For a Thousand Years... (CableZ) (Finished)

[CableZ]

Dread ate quietly and at a steady pace, his very nature was contained and quiet so by chance he had brilliant table manners. He made little to no noise when he ate and he never ate too much at once. The food was really good, Dread was not the best of cooks so this was easily the best food he had ever eaten. He and Hasta didn't speak much, they were too busy eating which suited them both fine. However Dread wasn't used to be waited on and didn't really like it, he wanted to make his own way in the world in most aspects and he certainly didn't need this sort of treatment. It made him wonder what was the point in Alicorns having so much power if they had other ponies do everything for them. It wasn't the most interesting thought in the world and it wasn't really relevant for the present, he understood why the princesses might be waited on due to their stature.

After the meal was over Dread sighed content at his full stomach, he then sighed again at the thought of dealing with Lux again. Luckily, this time he kept quiet for the walk toward the throne room. Probably because they were heading to a more important location for a more important task. As they arrived at the door to the throne room, Dread was a little intimidated. The door looked massive and he was sure what lay behind it surpassed the feeling. Sure enough, the room was something out of fiction, how could something like this be real? They saw the prince at the far end of the room, looking like he was lording over everything that didn't belong to him yet. The two ponies tentatively stepped forward, Hasta because she probably didn't trust the entire situation and Dread because he felt very insignificant in this room. The two sat down on the chairs that had been laid out for them at the prince's request and waited for him to begin speaking. Dread was interested in hearing how exactly Caelum planned to change to minds of so many ponies just by having him and Hasta there.

[Xelliea]

Caelum raised his front hooves and put them together, his mouth forming a ominous smile. His horn was enveloped in the same silvery light as it was yesterday. As you know, I have a plan that will both get you and I more respect and support by the public. Its really simple, to be honest. An expedition, if you will. An expedition, that is, into the Everfree forest. Like back in Whitetail, Caelum summoned a ghostly screen with a brief spell. At this point, it took the form of a map of the Everfree forest, with a very clear cross in the north-west.

That... he pointed at the cross ...is your destination. Now, I realise that the Everfree forest is not always a safe place. Though I'm sure you will encounter no problems, I will arrange for a guide. Perhaps a member of the order of Equestrian Knights... The screen switched from the map to blank, showing nothing. Lux, quiet up until this point, stepped forwards to the table. I would, if you would allow, sir, like to accompany your guests as a guide.

Hmm... if you wish. I believe you have a least a little offensive training. Your father was a knight, was he not? Lux nodded, and, at the mention of his father, Hasta remembered what she had seen last night. Everything seemed explained, to the untrained eye, but Hasta still didn't trust it.

To explain why this location is so important, perhaps a brief tale is in order. The currently blank screen changed again, to show what looked like a family tree. My great great grandfather was the great king of Equestria, named Noctis. Names appeared on the tree, with crowns appear over those who, apparently, were previous rulers of Equestria. Above queen Vincere lay queen Electrum. Above her was Talis, although there was no crown above his name. Instead, the crown of that generation lay over the name queen Halcyon, apparently Talis's sister... curious. Above both of them lay the name of Noctis, king Noctis.

Many consider Noctis to be the greatest ruler of recent times. Many myths still surround him and, despite the fact he no longer dwells in Equestria, many Alicorns still respect him and his word over any other. The screen changed to show the map once again. That cross marks the location of Noctis's Sanctuary. A small temple that the king built while he was still in this realm. What's important is what's inside. The screen now changed to show the ruins of a large temple, deep in the forest. A blessing, meant for the next true, great ruler of Equestria. Anypony with Noctis's blessing would certainly have the respect of almost every pony in Equestria, and so would anypony who retrieved it.

The screen blinked out as the spell was ended. Caelum got to his hooves, and trotted down from the throne. He wandered over to the table that the two Earth-ponies sat, leaning on the oak surface. Easy in, easy out, eh? Hasta tried to make her whispers sound humorous while Caelum was silent. So, my little ponies, any questions?


Chapter III - Stacking the Odds...

