A strange and powerful being took pity on the poor soul known as Asriel Dreemerr, and decided it would be best for him to reestablish his compasion by sending him to the best place to do so, Equestria.
In the depths of Mt. Ebott, a voice through Space-Time echoed softly through the cavern, and in its center where daylight shone through, lay a flower patch where a young soulless monster sat glumly. Suddenly the monster is thrown into a world where peace and Harmony reign.
Through time and space, a voice echoed through the void of realities. The voice pleaded, until its determination grew strong enough to penetrate the barrier to the looped timeline. In response, a scattered entity chuckled at the sentiment.
‘Reality... is interesting is it not?’ they asked.
‘…’ No response.
They chuckled, ‘The results for this timeline are strange indeed. Clearly a variant that deviates from the intended timeline."
A sighing sound could be heard, ‘Where does the voice come from if I might ask?’ they finally replied.
The first entity chuckles again with a little more mirth, ‘Another reality, where love and kindness reign. They have seen us many times with sorrow in their eyes.’
The second entity's interest perked, ‘Should we let the voice break through, G?’
‘Such an act would break this copy, but this may be our only chance to see something new.’
'...' No response.
‘They call for young Asriel Dreemurr.'
Surprise overtook the second entity, ‘The young boss Monster?' They questioned, 'Why?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine, but I've come to hypothesize that they pity him, and that he might do better there. Sentimental creatures they are, it boggles my mind.’
‘So we are going to let them break our reality to save a single Boss Monster?’ The second entity scoffed.
‘Seems like it, after all, it’s what the player that controls this timeline's Character wanted most. They won’t know it of course, to them the game will be broken.' G replied.
‘… Perhaps it wasn't so wise of the dog to put such a dependency on a single being.’ They shot back.
G thought for a moment, ‘Perhaps,’ They thought a little harder, ‘However, you must keep in mind that this is only one copy Universe that won’t make a difference in the grand scheme of things. I doubt the dog would mind too much if one copy of his creation were to venture beyond his world and onto the next.’ Let alone get destroyed, They thought.
'Lets get to the point G, will there be any resets in this world?'
'I'm quite certain that there will be... Actually... I think we may have already reset.'
The second entity perked a little more, ‘... Before we break the game, might I at least save the code of the other entities.’
‘Whatever for?’ G asked.
‘I have my reasons. You may see them as nothing more than useless data, but i’m more sentimental, besides, they may be useful.’
‘Do as you wish, but quickly, it is almost time.’
The voice echoed softly through the cavern, and in its center where daylight shone through, lay a flower patch where a young monster sat glumly. His floppy ears perked as the sound reached him. Surprised, the little monster stood and turned his attention away from the small patch of flowers, “Who’s there?" He looked all around the dark room of the ruins, but not a soul could be found. Did I imagine it? Scratching his head, he turned back towards the patch of flowers, waiting reluctantly for the time that he will once again be among them, heartless and without love for the rest of time. He sighed, “I imagine that I’ve been doing this awhile.” He said to himself. A sad smile spread on his face as he curled up in the patch, “I saw it in his eyes, the recognition, the sad and knowing look he gave me.” His voice echoed through the cavern system, “He just doesn’t give up, always trying to find a way.” His smile vanished, “but he’ll figure out soon that there's no hope for me. I doubt even his determination can help me.” A sinking feeling began to run through the little monster, “Almost time huh?” He chuckled at his doom. “Perhaps this will be the last time. Then I can finally be at peace.”
A loud Crack! Echoed through the cave.
The sound was loud. Bright light filtered through the ground as it began to give way. A series of numbers followed by computer processing noises began to appear and disperse along with the ground. Asriel let out a yelp as he quickly got to his feet and backed away from the hole in the ground. What in blue bla… Whah! Without warning the ground broke from underneath him. The light blinded him. Air rushed around him as he fell from the Underworld. Blue and green spun around him as his vision cleared. Asriel’s heart throbbed as he controlled his spinning. Adrenaline rushed as he began screaming, Oh my god oh my god! I’m going to die!
The wind rushed at him as he made his way towards the ground. Silently he prayed and gulped, Not like I had much to live for to begin with, he thought. Asriel closed his eyes accepting his fate. Suddenly he landed on something soft.
He squirmed around in discomfort before getting his bearings. Taking deep gulps of air to calm his wild heart, he began noting that he had not hit the ground, and was instead floating on a white fluffy puffball that was way too solid to be a cloud (not that he has been on clouds before).
The monster’s heart beat wildly for what seemed like forever as he gasped for breath, I’m alive! He began laughing before a thought occurred to him. Gripping the cloud, he stretched his neck over the edge to look down below. He was uncomfortably high in the sky on top of a little island of white fluff.
Okay Asriel, you're on what might be a cloud in the sky, He analyzed, You’re safe for the moment, not dead, not a flower yet, and still uncomfortably high in the sky… Many things were wrong with this picture but that didn’t matter at the moment, getting on solid ground was the more immediate problem.
What could be estimated as thirty minutes passed as Asriel waited on his fluffy gas water island. The chill in the air began to bite through the little monster. Shivering, Asriel looked down for a lower cloud to hop onto, and as luck would have it, a couple seemed to begin to move far beneath him. He had his eyes on one particular cloud that was just borderline. At first, it seemed that the larger cloud wasn't going to move anymore in his favor, but he noticed that as the cloud touched the border of the forest underneath it, the direction it was heading shifted into a desired position. Asriel gulped, “Now or never.” As soon as he was sure of it being a target, determination gave him the extra push to jump off of his cloud and onto the next.
He had originally planned on grabbing the top of the tree's branches to climb downward from once he landed, but as he observed that was now impossible, as the cloud he jumped on spiraled out of control, moving further within the forest at a speed that prevented him from grabbing any one tree.
Panic began to well in the little monster as the thing zoomed further and further into the forest. Thinking on his feet, the monster began the works of casting a fire palm spell. He planted himself as firmly as he could in the cloud, If I could just create enough force from the blast, maybe I can slow the cloud down and reverse the direction. It's worth a shot, He thought. He had estimated that his magical aura was low due to the lack of living soul within him, that and the fact that he was magically stunted from the disconnection between him and his parents didn’t help his cause. Knowing both of these facts, Asriel mustered every bit of his living energy into the spell, but what was unbeknownst to him was that he now resided in a world near completely composed of magic unlike his own, thus, as he was a being of pure magic, amplified his abilities quite a bit.
A massive jet of superheated plasma erupted from Asriel's palms, not just stopping the cloud, but actually moving it the opposite way at an increased speed. The Forest below disintegrating instantly.
Asriel stayed as firm as he could against the crushing force that was propelling him backwards. Sweat poured down his brow as he watched in shock of the destruction that was taking place, Ah! Turn it off, turn it off! He suddenly felt his floppy white ears get hot as they neared the plasma jettisoning from his hands. Startled, Asriel threw his hands up. That was a mistake. He blasted through the cloud and into the forest floor, the impact ending the spell.
"Ugh..." He clutched his forehead, "Sss... ah." This was not turning out to be a good day. He opened up an eye to see his mess in the distance. The smoke hit his nose, and heat began to rise. It would not be a good idea to stay here longer than need be, as it appeared that this fire was going to spread into his general area. Luckily the way out of the forest was the opposite direction of the fire, and due to his achievement in redirecting the cloud, all seemed as if he were to exit the forest peacefully. He took his first step snapping a twig, Uh oh, a bunch of yellow green eyes that resided in the surrounding dark underbrush opened and glared.
His yells could be heard miles wide, disturbing the birds and other small creatures that were not yet affected by the fire. He huffed as he ran as fast as his feet would take him away from the wooden wolves who were chasing him hungrily. Asriel did not get the time to explain to them why he would not make a good meal; he was much more preoccupied with keeping ahold of his life to worry about that.
Asriel started tearing up as the chase continued, fighting desperately for dear life. Why fight so hard to keep going...? He thought. What's the point in running anymore...?
He began to slow minutes later as exhaustion from the excessive amount of magic caught up with him, tears were streaming from his eyes as he felt oblivion and loneliness crept over him. Memories began to pop up, of his mother and father, how he betrayed them, tried to kill them in his feverish ideals of “Kill or be killed.” He had hurt them all.
Asriel ran until he met a cliff side.Turning around, he stared at the beings who were going to tear at him soon, but he didn't care anymore. He had no place in life, everyone thought he was dead anyway, so no one would wonder where he was, the only person who might have even cared for his absence would be...
Frisk, He thought. "Frisk, he would care!" Determination suddenly filled him as he remembered the friend who forgave him, the friend who had saved him from himself, the friend who had reset the world multiple times just to find a way to save him.
Asriel turned, grasping ahold of his magic and taking a stance, held out his claw with his renewed strength. He brought forth a spell, "Chrome Blitz!" he yelled. His voice echoed and resonated with strength as his hand glowed brightly. Rainbow projectiles of energy shot out at the beasts. The wolves stopped in surprise as the the creature they were hunting fought back. The blitz suddenly collided in midair, bursting into bright light that blinded the assailants long enough to give the little monster a chance to escape.
