Death wasn't a fitting fate for this noble warrior. He deserves peace better than that. He saved not only his people, but other races as well. Interfering with his fate is the job of a weaver, but who am I talking about? Of course it's Zeratul.
After the battle for the liberation of Aiur, Zeratul saved his people from the corrupt Khala, but at the cost of his own life. His death, however, was unconfirmed by Artanis. Zeratul was supposed to be in the Void, sleeping like any noble Protoss warrior does, but fate demanded that he gets another adventure in a planet discovered by none, the planet Equus.
Crossover between MLP and Starcraft, owned by Hasbro and Blizzard respectively.
I do not know much about Starcraft lore so if you see anything suspicious, please comment on it.
Lightning filled the skies of the Protoss's homeland of Aiur as Artanis, hierarch of the Protoss, was struggling with his inner Khala. He knew that Amon, the false God, was taking control and yet he continued to resist.
"I... I can hear his whispers" he said as his friend, the Dark Templar, Zeratul, arrived.
"Fight, Artanis. Do not let Amon consume you!" He exclaimed as he started walking towards him "He has corrupted the Khala! Your nerve cords chain you to his will. They must be removed." As he said that, he rushed towards Artanis, his verdant warp blade unsheathed, targeting the hierarch's nerve cords, but Artanis suddenly parried with unusual crimson warp blades. He then turned his head, eyes crimson, uttering in a dark tone.
"No." As he unleashed malevolent psi energy around his body. Zeratul's reaction was quick as he blinked away to safety. Artanis, now fully controlled, leapt with the intent to murder his old friend, only for Zeratul to momentarily retreat. The latter saw the opportunity to strike those nerve cords after a missed attack only to fail by a hair's length. That failure costed him as he was grabbed by his neck.
"This body, all Protoss, are mine." Amon said through the high templar's body as he threw him to the nearest debris and struck him with red psi energies.
"I shall shatter this corrupt cycle. You shall not stand against me." he said menacingly. Zeratul slowly stood up, panting heavily. He knew what must be done. He knew he had to do this in order for the Protoss race to live freely. He got onto an aggressive stance, warp blade ready.
"My life... for Aiur." he uttered as Artanis launched towards him. Waiting for the perfect moment, both templars clashed into one final strike. Zeratul fell but not without slashing Artanis's nerve cords off. Amon was in agony as he was forced out of Artanis. The latter snapped out of the mind control, only to listen to Zeratul's dying words.
"The Keystone... will guide you... to the Xel'Naga." as the mighty warrior finally fell, his green eyes shut as he was picked up by Artanis, who couldn't look at his friend turning into dust in front of him.
"Zeratul" he said, looking at the piece of cloth flying away from his mouth. "Forgive me." But as he looked back, he noticed something abnormal: His warp blade disappeared as well. His blue eyes couldn't believe it. A Protoss who passes on does not disappear with his blade. Unless...
"Zeratul? Are you... alive?" He questioned as he looked into the stormy skies of Aiur. He somehow knew his friend was alive, but how is he alive and where? These are questions he didn't ponder on. He was the hierarch of the Protoss. He had the ultimate responsibility of saving his people. Wherever Zeratul was, he will find him sooner or later.
Location: The Void
"Zeratul" a voice was speaking as the dark templar's body was floating into emptiness. "Wake up, Zeratul."
The prelate's eyes snapped open as he instinctively drew his weapon. To his surprise, he remembered his fight with Artanis, the moment he got struck, the agony of passing, yet he didn't feel dead. He looked at his blade, astonished on how it got placed into his arm. He touched his face: His cloth magically appeared back into his mouth.
"I... live?" he questioned out-loud.
"Yes, you do... Zeratul." the voice spoke to him again. Zeratul turned around only to see a mighty creature behind him. A gigantic tentacular creature with multiple black eyes.
"Do not be terrified, Zeratul. I am Ouros, one of the last Xel'Naga alive."
"Xel'Naga?"
"Yes. I am also the one responsible for many things. Such as using your friend's hologram in order to transfer my prophecy towards you." Zeratul was in shock. He thought that his friend Tassadar was somewhere all this time, but it was just an illusion.
"What am I doing at your presence, mighty one?" he asked.
"As I said, I am responsible for many things. One of those things is saving you from certain death. After all, I could never let my messenger die that easily."
"At least I would've died a warrior's death!" Zeratul snapped, probably for the first time since he killed the Matriarch "I wasn't granted even this?"
"Do not worry, young Zeratul. Your quest is far from over. I am weakening, dark one. Amon's presence is growing stronger into the Void and I do not have much time."
"My quest isn't over? What do you mean by that, Xel'Naga?"
"I know what will happen to Aiur, to your people, Zeratul. And their fate is now into your hands." As Ouros's voice started fading from the void, Zeratul tried to reach him but only to disappear in a cloud of dark void.
"All... shall be revealed... dark one..." the voice of the mighty one echoed.
Location: Unknown
Zeratul appeared from the void, falling on the ground heavily. The fall itself didn't cause him pain but he squinted his eyes as the sun was beating heavily on these lands.
"In all my life, I have never seen a sun so intense. I feel revitalized" he thought as he woke up to scan his surroundings. There were trees everywhere. Greenery and fertile soil dominated these lands as creatures unknown to the dark one appeared. Zeratul never felt so safe all his life. It is as if the Xel'Naga created this heavenly place to be their eternal sleeping grounds. After checking his surroundings, he checked his equipment: Cloaking device, operational. Warp blade, ready. Shields, active thanks to this planet's sun. He blinked from tree to tree, feeling the breeze passing by, but he knew he was wandering aimlessly. He needed someone to guide him through this place. He turned his cloak on as he walked cautiously through the thick woods.
"HELP! SOMEPONY, ANYPONY HELP ME!" he heard a distress scream echoing all over the forest. Someone was asking for help in such a peaceful place? Nevertheless, he decided to check what was going on.
Location: Froggy Bottom Bog - Fluttershy - 3rd Person
Fluttershy was a pony whose responsibility towards animals did not only limit to the animals of her cottage, but towards all the animals of Equus. The Froggy Bottom Bog's frogs needed to return to the Everfree Forest so they needed to migrate back. As usual, Fluttershy was there to help so she brought her cart and loaded the frogs after locating them. She was happy to see them in plain form as she flew, carrying them. But something sinister slipped out of her mind: In the middle of her flight, a figure stretched its neck towards the sky and snapped its jaw at the pegasus's cart which broke, letting all the frogs fall into the swamp. The sheer force of the jaw also made Fluttershy propel to the nearest rock. Snapping out of her confusion, she looked upwards as four huge shapes were looking towards her: It was the bog's hydra, coming for revenge. Fluttershy was petrified in fear, with nopony near her, she knew that she would be the hydra's snack. Despite all that, she unleashed a desperate cry for help.
Zeratul - 3rd Person
Zeratul arrived at the source of the cry: He saw a four-headed monster cornering whatever his friend Raynor call an equine in their planet of origin, but this particular equine was yellow with light-pink mane and wings. At first, he assumed that it would be an act of nature for the predator to chase its prey. But as he turned back, he heard the scream again.
"That small equine is sentient?" Zeratul thought, surprised. He blinked towards the creature, slicing off one of its necks. The creature didn't flinch as its neck fell into the ground in front of the little equine.
Fluttershy - 3rd Person
Blood was flowing from the sliced neck as Fluttershy gasped, eyes shrunk. Somepony was going to save her but she didn't approve of the method. She looked up only to see... nothing at all trying to save her, nothing but a green hue slashing all other three necks one at a time. All of the hydra's heads fell over one another as she feared the worst was yet to come.
Zeratul - 3rd Person
Zeratul was valiantly fighting the multiple headed creature. He noticed that it can see through his cloak as its other heads tried to eat him alive, only to blink from head to head and slice them all in one clean swipe. He saw the body slump and fall as he sheathed his warp blade. He looked at the equine who was shocked, trying to mutter something between her teeth.
"I-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-it's not o-o-o-ver yet!" Zeratul barely heard that but he saw the equine pointing at the dead body; the body was actually moving on its own and suddenly eight heads popped back.
"Regeneration and multiplication? Even the Zerg do not regenerate that fast." thought Zeratul as he was panicking. He went back into the fray, slicing off another head, only for two of it to grow in its place. He kept slashing, hacking and thrusting his blades, but to no avail. The creature actually grew heads back faster than he could ever slash. Zeratul got tired quickly.
"I will not die here to some abomination. I shall end this once and for all. En Taro Artanis!" he yelled, grabbing the attention of the equine who was terrified by his deep voice, even though he knew she could not see him. Zeratul then unleashed his dark powers, creating a void prison on that creature. Time froze around it as he threw singularity spikes towards its body. As soon as the prison ended, the creature let out a deafening roar as it exploded from the inside out, letting streams of blood that made the swamp crimson red.
Fluttershy - 3rd Person
Fluttershy resisted the urge to faint as she sadly looked at the state of the bog. The hydra's bloody remains were entrapped in her memory forever. She slowly approached one of the dead heads, and tapped on it, crying.
