Partheus

"How does Celestia expect me to stand a chance against Sagittarius if it has the potential to destroy cities?" Partheus unsheathed his sword and placed it on Newsworthy's desk, who looked a little intrigued by this development. "It's very hard to explain, but that case I was given contained this sword, custom made for me, and a note explaining that Celestia wants me to train for if this monster comes to Canterlot." He picked up his tea, his hands trembling slightly, and took a hearty sip. "I don't think Celestia understands how the Human League operates. I'm a messenger, and an injured one at that. If this thing is too much for her best trained soldiers, what chance do I stand?" He reached into his satchel, pulled out the note he was handed, and placed it on Newsworthy's desk beside the sword. "You can read it for yourself if you want. I'll be figuring out how she expects me to fight this thing if you need me." He slumped back into one of the nearby plush chairs with his mug of tea, his brow heavy with deep thought.

Partheus rubbed his chin, thinking aloud. "Hmm, let's see, ten earth ponies, two unicorns, and eight or so pegasi... I think I could create a fairly solid formation out of that..." He noticed the light blue pegasus bow before him. "Nice to meet you, Sanctuary. I think it's best if we head to the camp now. The sooner we get there and get a plan going, the better chance we have of stopping whoever is behind all of this!" He ran back inside the house, and came back out a moment later, wearing a bright yellow satchel. "Aww! He cursed my satchel too? It doesn't matter. What matters is that I've got lots of stuff in here that'll come in handy for your camp. Shall we, then?"

"A pleasure to meet you, Gravel. I suppose it is somewhat ironic that a gorgon would be named after a type of stone, but then again, mabye that makes the name more fitting that way?" Partheus finished his morsel of wolf meat still on his knife, and carved himself another cut. "Sadly, I only know one pony very well, so I can't give you my opinion on all of them." He shanked the new cut onto his knife and held it over the fire. "But, if I was incredibly judgemental, I'd say that ponies are quite friendly, if a little too forgiving for their own good."

Partheus was taken back by this development. All it wants is a friend, he thought. To be fair, it must be a truly lonely existence out here, and I can empathise; the brief time I spent as a statue felt like an eternity. "Well, I suppose that makes sense. And, my name is Partheus." He lifted the wolf meat from the fire and took a bite out of it, still on the knife. "Do you have a name?"

Now free from his stone prison, Partheus grabbed his knife. But, instead of going for the gorgon, he leant down and cut himself a bit of wolf meat. Why would it do something that foolish, he thought. These gorgons are supposed to be smart creatures, and they wouldn't do something that reckless. I'll do what it wants me to do, I'm curious to see what it has in mind. He pulled out a piece of flint from his satchel, gathered some loose foliage from around him, sparked the flint, and made a makeshift fireplace. He skewered the wolf meat onto his knife and held it out over the fire, turning it over every few moments. "So, I'm curious, gorgon. Why did you free me from my prison? I could have went for you just then, and you wouldn't have had time to react. Do you desire something from me?"

Partheus remained there, petrified. Oh great, he thought, the gorgon has left me here. Well, time to figure out what I can and cannot do, and see if I can get myself out of this mess. He tried moving every part of his body, one by one. To his dismay, every muscle in his body was frozen stiff. He couldn't even adjust his eyes to look around the room he was in. He could hear distant slithering sounds, and the occasional rock falling, but apart from the eerie wind, the ruins were unsurprisingly vacant of activity. This sucks, he thought. Instead of dying from petrification, I'm going to die of boredom. He thought back to the brief time he spent with Twilight. She'd know how to get me out of this, he thought. She always has a plan for everything, and she probably knows an anti-petrification spell. But, she's miles away, safe and sound in Ponyville, unaware that her new best friend is currently a garden statue. He continued to stare unwillingly at the uninteresting ruins that lay before him, slowly losing his will to live.

Partheus, deciding to take a well deserved break from exploring Equestria, was sat down on the grass with a picnic hamper for one, observing the new country he found himself in at a much slower pace. He took a bowl of feed from his hamper, grabbed a small handful from the bowl, and ate it, chewing merrily. As he was watching the residents of Ponyville go about their daily business, he noticed a griffon sat beside a tree, talking to a filly and a pony in a black coat. That's odd, he thought. I didn't know griffons lived in Ponyville. He put down his bowl of feed, and walked over to the three of them, wondering what to say to these strange new folk. He approached the griffon, and held out his hand, smiling awkwardly. "Hey there. You don't look like you're from around here. What's your story?"

Partheus felt his entire body being slowly consumed by a strange numbing sensation, starting from his feet and working it's way up his body. He couldn't move; the gaze of the gorgon was too intense to break free from. Soon, he was petrified from the waist down, all hopes of escape gone by this point. "There...has... to be... a way... out... of this..." The numbing sensation came to his torso and up his arms, freezing them in a position akin to a rabbit caught in headlights. This is it, he thought as the numbing sensation crawled up his neck, everything I've achieved in this short life gone because I got cocky. He shed a single tear as the spell finally enveloped his head, rendering his entire body a statue. However, something unexpected happened, or rather, didn't happen. Well, he thought. This is odd. I thought you were supposed to die from petrification. Somehow, I'm still conscious. He could still see through his stony eyes, still staring into the gorgon's eyes, unable to move his eyes at all. His ears worked too; he could still hear the eerie wind that blew through the ruins that were probably going to be his new permanent place of residence. The tear that he shed rolled off his cold cheek like a pebble, falling to the ground and resting beside his knife.

Partheus gritted his teeth. "Hey, my clothes aren't funny! At least I don't have cotton candy for hair!" Partheus sighed as the pink pony trotted past them. "I assume that's a friend of yours, Twilight?" Twilight suddenly gave chase to Pinkie. "Pinkie! Come back! I need you for something!" Partheus was soon left alone with the light blue pegasus, awkwardly stood there in complete silence. "So, I guess she's occupied. Shall we just head to the survivor's camp and pretend this never happened?"

Notes: Partheus, my character for this session, is a human, the first to set foot in Equestria for 2000 years. The only person who knows anything about him is Twilight Sparkle, who he has decided to temporarily stay with. Twilight will be a shared character among everyone in this session, so don't be afraid to write a few lines for the ol' gal, as long as they are consistent with her canon personality. However, keep in mind that I have a specific back story for Partheus, so if you can, try to just make it small talk. Feel free to roleplay as any character you wish, canon, fanon or your own character, but no humans. Remember, Partheus is supposed to be the only one in Equestria. Although Partheus is strong, he isn't all-powerful. This goes for everyone else, too. No god-like powers, and no "cheap" spells (I define "cheap" as a technique that takes little effort or power to cast, has no drawbacks, but conveniently solves all of the character's problems). Besides that, have fun! The sunshine rolled over the hills and valleys of Equestria. Sweet Apple Acres was alive with a chorus of cockerels sounding the rising of the sun. Ponyville was beginning to stir from it's slumber; early birds already beginning to go through their daily motions, and the postal pegasi delivering mail, occasionally bumping into dim lampposts while doing so. Twilight Sparkle's library, however, was not so serene as one might expect... "Come on... almost got it... a little more power..." CRASH! Yet another plant pot fell to the ground, shattering and spilling damp soil where it landed. "Grr, come one! What gives? I had it just then!" Partheus had spent the whole night training with Twilight in basic telekinetic magic. He could lift small objects with some competence, but lacked the stability or patience to hold anything up for longer than five seconds at a time. Twilight yawned, looking out of the window. "Partheus, it's dawn. Don't you think we should call it a night, err, day already?" "No, I've got to get this down. I've almost got it!" He cast his hand at an idle lantern sitting on the table, and focused. The lantern began to jutter, and eventually lifted off the table, slowly floating towards Partheus. "Yes, yes! That's more like it! Just a little closer, and I can-" Just then, there was a knock on the door. Partheus lost his concentration, and dropped the lantern, smashing on the ground and letting loose the fireflies that were imprisoned inside it. Twilight walked over to the door. "I wonder who that could be at this hour?" She yawned again, this time stretching her legs, and opened the door.

(Author's note: Partheus is a human messenger who found himself in Equestria after he was attacked by bandits and was forced to find shelter. After spending a week in Ponyville Hospital, he's now on his feet waiting for his wounds to properly heal, then he can go back on his way. He is currently travelling across Equestria to learn more about it's culture, mythology and history. Hence why he is trespassing in Gravel's ruins...) Partheus stood still, daring not to set another foot forward lest he knocked over another stone. Darn, he thought, looks like I'm not alone here. He slowly reached into his satchel, and pulled out a knife, making sure not to rustle any of the satchel's contents in doing so. He held the knife in a reverse grip, ready to jab the knife into whatever sprung forwards from around the corner. He cautiously edged around the corner to see a gorgon-like pony sitting atop a ruined pillar. There's no way I can defeat that, he thought. It'll just turn me to stone. Perhaps I can reason with it... Seeing no point in keeping up the stalemate, Partheus walked out from behind the wall, holding his hands up behind his head. "I mean you no harm, gorgon. I am merely a traveller, seeking to know more about Equestria." He tenaciously bent down and placed his knife on the floor beside his feet. "I lay down my arms to show that I am a man of my word. Now, gorgon, will you allow me passage through your ruins?"