In an instant, Asriel's legs took him far away from the beasts that he had spared. As soon as he was sure that he was in the clear, Asriel stopped to take a breath. He was exhausted beyond belief, but determination still filled him. I will not falter; I will continue, for Frisk, for my family, and for all other monsters. A fire burned in his eyes. With breath now caught, Asriel continued on, away from the forest fire and towards that of which he hoped led out of this forsaken place.
~ ::: ~
Walking for three hours in the dense forest, Asriel quickly perked as he stumbled upon a path, Yes! This ought to lead out of this place. He stopped for a second before shivering. Paths imply civilization, Hope whoever made this is friendly to monsters, he wondered. He began to walk a small distance from the road in fear of a passersby who might see him, only walking on it when he couldn't maneuver around it.
Asriel’s mind drifted into thought of his current predicament. So, I fell from the sky from the Underground, I can for some reason walk on clouds, my magic is stronger than it really should be, caused a Forest fire because of it, and I fought off wooden wolves. He sighed, What the heck is going on? Why aren't I a flower yet? What was that in the cavern? Asriel hushed his mental questions for they were beginning to hurt. It had appeared that fate had given him a new chapter to venture onto; one that could lead anywhere by this point.
Now that I think about it, there was a voice before everything fell apart, what did the voices say? He didn't remember, only that it had sounded deeply saddened.
The path began to widen as the tree line thinned. The Monster gasped at what was revealed besides the path. A beautiful cottage surrounded with all kinds of plant life along with that of small scampering and flying critters. Asriel was filled with hope at the first signs of civilization, but immediate doubt clouded him. He knew he was above the surface, and that humans... well, didn't always interact very well with monsters, a fact he particularly knew very well.
Gingerly he walked over the small bridge that led right to the house's door. Maybe they're nice? About to knock, Asriel stopped at the last second, taking another deep breath, "Okay Asriel you can do this, of course a human who probably doesn't know about monsters will let you in." He sighed at those not so words of self inspiration he told himself.
He was a second from knocking again, but just as his fist was about to meet the door, the knob turned and revealed... a yellow pony?
They had both stood there for a moment staring at each other in confusion. The yellow pony had dropped the basket she was holding and squeed. She had moved so quickly all around him before she looked directly into his eyes, "Oh my, You are such an adorable thing, I have never seen anything like you before, What are you? Where do you come from?" she said in a low sweet excited voice.
Asriel had blinked several times before waking from his stupor, Well this is unexpected, "Oh, uh... well…”
She gasped, “Oh my, you're hurt! Please, come on in and make yourself at home while I get my first aid.” She darted back inside leaving the door open with a stunned Asriel waiting. Something of her nature was… Familiar. Asriel took a cautious step inside the house to find it completely inhabited by small animals. The small pony returned with a white bag with the image of a red cross. “You can sit on my couch over there if you want, I just need to get a few more things ready. She sat the bag on a nearby table before flying back upstairs. Most of the animals were staring at Asriel by this point, most with curiosity, couple with mistrusting expressions but one seemed to glare at him with distaste.
The cream pony came back down, “Sorry I was so gone long, let me take care of those wounds of yours.”
Asriel sat on the low green couch as the Pegasus grabbed his arm.
“Oh my, these are burn marks,” She looked him over, “ Oh! and there is soot all over you.” She gasped, “Oh no, you were caught in that fire miles back weren’t you?”
“Y-yes ma’am, I-I was.” He bit his lip, guilt creeping down his back. Asriel’s mind suddenly locked up as sweat beaded on his skin. Things were making less and less sense as things continued to progress.
She began to wrap the wounds on his hands and arms, “You're the sixth one today to come in from that fire. I was just about to leave to warn the town of it.” She frowned, “It doesn't make much sense to me though, the town elders once said that the Everfree cannot simply be set on fire like any normal forest because its magical aura prevents it from ever catching flame. That's what I heard at least.” She looked into Asriel’s eyes, “I should probably introduce myself, my name is Fluttershy, Ponyville Veterinarian.”
The little monster nodded, “Asriel Dreemurr, Prince of the...” He bit his tongue, “Former, Prince of the Underground.” He finished.
Fluttershy cooly smiled, “Well, it’s certainly nice to meet you Asriel.” She decided to let the ‘Prince’ part be, as it seemed to have pain written on it. Poor thing, She thought. She changed the subject, “So what exactly are you Asriel? If you don't mind me asking that is?”
“I don’t mind,” Asriel replied, “My kind isn’t particularly common where i’m from, we’re quite rare nowadays.” He pondered for a moment, “Anyway, i’m what’s called a Boss Monster, we’re generally a higher class of monster that watches over and protectorate all the other kind of monsters.”
Fluttershy nodded, “Is Boss Monster the actual name of your kind?” She asked.
Asriel internally sighed, “Yeah, that's what everyone calls us.” Unoriginality runs in the family I guess. Asriel grew slightly flustered.
Fluttershy giggled.
Suddenly a frantic hawk swooped down from a window and cawed loudly as it flew and circled Fluttershy three times before perching in a nearby hoof crafted bird perch.
Fluttershy perked her ears as she walked right over to the bird, "Come by that again? You know what caused it?”
The bird cawed once more as Fluttershy's face turned into that of disbelief, "What?!" She quietly yelled, before apologizing to the bird of her outburst, "How?"
As the bird tweeted on, Asriel felt a weight in his stomach. What would this small gentle seeming winged pony do if she found that he had actually started the fire?
Fluttershy listened to the ranting bird before shaking her head in disbelief, "A purple fire breathing cloud? Are you sure?"
The bird nodded, and the stress flooded from Asriel, knowing that he had not gotten caught in the act of his moment of magical instability gave him a bit of peace. However, lying to this pony he did not want to do, not after her kindness and willingness to help him. He looked up to the pony's face with guilt, stress beginning to relapse in him. Mom did always say to face the consequences of my actions. "Fluttershy,” He started, “well, it wasn't actually a cloud that started the fire."
The bird cocked its head and gave him a rather odd stare while Fluttershy remained content and unwavering other than the fact that she was rather confused by the birds statement. "Continue."
"Well you see..." He twiddled his claws as he explained the whole event of him falling out of the sky, the rocketing cloud, and his attempt to move it in the opposite direction with his fire magic, resulting in the forest fire that now ravaged the Everfree.
Fluttershy closed her eyes as she nodded.
Asriel looked down, knowing that it hadn’t been the first time he’s made a muck of things, "Please, I'm sorry about this chaos I caused, I was deeply confused, I had no idea that my magic was stronger in this place."
Fluttershy stood there a moment thinking.
The seconds that passed felt unbearable to Asriel. Fluttershy open her eyes and sighed, "Are you really sorry about what you did?" she had asked him.
Asriel looked into her eyes, “I am, I never meant for it to happen.”
Fluttershy nodded, "Very well, I'll send you to my friend Twilight Sparkle's castle. She can help you, but first you should get cleaned up.
Hope had entered Asriel's eyes, "You're not mad or upset?"
Fluttershy coughed as she looked him over, "Well, I didn't say that, many animals are going to get hurt because of that fire.” A worried look crossed her face. “However, I don't blame you for being terrified and acting the way you did, after all, what you’ve been through does sound really terrifying. Besides, I had my suspicions as soon as you came here.” She finished her healing and smiled, “One of my friends once said that two coincidences on the same day are no coincidence at all… I think.”
Asriel stood dumbfounded.
“But, I do appreciate your honesty.” She warmly smiled until the smell of smoke grew to the point that it was now noticeable inside the house. Fluttershy turned, "Oh, this is not good." She flew around her cottage to gather equipment, "This area will have to be evacuated immediately, I'll have to get as many animals as I can out of the range of the fire." She quietly said to herself before turned to face Asriel, "Before that, we must get to town quickly, I'm sure that the fire is noticeable by now and..." she was cut off by the sudden bursting of the front door, revealing a heavily breathing neon blue winged pony.
"Fluttershy! you have to get out of... What in Tartarus is that!" She exclaimed as she pointed to Asriel.
Fluttershy unfazed by the pony’s brashness cleared her throat to get her attention, "Please don't be rude Rainbow, this is Asriel, and Asriel, this is my friend Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow scratched her chin with her hoof, "Sorry Shy." she apologized for her outburst, squinting and staring Asriel up and down as if she did not like his taste in striped shirts.
Asriel, hesitant for a moment, walked over to the pony and held out his hand, "Um... pleasure to meet you Miss Dash?"
Rainbow placed her hoof into his hand and shook, "... right..." She withdrew and looked back to Fluttershy, "Anyway where was I, ah yes, the Everfree is on fire and everypony in Ponyville gone haywire over it! Twilight is just about to put a barrier over Ponyville to protect it from the smoke and beasts that might come through, so she has told me to go get you and Zecora out of here before she does, so let's get the hay out of here now."