"I am so sorry." she whispered to the hydra's dead head. She then dug a hole and buried the dead hydra's head. The frogs came out of the swamp, bloodied. She rushed towards them and washed them all one by one.
Zeratul - 3rd Person
Zeratul couldn't believe his eyes. The equine who was going to be eaten is caring too much for her predator more than her own safety. She didn't even care to wash the blood out of her coat. He saw her carry those little creatures on her back and wings as she went off.
"It was the only way for me to save you." he uttered. The equine turned back to see the source of the voice, only to see nobody, but this time she took the courage to answer.
"Your methods were extreme... whoever you are... but... I do not know how to feel... its death was... unnatural..." she sobbed. Zeratul tried to comfort her by stroking her mane. She felt it as she started crying again.
"You have seen death before, yellow equine" Zeratul said "But to experience death and see it are two different things. I am sorry for giving you such an experience."
Fluttershy - 3rd Person
His deep voice didn't matter to her anymore. The feeling of her mane being stroke by somepony/creature she cannot see was weird indeed, but nevertheless it was comfortable.
"I... thank you for saving me, whoever you are" she said "You must be tired and lost. I-if that's okay with you, I will guide you to the nearest town." She couldn't depict his expression but his voice was indeed distinct.
"That... would be helpful. It would feel safer to reveal myself later on when we reach population." the deep voice declared.
"It would certainly will. Now, if you please, follow me" she replied as she trotted away "By the way, my name is Fluttershy."
"I am called Zeratul." the deep voice introduced itself as she trotted, looking back down, she saw its muddy footprints: They weren't anything she ever saw in Equus. She needed answers: She needed her friends.
The walk was long due to the thickness of the forest but Zeratul and his newly acquired equine friend arrived at a small bridge by afternoon. They exchanged little dialogue during their travel due to the uneasiness of the events that occurred recently. Zeratul still couldn't believe how calm his surroundings felt compared to the horrors he has been during his travels. The sky was for once in his lifetime not cloudy and black and he has never heard birds chirp in happiness until now.
"It is as if this planet was created to be a sanctuary of peace" he thought, walking on the bridge. Suddenly, he felt something. That something wasn't the usual menacing feeling. It was above as he looked only to see a cloud passing by. He simply decided to warn his new pony friend.
"Friend Fluttershy" he grabbed her attention "Up there!" Fluttershy looked up as she saw the cloud. She giggled at her invisible friend's surprise.
"Oh don't worry. That's just my friend Rainbow Dash." And it was in fact the multicolored pony herself. As the latter heard her name, she looked down only to see Fluttershy covered in a swarm of frogs and spots of blood. Her eyes widened as she redirected her cloud towards her.
"Fluttershy!" She exclaimed as she held her "What happened to you? Are you okay? What is all this?"
"Oh this? Do not worry! None of this is my blood. In fact, I don't want to talk about it, Rainbow. Could you please do me a little favor and gather our friends at Twilight's castle? It's really something urgent." Rainbow just nodded as she flew as fast as she could towards Sweet Apple Acres.
"Excuse me! Mr. Zeratul." she said, not knowing which direction he is "Could you please go to that castle over there? I need to take care of this... bloody mess... and the little ones here... if that's okay with you?" She pointed at the crystalline tree-shaped castle at the horizon. It wasn't that hard to miss due to it being flashy.
"By your will." he bowed out of respect as Fluttershy flew towards her cottage. Zeratul was alone again, but this time he knew where to go. He walked slowly, looking around him only to see something that the Protoss have striven to achieve and still are trying to until now: Peace. Ponies of all kind, regular ones like the ones Raynor used to tell him about, winged ones like Fluttershy and even horned ones he never saw before were chatting, laughing together, living in harmony without any racial differences, unlike the Protoss who only resulted in wars and bloodshed in order to only achieve separation and more bloodshed. The horned equines in particular piqued Zeratul's interest: They use some sort of energy to do their manual labors, just like the Protoss used psionic energy to do theirs. For every pony he passes by, he could never feel any malice iminating from their spirits. This feeling was unknown to Zeratul. It was even unknown for the common Protoss, who knew nothing but living to battle all their lives. That feeling was innocence.
"What did the Xel'Naga want so that they guide me to such a pure, untouched place?" he thought, putting his palm on his face, thinking about his Protoss brethren. He stopped at the castle's front door. He visualized the interior of the castle as he blinked in.
"I swear I saw her with my own eyes, Rarity" shouted Rainbow Dash "Fluttershy had big spots of blood all over her body. What was she doing in the Bog alone anyways?!"
"I honestly don't know, darling" Rarity answered back with her posh accent "But something big enough happened to require all of us at the castle." Bouncing at the distance was Pinkie Pie in all her bubbly glory followed by Applejack.
"Listen guys! I've had this doozy since Rainbow Dash called us until now and it didn't stop until we reached Twilight's castle. Who or whatever it is, it's going to happen here. I'm so excited that I can't stop talking about it."
"Ah fer the love of Celestia, girl, can you simmer down a bit?" asked Applejack, obviously annoyed by the pink mare's antics. Fluttershy came last to the castle, galloping as fast as she could.
"I'm sorry I am late. Shall we go inside?" As she knocked the door, she remember something "Um, Mr. Zeratul, are you here by any chance?"
"Zera-wha?" asked Applejack, as everypony was looking around.
"He said he would be here. Maybe he's a little shy about his appearance." replied Fluttershy "Anyways, let's go in."
Moments ago
The castle's purple decor caught Zeratul's eyes as he walked into the empty hallways. There were so many doors, so many rooms to explore but one room in peculiar caught his attention: A room with seven chairs (let's not forget Spike), six of them had different symbols embroidered on them. One of the symbols was recognizable from Fluttershy's posterior as the three pink butterflies. Zeratul had his questions concerning those symbols but he decided to leave them for later. The circular shape was actually a map of some sort. As Zeratul went to touch it, he heard a noise coming from the other side of the room. It was a purple equine with a long flowing mane of matching color, carrying a book via that strange unexplained energy. The equine did not only have horns, she had wings as well. Zeratul deduced that this one must be their leader of some sort. As she sat down, five other figures came into sight.
"Hello Twilight!" the five said in unison.
"Hey there, girls. Rainbow told me to be prepared for a meeting and here I am" answered Twilight "What seems to be the issue?"
"I think we should let Fluttershy explain what is going on. After all, she's the one who called the meeting." Rarity suggested as everypony's eyes were locked into Fluttershy.
"Alright, it's not going to be pretty at all" started Fluttershy, knowing little that Zeratul was watching them. "I went to Froggy Bottom Bog to retrieve these cute little froggies. W-when suddenly, the hydra appeared again."
"Wait, that same hydra we ran away from when we were with Twah and Pinkie? Didn't it learn to forgive and forget?" asked Applejack.
"I think he was quite hungry so he decided to make the frogs and I his lunch. Anyways, I was about to be eaten when suddenly, one of his heads fell in front of me." All ponies gasped at the sheer horror of the scene.
"How does a hydra's head simply fall like that?" questioned Twilight.
"A... green blur that sounded like it could even cut the air itself sliced the head from its humongous body. It didn't only slice one, it cut all four of them with one clean swipe each." Fluttershy cried a little inside as Pinkie and Rarity put their hooves as if they were about to vomit.
"But cutting a hydra's head results in the hydra regenerating and multiplying its heads. That means..." Twilight tried to deduce.
"Yes! I warned whoever was fighting the hydra about that" interrupted Fluttershy "The hydra was biting onto something for sure. I couldn't see what it was biting on but I was sure it was the creature who saved me... by killing it."
"Killing it?" Twilight asked "But killing a hydra requires you to squash its body so that it doesn't regenerate."
"That's why I saw a big green dome. The hydra stopped moving within it as if it was petrified. After it got dispersed, the hydra exploded in bits. Most of its heads and the carcass are covering the swamp in blood right now. T-the poor hydra didn't stand a chance." This time, Pinkie's vomit was literally on the ground as Rarity fainted. Applejack mourned the hydra by putting her hat on her chest and Rainbow was amazed at how some creature was able to take down a creature of that size.
"Look, Fluttershy. I know you care a lot about your creatures, but the hydra was too hostile to be tamed, even by your standards. Whoever saved you really deserves words of thanks for his heroics, despite his methods." Twilight comforted Fluttershy with one of her wings.
Hearing this, Zeratul closed his eyes and nodded silently. He then decided it is grand time to speak.
"I think I shall honor my part of the bargain, friend Fluttershy." his voice echoed in the room. The ponies turned their heads only to see in plain sight what Zeratul looked like: His dark skin, his cut cords, his green eyes, his mask all over his face, his golden armor encrusted with emeralds, his clawed toes and arms. The ponies were a bit terrified by his sudden appearance. Twilight hesitated to approach him but Zeratul decided to speak again.
"I am Zeratul. Dark Templar of the Protoss. I come to your planet in peace."
"It was destined for my kin to have such an appellation. Let us say that us Protoss have a very grim past, purple one" Zeratul answered with the best he could, not trying to worry his new friends-to-be. Twilight and the others cautiously approached him, except of Fluttershy, who rushed towards him and noticed something.
"You have a bite wound on your shoulder, Zeratul." The latter didn't even care about the wound.
