"... Wait! Crimson!" Moonlight blurts suddenly.

Reacting instantly to the sound of her voice, Crimson halts and rushes back towards the doors to her room. He opens them and peers in, calling out in reply, "What's wrong, Moon-- ... light?"

His expression notches with puzzlement upon glancing towards the lab table Moonlight was sitting on seconds ago. She is absent, along with every paper and flask she had scattered at its top. Everything is untouched and idly organized. He shifts his analyzing eyes around the room, and he begins to realize that the ambiance around him is illustrated with an uncanny lack of hue. While color is still present, everything is significantly faded in its saturation, giving the world a halted, dreamy look. Accompanying this eerie distortion of the world, distant sounds coming from intangible sources ring quietly; sounds of wind chimes, gently rustling leaves, and calm wind come as ghosts.

"... Moonlight?" he calls again, turning his head left and right with uncertainty. He steps into the room further, letting go of the door and standing up straight.

The door comes to a slamming shut behind him, loud enough to bring a wince to his face. He turns his head to the door that violently closed itself, seeing now that the handles have disappeared. He turns himself around to face the doors completely, making sure that what he is seeing is actually happening. He reaches forward and presses his hand on the cobalt plate of the door that once held the handles. He feels as if he is touching a wall, the door does not give at all to his push.

"... What the hell is goin' on?" he mumbles to himself as he turns around, looking back towards the room again. With a strong gust of wind blown from the ether to ruffle his hair, his eyes grow wide when he sees a figure sitting at the lab table, exactly where Moonlight was sitting before. A shadowy figure with unclear features sits on the stool, wearing a black and blue hood that sheens. Judging from their general size and shape, he assumes it to be a pony, or some other non-human figure. Staring at this entity muddles his conscious, it appears as if this being is constantly shifting and blurring. Their form remains still, yet moves without actually moving.

Their presence is inadvertently causing Crimson discomfort. The very sight of this being is driving emotions into him that can only be described as... fear. Humility. A weight that tells him he's worthless under their gaze, calling for his immediate surrender and humbleness, like a tyrant towering over their servant.

He actively combats this internal turmoil, finding it a difficult battle to fight while trying to speak his mind. He stares at this enigmatic presence in silence, scattering through his perplexity in an attempt to vocalize.

Before he has the chance to, the figure commences first, "Greetings... Arch Angel." Their voice -- the resounding tone of a feminine timbre... her voice, it resonates just as her blurring appearance does, echoing several times over itself as if multiple beings were speaking at once.

Crimson squints at her as he attempts to piece together as much sense as possible.

"There is no need to speak, Arch Angel. You must only listen. And listen well, for my words will serve to guide you through the mist of life."

"N... Wait, no," Crimson finally speaks, "wait a damn minute. What's goin' on here? Who in the hell're you? Moonlight was just..."

"Fret not. She is safe. You are not in Canterlot. You are currently elsewhere, despite what your surroundings appear to be."

"... Where'm I?"

"Do not worry about where you are... it is neither here, nor there."

Crimson's body now begins to rise in temperature, fighting furiously at odds with the cloaked figure's powerful presence. He can not remember the last time he has felt these emotions, the ones that grip at his throat and weaken his knees. Though difficult, he fortifies his heart and mind enough to reply, yet unwillingly, his words come meek, "Tell me who you are. I ain't well on shadows and curtains."

"Me?" she repeats in a rather entertained air. "Oh, yes. The first question of many you possess. Indeed, it is why I am here with you, Arch Angel. To answer said questions. You wish to know who I am, correct?"

Crimson nods twice.

"You may call me Fate. Consider me to be your... spiritual advisor. The gift you harbor, Arch, comes with many intricacies I am sure you do not understand. I am here to aid you with those intricacies."

Crimson's demeanor slowly begins to simmer, aiding him in his tussle with her radiating presence. While irritation is an emotion he tries to suppress, he lets it collect for the sake of remaining firm. "... Help me with my gift, huh? Ain't that somethin'. The Arch guidance councilor I always needed comes to my aid, 'n I only had to wait twenty-eight fuckin' years. Quite a few years too late fer the rest of my family."

"Do not mistake me as something I am not. No, Arch Angel, I am not the guidance councilor... I choose to be your guidance councilor. Understand that I am not compelled to assist you or anyone else. I appear unto you because of certain... circumstances, that apply only to you. For you see, I know more about you than you may know about yourself."