Fluttershy shook her head in disbelief, "The weather ponies aren't going to try to put it out!" She said as she held a gaze of true distress.
Rainbow shook her head, "We can't, you know the magic in that place, it would only destabilize our Weathermancy. It's practically impossible to stop it without getting the whole of Cloudsdale over here, and it still might not be a go even if it could get here."
Fluttershy sat down on her couch, momentarily putting down her equipment as she quietly vented before looking up with a glint of determination in her eyes, "I'm not going, Dash." she stated.
Rainbow's wings stiffened and ears flattened at the sound of Fluttershy's reply, "Shy, you know you can't stay here right? The smoke will be much more toxic than the breath of a sleeping dragon with halitosis, you could actually die if you stay here." Rainbow pleaded for her friend to reconsider, but Fluttershy would not have it.
"Somepony needs to help all of those animals to escape the fire's clutches Dash, and you need not worry about me, I'll most likely have Discord's aid, maybe even Zecora's too if she decides to stay."
Dash was about to attempt to persuade her friend once more, but one look from Fluttershy made her momentarily reconsider.
Her face suddenly went red, "I'll stay with you too then if that's the case Fluttershy." She began, "I can help you with saving animals in the forest, clear the smoke with my speed and stuff."
Fluttershy shook her head, "You are needed in Ponyville Dash, ponies there need you to help them with this situation, you can't abandon them, Scootaloo, Twilight and the others."
Rainbow grew even redder to the point where she looked like she was about to burst, "Fluttershy! They need you just as much as they need me! I would much rather stick my head in Tartarus than to leave you here, you know that! I refuse to leave you to burn in this place. Now you are leaving even if I have to tie you up and drag you to Ponyville myself, and don't you think I won't!" her hoof pounded the ground.
Fluttershy looked deep into her friend's eyes and teared up, "Dashie, I... I can't go. Too many here need me, I can...can't just leave them, " she sniffed, " just as much as you can't leave me. I love all of my animals, I.. I am just... unable to just leave them. You of all ponies should know that I can't leave them behind."
She slumped as tears streamed down her face.
A mouse tapped on the pony's foot holding up a tissue, which she gingerly took from and thanked afterward.
Dash began to recoil from her friends tears, the dilemma much clearer to her. "Shy..." She trailed not knowing what else to say. She understood the conflict the yellow mare faced. She couldn't simply just leave without having her heart torn apart in the process, she would hate herself for life if she just ran.
Dash felt tears well up in her eyes, but she refused to cry, "W...will you... promise to be safe?"She near gritted her teeth.
Flutter looked up to her and nodded, "I cross my heart, and hope to fly."
"Stick a cupcake in my eye." Dash finished. She sadly giggled a little bit, "You do know that Pinkie will get you if don't keep that promise now right?"
Fluttershy smiled and nodded before giving Dash a hug. She then turned to Asriel, who had just stood around awkwardly watching, then back to Dash, "Rainbow, can you take him to Twilight for me, he needs help and I would most appreciate it."
Dash nodded, wiping her eye.
"Good, protect him,” She pointed to Asriel who just stood awkwardly while the ponies argued, “this is my last request before we meet again. Remember, I guarantee to you and the others that I'm going to be fine."
Fluttershy turned to face Asriel and smiled, "You don't worry either little Asriel, I'm sure we'll meet again, hopefully during better circumstances though."
Asriel nodded and thanked the pony for her kindness.
Rainbow sighed, "On my back kid, we have one stop before we head to town.”
Asriel waved to Fluttershy as he climbed onto Rainbow's back once outside.
In a second, Rainbow said her farewells to the animal lover, and to Asriel's dismay, she immediately took off into the air with him on her.
The moment Asriel had climbed on the blue pony's back was the very same moment he regretted it. His heart immediately stopped as her wings unfurled from her side, letting Asriel know that she was indeed capable (despite her size) of flying with him on her.
The air rushed down at him in an instant as the pony skyrocketed into the air at high speeds, leaving nothing but a rainbow blur trail in her wake. She pushed the air below her faster and harder as she climbed high into the atmosphere with him on her back.
Tightly Asriel clung as the pilot didn't seem to have any realization that this was much too fast for him to take. It seemed like the climb upward was endless, but gradually, the pony did began decelerating until eventually she met a full stop, kicking Asriel up half an inch off of her. Not enough for him to fall off, but enough to make his skin crawl with dread of the possibility.
He shook as he looked down from the sky; he was high enough to see the bend of the world, and the point where the smoke from the fire began to dissipate.
"Whoa... buddy, you’re shaking like foal who had way too much Nightmare night candy, you alright?"
Asriel's teeth chittered from the cold. "W-why... how, did you co-come so high up? It's frigid." He refrained himself from getting upset with the pony. After all, she and Fluttershy did offer to help him. That seemed to be a lot to ask for considerably, as it meant for them to go out of their way just for someone they barely knew.
A small sad smile and sigh crept upon him, as this particularly was not too unfamiliar to the little monster. 'Oh Frisk.' he thought.
Rainbow responded, "Oh... Right, sorry kid, got carried away a little bit, hadn't come up here with you in mind. Pegasi are more tolerant up here than most other things, that and I'm much faster than the average flyer." She emphasized, "I also needed to get high enough to quickly spot the forest clearing, I'll head right down immediately so you don't, you know... die from the lack of air or something like that."
Asriel nodded as he held himself tightly to the pony's furry back, suddenly feeling her shifting wing muscles stop, air rushing around them as they plummeted from the sky at an angle. Rainbow Dash was used to it, even enjoyed the feeling the air trying to resist her at high speeds. It was invigorating to her, but the point being for this descent, was that it did not hinder her sight as she searched below for her target.
Ten seconds before she spotted it with her gifted avian-like eyes, smirking, she immediately began to shift gears to completely pull her wings inward. A definite bullseye for her.
Asriel looked down below as they both fell from the daring height and towards the forest. The wind pulled Asriel's ears back as he and the pony neared the ground little by little, faster and faster to the point where the ground seemed to be just a blur.
He shielded his eyes from the rushing air.
Unexpectedly, his ears began to tweak in response as he heard... the sound of bells?
Tinkle... tinkle
Time froze all around Asriel as everything grew into a black void, leaving nothing but him and the sweet notes that went through the air.
"Huh?" Asriel turned, finding that he was no longer on the back of the rainbow pony, but standing on top of nothingness. His mind spun as this had felt to be strangely familiar to him, a place once darkly ventured, Limbo.
Tinkle... sob, Tinkle
'Is that crying?' Asriel thought as he turned towards the sound. As he did so, his eyes caught the culprit for that of which made the sweet sound. A shiny blue bell which was hovering midair, lightly shifting around to make the noise.
Upon his approach, the bell suddenly stopped, the black void disappearing all around as time started ticking again. He was on Dash once more falling from the sky.
He was too stunned by the quick and confusing event to realise that his grip on the pony's neck had loosened, causing him to have been ripped from her back by the rushing air. The result leaving him to be in freefall as the pony descended without him.
His heart sank as the pony seemed to grow smaller and smaller. At the rate he was going, it would be too late before the pony could help him, let alone realize that he was gone.
Frantic, Asriel began to search for any cloud he could safely fall on, but none around were to be found. Attempting a fire spell to slow his descent was out of the question, as the events taking place earlier on taught him, 'what option was left?' he thought.
Asriel's eyes went wide as his... passenger revealed itself, a soul, one that wasn't there before, the bell, it screamed for his survival, 'I can't.' He thought, 'But I must...' his internal, yet stronger voice countered.
He clutched his chest with mixed feeling, his heart beat wildly against his chest, it was fear, true terror of death, but it wasn't his.
'I must reset.' He thought. 'It's the only way.'
He had felt it, the soul, but never noticed it before, the feeling were so natural, so subtle. The determination he felt, how could he not know before?
'Whose soul is this?'
Time then slowed down to a halt before it started moving backwards in motion, yet forward in time still. It was like falling in reverse. This kind of power didn't send him back to the past like how time travel is normally perceived, but rather it brought the past to the present while regular time moved forward as ever.
The pony came back up in reverse, gradually towards him as they moved high in the air.
The lowering smoke from the fire caught Asriel's eyes, oh how he wanted to undo his mistake, but going that far in time, he was not willing to do. It would mean accepting the monster he was before, even if it was for the greater good. The power represented only his sins, he did not want the totalitarianism, but in this case, it seemed unavoidable.
Asriel was nearing in reach of the pony, he halfheartedly extended his arms to grasp a hold of her tightly. He then felt his heartbeat slow as his determination to survive diminished with relief, allowing time to hence forth once more.
Instantly he felt the wind rushing at him.
Minutes passed as the unrealizing Rainbow slowed her descent until she met the forest floor, looking to be in a bit of a daze, "Whew, that oddly felt longer than usual." She turned towards the hut that was in front of her.