"I thank you for your concern, friend Fluttershy, but it shall heal in time." he reassured in a calmer tone. He then turned to the blue one.
"I sense hostility coming from you, spectrum one" he uttered "Do you perhaps not approve of what I am?" Rainbow decided that the best course of action was not to provoke the newcomer and stay put.
"I for one do not wish you any harm. Please, we can use this opportunity for introductions." he suggested.
"Aw, shucks, where are mah manners? The name is Applejack, proud farmer of Sweet Apple Acres." she shook his hand carefully.
"Your aura, friend Applejack, reminds me of my Terran friend Raynor. Even your mannerisms and attitude do so as well." he remarked.
"Oh... that's Rarity on the ground. She fainted after hearing my story." said Fluttershy, pointing at the fallen mare.
"Hello and welcome to Ponyville, Zerry" the pink one bounced around him "My name is Pinkie Pie and I plan parties for Ponyville. And as you are the newest of new faces here, I shall make you an exclusive party with your name on it." For the first time of his life, Zeratul was dumbfounded. He couldn't find the correct words to reply the pink one.
"Party?" he innocently inquired "I do not understand the concept, pink one." Her eyes simply shrunk into little dots as she stopped bouncing.
"You... never had a party before?" Zeratul shook his head, still dumbfounded. "OKAY, how about cupcakes? Did you ever eat one?"
"Oh! Excuse my rudeness but... it is better that I show you" he removed his mask only to reveal that he has no mouth under it and put it back on "I feed on the planetary energies around me like your sun so-" he was interrupted by the sound of an earthquake.
Upon seeing Zeratul's mouth-less face, Pinkie dropped the cupcake she was carrying in slow motion. She felt as if her own life flashed before her eyes: It was the first time that she encountered a party guest that she couldn't feed or couldn't enjoy pastries. She slammed the ground and yelled a "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" that literally echoed through the entire galaxy.
Spear of Adun
Artanis heard the echo of Pinkie's cry.
"What in the Xel'Naga's name was that, Karax?" the Hirearch inquired.
"Something intriguing indeed, hirearch." the phase smith answered.
The Hyperion
Jim Raynor was having a simple cup of coffee when the coffee mug suddenly shattered.
"What in the devil's name?" he inquired.
"I think you might have angered someone lately, Jim." answered Valerian, jokingly.
The Leviathan
Kerrigan was discussing with Abathur in the evolution chambers when suddenly Kerrigan fell on her knees.
"This noise... someone has angered someone that even the Gods themselves cannot quell." Alarak simply remarked.
Back to our Story
"I think you are the first one to ever break Pinkie Pie, Zeratul!" said Twilight with an air of victory.
"I think out of all the ponies here, I shouldn't anger that one anymore." Zeratul thought while Pinkie was in a corner, being comforted by Fluttershy, lamenting on her fate.
All who were present in Twilight's castle right now can say that the situation was pretty awkward. Rarity was laying on the couch, still unconscious from Fluttershy's tale. Rainbow Dash did not dare to take a step closer towards the newest appearance so she went with Fluttershy to counter Pinkie Pie, who was still in a corner, crying, smoke coming out of her mouth while saying synonyms of "It's impossible" monotonously. That only left with Twilight Sparkle and Applejack to welcome their guest, Zeratul. From Twilight's point of view, the figure was imposing despite his mannerisms. His title 'Dark Templar' felt a bit uncomfortable for her case. Applejack, who shook his appendage already, offered him to sit down in Rainbow's chair. Zeratul accepted the generous offer and finally sat down across the farmpony. Twilight, seeing that, sat down as well.
"Well... I haven't introduced myself quite yet it seems" she started "I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. I welcome you to Ponyville, Mr Zeratul."
"I have felt an air of royalty from you the moment I laid eyes upon you, your majesty Twilight Sparkle, but please spare the formalities and call me Zeratul." he simply retorted.
"Hehe, I'm not that royal yet to be completely honest" admitted Twilight "The title of Princess was given to me only recently. And please do the same for me and call me Twilight."
"By your will" he bowed his head "I can sense an air of curiosity about you, friend Twilight. I am free to answer any questions you have to satiate it." At that, Twilight's eyes lit like a baby as she summoned an inkwell, a quill and a piece of parchment out of nowhere.
"I'll have to ask her about that energy later since I offered to share my information first." he thought.
"Let me warn ya there, sugarcube, Twi' is really really picky about her questions." said Applejack. Zeratul let that process for a moment.
"Sugarcube?"
Spear of Adun, at the same time
"Skippy?" thought Artanis out loud.
Back to the Castle
"Okay first question: You said that you feed on the planetary energies, is that correct?"
"Indeed it is. We Protoss feed mostly on sun ray light by day and moonlight by night. Thus we can stay for days without nutriments in space."
"You have traveled to space?" she asked, obviously excited.
"We Protoss do have more than capable technologies to do so, friend Twilight." At least Zeratul understood something from that question: These species are primitive by comparison.
"Ahem, alright. Wait, if you have no mouth and you're talking, how are you doing that?"
"We use telepathy to not only project our voices, but also understand the language you speak. Our language by the way is called the Khalani." he answered.
"So, you cast a magic spell on yourself to speak?" If Zeratul had brows, he would've risen them but he simply closed his eyes and thought.
"Magic? I'm afraid that the concept is unknown to me. What I am using is a variant of psi-energy called the Void." Twilight beamed with excitement. A species that is not only highly advanced, but also possesses another source of energy to do their bidding.
"Amazing, all of this is amazing!" she exclaimed, scribbling down non-stop "Is it possible-"
"No, it is not!" Zeratul interrupted angrily, Applejack glared at him "It is out of the question to teach psionic power usage to creatures unless they possess it. It is very rare to find such powers even within our race. Trying to forcefully awaken or transfer psionic powers from one creature to another could mean the death of both since it disturbs the flow of energy and nature itself." Twilight was taken aback while Applejack stopped glaring and nodded.
"He tells the truth, Twilight" she affirmed "He has his reasons for his... outburst."
"I am sorry, friend Applejack. It simply reminded me of a friend of mine who died sacrificing himself because of my teachings of the Void. I do not wish for the same experience to be repeated." he admitted. Applejack put her stetson over her eyes while Twilight shed some tears.
"It is I who is sorry. I made you remember the death of your friend." said Twilight apologetically.
"It is alright. We Protoss pride in death on battle. We are after all a race of noble warriors, but nobility is just a facade to a dark history with even a darker past." said Zeratul with a grim tone. Twilight and Applejack listened attentively, with serious expressions on their faces. Zeratul looked at them, knowing what they wanted from him: The Protoss's story. He closed his eyes and nodded.
"Very well, but our story is rather unpleasant. Please listen carefully." he started narrating. An air of mystique filled the castle.
"Millennia ago, we were created in our planet Aiur by the Xel'Naga, which were gods of pure essence and form. We co-existed with them for centuries. They were responsible for our evolution, our well-being. Alas, that peace lasted only for a fraction of the lifespan of our race as a rogue Xel'Naga named Amon tried to create the most powerful Xel'Naga host using us. Hearing of this treachery, our race retaliated by distancing ourselves from our creators. Severing these links only made it worse After this seperation, the Aeon of Strife, a war that lasted for millenia, was waged. The Xel'Naga, including Amon, were gone. Followers of Amon from our noble race were gone with him, thus creating the Tal'darim, who blindly followed him. Seeing this as a betrayal, the Protoss attacked Amon as sign of retaliation. Their leave caused the Protoss to go mad, prideful and egoistic as all wanted their powers for himself, so they started killing each other. Until a Protoss named Khas, also called "He who brings order", studied the forbidden teachings of our gods after findings one of their artifacts and gained access to the Khala, the Path of Ascension and the energy opposing the Void that I am using. Speaking of the Void, the period of Discord was next."
"D-d-d-discord?" asks Twilight, terrified. Zeratul closed his eyes and nodded.
"It was the period where the Protoss were separated once again. This time into the Templars or Khalai, who embraced the Khala, and the Dark Templars or Nerazim as we were called, who refused the Khala and embraced the Void. We were persecuted, marginalized, forced to go rogue against our own will just because of what we believed. The Conclave eventually ordered our execution but a hero emerged from our within our enemies: Executor Adun: One of the rare controllers of the Khala and the Void.
Twilight's eyes widened. This Adun must have been the friend Zeratul was talking about.
"I can read your mind, friend Twilight. I was born after he died. He is not the friend you seek" Zeratul reassured her "However, he's revered by both the Khalai and Nerazim as the Exalted One: The only Protoss to ever achieve such a title."
"Fascinating!" Twilight exclaimed, still phased by the amount of brutality there is.
"He taught us how to hide ourselves from our enemies by cloaking. He went against the Conclave's ruthless orders , but not at the greatest of costs: By combining both energies together, he burned himself to death, protecting us while we fled alongside our future Matriarch Raszagal, which established the Nerazim in the planet Shakuras where I was born three hundred and fifty years after Adun's death."
"H-how old are you, Zeratul?" asked Twilight, flabbergasted.