"Yeah, right." Crimson shakes his head, "Nah. I'm dreamin'. This is another one of them dreams I have."

"I advise you to stay on course, Arch Angel. What you see before you is no delusion."

"And how do I know you ain't?"

"Determine that for yourself once our exchange is complete."

Crimson mulls over her firm air. Thinking critically, this would be one of the most coherent 'dreams' he has had, if assuming he actually is dreaming. It almost feels like one, but he decides to keep his reservations. "... I'll give you doubt's benefit."

"It is all I ask."

"Let's say you ain't bullshittin' me and all this is real. You said you know more about me than I know about myself. You omniscient 'r somethin'?"

"Omniscient?" Crimson swears he hears a chuckle emit from her echoing, dissonant voice. "That would make things infinitely easier if I was omniscient. No, I do not know everything... but I do know very much. All my knowledge comes through observation."

"'Observation', huh? ... So what do you know about me?"

"Mmh. I suppose this will serve as our first topic," Fate declares. "Well then. Let us begin... with you."

"Mmkay. Is there, uh... anythin' I should say, or...?"

Her form distorts in a very unclear manner, yet Crimson's senses pick up that she shook her head. "All you must do is listen, or beg a question if something is amiss."

"... Alright."

"As you know, you are an Arch Angel. You are a being capable of harnessing not only the physical world around you, but the planes beyond it. You are a being of light and power, and you use this power to maintain the balance in a world troubled by chaos."

"I 'maintain the balance' of the world? Sounds a little above my pay-grade, don't it?"

"Not in the slightest. You single-handedly restored order to an entire state, did you not?"

Crimson's brows raise. He trails back to reflect on what he has done. As it turns out... she is right. Through only his hard-headed tenacity, he had scuffed out the gang that once held a powerful vice-grip in his home-state.

"Imagine what you could have accomplished with the aid of your fellow man. That is not to demean the role played by your sister, no. She was important in her duties, to keep you composed and sane. Were it not for her, you would have been lost long ago."

"Duties? The hell is that supposed to mean? She ain't some sorta pawn. She's my sister." His uncertainty emerges again. It's starting to dawn on him that maybe this isn't a dream, implying this being, Fate, does exist outside of his mind somehow. Her very existence and everything she knows about him is causing gaps in his assurance.

"But of course, Arch Angel. The life you have lived is all yours, the life your sister lived is all hers. I do not interfere with the lives of others... usually."

Crimson's expression hardens. He refrains from speaking his accusative thoughts, ensuring himself that she'll have some sort of worthwhile explanation.

"The life you have lived is, indeed, all your own. But, I am the reason you are here in Equestria. I am the reason why you were pulled from your home. It was no easy task, and I have done so on a very definitive basis. You see, an new evil presents itself in my homeland, the one I inhabited many centuries ago. Due to certain... grounds, I am unable to aid it as I have done in the past. You, Arch Angel, can. You have completed your mission in your homeland, they no longer require your protection. Mine does. It is not due to my selfishness that I distance you from your world, but because of your own willingness to give. You possess many features entailed in a hero, and I knew you would be up to this task. I could have selected countless other Arch Angels to pursue this mission... but none of them have quite displayed a disposition as eloquent as yours."

"... So my world got turned upside-down because of you, huh?"

"Yes."

"The life I was supposed to live with my sister, the peace 'n quiet that I earned, gone. Because of you."

"If that is how you wish to view your current situation. But I know I made the right choice. I know that you, Arch Angel, will take this new opportunity to do further good, as you have always done in the past."

Crimson briefly turns her words inside himself. His stern front fades for muse, meditating everything he has experienced so far. She's right about everything she has assumed about him. He can't find it in himself to be terribly upset about being pulled away from Earth, especially not when he thinks about those he has met. He did want a life of peace, and he did want to settle down... but the more he thinks about it, he couldn't envisage sitting around and farming all day. It was an occupation he enjoyed doing, but... was that really going to be the rest of his life, especially considering what he truly is? The only thing that really mattered to him was Viola's safety, and now she has it. While he would love to be with her again, he can already interact with her in the Rift as if she was next to him. There truly is nothing for him left back at Earth that really calls for his immediate return, and he is further pressed to stay now that Equestria faces unknown danger.

