It looked more like a nest colonized by a legion of birds and rats joining forces to vandalize his scalp more than tressess. To add insult to injury, brigades of sweat polluted his thatch, only amplified by the streaks of lime-green ichor hidden within it.

His features, formerly sharp and focused on any and all tasks he needed to tackle, now became one with the heat of the ferocious battle he was thrusted into. Grimace dripped from his menacingly wide sneer, sizzling against the forever scarred grass at his feet like drops of blistering grease.

Concealing a vast majority of his arms and torso was a jet black collared leather jacket, fitted impossibly perfect over the man’s totem pole-like stature. The only part of his rich cobalt shirt that emerged victorious in its rebellion against the coat’s efforts of obscurity were the half-inch of fabric, poking out from the bottom of the sleeves. The only remnant of the material that prevailed.

However, the biggest takeaway from the prophesied event bestowed before his very eyes was the tattered and elderly chocolate-brown sheath snaked tightly around his waist. With his digits coiled tightly around the crystalline blade’s hilt, his opponent mere feet from him better be prepared for the mountain of wrath ready to crash down mercilessly upon him.

His foe in question, while strikingly similar bordering on identical to a regular unicorn, something was off about the creature. In fact, to put it bluntly, there were more than enough things wrong about the equine-esque beast.

Holes nearly as big as baseballs riddled the unknown thing’s being, almost as if a vengeful contender loaded his body with shotgun shells moments before their encounter. His horn was a stark contrast to the many ones he had seen before in his time in Equestria. Utterly devoid of the semi-blunt, spiral shape the ones he had laid his irises upon before possessed. Instead, a keen midnight-black funnel assumed its place upon the peak of the warrior’s head. It too was not spared from who or whatever had ruthlessly disfigured the combatant, having been afflicted with the same punctures clean through one end and out the other. The honed end pointed up towards the heavens above threatened to sever the fabric of reality in two. The cornet seemed to resemble one belonging to a rhino more than a pony. But, with the sheer level of discord Levi had witnessed thus far, he stood immune to any and all surprises that grazed his path. This was nothing more than a prime example bespeckled among a sea of them.

Its flesh was reality-defyingly dark, as though whatever god or lord created it carved it out of Equestrian dusk and breathed life into its veins. His eyes were enlarged viridescent soccer balls embedded within his sockets. Long, conjoint, repugnant wings laid flat on the roan’s back, almost homogenous to the pinions sprouting from the sterns of flies. All the comparison did was make the appendages all the more revolting to the man.

“I have seen far into the future, Levi. I know exactly what happens after this day and in the years to come. This is one of the many hardships you will have to face if you accept what I am giving you.” Celestia spoke.

‘One of the many.’ Those words clutched onto Levi’s mind with a fierce grip, refusing to vacate his psyche. If this evidently pain-staking duel was only a pinpoint enclosed by an ocean of clashes and challenges in the decades following this day, then the road ahead was certainly rocky. Responsibilities and colossal weights his shoulders were forced to bear served as pesky stones littered along his path. However, the brunete knew with one-hundred percent certainty that facing a colony of misfortunes and horrors was the price to pay to protect Equestria. He was more than aware.

If Platinum was willing to sacrifice whatever was necessary for his friends’ survival, surely Levi could too.

“Believe it or not, Levi, Platinum was just the same as you before he joined the Royal Guard.”

The male cocked an eyebrow at the endless blanket of nothingness above his head.

“Really?”

“Of course,” The alicorn briskly responded. “He was unsure of his abilities. Oblivious of what he could, and did, accomplish.”

“Do you think I can do things as big as him, Celestia?”

“Without a doubt in my mind, yes. Possibly even bigger.”

The princess's statement sparked a question to life inside the man’s brain. What could he do that the commander didn’t already do, while simultaneously one-upping saving the ruler of Equestria and giving his life in the process. However, given the forecast displayed to him, maybe he’d surpass the stallion in one way or another with his feats. Only time could tell.

In a trice, much like the other snapshots of history before it, the picture enclosed in the blurry ring became a thing of the past. Once again, mirroring the process of the images that previously took its place, it was instantaneously replaced.

Instead of a depiction of a savage duel Levi would inevitably take part in with time, it was much, much darker than he could have anticipated. It was Ponyville. The normal hustle and bustle of the town he fell in love with. The self same he could say with pride was his home. The place he rescued from eternal night, which was practically a death sentence in the long run. Yet, a major difference trekked slowly over Levi like a sluggish freight train, making sure to grind the male’s heart into a vile puddle of kibble.