"By the Terran calendar, I am six hundred and forty one of age, young Twilight." he simply answered. Twilight dropped her quill while Applejack simply whistled, stetson still down in order to hide her conflicted emotions.
"You're as half old as Princess Celestia herself! You're ancient!" exclaimed Twilight loudly. Zeratul just tilted his head at the mention of the name.
"Anyways, that is most of the story of my race. I would be glad to tell you my own story but we shall rest for a little bit. Your friends seem to have gathered for quite a while." It is as he said as four figures appeared, looking at him carefully.
"One last question: How did you get in our planet of Equus?" That was the question.
"A Xel'Naga somehow saved me from death and brought me here for a purpose" Zeratul answered "As for that purpose, I am afraid even I do not know."
"Most fascinating!" Twilight's exclamation was so clear on her face. "Zeratul, I shall show you to a room where you rest. I am formally welcoming you to Equus as the Princess of Friendship."
"It would be most grateful. Despite my past and the past of my race, you accepted me as I am. It is rare to see such nobility, even among the Protoss ranks." At that praise, Twilight blushed a little, as they both excused themselves to his new chambers.
"You are one mysterious creature, Zeratul. I do not know what to make out of you to be honest. But one thing is for sure: He has shown no ill intentions at all, for now." that was a quick mental note by Twilight as she left him to rest while she rejoined her friends. Zeratul sensed that but simply bared no mind to it: It is natural to be cautious after all.
After making sure that Zeratul was comfortable in his new quarters, Twilight returned to her council room, where Applejack finished re-telling Zeratul's story with the best she could. Rarity resisted the urge to faint again. Fluttershy cried a lot while feeling some pity for Zeratul. Pinkie Pie was looking grim; for reasons unspecified while Applejack tipped her hat down. Rainbow Dash, of course, was suspicious.
"So, this fellow can just come here and tell his story about his race or something, and expect some kind of hospitality? I don't buy it one bit." she said.
"But Rainbow Dash, he saved poor Fluttershy over here from certain death. Surely you jest by saying all that mean stuff." retorted Rarity.
"I do not kid around with these matters. What if he was saving Fluttershy, waiting for a moment to strike. What if he was a spy, trying to set up for an invasion? What if he was invisible, right here, listening to us? What if his story was just a blatant lie, just to soften our hearts and then-" At that moment, Rainbow was interrupted by an angry Applejack. Hat still down, she trotted towards her, smacking her across the face. It was so loud that it echoed all around the room. A tear could be seen on Applejack's cheek and Rainbow's look of stupefaction was priceless as she rubbed hers.
"Don't you dare say those things, Rainbow Dash" she said venomously "I was there when I listened to his whole story: He didn't shed a single lie or weave a single pony's tale. All he said until now was the sheer, undoubted truth. If you think that the world around you is always fine and the solution to life will always be laid in front of your very eyes, then think again." What Applejack said was so deep that even Twilight couldn't imagine it coming. "If y'all excuse me, Ah'll be on my farm. Ah don't feel so well." she added as she rushed away from the castle. Glares formed around Rainbow but as headstrong as she was, she didn't admit the truth and flew away from the closest window. The friendship council was dissolved very quickly after that commotion as everypony weren't in the mood of discussing their new arrival, leaving Twilight alone to deal with it.
Next Morning
In his whole existence, Zeratul has never slept so much. His mind was at ease. The feeling of relief was immolating him from the inside out as the sun penetrated his window towards his eyes. He woke up and went into meditation. He felt revitalized as the Void energies were circulating his body fluently. Forming a ball of green and black energy, he started tossing it between his arms, floating it around the room and back to his body so that he could train his control. Unsheathing his warp blade, he sliced it mid air, perfectly in half as it disappeared. It was a basic training exercise he learned during his youth and to imagine a Dark Prelate doing so in his age is... rather inconceivable. Two hours have passed and Zeratul was still doing the same motions over and over again. Suddenly, his door cracked open. Zeratul pointed his blade at the door. It was then at it was opened hastily out of fear. He saw a terrified little purple creature with green spines and a big head. Zeratul retracted his blade at the sight, went towards him and extended his appendage (A/N: Is it a claw or a hand?)
"It is alright, little one, I didn't mean to scare you." he apologetically said.
"I-I am not terrified, mister alien, just curious about whatever you were doing." the small creature replied, taking his appendage and standing up.
"I see. Whatever is you want, little one?" Zeratul asked.
"Oh yeah! I haven't introduced myself yet" he began "My name is Spike, I'm a dragon and I am Princess Twilight's assistant. I'm here to inform you that Twilight wanted to speak with you. She told me about you but I had a hard time believing her." he put his claw and scratched his head from embarrassment.
"You can go, little Spike, I shall be there shortly." he simply replied, dismissing the young one. Zeratul could only wonder what Twilight has in store for him today. He decided to not waste any time and go to wherever Twilight is.
"Ah Zeratul. Nice to see you here today." greeted Twilight.
"Hello, friend Twilight, little Spike. To what I owe this pleasure?" he asked. Twilight smiled as she brought a saddle bag with some tools in it.
"As the Princess of Ponyville, it is a privilege to show you, Zeratul of Aiur, the beauty of my city. So today, you shall be part in a guided visit." Zeratul blinked: A guided visit? This early? It has just been one day. Do the ponies of this city know about him already?
"Oh... Do not be afraid, Zeratul. They will know you soon. I just want you to be yourself and not hide from public. You will see that they will be accustomed to you very easily." Twilight said, reassuring him. Zeratul simply nodded as he gestured the Princess to take the lead.
Ponyville
Ah, the great outdoors.* Zeratul couldn't imagine he would be out of the castle this quick. He looked to his side to see Twilight with Spike on her back in addition to her bags. The first thing he could see was the sun shining as bright as yesterday and the clouds being moved by the winged horses.
"Friend Twilight, aren't the clouds supposed to move on their own?" he asked, pointing towards the sky. Twilight and Spike looked at each other and laughed causing Zeratul to awkwardly scratch his head. Twilight remarked that, stopped laughing and bopped Spike on his head.
"I forgot you were a stranger here, Zeratul. We are really sorry for being rude" she apologized "As for the clouds, Pegasus ponies have innate magic that allows them to control the weather. Thanks to the weather factory in Cloudsdale, we regularly schedule seasons and weather." Zeratul was, in fact, genuinely impressed. Even the Protoss with all their technological advancements couldn't reach towards control over nature. That must be the main reason why the planet Equus was well-preserved. They started their walk as Zeratul remembered something important.
"Pegasus ponies?" he simply asked.
"Oh that's right! You don't even know our race. We ponies are divided into four subcategories: First we have pegasi, the winged ponies who as I said able to control weather and obviously able to fly. Not all pegasi have to be committed for weather duties; a good example at that would be Muffins."
"Muffins?" Zeratul asked but he soon got his answer as a grey blur approached him. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he blinked away from the blur but noticed that it was going to hit a brick wall. He blinked again and caught the blur in mid flight and posed it down to take a quick look at: It was a gray pony with blonde hair and eyes and some strange bubbles drawn on her posterior. She was wearing some kind of brown hat and bag filled with papers. The pony's most noticeable feature was her eyes: They were... not to be rude... unusual.
"Zeratul! Are you okay?" Twilight asked, not being able to see his movements.
"I am fine, friend Twilight. You should redirect your question to this pony. Are you well, pony?" the pony in question looked up innocently. She didn't seem phased by the creature she was facing. She smiled and said.
"Thank you for saving me, strange one." and then she resumed her flight. Zeratul wasn't expecting that kind of reaction as he returned to Twilight's side.
"That was Muffins: Our local mail pony. She has a terrible illness... even though, she still does her best for her family." Twilight explained as she remembered the topic of conversation. "Oh yeah: Unicorns are next: They are the ponies with horns. They have the most magical potential inside of them and use their horns to project it and materialize it to their will. Unicorn magic varies depending on the pony himself: Some unicorns can end up in very high positions due to their vast knowledge in magic and some cannot."
"Similar to the Caste system in Aiur and Shakuras, but not as harsh." Zeratul thought.
"I was a unicorn before I ascend into an Alicorn: Alicorns are the rarest of the species. There are until now four known alicorns (A/N: This is before Season 6): Representing the Sun is Princess Celestia. Representing the Moon is Princess Luna. Representing Love is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza or Cadence for short and finally representing Friendship is yours truly." Zeratul nodded in understanding.
"When you say 'Representing the Sun and Moon', do you mean-" he was interrupted by a nod from Twilight. Zeratul understood but was really baffled. Celestial bodies being controlled by someone... he imagined if a Protoss were given that kind of power. He shook his head, perished the thought and decided to go with the flow of this planet's logic.
"And the last type of species?"
"Oh! Those are the Earth ponies: Earth ponies have the least amount of magic, but enough to let them be a force to be reckoned with. These ponies are known to be the pioneers of Ponyville, the town you are in. They mostly prefer manual labor as nopony else would want to dirty their hooves around." Zeratul nodded as Twilight cheerfully explained. He was rather glad that the explanation was concise. He then remembered another thing. He reached for one of his pockets and got out some sort of shiny rock and offered it to Twilight. Twilight stopped on her tracks and looked at it: Pure blue, so pure that you could see your reflection on it. Spike's reaction was instantaneous: He tried to have a bite of the rock but Zeratul quickly retracted his hand.
