This was a mess, and Ezikeal knew he needed to think. He was sitting at a table outside the farm with Applejack while Rainbow Dash had left to get Twilight - Applejack didn't want to drag this out. He needed a way to keep the full truth away, as there was no possible outcome where that would go over well. Applejack would no doubt be horrified, knowing she harbored such a monster, Rainbow Dash was just as likely to start swinging right then and there and Twilight...he did not want to deal with whatever magic she would no doubt throw at him in order to neutralize the threat of him. Maybe the woman from the forest was right, and getting rid of the sword was what needed to be done.

Nonsense, you know the uses of this power. You're the only one who understands it. His mind voiced, a sickening, ever-present connection to what he felt was true. There was nobody else who understood it like him, not in this world at least. Nevertheless, he argued with himself.

Having to hide this...it is going to become too much, it might already have been too much! Maybe I should figure out a way to safely be stripped of this swor-

No! His own mind seemed to tear right through that train of thought. This power is yours. Wield it with all the righteousness that was stolen from you in death! You will take up this blade and protect those you care about! You must embrace it and press on. Ezikeal groaned at the rushed intensity his thoughts harbored. Why were his thoughts such a back and forth mess!? He just wanted to embrace his new life, the fresh start fate granted him, but why did it have to leave him with this final burden!? Why did he have to carry another blade that tainted the very bridges he was trying to establish!? He let his head rest in his hands.

"Ezikeal," Applejack said, prompting him to look up at her, and meet the level stare she gave him.

"Hm?"

"I'd really like ta think yer a good pony, ya know," she offered, tapping her hand on the table, "does this mess got anythin' ta do with that stuff ya mentioned when ya met Twilight? Ya said that ya came from a bad place...and ya seem ta act the most flighty when anythin' remotely related ta yer past, or that there sword, comes up." She was talking softly, knowing she was pressing on a personal subject, but unable to shake the feeling it was related somehow and Ezikeal knew it, saw it in her eyes.

This is happening too soon, I don't have a very good way to avoid this... He thought, offering Applejack a small shrug before speaking.

"It does," he answered, "the things that happened before I arrived here...I didn't live in a place even remotely as peaceful as this. Conflict was rampant, and I am a product of it. I cannot escape my past, it haunts me. I don't know if I can go too far into things, Applejack, but I will try to give at least the most general sense of what it is that I have going on, if that's alright?" He didn't necessarily like it, but he needed to try to appeal to her sense of sympathy to nudge this into the right direction.

"I...I get it, Partner," Applejack said, mostly accepting of his request, "I won't make too big a fuss if ya aren't fully detailed, but just make sure ya don't get too cryptic, ya hear? Show us some trust with knowin' yer story?" She asked. Ezikeal nodded, and she offered one of agreement in return. They returned to sitting in silence, waiting for Twilight and Rainbow Dash to get back.

Okay, he had time to think. The things he absolutely had to keep from revealing were the facts that he used to be undead, was from another world, who the Lich King was (at least mostly), and he needed to conceal the full extent of his blade's power. He didn't need to cause undue panic, but it was unavoidable to keep from admitting that his weapon at least operated with some form of dark magic or he'd have to keep avoiding questions about it. If he was going to tell them anything, he needed to leave out as much as possible or he would risk being cast out and despised - which was the outcome he did not want to happen more than anything. Ezikeal ran a hand through his hair. This was going to be a little troubling, wasn't it?

It was another fifteen minutes before Twilight and Rainbow Dash arrived. Twilight looked a little concerned, looking Ezikeal over as she sat down at the table. Ezikeal had prepared a story in his mind, but seeing the harsh reality of how delicate he felt this situation was thundered in his mind. One misstep, and he'd surely be cast out or struck down- they were the guardians of this land, after all...

"Ezikeal, you asked for me?" Twilight said as she took a seat. Rainbow Dash eagerly took one next to her, no doubt impatient to hear what he had been hiding from them.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you, well, all of you three, about something. I do have a question first, Twilight," he started, addressing the one factor that he taken root in his mind since Applejack had mentioned it, "I heard you communicate with the princesses of this land. I'm going to make an assumption that I've come up in at least some correspondence?" he asked, watching Twilight throw a glance towards Applejack and Rainbow Dash before looking back at him.