His beloved residence, the small quaint town he would do anything for, was merely an echo of a lost time. Ponyville was utterly and completely vanquished in every sense of the word. The buildings Levi used to stroll past with a spring in his step were smothered in a blanket of bright orange flames. The houses and structures, that were once a roof over a pony’s head, were gone. All that remained of the vibrantly colored constructions was a hollowed, charred husk, left behind after the sadistic inferno decided it had had enough. As the cruel blazing hand sauntered along to reduce its next victim to ash, the smoking skeleton of an unrecognizable domicile was all that remained.

And that was only the carnage inflicted upon the dwelling. Levi’s heart couldn’t handle entertaining the idea that the colts and fillies trapped inside the chamber of doom suffered. That barbaric fate didn’t just fall upon one singular spot. Every last inch of the conurbation the brunete cherished deeply fell prey to the starving jaws of the ravenous conflagration. The long streets turned from a pleasant smooth dirt path, to a highway straight to hell.

Levi’s imagination had no limits when it came to attempting to fabricate the events that lead to whatever catastrophe befell Ponyville. Truthfully, he didn’t want to know. Twilight. Rainbow. Fluttershy. He knew for certain none of them survived the boundless onslaught brought down full force upon the tranquil community.

Yet, as if seeing his much loved home be brought to its knees by the starving flame, another dreadful element was tossed into the vile cauldron before him. It wasn’t just a picture pulled from the bowels of whatever alternate timeline Celestia pulled it from. A cacophony of stomach-turning crackling intertwined with the roaring of the malnourished hellfire claiming Ponyville and its entirety. Whether the constant snapping and cracking was from the purgatory laying waste to the once sturdy foundation or the brutal disposal of corpses Levi couldn’t tell. In every way, it was better if he didn’t. The brimstone showering the poor, defenseless burgh danced in his emerald optics.

“C-Celestia…” Levi breathed, the remnants of his shattered heart drifting through his words. “Why the… what… is this?”

“I’ve seen many timelines, Levi. Both with great changes and not,” Celestia replied, her soothing tone, that would usually threaten to turn Levi into a puddle, now did nothing to quell his fragmented soul.

“This is the fate that befalls Ponyville without you to shield it from harm.”

The distraught man gazed deep into the almost hypnotic tongues of flame as they licked the streets of Ponyville clean, leaving nothing but catastrophe and devastation in their wake. His mind no longer had the room to occupy any thoughts of how big the burden would be if he were to accept Celestia’s proposition. The only thing that catapulted off the walls of his skull was an inquiry. And a burning one at that.

How?

How in any possible scenario does Levi leaving the sword in its rightful place lead to that. None of the copious amounts of scenarios he conjured in his thunderstorm of a mind made even a sliver of sense. There was no way in any interpretation of reality the oncoming crucial moments caused this. Death. Smoke. Hailing brimstone. He could only imagine what adversary someone must’ve angered to unleash the wrath of God upon the earth in such a way. The only two nefarious individuals in all of Equestria that he knew about thus far were the newly defeated Nightmare Moon and Gary. One of which was no longer in existence and the other wasn’t capable by any means of inflicting harm to such a degree.

However, regardless of who or what may have caused such a fatal cataclysm such as this, none of it mattered now. The only thing of importance that lingered in the brunete’s psyche was the ever-so-pivotal decision that hurtled toward him like a freight train. All he had were two choices: Either he deserted the weapon and returned home, plagued with trepidation for whatever devil on earth was going to blast Ponyville to kingdom come. Or he accepts his role with open arms, embracing the fact that he was and always will be the bearer of Platinum’s honor. The one who would keep his name alive and thriving for years, maybe even generations, to come.

“Levi, you do not yet realize your importance,” Celestia stated. “Equestria needs you. I need you. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, they need you,”

“What’s going to happen if Demonio returns? Or a much bigger threat than him returns? What if they best me and Luna? Or if Twilight doesn’t stand a chance? What then?”

The alicorn couldn’t be more correct. And to top it all off, Levi didn’t have an answer. What would happen next could only be described as a cataclysm of momentous proportions. The only thing remaining that even vaguely resembled the glorious providence of Equestria was a smoldering heap of ash. Everything that survived, which was a giant “if”, would be reduced to nothing more than a smoking skeleton of its former glory.