Asriel gingerly stepped off of the pony's back and onto the saint like soil that made up solid ground. He felt relieved by that fact, but it was short lived. He was angry, upset, betrayed, and he didn't know what to aim it at. His blood boiled at the thought of the taboo committed.
"Kid, you alright?" asked Rainbow noticing his anger.
Asriel turned to her, taking a deep breath to chill his nerves, "I'm fine thank you," he lied. Asriel was anything but fine, he possessed a soul that didn't belong to him, stolen and placed inside him without his knowing.
"Hey, my flying wasn't that bad was it?" She asked, "I mean, I don't usually have passengers but... yeah, I guess I could go slower next time. sound good to ya?"
"I wouldn't mind that, " Stated Asriel, whose anger began to diminish by the second, "But truly, it’s really not why I'm upset, it's just I remembered something of inconvenience."
Rainbow perked, "Well what is it?"
Asriel sighed, "I’d rather not talk about it."
Rainbow nodded in understanding, she had looked a bit upset herself, likely due to the defiance of her friend whom she obviously cared deeply for.
Asriel changed the subject, "How are you holding? It must not have been easy to have left your friend back there."
"It wasn't kid, believe me." She responded, "I was not kidding about what I said to her." She looked over the ornament in front of the hut, finding the masks still as creepy as they were back when she first saw them. She let out a sigh, "It goes against every part of me, never in my right mind would I leave her there, or anypony for that matter, but if I did force her into leaving, her fragile heart would shatter into tiny pieces. She would beat herself up over the 'what if's' and she might not ever recover from something like that. It’s where my loyalties conflict, I don't know how to explain it but..."
She stood for a minute before shrugging, "Well, no point in standing here like a pair of Cockatrice statues, let’s go get the witch doctor."
Rainbow quickly walked up to the door and knocked.
No answer.
Again she knocked, this time, the door slightly opened ajar on it's own, revealing the dimly lit room, the centerpiece being a green floating light.
Asriel moved towards the light, and upon the disturbance from his movements, the light flickered and morphed into the shape of a zebra Head.
"Hello," it spoke, "If you are friend who stumbled upon my home, then you should just go, for from the disaster I have fled, you too should go on ahead, go home in safety from the fire, for hardship in ponyville is about to transpire, beast of the Everfree will come in response, ponies in Ponyville they will taunt."
The message ended as it reformed into a shapeless glowing blob.
It was quiet afterwards.
~:::~
Rainbow felt real mad about the fact that she had to return without the two ponies that she was sent to get, and to instead bring back... a whatever it was that sat on her back. She didn't mention it, but it began to creep her out the way he moved and stood, walking on only two legs just didn't seem natural. But his freakiness however was made up by his adorable pillow crossed goat like appearance. It was similar to that of the situation with Spike, but that was a different story.
As she neared the edge of town, she rose into the air so that she could aim for her friend's castle in the center of it, a building completely made of crystal which was much bigger on the inside as Rainbow observed. It was quite a thing to behold, not to mention out of place in the small town, but since it was a place that an Equestrian ruler lived in, it was more than likely that the little quiet town of Ponyville, will one day become a bustling city similar to that of Canterlot or Manehattan.
Tourists and their cameras had already began to flood the place during the spring and summer, but Rainbow wasn't complaining, as she ate up their praises, posing in many of their pictures, some of which were involuntary for the tourists as she would fly in front of the camera.
Rainbow had began to steady herself onto the top balconies of the castle, and as she did so, Asriel climbed off of her back quickly with the look of relief plastered on his face.
Rainbow rolled her eyes as a smile crept up on her, she began to like the little guy. "Land lovers, can't understand them."
Asriel raised an eyebrow about to speak, but faltered, releasing his breath in a sigh.
She began to snicker for a minute, but stopped to regain her composure, "Alright, enough shenanigans, we really have to get to the Princess."
They both had nodded to each other and headed inside the castle. It was mostly empty, containing the bare minimum in the hallways. A couple tables and stairways that led up and down, but that seemed to be about it.
Asriel thought it to be the perfect moment to start up a conversation. He cleared his throat, "So... miss Dash, by the name of this place, is it, entirely composed of ponies?"
Rainbow turned her attention to him and nodded, "Yep, mostly, it’s not just the town though, the entire country is made up of the three pony races."
Asriel raised a brow, "Pony races?" He questioned.
Rainbow stopped and faced hoofed, "Are you an alien from another planet or something? How can you not know about the three races?"
Asriel shrugged, mildly paying attention, "Well I don't recognize any of this from history, nothing I know ever mentions it."
While it was true that he had never heard about Ponyville or the country it was in, he did know that the info that his home provided was extremely outdated when it came to the outside world, and often inaccurate as well. Even that being, he doubted that an entire race could have sprouted in the time monsters were isolated from the world, that, and the fact that unlike his home, almost every object in this place seemed to have reverberate with a magical signature, leaving him to the conclusion that he was in another world or dimension.
The Rainbow pony scoffed. "You sure, nothing at all? Did you live in a hole or something?"
Asriel narrowed his eyes at her and nodded, "For many many years untold, my race has been magically sealed underground after losing the war with humanity."
Rainbow shut her mouth and thought for a moment, not knowing what to say, "Oh... sorry."
Asriel's expression lightened, "That's alright, I'm just letting you know so that if you come across any monsters from where I come from, you don't accidentally offend them." He then gave her a reassuring smile to let her know that no offense was taken.
She nodded in understanding before switching the subject, "Okay, so what exactly are you anyway, a two-legged goat or something like that."
Asriel shook his head, "Well I'm not a goat, that’s one thing. I'm a monster, former prince of the underground, and son of Asgore, the king of all monsters."
Rainbow shrugged, "Cool... but what are you?"
Asriel sighed. "I'm a Boss Monster, that’s my race, not an original name I know, but if it makes you feel better, you can call me a somniare daemonium, it’s our proper name anyway."
Rainbow tried the pronunciation, "Som..somni.. semono... yeah it’s better for me to stick with an unoriginal name like boss monster rather than your fancy gibberish."
They had completely dropped the subject and instead talked about the pony races that governed the world's natural laws. Asriel had found it incredible that any of these beings could manipulate nature through a set magical principle, not as different as the magic monsters possessed, though it was much more of a tool of survival than that of necessity for universal stability.
They finally stopped as they had neared what appeared to be the main throne room, containing six and a half crystal thrones, and a large table in the center, standing on top of it, a purple winged unicorn, which looked to be trying to inscribe a circular pattern on it with a piece of purple chalk.
Twilight's ears perked up to the clopping sound of hooves getting closer and closer. Concentrating on her work and not wanting to be distracted, she had continued to hold her ancient tome to her face and finished etching out the alchemic symbol of the extreme barrier.
Rainbow rolled her eyes as she attempted to get the attention of her friend "Ahem, Twilight?"
"Ah, Rainbow," she said in surprise, "how was your trek? Did you evacuate Fluttershy and Zecora like I asked?"
"Well... Zecora already left ahead of time, but there was a bit of a problem concerning Fluttershy," Rainbow started.
At those words, Twilight put down the book, "Wait wha... " She trailed as she looked to Asriel, finally noticed him in the room.
He shifted uneasily at the pony's reaction of him.
Rainbow turned to Asriel, "Oh right, almost forgot, Twilight this is Asriel," she introduced, "I guess Fluttershy found him and told me to take him to you so you can help him or something like that."
The young boss monster lightly waved to her. "Howdy."
Twilight felt a headache come on, "Um, okay, what... what happened where Fluttershy was concerned? You lost me." She looked to Rainbow, attempting to look as if she wasn't at all frustrated. It failed as Rainbow began to catch on.
"You okay Twilight? you don't look so good."
Twilight suddenly jerked, "I-I'm fine, just a little tired is all, you understand don't you?" That was an understatement, prior to the fire, she had been working on new spell casting techniques for days without any sleep, rendering her usual processing.
Rainbow shrugged in response, "Yeah, it has been a long day for everypony."
Rainbow went on explaining to her about everything that had occurred concerning Fluttershy and the warning Zecora gave.
Twilight sighed, her headache getting worse, "You did everything you could Dash, it was her choice." She turned to the alchemy circle she had planted, "I'll need you two to leave the room for the moment so I can finish setting this up okay? I'll get to... Asriel afterward," She turned to him, "Are you fine with that?"
He nodded.
Rainbow too nodded, then turned to Asriel, "Come on kid, let’s let her finish her work."
Asriel began to walk out with her "Why do you keep calling me that? I told you, I'm not a goat."
They continued the debate until they were out of earshot from the Princess.
As soon as they were far enough away, Twilight took a deep breath of relief, "Oh boy, I'll have to inform Celestia of this." 'But first...' She thought as she looked to the seal she had created on the table.
She extended her magic into the circle, causing it to glow and reverberate with help of her magical aura. Suddenly after tending to it, the circle began to glow on its own as magenta energy shot towards the castle's magical star transceiver, allowing the entire spell to spread over the whole of Ponyville.