"Careful, young Spike! What in the Xel'Naga's name are you doing?" asked Zeratul, clearly furious.
"I-I-I was trying to have a bite on it. Just one tiny bite won't have anypony, right?" Spike clearly didn't know best but Twilight spoke for him.
"I am really sorry about Spike. He's just a baby dragon and dragons eat gems and shiny rocks." she explained again.
"Ah!" Zeratul understood as he took another rock from his pocket, less shiny than the other one and offered it to Spike. The latter pointed at himself and looked at Zeratul, who nodded. Spike then took the newly presented rock and started to munch on it.
"I am sorry for my sudden outburst again, friend Twilight, but biting on the former rock might have caused some trouble."
"Why is that, Zeratul?" she asked.
"The rock I gave to young Spike is a simple mineral, nothing harmful about it. However the other rock is a far another story: It is a rock coming from a pylon."
"A pylon?" she asked, taking her notes out.
"A pylon is the main source of power for Protoss and their buildings. Some pylons contain Khala or Void energy used by the Templar. That's what this rock is and... I want you to have it so that you can study it further. The books around your castle are proof of how knowledge-savvy you are, friend Twilight. And my heart couldn't bear the guilt of yesterday's refusal, so I shall give you this piece to study. However do not try to interact with it directly with your magic. I cannot guarantee what can happen." Zeratul then extended his appendage. Twilight's eyes lit as she grabbed the rock by her hooves. Zeratul did not question how she could do it as she stuffed it in her saddle bag.
"Thank you so much, Zeratul! Oh my Celestia! Imagine if Rarity could lay eyes on this beauty!" she screamed, attracting the attention of the populace. She laughed, said "Sorry." and moved on.
"Think nothing of it, friend Twilight." Zeratul simply replied, not too sure why he felt so at ease in this kind of atmosphere. He suddenly sensed something in the air as if something was following them all of a sudden. He blurted.
"If you are that interested in what I am, you can come out. I mean you no harm."
"Huh?" Twilight said as three familiar figures came out of a bush. A yellow, orange and white figure to be precise. Twilight groaned a little inside as they approached them.
"Wow, he's good." The orange figure, apparently a Pegasus, said.
"Ah told ya, sister said he was a little bit weird-looking." the yellow one, an earth pony with a red bow tie, affirmed.
"He really looks a bit scary, though." the white one, a Unicorn, remarked as both of her friend's hooves were put on her mouth.
Zeratul observed these three new figures attentively: Despite the color difference, they had the same kind-of picture on their posteriors.
"Excuse my rudeness, little ones, but can you tell me what are those?" as he pointed at them. A collective scream/yell/screech could be heard through the town. Twilight and Spike covered their ears as Zeratul cast a green dome around them. The three fillies were suddenly frozen.
"What in Celestia's name did you do, Zeratul?" she asked.
"A Void technique called Void Prison: It will freeze time around the targets for a few seconds. The time we need for their 'overexcitement' to be over." And as Zeratul said, the dome dissipated. They had finished their scream by the time the prison ended and Twilight and Spike sighed in relief.
"You do not know about Cutie Marks?" all three yelled in unison.
"Cutie Marks? Sorry but as you know I am a stranger here." Zeratul stated the obvious after all. Twilight intervened.
"A Cutie Mark is a symbol that represents our calling in life. Mine for example is the love of magic and stars. Theirs is a bit special: It was formed by a bond for their love for Cutie Marks: They are called the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Their quest is to find anypony with Cutie Mark problems and solve it."
"Ah'm Applebloom/Scootaloo/Sweetie Belle." they introduced themselves, still excited about their new encounter.
"I am sorry to disappoint, young ones, but until this moment, I do not know of Protoss who have symbols like yours." Zeratul dropped the information upon them like an anvil.
"Awwww..." a collective sigh of disappointment was heard. Zeratul quickly observed the three ponies and remarked something: Scootaloo was able to flutter her wings but wasn't able to fly. He also saw pegasi of her age flying normally so he concluded she had a flying disability. He looked down on her. His shadow attracted her attention as she cowered into a ball. He pointed at her.
"You... have a disturbance within your flow of energy." Zeratul stated. That attracted Twilight's attention.
"What do you mean by that, Zeratul?" she asked.
"I know for a fact that you cannot fly like the others" Scootaloo hunched her head down like an ostrich "But it is possible for you to fly again." These news made Scootaloo's eyes widen.
"P-please Zeratul! Don't give the filly false hope! The doctors in town said that she can't-" Twilight was interrupted by Zeratul closing his eyes, focusing on the little orange filly.
"Do you trust me, Twilight?" Zeratul asked, concentrating "I can easily see her flow of energy and I can easily restore it to place. I ask you to have faith in me." Zeratul then opened his eyes as he concentrated a small amount of Void energy onto Scootaloo's little wings. She felt a tingle all around her body, then nothing.
"Do not worry, little one, the process shall take a little time." said Zeratul with a surprisingly kind look on his veiled face. Suddenly, Scootaloo's wings began to flutter, flutter and flutter even further until her body lifted itself from the ground as she took off. As a miniature spaceship would lift off from Aiur, she soared Ponyville's skies with almost flawless control and landed back to where Zeratul and her friends were as they were cheering and whistling for her. The populace all came around the group as they lifted Scootaloo up in the air.
"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-but how?" Twilight asked, flabbergasted "How did you do that?"
"Even I do not know, young Twilight" Zeratul answered, looking at his hands "It seems I have acquired a new skill while I was on your planet."
"Well your technique could revolutionize the whole medical industry! And you just acquired it? How? It is impossible! That's not how magic works." Twilight was stunned beyond belief as Zeratul petted her.
"Calm down, young princess. If I reveal some new knowledge about the Void, I shall tell you." Zeratul said as he was approached by Scootaloo, who hugged his leg very tightly.
"Thank you so much! You... don't know how it is important to me to fly!" she was crying from joy. Zeratul picked her up and placed her on the ground.
"It was nothing, young one. Now do not strain yourself. What I did was just channel a bit of my energy to remove the disturbance that exists in your own flow. As I said to friend Twilight, I do not know how I did it but I shall explore this technique further" Zeratul said as he left the crowd of ponies gathering around "Young Twilight, it seems we have gathered some unwanted attention. Let us go to a quieter place if you please." as Zeratul waited for Twilight, still in shock of the flow of events that happened. She snapped back to reality and lead the way towards Sweet Apple Acres.
"How could Void energy be used as a cure? Why did I do that against my own will? Am I really starting to get... soft? I do not know. So many questions have flown into my head right now and I do not know the answer to them." thought Zeratul, following Twilight to their next destination.
As they marched to Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight kept examining the pylon rock that Zeratul gave to her.
"So... Zeratul. Could you explain how this rock is very important to your civilization." she asked.
"That 'rock' as you call it was part of a Pylon. The Pylon is a rock infused with energy that can power up our structures and our defenses. It can be said that without Pylons, we cannot live in a safe infrastructural environment." Zeratul explained as Twilight glared at the rock.
"In short, you need to construct additional Pylons in order to live?" Zeratul closed his eyes, remembering a certain voice that kept telling him to do that, every, single, time, and nodded.
"That's fascinating!" exclaimed Twilight "I can't wait to show this to a friend of mine." As she said those words, Sweet Apple Acres was in sight.
The verdant terrain was slowly in sight of the Princess and her alien guest. Zeratul couldn't believe his eyes: Never in his life he has seen greenery being so radiant, so lush, so rich. He put his hands in front of him.
"In all my life as a Protoss, I have traveled countless planets, visited numerous places. But never in my life have I seen such... a beautiful scene." he was at a loss of words. Twilight just stared at him.
"It is just an apple tree farm, Zeratul. Nothing big about it." she said.
"Apple? What, pray tell, is an apple friend Twilight?" he asked the question genuinely. Even Raynor didn't tell him about everything they had on their home planet after all.
"Oh... I am sorry! I forgot that you do not eat. Apples are fruits that are essential for our lives as ponies. The Apple family in all over Equestria are responsible for the business." explained Twilight as Zeratul approached one tree. He touched it, feeling its life energy.
"It's brimming with life. I can understand why you ponies must like these fruits" he said, looking upwards to see the red fruits themselves "and that must be the fruit in question." He blinked upwards, gently took an apple and blinked back. Twilight's eyes however blinked at him blinking back and forth.
"W-was that teleportation, Zeratul?" she asked.
"Ah no, friend Twilight. That is blink. Unlike the warp gates we use to teleport ourselves, blink allows us to... well blink out of existence and then reappear in a short distance." Twilight nodded at the explanation as she took note. Zeratul handed her the apple which she took by magic and started eating it.
"I assume friend Applejack is the one taking care of this farm?" she nodded "If so, then she did a great job: The energy of that tree is... very unique. It is a new feeling that I got when I got in contact with it. Pity I do not feed on essence or else I would gladly have a taste."
"Essence?" asked Twilight.
"I'll explain later." said Zeratul with a hint of sadness. The two were interrupted by a yell: It was Applebloom trotting in their way.