Partheus thought about the light blue pegasus' proposition. "Hmm, well, if things have gone bad ways for everyone, then I guess I won't be the only person there with such ridiculous clothes..." He sheepishly looked at the garish ensemble he was cursed with. "As for leadership and fighting, I can help with that. I'm a messenger for the Human League, which is the army for humans, so I know a lot about fighting and keeping things ship-shaped..." He paused for a moment. "Wait, you guys have ships, don't you?" Twilight stood beside Partheus, smiling. "I think it would be best if you left the leadership side of things to me, Partheus. I've got way more experience at grouping people together and keeping them running like a well-oiled machine. That, and if I am correct in my assumption that it is Discord causing all of this, then I already have a plan in mind. You just focus on the fighting part, okay?" Partheus nodded in agreement. "Fine, we'll go to the survivor's camp with you. How many people are there?"

Partheus and Twilight were too engaged in their current conversation to notice the door being knocked. However, they did wheel around upon hearing the door being kicked down. "Twilight, get behind me! It could be that "Discord" guy you're so worried about!" Twilight ducked behind Partheus as he crouched into a fighting stance. As he slowly edged towards the front door, he heard what sounded like a female voice calling them out to come to a survivor's camp on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. He peered around, only to see a light blue pegasus standing in the doorway, looking slightly worried. He gingerly stood up from his fighting stance. "Oh, uh, sorry about not answering. As you can see, we're having a few... problems of our own, and we're trying to figure out who the culprit is." Twilight slowly peeked from behind Partheus. "Oh yeah, about Partheus. He's a creature from another country, and I've managed to tame..." Partheus gave Twilight an angry look. "Err, befriend him. So, don't worry. He's safe."

(empty)

"A pleasure to meet you, Paw Print. I'm travelling Equestria to learn more about the culture and history of the place. Where are you guys headed for, anyway?" Partheus then pulled out a muffin from his satchel, donated to him by a kindly grey pegasus back in Ponyville, and took a modest bite out of it.

The following morning... The cockerels croaked their morning verse as Celestia's sun rose above Ponyville, filling the library in which Twilight Sparkle lived with warm sunlight. Partheus, a temporary guest in Twilight Sparkle's house, groggily stirred from his peaceful sleep, scratching his head and looking around to see if anyone else was awake. He got up, stretched his arms, and walked over to the pantry to get some milk. If one is wondering at this point why Partheus is in possession of arms, that is because one has made the assumption that Partheus is a pony, which he isn't. He is, in fact, a human, one of the first to set foot in Equestria for 2000 years. Not much was known of Partheus. He was found in Sugarcube Corner a week before this day, completely unconscious and wounded badly. He confided select secrets to Twilight Sparkle, who was curious about him as a new animal, and as a person. But, he told no one else who he was or why he was here, and allowed no one access to his satchel, which contained something of such great importance, that Partheus was willing to harm others to protect it. After getting some milk from the pantry, he poured the milk into a clean glass on a nearby table. However, to Partheus' surprise, the milk came out of the bottle brown. Partheus dipped his little finger into the glass and licked his lips cautiously. To his delight and confusion, it turned out to be chocolate milk. Well, he thought, that's weird. Must have picked up the wrong bottle. He went back to the pantry to get another bottle, but after opening and checking all of them, they were all filled with chocolate milk. Okay, he thought, now I'm confused. I swear Twilight had normal milk in the pantry last night. Unless that greedy fat tub of envelope gum she calls an "assistant" drank the last few bottles during the night... Partheus walked over to the glass of chocolate milk, downed it in one swig, and went to go and get changed in the side room. After a brief moment of sleepily fumbling about trying to get his clothes on, he came out of the side room and looked in the full sized mirror beside the side room, dressed in the clothes Rarity had fashioned for him. Of course, last time Partheus checked, the fine silk shirt wasn't purple, the loose fitting trousers weren't green, and his sturdy leather boots weren't shocking pink. Partheus, mortified, ran up the stairs to Twilight's bedside, where she was still sleeping. Partheus gingerly tapped her on her shoulder. "Twilight! Hey, Twilight!" Twilight rolled over and yawned loudly. "Uhh, what is it, Partheus?" Twilight suddenly gasped at the sight of Partheus' flowery attire. "Oh my gosh, what happened to your clothes?" Partheus sighed. "That's what I was hoping you'd answer for me." Twilight got out of bed to get a better look of Partheus' sudden change in style. "Did you find them like this?" "Yes. And for some strange reason, all of the milk in the pantry has turned into chocolate milk. You weren't doing any late-night spellcasting sessions again, were you?" Twilight smirked slightly at Partheus' clothes. "No, I went to bed at the same time as you. How... peculiar..." Twilight burst out into hysterics at Partheus. Partheus gritted his teeth. "Grr, what's so funny?!" Twilight ceased to laugh. "Oh, right, sorry. I completely forgot you're a little... sensitive." Twilight went downstairs and inspected the dregs of the chocolate milk left in the glass Partheus drank out of. "This looks like the work of some prankster. But, why would anypony I know go to the trouble of breaking into my house just to cast some hexes on some of my things? It makes no sense..." Twilight suddenly stood up straight, and began to sweat profusely. "N-no... It can't be... could it?" Partheus looked at Twilight in confusion. "What? Who do you think did it?" "...Discord..."