[CableZ]

Dread sat, listened and watched once again as prince Caelum explained his plan that seemed rather roundabout. Dread lived on the outskirts of the Everfree forest, it wasn't the worst place in the world but finding anything in there would be a nightmare. At the mention of guide Dread wondered who they would get and then sighed immediately at the answer he was hoping he wouldn't get, oh well there was nothing to be done about it now. The tale they were then given was an interesting one, although it failed to answer much about how they were going to be trusted to tell the people of this time who their ruler should be. Was it really their place to tell them something like that? Dread didn't usually have moral dilemmas but this was one of those times when he thought that he really was out of his depth. Nevertheless he listened intently and made sure to note the things that he thought were important. Dread felt slightly nervous as Caelum approached, he didn't like the look in his eyes it felt so...determined. TOO determined even, like he was willing to do absolutely anything to get what he wanted.

As he asked his final question Dread actually felt one come to mind, he was hesitant to ask but didn't want to go unheard.

"Um..how will they know that we actually have the blessing?" Dread was under the impression that if the alicorns wouldn't believe they were from the future, why would they believe this? And if they would believe they were from the future, why did they need to go an get this blessing?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Dread had been given his answer, the trio were shooed from the throne room quite quickly soon after. They all looked at eachother for a moment, well Lux and Hasta looked between eachother, Dread didn't look at either of them. His gaze was instead fixed on the Alicorn that stood seemingly waiting for them. He stood tall with his eyes closed and his head held high, he had a small curled mustache upon his upper lip. He was impossibly well groomed and wore a fine suit. He looked down at the 3 individually, raising an an eyebrow specifically when he saw Dread. He then went back to having his head held high and his eyes closed in a posh manner.

"My name is Bradworth, I'm butler to the Prince Caelum, I have been instructed to inform you that there are some supplies for your little...expedition waiting for you in the portal chamber." He spoke like his words were too good for these earth ponies and the unicorn, The butler wasted no more time with this riff raff and walked past them into the throne room.

Dread recalled walking past a room that had a large portal sign above it's door and something that looked similar to the modern word for portal written to the side of it last night when he had gotten lost, he didn't want to spend anymore time dealing with this than he had to. He didn't hesitate or wait for his cohorts thoughts or stop to see if they were following. He just sighed and began walking in the direction he remembered the room to be. The walk was mostly silent, Dread seemed a little more determined than he did before and certainly exhibited more confidence, although there was never any reason to think he lacked it in the first place. After a short walk the three arrived at the portal room, The door have carvings of mystical symbols and strange markings all over it. Dread was a little a head of his companions so he waited for them to arrived before he would walk into the room.

[Xelliea]

Hasta was about ready to just get up and leave at the slightest mention of the Prince's plan. It seemed a pointless endeavour and a trip through Everfree was never the smartest thing to do. She wasn't about to risk getting lost in the Everfree forest of thousands of years hence just to fetch something for an egotistical prince, but it was her best chance to get home. Plus, she was sure the prince would likely part with some of his vast wealth if they were to return it, but that seemed slightly less noble, to say the least. Plus, there was always the fact that it was clear that Caelum was a powerful pony. It was also clear that he was one to get angry very quickly if things didn't go his way. Hasta didn't want to have to deal with a powerful and angry Alicorn.

Best to spare the problems that it would cause for herself and Dread. She still couldn't understand why she cared about Dread's well being. He was the only pony she felt she could trust, sure, but she had never cared about another pony as much as she did herself. Was Dread the strongest friend she had ever made, or was it just that in this situation, any ally was like a best friend. It all made no sense, but then again, nothing about what Hasta had experienced these two days made sense. To a certain extent, she had just decided to go along with it. Go along with it, but with her eyes still very much open.

_______________________________________

After making another trip around the labyrinthine castle, Hasta, Dread and Lux had all arrived at the entrance to the portal room. Lux explained that the portal room was, in essence, the hub of the portal network, which stretched all through Equestria. It allowed those with the permission to do so to instantly travel to any place in the land with a linked portal. Everfree was just one of said places. With a brief flash of his horn and a telekinesis spell, Lux opened the door.

The portal room was much darker than Hasta had expected. It had no windows and consisted of a round room with many archways that each contained a shimmering, flat screen that could easily be mistaken for water. Each one of said screen were infact portals, and the room seemed to be jammed full of them. From Hasta's count, there were between forty and fifty. Lux explained that any outside light interfered with the portal's magic and lead the two Earth-ponies to a collection of tables that were visible via the portals' light.