"Well, yes, your situation is very...uncommon, so I have mentioned you to Princess Celestia. I'm her student-Look, Ezikeal, I don't mean to come off as distrusting with my actions, truly, but I'm worried about you and whatever is going on here. Ponies just don't go around acting as if they are hiding the gateway to Tartarus at all times," she said, tone growing a little defensive at the topic.

"You're right, and that's kind of what I wanted to talk about," he said quickly, disarming the conflict before it could begin, "I have been hiding things from you all, mainly because I have been worried about how you would...react to certain aspects of me," he started. Twilight floated a paper and quill out of her bag. Of course she would keep a record of what I am telling them... Alright, now he had to choose his words even more carefully.

"I'm listening," Twilight said.

Here goes nothing...

"Back in my homeland, I was put under a curse by an incredibly powerful, and equally evil sorcerer. He took control of my mind and forced me away from everything I had in my life. I was taken from the things I cared about, and he made me assist in their destruction. I was made to do...a lot of regrettable things," Ezikeal watched their reactions as he spoke. Twilight was writing down what he was saying as he spoke with her magic while she looked at him with sympathy, horror, and worry in her eyes in response to hearing his fate in the past. Rainbow Dash's initial excitement had died down to a morbid seriousness as he spoke, and Applejack held an unreadable expression, likely due to already being prepared to hear something bad from their previous conversation.

Alright, so far so good, right?

"What did this sorcerer want? What was their goal?" Twilight asked, voice soft and inquisitive as she pressed further on such a deeply personal, but terrifying subject.

"They were one of the purest forms of evil...they wanted everyone to suffer, and ultimately to die. He had a grudge against the world and wanted to see it burn." Leaving out the 'so he could then raise them as undead minions' part.

"He wanted to...kill everyone?" The steadily growing look of worry on Twilight's face had evolved into one of repulsed fear as he said that, as if the information had physically lashed out at her.

"Does that mean you were made to...you...?" Rainbow Dash trailed off, making a slicing motion across her neck. Ezikeal sighed internally, he was about to make the biggest risk he was going to allow himself to take in this conversation.

"I did," He confirmed, "I was made to kill under his control." A few moments of silence passed before a sniff caught his attention, and he saw Twilight looking down, holding in tears.

"That's...that's so horrible...that's not fair..." she said, on the verge of breaking down at the revelation, "You were...you couldn't do anything and he made you...how long?" She looked up at him.

"A while," He answered, lost in the emotional response he got. He had expected repulsion, not...such an raw, sincere response. He looked to the others and saw Rainbow Dash looking at her hands, any excitement over the story having been sucked away by his words. Applejack's mouth was pressed into a thin line, gaze somber and maintaining her mostly unreadable expression - as if keeping a strong face in the wake of tragedy, but had taken her hat off and set it on the table next to her.

"How did you escape?" Twilight asked.

"I cannot say for certain what allowed me to. All I know is that his hold on me, and the others like me, had weakened. We were able to free ourselves from his hold and fought back against him," he explained, a hint of confusion edging into his voice as he was reminded of the memories. Even without the egregious omissions he was making about the full story, Ezikeal was never sure what had allowed his will to free itself so forcefully from the Lich King. There were moments of doubt, a slow awareness coming over him that something about his existence was not...right. Those feelings had lingered temporarily before disappearing in the wake of new commands, but each time thereafter, the sense grew more powerful. It all led up to the battle at Light's Hope Chapel against Tirion Fordring and his paladins, where the Lich King made clear that they were expendable and meant to have died in the battle against the Tirion. It seemed that was the final straw, not just for him but the other Death Knights present as well, and the weakened control the Lich King held over his knights finally shattered. Perhaps it was a final, parting mercy from the Light on his damned existence...he'd never know.