"Well, I assume you know about the whole affair with Sagittarius, right? I was wondering if you could let a good friend like me in on some of the latest news before it's sent to the print. I think you can probably gather why I need to know as soon as possible..." Partheus then straightened out the red belt on his sword.

"Oh, thanks for the mail... Derpy, was it?" The grey pegasus nodded her head at Partheus, and flew away cheerily. Huh, he thought. I wonder who could have sent this? It feels quite heavy... Partheus unwrapped the package carefully, making sure not to disturb the contents of whatever was inside. He peeled away the wrapping paper to reveal an ornate mahogany case, with the insignia of the Human League and the Canterlot Coat of Arms side by side on the lid. He was about to peer into the case to see what was inside, but then he noticed a familiar face in the polished surface of the case. "Newsworthy? Excellent! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Partheus wheeled around to greet Newsworthy, putting the mahogany case under his arm. Just then, the lid came open on the case, and a sword sheathed in it's scabbard and a note fell out of the case. Partheus placed the case on the floor, picked up the sword and read the note: "Dear Partheus, I'm sure you know of the situation with Sagittarius by now. Twilight's currently studying the constellations for clues to his whereabouts, and because I know from experience never to disturb my best student during "study time", that essentially leaves you without a place to rest for the time being. Therefore, I have arranged for you to stay in temporary accommodation in the Royal Palace itself, complete with a training hall..." Partheus glanced at the blade in his hand. It was just as beautiful as the case it came in; a fine steel scabbard, with the insignia of the Human League on one side of the buckle, and the Canterlot Coat of Arms on the other side. The blade itself was strong, flexible, and light on the wrists, with a correct balance perfectly tailored to Partheus' grip style. The grip itself was also mahogany, with a solid steel pommel. To finish it off, the sword came attached with a belt coloured a regal red. Partheus gave it a few test swings; it felt like an extension of his arm, like a good sword should. Wait a moment, he thought. She doesn't expect me to KILL that Sagittarius guy by myself, does she? I'm still recovering from my injuries. There's no way I can stand up to such a monster, not in this condition! He continued to read the letter: "I understand that you cannot fight properly due to your injuries. However, in the unlikely event that Sagittarius comes to Canterlot, you need to be prepared. Don't feel as though I am forcing you to fight. All I ask is that you are prepared for the worst. The sword you have been given is a replica of your old one, made from the finest Tartarian steel and Everfree Mahogany. It's been branded with my coat of arms and your regimental insignia, to show that you serve both me and Hominopolis now. It's quite possibly the best sword our blacksmith has ever produced, and it took him ten days to assemble from scratch, so treat it with care..." Well, so much for that, Partheus thought, as he was examining the blade for any dents or scratches. Sure enough, there was a minor scratch on the mid-section of the blade, but no dents or bumps. "Sagittarius is a powerful foe. Don't underestimate him just because he is half human, half pony..." Horse, Partheus thought. "You'll need all your wits about you if you want to defeat him. Your Caring Ruler, Princess Celestia." Partheus crumpled the note and put it into his satchel. He stood up, hung the sword around his chest like a bandoleer so that the grip of the sword was protruding from his right shoulder, picked up the case, and turned to Newsworthy. "Whoops, my bad! I think Derpy's clumsiness is starting to rub off on me... Anyway, I've been meaning to talk to you all morning about something important. Mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Note: This is a private RP between me and NeilWacaster. Feel free to read, but unless your name is NeilWacaster, do NOT post a response to this thread. The temperate sun rose above the hills surrounding Ponyville, the dawn creeping across the lush meadows and enchanting forests, like an advancing formation of light was rolling back the thresholds of twilight. Partheus, a human messenger stuck in Equestria until his wounds healed up, was rudely awoken by the sound of hooves pacing up and down the library in which he was sleeping in. "...perhaps if I correlate the data from Starswirl's charts... but they're out of date by about 200 years... if only I had a copy of the latest