Twilight couldn't help but smile at her achievement, it was months ago when she had discovered the uses of the castles antenna originally designed to spread harmony magic over a certain square area in the form of a spectrum, she however learned that it could also spread any other type of magic as well, such as her alchemy spells.
Such powerful magic needed protecting, for if anypony were to use it for a darker purpose such as that of nightmare magic, then ultimately it would be disastrous for the whole of Equestria.
"Spike?" She called out, "I need you!" She heard the pitter patter of footsteps alongside a "I'm coming."
Panting, the little dragon bursted into the room, "I'm here, what is it you need?"
Twilight cleared her throat, "Letter to Celestia, code 3.1415926." she told him, reaction from the dragon was immediate.
"Yikes, that kind of letter?" exclaimed Spike. "What’s it about? is it the fire or something else really bad?"
Twilight paced, "It may or may not be a bad thing, but I would like the princess to immediately be informed of it."
Spike held out a piece of parchment and quill, "Ready when you are" the dragon quietly waited, but the parchment and quill were taken from him by a purple aura, "Hey!"
"I'm sorry Spike, but I called you just so you could send it, it's too confidential to say it out loud."
The dragon began to give a minor pout, but reconciled, "Fine, I guess I understand." he said as he tapped his foot waiting for her to just hand him the piece of parchment.
"Excellent." Twilight said as she began to write.
~:::~
Asriel had leaned against the crystal wall of the castle as he continued talking to Rainbow, learning that she was an ironically self centered pony despite the care she seemed to give to others. She would tell him all of the reason as to why she was the coolest pony around, and continue to explain all of the incredible aerial stunts she was capable of. She then off and on would speak of her dream to become some captain of the Wonderbolts or something like that.
Asriel's mind however drifted, he was still very upset about the predicament, though he tried not to show it.
Rainbow caught him off guard with a question. "What’s your dream?" She asked.
Asriel turned to her thinking for a minute and shrugged, "I've never really been given the time to think about it I guess, though now, I guess I have all the time." His thoughts drifted back to soul that he possessed. His mind continually prodding at it, finding that it was very pure, innocent, powerful, how could he have receive such a thing? What force could have ripped a soul right out of a being, and then want to give it to him? The idea of it frightened him, as he once possessed such power to do so.
Rainbow waved a hoof in front of him, giving him a start, "Gahh!"
Rainbow laughed, "Haa ha! oh boy, you are just as bad as Twilight when it comes to the zoning thing." Suddenly her eyes caught a glimpse of something outside the nearby window, "Seems that old Twilight has completed the barrier thing."
Asriel looked out to see a shimmering purple aura that seemed to surround the whole of the town, shifting the natural light of the setting sun. He couldn't believe that it had been an entire day, the events were all over the place for him, what more was in store?
The twilight of the day had begun as the sun set on the horizon in a glowing reddish hue, the end of Celestia's 'Shift' as she had decided to call it many years ago. It would have been around the time where she was able to rest, ready for the next sun rise, but restlessness had overtaken the elder pony, for the smoke that took shape in the distance had also clouded her mind.
On the balcony, her ears perked at the sound of hooves slowing clopping near her. A small smile formed on celestia’s face as she knew the identity of the visitor. "Ah, Luna, what brings you to my chambers so early in the twilight?" She turned to meet her little sister, only to see the worry evident on her midnight blue face.
"A bit of restlessness sister," Luna responded, "I have recently been informed of the transpiring events of the Everfree."
Celestia sighed, feeling just as old as she really was, "Eats at all of us doesn't it?" Everypony was on edge. Never in a long time has a magical disruption affected the whole of Equis quite like this. It was psychologically aggravating to say the least on the magically sensitive, herself included.
Luna sighed, "Isaac knew what he doing when he set it up against us."
Old memories began to once again haunt the celestial princesses. They were foolish and arrogant back in those days, attempting to do the impossible. They broke a hole through reality, bringing forth seven human children from the earthly realm of Prometheus. Without a way to send them back, they both raised and taught them all they knew, of magic and friendship. It was in the very end that they turned and fought against the sisters when they discovered a conversion point, a hole in between realities of pony and man. They wanted to colonize Equestria with human recruits. Both sisters refused to let the other humans into the Equestrian world, the result being a war that spawned the Forest. The sisters were very nearly defeated in that event, but luck and only luck allowed them to banish the humans back from whence they came.
Celestia cleared her throat and responded to Luna's statement, "I suppose he did." She began to feel light headed as the more pleasant memories came to her, "Though I do miss them dearly Lu."
"As do I," Luna started, "But back on the matter; what could have caused such destruction to the forest? It can't be pony, not even a fully grown Apex dragon can do much damage to it." Luna thought for a moment, "Maybe..." a thought entered Luna's mind, "hmm... what about, the Promethean magic Major?"
Celestia raised an eyebrow in question. "What makes you think determination did it?" It was possible, however it was something nopony, or anybody for that matter, could study under. That kind of magic was a lost art, and rightfully so as it's power not only gave the capacity to break reality, but even gave abilities such as extended life and reality warping drives. Only the sisters possessed such a knowledge of its very existence. "It's a good idea Luna, but if that were to be true, why weren't we able to destroy the forest ourselves? We too are Promethean magic users."
Naturally, humans were born with the ability of determination. The only downside was the fact that their bodies were more matter than magic, which gave their abilities a limit to the unlimited as their true potential was locked away until death. Even after that, they were incapable of using it for their own benefit as they lose their individuality.
Luna thought for a moment, "Well, we did have a deep caring for Isaac and the others did we not?"
Celestia nodded.
Luna gave a small smirk, it was a bit of a guilty pleasure to occasionally know something her elder sister didn't. The urge to lead her on was strong, she however would cut is short as she saw it to be a delicate matter, "Well sister, that's the problem.”
Celestia looked at her with a confused expression, "What is it?"
Luna's eyes began to gleam like a child who got a new toy, "Its simple really, based upon our knowledge of the principle of how Promethean magic works, it would seem that the reason why we couldn't burn or destroy the forest is that we didn't have enough desire to do so."
Celestia's mind clicked at the realization, "Sweet Faust Luna! Are you saying that our love for them prevented us from destroying it?" She remembered the principle of Determination magic. It was based on desire, and without that one could hardly do anything with it.
Luna nodded, "Yes it solves that, but it does bring back the point you made." She switched to her diplomatic mode. "We truly are the only ones who wield this power in Equis."
"Well, there is Chrysalis the changeling queen," Celestia stated, "she too had studied under it, but her training is incomplete."
"That is true, but why do it?" Asked Luna.
"I can think of plenty of reasons as of why she would do it, but she too is incapable of committing such an action, as she is still recovering from her failed attempt to take the Equestrian Capital." Celestia almost grumbled as it wasn't her finest hour facing the Changeling queen. It was a good thing Luna hasn't yet caught on as to why, "Not to mention the massive blow to her economy due to it." She finished.
"Lets not get into Changeling politics please, I already have a difficult time keeping up with ours." Luna groaned.
Celestia gave a smirk, it has been too long since she got to see her sister this way. "Well, you've gotten pretty far this past six years, that determination of yours helps."
Luna groaned once more as she fell out of her diplomatic and back into that of her more sisterly mode, "Why did you have to get a Parliament? It used to be as simple as just saying it and they did it, now we have to write suggestions for law so that it can get approved, not to mention approve piles upon piles of law agreements ourselves." Luna let out a breath, "When did our job get so boring and tedious?"
Celestia sighed, "Lu, the point of it is to teach ponies democracy and good will towards others, since we won't always be around to guide ponies you know? I want to leave an impression great enough to where they can survive without fighting for absolute power."
Luna held her downcast gaze. "I know, it's just that I want to be free again, enjoy the night sky without worrying what others think. I want to explore the outer reaches of the cosmos, not waste my time with politics at a desk."
Celestia was silent for a moment.
Luna sighed, "I know you feel it too Tia, we used to explore the aspects of this world, document events and invent new magics. We were taught by ponykind and then we taught them. Don't you miss that? The feeling of the wind against your mane in the grassy fields, the uncertainty of what life was to bring you with each and every turn of the world." She sighed once more, "Remember our dream to find the meaning of life?"
Celestia understood her frustration, "I do dearest sister, I wanted that more than anything, but we are a higher power Lu, Prometheus gave us this duty to ponykind."
Luna sighed, but quickly began to lighten up at the mention of her master, "Hmph, I ought to be mad at him for that.” She remembered her beloved master and immediately began to smirk, “Well, I guess I can do this for a bit longer, after all I don’t want to disappoint that furball.”
Celestia smiled, "Remember the time he tried to give us nicknames?"
Luna burst, "Oh my Faust! wasn't it Celery and Swiss? He was so bad at giving names that it should have been illegal to let him do so.”
The sisters chuckled, tension beginning to die away.
Celestia exhaled, "Well, at least I still have you to talk like a normal pony with. Not even Cadence understood the fact that I am just a pony, and I've been trying to get Twilight to see that I want to have her as an equal, but I don't think she will anytime soon, she is just used to seeing me as the ultimate power, the mentor. Wisdom beyond life does separate you from those whose lives are shorter."