All that would endure from the doomsday would be the vast boundless history forever tied to it. A lengthy retelling of the beyond countless events that led to the formation of the kingdom. One that Levi himself was, albeit unintentionally, tethered to.

Even the mere prospect of all of the soldiers that valiantly gave their lives, merged with the blood, sweat, and tears of the unflagging founders, all be for nought was disheartening. If the man in blue could prevent that from happening by simply taking the sword and claiming it as his own, there was no reason the brunete could refuse the proposal. Yet, despite the obviously calamitous consequences, his doubts refused to depart.

In a trice, as if the alicorn had personally answered his prayers, the tortuous blurry hoop became one with the air around it. And, identical to the moment he entered, the endless dimension of emptiness was swallowed by a thick silence once more. In the hundreds upon thousands of miles stretching deep into the infinite sea of white, not a peep dared to break through the impenetrable blanket of quietude.

Abruptly, severing his thoughts in two, a sound like a colony of firecrackers fulminating arose. With the peace and quiet of the realm now scattered in pieces, Levi allowed his focus to hone in on the object that swiftly stole the portal’s position.

The sheath. The home of the crystal blade. The one that at first glance seemed like a regular weapon, albeit with ever-so-slight chips and dulling. To Levi however, the sword struck a much different feeling in the man’s quivering heart. The offspring of trepidation and foreboding dread clamped its jaws around his core. All the iron tight grip on his nucleus accomplished was to remind him of the crucial decision rapidly hurtling towards him.

“So, Levi, I’ll ask you this again.” Celestia spoke. The rhythmic bobbing serving as a blaring warning for the grim fate that awaited Equestria if the right choice isn’t made. Weirdly enough, the cutlass looked a lot more alluring the second time around.

“Shall you accept my offer?”

Levi’s powerful urge to welcome not only the sword, but the momentous role that came alongside it, locked horns with his badgering doubts invading his core. With Celestia’s argument as to why he should accept, and the disastrous outcome if he were to decline, now on the table, he could consider his options at long last. It was only him, his raging storm of confusion and anarchy that barely resembled his mind, and the never ending silence. The only things that occupied the boundless realm of oblivion he found himself in.

On one hand, if he took the position as Equestria’s defender and sole protector, he would have what he had been longing for for the past two decades. A respectable, honorable job. That flame, that undying urge to shield his friends from harm and the god-like power that came in tow, was borderline intoxicating. It was almost as if whatever almighty being injected the man with that sheer level of energy knew he would be hooked. Under any normal circumstance, saying he was on the brink of addiction to a feeling could be either utterly terrible or innocent. Admitting he was jonesing on the might he exerted as he cast his fury upon Gary sounded concerning in hindsight. Yet, if he received the sword and was told that would be his solitary objective, complaints would be a thing of the past. After all, it was what he always wanted.

Being a drug dealer came with a high cost. Both emotional and physical. None of his health was spared from the drastic mental toll the line of work required. If he could even call it that. Watching the clientele he dealt with get grimier and more disheveled as their weekly dealings ticked by was heart-wrenching to say the utmost least. He vividly recalled their faces, the signs of substance abuse only minor, now wrinkled as can be. With their features now reduced to a paper-thin sheet of crumpled flesh draped over a skull, their untimely demise rapidly approaching, it was only a matter of time before that week would be their last. Nine times out of ten, it was. Whether they were thrown in handcuffs or drew their last breath with a smoking pipe in their grasp, their life ended one way or another.

Junkie after junkie. Year after year. The almost fatal sorrow and guilt for his sins had his heart in its ironclad grip, tightening with unfathomable strength with each death he set into motion. He knew for certain Alan felt the same. Despite his best efforts, the misery Alan felt was ever-so-prominent. Looking into his eyes, the only thing that stared back at Levi was his pulsating remorse-stricken soul. To describe it as dreadful would be a criminal understatement. Between the two males, it was mutual and practically mirrored.

However, with his life of transgressions of suffering now abandoned in a different dimension, this was his chance at redemption. An opportunity of a lifetime. A way to prove his worth to the world and show he was more than a broken down meth peddler. It was what he had longed for ever since the first bunch of narcotics they produced in that forsaken trailer met his gaze. Instead of providing a means of essentially suicide to helpless people, he could instead be a savior. Just like he did with Rainbow and, essentially, the entirety of Equestria. Evil must be stopped dead in its tracks. That was for certain.