edition of Journal of Astronomical Studies..." He scratched his head, drowsily stretched his arms and yawned. "What are you doing up at this hour, Twilight? The cockerels haven't even sounded yet..." At that, a cockerel crowed it's morning song off in the distance, followed by an encore of other cockerels. Oh very funny Celestia, he thought to himself as he sat up and straightened out his silk pyjamas. Twilight was surrounded by books, all taken from the Astronomy section. Some of them were opened up on the floor, and others were thrown onto a pyre of presumably useless information. She glanced up from a green book she was currently pored over, looking slightly bedraggled. "You will not believe what I'm having to do right now, Partheus." "I received a letter from Celestia during the night. And before you ask, yeah, Spike wasn't too happy about being woken up early either." Spike was in his basket, snoring heavily and waving his arms trying to grab something, slurring between snores "...Rari... my love... no, don run... om nom nom... emeral..." "She told me that a constellation, Sagittarius, had recently broken free from his cosmic prison and is running amok in Equestria, but Celestia doesn't know when or where he will strike next. Apparently, Manehatten has already been attacked, and Fillydelphia barely fought him off..." Partheus went over to the pantry to grab a bottle of milk. "Sorry, could you slow down for a second? Since when could constellations move, let alone run amok?" "Don't you know? Constellations are the trapped souls of powerful monsters, imprisoned by Celestia to prevent Equestria from being destroyed. Sagittarius, The Hunter, is considered to be one the most dangerous constellations, for he is said to be part human, part pony." "Horse, you mean." Twilight shrugged. "...whatever. Anyway, Sagittarius is free, and Celestia needs to know in advance which city he'll go after next. There's no point in going after him, for as his nickname implies, he is a masterful hunter, and would eliminate any search party we send after him." Partheus put the milk back in the pantry and helped himself to a bowl of feed. "Has Celestia warned Hominopolis of the threat?" "Celestia believes that, because Sagittarius holds a grudge against her, he will only attack settlements in Equestria. To find out where he'll be next, Celestia has suggested that I study the night sky in great detail, analysing everything to see whether or not the behaviour of other constellations will give us clues to his whereabouts." Partheus continued to eat his bowl of feed, eyeing Twilight carefully as he put dry mouthfuls of feed into his mouth. "And what makes you think that'll work?" Twilight smiled at Partheus weakly. "What do you mean? Patterns are everywhere, Partheus. You just have to keep a REALLY close eye on things to notice them, hehehe..." Her eye twitched slightly. "Oookay, is there any way I can help?" Ways that hopefully doesn't involve me spending any more time with Charles Maneson over here, he thought. Twilight rubbed her chin, thinking. "Well, there's nothing for you to do here. I've got everything covered concerning astronomy..." She clasped her hooves together. "I know! You can ask the local journalists about the latest scoops from around Equestria! If a place is attacked or being attacked, they'll be the first to know about it!" Partheus put down his bowl of feed. "First thing you've said this morning that makes sense. Right, I'm off!" He went to go change in the spare room. "Oh, and Partheus? Don't ask help from Gabby Gums, will you?" * * * Partheus was strolling around Ponyville, keeping his eye out for any of the local journalists he knew. Hmm, he thought, they all seem to be away today. Probably doing news coverage and survivor reports from Fillydephia and Manehatten after the attacks from Sagittarius... y'know, that still doesn't sit well with me. Since when could constellations terrorise nations? Partheus sighed. Then again, he thought, since when could ponies talk? A little perspective would help, moron... no matter, I just hope that Newsworthy is still in town. He's the only one of those journalist types I can trust... to an extent, anyway...

Partheus recovered from his injuries in Zecora's hut, and after saying his goodbyes to everyone, went on his way with Newsworthy back to Ponyville. There, in time, he will learn further lessons and morals that will shape him into the great warrior he is destined to be, as well as discovering hidden powers within himself that even Celestia reveres. During the next 30 years of Partheus' life, great and terrible things will happen in the Five Realms, the likes of which have never been seen before, and never will be seen again...

(Out of character) And that concludes the story arc. Please post a closing monologue for your character, explaining what happened to them after the events of this story, sort of like that part in 80's movies where they go "Mary went on to college to get her degree. Mark was arrested for robbery ten years later and committed suicide in prison." You get the idea.

Dear Princess Celestia, I know you usually receive these sorts of letters from Twilight, but she recommended that I wrote it, for I have learned something from my experiences in the Everfree Forest that she thought would be of great interest to you. My brief stay in Equestria so far has been quite eventful, to say the least. I've learned about an entire country's culture, mythology, and history in three days worth of lectures provided by Twilight personally, I've kicked a tree so hard it split at the trunk and then blamed the whole thing on Big Mac, I've received a manicure from Rarity, who made some clothes for me based on rough measurements she made while I was asleep in hospital, and now I've raged so hard, I blew up a sanctuary. And that's ignoring the fact that I'm still not used to the concept of talking horses. For all I know, I could be sat in a tavern in Taiga drowning in mead, and this is some elaborate hallucination brought about by the thick gauze of alcohol surrounding my drunken person. But, if there's one thing I've learned from all of that, it's that friendship is a powerful thing. Sure, I relied on my unbridled rage to eliminate the Mistress, but it was focused; there was an underlying drive that kept the flames going. This may sound like the ramblings of a punch-drunk man (or actually drunk if this is a hallucination), but I think what I'm trying to say is that friendship is without doubt the most powerful force in the Five Realms. We may have different mindsets and different ethics that compel us to do the right thing and to achieve our desires in life, but the underlying principle, the fundamental cornerstone, the very soul of our understanding of virtue stems from the fact that, whatever we do in our brief stay on this planet, we don't do it alone. Your Faithful Student's Friend, Partheus. P.S: Did you know about the Forest Dwellers before you sent me into the Everfree Forest? Twilight has told me about your "troll-like" behaviour (personally, I don't see the connection, as trolls are too dumb to be that creatively playful), and I'm wondering if it was intentional that you sent me into a forest populated by people that want me gone. You better hope for your sake that it wasn't, because trust me, you won't like me when I'm angry...

