8th July, 485 BNM

Mid-Morning

Indo-Burmese sub-continent

Megheleya Provincial Kingdom lands

Malabutu Valley, Chai's cavern

They had returned to Chai's cavern, though news of the Overlord's demise the night before, along with the scattering, subduing and near death of most of the Rakshasa creatures, had spread all throughout the jungle.

Rumours of two Equines of powerful magic taking on the Overlord, allied with the infamous huntress herself, Nahia, who for the first time proved she was fast as well as strong against a few of the strong demon creatures, and even stood her ground against the Overlord himself, delivering what seemed like the final blow.

In reality, in the case of the Alicorn, all Nahia did was pounce on an already defeated prey trying to get away, before his demon horde took him to feed on before dispersing.

No more rumours of Nahia as a coward, though she herself thought she could ease up now that she could actually run down prey, and since the food chain would be easier to handle, especially at night now.

But for others, things were not so fine.

Starswirl had been pleased to have his friend healed, but the scars wouldn't heal due to them being inflicted by powerful magic, Alicorn magic.

And Siral himself, still in considerable pain, had been very wary at the initial sight of the Tigress Starswirl had allied with, and being in a cavern lived in by King Cobras and a massive Python queen.

It had not taken long for him to settle down, and for the Black Unicorn to become accustomed to their presences, even their gratefulness to him and Starswirl as outsiders in taking down the Overlord.

As soon as Siral had stared with some overhead light, into the reflective surface of Chai's water pool however, any elation had vanished as he saw what he'd have to live like.

Staring down into the reflection, Siral raised a hoof to his face first. The blackened blood vessels were fading, but the hair beneath many of them had been burned away at the roots, giving his black coat of fur what looked like vein and artery track shaped bald lines in places. His black coat was marred by large bald lines like an illness, with scarred skin on the bald spots too.

The web-like bald scars on his coat extended up and around the left side of his face, all the way down to his insignia mark on his flank, as one curse tested on his worked with many others to ravage him inside and out.

His face was now deformed slightly, a set of wrinkles had formed amidst further scarring, making his face appear much older than he already was, and the worst was the tissue around his eyes. The fur around his eyes had gone, replaced with blackened blood vessels, like black rivulets going from his eyes until they vanished beneath the fur of his face.

As he dimmed his horn though, to diminish the reflection in the pool, Siral was ignorant of the sympathetic stares of Starswirl, Chai, and Nahia, varying in levels. He still had his magic, and he could do much without any good looks.

He now had a face and body that would frighten people, and he knew he'd have to live with it. No magic could cure the darker magic used in testing that inflicted these scars.

As a small relief though, the step from social introvert to social pariah was smaller than many other ponies ever had to make in life, normal or elongated.

The true scars however, were not on the outside, and even though they'd patch, they would harden Siral forever.

"Geldrath wanted to wait out until he saw an opportunity to make a grab for land of his own in Equestria, he was merely using this place as a placeholder and a place to experiment."

Siral remarked to Starswirl, the Grey Unicorn having found themselves a quieter corner of the cave to speak. Nahia, Chai and anyone else had allowed them the privacy.

The Bearded Wizard shook his head, thinking with some worry:

"The power he had, such a waste. But he earned his due in the end, allying with malicious spirits has its price, especially ones he harvested into a potent hive like that one. But surely there was more to his goal."

Siral was quiet, as he said nothing of details Geldrath had said yet. He looked over at Nahia, remarking: "You made strides while I was taken, very quickly too. And you healed her weakened leg, which seems contrary to your policy of not interfering."

"I needed any fully capable help to take down Geldrath, we thought it was he that was setting the jungle ablaze. We were in the tunnel, and I found your cloak, ripped and bloody…"

Taking the magical pouch from his side, Starswirl's magic pulled Siral's cloak from its larger on the inside depths, hovering it to drape over Siral's forehooves:

"I thought you'd died, before we were ambushed by the creatures and nearly fed to their hive."

"Were you planning on coming back to try again?" Siral asked suddenly, to which Starswirl actually hesitated, as he remarked:

"We were outmatched, and Nahia was traumatised. She did admit to her fears and became honest with herself, but even with that part of the prophecy done, I would have tried again."

Siral's brows furrowed ever so slightly at this answer. Starswirl had said he would try again, yet he had emphasised the needs of an Exemplar being first in his answer. A telling sign.

"So while you were half-heartedly rescuing me, you and Nahia managed to forward the prophecy by another step. You must be pleased things worked out."

Starswirl frowned at the slight contempt in Siral's voice, as he then dropped his head slightly, remarking suddenly.