"I was free, but...my curse remained. I did what I could to utilize it for good," He explained, gesturing to his sword. Twilight's sadness intermingled with the curiosity towards the "curse."

"Ezikeal...what is it?" Twilight asked, refocusing his attention to the new topic of his sword. Ezikeal took a moment to ensure his careful composure was not going to break in the wake of Twilight's inquisitive onslaught before speaking again.

"When I was taken control of, I was bound with dark forces and the sorcerer gave a portion of his power to me to use as an extension of his will. The sword is a conduit of this cursed gift," He didn't think that was pushing anything too far, and he fully believed it was some kind of curse that not even his strange resurrection into a new world could fully destroy.

"So it's some of that dark magic, just like the evil wizard was usin', is what yer sayin'?" Applejack asked, frowning when Ezikeal nodded in confirmation and was left to think on that.

"I've been doing my hardest to utilize it for good, to...atone for what I've done," He said. Twilight had regained a lot of her composure and refocused on the new revelation of interest that had come up. Ezikeal knew he had to tread even more carefully now, with Twilight's face of intense thought at his words now, he was sure it wouldn't take too much to raise suspicion of his story. A new paper had floated out of her bag and the quill jotted something down as Twilight pensively spoke.

"Every magic in the spectrum of darkness that I've studied has shown...deeply concerning properties that corrupt the wielder of it...do you not find that a risk with this at all? Have you ever felt corruption take root? Ezikeal, you should be looking to remove whatever curse it is and refrain from using it at all," Twilight spoke firmly, looking at the sword on his back with growing worry, no doubt cautious thoughts of what it might be capable of in such peaceful lands floating around her mind.

She has a point...I'm not sure how intense the hunger will get- His mind gnawed back at him in response to the thought, interrupting that train before it could finish.

No. They do not understand the complexities of this power like you do, this force that you hold within such easy reach. The power to write history itself...just think, the hunger it instills is easily overcome just like before. The undeniable strength of your will focuses this power in a way that does truly good, powerful acts. His thoughts sounded, echoing in his head as he pondered her words.

"It's totally cool, y'know, that you've been using that magic for good, Ezikeal," Rainbow Dash spoke up, "buuut I think I'm gonna have to agree with Twilight that it's likely more dangerous than even you realize," Dash said, siding with her friend's concern.

You have mastery over its properties. They are the ones who do not realize. His thoughts whispered. Ezikeal let out a groan, nodding a little more to himself in response of the thoughts.

"It has not overcome me. I do not intend to let it overcome me," he said with a similar resolve of Twilight's advice towards getting rid of it. Said unicorn was now looking at him with worried skepticism, Ezikeal could practically see her pulling up every mental file she had on dark, corruptive magics.

"Ezikeal, I understand that you have the most experience with it in the past, having had it for such a long time now, but, I mean, we haven't even seen it in use," she said with hinting tone, "I have never seen a wielder of dark forces not be corrupted. I...I'm worried about you- for you. And Rainbow Dash said you passed out in the Everfree of all places..." she trailed off, countless unspoken doubts visible in her eyes alone.

"I understand what these things are sounding like, Twilight, I truly do, and I know I am pressing the boundaries when I just ask that you trust in my judgement on this. I've been doing this for quite some time," Ezikeal tried. He needed them to believe in him, he needed them to feel some semblance of confidence in his ability to...be him. He wasn't going to become "corrupted" by it, whatever that would entail. His thoughts were right, he did have mastery over it. It seemed his story was being trusted, and to his credit, it was all technically true, just...missing details.

"I want to see it," Twilight said, which halted any further thoughts Ezikeal had been spiraling towards with those words.

"What? Twilight-" Ezikeal started, only to quiet at the raise of Twilight's hand.

"No, Ezikeal, please, it would make this so much easier if I could at least see what it is you are dealing with all on your own...let alone at all," the worry in her voice was evident, but so was the insatiable curiosity. Those two emotions would not mix well, and Ezikeal knew the answers she wanted, the semblance of reassurance she hoped for and expected, were not going to be presented to her even if he did go along with it and draw the blade right then and there. All witnessing his power would accomplish would be the justifiable increase of her fears. Ezikeal looked into Twilight's eyes then, measuring her unmasked emotions; he saw the hurt in her gaze, the sympathy, the curiosity and the fear. Agreeing would only make that fear so much worse.