A glint caught her eye, causing her to look up in surprise, "Oh... I did not expect a letter this time of day."
The green flame moved in front of her, the ash reforming into a sealed scroll. Celestia immediately grabbed at it with her magic, noticing the PI symbol on the wax seal.
"Oh my, it's Twilight's letter of considerable importance."
Luna observed it, "What's that?"
Celestia looked from it to her, "It's something Twilight invented after the Summer Sun Celebration to make sure that I knew that this was particularly important to her.”
She broke the seal and read through the words.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I'm happy to inform you that the barrier spell that I created was a success; the entirety of Ponyville is completely secure and safe from disaster. This however is not why I've chosen this format to write in. A peculiarity emerged, a creature Rainbow brought back from the Everfree, seemingly very sapient. It's strange, I thought I knew all of the intelligent races of Equis, but nothing seems to match in my books of its description. It's bipedal, seemingly goat like but has feet and claws instead of hooves. He wears clothes, a striped garment, (Best to leave him out of Rarity's sight.) but that's not the weirdest thing about him. His magic, it frightens me to think, but I think it exceeds even my own, and he is just a child too. He doesn't seem at all aggressive, the opposite actually, Rainbow seems to have actually befriended him but still seems a little anxious around him.
He will be staying here in Ponyville for a while as I can imagine, probably here in the castle, though the thought makes me uneasy. If you possess any knowledge as to what he is, it would be most helpful to me if I can receive it.
Sincerely, Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia stood there feeling frozen to the ground as she reread the letter multiple times to make sure she didn't miss anything, for her mind felt that she must have misunderstood the description given to her. She would normally have gone frantic over the situation if her millennia of political experience didn't prevented her from such rash actions.
She deeply inhaled a breath before letting it out in a second. She looked towards her sister, "I have a pretty good idea as of how the fire started."
Luna's interests peaked, "Really? How?"
She let out only two word slip from her mouth, "somniare daemonium."
Reaction from Luna was imminent, her wings ruffled and her eyes widened as large as bowls, "Is it him?! Could it be?!" She started pacing around for a second before stopping herself, "Well is it?!" she blurted impatiently.
Celestia shook her head, "I don't think so, the letter describes him as child-like. It might be his son."
Luna scoffed, "Surely he would be fully grown by this point."
The sun Princess shrugged, "Inter-dimensional relationships can be a bit tricky when it comes to the timelines, a second somewhere else could be a millenia for us, or the opposite."
Luna sighed, "As the expression goes, 'only one way to find out.' I'll head to Ponyville myself and look for the little monster."
Celestia rolled her eyes, "You need not look long, he's currently in the custody of Twilight."
Luna grabbed the letter and read through the page, "That makes things easier, I thought I would have to hunt him, tie him down, and demand an explanation for all of the chaos he's caused."
Luna's horn glowed and pulsated in a bluish white hue, reaction being the flapping of wings through the cool night air alongside the rising of the pearly white moon.
"My chariot will be here shortly," Luna stated, "They used to be a lot quicker."
Celestia began to feel exhausted, "Must you go now? It's a bit rushed you know." She would have added to that objection, but her thoughts were obstructed suddenly. Sleep felt much more welcoming than fifteen minutes ago, almost like... "Luna! Are you... I..." The Celestial Princess trailed and drifted into slumber, tipping to one side, but was caught in the embrace of a blue aura.
"Sleep, your shift is over and you need your rest for the next morning." She moved the now soundly sleeping princess onto the massive bed and covered her in the silky blanket.
Luna's true objective was done. She knew that after events like this, her sister would always become an insomniac, like a mother who's concerned for the well being of her children.
Luna went up to the alicorn's ear and whispered, "Oh Sister, forgive me for all of the sleepless nights I gave you over these thousand winters." She sighed for a moment, perking her ear at the sound of her chariot's arrival. 'Another matter I now have to tend to.' She thought.
She moved back onto the balcony to see her private and personally favorite flying vehicle, lined with silver and faint traces of gold and dark platinum. Princesshood was considerably boring and tedious, but it did have it's perks at times.
~:::~
It was just before the sun went down that Asriel was able to see the princess again. It was confusing to say the least upon the reasons that the Tetrarchy named themselves under Princess, Rainbow Dash didn't really know it herself, a question for another time maybe.
The Purple Alicorn walked out and into the hallway where she met the monster and her friend, "Sorry about that." She apologized, "Bit of an important matter."
She looked to the little monster, feeling a little uneasy but refused to show it, "So, Asriel right?"
He nodded.
She motioned her hoof, "Great, so, what is it that brings you to Ponyville?"
Asriel responded, "The pony in the forest named Fluttershy said you can possibly help me out. I'm not from this world and I'm left with little direction as of what to do next."
The monster did apparently have a little direction, and getting home was probably the biggest of priorities. The idea of seeing his family again, being amongst Frisk and his friends delighted him. However, going back with this soul that he unrightfully possessed would go against his morality, what right did he have to possess it? It was not man or monster, it must have come from this place. Still too little was known why it happened, no hypothesis could be formed yet.
"Not from this world?" Twilight questioned with a look of interest, "whatever do you mean?"
Asriel shrugged, "Exactly that. This is not the plane of existence that I come from as I observed. A portal brought me here, a tear in the space-time fabric probably." Big words for a youngling, but when you see the fabric of existence with great power, it tends to expand your perspective and knowledge (and maybe also give you symptoms of insanity).
Fear in Twilight's mind was dumped and replaced with a scientific joy that could even compare with Pinkie Pie's euphoria. She confused the monster with an uncontrollable squee.
He cocked his head at her reaction, which made the princess grow beet red at her moment of immaturity.
Rainbow who had stayed quiet the entire time began to burst out laughing, "Oh, oh jeez... wow Twilight."
The princess recomposed herself, "Well, um, excuse me, sorry, got a little excited there, still, wow," her excitement grew again, "this will go into the books for sure, never before has an inter-dimensional being been in Equis before!" She seemed to forget the monster momentarily, "Spike!? will you come down here?"
No answer.
She groaned, lighting her horn.
Poof! Sitting in the middle of the room appeared the little purple dragon reading a comic book. He looked around and gasped, "Gah!" he threw the comic book on the floor in anger and glared at the Princess, "Twilight, geeez, come on it's my day off, and I even went out of my way to send that letter for you."
She gave him a look for a moment before realising there were others in the room. He stopped for a second before groaning, "I could have been in the bathroom when you did that you know." He rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat, "What do you need Twi."
The Princess smiled, "I'll need all of my journals, quill and ink, the book of Equestrian species categories, and the magic user formats."
The dragon bowed mockingly, "As you wish, Your Highness."
He turned to leave but Twilight stopped him, "Oh, almost forgot, can you also get Canvas Chrome to come tomorrow as well? I'll need him for illustrating.”
He waved her off, "Got it."
After he left the Princess turned to Asriel, "Sorry about that, it's around the time of his natural hibernation period and he tends to get lethargic and moody."
"Shouldn't he sleep then?" Asriel asked.
Twilight shook her head, "No, that wouldn't be good for him at all, after the dragon sleep cycle starts in the heart fire sleep stage, he could be asleep for two hundred years max. Spike would never forgive me if I let him sleep while everypony else he knew was gone." She began to clear her throat and change the subject, "Well, it seems you don't have anyplace to go at this point in time. Would you like to stay here in the castle until things get figured out?"
Asriel was taken aback, "Oh, well..." He thought for a moment, "Sure, thank you, Princess Twilight." He bowed.
She smiled, "You're very welcome Asriel, and please, leave the formalities and just call me Twilight."
There was a loud knocking sound echoing throughout the castle."
"That would be the door." Twilight stated.
Rainbow began to hover, "I'll get that." She then shot off down the hallway in a rainbow blur, leaving the other two in a bit of an awkward silence.
"so..." Twilight started, "Anything else about yourself?" She began to give sheepish smile.
"Like what?" He questioned.
She sat a minute thinking, "How about the name of your race to begin with?"
"He's a somniare daemonium ," Said a dark voice from behind Asriel.
He turned to meet the face of the Night Princess, an expression that definitely belonged to that of a strong leader.
"Tell me," She started, "What brings the youngling of Prometheus here in my country?" She asked.
Twilight blinked, "how did you..." She was cut off.
"Not yet Sparkle, this is important."
The Friendship Princess flinched, but stayed quiet.
The lunar princess turned back to the Boss Monster, "Well? Speak, state thy.. I mean," she corrected, "your, business."
Asriel was a bit taken aback by the sudden appearance of the pony and was a little overwhelmed by the presence of the powerful and experienced ruler, however he was a prince, well... former prince that is but still, royal magic flowed through his body, and determination filled his soul. He would answer strongly, or try.
