Memoirs of a Thief

by grey mane

A Thief's Awakening

Revealing the truth is like lighting a match , it can bring light , or it can set your world on fire . - Unknown

---

As Greymane slowly awoke under the shade of a large oak tree he could see the lead constriction pony standing over him, "Hey, sorry for waking you on one of the few days you have off from the Apple Farm. But I'm short two ponies today and I could use your help."

Looking over to the nearly completed building he gave a smile, "Not a problem at all, I'm glad to help in any way I can."

During the time he spent in Ponyville Greymane's older skills, and personality slowly came back. Going around helping in any way he could, as well as taking simple jobs during his days off. In time his fear of being the pony the guards were looking for had slowly subsided and nearly faded into his subconscious, only enough that he barely thought about it at all, and many believed the warning from Tartaros was just a prank of some kind.

During his first few months many suspected that he was the one they were looking for but could not find any proof to make this belief fact. Over the years their suspension faded as they saw how kind and helpful he was, most thought Fluttershy's attitude had rubbed off on him when in truth this was who he was and at one point in his life he had hoped it would never change. But like with all things time caused him to change though in many ways he never outgrew being the young stallion filled with hope.

Walking over to the near finished building the lead construction pony began to explain, "As you can see we're almost done with the repairs to this shop, all we have left to do is put new hay shingles on the roof and put up the new walls over the insulation."

Looking at the task presented before him Greymane smiled at the chance to put some of the tricks Big Mac showed him to the test, "Looks simple enough, care to make it interesting?"

"What have you got in mind?" The construction pony inquired as he cocked an eyebrow.

With a lighthearted smile Greymane began to trot a little faster, "Let the others put up the walls while you and me tackle the roof."

Seeing Greymane's playful nature he couldn't help but grin at the opportunity for some friendly competition, "Let me guess, it's a race to see who can put the shingles up faster and get it done right the first time. And the last one done pays for three pints of cider from the Apple Family?"

"You know it." Greymane said with a smile and a laugh as he started to run.

Laughing through his teeth the construction pony attempted to catch up to Greymane, "I'll take that bet, besides you haven't won one yet."

"And neither have you."

As the two of them took to the roof with the prize in their eyes all the noise around them was drowned out by their hammering. Full of joy from the competition they almost seemed as if they were brothers constantly pushing each other to do better, knowing that neither of them could beat the other. As the work neared completion Greymane poked his head up and saw Rarity and Twilight engaging in pleasant conversation just under the oak tree where he was napping only a few hours ago, shortly after he saw how far behind the construction pony was in his work in compared to himself. Not wanting to ruin anything he slowed down and timed his pace so it would end in a tie.

As the two of them came near completing their little race, Rarity and Twilight continued in their a small conversation, "Oh fancy seeing you here darling hows your day been?"

"It's gone by quite well till this strange letter came flying through my window addressed to Greymane." Twilight had mentioned with a small hint of annoyance in her tone, "The odd thing about it, is that even though it broke my window it wasn't tied to a rock or anything and came in on a gentle breeze, not sure how it broke the window."

"Really, well that’s rather strange, who's it from?" Rarity inquired with great curiosity.

Pulling out the envelope Twilight looked it over carefully, "It doesn't say, and I haven't opened it so I don't know what it says. All I know is that it's addressed to Greymane."

Quickly jumping off topic Rarity had a quick look around while putting a hoof to her chin, "Speaking of whom, you haven't seen him around anywhere have you? I went by Apple Jack's farm to see if he was there but was told it was his day off. Normally if no pony has asked him for help he's always under this tree."

Gently tucking away the letter Twilight shook her head, "Sorry Rarity I haven't that's the same reason I came here to give him this letter. If you don't mind me asking what do you need him for any way?"

With great enthusiasm Rarity nearly jumped as she squealed, "Oh I'm trying out a new style, it's a rugged yet gentle look that I thought he could help me try and get right."

As the two of them carried on with their conversation, Greymane and the lead construction pony had started to leave the work site. They were laughing over the situation, after many attempts to out do each other all they have done is push themselves to the best of their abilities.

As they continued to walked back toward the oak tree the construction pony couldn't help but feel baffled in knowing how it ended, "Another draw? Sometimes I think you're just holding back."

Greymane couldn't help but smile as he turned and looked at him, "Well..." Closing one eye as the other looked up at the sky while he rubbed the back of his head, "...only a little, what do you say I pay for the cider, it's the least I could do since you gave me some work to do."

As he looked over he raised his hoof and gave Greymane a small nudge across his face, "Na...I can't do that to ya it's a tie. But speaking of paying for something here, we all pitched in a little."

Looking at his hoof Greymane couldn't help but give a faint grin as he stared at the bag of bits, "No I couldn't accept this it's far too much."