"I refuse," he started, tone soft, earning a frown from Twilight, "you are asking for something rather unsightly, and unpleasant. The reason I passed out in the forest was because of the taxing nature of it. It is meant to be a quick, overwhelmingly decisive ending to the conflict and in my practice I held it for too long. Do not make me draw it again so soon," he said, hoping Twilight was going to accept that denial. It seemed, for the moment at least, that she did, as she let out a discontent noise but did not press him on it further.

"I'm thankful that you've shown this much trust in us to share the full story of what happened to you...and I'm so sorry you've had to go through something so...horrific..." Twilight said instead, redirecting the conversation from her pursuit of information on his magic and despite her frustration rooted in her worry, her words were sincere- Ezikeal could find appreciation in the sympathy she so readily offered.

If only she knew the full truth... A sinister whisper of his thoughts made itself known.

"I appreciate those words, and hope that this has put in some understanding of why I have been acting overly cautious about myself," Ezikeal said, watching her expression.

"It does," she agreed as the papers she had written on rolled themselves up and deposited themselves into her bag. Twilight left soon after their main topic of conversation ended, exchanging only some idle small talk. She was clearly still a bit tense, given the circumstances she had learned of, and had excused herself soon after, citing a need to process things and reiterating that Ezikeal was always welcome to visit the library. Applejack went to continue some work on the farm and had not said much at all, leaving Ezikeal with Rainbow Dash. The woman looked very pensive, counter to her usual bold and energetic personality.

"I'm sorry my story wasn't as grandiose as you had hoped," he said, noticing her still downtrodden expression. He hoped his words, as held back as they had been, did not trouble her too much. While he hadn't interacted with her as much as some of the others he had met recently, he still felt a strong appreciation for her acceptance of him, and even her initial suspicion- it showed her care to those she made herself loyal to.

"It isn't that...it's just," she made a clueless gesture, "I'm having trouble picturing someone who wants to actually kill others," she admitted, the word sounding almost foreign in the way she said it, "we've had some pretty large threats that we handled here in Equestria- in a super awesome epic showdown kinda way I might add, but...they didn't want to kill us, mainly just become our rulers. Discord wanted to cause chaos and Chrysalis wanted to feed off everypony's emotions but you're talking about someone who wants to just...have people suffer- it doesn't make sense to me," she shrugged, looking at him, almost helpless as if asking for him to answer a million silent, unspoken questions. Questions he knew he had answers to, but withheld for her own good. Telling her more would do no good, he had spoken enough as it is, but that didn't stop the pang of sympathy he felt looking into her eyes.

"There's never been a murder in Equestria?" he asked, keeping his tone soft, but a flicker of doubt could not help making itself known. Dash sighed.

"No, there are, it's just...different, I guess, and rare, and I've never interacted with the ponies that get driven to do such a horrible thing, so to hear that there's a place out there...where it's common unsettles me," the sincerity of her words struck home in Ezikeal, and he couldn't help the pang of sympathy that struck him.

"Some people just desire evil, it was something I had to come to terms with at a young age," he said, unsure of how to further console her. She was sad because of his past, sad for his past, and present, self. It was unfamiliar, and produced an unfamiliar sensation within him, moving him.

"Ezikeal?"

"Hm?"

"What happened to the sorcerer?" The question was innocent, and yet it garnered an intense response as freezing memories of the Frozen Throne poured out behind Ezikeal's eyes. The clashing of weapons and magic so powerful the fabric of life and death itself could be called into question in its wake. His hand rose to press against his chest- he still remembered the moment the King fell. The disbelief, the fear that welled inside of him of it not being true, but it was, and his tormentor met their end.

"We stopped him," he said, snapping out of his memories and looking at Dash, meeting her gaze and the silent question that lingered, "we did what was necessary," he added with a more gentle tone. Rainbow Dash somberly nodded, understanding the look of pain that must had crossed his face in the brief flash of memory.