Two of the tables presented a collection of surprisingly sophisticated food, there were three large-ish container to store any food selected. On another table were laid what looked like three portable sleeping mats, designed to make slumbering under the stars at least bearable. Hasta strongly hoped that the expedition wouldn't continue through the night and that the mats were more of a precaution. Everfree at night didn't seem like the kind of place for ponies.

Hasta, likely followed shortly by Dread and Lux, trotted over to the table to fill a container of food and stuff it in her saddlebags. Lux was adamant that he would carry the sleeping mats, something which Hasta was all to happy to accept. There was enough stuff in her saddle bags and now she had a bulky food container in there as well, it was heavy enough. To be honest, most ponies would have called the bags light in weight, but Hasta liked to remain quick on her hooves.

Once all three of the ponies were packed up and ready to go, Lux pointed out the portal that lead to the entrance to Everfree. It wasn't Hasta's first time going to Everfree, but she had loathed every previous assignment based in the place, and that was in the far future at this point. Who knew what lived there in this time. She assumed that using the portal would feel no different from a teleportation spell, but, having not used one before, she was a little reluctant to step into the magical archway. She decided it would be best to let Dread or Lux go first.

[CableZ]

Dread looked and studied it quite intensely while he waited for the others to catch up. The door had markings that seemed familiar, Dread was sure he had seen them elsewhere. He tried to figure out where he had seen them but before he couldn't figure out anything, Hasta and Lux arrived. Lux explained what the portal room was and Dread found it interesting, he had heard of nothing like this in the present. He theorized that either magic had gotten more powerful and so they no longer required such a portal room, or magic had weakened so they could no longer sustain such a room. That or ponies of the future preferred psychical transport, he just didn't know. He found it interesting however, but he knew he wasn't exactly relevant.

The portal room didn't live up to expectations, Dread had always seen magic as a colorful and vibrant thing. This room however was dark and dusty, the carpet beneath their hooves had a dark shade of grey dust covering it. Dread smirked at the fact that it reminded him more of his home than a room in the great Canterlot Castle, the reason behind the darkness was explained and it made sense, but it didn't stop Dread's slight smirk.

The food presented didn't look as appealing to Dread when on a full stomach, the Everfree forest was a big place though and bringing some food seemed like a good idea. He packed some of the more basic food, sandwiches and other such things. He had read that when traveling a balance was best, and thing that provided enough energy. He food choices were based accordingly. Finally all the reading he had done for research was paying of in his own life rather than the lives of the characters in his books. After he placed the food in his saddlebag, he looked up at Hasta for a sign on what to do next.

As Lux pointed out the portal, he saw Hasta eying it caustiously and assumed that she was uneasy to go first. He then saw Lux struggling slightly with the sleeping mats that seemed to be made out of a thick material for high quality, Dread didn't understand why he volunteered, nay insisted to carry them all. (Little does Dread know Lux is actually trying to impress Hasta.) Seeing that both his comrades were otherwise occupied, Dread sighed and started walking to the portal. There was no fear or hesitation in him, he didn't understand what those things were in the context in the presence of other ponies. He only had survival instinct, and that wasn't going to get this done any time soon. He stepped through the portal and was gone from sight as the portal rippled from his entrance.

Far away from Canterlot castle, Dread appeared on the other side on an arch identical to the one he had entered. The only difference between the two arches was that the one he had exited from had no portal in it after Dread had left. It was now closed off from this side. Dread looked around and found himself under a wooden gazebo style structure that was probably there to protect the arch from the uncontrolled elements of the Everfree forest. Looking around, he saw that he was now in the Everfree forest, but not all that far in. In fact he could see the edge of the forest around 50 meters away. Looking the other way from the edge gave Dread a view of the dense and hospitable Everfree forest. It was an intimidating sight, one he would soon share with his companions.

[Xelliea]

I'm afraid you must go next, lady Yathan, as I must be the last to use the portal in order to assure the transition. Hasta didn't want to go next, to leave Lux to his own devices, but any attempts to change his mind only lead to refusal and technical jargon. Letting out a long breath of air, albeit uncharacteristically, she strode quickly into the shimmering surface. In truth, the feeling was different to that of a teleportation spell, but not completely unpleasantly. It was rougher than personal teleportation, but had a odd, even soothing buzz to it. Her nervous attitude was ultimately misplaced.