"I, haven't been fair to you Siral, not all the time. At first, I didn't want you to come, and, now after this, I think its best I let you know."

Siral's eyes widened ever so slightly, as he wondered what would come from Starswirl's mouth. Geldrath's whisperings of knowing the prophecy's sentence Starswirl had omitted echoed in his mind.

"I couldn't have done any of this without you. You made what could have been a lonely journey all the better. Thank you."

Blinking slightly, Siral felt a slight elation of hope, but he had to press just a little bit further, to be certain.

"Starswirl, Geldrath told me of his past. He was part of the Oracle guild, before and after he became an Alicorn. He was ousted for acting out too much, trying to take command of the Guild as a political power, trying to keep them competitive as other Alicorn families grew. They gelded him, he was once called Vigilan, as we found in the Pahrii cathedral archives. He knows all about the prophecy you were sent on He laughed that I'd tagged along as a 'lackey'. Is that why you didn't want me to come at first?"

Starswirl was quiet, and Siral couldn't read his mind, though he could see the cogs turning in his head. At last, Starswirl's answer came.

"I didn't want you to come for the reasons I said, to live your own life. But, I'm glad you came along, I was in the wrong to doubt you."

Siral waited for more to be said as he contemplated his words in silent. But as he weighed them up, the sentence Geldrath had been ringing in his mind.

Beware the enemies that lay closest to your heart, though not yet enemies they themselves may be.

Turning his eyes upwards, Siral asked: "I need to know if Geldrath was lying. What were the exact words of the Prophecy yet again, so I can compare?"

Starswirl was quiet for a moment, but he began to regale the hallucinatory words he'd been told what seemed like so long ago now:

Beings of strife and destruction, borne out of that most destructive desire there is, the desire for power over others. Power corrupts all, corrupting more as it grows in strength.

Creatures bred from the need to acquire power, in a time of greatest turmoil.

The Lustful One: A deceitful tempter, taking pleasure in sowing division.

The Gluttonous One: A voracious force, consuming all things like a plague.

The Greedy One: A cunning creature, ensuring it gains in any outcome.

The Slothful One: A careless bystander, apathetic to the suffering of others.

The Wrathful One: A mindless beast, all that breathes is its enemy.

The Envious One: A cold hearted servant, scheming for power and revenge.

The Prideful One: A scheming master, moulding all things to its own ends.

More so than others, the Prideful One shall be your final challenge in your greater destiny that we see.

As Starswirl finished the first paragraph, Siral noticed very obviously that he had not spoken the one line Geldrath had at the end, that seemed to specific to be simply made up by him:

Beware the enemies that lay closest to your heart, though not yet enemies they themselves may be.

Starswirl continued his recital of the prophecy, but as he continued, the slightly darkened look on Siral's face was well hidden from the Bearded Unicorn's gaze.

Seek the essences of true Harmony, the greatest power to be had to combat these threats you are to face at the end of your destiny.

A Treacherous One, for you and they to learn of True Loyalty.

A Restrained One, for you and they to learn of True Magic.

A Deceitful One, for you and they to learn of True Honesty.

A Glum One, for you and they to learn of True Joy.

A Selfish One, for you and they to learn of True Generosity.

A Cruel One, for you and they to learn of True Kindness.

Your future is written, you are called to answer the unseen threats to the world.

This is the command of the world, to you.

"Yes, that is it. Geldrath told me it at least half a dozen times, one torture of many." Siral remarked, hiding the dark look on his face well.

Starswirl was still deceiving him. Starswirl was still lying to him about the full prophecy, about those close to his heart. And the only one on this journey that was close during all these travels was he himself.

It seemed that despite this period's quest for an exemplar of honesty, Starswirl was not also exercising that trait with Siral, even after this strife he endured. A little honesty after enduring torture wasn't too much to ask.

And yet, even now, Starswirl felt compelled to not say anything. He had apologised, and said how useful and appreciated he was. But Starswirl, by words of a prophecy alone, didn't fully trust him.

For that, Siral kept his mouth shut about knowing the truth.

If Starswirl was going to deceive him, he'd let the presumptuous wizard believe he was still in knowledge of the full prophecy alone.

It was not just these Alicorns that Siral had begun to silently distrust it seemed. But being an introvert, Siral knew how to hide it well.

Midday

Chai's cavern

Siral had donned his cloak, though now he visibly was using the hood and concealing fabric a lot more, understandable given his scarring. Starswirl had said that he had no intention of leaving the valley the way they came, those villagers would take years to become less paranoid, and them sacrificing the two of them tied to a tree stump was a sore spot for them.