"Understand that many who have suffered as you have do not compose themselves to your extent. You have more than enough reason to be bitter, loathing, and distant from the world, but instead, you choose to move forward, and see the good in everything that is, and that will be. Had I tasked any other angel with this, and pull them away from their own world, it would likely end in self-inflicted tragedy. You are special, Arch Angel. This is why you have been chosen."

"... How have you been watchin' me?"

"By observing you through your Arch. All Arch Angels are capable of sensing the essence of one another, far beyond space and time. It is a tether that has existed since the dawn of our kind. This tether keeps us all indirectly united through a phenomena named The Highway, where our souls collect."

"Yer sayin' I have this 'tether' too?"

"Yes. An example of this tether would be your sister. You feel very curious when you are around her, no?"

"... Yeah. It's a real weird feelin'... like, I'm able to feel her, hear her, without actually... bein' around her. I always thought it was just because I knew her so well, figured it was normal in other folks."

"Not at all. That is the work of the tether."

"... But if this is the case, why can't I feel you? Why can't I feel all the countless other angels you've been referrin' to?"

"That is a matter of the individual. Other than certain... 'personal' properties that affect your tether, such as intimacy with your sister for instance, only those honed and potent in their gift can reach beyond themselves, extend their gaze past the physical world, towards the realm of intangibility and the soul. I am one such being. I have been able to watch you after your connection with your Arch, see upon your meandering soul as it progresses through the toils of life."

"Does that mean I gotta actually 'use' my Arch for others to 'watch' me?"

"A very crude description, but yes. This also implies there are other angels around who are able to reach your soul."

"So if I don't use it, others can't see me."

"Mmn, correct... to an extent. An Arch Angel, while possessing Arch itself, will only be as potent with it as they choose to be. It is like a muscle, a muscle which must be trained constantly for progress to be made. A muscle that is not trained withers away. Think of this muscle as a beacon. If the beacon is weak, and eventually fades, then it will become unreadable. An angel's Arch can wane so severely, they lose all connection with The Highway, and eventually, their Arch itself. This is a rare occurrence, it happens to very few."

"... I can't even remember when I first used my Arch. I barely use it now, don't find much point in it. Must have been so long ago."

"It was, and I shall remind you. When you and your sister were young, both at the age of ten, you were fetching pales of water near a spring close to the home of your grandparents. You defended your sister against two grown men who ambushed you. They sought to kidnap your sister, they wanted to perform atrocious acts upon her, but you did not allow it. The emotion and anger inside you became so potent, your Arch autonomously awakened itself in response to your will. Yes, you carried your sister in your arms as you walked away from the river, leaving the two grown men to stain the soil with blood."

His memory returns vividly. He remembers every detail of that day, the surge of adrenaline and heightened sense of awareness... and the horrified faces of the men who became the first of many to die at his hand. A child his age couldn't know that he would become a conduit of golden light possessing the capability to readily smite another man, until it had already happened.

"Of course, your parents hid this gift from you for your entire life, up until that point. Once the truth was revealed, they had no choice but to come forth. Your parents are to blame for the severe hamper in the growth of your Arch. I know this because I read your father's Arch, I read his intentions. Instead of nurturing your gift from your youth, he stowed it away, as if it were a plague placed upon their lineage. Despite such a late connection with your gift, you've managed to grow wonderfully. I could only imagine how powerful you would have been if you were properly nursled."

Crimson's eyes fall to the marble ground of Moonlight's room. His father was keen on keeping his gift suppressed, in the belief that the curse which afflicted them, their Arch, would somehow eventually fade away. Had things gone his way, he would have succeeded. A semblance of normal life could be reattained if they were freed from their bindings. But, life is never that predictable. Given the circumstances, Crimson instead harnessed his 'curse' to trudge through life's challenges, proving to be triumphant. Though to him, a curse is still a curse.

"But that is in the past. It is not wise to linger on it. We must focus on the present and all that comes after. Let us look now to your Arch as it stands, and which strengths you possess from your lineage."

"... Strengths?"

Her phantasmal form signals a nod. "Every Arch Angel comes with a set of strengths, depending on the genes given to them by their forefathers. Let us start at the top of the latter and climb down, it will broaden your understanding this way. There are two attunements in your Arch, Body and Soul. Do not think of this in black and white, but instead in a spectrum where infinite shades of grey exist. You are born somewhere in this spectrum, where your talents lean towards either or. It is most common for an angel to possess more of one attunement than the other, but both will always congeal in your being. Think of it as a fraction, where angels typically contain three-fourths of one attunement and one-fourth of the other, or some other fraction of similar nature. Do you understand?"

"So far, yeah."

"Good. Now, it is very rare for an angel to find themselves in the far ends of this spectrum, and even rarer to be found directly in the center. You, Arch Angel, are of true rarity. Your Arch stands almost perfectly in the center, with only a slight lean towards Soul. Truly remarkable."

"How're you able to see that?"

"The same way I see everything about you."

"... So what does any of that actually mean fer me?"

"It means you are capable of mastering both traits with little effort. Those attuned with Body are generally large, physically powerful beings who handle the tangible world. Those attuned in Soul do not appear very different from their fellow kin, but do house nuanced features that can be used to distinguish them. Angels of Soul are skilled at reading and manipulating others, running through the mind and spirit, and handling metaphysical threats. You, Arch Angel, have a physical body which serves as a powerful catalyst to your will, and, you also possess the skills to reach beyond the physical realm, capable of moving the world from its very essence. Strength and will perfectly intertwined with mental prowess and cunning of the soul. Many would be jealous."

"Guess I can understand why. I reckon you chose me fer this Equestria expedition because I'm 'special.'"

"Even if you were the most perfect embodiment of Arch imaginable, I would not have chosen you because of it. As I stated earlier, I chose you for your selfless nature."

Crimson crosses his arms and looks down at himself with a strong muse.

"Now then, moving forward from the spectrum that is Body and Soul, we now look at the classes that narrow down an angel's talents. There are four main classes which break up into infinite subsets, but we will focus only on the classes. Two of these classes belong to Body, the other two, Soul. Body harbors the classes Vanguard and Tower. Appropriately, the angels of large robust build who stand as impenetrable walls are of the Tower. Their body is not easily toppled, and their mind even less so. Angels of strength and speed, those who are customarily at the front of a battle, those who brunt the first of an onslaught, are apart of the Vanguard. Though they do not harness the raw power of the Tower, the Vanguard specializes in both strength and tenacity, capable of suffering immense physical trauma for those they protect. ... Does this sound familiar?"

"Sounds familiar alright."

"Then, let us proceed to the classes of Soul. The first class, and the most common for the Soul attunement, is the String Singer. They are the angel that is beloved among many. They are attractive, well-spoken, and are very pleasant to be around. They radiate a natural charisma that endears the hearts of those who make their presence. They raise morale and stand as beacons of hope in the gloom. If not immediately apparent, this is your second specialization, and... your sister's only specialization."

"It would explain why she was always a popular girl... but she never did like all the attention she got."

"It is uncommon for a String Singer to be as socially recluse as she is, but not impossible. Just as it is greatly uncommon for an angel to possess more than one specialization, here you are. You and your sister are very... unique. A pair perfect for each other's strengths and weaknesses."

"... Yeah."

"Lastly, and possibly the most difficult class to master, is the Soul's Weave Watcher. Those found in this class specialize in all things metaphysical. They are the ones who can read the actions of others, tap into their conscious, and establish a spiritual connection with anything and everything. They are the ones who remain in the back-line of the stage, viewing the performance from a different perspective, and silently bending the actors to their will."

"And I reckon that's what you are, considerin' you perfectly described yerself."

"Correct. I am a Weave Watcher, the class of Arch Angel who specializes in being everywhere, yet nowhere at the same time."

"Are all you Watcher angels displacin' people?"

"No. It takes an angel perfected in their craft to do as I can. I have yet to meet another."

"Quite a compliment you gave yerself."

"I only speak the truth, primal concepts such as personal pride mean nothing to me. Now, this covers the fundamentals of Arch and its reach. Do you have any questions thus far?"

"Yeah. Earlier you were sayin' you picked me outta 'countless others.' Just to be sure, there are many more like me out there?"

"Like us, Arch Angel. Like us. Yes, there are."

"How come I've never seen any of 'em?"

"They are far, far away. So far away, you will most likely never meet any of them. Neither will I."

"... Hmn," Crimson puts his hands in his pockets. "... Guess that wraps up the basics then."

"Indeed. Do keep in mind that these fundamentals are broad-reaching, they elaborate on all aspects of Arch as simply as possible. The true nature of Arch is unpredictable and complex, just as every angel that uses it. Like anything in life, things are subject to reach past any established boundaries."

"So, wait... I, uh, actually got another question."

"And I may have an answer."

"My dad... and my brother. They had Arch too."

"Of course."

"... I don't think it was the same as mine 'n Viola's."

"An astute observation. No, it was not the same. Your brother and your father both belonged to the Tower."

"That was my guess. They were beefy fuckin' guys."

"As all Tower are. It is quite enigmatic that both you and your sister are not of the same class and attunement."

"Do the kids of an angel usually inherit their class?"

"Yes. And not only that, but as normality dictates, only the first-born child of an angel inherits their Arch. Any children born after do not."

"... How does that work?"

"It is like questioning why a plant absorbs sunlight through its leaves. It is simply how nature proceeds. You, however, have managed to bypass several extremely rare exceptions to be the man you are right now. And even with the stunting of your Arch's growth, you have done well to take advantage of your rarity."

"Can't take all the glory. Everythin' I learned was from my dad and Vigil."

"They taught you incorrectly. The ways of their teaching were based solely in their interpretation of their own Arch. You are not like them, you should have been taught in a manner that accommodates to your class. This is why the children of an angel are always born in the same class as the parent, so that the teaching may be properly passed on."

"... But wrong teachin' is better than no teachin'."

"In this instance, you are correct. Even if their teachings were misguided, the discipline required to harness Arch has been achieved. Though, this is why you struggle with your gift. You harness it in a way that is unnatural for your being. While not impossible to wield Arch in a manner other angels do, it is needlessly more difficult. You must adapt it to your own needs, and find what works best for you."

"And how'm I supposed to do that?"

"It is simple. You must only spend time with your Arch. Channel it, let it run through your body in an awakened state. Let your mind and body bend according to what it desires."

"Kinda cryptic, ain’t it?"

"To give a familiar visualization, imagine lifting a rock. A very heavy rock. There are many ways to lift this rock, but an equal number of ways are needlessly difficult. You can attempt to lean over the rock and lift it up with your lower back. A very difficult, painful thing to do. Alternatively, your body can find a better-suited manner of lifting the same rock, by squatting down and keeping it close to your bosom. It is the same concept for your Arch, harness it in a way that is most natural for you."

"... I'll try to take that advice, miss Fate. I appreciate it."

"Please, only Fate. There is no need for such formalities. Do ruminate on what I have told you. Now, I am certain there are places you need to be. This is where I will let you go."

"Righty'o. ... Oh, uh... if I ever need to talk to you again, how can I do that?"

"Do not focus on me, focus on the tasks that lie ahead of you. Act as if I was never there."

Crimson looks visibly dissatisfied with this answer, but he takes it, trusting in her words.

"I do not believe Equestria has changed in landscape since I was last there. Is there anywhere you must be?"

"Oh, uh," Crimson mentally configures himself for a moment, "Yeah. You don't reckon you could put me down on the top of the Canterlot mountain? I need to meet someone there."

"Meet someone? In a secluded location away from all others?" she repeats in an echoing huff of amusement. "Yes, I know exactly where you are referring to. I will set you there. ... One last shard of advice, Arch Angel."

"Yeah?"

"While not normally noteworthy, I feel that this information might serve... useful, to you. You, as an Arch Angel, are capable of many things. One of those things is the transfer of your seed into a female's harbor. Be advised that your seed will automatically recompose itself at the molecular level to satisfy the needs of any sentient female's biology."

Crimson's eyes pry open.

"Indeed. Exercise caution, Arch Angel."

"So, no, wait-- I--"

The world around him begins to melt away, becoming a drooping mess of wonky sounds and dripping structure, until nothing but blackness remains. Not a second after, reality around him reconstructs into rock and cloud, the temperature around him immediately drops, and a light mist fogs the air. Crimson looks around himself quickly, taking in that he's standing on a spacious cliff-edge right under the cloud line. He peeks off the cliff, seeing a steep descent down towards the distant grass fields that lie far below. He then turns around, facing towards the mountain. He sees that he's not actually on the peak of the mountain, but a few meters before it. There is an inconspicuous vertical crack on this face of the mountain, possibly leading into a certain dragoness's cave.

"... Well, shiet," he huffs under his breath. With a deep sigh, he walks towards it.

Next Chapter: Peculiar Barter Estimated time remaining: 23 Hours, 25 Minutes