"Hi, Twilight" she greeted "and Mr Alien who fixed Scootaloo's wings is here too?! Welcome to our apple orchard. Ah have to say, you did a miracle there, mister. Scootaloo is flying like crazy." She laughed innocently. Zeratul looked at her then closed his eyes.
"Our children will never be as innocent as this little one." he thought. Twilight noticed the deep thought of the Dark Templar and decided to comfort him.
"I do not know what you have experienced in the past, Zeratul, but if there is anything you want to talk about, I am available to listen." she said. Zeratul opened his eyes and looked at Twilight, and then at Applebloom, who was still grinning widely.
"I'll take upon your offer one day, friend Twilight." he just said.
The three continued walking towards the Apples' house as they encountered Applejack applebucking trees on their way. When Applejack saw Zeratul, she stopped bucking the apples, tilted her hat down without even looking at him. The Templar noticed her actions.
"Twilight" he said in a grim tone that startled her a bit "Take the little one and get inside the house."
"What? But wha-" Twilight was about to speak, terror in her eyes.
"No questions! Trust me, please. Your friend Applejack wants to speak with me, in private." He exclaimed. Earning a confused nod from Twilight, she took Applebloom and went inside.
"Follow me." was all what Applejack said as Zeratul simply obeyed.
As Zeratul followed Applejack to their destination, the latter was curious about something.
"How did ya know about me wanting you in private?"
"It doesn't have to be a Protoss to see that you are clearly in distress, friend Applejack." answered Zeratul "I have felt that you were eyeing me since yesterday so I decided that we speak about it." Applejack nodded as they stopped in front of a brown, old but rather well-kept cellar door.
"We're here." spoke Applejack, taking a deep breath. "Nopony here but Granny knows about this here door. And only I have the key for it." She removed her hat, took the small key and opened the creaky door. "Better have it in mah possession all the time rather than leaving it around."
They entered the cellar as Applejack lighted a lantern and carried it with her mouth.
"That is rather... unpractical, friend Applejack. If you'll allow me, I'll carry that for you." proposed Zeratul as he extended his hand. Applejack couldn't help but agree, saying thanks along the way. The cellar in itself was damp and dark within its long corridors. Needless to say, it was rather big and empty for it to be a regular cellar. The two of them walked and walked deeper and deeper until they finally arrived towards their destination: It didn't take long for Zeratul to deduce it was a pedestal covered nearly whole with a red drape. Zeratul hung the lantern into a nearby rusty nail as Applejack turned facing him.
"This is it. The moment of truth. Ah'll finally unveil this mystery and reveal it once and for all." She muttered. Zeratul raised a brow at the statement.
"What do you mean by that, friend Applejack?"
"What Ah mean, Zeratul..." she said, grabbing the drape by her teeth. "Ish THIS!" she removed it, dust covering the room, making Applejack cough for a bit. "It's not the first time that Ah see that... arm thingy of yours." The dust dissipated to finally reveal what's under the curtains: It was a glass box on the pedestal and within it was a small golden tube-shaped object encrusted with a blue crystal in its center. Zeratul's eyes widened as he approached the object in question, very familiar with it.
"It... cannot be..." he said, words failing to escape his... well... mind. "But... this is... impossible."
"Ah didn't want to believe it at first but your reaction leaves no room for a doubt." deduced Applejack "That there thing has the same design as your doohickeys." But Zeratul was too busy focusing on the reality in front of him: A Protoss artifact was revealed before his very eyes yet he is certain that he was the only one of his kind on this very planet. Unless...
"Tell me, friend Applejack and please answer me honestly," Zeratul demanded "How in the Xel'Naga's name did you get this?!" Applejack put a hoof on her chin but decided to trust him on the matter.
"According to what Granny told me, that there thing is a family heirloom." Applejack stated "It was given to the First Apple to ever exist many years ago. It was passed to every Apple from generation to generation as the First Apple decreed it in his testament." She pointed at the pedestal that read:
Whenever an Apple matures long enough, please do entrust this into his or her care as long as my lineage lives on. One day, it will be of a great purpose for the future of Ponykind. Signed, Apple the First.
Zeratul looked at the inscriptions carefully and back at Applejack, who nodded at him. He put his hand on his veil then on his face.
"Are you sure he didn't say anything else?! Anything that relates to the origin of this artifact?" he asked.
"Ah'm not sure, Zeratul." said Applejack, chuckling "Ah mean ah wasn't living with him to know every darn thing... That's why ah brought you cause ah thought you would know."
"I swear on my honor as a Dark Templar that I have never seen this artifact my whole life, friend Applejack. I am sorry to disappoint you." upon hearing this, Applejack's head dropped. "But know this: This artifact is indeed Protoss-made."
"Huh? Then what does it mean for it to be here, in our planet?"
"There is but one possible explanation: I am not the first Protoss to arrive here." concluded Zeratul. Applejack gasped loudly as she nodded in understanding. That could be the only conclusion possible.
"But here is another question..." Applejack resumed "Why in Equestria does nopony know about his existence?"
"That... is indeed the question, friend Applejack. Alas, I do not have its answer. Since this is a family heirloom as you mentioned, it is yours by right, made by Protoss or not. It is you who decides whatever to do with it: Do you want to divulge its secrets to your friends so that they can help you, or does this conversation never leaves this room until the right moment occurs?" Applejack slowly nodded at his reasoning. "May I take a closer look into it?"
"Be my guest. Ah tried to figure the darn thing myself for a long time, without success." Zeratul nodded has he removed the glass box, gently put it aside, and grasped the Protoss artifact for the first time. He closed his eyes and tried to connect with it.
"It seems this is a weapon: A Psi weapon to be precise." Zeratul affirmed.
"A weapon?! You mean to say that our family heirloom of years and years ago is a weapon? A bona-fide, made to kill weapon?" It was outrageous for the Apple family to possess such a thing was unheard of. Equestria wasn't in a major war for the last 800 years or so therefore the fact that they had a weapon baffled Applejack and shook her belief. "Ah want proof that this is a weapon, Zeratul. This ain't a joking matter anymore."
"If you insist, friend Applejack. Even though I am not supposed to use Khala-based weapons, I shall honor your request." Zeratul said as he focused energy into the weapon. The crystal glowed a deep blue color as one of its extensions released a squiggly beam of energy. Hadn't Zeratul controlled it in time, it would have sliced the pedestal in half.
"In all my life as a Protoss, I have never seen a Protoss weapon take such a shape." But Applejack knew exactly the shape of the weapon in question. It was unmistakably...
"A whip... a whatever-you-say-it-was-made-of whip... Ah can't believe it. The darn thing was a weapon all along after all." Applejack sat down in disbelief as Zeratul deactivated the Psi-whip in question. He handled it to her.
"Ah don't want it!" she shook her head, looking at it fearfully. Zeratul closed his eyes and patted Applejack's head as if she was a little filly. Applejack's teary eyes widened as she looked up to him.
"Remember the will of your ancestor, friend Applejack. You fear that this weapon would cause harm, tarnish reputations and bring doom to your world. Even I at first thought that this planet is a place made in heaven, but there has to be signs of war somewhere. Nothing is built from scratch, nothing is lost, everything transforms. What I mean is in order to achieve peace, wars and conflicts have had to happen. Didn't you ever have a conflict, friend Applejack, not even the slightest misunderstanding that could cause any downfall? A war is, as I told you before in my story, a conflict in the larger scale. We try to avoid it but it comes back one day." He placed the weapon in front of her and headed towards the exit, lighting his Warp blade.
"As I said before, friend Applejack, it is you who decides..." his voice echoed through the corridors as he left her in her own decisions.
As Zeratul left the cellar and headed towards the farm, he heard hoof beats coming towards him. It was both Twilight, Applebloom and the little unicorn filly from before.
"ZERATUL!" yelled Twilight "You have to come and help right now." Zeratul was confused by the request and sudden outburst.
"What has occurred that needs my assistance, friend Twilight."
"I-it's Scootaloo... s-she's... in pain." the little filly cried. Zeratul's eyes widened as he knelled onto the ground, slamming it. He knew it was the little flightless orange pegasus filly he healed before.
"Now is not the time to be desperate. Follow us! This way!" barked Twilight as they headed towards the CMC club. Zeratul hastily followed them, blinking away.
"What have I done? By the Xel'Naga what have I done?!" he thought, fearing the worst.
Twilight and the two fillies galloped as fast as they could to the club house. She often turns her head to see if Zeratul was keeping up and indeed he was. Blinking from tree to tree, Zeratul was following them to their destination, prepared to face the worse. Arriving at the club house, they all saw a swirl of green energy around Scootaloo. Her wings were bigger than her body, at least twice as big with veins popping out. She was screaming in pain while Rainbow Dash was already there, trying her best to pierce through the green energy to no avail. The latter noticed the arrival of Twilight's group.
"We came as soon as we heard" Twilight said with worry "What happened?"
"I don't know... I was flying with the squirt when I heard she somehow could fly when her wings started to grow bigger and bigger and then she landed on the ground quite hard. That green thing appeared out of nowhere. I tried to break it but-" Rainbow's speech was interrupted by Zeratul's appearance. She glared at him then tackled him. Zeratul reacted by holding her frontal hooves and standing on his ground.