Chai offered a few words of thanks, saying the valley would remember them for generations to come, though she did cast a slightly searching gaze towards Siral through one eye, and the other at Starswirl. Nahia however, was the happiest of the bunch, as she practically bounded out when they left the cavern, bouncing on her paws, all 4 of them, in the lead.

"May good fates await both of you." Chai's whispering words out of the cave were the last they heard of Chai, Queen of the Malabutu valley. But as the last silhouette of the 2 Unicorn Wizards and the Tigress left, Chai still felt a twinge of concern about their two futures. Something was off between them, a hidden tension that was connected, yet not admitted by either of them.

Something had been seeded in Siral, a thought, maybe even just one or two doubts. But sometimes, that is all that is needed to start a world of problems further down the line of fate.

Chai's territory border

Inside the jungles, Nahia had taken them to the river, where she then turned to speak to them at the water's edge, noting the surprisingly loud rainforest noises around her. With a loud growl, she silenced the rainforest around her.

Hearing the sudden silence of the rainforest around them, Siral remarked lowly: "Impressive. Your reputation is well founded."

"Now I may not need it as much, with those demons gone, and being able to properly run as I once could." Nahia admitted, to which she gave a twitch of her now better left forepaw, and a fanged smile at Starswirl. Even if it had been just a means of having a fully capable ally against that rogue Alicorn Geldrath, it was a gift she'd have for life now.

Starswirl shared a truly grateful smile, while Siral merely politely nodded. As she looked at the two of them, she understood Siral hadn't known her as much, but in what time she had known Starswirl and he, much had changed for her, and the valley, and all in a mere 3-days.

That 3-day span was nearly up though, and she had a promise to keep.

Looking at the river, Nahia remarked: "After the temple the river is much calmer. You can follow it to get out of the valley safely."

"A raft maybe? We may find a place to go onto our next destined place, wherever it is." Siral suggested, keeping it vague, yet enough for Starswirl to get the message. To search along the river as they left the valley for any places to safely hide for however long they needed to stay in a hibernation cycle again.

Starswirl gave a quick nod in agreement, though he turned to Nahia:

"What will you do now?"

"I can return to my nearly mature cubs and mate. I think I might go easier on them all now that you helped me heal. I can tell them I avenged my old cubs." Nahia was quiet at the last statement, while she turned away slightly, staring down in the general direction south towards the temple, where in a pit into which Geldrath had been dragged, her 3 previous cubs lay in their skeletal graves, in a better place.

She would ensure any future and current cubs didn't meet the same fate, and now she could even more so by this Wizard's help healing her, and the both of them helping take down the Overlord Geldrath.

Looking down at her paws, Nahia noticed that she still had the bandage, slightly loose now and somewhat mud stained, around her left ankle. She had not bothered to take it off yet, and while she was keen to get it off, she wanted to let Starswirl, and somewhat Siral, know how much this whole time meant to her.

Gently lying down to then raise her paw, she used her right claw to nick the bandage off, but she then turned to Starswirl as she said:

"I don't have anything to give, so, can I ask you to maybe keep this that you used on my ankle? And, a bit of my fur."

Taken aback by the unorthodox gift, though it was something for a non-civilized creature, Starswirl gently nodded as he magically formed a narrow beam of light with his horn, while he gently remarked: "Hold still, just some off the thick neck fur."

"If you get my skin, I'll know." Nahia warned, both playfully and seriously, to which Siral gave the tiniest of smirks. With practiced precision, Starswirl's magic snipped just a small tuft of white/orange fur off of Nahia's neck coat, and with some extra magic, he then used a sticking and preserving spell to permanently stick the fur to the bandage wrap, and rolled it into a small white roll with tiger fur sticking out of it.

The most ad hoc gift from an exemplar by far, yet just as meaningful.

Taking the bandage wrapped tiger fur tuft, Starswirl shrunk it and placed it with the other 3 treasures from the previous 3 they met thus far, hidden in the cloak he'd now got out of his own miniature pouch to wear like Siral's, plus the odd hat he insisted upon wearing now that this period visit was coming to an end.

As she gave a slight chuff in a friendly tiger expression, Nahia gestured towards the sun high in the sky: "If you want to leave by the river, you best not waste any time."

"It was a privilege to meet you Nahia." Starswirl remarked with a fond expression. They had started as potential predator and prey, and now were friends about to depart. Siral was distant, but Nahia saw he could have been a friend, had things been different with him being taken.

Then again, the whole Overlord scenario is why she befriended Starswirl in the first place.

While Siral had turned away briefly, Nahia called to him as he didn't turn to her: "Don't be ashamed of your scars, take pride in them."