There was no feasible way to predict whenever it would arrive with a thirst for blood. Prime examples of this were Nightmare’s escape from the moon and Gary’s departure from the land of the dead. Both of those were entirely unpredictable. Not even the smartest individual to ever walk the planet could’ve foresaw that happening.

All in all, Celestia was beyond right. Monsters lurked within the colorful land of Equestria. Sinners hiding among the saints, waiting like restless cobras to strike and unleash their wrath upon the innocents. Foretelling any of the events was a next to impossible task. What Equestria needed was a lion-hearted warrior ready to give his life to protect the land they adored from whatever wicked threat dared to harm them.

It was clear to him now. He finally understood. In the generations prior to his arrival, copious amounts of wrongdoers faced judgment head-on. By any means necessary. And if ponies like Nightmare Moon were an indication of anything, there were plenty more to come. If they dared to inflict any harm upon the ones he viewed as his family, or the land he now proudly calls his home, they would pay the price dearly. That was for certain.

Confidence overruled all other emotions pounding in his trembling heart. The corners of his mouth were reeled upwards, fueled solely by excitement of his new beginning.

If it was protection Equestria needed, it was exactly what they were going to receive. The man in blue was here to stay. If any and all evil-doers wanted to hurt, they were going to have to go through him first.

He coiled his digits around the snow-white metallic blade, the frigid gold border embedded inside stinging his palm. He gave it a mighty tug, not only releasing the cutlass from its former forever residence, but setting his sights on his new path.

‘If you ever come back, Gary, I’m gonna send you back to hell. I promise you that.’

The oak door creaked as its hinges swiveled, allowing the wooden plank that once forbade access to grant it. Dusk had conquered Ponyville by the time he had returned home from the endeavor Celestia summoned him to. He vividly recollected the warm orange afternoon light gushing through the lofty lancets as the harrowing tale of Platinum Wing concluded. If the post meridian had come and went during Levi’s unexpected journey through the limitless ocean of emptiness, it really made him wonder, how long had the alicorn practically trapped him in there?

Whatever the case may be, and despite the man’s laments about his entire day now down the drain, he felt somewhat thankful in a way for the passage of time. He could only imagine the curiosity and trepidation that would bring his veins to their knees if Levi abruptly appeared with a sword belted at his side. Much less the self same belonging to Platinum Wing. When the day came and the sun climbed to claim its rightful spot in the ocean of blue, he prayed none of the townsfolk, much less his friends, would recognize the crystal blade. Perhaps they would confront him for stolen valor, a slanderous name, or maybe tack a crime of grand larceny for his transgressions. That posed an unexpected question, did Ponyville even have a jail? Was a police presence a thing in the town, or were the civilians left to their own devices 24/7.

Levi lacked a solid answer. In fact, he barely harbored the energy to keep himself from meeting the sod he stood on. On second glance, the conurbation’s lush green grass seemed oddly alluring in the enticing moonlight.

The brunete tore his gaze from Ponyville’s turf, focusing every last drop of strength that remained in his fatigued bones to get upstairs as though his life depended on it. To him, it felt like it most certainly did.

The elderly logs uniting as one to form the floor let out a strident squeal the moment his feet greeted them. The intricate internals within the timber door clicked when it slipped into its frame once more, courtesy of the man’s ginger push. Commanding his utterly drained legs to move was comparable to commanding a morbidly obese person to march through a desert. It was a next to impossible task. All his body wanted was to collapse into a pile of black, blue, and white on the wood and fall unconscious. Allow sleep to abduct him and grant him the relief he so desperately wanted. The solace he felt he required for survival.

Nonetheless, in spite of his debilitated frame’s unwavering demands, Levi knew he had to get upstairs.

Twilight. It was only then when the lilac unicorn had entered his mind for the first time in what he perceived to be years. His brain had completely phased out the inevitable discussion between the two that would have to come to pass. How was he going to explain his role as Equestria’s sole protector, especially the part where his life could be the price? Perhaps it was another one of his frivolous overthinking spells engulfing him speaking in his head or his worries personifying. Whatever the case was, hobbling up the flight of steps and to the warm sanctity of his bed was worth the unavoidable talk. Maybe the night would permit him a fair share of mercy from the inescapable chat, allowing him to converse with the pony in the morning. All he could do was hope.