Partheus lay there, recumbant, with Twilight Sparkle at his side tending to his injuries. "Well, where do I start?" "Me and Newsworthy were walking through the Everfree Forest, when we were approached by a hooded pony, who handed us a letter and ran off before we could ask him anything. We read the letter, and it turns out that there was this group called the Forest Dwellers who wanted me out of Equestria for reasons unknown. We headed back, only to be ambushed by more hooded ponies. They kidnapped me, and separated me from Newsworthy." Twilight dabbed a cloth onto his bruised knee. "My captor led me to their hideout, a small cave hidden in the Everfree Forest. He escorted me inside, revealing a secret sanctuary dedicated to a human female known as the Mistress. He gave me a tour of the place, before dragging me down to the Mistress' chamber to meet her in person. She revealed her motives for evicting me from Equestria to me, and after I tried to escape, I was beaten up pretty bad." Twilight raised her eyebrow angrily. "Yeah, this isn't the first time I've been beaten within an inch of my life today. And there's me hoping for a nice stroll through the Everfree with a friend..." Twilight rubbed some healing lotion onto his exposed chest. "Anyway, while I lay there, bruised and broken, I felt this... power within me, like the power I felt in the hospital with you when we first met. It gave me the strength to stand up and take down the Mistress. Of course, before I could finish her off, someone cast a sleeping spell on me, causing me to have a nightmare about..." He stopped suddenly, and started to sweat. Oh no, he thought. Do I tell her about that nightmare I had? What would she think of me if I did? Oh boy, this is going to be fun... "Umm, how do I put this politely..." Twilight raised her eyebrow in curiosity. "I... had a nightmare about you, and..." "Wait, you... WHAT?!" Twilight raised her hoof to smack Partheus upside the head. "Ahh, let me finish!" Twilight slowly lowered her hoof, sitting beside him with a contorted face of pure rage. "I was under the effects of a spell. Who knows what twisted ideas they could have put into my head?" Twilight put her face up against Partheus'. "What do you mean, 'twisted ideas'?" Partheus gulped; he had to tell her. He shut his eyes and whimpered, "I... dreamtthatyourapedme!" He flinched and shut his eyes harder, preparing himself for a verbal and/or physical lashing from Twilight. "Oh, those heartless fiends! How could they put such horrible images into your head! And you're so pure-minded! You'd never think of something that dreadful, right?" Partheus sighed. Oh, he thought, that's a relief. That a girl, Twilight. Get angry at the right people, and by right, I mean not me. "I SAID, you'd never think of something that dreadful, RIGHT?" Twilight stared suspiciously at Partheus. "N-no, of course not! I wouldn't have thoughts like that about my best friend!" Twilight lowered her eyebrow, stretching her face back into a calm smile. "Ahem, sorry about that little outburst. Continue!" Twilight then smiled and squeed cheerfully. "Right, well after I woke up from... that, I found myself in a dimly lit room, like this one, and a hooded unicorn was tending to my wounds. She put some solvent on my leg, and left me there for an hour, which was boring beyond belief. After a while, she came back, and escorted me to another room, where she tied me to a chair and got me angry by going through my satchel. Then, these coils sprung up from the ground, and sapped all of my energy!" Twilight gasped. "You got beat up, AND had all of your energy stolen? My gosh, you've been through a lot today!" "Yeah, it gets much worse. After she stole all of my energy, she then told me that the Mistress was on the receiving end of the device, and that she had absorbed all of my energy, meaning she now possessed enough power to take over Equestria. The hooded unicorn left me there, and I thought I was finished for good that time. But then, a changeling came to my rescue and untied me..." Twilight gritted her teeth. "You let one of those nasty animals help you out? Those horrible creatures nearly ruined my brother's wedding!" "Oh no, this one was friendly for some strange reason. He helped me out of the chair, and into the main chamber of the sanctuary, where I saw Newsworthy and these guys surrounded by hooded ponies. I asked the changeling to create a distraction to help them out, but it only worked to a certain degree. Before I could do anything else, the Mistress appeared behind me. I didn't have time to think. I prepared myself for a fight, even though I knew it was hopeless." Twilight gasped again. "Oh, you poor thing! You must have been frightened to death!" Partheus smiled. "I was scared, but I had to do it. I would rather die than see everything you care about get destroyed like that." Twilight smiled, and rubbed his bruised arm. "Thankfully, the distraction provided by the changeling gave Newsworthy enough time to make his move. He lunged at the Mistress with a sword, but got knocked out of his flightpath by the Mistress. This gave Slade over there time to make his move, too. He went in, grabbed me, and travelled to the other side of the sanctuary with me under his arm. He set me down, gave me a healing pill, and did battle with the Mistress. The fight was intense and brutal, everyone trying their hardest to kill the Mistress, but to no avail. Then, I stood up, rejuvinated by the pill, and unleashed my own power again." "I don't remember much, it's all a red haze, but from what I can recall, I defeated the Mistress by throwing a ball made from all of my raw energy at her, which sunk into the ground and would explode in five minutes. I tried to warn everyone to get out, but I fell unconscious due to me burning up all of my power, and I woke up inside my head..." Everyone in the room gave Partheus a concerned look. "I told you it was a long story. To put it simply, I was walking around a hallway with my every memory and emotion hung up in picture frames. I found a spherical chamber, where a younger version of myself was standing there, holding the same ball I used to destroy the Mistress. He explained that he was growing weak from me overusing my power, so I tried to think of an alternative source of power for myself." He turned to Twilight. "Then I thought about something. You and your friends draw strength from your friendship, the bonds you share together powering the Elements of Harmony, and defeating any foe you come across. What if I drew my strength from the bond I have with you? So, I conjured a white ball of energy by focusing on all the good times we spent together in hospital, and placed that ball inside the red ball. Everything went white, and I woke up here." Everyone continued to look at him confusedly. "Well, let's see you get knocked out twice and still make sense!" Partheus leaned back into his stretcher and smiled at Twilight kindly. "You believe me, don't you?"

Partheus bolted up from his prone position. "-tes, so everyone head for the hole in the ceiling as fast as-" He looked around to see he was in a candlelit hut, with Twilight Sparkle and a hooded zebra frozen on the spot, looking at him while tending to the wounds of everyone involved in the battle with the Mistress. "Uhh, never mind..." Partheus looked at the hooded zebra, eyeing her suspiciously. What is it with me and candlelit chambers with hooded nurses in them, Partheus thought as he rubbed his forehead, laying his head back onto the mercifully soft stretcher he was lying on. He was bruised slightly, and his bones ached, as if there was an army of tiny people inside his body mining a quarry in his bone marrow. Partheus checked the hut to see if there were any Forest Dwellers standing guard. To his surprise, there were none. He looked at the hooded zebra again, still not convinced she is not a Forest Dweller. "So, would anyone like to fill me in on where we are now? I kinda lost track after losing consciousness and wandering through my mind for several hours." Everyone in the room stared at Partheus weirdly. "Err, it's a very long story, trust me. But seriously, where are we?"

Meanwhile, in an unknown location... Partheus was pacing up and down a white hallway, gilded with golden trimmings and decorated with various pictures in ebony frames. Red carpets were draped over the walls, depicting murals and symbols that Partheus remembers from his past. He was wandering within a map of his mind; a collection of his every experience, memory, and emotion, preserved and presented in the white hallway. He came to a stop in front of a picture of a large stone keep in the middle of a snowy wasteland. "Ah, Fort Sturmghast. I remember staying there a while a few years ago. Horrible place. Too cold for my liking." Two hours had elapsed since he fell unconscious. He woke up inside the hallway, not knowing if he was successful or not in his escape in the sanctuary, and after inspecting the pictures in greater detail, he pieced together that the hallway contained his every memory, experience, emotion, and thought. He didn't know how he got where he was, nor did he know if he could get out of it. All Partheus could do was walk around and take a look back on his life so far. While chuckling at a picture of the infamous wet towel incident with Commander Xiu (the details of which the author has tastefully decided to leave out), Partheus noticed a narrow, dimly lit passage forking from the main hallway. He wandered down it, not knowing what could possibly be in store for him. As he made his way through the dimly lit narrow hallway, Partheus could see a red hue emanating from the end of the hallway, around a corner. He drew nearer and nearer with each step, feeling a slight breeze on his face. He knew that whatever was behind the corner, it was something of importance. As he made his way around the corner, Partheus found himself in a spherical chamber, with a walkway leading from where he was standing to a central platform, where a small child was holding a red ball of energy, similar to the one Partheus used to defeat the Mistress. He approached the small child, cautiously stepping towards him, just in case the ball of energy exploded in his face. "What are you doing here, boy?" The small boy lifted his head, his eyes surrounded by circles of sleep. "I am you, sir. Don't you recognise me?" Partheus stood back, and thought back to his youth. The boy was right; whoever he was, he looked just like how Partheus used to look when he was a boy. He had dark brown hair, naturally unkempt, with deep blue eyes and a rounded face. He was wearing a slightly torn white jacket, ragged brown trousers, and loosely fitting black leather boots. The jacket bore the insignia of the Human League on its right sleeve, and the trousers had the same insignia on the right pocket, though it was considerably more tarnished than the one on the boy's jacket. "Why are you holding that ball?" The small boy rubbed his eyes with his right hand, causing the ball of energy to wobble and rotate slightly, before returning his hand to steady the ball. "I have to, sir. It's where you draw your strength from, and it's where I drew my strength from..." Partheus thought back to the portraits he saw earlier. Whenever I was confronted by others, he thought, I relied on my anger to deal with them, beating them senseless, and saying senseless things to hurt their feelings. Now I realise that I was causing more problems for myself than I was solving them, as well as damaging myself from the inside outwards, creating an evil power within me that has plagued my conscience ever since. When I arrived in Equestria, for reasons unknown, that evil power manifested itself physically, and now that I have unleashed it, it has broken my mind and body. Partheus looked up at the ball of energy, spitting and crackling as the small boy grew increasingly exhausted trying to hold the ball upright. I know what I must do, he thought. I must replace my anger with another feeling, something stronger and more stable. But what? Happiness has no place on the battlefield, as with sadness. Fear will only reduce me to a coward, and pleasure would turn me into a sadistic monster. What feeling could possibly provide the required power to match or even surpass anger? What does Twilight and her frie- He suddenly jerked upright, and slapped his forehead in a sudden state of eureka. "Of course! They all rely on their friendship to give them strength! That's why Twilight is so eager to befriend me! That's why Celestia wants me to travel in the Everfree to train for Fluttershy! That why-" "Why are you talking to yourself?" Partheus looked down at the small boy, who was looking back at him confusedly. Suddenly, the small boy collapsed to his knees, and the ball began to churn and violently sputter in his hands. "Make it stop... Please..." Partheus put his hands up in the air, and cleared his mind. He thought of Twilight, and her friends, and how it made him feel to be around them. A ball of white energy formed in his hand, though not as large as the red ball of energy. As he thought to his brief encounters with Twilight's friends, the ball grew, and once he had exhausted all of his memories, the white ball of energy was only about half the size of the red ball of energy. It's worth a shot, he thought. "Here goes! HYYAAHH!" He plunged the white ball of energy into the red one, sinking into the centre of the red ball of energy, causing the red ball to momentarily turn white, before a flash of white light consumed Partheus, the small boy, and the spherical chamber...