"Well this has been a pretty heavy conversation, dude," she said, voice twinging up with dismissive energy, as if to disguise her obvious discomfort but unable to banish it completely, "I'm gonna head out," she said. Ezikeal nodded understandingly, it was a lot to take in.

"I'll see you around," she added awkwardly and Ezikeal gave her a parting wave before she flew off.

It didn't take long for the rest of the day to pass. Ezikeal spent it in soft contemplation with himself. Was he doing the right thing? Hiding the truth through vague, desperate concessions of truth that left so much detail unsaid? Every time his mind strayed towards the thought of getting rid of this curse he couldn't stop the sharp chastisement of his own thoughts fighting the very notion of it and the internal conflict tired him thoroughly. It was in that difficult, turmoil filled mindset that he found himself in the loft of the barn earlier in the evening than usual, just exhausted from the weight of his own mind crushing him. He groaned, laid down, and restlessly drifted into the darkness of sleep.

The smell of death and ash was thick in the air, the only things that could be detected by anyone in the area as the scourge tore apart everything in the vicinity in farmsteads of Havenshire. Havenshire was a small section of civilization, separated from the greater town of New Avalon by large walls of white stone. The lack of defensive positions for the town proved fatal when the Lich King had arrived from above in the Necropolis, Acherus, and the swarm of undead began to filter down into the lands, killing the citizens and marking the beginning of an arduous conflict with the Scarlet Crusade as the King sought to topple those white walls and bring ruin to the Crusaders.

Ezikeal surged forward, a metallic shriek ringing out as his runeblade tore clean through a desperate swing of an axe from one of the lumberjacks he had cornered, severing the axe head as the blade traveled through the man's chest, splattering gore into the dying lands beneath their feet. There was no room for remorse, no second thoughts, his actions were assured by the will of the Lich King and reinforced by the might of the Scourge.

"Kill them all," a voice rumbled in his head, superimposing all other forms of thought he could have had as his master, watching from above, directed Ezikeal's will. Ezikeal heeded his master's orders and pressed on, reaching out towards another citizen as they ran from him in fear, the black tendril of necrotic power coercing a panicked scream from them as he brought his blade down, meeting their flesh the moment their feet touched the ground in front of him. His movements were deliberate, focused, and the force exuding from an unrestrained Death Knight on the citizens Havenshire was awe inspiring in the worst, most sickening of senses. Other Death Knights were with him as well, not directly with him, no, but spread across the land enacting the collective will of the Lich King, slaughtering any and all who got in their way.

A searing agony flared up in his side as a smite of holy light struck him. He turned to face the fury of the Scarlet Crusade Paladin that was now charging him, giving the other citizens time to flee. Nothing but a numb, ever-present anger at the living paladin before him flashed to the front of Ezikeal's mind as he let out a roar, the sound echoing within his helm to give a metallic ring to his voice. He raised his blade and pointed it towards the Paladin and the runes on his blade flared up a vibrant blue before a pulse of white-blue light slammed into the Paladin. The Paladin's eyes widened at the sudden, searing chill of frost that forced a gasp from their lips. Blades clashed a moment later, locking for the briefest of moments before the unnatural strength in Ezikeal won out over the Paladin and knocked him to the ground where he was silenced by a swift motion of Ezikeal's arm.

The pursuit of carnage continued, razing Havenshire as the scourge grew more in number with every fallen soldier, necromancers walking the carnage and raising the dead into simple thralls hungry to abide by the Lich King's desires for violence. Ezikeal marched with the dead on the path leading into New Avalon, the Crusade had established strong defenses, Paladins and Priests stood in stalwart defiance of the dead's march in a line of red and white armor and robes. This was their purpose, to fight the damned, and they were going to stand until each one of them breathed their last. Ezikeal charged forth, an aura of light purple necrotic energy surrounded his boots as the magic bolstered his charge.