Levi passed the kitchen table, vividly remembering the dread swarming his heart like a colony of ruthless hornets as the story of Gary met the air the day prior. Most certainly plaguing it with its presence. The chair, which the borderline inebriated dragon once clinged to wakefulness for dear life in that daybreak, still in the same position the reptile left it. He could only imagine how many hours Spike’s head remained planted on the treen before he summoned the strength to make it to his “bed”.

The man halted at the dawn of the stairs, his foot firmly planted on the woody beginning step. He craned his neck to gaze at the entire lower floor. Once beaming with life and radiating with the utmost positive energy one could think of, it lacked a majority of the waves of tranquility it once harbored in the dead of night. When dusk had conquered every inch of Ponyville, it too fell prey to the ripples of drowsiness that the nightfall brought in tow. It was almost as if the kitchen and reading room combination had become one with eventide outside. Blending into the moonlight, divided into four squares by the checkers board window frame that beamed onto the aged table.

Levi grinned at the calming sight. He had always loved the hours that followed the sun clocking in for the evening. Seeing the entire town disappear under a blanket of tenebrosity, allowing the stars to claim their rightful spot in the sky, seemed frightening to some, but tranquil to him. Sometimes, when the burning behemoth would vacate the vast ocean of azure it called home, Levi would pull out a lawn chair and relax on his front porch of his house. The shine from the colossal planet above throwing him into its warm, peaceful embrace. The self same sensation the library consistently thrust him into every time he stepped foot inside. However, much to his disappointment, all of that changed when he was evicted. His landlord, that stuck-up Howard, throwing him to the wolves was years ago, but the irritation was present in his chest.

The male had almost completely forgotten about the snotty, goodie-two-shoes, church boy sod he was unfortunate enough to share the same building with. Much less the same city. Always dressed in his Sunday best with each consecutive badgering instance he rapped on his door, interrupting whatever activity Levi took part in to pass the time. Standing there asking for more money he could make a throne with and buy more of his ridiculous cloth belts and pairs of shiny leather shoes. Levi went to war with the urge to bash his nose into another era at any moment his voice invaded his ears. Now that he thought about it, he was more than relieved he didn’t have to deal with taxes or rent. He didn’t have to put up with Howard’s greedy shenanigans any longer. In fact, he could allow Howard to drift into the deep recesses of his mind and fade into obscurity. Condemning him to become a vexing memory of a time lost. A period of his life he could cast out for good.

Levi swiveled his head back to the stairway to bliss, every step he climbed was another foot closer to the godliness of his bed's comfort. Eventually, with the heft of his sword threatening to tug him to the floor like an anchor hanging from his waist, the apex of the flight was below his feet. At last, he was only inches from the paradise known as the land of dreams. The sanctuary of repose was practically in his pocket. He could deliver his bone-tired form the rest it needed to recharge, be ready for whatever task needed to be tackled in the following day. Perhaps he could go see Fluttershy again. After all, they hadn’t really talked much, surprising him considering she was the sole reason he still drew breath. He owed her some time to sit down and chat with just the two of them.

Levi’s palm enveloped the golden knob on the bedroom door, giving it one ginger yet still herculean twist, the organs of the door clicking softly in response. The entry divorced from its frame, Levi instantly getting an eyeful of the moonlit, spacious room that looked more like an observatory than a sleeping quarter. Alas, it was a place to refill his batteries nonetheless. If it had a mattress within it to lay his head upon, nothing else mattered to the brunete.

With as much care as he could possibly muster, the male returned the door back to its rightful case, the maze-like internals clicking softly. Levi slipped his hat from his scalp and hung it on one of the many pegs protruding from the wall. His forearms, once exposed, were now swallowed by the hungry maw of his royal blue sleeves, before being shed from his being. The faint jingle of his buckle sending shivers of worry casting goosebumps upon his frame, not waking the peaceful snoozing dragon and unicorn being his number one priority. The brunete’s feet left departed from the confines of his worn shoes, years of wear and tear were ever-so-evident in the barely noticeable but still present tears vandalizing the exterior.

Levi unbuckled the scabbard with the utmost clemency he could within the bounds of reason, freeing his waist from the pestering weight at long last. As much as the heft threatening to tug him to the ground with each step he took sent lightning bolts of annoyance shooting through his bones, getting used to it would take some time. After all, if Platinum could charge like a bull in a house of glass for years, surely he could too. Levi, giving the blade the same treatment as his cap and collared attire, fixed the cutlass to one of the spikes.

Ease and utter stealth became his number-one priority the instant the balls of his feet made contact with the first rung of the ladder. A ripple of excitement radiated through his being at the prospect of finally laying his head down upon the pillow and allowing sleep to seize him. Fighting back the urge to scurry to the mattress without a care in the world was nothing short of a challenge.

Levi’s back sunk deep into the god-sent bunk, the lush foam encircling the man in its pacifying embrace. Under any normal circumstances, even the mere mention of sleeping in jeans was Levi’s own personal hell. The rough denim snagging the blanket every time he tried in vain to shift into a more comfortable position, the sandpaper-like textiles refusing to cooperate with the sheet adorning the bed. Truthfully, Levi would’ve rather chose to sleep nude on a pile of leaves during a snowstorm than do what he was doing now. But, combined with the undying drowsiness that only got stronger with each passing second, sleeping practically half-naked in his boxers next to a unicorn wasn’t the most appealing option. To add insult to injury, a fact he learned the hard way was that the library was prone to get overwhelmingly cold when night splashed over Ponyville. It was either he sacrificed comfort and be refrigerated or he learned to endure the discomfort. The latter proved to be a lot more attractive by a landslide.

Silence.

The man in blue cherished moments of peace and serenity such as this one deeply. There were times in his life where he desperately longed for a moment or two of utter quietude as far as the eye could see. Not a sound to be heard for miles. Just him. Alone. Devoid of any shouting from junkies and vicious screaming matches in the late hours of the night. Absent of any domestic alterations from his neighbors. No early morning knocks from his hounding landlord. Nothing.

Absolute silence. Which is exactly what Levi was granted. The only noise able to penetrate Levi’s ears was the serene chirping of colonies of crickets, only struck down by the reverberating hoot of an owl ringing down the empty streets of Ponyville.

No hustle and bustle he was beginning to get used to in the town.

No rattling of elderly wheels on equally aged wagons, carrying their fill of fruits and vegetables from one house to the next.

Absolutely bare bones. Just as Levi liked it.

It gave the brunete some much needed time to process the heaps and mounds of information dumped onto him by the alicorn princess. On top of informing him of the disastrous consequences if he left empty handed, what she relayed to the rightfully shell shocked male once she removed him from the realm was unbelievable to say the least.

When the maw of the cascade of warm air crowding the hall swallowed him whole, finding himself no longer in the endless ocean of blankness, emerald met magenta once again. It felt foreign to see living beings and objects after being surrounded by utter and complete nothingness for what seemed like days. When the culture shock subsided and an intense confusion caught his heart in its swirling, raging hurricane, he only had one question for the monarch: Why? What was the meaning of…whatever that was supposed to be?

One could only imagine his shock when the words “The seventh Element of Harmony is you.” had left her mouth. The “Element of Protection” was Levi’s second and arguably most important role. In a way, Equestria’s sole hero and being one of the Elements of Harmony went hand in hand. If being a bearer of one of the Elements meant he had to face threats such as Nightmare Moon, then his job was somewhat made easier.

The seven of them all bearing the power to wipe any threat off the face of the earth, given there all combined, sounded immensely easier said than done. Would more dangers like Nightmare appear in the days, weeks, or maybe months to come? Would Gary return and test his abilities? Was Gary even alive? There were too many questions for Levi’s sleep-deprived brain to handle all at once.

As his eyelids came together in unison to provide the male some desperately needed repose, he couldn’t help but think intently about what the future may hold. Being an Element of Harmony on top of a valiant defender of Equestria, his life in Ponyville was sure to never be lacking of anything.

But, as thrill packed as the years to come may seem, Levi realized downsides were inevitable. Locking horns with foes similar to Nightmare Moon and Gary sounds like a recipe for disaster. The man was well aware that the power of friendship won’t solve all of their problems. If evil was going to come to attack Equestria and threaten the lives of the ones he loved, and especially innocents, were on the line, whoever caused it will pay the price dearly.

How will the group handle Gary if he ever comes back? Sometimes, wicked individuals need to be eliminated, a fact Twilight would have to learn the hard way eventually.

Before Levi could entertain the thought any further, at long last, sleep finally caught him in its indestructible grasp.

Whatever the future held, they would face it together.

In life or in death.