He quivered momentarily but stopped and composed himself as he saw his father do on multiple occasions during the quinquennial community meets, "P..princess Luna, of the Tetrarchy yes?" He asked. 'Oh jeez,' he thought, 'here we go.' It was a good thing that Rainbow gave him some Equestrian tid-bits.
She nodded, "Indeed I am, and you somniare?"
A cold sweat started as the blood rushed to his face, "Asriel Dreemurr, son of Asgore, heir of Prometheus."
"Ah, his grandson, you look much like him."
Twilight butted in the conversation, "Hey, wait a minute, you are familiar with... whatever he is, a... what did you call him?"
"somniare daemonium," Luna answered, "Beings of conscious magic, and as old as the Tree of Harmony itself." She turned her attention back to Asriel, "Your grandfather was a great monster, we owe him many thanks."
Asriel's interests piqued as his body began to cool down, "How do you know my Grandad?"
She frowned, "Let's not stray from the subject matter, again I ask, why are you here?"
The room seemed to get chiller with each word from the Princess's mouth.
"I..." Asriel began, "I don't actually know why I'm here." He reached for his determination to stay strong in front of the ruler.
She raised a brow, "Neither purpose nor intent in coming to Equis?" She held a stern gaze, "Why then? Was it against your own will?"
Asriel's resolve and determination felt sapped, as if suddenly he were becoming a wet noodle from the pressure. "I... I think so. I don't have any idea why I'm here, just that I am."
She observed Asriel with close inspection before letting out a sigh, "Very well, I can take that." She switched her gaze to Twilight who appeared to have zoned out. "Sparkle?"
No response."
"Princess Twilight Sparkle?"
Twilight snapped from her trance, "Hmm, yes, oh.. what is it?" She re-coordinated herself as if nothing happened.
"Will you house this being until things get... how would you put it?"
"Taken... care of?" Twilight offered.
"Yes, that's it. Will you?"
Twilight looked unsure for a second but nodded quickly after.
The Lunar Princess nodded back, "Very well, then I am done." She began to turn but Twilight stopped her.
"W-wait!" She objected.
Princess Luna turned back to her without a word but with that of a confused expression.
"Well," Twilight began, "I do have one more thing to talk to you about, in private that is. Can't you stay awhile longer?"
Luna sat down on her haunches, "I guess I can stay awhile longer. Is it that important?"
Twilight gave a nod with a look of sincere concern, "I believe so."
"Very well then," She turned to Asriel, "What of he?"
Twilight looked to the Boss Monster, then back to the Night ruler, "Just a sec." She turned to walk towards Asriel. She opened up to him and tried to look as welcoming as she could, "Here, I can escort you to the chambers you will be staying at."
Asriel nodded and followed, glad to no longer be interrogated. "Thank you for your kindness Your Highness."
Twilight nodded, "You're very welcome Asriel." She exhaled slightly. It was a long day for her, hopefully the next would be better.
~:::~
Luna waited for a moment in the hallway before witnessing a blue blur flying past her, stopping only a few feet ahead of the princess with a hint of surprise, "Princess Luna?" Rainbow questioned, "When did you get here?"
"T'was moments after you left for the door Rainbow Dash. Who was it that came to visit the castle of friendship?"
Rainbow shrugged, "Couldn't tell, wore a hood over his face and left quickly before I could even say anything to the guy, but he did give me a message for the kid."
Luna stayed quiet for a moment before whispering, "Curious. What's the message?"
Rainbow shrugged once again, "Can't make heads or tails of what it means, but it goes like this, 'To open the gate, you mustn't use the key, but to break the hinge that bind the door shut.'
Luna frowned, "Curious, curious indeed."
A thought occurred to Rainbow, "If you don't mind me asking, Your Highness, but how did you get here? The barrier was already put up before you came to Ponyville didn't it?"
Luna Nodded, "Barriers have no effect on teleportation magic Rainbow Dash. Tis the only flaw in their design." One fact she particularly knew very well.
An idea came to Rainbow mind, "Hey, ya know, if I were to get a team together, would you be able to teleport us over the barrier?"
Luna thought for a moment; she could, but the matter was why? "Indeed I can, but might I ask your reasons behind that action?"
The Rainbow pony sighed, "Fluttershy refused to leave the Forest because she couldn't leave her animals behind. I want to help her out and make sure she's okay."
Luna nodded in agreement, but something seemed off, "I'll take care of it, but if you don't mind me asking, why didn't you do this before the barrier was up? Wouldn't it be much more logical to have brought forth a team before the deadline?"
Rainbow shifted and look both ways before lowering her voice, "It's that kid, Asriel. Nice enough, but something is off putting about him. I can't explain it but, I felt I have seen and met him before. Normally I would have left immediately after dropping him off at the castle, but... My instincts told me not to leave him alone with Twilight, does that make sense?" She was quiet for a moment before chuckling it off, "Yeah probably not, so if you can excu.." She was cut off.
"Wait!" Luna bursted
Rainbow flinched.
Luna was about to say something, but thought better of it. She cleared her throat, "Forgive me for my outburst Rainbow Dash, it was quite rude of me." She sighed, "This fire has created a great disturbance in the balance of magic Rainbow Dash, everypony is on edge. Perhaps that's what is creating your trouble?"
Rainbow stayed quiet.
"Anyway, you need not fetch a team, you can have my guards waiting outside help you."
Rainbow looked surprised, "Huh... Oh! Well that be great, but don't you need then for your flight back to the castle?"
Luna Rolled her eyes, "Well I certainly don't need them to get around if that what you're implying. Besides, I can fly circles around those lethargic battle deprived brutes all day, but a princess is not expected to go around wherever by herself, the entire government would give a incredible fit if my sister and I did that all the time."
Rainbow nodded, her mind lingering momentarily upon what the princesses flight speed was, but she quickly pushed that down and thought about Fluttershy's situation. "I'll take up your offer, Your Highness." She bowed politely, "We should get started right away."
Luna nodded, "Of course, 'no time like the present' as a wise mare said, however you have a message to deliver to a young monster."
"Oh right," Rainbow said surprise, "Be right back."
And off the pony dashed through the hallways of the castle. Luna smirked and shook her head, 'and she doesn't even asked where they went.'
IN THIS WORLD IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED... THIS IS ALL JUST A GAME... IDIOT... I'LL KILL YOU OVER AND OVER... WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I KILL THIS PERSON THIS TIME... I'LL SHOW THEM WHAT THIS WORLD REALLY IS...
"Gasp!" Asriel woke suddenly, filled with terror as the malevolent voices echoed dark thoughts into his mind. His head was buzzing as his whole body quaked in fear at the horror he was forced to remember. He quickly huddled at one edge of the bed as he shakily sat up with his hands to his face with the look of pain etched all over. Slowly but surely the voices that echoed and cried throughout his mind ceased their endless chatter, relieving Asriel of the dread they caused him.
Taking a deep breath, Asriel began to look at his surrounding, confusion evident on his face before remembering where he was. Relieved that it was only a bad dream, he wiped his face, feeling wet; he had been crying.
Asriel was hesitant to get up as it was still very early from what he could tell by the dark sky out the window. Everybody was probably still asleep, snug in their beds without care in the world as to what was going on beyond what took place in their dreams.
Then came a tapping on the chamber door. Asriel wiped away any evidence of tears before calling out to the person behind the door, "Come in."
The handle on the door shifted with blue aura, revealing the night princess herself. "I'm sorry to intrude little somniare, but I noticed you had a rather nasty nightmare earlier."
Asriel looked up to her and shifted with surprise, suspicion, and a little fear, "How do you know that?"
She smiled lightly, "In this world, I'm the bringer of night little one, I am the sand mare that guards all of the dreams of Equis, and those who are lost in the soft fabric of the abstract plane." The monster's heart sank, "Then you saw..." He was about to panic but the cool expression of the princess kept him from wallowing in fear.
The princess nodded slowly, "I am aware of your past Asriel, but do not fear as I know you do right now. I completely understand your position," she paused, "as I had once stood in a similar place." She downcasted her gaze, "Understand that you are not the only one with a regrettable past."
Asriel bit his lip, confused. 'Not the only one with a regrettable past?' "What happened?" He asked. The fear in him began to diminish.
She looked up to him and sighed, "It's better I show you," Her horn glowed a light blue as what appeared to be a mirror through time materialized, showing a castle with a full moon overhead. "Long ago," She began, "two rulers had guided a prosperous land called Equestria, the home of all Ponykind. The two were both sisters who possessed the gift of extended life. Their duty, were to bring forth both the day, and the night with the celestial bodies that hang in the sky, these two were both me and my eldest sibling Celestia. She would rule by day, and I by night."
The image fazed from the castle and to that of a tall regal pink haired mare sitting on a throne amongst small jovial ponies. Luna looked to the image and back to Asriel, "Every pony loved my sister and the day she brought forth. She had all the praise, all of the love a pony can give their ruler." The throne room transitioned to a darker tone with a milky silhouette from the moon. Sitting in a nearby throne was the night princess herself, looking dejected in her loneliness. "Nopony had ever come to my court or admired the shadowed garden I placed in the sky, and instead slept in waiting for my sister's sunrise."