"YOU!" she bellowed "This is all your fault. We were in peace before you arrive and ruin it for that filly!" Zeratul couldn't face her.
"Now now, Rainbow. I'm sure Zeratul can-"
"She's right, friend Twilight" interrupted Zeratul "I am indeed responsible for this, despite my intentions." He remembered Vorazun, daughter of the matriarch he killed with his own blade. The similarity of the events were both astonishing in the Protoss's mind. But he decided something has to be done.
"Friend Twilight. I shall indeed try and atone for this mistake." He activated his Warp Blade which made all four ponies flinch but before they react, Zeratul removed the blade from his hand and planted it on the ground.
"If I ever survive and the little one doesn't make it, feel free to end my life with my own blade." He said, gesturing at the weapon.
"E-end your life? But what... why?" Rainbow asked, stammering. Zeratul turned towards her and said.
"That blade has spilled the blood of both the guilty and the innocent. I know that I've done many things in the past, some were beneficial, some... atrocious to even speak about them. But now, all I want is to save the little one." he answered as Scootaloo kept screaming. "We don't have much time before the Void consumes her completely. My life... for Aiur." As he uttered those last words, he rushed into the swirl of energy and put his palm on Scootaloo. Then he sat down and closed his eyes. The four mares could only hear the silence of the dead: Her fate is in Zeratul's hands as they could only stay patiently, awaiting for a miracle to happen.
The Void. An energy so unpredictable. A place so dark. That's where Zeratul is now. He is wandering into darkness, looking for the light of salvation for him and the little filly. As he walked, he could only see darkness until he saw a green glimmer entrapping the little filly. He rushed towards her.
"The pain! It's unbearable..." she said, clearly wanting to be free of her torment. She saw the creature from before, the one who gave her hope. "Heh, you finally arrived."
"I have." he replied "I am here to free you. Now please do as I say." She nodded painfully. "Close your eyes and try to embrace the energy around you. You are strong willed, little one, so I thought of giving you what you wished for, but I ended up causing you more pain and for that, apologizing doesn't cut it."
"No matter what you did to me, I forgive you." She said, eyes closed "You made my dream of flying come true. You did what nopony else did to me. Now I put my life into your hands. Please end this torment." Zeratul closed his eyes and put his palm into her head.
"Imagine yourself alone, no one by your side and no... pony to aid you. You are the only one who could save yourself. You have to believe that you can muster this energy on your own. I shall guide you with my voice." As his voice echoed into Scootaloo's mind, she pictured herself just as Zeratul mentioned: Lonely, with no help at all, just like her days in the orphanage. Mocked, bullied, shunned, made fun of because of her disability, she decided to remain strong for those who will believe in her one day. And when she finally found those who did just that, she was about to die.
"I will NOT allow myself to die so easily." she screamed as the energy engulfing her began to take shape: Her shape to be exact. Zeratul's presence dissipated from the Void as the Void shaped like Scootaloo went inside her body making her fall into unconsciousness.
"Look! The energy is dissipating." screamed Applebloom, getting the attention of the crowd. The energy was indeed going back inside of the filly's body. Her wings' size reduced and yet didn't return to normal. The filly didn't wake up. Zeratul was seen panting heavily, sweating bullets as he saw Scootaloo breathing, sound asleep.
"I... did it..." he weakly said as he slumped into the ground "No... she... did it..." As the ponies approached him, he raised his hand towards Twilight.
"Please take me back... to the castle... I need... to rest..." Twilight smiled at him "And you... Spectrum one... take the... young one... and let her rest... too..."
"What happened there?!" asked Rainbow.
"I will explain... but not... now..." He answered, closing his eyes and sleeping soundly.
"I still have a responsibility to take" he thought "Not only towards that filly, but towards this planet too... Is this why you brought me here Ouros?!"
"I can hardly believe this! You've killed your own matriarch!" said the Queen of Blades, Sarah Kerrigan, surprised yet gleeful.
"Better that I killed her than let her live as your slave, Kerrigan." retorted Zeratul, retracting his blade from his matriarch, who dissipated into thin air.
"Well, I have misjudged you, warrior. You are worthy indeed. You are free to go."
"What?"
"I said you are free to go. I've already taken your honor. I'll let you live because I know that from now on your every waking moment will be torture. You'll never be able to forgive yourself for what I've forced you to do. And that, Zeratul, is a better revenge than I could have ever dreamed of."
"You will regret this decision, Kerrigan. We shall meet again." he said, fleeing from sight. Yet the sight of his matriarch dying before his arm by his own blade was printed into his mind.
Zeratul awoke with a start. The memory of the murder of his matriarch is still haunting his slumbers. He found himself in the room allocated to him by Twilight Sparkle, then he remembered the little filly he saved from the Void's clutches. In exploring the Void and the little one's spirit, he had known the reason for its invasion and he has yet to explain it to everyone present in the castle and especially to Scootaloo, who is the most concerned about the subject. He found his blade, still active, lying on the table. He checked it, reequipped it and deactivated it. He then stood up and headed for the throne room. He overheard the ponies talking.
"It has been two days and none of them has woken up yet. I'm starting to worry about the squirt!" said Rainbow Dash.
"Now, Rainbow, calm down. Zeratul said she's out of danger so-" responded Twilight before being rudely interrupted.
"And you STILL trust him?! He's the reason for all that. If he didn't interfere, Scootaloo would be okay by now. We would have found other ways for her to overcome her disability." At this moment, Applejack has had enough.
"Do ya really think it's that simple, Rainbow? I've seen Zeratul and I can say he's a creature who has seen it all." she lowered her hat on her eyes.
"How can you be so calm about this?!" asked Rainbow, outraged.
"Didn't ya say he said to... kill him if he failed?" she answered venomously "Ah swear if it was me, ah would trust someone ready to risk their lives for others. Heck, I would honor his wish if that's what he wanted me to do."
"We're talking about killing here! The life of a creature!" shouted Rainbow. Applejack faced her, looked intensely in her eyes and whispered.
"You haven't seen what death looks like, did you, Rainbow?!" with those bone-chilling words, Applejack headed towards the door where she saw Zeratul standing there.
"I thank you for taking my defense, friend Applejack, but I shall, as promised, explain what happened until now." Applejack nodded, returning to her seat as Rainbow reluctantly took hers.
"Princess Twilight" he addressed formally "Prepare whatever recording material necessary for whatever I am to say. It is probably valuable for understanding the situation." Twilight beamed as she brought tons of ink, quills and paper way ahead of time and sat down. Zeratul eyed the material and sighed "Note to self: Show Twilight how Ihan crystals work later." he thought.
"I'm ready, Zeratul. The main question is what happened to Scootaloo?" This time, Zeratul has all the answers.
"What happened is that I tried to repair the flow of energy within the little one's body with the minimum of energy possible. Unfortunately as I said, Void energy and magic are at a big conflict."
"So you're saying that even at minimal quantities, as long as the body possesses other energies, they do not mix up?" Zeratul nodded.
"Correct, friend Twilight. However, little Scootaloo's case is far more complex than that" the ponies looked at him with worry then let him proceed "If I recall correctly, you told me that Earth ponies have the least amount of magic flowing into them" Twilight nodded at that then her eyes widened in understanding.
"Scootaloo's magic is way lower than even an Earth pony! The doctors can vouch for that." Twilight confirmed.
"Therefore, what happened is the following: Void energy tried to overtake little Scootaloo's body due to the lack of magic inside her. The pain she experienced was unbearable since she wasn't an adept of Void like my fellow Nerazim and I." he explained.
"What did you do back then?!" asked Twilight, thirsty for more knowledge.
"Me? I did nothing" the ponies face faulted "By that I mean I was merely a guide for the little one. I taught her what is needed to contain the Void energy within her body." Twilight dropped her quill at the information, jaw ajar.
"So... in conclusion... Scootaloo is-"
"I'm afraid so, friend Twilight. Little Scootaloo is a psion now, just like me" concluded Zeratul, lowering his head down. "It was the only way to save her."
"YOU MONSTER!" screamed Rainbow, hoofing Zeratul in the face. This time, it connected, but compared to what he felt, it was just a bee's sting. Before she could throw any buck, Twilight held her within her magic while she was struggling.
"You did this! I'll never forgive you for whatever you have done." Twilight dropped her down as she flew away from the castle.
"Ah should check on her." Applejack said as she trotted away after Rainbow.
"Are you okay, Zeratul?" asked Twilight.
"I am fine, friend Twilight. I have lost my pride before. This is nothing new to me" answered Zeratul with sorrow. "But let us concern about the little one because I have very good news for her."
"And what are the news?" asked Twilight
"I have to take her... as my student" answered Zeratul, making Twilight's eyes widen "Who else can teach her to control her psionic energy but me?!" She couldn't answer the rhetorical question as she smiled.
"I am sure you'll make a fine teacher, Zeratul." said Twilight, bumping his shoulder; a gesture Zeratul didn't understand very well.