Siral said nothing, but turned his head ever so slightly with a stiff nod. He was even more withdrawn than normal, but he appreciated this Tigress's sympathy enough to let her know so. Seeing Siral staring south, Starswirl knew he wanted to get away from this jungle, and he didn't blame him. With a sigh, Starswirl slowly turned to Nahia, wanting to wish the Tigress good luck where she went next,

But the Tigress had vanished, as soundless as a tiger could be, into the jungle undergrowth. Starswirl heard the faintest of growls slowly leaving the vicinity, then nothing.

And just like that, Nahia vanished, the last time they ever spoke.

Turning his head towards Siral, Starswirl gently walked up beside his friend, who had taken a habit of pulling his cloak further over himself to shield his scarred body.

"She's right, we best move on if we want a raft to leave and search the river. But, why a raft if we can teleport?"

"I want to be on the water, away from the jungle trees." Siral remarked bluntly, saying nothing more. Starswirl said nothing more, as he then put a hoof on Siral's back, powering up a teleport to the temple area.

Late Afternoon

Malabutu valley

Temple outskirts, Jungle river heading downstream

The large rectangular raft had been assembled easily enough with bamboo and long-grass rope formed by magic to lash it together, and the lack of dangerous animals around the burnt out rainforest vines from the night before meant they had no danger during the building, or even the casting off.

As they floated down the slow current, raised enough above the water to be dry, steering with magically used steering poles from time to time, Siral and Starswirl relaxed on the raft, watching the rainforest slowly pass by.

Staring off into the distance, Starswirl remarked as he pointed towards the slight cliffs far in the distance:

"To think this all started in a village over that mountain."

Siral merely grunted in reply, as he pulled his cloak over himself to shade from the sun. He wanted nothing to do with this jungle.

The current was gently lapping at the raft as they passed around another corner in the river, the trees hanging down on all sides as the burnt vine forest disappeared from view forever.

It was a little over a few minutes down the slow, but steady current of the wide river, as they watched the odd fish, insect, birds or even a non-sapient viper swim across the river, and a few crocodiles basking on the shore, that they saw them. A last send off.

Coming around a corner, a medium level tiger roar snapped Siral out from under his cloak, while Starswirl turned to see the culprit.

On the inside of a river bend, as they drew parallel to the opening, caused by a fallen tree, they saw something only possible with her better paw giving her speed to do so.

Stood on the sandy shore of the river, Nahia stared with a respectful look at the two of them floating by and away down the river, the closest they came to her on the shore being 40 feet away.

Further back inside the shoreline, near the treeline, Starswirl and Siral saw 3 other tigers, 1 larger male, Jakai, and an adolescent tigress and tiger, Daila and Shahn, staring out too, while their mother stood further out.

Nahia's golden eyes watched them vanish around the next river bend, the 2 Wizard Unicorns upon the raft gone from her view, and soon, the jungle.

With a smile on her face, she turned to vanish back into the now more natural jungle valley forests, with her 2 cubs and mate in tow.

The 2 Unicorns were carried out of the Malabutu valley by the river, and onwards to their next journey, both changed more than ever by this stage.

Upon the raft, Starswirl sat in silent relief at how dangerous this part had been, but the Alicorn Geldrath had been utterly unexpected.

Meanwhile, Siral gently fondled the artefact he kept, Ghung Chian's life absorbing medallion he'd had stolen briefly by Geldrath.

The Black Unicorn was not sure about his own role now, despite Starswirl urging his importance. He didn't trust him enough to tell him everything about the Prophecy, about those close to his heart potentially becoming enemies. And so he'd tried to not let Siral get too close.

But among other things, Geldrath being here had provoked a much deeper concern in Siral that he would bring up with Starswirl, of some part of him that was having doubts.

They had been away from Equestria for too long, and who knows what had become of it, and what it would become in time. Geldrath's sinister words to Siral were not lies, but founded on truths and facts, Geldrath himself being an example, that these Alicorns were a potential danger by their power alone corrupting their desires, their morals.

Unlike Starswirl, Siral was not slave to the prophecy. But what he decided was to be determined by how they found the world in their next step, when Siral could see if what Geldrath had warned/boasted of would advance further towards truth.

For now, what looked like a set of small mountains outside the valley's rim, with some caves most likely, was set to be their next spot to hide for their next jump through time, for the next exemplar being for Starswirl, and maybe Siral, to hunt.

Author's Notes:

HONESTY arc has ended, and its here and in the next chapter, when they begin the GENEROSITY arc, that further divisions rise between Starswirl and Siral, though not on bad terms, understandable ones.

They have been away from Equestria for a long time now, and longer by the time they next come out.

As seen with Geldrath, nobody is born evil, they become evil by their experiences and interpretations, and he had a long term plan in place before the wizards came.