Asriel looked at the image feeling a deep pang of emotion.
Luna sighed, "I had begun to resent my sister to the point of loathing, shunned her and her sun for many years to come. Understand that I was in a continuing state of depression, Asriel. I had even tried to kill myself at one point." Luna sat on her haunches and sighed, "That's when my insanity grew and took hold of me, and I aimed all of my fury towards her." Luna looked down in shame as an image of a wicked jet black mare with dark curling laughter appeared. "I had became a horrible twisted creature with sickly ideals of killing my one and only sister to rid the sun forever, and have an endless night that surely would have destroyed our world."
Asriel remailed silent, processing what the princess told him.
Luna continued as the mirror shifted to a spectacular battle that rivaled the greatest of light shows, "Luckily I hadn't gotten very far." She sighed, "My sister was unwilling to kill me even as demented as I was then. Instead, with the Elements of Harmony, she imprisoned me in the moon for a thousand years, and for a thousand years I waited."
"What happened after you were freed?" Asriel questioned.
Luna smiled, "I... I was saved." She turned to look out the window for a moment before spreading a small smile.
Asriel didn't know it but tears were streaming from his eyes again, not out of fear or pain, but of love; He felt love and a tender kindness in this mare's heart. This pony's words had touched him in a way that only one person in his life had before. He felt loved. For some reason, even though he was a stranger and different looking, the ponies he met had done nothing but help him, even though they had no reason to.
Luna turned to see the monster bawling before her, misinterpreting it as distress, "Oh no, are you alright! I- I didn't mean to upset I..."
Asriel sniffed and then laughed, confusing the princess further, "No, no" He waved dismissively, "I-it's not you, I, I am just so glad. I-it's been awhile since I could feel anything." Asriel wiped his eyes, "How can you ponies be so nice to someone like me? I should be in a flower patch watching the world until the end of time without feelings, yet, I'm here crying because I feel love towards you ponies. All of you seem to care about me, and I can't help but feel overwhelmed by all you've done for me so far."
Luna took this by surprise.
Asriel sniffed, "It's funny, I thought once that such compassion was a sign of weakness, that it didn't matter, yet..." Asriel trailed remembering the battle against Frisk. Flowey had threatened to kill all they loved, and yet, they still believed that there was good in him, that there was something special and good in every monster, even though they tried to hurt them, "And yet, it prevails." Asriel chuckled, "Determination really is the most powerful of magics wouldn't you say? when alongside the feelings of love and compassion, I believe the best of people can come out of it, even when it is someone supposedly lost in the dark."
Luna began tearing up before embracing the young monster, "W-well spoken, little one." She let go of him before coughing and hiding a blush.
Asriel was grinning happily.
"Well, anyway, you won't experience any more of those awful nightmares, I made sure to block any negative emotions that might pop up while sleeping, so you will be resting soundly from now on."
Asriel gave his thanks and the pony turned to leave out the door, but stopped to turn around real quick as she remembered something, "Oh, I had almost forgotten. Has Rainbow Dash given you that message?"
Asriel nodder remembering the exhausted pony that had flown all over the castle looking for him. "Yeah, don't know what it means though." He shrugged remembering the riddle, 'To open the gate, you mustn't use the key, but to break the hinge that bind the door shut.' Probably something to write down.
Luna frowned for a moment, "Well, maybe time will tell." She then nodded to Asriel, "Anyway, good night Asriel, I may not be here when you awaken, but if there is a problem, you can summon me in the dream realm."
"I don't think I will be able to go back to sleep princess, so may I join you before you leave?" Asriel asked.
Luna smiled, "You still are in deep slumber little one, in a few hours you will wake from this dream."
Asriel looked surprised, but looking around he could now tell that certain aspects about the room was off, such as the emptiness outside the window, and the crystal walls of the room were strange and shifting. Indeed this was a dream.
"Farewell, I must be off. Goodnight."
"Wait!" Asriel shouted.
Luna turned once more to meet Asriel who was now twiddling his thumbs, "Yes Asriel?"
Asriel looked down for a moment before looking into the pony's eyes, "Do... Do you ever worry about, turning back into her?"
Luna looked down a minute trying to find words, "Well, yes, I often do worry of becoming her again." She began taping her hoof for a moment as she looked towards Asriel, "It is one of my greatest fears."
"How do you deal with it?" He questioned the pony.
Luna sat down on her haunches as she quietly thought, "I, well..." She continued to think for a moment before a smile spread over her lips, "I think about those who care about me." The realization caught her, "The reason for why I became Nightmare Moon in the first place was because I was alone and angry, but now..."
Asriel could almost see a spark in her eyes.
"Now I have friends that will be there to prevent me from feeling saddened and angry. As long as I have them, I don't have to worry so much about becoming her again."
Luna's smile kept growing, "When you wake up Asriel, I would recommend walking and checking around Ponyville. I guarantee that you will at least make one new friend"
Asriel looked uncertain but Luna looked confident in her claim, "Well, I guess I could." He scratched behind his head.
Luna nodded as she stood up, "I must be away; remember, if there is any problem, or if you just want to see me, I will be in your dreams, you can count on that."
Asriel's smile returned, "Thank you, Princess."
A bright light flashed and the princess was gone. Asriel already began to feel his lucidity slip away without the princess to hold his consciousness in the dream. The walls of the room began to crack and fizzle as they were replaced by an enveloping white light.
The dream Asriel had after that was not one that was memorable, yet the feeling of that first good dream would remain in him always.
~:::~
Luna sighed as her consciousness returned to her body. She opened her eyes to meet Twilight's gaze. She was sitting in a well furnished chair with the look of anticipation about her.
"So what did you learn about him?" The purple mare asked.
Luna looked at the table before her to see a freshly made tea Twilight brewed while she was visiting Asriel's dream. She slowly grabbed a cup and began to press her lips towards it to take a sip. Afterwards she put the cup back on the table and turned towards the young Alicorn, "You have nothing to fear from him Twilight. He is quite a kind soul."
The princess was taken aback, "A-are you sure Luna?"
She nodded, "Though I must admit, he is quite troubled, He’s had a very dark past. Not many being I know are capable of coming back from such darkness."
Twilight looked down, "I have a bad feeling about having him in Ponyville. I, feel as if I've seen him before, that we've done all this before, almost like... déja vu."
Luna frowned, "Strange, you are not the only pony today to have mentioned this to me." Twilight looked at Luna worriedly, "What does it mean?"
Luna waved her hoof, "I would not completely dismiss it, but do not let it affect your actions. Let's focus on the young prince instead."
Twilight didn't look satisfied but nodded. "What should we do with him?"
"I think it would be best to leave him with you, Twilight. It would be in his best interest.”
Twilight nodded slowly, "I understand." She bit her lips before asking, "So were you able to gauge his mana when you were in there?"
Luna sighed, "You won't be satisfied unless I tell you," Once again she looked to Twilight waited in anticipation, "Do you know the max level of an Equis magic user Twilight?"
She nodded with an unsure glance, "Yeah, the highest account for natural aura is 2.5 St.Sw."
Luna had a bad feeling about Twilight’s reaction to what she was about to say. "His potential magical level, may be at least twice as that." Suddenly she saw the young princess give a look of surprise and fear, but she quickly put it out.
"A-are you sure he is safe? I mean, if he ever decides to go rampant, it can be very disastrous for us." She Fidgeted thinking of the little monster amongst the wreckage of ponykind with a sinister smile.
The lunar princess shook her head, "Yes, he has power that can move the very mountains themselves if he wished. However, as I said, he is a very kind and fragile soul, but he does need tending to. Would you have him locked up? Sent to the moon if you will, so that ponykind may know it is safe until he returns? No!" She said sternly, "this will only ensure the outcome you propose."
Twilight burst, "But what do we do? How can we make sure that he doesn't turn on us?"
Luna frowned, "I'm surprised to hear this question from the Princess of Friendship herself."
Twilight was about to say something, but forgot with the realization of Luna's meaning. It now seemed that the weight of the world was put right on her back.
"I believe a mare who liberated Nightmare Moon, defeated the lord of chaos, stopped a Changeling Queen from taking the capital of Equestria, defeated King Sombra, and had as of recently, banished a demonic centaur who had taken all Equestrian magic including her own, can take care of a young Boss Monster who happens to have a little more magic than the average pony."
Twilight giggled, "Well when you put it like that, it seems child's play." The majority of the weight and stress Twilight felt had began to shed.
Luna smiled, "In the morning, I would take him on a tour of Ponyville. I do bet that Miss Pie will give him a celebration he definitely will never forget."
"Well I have no doubt about that." She smiled thinking about the rambunctious mare. Twilight then sighed, "Do you really think I can do this Princess?"
"No doubt in my mind Twilight." Luna replied.
After that, they chatted happily for a couple of minutes before the night princess finally had to depart, giving the best of luck to her friend and co-ruler.