"Now we won't take no for an answer, you've worked hard and on your days off when we come to you for help. And on top of that during the past few years you've been in Ponyville you've gone and helped any and all who asked for help without asking for a single thing in return. So you've more than earned this." He said pushing the bag into Greymane's chest, as he watched him take the gift with a smile; looking down the construction pony saw something strange hanging from his neck, "By the way what is that thing you have there?"

Lifting the medallion he looked at it with a strange yet satisfied feeling, "I have no idea what it is, I just woke up one morning with it around my neck and thought it was a gift from Fluttershy. But she said she that it wasn't a gift, it was something the doctor found on me and asked for her to return it for her; Fluttershy must have put it on me when I was sleeping. I took the time to ask Twilight to look into the strange markings on this for me." As they continued to walk he looked up and saw both Twilight and Rarity talking under the shade of the tree, "Hey why don't you go on ahead and I'll catch up later, first few rounds of cider are on me."

Out of a sign of trust between the two of them they raised their hooves and taped the back of their hooves together as they started their separate ways. The construction pony walking off to the tavern to wait for the cider he was promised, and Greymane heading toward Twilight and Rarity. As he walked up to them he greeted them with smile and a small hint of exhaustion.

The closer he got to them he watched as Twilight pulled out the letter that had been addressed to him, as he looked at it his old fears slowly started to rise as he quickly tried to take his mind off the subject, "Hey girls did you come by to ask me for some help?"

Perking up to the sound of a helpful hoof Rarity jumped at the first chance to make her request, "Why yes, perfect timing by the way. I'm working on a new line of outfits that I could use your help with on getting it to appear just right. And if you could spare the time could you please come by my boutique later?"

With a cheerful smile he looked up at the sky for a brief second as he thought about what he had planned for the rest of the day with a hum then brought his eyes back to Rarity, "Sure thing I'll come by later this afternoon." As he slowly turned his head he looked at Twilight hoping she came with some information about the item that he had found around his neck, "How about you Twilight, is there anything I can help with? Or did you find any information on this little oddity I have in my possession?"

Continuing to hold out the letter Twilight had a smile that seemed to hide what little worry she had, "Actually this came through my window this morning addressed to you, I haven't looked at it as you can see the wax seal is still there."

Faking his enthusiasm as he smiled as his hoof slightly trembled while he slowly reached for it, "Thank you Twilight, let me see what it sa..." As he read the letter all of his fears came pouring out filling his mind shocking him to his core, "...but how...I don't...this..." As he tried to sort out the information that was written on the parchment with the dreams he had, he attempted to start piecing them together; though many of the blanks had been filled and a few questions had been answered he still felt as though something was missing, "This doesn't make any sense. Twilight do you know who sent this?"

"Sorry there wasn't anything to identify who could have sent it, I even tried looking into the mark on the wax seal. I wasn't able to find anything surrounding it. Except for a book that had the same mark on it, it's called the leviathan cross, it was full of alchemical symbols and mixtures. The one used on the wax represents sulfur so whoever sent it wanted to make sure we couldn't figure out who they were."

As he looked at the symbol a faint voice echoed out from the back of his mind from an old memory, 'I am a leviathan, the last of my kind. And as you are my advocate, I swear to do all in my power to keep you safe from any and all whose power are far beyond that of your own skill and whom you cannot out smart or find someway into tricking into giving up.'

As the voice from his memory ended his face slowly filled with confusion as it slowly mixed with fear, as his emotions surrounding the current situation grew this caused Twilight and Rarity to worry for him.

In this moment Twilight put her hoof on his shoulder as he folded up the letter and tucked it away, "What's wrong, are you going to be okay?"

As he slowly regained some of his composer he wiped the sweat from his head as he sat down under the shade of the tree, "Ya...ya...its just...I need some time to process this. I'll talk to both of you about this later at Rarity's. I have a promise to keep right now"

As they watched him run off they started to worry about what was contained in the letter that caused such a reaction to spark within him, as they turned to look at each other Rarity started to walk toward Fluttershy's cottage, "Perhaps we should get the others and meet up at my boutique, whatever was written in that letter has just caused a turning point in his life. It could be very hard for him, and if all of us are there to help him it could soften the blow and make this transition that much easier for him. I'll go and get Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash."

---

Agreeing with Rarity, Twilight simply nodded her head and took off for Apple Jack's farm knowing she would pass Sugarcube Corner. As they went off to get the others Greymane walked into the tavern with his head heavy over what had just happened. As they did this Greymane knew that the fears he had repressed and kept hidden just came running out screaming, as he tried to sort things out with no clear foundation as to where to start. As he slowly tried to calm down he walked up to the bar and started to order the ciders as the construction ponies cheered him on for his generosity.