Lux stood still for a second, making sure both ponies were fully through the portal. Being sure of the fact, he unbuckled his saddlebag with a burst of telekenisis. From it, he pulled a faceted crystal, swirling with magical energies. He levitated it up to his face, holding it an inch from his mouth. Consecutive to blowing on its shining surface, he instantaneously dropped the crystal to the floor. It shattered on contact, releasing a small sliver of light. It hovered and darted around like an insect for a moment, then sped off out of the room and down the hallway. I just hope that's enough... Lux sighed and watched until it had left his sight, then took a step towards the portal.

_________________

On the outskirts of Everfree, the Unicorn had joined the two Earth-ponies under the wooden gazebo. The forest was vast... vast and dark. How anypony was meant to find what they were looking for in that expanse of green and black, Hasta wasn't sure, but she was happy that, among other things, Lux had brought a map. As he pulled from his bags, Hasta trotted behind him so that she scan over it as well.

So... where are we going? Finishing checking his map and after making sure the load his was carrying was evenly balanced, Lux nodded his head to the north-west. If we keep to this direction, Lady Yathan, and stay on the path, if that is what you'd call it, we should be heading where we want to go. Hasta only looked into the deep forest, wondering what was lurking within.

[CableZ]

So here they stood, on the precipice of a journey that would take who knows how long and would force these 3 ponies to work together. Dread stood looking around, studying the scenery of the Everfree forest. Lux and Hasta spoke to each other about their next move while looking ahead into the dense thicket of Everfree. Dread had a map of the known Everfree forest at home and he knew that only around a third of it was properly mapped out, this was the past however so who knew how much different it would be now. Dread had to admit that he was slightly apprehensive, he had never done anything like this before. Still he had never let apprehension get in his way before and he wasn't going to start letting it now when it really mattered.

Seeing the direction that Lux had nodded in, Dread made no hesitation in beginning their journey. He said nothing, he just started quietly walking. His hoof steps made no noise even while walking on the dry dead leaves that covered a lot of the ground. He took in the scenery while he walked, he had seen a fair amount of the outside of the forest but now he was inside it, he had to admit he sort of liked the peace and quiet of it all. He got so lost in his walking and looking that he didn't even look back to see if Hasta or Lux were even following him. The weather was rather nice, despite the trees blocking a lot of the sunlight, it was still fairly warm and a light breeze kept things from getting too warm. It made Dread wonder if they had come back during the same season, this trip had proved to be very interesting so far. Although a lot of the things that interested him probably went unnoticed by Hasta.

As Dread walked he recalled everything that happened to him since this whole nonsense had begun, he assumed that no one back in the present would actually believe any of this. However it gave him the thought that it would make quite a compelling book, Dread had never written a book under his own name and if he was honest the thought never crossed his mind. He wanted to fit in but he didn't like too much attention, hence why being a ghost author was a good job for him. Still it was food for thought, not every pony could have such inspiration as this and it seemed a shame to waste it. He put the though to the back of his mind for thought on later, now he had to focus on the task at hand.

After an hour of walking, Dread began humming a slight tune to himself. It was nothing anypony would have heard before, it was his own little tune and it sounded rather catchy. He soon noticied that his humming was not going unnotcied as Hasta was looking at him. He smirked slightly and coughed nervously, he hadn't felt like this before. What was this feeling, he felt like an idiot but why? He'd had to look this up when he got home. For now he continued walking and replied to anything Hasta asked.

Lux saw Hasta and Dread talking and decided that he would try and impress Hasta again. Despite carrying the most weight out of all the 3, he increased his pace and overtook a surprised Dread to take the lead of the group. Dread didn't really understand why he did this, the reason flew right over Dread's head. regardless the group continued walking for a few more hours until their hooves were sore and they decided to set up camp and rest. Dread had read a few survival books in his time so he knew how to make some tents out of the larger leaves and sticks that littered the forest floor. After that was done and the sleeping mats were placed down, they started a small camp fire and sat around to keep warm and the sun began to set. Dread sat slightly away from the others, and Lux sat closer to Hasta than she might have liked. Dread didn't seem to be paying attention and was instead reading through some of his notes and writing some stuff down.

[Xelliea]

The afternoon was almost spent and the evening was over the horizon by the time the three ponies set up camp. