Nathaniel sat in nothing but a pair of thin grey pants, mediating as the sun slowly rose in the east. The Tipi he had been given protected him from the sun during the day, but the man had opened the flaps to look at the sunrise. He may dislike Celestia but seeing her rising sun brought a small smile to his lips, he had always found it beautiful.

The brown Tipi was very dull on the inside, having only a piece of large cloth to sleep on and a small pile of Nathaniel's equipment next to his "bed". The sword Luna had given him was close by, ready to be picked up if any trouble arose in the early morning of the Zebrikian capital.

Yet so far had the three days the group of ponies and human had spent in the city of Mji been very calm. The princess and the tribes leader had started the talks almost immediately when the "Golden Stallion" arrived on the shore of the desert nation. The four hours it took to get from the ship to the city had been suffocating for all of them, even Luna looking ready to pass out by the time they arrived.

They had been greeted with water and a feast worthy of a king, or at least that is what the tribes leader's daughter had said. The bowls they had been given had contained bugs and other disgusting things that had at first made Nathaniel gag and put the bowl away, the smell getting to the tired human.

The leader had only laughed at his weak stomach (even if he only felt it was better if he was not poisoned their first day in a new nation) while the other zebras had been mumbling something, most likely that the man had disrespected their traditions by not eating the bowl of crushed bugs.

They had been given real food eventually, much to the happiness of Nathaniel and Rose as they were offered well cooked meat with some sauce that made it taste heavenly. The earth pony scout had teased him after their dinner with the Zebras that he couldn't stomach a little bugs, the human flipping of the pony even if Osiris hadn't understood what it had meant.

The first day went pretty good for Nathaniel, or at least he thought so. Luna informed him on some signs of respect he was meant to show the tribes leader ans his daughter. Bow when a conversation started and finished, refer to the elders with "Lord", don't use magic inside any of the Tipis, do not turn away offered food (he had already broken that one), always wear the colours painted on his body and never ever draw a sword inside the peaceful territory.

Some of the things the alicorn had told him that was more signs of respect than laws made him question the sanity of the zebra leaders of old. You were not allowed to sleep during Mondays as it was meant to be used for worship (what gods the zebras followed were so far kept from him), except those who desperately needed it like the old and sick. Another strange one was that one could show respect through ritual combat, as it was seen as a grand event to be challenged.

So far was the zebras very much like what he had expected, a tribal people with strange customs and traditions. Yet even if the mares and stallions spoke in rhyme when Luna was near they easily slipped into common tongue whenever they did not have to show respect. The only ones that continuously spoke in rhyme was the head priest and his shamans. something that the human found annoying really quickly.

The way the royalty worked here was bit weird however. There was one almighty leader of all who held the title as king, but each tribe themselves had a leader that worked under the zebra king who were also allowed to call themselves as kings, even if they only held a fraction of the power as the tribes leader did. But the reason they were also kings was to quickly get a new leader in case the king had no heir of age. So the title of king was used less in this country, as tribes leader showed everyone exactly what power the great zebra king held.

Nathaniel knew that by meditating and "touching" his surroundings he was breaking the rule that banned magic from being used inside one of the tents. The law had been made after some magical accident two hundred years prior, which set the entire city on fire. Every building and tent in the zebra territory had been ablaze because of a spell gone wrong. But Nathaniel had nothing to worry about, feeling his surroundings wasn't gonna cause fires.

The first thing he took notice of was himself. The lines of paint that had been drawn over his body was glowing with magical power, similarly to the runes Star Swirl used to enchant things with. The largest difference between the two was that these seemed to "override" the word that described him, it went from cautious to friend. So it was a sign that he was welcomed here, that was good at least.

The second thing the human noted as he let his mind "wander" through the capital was that each house and tipi glowed a different colour depending on which tribe owned that particular side of the city. The tribes leader had said his own tribe, the Malwaks, had blue in all of their designs and that seemed to stretch to the magical plane as well, the tent the human currently taking up residence in glowing a light azure.

The third thing the man noticed was that each Zebra seemed to glow the same colour as their tribe, making him wonder if magic itself knew who you would become before birth. They must be something special if they could glow the very colour of the tribe they belonged to.

He didn't have time to muse about more things before the human felt a firm grip around his ear and Nathaniel was pulled up onto his feet and out onto the street. The green eyed teen looked into the angry face of Star Swirl as he opened his eyes, the mark on his hand stopping its glow.

"Didn't Luna teach you about their customs boy!? No magic inside the tipis or the buildings!" The older stallion hissed to him and looked around, the zebras giving them looks before going on about their day.

"It won't hurt anyone, so why is it a problem?" Nathaniel said and yanked himself free from the unicorn's magical grip, his magic teacher huffing.

"You do not wanna be disrespectful to your superiors and elders. The zebras might be the largest progressing country in the known world but break their traditions and they'll happily skewer you" Star Swirl muttered before sighing.

"I am already in servitude to Celestia and bound to Luna, what could they even do to to me for breaking those rules? They can't injure me without disrespecting the lunar princess" He said and the wizard who wacked him across the head using his left front hoof.

"As a guardian you represent Luna and Equestria! Your actions are political now Nathaniel!" Star Swirl said and the man thought about what that truly meant.

So he couldn't even act annoyed at his situation anymore? Was he bound to serve both in spirit and body? The idea of loosing the little freedom he had, which mostly consisted of him expressing amusement or displeasure of whatever Luna dragged him to, made him feel trapped. Would he have to give up a part of who he was beyond the servitude? Would he have to keep all his emotions just bottled up.

Star Swirl seemed to recognize the look of horror crossing the human's face and he pulled Nathaniel away from the streets and into a larger tipi. The insides of the cone shaped tent was covered in books and a table filled with potion flasks stood in the middle of the tipi.

"I know what is going through your head, and it is not pleasant. But you must understand that all your actions will reflect on the one you're supposed to protect and the kingdom she governs" The old stallion said and the man could only nod.

"So, I am a slave in all but word then? I am not allowed to leave, I cannot speak my mind and I will only be fed as long as you deem me worthy of it" Nathaniel said and sat down, contemplating his current situation.

"Are you mad? You are no slave student of mine! Yes you have a spell like that placed upon you but when we return it will be removed. Luna have treated you with respect and so have I along with your fellow guardians. I know how you feel and how this situation looks Nathaniel, but you cannot give up hope just like that" Star Swirl said and pulled the dark haired teen to his feet.

"I guess you're right about you four treating me with respect and kindness at least" He said after a minute and the wizard nodded with a small smile.

"I am glad you can see some light in the situation you were thrown into. If I had to decide I would already release you, but Celestia will always prioritize Equestria before any creature. If she believes that you are truly evil then she would never let go of that spell to keep her subjects safe, but with all of us vouching for you there shouldn't be a problem" The grey furred stallion said before stroking his beard.

"I think it's time we had another lesson, so sit down and watch me demonstrate a combat spell" Star Swirl said and before Nathaniel could question the stallion for breaking the no magic rule were they gone in a flash of light.

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The feeling passing through Nathaniel's body as he appeared on the barren field made him remember the magic that had taken him from earth. The only true difference was that the teleportation wasn't as powerful this time, as the human didn't pass out from the spell. He felt a bit sick though.

The man stood up from his sitting position and overlooked the place around them, seeing the round zebra capital far far in the distance. The wizard had transported them quite far away for this lesson, if that was a good or bad thing was unclear for the teen.

"Out here is there no law against the usage of magic nor any creature that could be hurt" Star Swirl said and took of his hat.

Nathaniel looked around at the dead grass all around them and the few trees that still lived in the heat of the sun. There was only rocks out here and creatures that would most likely happily eat them for lunch. There was miles upon miles of barren soil around them, only the city and the small river next to it standing out in the landscape.

"So what is this spell you're gonna teach me?" The man asked only for his world to become a bright white flash and a ringing starting in his ears.

There was the sensation of something hitting his legs and suddenly was the green eyed man on the floor, groaning in pain. He didn't know flash-bangs were a thing in this low tech society, nor that the old stallion had grenades on him. As he got up was all he could see a small smirk on his teachers muzzle, a white aurora surrounding his horn.

"Was that a spell? How didn't that freaking blind you!?" He asked the stallion who chuckled.

"The caster is immune to the effects of the spell, something I fixed after the spell proved rather useless in combat without it. If you blind yourself and your allies then along with the enemy then it's easier to take you out" The long bearded pony said and the human nodded.

"Can you teach me this spell then?" Nathaniel asked and Star Swirl nodded.

"Of course! Why would I otherwise bring you out here?" The wizard asked before closing his eyes.

"To cast this spell efficiently you need to focus on it without any distractions, you need discipline and good command over your feelings" The man's magic teacher said before letting out another flash, this one not blinding Nathaniel for some reason.

"When you use the flash spell you need to focus on a pure feeling, like love or happiness. You use these emotions to power the spell and guide your mana" The stallion said and the human nodded, understanding somewhat.

"Another way to see it is to attach actions and emotions to a word, this is how spoken spells work. You must work it up in your mind what the word means and then let your mana take that word's form" The wizard continued and levitated a scroll to the human.

"What's on it?" Nathaniel asked and opened it, two words written in thick black lines at the top with sentences underneath it.

The spell itself seemed simple enough, but so did hunting on paper and Nathaniel had the scars to prove it wasn't easy. Yet with the visuals suggested by the scroll he could work out the spell in his mind, the human's mana would do the rest. Or at least he hoped it would follow him mind like Star Swirl said it did.

"Solaris mico" The man said and nothing happened.

"Try again, you must see the flash, feel it like the rays from our beloved sun" His magic teacher said and the man nodded before trying again.

The teen saw in his mind as his mana became light, how the light escaped as a beam to the sun, how that light was as bright as the fiery ball in the sky and how it made all bow before its glory. With that Nathaniel spoke the words, and the world around him lit up, even if it only lasted a fraction of how long Star Swirl's Solaris mico had was it still enough to make the senior mage across from him to stumble.

"Good! You learn quickly, but then again so do all eager youths who wish to prove themselves" The wizard mused.

"It feels weird to look into something that bright and not have it blind you" Nathaniel said and looked at the mark glowing on his right hand.

"But then again, magic is truly amazing, true freedom of creation and destruction" The human said and the pony gave him a small smile.

"I do enjoy to find someone who can find such fondness for magic" Star Swirl said and trotted over to his student who smiled.

"Where I come from there is no true magic, there is illusions and fiction but no true power one can wield" Guardian Sol said and grinned as his mark glowed more brightly.

"As far as I know there is no creature upon our planet who does not carry some kind of mana in their body. If the place you claim to come from have no magic then I feel respect for your kind, not many could survive without magic" The old stallion said and looked back towards the city in the distance.

"I thank you for showing me some trust like Luna and Rose. I know that it can't be easy to defy Celestia's opinion on something" Nathaniel grumbled and the stallion scoffed.

"Hardly, I have trained those royals since they were given to my care by Faust herself. Which is why I cannot help but feel guilt for each mistake they make. Maybe if I had trained them in healing magic wouldn't that mare died in front of Luna, maybe if I had prepared those three for what the cruel world of politics could do to you wouldn't we had lost.." The pony said, trailing off as a distant look filled his eyes.

"I have heard Celestia's and Luna's brother being mentioned many times, what happened to him? If you don't mind me asking" The teen asked the wizard who took a deep breath.

"That is a tale for another day, when my heart aches less and my mind can let go" Nathaniel's magic instructor said and lit up his horn.

"Let us return, sleep and relax for the rest of the day. You'll need it for tomorrow" Star Swirl the bearded said as they were gone in a flash of light, today's lesson concluded.

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"So humans don't herd? What do you do when there is to many of either sex then?" Rose asked Nathaniel as they sat around a table painted in pinks, yellows and greens.

"We don't have it like you guys, we're pretty much split perfectly in half. There is one man for every woman, or at least I think it was something like that, give or take a few percents" The green eyed man said and Rose looked at him with interest.

"So do your kind have any special abilities? You said they don't have magic but they must have something to survive your world" The sanguine mare said and he nodded.

"We had our minds, our brains. We came up with inventions to survive and make life easier for us, technology became our magic so to speak" The human guardian said and the bat-pony stood up as a large zebra entered the large tipi they were currently in.

The larger tent had been given to them as a meeting hall, all the guardians and guards could meet up and drink in the tent without bothering the local populace. So far it had proved to be a good idea as Blaze had decided to nap on a drunken Osiris who had been running around screaming something about "Good looking dragons" before passing out cold.

With one guardian and mascot sleeping on the floor along with the drunken laughs of the guards in the tent made the scene look a little too casual for defenders of the realm. Or at least that was assumed as the tribes leader, bearing the rank of king in all other circumstances, had walked into the tipi flanked by two guards.

Nathaniel tried to bow, not wanting to piss of Luna. But after slamming his forehead into the table he simply looked at the tribes leader who gave him an amused look. Rose was having troubles at not laughing at the human's hasty mistake, the teen having slammed his head into the table as he was sitting down.

"Your highness, what gives us this honor?" A guard (who wasn't drunk, go figure) asked the zebra leader.

"I would like to speak with guardian Sol, me and my kin have something to tell him" The king said and Nathaniel got up from the floor, giving Rose a confused look she returned before he was led away from the larger tent reserved for the guards.

As the man followed the pink eyed zebra and his two guards, both holding what looked like a mix between a spear and an axe in their hooves, to the largest building in the round city. The temple reminded him of old Greece, the columns holding up the hanging roof before one could see the walls and openings behind the pillars leading into the temple. This was were they worshiped their gods, and considering how many plants he could see grown around the temple they made potions in there as well.

"Welcome to the temple of Cynia" The zebra stallion said and the two guards that had followed them walked off, leaving Nathaniel alone with their king.

"So why did you bring me here? I assume that the princess have told you about me" The human said and the king nodded, looking over him before settling on his right hand.

"Luna of the everlasting night told me many things about you Lord Sol, one of those being that mark you carry" The stallion said to the dark haired man who looked confused.

"Let me start from the beginning so you will understand why that particular mark upon your hand is important" The zebra said and walked into the temple, the man following him.

The insides of the temple were filled with cauldrons, books and statues of creatures Nathaniel could only describe as demon and nature ponies. The statues were everywhere, hanging like gargoyles from the ceiling, placed upon pedestals around the large temple room, carved out of walls and wore as necklaces and such. Many of the ponies (or maybe they were zebras?) had parts of them replaced with an element of demonic looking appendage, only one statue standing out among them, one of Faust herself.

"All of our gods, both keepers of light and darkness" His new guide said and the human nodded.

The statue of Faust was in the middle of the room and was the largest piece of art in the building, offerings of food and gold placed at the hooves of the stone sculpture to appease the now dead goddess. There were offerings at all hooves of the god statues, even the gargoyle like statues had gold pendants hanging around their necks.

He was about to ask the king about for what reason they were in the grand temple when the teen spotted something carved into one of the walls, a story of an entire race. Nathaniel walked up to it and looked at the depiction of a gate of fire, a zebra holding a sword in his mouth as a demonic looking pony stood back to back with him, growling at an army of black shapes.

"Our first grand leader, Tirnum, standing with Korshek as they hold back the army of darkness" The king said and smiled at the depiction.

"So you have demons here? I know you had a place called the dark kingdom but I didn't think there was any actual demonic creatures in this land" The man said and zebra nodded.

"They were once many, but these days you're lucky to come across one, blessed if it tries to help you" The leader said and looked to the next carving, one of Faust and many other figures (some of the statues) standing in a circle around the two figures from the first carving.

"The moment our gods and goddesses decided to give our first king Tirnum this land to rule over and allow Korshek to join them in their eternal glory of balancing the universe. The moment our kind were blessed by the gods" The king of all zebras said with a proud smile.

The next carving was stranger, depicting a sky broken like glass and a world on fire. The destruction shown on the carving had been coloured to give as much life as possible to the image, making a feeling of dread pass through Nathaniel's body as he looked upon it. What was it showing?

"The day the sky broke and brought down the mountain Lor upon the world, leaving our land in ruins for many generations" Was the only explanation the human was given before the zebra focused on the next carving.

The new image showed a zebra dragging a piece of metal before morphing into that same zebra melting the metal with the help of a black dragon. What seemed to be the most confusing part of the image was how easily the zebra was depicted lifting the metal into the fire of the dragons mouth, shouldn't that thing be extremely heavy?

"Ah, my great grandfather Orh getting help from the dragon lord Valkyrie to make the first great weapon out of sky metal" The king said and the green eyed man felt some confusion.

"Sky metal, or caelum metallum as your mages wants to call it, is a metal that appeared on our planet after the mountain named Lor descended upon us all. Even if one can find it in all places around the world is very rare and the largest amount can only be found here in Zebrikia" The zebra said and the dark haired teen nodded slowly.

"Ah here is my namesake and grandfather Fortem, seeing goddess Faust before her mortal death to be shown a vision. This is the reason I brought you here Guardian Sol" King Fortem said and pointed to the last carving.

The last image carved into the temple wall depicted Faust laying in a bed holding a zebra's hoof, her horn glowing as she conjured up a mark for the stallion to see, his mark, the one placed upon his hand. Seeing this on the image made Nathaniel freeze, looking at the carving in shock.

"A moment frozen in time, one never shown to her children nor meant for them. This mark is the mark of a guardian of all, someone chosen to protect the realm. Faust told my grandfather that one day a creature would bear this mark, and it would change everything. So tell me Nathaniel Sol, how do you plan to shape the world?" The zebra stallion asked him and the human just stood there in shock.

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"Are you ok Nathaniel?" Luna asked the human as he walked into her tent looking rather pale.

"Yeah I'm fine.. Just have a lot on my mind, that's all" The man responded and sat down on a chair provided to them by the zebras.

Like the fact that his arrival had been foretold by a dead goddess, which made him feel like the entire world had been put on his shoulders. Was he meant to be doing something big? Had his time in the woods and now time as a servant interfered with the goddess plan? Did that mean he now had an angry deity eyeing him from the heavens now?

"If you were fine you would not seek shelter with me young guardian, so tell me what's bothering you" The alicorn said and put away the papers she had been signing.

"Have you ever, felt like the entire world is waiting for you to do something?" The human asked after a few minutes and the princess snorted.

"Every day, it's something you have to get used to as a monarch" She said and he nodded slowly.

"How do you make sure you do what the world wants then?" Nathaniel asked and the mare gave him a confused look.

"Does this have to do with the role you currently hold? I am very sorry if that is the case, I know these last few weeks have been very stressful for you Nathaniel" The lunar monarch said and he shook his head.

"Call me Nathan Luna, please. After getting me out of the dungeons, feeding me, helping me find a magic teacher, giving me the best birthday I've ever had and put my mark up there as a constellation you deserve to call me that" The man said and the princess smiled.

"Very well, Nathan. If I am to answer your question then I'd say to just keep moving forward, and to share that weight with those around you so it doesn't crush you. Take a break at times, go see the scenery or find a mare for stress relief. Whatever you need to move forward" Luna said with a small smirk as Nathaniel sputtered at the last suggested method.

"I am only joking guardian Sol. If you can't take that then I do not envy you when Guardian Rose starts teasing you" She said and the man left the tent with a hasty goodbye, leaving a laughing Luna in the tent.

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They were at the fifth day now, Nathaniel having been allowed to stay away from the talks this time by Luna. So far had there been no reason for any of the guardians to be with her in the chamber used to discuss the borders, meaning that the human and his three companions were walking around the streets of Mji, Blaze having stolen meat from a griffon who was selling it by the market.

So far had the day passed on rather slowly, Rose and Osiris teaching him some more things about the zebras and telling him how the talks were going so far. Apparently had King Fortem asked for control over the waters between the shadow lands and their continent, Luna and Celestia actually owning those waters since the dark kingdom lost it during a minor war with the griffins.

So the zebras wanted access to the sea? For what reason? Would all kings and queens they ran into have some hidden agenda? It annoyed Nathaniel than in this world of politics there was not many who you could trust. So far had Luna proved trustworthy but people like king Guto? They terrified him, no matter how sweet their promises were.

"Nathan, how much does it cost to make you sign up for that thing? We'll pay you a large sum of bits" Rose suddenly said and pointed to sign speaking about the ritual combat challenges one could do.

"A lot of bits, I can barely block an incoming blade and even less disarm anyone" The human muttered and Osiris shrugged.

"It's good experience kid, I think you could learn a lot if you used this to practice. Luna did tell us to get you battle ready if you would ever need to protect yourself, ignoring the fact your life is less valuable then hers" The earth pony said, muttering the last part.

"Don't be such an ass Osiris, she cares for all of us and wouldn't want anything to happen, even if we're supposed to protect her" The bat pony said and the stallion huffed.

"I'll do it then I guess, but if loose an eye or anything I'll have Blaze chase you across the city" The man said and the mare could only smirk back.

"You'll do great" She said, the wolf next to Nathaniel giving a worried look.

He would be fine, right?

Sombra's POV

I looked upon Silver Page as she shivered under my hooves, the succubus pony yearning for my touch, hoping that I would finally feed her. It was funny to see that pained and ashamed look she got whenever her new demonic desires for feeding kicked in, often sending her to the floor.

I had to admit that I was getting attached to her, she reminded me of my wife, even if my wife would never have begged to be rutted like a common whorse. I did like her pleading however, knowing what she had to do to survive and even worse, enjoy it! It brought a smile to my lips each time she forced herself to ask for food.

But I had to cut our time short for today, simply giving her a bottle of liquidized lust. The spell to turn lust into a tangible food source was one of the weaker dark spells, succubi using it all the time to feed their young. I loved the idea tough, what would happen if I forced a normal pony to consume liquid emotions? Would they get torn apart because of the high concentrated mana in feelings? When I finally took the throne would all of this be so much more easy to figure out.

A banging on my door made me speed up the spells hiding my darker magical presence as well as Silver Page. If anyone found her they would still know it was the missing maid, her pegasus wings still not responding to any spell I tried to make the mare a full fledged succubus.

Once I looked like my old self (how did I ever walk around satisfied looking like this? My mane and coat look anything but royal and my eyes look so old. I could probably not even please a mare properly before. Dark magic did truly change how you looked at yourself) I opened a door and saw a young stallion in golden armor saluting me. So they sent a private to retrieve me? Did they have no respect for their Major? It did not matter what that cake eating princess had told them, I was their military leader.

"Sir, you are late. You were supposed to return several days ago and princess Celestia wants you back in the castle" The stalion said to me and I almost broke his neck right there.

Sir? You are supposed to address me with Lord you damn plebeian. I had not gained all this power to be addressed like some common noble. I was to be the first dark lord of the crystal empire when I was done, so respect would win you suitability points you damn sheep.

"Are you ok second lieutenant Fury?" The child asked me and I slowly thought up a way to stay in the crystal empire until I had enough power.

"What's your name?" I asked, letting my voice take a more authoritarian tone.

"Minted Surprise" The young stallion responded and I grinned, this would help me out in the long run.

I let my red eyes take a yellow glow and the pony in front of me froze, his eyes taking on a magical swirl. So the hypnosis worked well on both succubi and ponies, good to know. Now I just had to test it out on an alicorn, I wonder which of the sisters I'd rather bed first.

"You are to return to the group that sent you and tell them Crystal Blade, king of this empire, needs me here for safety reasons. If your commanding officer asks for a audience with my son he'll confirm it" I said to the young stallion who nodded slowly, drool starting to escape his mouth.

I stopped the spell and he walked off to tell his superior about why I was to remain in the empire. This would work greatly into my plans if his commanding officer wanted to question my son, who showed me the mark Luna had made upon the sky the night before. I had convinced him that the creature held so much power over the princesses now that he decided if the sun rose or not, scaring Crystal senseless.

I wondered if my own fear tasted as sweet as my son's had in the moment I told him that the very thing that gave life to the planet was under control of a monster. I would never know sadly, with power like this I would never feel fear again. I only needed a few more weeks and then I would know how to get rid of the crystal heart. After that there was only my son between me and ultimate power, so his death would be necessary. Not that I would complain, he had always been a fool.

King Guto's POV

The changeling coughed up green blood as it looked up at me, her pink made and tail dirty from being in the cell for so long. I was amazed by how unbreakable her will and loyalty to her mother was, but it would never proceed the power of the Idol, my sweet sweet Idol who had promised me all of the world in exchange for blood.

"Fuck.. You.." Was all the princess said before looking away, her wings buzzing.

Chrysalis had been my captive for months now, ever since we caught her in the outskirts of the changeling badlands had she kept quiet under all sort of torture and mind games. Not even draining her off all love had made her submit the location of her mother's primary hive. I had been forced to return said love as well to keep her alive, but with this new power the Idol had given me I would take all the information I needed.

A sickly yellow glow filled my talons and the changeling mare squirmed, trying to get away from me. It was a hard thing to do, with her front legs chained above her head and no way out of the dark dank cell. Without hesitation I put my talons on her head and with a pain filled scream could I see her mind, the Idol feeding me power as I tore a hole right through her psyche.

Years of memories shattered as I grabbed the ones I needed, the mare never stopping her pain filled screams and cries of mercy. When I finally was done with her she was nothing more but a husk of her former self, looking at the floor with dead eyes as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Thank you very much for your cooperation your highness, I'll make sure to use the information you gave me for a good cause" I said with a grin and left the cell behind, her once pink a vibrant mane now a greenish blue with holes forming.

The changeling's once young and defiant voice was now shrill and filled with an echo, like several different voices was speaking at the same time. But if I looked back it was truly her eyes that stood out, the Idol speaking in my head, assuring me that it was nothing. But deep down I knew the look that was overtaking her, the one the Idol could only inspire, true and hate filled madness.

Nathaniel's POV

The man looked at the large muscular zebra, the stallion the same size as Luna. So this was to be his opponent? Why did he already regret having Osiris and Rose sign him up to face this warrior of theirs? But what was done was done, he had to suck it up and fight for survival, even if they probably wouldn't kill him.

"The honorary battle between the warrior of the moon and the warrior of the desert is about to begin!" A female voice called out over the pit, King Fortem's daughter apparently hosting these fights.

Nathaniel looked over the equipment he had been allowed to bring, Luna's sword. That was it, there was no armor, no extra knives and he hadn't been allowed to make a bow. In this fight he would have to rely on magic and the steel in his hands to win, even if he doubted his skill with the blade.

The zebra stallion was painted for the fight, his stripes carrying a barrage of colours from all the tribes and his face carrying war paint. If anything this fight would out the human on the defensive and he did not like that idea. The weapon carried by this zebra was a metal spear, the stallion swirling it around between his hooves and mouth. So a long range fighter, good to know.

When the sudden sound of a bell greeted the man he knew the fight had started, making him dive to the side as the spear suddenly came flying towards him. Was the zebra trying to kill him!? Rose had said it was ritual combat but she had promised him that it would lead to bruises at most!

The man drew the black blade and ran for the zebra, the stallion tensing up before raising his hoof, a rune carved into it. A magical barrier met Nathaniel's incoming blade and then exploded, sending the human flying backwards as the zebra warrior ran for his spear.

The teen got up from his back as quickly as he could, holding out the sword in front him to hold back any strikes from his opponent. So the runes could be carved onto the body? Why did it feel like Luna or Celestia had a nuke rune tucked away under a left hoof?

"Our champion have mastered the art of enchantment and making runes! There is none quite like him, our best warrior!" The daughter of the zebra king called out over the pit.

This was their champion!? He hadn't agreed to face some sort of master in combat, Nathaniel thought he'd just walk away with some knowledge on fighting others on his level, not get killed by some warrior zebra with shield runes! If the man walked away with enough energy to stand then he'd kick Rose and Osiris flanks.

The green eyed teen looked at the stallion he was facing who let out a snort before rushing the human, holding the spear in his mouth. The first attack was easy to block, the teen deflecting it to the side. Yet with each strike the zebra sent his way the more ground he lost, being pushed back towards the pit's dirt wall.

The stallion knew what he was doing, each strike meant to send the human backwards before the champion tried to trust the sharp metal rod into Nathaniel's shoulder. It was all very easy for the warrior but tiresome for the guardian, the dark haired man keeping up a defensive combat style which was the mere basics.

Not before long was the man pushed against the wall and strike after strike from the zebra was making him loose all strength in his arm, dropping the blade. For a split second the zebra thinks victory is near, holding the spear to Nathaniel's throat, only for the world to explode in a bright white flash.

Star Swirl smirked as he looked into the pit the spell he had taught the human the day before already being used to great success against a more experienced fighter. This is the strength the human had shown him when the man had learnt the spell so quickly, a will to fight, a will to learn, a will to never bow down.

Nathaniel gave of a battle-cry as he crashed into the dulled zebra, sending them both to the floor. With the little time the green eyed teen had he punched the stallion in the side, sending him flying into one of the dirt walls. The champion got up with a groan of pain and glared at Nathaniel, cracking his neck before slamming his hoof down on the spear next to him, sending it spinning into the air before catching it with his mouth.

"Um, I'm sorry?" The human said with a nervous grin before the stallion charged him, the man putting up a magical barrier that cracked the same second the first strike hit the dome.

A game of shields and dodges started, Nathan trying his best to not get hit by the spear currently used by an angry zebra warrior. Yet even with his shields the human got cut, the first strike hitting his leg before the second one slashed his cheek. Stumbling backwards and picking up his sword from the ground the human tried to do another Solaris mico only for the blunt end of the spear hit his chest.

Nathaniel fell to the floor and didn't even have time to react before the blunt end of the spear hit his head as well, knocking him out. There was a silence over the pit before cheers broke out among the zebras, their champion having defeated the challenger from the north.

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Pain, why did it hate him so much? Nathan sat up in the comfortable bed he woke up in and held his head, looking around the tent he currently found himself in. The presence of a table and a lunar princess giving him a deadpan look made him realize that they must have dragged him to Luna after the fight.

"Should I be disappointed or happy with your decision to fight the champion of all the tribes?" Luna asked with a small smirk as Nathaniel got up stumbled over to a mirror, looking at the tiny scar across his left cheek, another one to the collection.

"I thought you would be a bit more mad with me joining a fight to the death" The human said and she shook her head amusingly.

"That was not to the death, if it had been you would be nothing but pieces by now" The mare said as a cup of tea was levitated over to him, the man taking it with a thankful nod.

"So that was him holding back? Why exactly was I chosen as your bodyguard again?" The man asked with a small smile and took a sip from the tea.

The very thing of having tea with the alicorn was relaxing for him, a ritual where he felt safe and was in good company. Osiris had said he only drank liquor and something about a brothel. Rose just said it tasted like ash for her, meaning he couldn't have it with her, or at least not so both parties could enjoy it. Blaze had sniffed on the tea cup once and never got close to it again, snarling at the liquid. So this was a moment between Nathan and Luna, and he loved it.

"I found you cute and felt like saving your sorry flank that day" She retorted and Nathaniel did a spit take, looking at her in surprise while the princess laughed.

"I only tease Nathaniel, seriously you need to get used to this" The mare said and winked at him, making the human blush.

"The day I get used to the idea of finding a pony attractive is the day I kill a man" He said and the princess only chuckled at him.

"Time does wonders to one's mind Guardian Sol, remember that" Luna said and he nodded slowly, soon falling into the relaxing habit of asking Luna questions which were followed by her asking him questions, all over a cup of tea.

Celestia's POV

I looked upon my findings in horror, the book looking a hundred years old. Yet upon the cover there was the very same mark carried by Luna's new bipedal guardian. This book had been in a drawer in mother's old room, hidden from plain sight with a spell.

I knew that before her death had mother wished to speak with the zebra king about something, but had it truly been this? The mark was significant if Faust herself had kept it from her three children, but did this mean the human was a blessing or a curse?

With a heavy breath I opened the first page and saw a few lines of text, nothing more. Yet what it said made me even more weary of Nathaniel, even more scared of what he might do. It was only a few lines of text, I should not fear it, but I did all the same.

Mother had seen the future, she knew that the human would arrive, that Luna would take him as a bodyguard. Had she told anypony? Discord had told me that "he" would burn everything touched by him. Had the draconequs spoken about Nathaniel? Had Faust told Discord before me about what might come?

The prophecy spoke about how the moon had to mend the damage caused by the sun. Had I done the right thing when putting that spell on the human? Yes, if the last part of the prophecy was to believe then it had been the right call. If Nathaniel held power to end everything then I could never release him from that spell, I had already stopped one god like creature with unlimited power, I could do it again.

Author's Notes:

Thank you for reading chapter nine! Almost at chapter ten and a third through the story, so I'm pretty happy with what we got atm I hope you comment what you thought and I'll see you next week with another chapter ^^ -Lux