The lead construction pony looked over and saw that the cheerful smile that always crosses his face had been replaced with a mournful fake grin; and though no other pony took notice he tried to keep it that way as to not kill the mood, "Hey, you look down...what's on your mind?"

As he pulled out the letter his expression turned for the worst, "I just got this letter and it claims that somepony out there has more information about my past."

With great enthusiasm the construction pony patted him on the shoulder, "Well isn't that a good thing? I mean after working around Ponyville for a few years just simply trying to piece together your personal history with nothing to go on, this is a new lead and there is no telling what kind of doors this could open up for you."

As his confusion subsided his fear slowly swelled up throughout his body and he did what he could to try and hide it, "I know I've always been looking for something to point me in the right direction and now that I have this, I'm just not sure I want this any more. I mean look at it, I've got a life here now and I don't want to just throw that away. Not with all the friends I've made here."

Seeing how distraught Greymane had become he sat down next to him and put his hoof on his shoulder, "Hey think about it like this, anything you learn about your past is a good thing right now. And no matter what you learn you will always have a home here with friends that care about you. And speaking of others what's going on between you and Fluttershy, or Applejack for that matter, is anything special going on there?"

As he started to think about the question his mind brought all six of them into his answer, "They're like sisters to me, same goes for Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, and Twilight. They were the first to help me and there is no way I can repay them for their kindness."

As he smiled at Greymane he took a big gulp of cider as he recalled words of wisdom, "Well one thing my great grand stallion told me, 'It's always better to know and have no regrets; than to never know and regret it for the rest of your life.'"

As his feelings started to take a turn for the best; Greymane took a sip of his cider as he started to smile, "Isn't that the truth..." Letting out a sigh as he smiled Greymane tapped his glass with the construction pony’s, "...okay, I'll go and check it out. Oh and thanks again..." Looking around he saw that every pony was enjoying themselves without a care in the world, "...for everything."

"Any time, now come on let's drink to what comes next."

As they drank their ciders he knew that no matter what happens next, he had a home in Ponyville with friends. But this did little to subside his fears as the thought constantly plagued his mind, 'What if my dreams are real, what if I'm just some good for nothing stallion, what if I really am a thief?'

---

As the others continued to enjoy themselves he slipped out the door and made his way to Rarity's Fashion Boutique. As he arrived he took slow steps as he looked at the first statement of the letter once more, 'I know who you are and what you have done in life.'

He was still unsure of what could come next or how he could tell all of them as his fear took hold. As he slowly walked in they could see that fear had taken root and cracked the foundation of his hopes.

As he looked around the room he saw that all the girls were there, "...This wasn't what I expected but it saves us some time."

They all knew that everything surrounding his life was going to change for better or for worse, knowing this caused Applejack's eyes to become fixed on the letter in his hooves, "If you don't mind my ask'n, whats it say sugar cube?"

Holding up the letter he skipped the explanations and long winded statements to hide that whomever sent it claimed his was a thief, "It's a letter saying somepony out there knows who I am, and what I've done. And if I want to know more I must travel to the location marked on this map provided." As he folded up the letter he held out the map, "But I'm not sure I want to know any more."

"Well why wouldn't you want to know, I mean think about it this is big, BIG news." Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced around the room and even out of a mirror though as to how nopony knew.

As he put the map down on a nearby pony-kin he walked toward the window and sat down, "That's just it. What if I'm that pony the guards were looking for, the one that Tartaros warned about. Who knows what I've done, or what I'm capable of. And even if that's not the case, what if I'm just some good for nothing stallion? I know I would have jumped at the chance to learn more about myself awhile back but now..." Turning back to look at them they could all see uncertainty fill his eyes, "...now I'm not so sure any more."

Seeing how distraught he was Fluttershy flew over and put her hoof in his shoulder, "It doesn't matter what we find, in the time you've been here, you've shown that you're kind, gentle, and helpful. So no matter what you might have done in the past it will not change our opinion of you."

"And ya'll have more than proven ya ain't some good-for-noth'n nether." Applejack chimed in knowing that what he needed most at the moment was a boost of confidence.

As Rainbow Dash zipped half way across the room performing a few aerial acrobatics; nearly knocking over a few well dressed pony-kins as she spoke with great pride, "Ya, and you've shown that you're willing to get down and dirty to help anypony here in Ponyville. No matter what the job is."

As he began to smile he couldn't help but wonder if the dreams he had been having were somehow tied into this but brushed the thought aside for the time being, "Thank you everypony, you've all been like sisters to me. You've taken me in, given me food to eat, and a chance to prove myself. And even now you're all willing to stand by me."

As they all gave him smiles full of comfort Twilight compared the old leather map to one of the current maps of Equestria, "Look at this everypony the location marked on the map is about half a day's travel strait North of Talonpolis, and into some woods. We can take the train there and make the rest of the way on hoof. And because the trip won't be that difficult we'll all go with you to help soften the blow it could have."

As he smiled back he took one quick glimpse out the window and saw a small glowing serpent that seemed to stare at him, as he doubled back to have another look the ghostly figure was gone. Though the figure was gone it brought back a faint memory that seemed to coincide with the symbol on the wax seal as the word 'Leviathan' rang throughout his mind as a calming feeling took hold of him.

Though the ghostly figure was gone Greymane could see the many vibrant hues of the setting sun, "Thank you everypony, if it's alright with all of you let's leave first thing in the morning."

"Sounds like a good idea to me partner." Applejack stated with the others nodding their heads in agreement.

Remembering the main reason she had asked him to come over to the boutique in the first place, Rarity pulled out an unfinished dark grey hooded trench coat of the nearby rack, "Now that everything is settled could you try this on for me darling? I need to see what improvements would be best for this."

With a smile Greymane slipped the outfit on, "Not a problem."

As he put on the coat it gave him a strange yet familiar feeling, as if it was natural to him. He disregarded the feeling as Rarity got to work on tweaking its design to give it just the right look. Turning to look at a mirror on his left he saw a faint image of himself in a worn torn cloak in the same color that gently flapped with a gentle breeze, staring at the image he could see that his own eyes will filled with self loathing; as to why he could not tell. In time the image faded and he could see his reflection as Rarity worked around him constantly muttering her own thoughts, as she worked they made plans as to what they would need for the trip and planned for camping in the woods if necessary, and though they gave him much hope fear and uncertainty filled his mind bringing forth doubt as he mentally questioned if this was the right thing to do.

That night he found it hard to sleep knowing he would finally have some clue as to who he is while at the same time questioned if he could continue to be who he had become. As he tried to contemplate the situation pieces of his memory that seemed scattered started to click together and make some sense, these pieces caused his mind to re-open and allowing him to see the ghostly serpent once more outside of Fluttershy's cottage. As he rushed out of her home to where he saw the figure he noticed it was gone, almost as if it was never there to begin with. Trying to disregarded it he guessed it was just his mind playing tricks on him and went back inside to try and get some sleep for the long trip he had the following morning.

---

Early the next morning they all gathered on the train ready to set off to discover more of Greymane's past, they had nothing on their minds but excitement. Greymane however was full of doubt, but all this did was bring out a strange feeling of determination that seemed to broaden his view as well as his mind. As they traveled he drowned out the noise around him as he stared out the window constantly thinking about the situation and what it could bring, each moment brought a new idea, a new hope, as well as a new fear.

The worst of his fears was to find he was some horrible pony that needs to be put down like a wild, rabid animal. The least of his fears was it could just be some prank and it could all be just a waste of time, and though it seemed like it could be a cruel trick he hoped for this to be the outcome. The more he pondered the situation the more often he saw the ghost like serpent fade in and out in front of his very eyes, almost as if it was following him. As he turned his head away from the window he could see that even though they were excited for him, shaking off the feeling of being followed he put on a smile just for them in the hopes they could not see through his little act.

As they continued to travel Greymane couldn't help but look over his shoulder, only to spot the ghostly figure every now and again. The more he saw it the greater his determination seemed to strangely grow, almost as if the ghost seemed to push him farther. As they came to a small clearing Greymane took one last look over his shoulder only to make eye contact with the figure, what he saw was not what he expected. In most tales dealing with ghosts their eyes were either pitch black, or the pupils were faded. This one's eyes seemed to shine brighter than the sun nearly blinding him.

The blinding light brought forth the word 'Advocate' to his mind almost as if it seemed to contact him, "Did anypony else see that?"

As he turned to look back at them he saw they were confused Applejack however felt that it could be more than just his nerves being rattled at the moment, "Perhaps it would be best if we set camp, after all ya seem to be under a bit of stress at the moment. It could be causing ya'll to see things sugar cube."

Realising he was the only one that saw the figure he knew either Applejack was right, or whatever this thing was it was doing all it could to try and remain hidden, "You might be right, but let's keep going for now. We've all come this far, no sense in stopping now just because of me."

As he shrugged off the thought of being followed by a ghost the feeling of being watched stayed on his mind, causing him to worry over who it could be that was following them. It was several hours till they came to the burnt ruins of an old building, many of the signs that once marked rooms and even the name of the building where either too charred to read or far too aged by time. All that they could tell was the building was at least two stories tall, and took up about as much space as the grand ball room back at the Castle of Canterlot.

As they looked around Twilight couldn't help but notice the many burned toys that littered the ground, "What was this place, a toy shop?"

As they continued to look around they all noticed several rows of beds that made Fluttershy worry over what might have happen, "Oh I wish I knew, it seems as though they may have been a daycare center, or maybe a summer camp."

As they all looked around Greymane's memories slowly started to flow back like a small river as he pieced everything together, then into a raging river with each little step as though he was walking with in his own home. Before his eyes shadows seemed to move in the shapes of young foals and ponies. As he followed one up a set of stairs he found an office filled with paperwork, as the shadows continued to move before his eyes faint images began to pass themselves alongside the shadows and linked to voices as names slowly made their way back.

As the memories started to come forth he felt weak in his knees as he stumbled down the stairs while everything started to unfold right in front of him. As the girls looked at him they saw how his expression went from excitement strait to pain and remorse. As he walked the voices started to make their way as the many shadows moved and played about right before his very eyes.

He could hear the playful laughter of foals as his mind started to piece everything together.

As his memories came into the light he could hear conversations he had long ago, 'Don't worry brother I'll always be there for you no matter what.'

Some where even promises he made, 'Big browther, will you always be here to keep us safe?'

As he dropped to his flank he began to cry as he whispered, "I promise, nothing will happen to any of you."

As the girls made their way to his side in hopes of comforting him they watched as he rushed off and reached under a bed three rows down and pull out a doll.

"Grey...are you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked as he held up the doll close to his chest while trying to fight his tears.

"This belonged to Samantha, it was her favorite." Turning around they could see his fight was in vain as he pointed across to a bed with some carved artwork into it. "And there..." Standing up he walked towards the bed, "...that was David's bed..." Feeling out the carvings his tears ran down his face, "...he learned how to whittle wood with just a spoon into some fine pieces of art. Yes as I recall he got a cutie mark for that, though Sister didn't like him carving up the bed's too much; I would often bring him back a log or even half a piece of firewood so he could have some fun."

As they started to smile knowing his memories were coming back they also worried as to what this could also mean, and though he continued to cry Fluttershy flew over and placed her hoof on his shoulder, "What else do you remember?"

"Up there was my adoptive sister's office, she and I were orphans..." Letting out a laugh filled sigh as his tears dampened his face, "...this place was an orphanage." As his memories of the place flowed back to him it all went from a roaring river to an over flowing dam that had just broken as he rushed straight to the fairly good sized bed in the middle of the open area with an odd hump on it, "I grew up here. Every pony here called me brother, I never had a real name."

"Brother...hmm...well it's not Greymane but it's better than nothing." Pinkie stated as she started hopping around. “But if it’s all the same to you we’ll keep calling you Greymane, after all it that’s what we’ve known you as for some time now.”

As he looked on at the bed he reached up and grabbed the blanket that covered the small mound, "This was my bed..." With fear taking hold of him his hoof started to shake as he slowly removed the cover to reveal several burned bodies of many of the foals he once knew causing him to cry out their names, "Samantha...David...Timothy...Jackie...everypony..." Slamming his hooves on the ground as he dropped to his knees he cried out, "...I PROMISED YOU I WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE!!!! And now..." Slowly looking up he felt that however they died it was his fault, "...what has happened, who could have...no, no, NO! I'm such a horrible pony, what ever happened here you still believed I would come to save all of you. That's why you came to my bed expecting me to be there. I've let you all down."

As he began to cry Applejack took notice of the situation and knew there was nothing more any of them could do, "Come on everypony let's give him a moment to sort this out. If you need us we won't be too far, will be making camp back at the clearing just over yonder."

As they left they could hear his pain and guilt filled cries as he attempted to sort things out. As he cried he constantly damned himself for the situation, and for not knowing what had transpired here. Looking up at them he could see they all held on to each other hoping for the best never knowing that he would never come to their aid.

As his tears flowed like a river his rage began to take hold, "WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!?!"

As he shouted the ghostly snake he had seen before had made itself known to him as it took on a physical form, "Because you were never here for what happened!"

As the strange creature took on its physical form it seemed to imitate Greymane's image with one exception, a scar over his right eye, "Who are you...what are you...and why did you take that appearance?" He inquired as he fell back scared of what had just come before him.

As the creature looked at its hoof it scoff under his breath as he spoke, "I see not everything has returned yet." Looking back at Greymane it faded in and out before his eyes as it moved around him without disturbing the ground beneath its self, "Me? I am a leviathan, it is also what you have always called me. As for my appearance, it's a form easier for your mind to handle though to you I look like the pony that once spared my life."

"A Leviathan? Okay...please tell me what happened here." He asked as he stood up with eyes full of hope as he tried to take hold of the creature.

"Simple...the guard from one of the many kingdoms is what happened here. They were looking for you. It took them some time after you had gone to Tartaros to figure out that you came here every once in awhile. Sadly for the young foals that once lived here they thought you were teaching them to one day do what you do. So they chose to be safe rather than sorry and burned this place down with every pony still inside. I'm sure you can still hear their screams, every last one of them cried out for your help...but you had chosen to steal the Medallion of Immortality. Sad isn't it..." Looking down at Greymane he could see he was already starting to hate himself, "...they helped you pay the price for it."

As his mind drew a blank, he stared on with a dumbfounded look, "What are you talking about, what's the Medallion of Immortality?"

As the leviathan floated toward Greymane he put his right hoof on his head, "Here let me help you REMEMBER!!"

As the hoof touched his head he could feel a sharp object pierce him and draw forth memories that had remained suppressed, and for good reason. Though the piercing of his skin didn't hurt that much having his memories be forced back caused him such great pain that he shouted out in agony. As the memories came forth everything flashed before his eyes, all that he had done, all that he had become, and even who he truly was started to come back; and piece by, piece bit by bit he recalled everything even his escape from Tartaros.

In the distance the girls could hear his screams, and though Fluttershy jumped to her hooves and starred in the direction of the ruins she thought it was just him trying to make sense of everything, "Oh I hope he's okay...to remember everything at once and in this way it must be very hard on him right now."

Though they all felt they should go and see if he was alright Twilight attempted to reassure them of one bit of fact for the time being, "We all feel the same way Fluttershy, but none of us can pretend to know how he's feeling, the one place he called home is gone, and the only family he ever knew could be dead as far as any of us knows; though it is clear that most of them are. It's a bleak way to look at it I know but all we can do is let him sort it all out and be there to comfort him when he needs us."

---

At the ruins Greymane began to remember everything by force only with everything slowing down to a night some time before he first left for Tartaros, the very same night he last saw his sister. Though she had aged over the years she was still the same spitfire mare she had always been since they were foals whereas he had not aged a day thanks to the waters from the Fountain of Youth.

"How many times must I tell you not to come around here...these foals don't need your influence to take them down the wrong path in life." She claimed with a small hint of anger.

He looked back with shame and self loathing in his eyes, "I know...I just came by to say good bye for now, and to ask that you give this group some place safe to stay...I know I won't live forever and like you said no pony should ever have to take this path in life, so I'll make it end with me."

Knowing the pain he was in she couldn't help but attempt to wrap her hooves around him in the hopes that no matter what she said he would know that he was still welcome to come back home, "And just how are you going to do that?" She asked concerned for her only brother.

As he stepped back away from her in fear of himself while his voice trembled as he tried to tell her his plan, "I'm going to become immortal...I know what I need to do it. I'm going to steal the Medallion of Immortality from the pits of Tartaros. With it I can become immortal and no pony will ever have to walk in my hoof steps and make the mistakes I've made."

Staring at her brother baffled as to why he stepped back she could tell that something was making him fearful of far more than just his own actions, however she had larger problems knowing that without him the hope the foals had would slowly dim and fade, "And what should I tell them...I don't want you to influence them down the wrong path, but they love it when you come around and show them that with hard work and determination you can shoot for the sky and get the stars. It's that hope they need in life right now and you bring it to them every time you come around."

As he turned and wiped the tears from his eyes he could see the faint flicker of torches in the distance near the road, "Tell them...tell them the truth...it's too dangerous for me to come around here for a while. The many different guards have increased the patrols in the forest, and I don't want anything to happen to them."

Standing next to him under the night sky she looked on with a blank stare, "And how long will you be gone?"

"If everything goes the way I have planed..." Taking a few steps he looked back unable to smile, "...I'll be in Tartaros for two weeks."

Worried for the safety of her foolish little brother she couldn't help but shed a few tears as her voice trembled, "And if not?"

Bowing his head he pulled the hood of his cloak over as he slowly walked away, "Three months at the worst, after all I'm Greymane; there isn't anypony in the world who can stop me."

---

As his memory flashed through to his first day in Ponyville he knew who he was and could remember everything. As he raised his head from his hooves he looked up at the leviathan and his new appearance. Looking on he saw the leviathan's lower half was that of a giant snake while his upper half looked like a mix of a young dragon and an ancient dragon.

Looking at the ruins of the place he had all the answers to his questions save for one, "I...ah..." Struggling to stand he soon made eye contact with the leviathan, "...how long?"

"Hmm?"

"How long have I been gone? Two...three months?" He begged fearful of the answer that was soon to follow, knowing that he truly did not wish to have the answer.

"Try one thousand years...and look you even have the medallion now. But let me ask you is the price worth it. To gain immortality it cost you the life of every pony close to your heart, though the price isn't payed in full yet."

Taking off the medallion and held it in one hoof realising the mistake he made in taking on such a foolish venture and tossed it to the ground in front of the leviathan, "...Immortality...hmph...take the damn thing, no pony, not even myself should be allowed immortality if even one life has to be taken as payment."

Picking up the medallion with his jagged claws he looked at Greymane, "Pity..." Turning his head he stared towards Canterlot as he hinted away towards something, "...the last payment is going to be made in a couple of weeks."

Stunned he rushed over and grabbed the leviathan, "Payment...what do you mean the last payment will be made soon.?"

"Search your heart. You'll find the answer."

As he began to rush through his thoughts he began to think of ponies who had been close to his heart. As he drew them up one by one he knew that many of them had long passed from this world and are no longer among the living, with the exception of Twilight and the others whom he had only known for a few years. Till he remembered how his heart raced, and left him weak in the knees at the sight of one mare.

As an image of Luna came to his mind his heart raced as it sank into disrepair, "No, NO, LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS!!! She has nothing to do with this, TAKE ME INSTEAD!" As he dropped to his flank he began to cry once more as he begged for Luna’s safety, "If any pony deserves death its me...please spare her...I'll do anything. Luna, don't let anything happen to her."

Using just one claw he pushed Greymane back with a little effort, "It's not my choice to make, nor is it I who will do the deed. In the next couple of weeks Canterlot will come under attack, and all because you made one bad choice and wouldn't listen to me when I told you not to go after the medallion. I even warned you a few years ago to leave Ponyville. I had even feared that one day, one of the Greymanes would be the end of a nation, so I'll let you mourn over your loss, then I'll take your life before I try to clean up the mess you've made and replace you with someone who can do the job right."

As he looked at his hooves his darkest memory came forth and he could see the blood that once stained them, he even once asked for a way to repent for that night and now he sees a chance though it was slim, "Give me a chance to repent for all that I've done..." Looking up he stared the leviathan in the eyes, "...I can still make things right."

"And just why should I let you? For all I know you could just make matters worse."

"Because I remember that prophecy, and it said that a Greymane could, not will...there's still time."

As the leviathan looked deep in his eyes he could see that the former Greymane had influenced him in such a way that it became one of his many driving forces, "You're just like him, you're just like all of them..." Letting out a disgruntled sigh he knew that this was the right choice, either Greymane succeeded in his endeavor or he died trying, "...fine then but you must first go to the cavern where you first donned the name Greymane, and prepare."

Attempting to rush off for the train Greymane feared for the worst, "No, that would take too long I have to get to Canterlot now."

As Greymane tired to run off the leviathan took on his astral state and flew ahead of him slowing him down, "You fool the cavern that you trained in is under Canterlot. The entire city sits right above the crystal caverns, I would be amazed that no pony found the cave but then again it would take a mega spell from the combined efforts of three alicorns to force that place open. In a way you can be thankful about that."

As he pondered the situation he knew that his home in the cavern would have many tools that could help, "Very well then..." Looking down the path they walked he could see the camp fire the girls had made, "...but I'm still going to warn the girls, they can use the elements of harmony. Should I fail then they can still save all of Canterlot."

Knowing how frail the balance of power had become the leviathan knew the only way a war between Equestria and Tartaros could be avoided was to trust his advocate just like in the days of old, "If you think they can help then go to them...after all even though you are my advocate..." Pausing for the moment he almost hated saying what came next, "...you're free to do as you please to handle the task presented before you."

As Greymane ran to the girls to warn them they are needed in Canterlot, the leviathan looked at the medallion pondering what to do with the artifact as it started to whisper into his mind, "You want me to return you to him?" As he listened to the artifact explained its plan, "I see, you've chosen not to take any lives as payment but instead have chosen to test him..." With a slight chuckle he tucked the medallion under one of his scales, "...very well then, let's see how he does."

As the Leviathan faded from sight to enter the astral plain the night sky slowly took its place as Greymane ran back to the girls. As the moon started to shine through the night his heart began to race as his mind began to fear the worst possible outcome, while he pondered who of his many enemies that could still be alive that would would have not only the forces, but the power to target Canterlot. What drew an even bigger question to his mind was how did they find out about his tiny connection to Luna.

As he arrived he was short of breath but did what he could to warn them between gasps for air, "Girls...you're needed...in Canterlot, something terrible is headed there and the Elements of Harmony are needed."

Not sure as to what to believe Twilight turned and looked at him with a confused expression, "What...are you sure?"

Believing he was still missing a lot of his memory Pinkie popped up from behind Twilight as if she had been there the whole time that or a parasitic twin as she did seem to be coming out of her mane, "How can you be sure...all we found here was this burned down orphanage. Oh...sorry." She embarrassingly smiled as she let out a nervous laugh.

Knowing that time was of the essence Greymane did what he could to get them moving, "All of my memories are back, I remember everything. But now is not the time for questions or explanations get going I'll meet every pony there."

"Hold up there for a moment partner, if we are needed in Canterlot how did you find out before we did? And what's more where do you think your heading? Just moments ago you were having an emotional break down." Though Applejack’s questions were spot on and had the others nodding in agreement, even she slightly agreed that if Canterlot was in danger then they couldn’t stand around talking.

Knowing he couldn't give them a straight answer and that time was not on their side he punched a tree nearly breaking it in half, "I swear I'll take the time to answer all of your questions when the time comes. For now everypony needs to get moving, as for me, there's a place that holds something I need to get." He stated as he turned in the direction of his cavern and started to walk off.

Flying in front of him hoping to stop him if even for a moment Fluttershy put her hooves on his shoulders fearing that he wasn't telling them everything, "Where are you going...please tell us."

As he looked at Fluttershy he tried to ignore her as he turned his head and saw they all had the same worried look and with an uneasy sigh he lowered his head, "...I'm headed to my home. My second home to be accurate, there I will gather several things that I hope will help depending on what is on its way to Canterlot, now don't worry about me I'll be fine. Just head to Canterlot and I'll meet you all there."

As he moved Fluttershy out of the way he took off running as fast as he could, looking behind himself he saw them give chase. As Rainbow Dash started to catch up with Greymane he did what he could to put some distance between himself and all of them, turning behind a tree he quickly climbed it to hide in its branches and leaves. As they turned at the tree they saw he was nowhere to be found, almost as if he was never there and for a moment they feared something had happen to him, but they still worried about what he had warned them about.

Taking his word as truth they turned back hoping to see him later, as they gathered their things and traveled back to the train station using a torch Applejack put together in almost no time at all. Unknown to all of them Greymane had followed them back to the train, and chose to ride on the roof of the lead car all the way back to the base of the mountain to Canterlot. As the train neared the first tunnel Greymane started running to the rear of the train to time his jump, one roof top after another he ran till he came to the last one and jumped straight up and bounced off the railing of the tunnel to make his landing on the ground a safe one.

---

Walking around to the right of the tunnel far out of sight of the tracks he came to the entrance still sealed off. Moving the small stone out of place and setting it back the main entrance opened, walking in he pulled out the hidden torch and struck a flame, once he had light he pulled on a stone as he entered the cave so the main entrance would close off. As he made his way to the back his mind drew up old yet happy memories of his time spent here.

Walking over to the few pony-kins that were in the far corner to the right of his bed he looked at the three cloaks as he pulled his spare off the one on the right. Looking at the one in the middle gave hims feelings of sentimentality as he dressed himself. Walking away he went to his old chemistry set that seemed to have survived the test of time and got to work using what little ingredients he had left.

Toward the end of the second week the powder he was working on finally settled and was ready to be bagged. Sadly he only had enough to make three small half ounce bags. Looking at them he remembered how many times this powder had got him out of many sticky situations while granting him the illusion that he could cast magic and teleport. The powder was a strangely rare and unstable mix that required time to make, once it hits a hard surface the powder would instantly turn to smoke granting a small window of opportunity to teleport anything caught in it any where within five miles. Greymane had even once discovered that in the event that he couldn't make them hit a close enough surface he could use other means to get the powder to work, either by hitting his own body with the bag or in the rare case when he could not move, smashing the bag under his hoof or with the weight of his body.

When the time came he took the lower face mask that once belonged to his father and put it on, "Father..." Letting out a morn filled sigh he looked at the pony kin that still had on his father's cloak, "...I'm sorry I failed you and every pony I ever cared about..." Placing his hoof on his chest as he bowed his head Greymane closed his eyes, "...but I'm going to make things right...even if I must die to make it happen." As he went to the back of the cave he shouted the words that allowed him to open any magical lock. "IFTAH YA SIMSIM."

As he made his way up through the crystal cavern the back entrance to the cave sealed itself up. Rushing through the cavern, he hoped that there was still time, more importantly that he was not late. Making his way out of the cavern off simple sounds and what little light shined through he could hear the clanking of armor get louder and louder as he neared the surface. Popping out behind a bush he saw Twilight and the others walking with both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, keeping hidden from them and the royal guard as best he could he followed them to make sure they stayed safe while keeping his distance as to not draw any attention to himself.

He sighed with relief to know that they were safe... ...for now.

Comments

[grey mane]

2280847 thanks for the heads up, its been a while since the last time i did try to write something so i will try and fix it