A motion caught his attention to the left as something approached at high speeds. He barely had the chance to register the glint of unnatural silver before an impact caused him to a not only a stop, but find himself thrown backwards. Surprise at the sheer force of the impact pierced through the fog of hungry fury that had consumed him through the violent advance of the undead. He stood firm now, looking upon who had dared to attack a champion of death itself.

A woman stood a short distance from him on the path, the waves of undead giving the two of them a wide perimeter as they passed by. She was dressed in intricate silver armor that covered her body, the heavy plate it must be made of conflicted with the agile appearance it seemed give its owner regardless. The symbol of a black crescent moon rested prominently in the center of the breastplate, and another crescent facing downward marked the sliver of an opening where two furious green-blue eyes glared at Ezikeal. Curiously, something that looked almost like a horn protruded from an opening near the forehead of the helmet. Attached the the shoulder plates a black cloak with dark blue lining hung, ending just above her ankles to never touch the ground. In her hand was a long halberd that shimmered with an unnatural light, the bladed end matching the insignia on her chest, a large crescent that looked almost like it didn't fit quite correctly in reality. A pure black made up the blade, and it was almost as if looking through a window into a starlit sky, shimmering with power. Ezikeal stared at her, the peculiar behavior of the world around them ignored as he prepared to face the strange assailant. She was not a Scarlet Crusader, that much was certain.

"What is this? What is thy goal here?" she gestured around them, her voice carried over the raging scourge surrounding them, muting all sound except her words as they rung out. They sounded strained between fury and confused disgust at the same time.

"You stand in the way of our Master's will, and for that you shall suffer!" Ezikeal snarled, the unholy, tainted rage he channeled through his dominated mind manifested in his words. She stared, unflinching as he approached and swung at her. His blade impacted against the shaft of her halberd, sparks like starlight exploding from the grinding of metal against her silver weapon. Another swing, another clash, but she remained steadfast, refusing to be pushed back by the force of his advance and soon simple blocks turned into a counter in response to a sickening roar from Ezikeal that radiated necrotic energy all around him. She was seemingly unaffected by the force of his magic and slashed, striking him across the chest, tearing into his chestplate and throwing him back again. That was twice now he had been uprooted from his position and he did not want there to be a third, such an event would show only weakness to the Lich King, an unworthiness of his status as a Death Knight. The runes of his blade shifted to a green hue as he sent an orb of dark energy at his opponent, who batted it with a twirl of her halberd, shifting sickly green to bright white and sending it back.

Ezikeal raised an anti-magic shell around his body, the swirling runes absorbing the impact of the magic, but the burning heat radiated over him like a burst of fire. Through the momentary blindness the starlight crescent tore open his helmet. Who was this woman to so easily pass through a Death Knight's enhanced perceptions so quickly, to so easily counter their magics that even the strongest paladins of the Scarlet Crusade would surely find troublesome!? The ground beneath the two of them turned blood red, and in the same moment dark ice encased Ezikeal's armor. The curious tilt of the woman's head was hesitation enough to grab her with a tendril of black magic, pull her forwards and slam the force of his body into her. She let out a muffled "oomph" sound before Ezikeal followed up with a merciless upward swing of his blade, charged with the necrotic energies of a horrid plague coating his edge. He felt the blade strike true, slicing up across her armor and pushing her back.

"Thou are outmatched, Ezikeal," the voice pierced through all sound once more as the sky above darkened. Her voice radiated a confidence that sent pangs of rage through Ezikeal's mind. Nobody could claim that they were outmatching a Death Knight so simply, he was the incarnate of death's will! And how did she know his name? The woman's...horn, was glowing bright as she ascended into the air, cloak billowing out behind her. Something was not adding up to Ezikeal's mind as he watched her, the corruption of the Lich King's influence aside. Reality seemed to ripple around them now. Were none of his allies seeing the enemy? They were ignoring her...and him? He lashed out to the side, watching his blade pass through a ghoul like it was an illusion. The sight gave him pause, one he regretted when the back of her halberd suddenly found his stomach, clanging against his armor with a thunderous noise. His surroundings grew dim, the world around him faded to black and his body shook with strange sensations and-

He was suddenly conscious of himself again.

"What!?" he gasped out, looking around him. He felt weightless, no longer dressed as a death knight and no longer reliving a horrible part of his past. Why was he reliving that moment!? Where was he and who was that person!?

"What we have witnessed of thy past. Troubling," a voice spoke and Ezikeal quickly looked to the side, seeing the woman he had just been fighting. Her helmet was off now and revealed a head of long hair, seeming to shimmer with starlight and radiate beauty. He found her face vaguely familiar, but couldn't place it. Ezikeal stared in wonder, but as the moment passed his concerns grew once again.

"Who are you?" he asked. He was floating, not on solid ground, but she seemingly could walk as if the ground was always right under her feet, even as she changed elevation and approached him.

"We are Princess Luna, Goddess of the Moon," even now, speaking softer, her voice radiated power and he could practically feel her exert her presence on the black void around them.

Princess? Goddess? Oh no.

"Thou dreamt of thy past, and we apologize for urging thy mind towards such unpleasantness, Ezikeal, but our Sister's student spoke of concerning things, and she implored of me to investigate the matter quite directly, hence our conflict," she spoke clearly, observing him as he was, floating and nervous of her presence.

"Why did you fight me? In that...dream?" he felt he already knew the answer, but wanted to be sure. It was a dream, yes, but it felt so...real, and that didn't sit well in his mind. Feeling so deeply corrupted once again, just for someone to poke around and witness him...that wasn't a comforting thought in the slightest.

"Dreams rooted in memory are made of thy knowledge, and such the knowledge of thy power, unhindered by conscious thought, gave us a picture of thy capabilities," she looked down, away from Ezikeal, "thou meddles with powerful magics, Ezikeal, dangerous magics," she met his eyes once more, gaze hardening, "thou holds this power presently, within our lands?" The accusation in her voice, the implication of restrained rage, was clear to Ezikeal and he took a breath to steel his nerves.

"Your Majesty, what you witnessed-- I was not of clear mind, surely Twilight would have mentioned such?" she nodded in appreciation of him adopting her formalities so quickly, and nodded thoughtfully.

"Our Sister's student mentioned thy past corruption. We wished to see it for ourselves. We are horrified by what we have witnessed," she narrowed her eyes, "and thy hold of that power remains tight."

"It does, your Majesty." he agreed.

"Twilight has supplied us with thy reasons, stay thy words," she raised a hand, stopping him from continuing to speak of his reasons yet again, "we have little interest in humoring thy moral quandaries. We instead hold interest in seeing our ponies safe," her blade found itself positioned near his face.

"Thou may hold possession of thy cursed power, for as long as it may be while we confer with our Sister upon what we have witnessed this night, Twilight's commendation of thy intent and character has granted thou this boon," she said, not giving any room for argument as she turned away from him.

"I understand," he said, thinking of anything he might be able to say that wouldn't get him into seriously deep trouble. She had seen! She had seen him at his worst, an almost mindless servant to the Lich King, slaying innocents and marching upon all who stood against them. Not only that she just saw, she tested his power as well, she now knows of its capabilities and admitted to being horrified. This was not bound to end well at all...

"We are sorry for thy suffering, Ezikeal," she said, voice quiet now, "if that was a sliver of what thou has told Twilight..." she trailed off before refocusing and changing her tone once more, "thy sleep will be dreamless, and thou shall awake rested. Thy memory of this night shall be foggy, but we may meet again in the waking world yet." Her horn began to glow.

"Wait," he called out, and she looked over her shoulder at him, "please don't tell Twilight and the others, I don't want to lose their friendship after just receiving it." Luna's gaze remained steady on him, showing no thought of what she thought of that statement.

"We shall see, Ezikeal," she said cryptically before a brilliant white light flooded through his infinity and his consciousness faded into a dreamless, restful slumber.

Another chapter down.

Sorry for the wait on this one, life's being chaotic and I've been a bit distracted.

As always, comments and advice on how to improve at writing welcome, still kinda new to this stuff.