Scootaloo awoke in a hospital bed, feeling weak and groggy. She slowly opened her eyes and tried to go to the restroom. She was surprised not to see any needles or IV attached to her body. Speaking of her body, it was heavy and numb, so numb that she reached her destination at a tortoise's pace. She washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror. She opened her eyes very wide in order to realize the truth: Her eyes were green instead of purple. She rushed out of the bathroom, containing her scream until she went back to her room only to find Applebloom and Sweetie Belle waiting for her. She hid her face with her newly obtained wings.
"Scootaloo! Yer finally awake. How are ya-" Applebloom interrupted her train of speech by looking at Scootaloo weirdly.
"What's the matter, Applebloom?" asked Sweetie Belle only to point at Scootaloo's flank. They both put their hooves in their mouths.
"W-what's wrong, girls?!" asked Scootaloo, afraid as she opened her eyes slightly seeing utter shock in their faces. She looked back at her flank only to see that her mark is different: The shield was still there but the wing and bolt disappeared only for a weirdly shaped N to take their places. Scootaloo's green eyes widened as she could only utter one thing.
"W-what is happening to me?!" she slumped on the ground, crying while Applebloom and Sweetie Belle try to console her.
"We'll notify Twilight! She has to know what's going on." declared Sweetie Belle as she rushed towards Twilight's castle.
Zeratul looked around as Twilight was pacing the map room, thinking about his recent theory. She looked at him, sitting still, eyes open, meditating.
"The more I think about whatever you said, the more I realize it is the only possibility" she started "But how can somepony survive without any magic? Anyways, I am glad that Scootaloo is safe and sound, even though we have to break her the news."
"Indeed we do, friend Twilight" said Zeratul, standing up "I wish I am a suitable teacher. I wish I do not make the same mistakes again."
"Mistakes?!" asked Twilight.
"The Void, as I said before, is unpredictable by nature. I myself do not know how it has accepted little Scootaloo" he answered "As for the mistakes, an old friend of mine died because of my teachings. I regret it till this day. But his death was not in vain as he died a proud and honorable death." He looked at the ceiling, remembering Tassadar and whatever he did to try and reunite the Protoss against the common enemy. Twilight looked at the ceiling herself, wondering what was on Zeratul's mind. What he has seen in his long lifetime must be painful for him. She looked at him, flew to his level and grabbed his shoulder.
"No matter what you've seen Zeratul, I'll do all I can to cheer you up." She smiled at him. Zeratul turned towards her. He saw her sincerity, her kindness. Despite what he has done, she was there for him. He sensed neither malice nor hatred: Only care and friendship. Zeratul never felt that way before.
"Am I... getting soft?" he asked himself. His train of thought was interrupted by a yell.
"TWILIGHT! TROUBLE!" in barged Sweetie Belle screaming "Scootaloo awoke just now but... we need your help, Twilight." the latter nodded as she looked at Zeratul, who nodded as well.
"Explain to us on our way, Sweetie Belle. Zeratul?" she noticed he wasn't in here.
"I'll follow you while invisible, friend Twilight. If the townspeople saw you and I running around, there will be panic. Lead the way, little one." As soon as Zeratul finished, the three were on their way to the hospital.
Scootaloo looked upon her reflection on the mirror: Green eyes and a new cutie mark were flashing before her very existence. The phenomenon was a novelty to her. In all their studies about cutie marks, never has she or her friends seen a pony getting a change in their cutie mark. She shook her head in disbelief, still remembering the reason why she was in the hospital in the first place. Applebloom tried to cheer her up.
"C'mon, Scoot, at least y'all are alive and well." She was indeed, but the mystery of her changes remain unanswered unless she confronts the creature who made flying for her possible. Twilight entered the room with Sweetie Belle. After exchanging greetings, she examined the filly very closely then backed off.
"Y-you were right, Sweetie Belle. I thought you were jesting but you were indeed right. In all my life as a scholar, this is the first discovery of a pony who got his cutie mark changed permanently. It is the discovery of the century! But what is that cutie mark?! Why did that N-shape take over your wing and bolt?" she looked at her new green eyes "And what are those green eyes? So many questions. So much research to be done."
"That symbol..." a voice spoke inside the room, ending Twilight's fit of excitement. Zeratul revealed himself to the public. Scootaloo glared at him intensely, awaiting for his explanation.
"You mean you have seen that symbol before?" Twilight asked.
"It is the symbol of the Nerazim, the Dark Templar" he simply answered "Despite the different color, there is no mistake about it."
"What is happening to me?" Scootaloo asked dryly. Zeratul saw her intense look locking onto him. He sighed. He had to explain to her.
"Young one, I am sorry again for putting you through all this danger. What happened to you is that when I sent a spark of Void energy in order for your flight capabilities to improve, a mishap happened within your body causing Void and Magic to conflict. Your Magic reserves were low, almost non-existent according to Twilight over here" Twilight nodded at the fact "Therefore, the Void energy has overtaken your body and almost consumed you from within. I was able to guide you on how to contain it causing the changes you see right now." Scootaloo, as confused as she was, kind off understood her predicament.
"So... In short, I am like you now?" Scootaloo beamed "That's actually neat!" Zeratul didn't expect that kind of answer.
"You... approve?" He asked, scratching his head uncharacteristically.
"I mean... I am alive, aren't I? Thanks for saving me." She tried to fly and hug him but was incapable of doing so. "I... can't fly?"
"Oh! That's because you aren't used to your newfound energy yet" He answered quickly "That's why I am here, young one. I will teach you how to use and understand the Void. Will you please accept me?" He requested. Scootaloo's smile widened. She almost forgot all about her predicament and her changes. She nodded frantically as she couldn't wait to be able to fly again.
"I warn you though, little Scootaloo, my training shall be harsh. The Void is a very unstable force." Scootaloo smirked.
"Then I shall show it who's boss." she laughed, going outside with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. As she trotted through the door, she remembered something.
"What about Rainbow Dash?" she asked, earning the displeased looks of Twilight and Zeratul. "Something is wrong with Dash, right?"
"Stupid alien" a cloud was gone "with his stupid energy" another was gone "and his stupid face" yet another was gone "with his stupid technology" Rainbow wasn't a happy mare right now as cloud after cloud dissipated into the sky. She was causing a tantrum so loud everypony could hear her. "If only he hasn't come, I would have done something for the little squirt, but nooooo, he has to ruin everything."
"So that's what's this is all about? Jealousy?" a voice spoke from below, it was Applejack. "Gosh darn it Rainbow! I thought you were better than this?"
"So what? You guys accepted him quite easily!" screamed Rainbow, confronting the orange mare face to face.
"He maybe made a mistake, but he corrected it, yet you insulted him with no rhyme or reason. And when ah try to find you, I find out that you're doing this because he did something you weren't able to do all these years?" reasoned Applejack "Heck, if it was me, ah would be happy for the little one, not cause whatever you're causing right now."
"What about the squirt? How is she going to be able to cope with whatever that... alien caused to her?" asked Rainbow, only to see Scootaloo approaching her. "Squirt, you're okay and-" she was interrupted by the sight of her eyes and cutie mark "what in Celestia's name happened to you."
"Is that how you treat someone who just got discharged out of the hospital, Rainbow?" retorted Scootaloo "And yes, I know. It is a side effect of whatever happened to me two days ago."
"And you're okay with it?" asked Rainbow.
"Duh! Of course I am. In fact, I've never felt any better, despite having to be accustomed for it." said Scootaloo.
"Accustomed how?"
"I will train her, spectrum one." answered Zeratul as he uncloaked himself. Rainbow looked at him, enraged.
"Y'know, Rainbow, before you unleash your fury upon him, lemme say that he's right about training her." said Applejack "Ah mean, do you know anypony here who understands whatever energy he controls?!" Rainbow calmed down. She sighed in defeat then looked at Zeratul.
"You better teach her well or else..." threatened Rainbow as she flew away with teary eyes. Zeratul sighed in relief.
"She cares about you a lot, little one. No wonder she was so... aggressive towards me." he said. "I guess we should get going."
"Wait, you're going to start training me now?!" asked Scootaloo, baffled.
"The sooner, the better, isn't it? Also we won't do anything straining to start with: Just a little meditation exercise." Scootaloo groaned "Now now, meditation allows you to connect within your inner Void. I do not want to hear complaints." he finished explaining as he went to a nearby tree and started meditating. Scootaloo sighed and followed suit. They spent the rest of the day on that position with no apparent results. Zeratul had to carry his student back to the castle, where Twilight was waiting.
"She got tired from simple meditation" he said "She has a long way to go but I can see her dormant potential awakening soon." Twilight looked at the poor filly and smiled.
"Baby steps, Scootaloo... Baby steps." she commented as the door of the castle closed.
In a disclosed area, a pink mare was panting hard. She cursed the Heavens, Hells and whatever was between them for she hasn't found a solution to her predicament. With a slithery voice, she vowed:
"I will make you eat something, Zeratul. I promise on the name of the Element of Laughter that is Pinkie Pie." as she went back to work. Her planning area, where she imprisoned herself for three whole days, was seen trashed all around. Multitude of papers were crumbled, many blueprints were torn apart and a river of sweat was running outside of Sugarcube Corner. Insanity itself was coming towards our Protoss and her name was Pinkamena Diane Pie.
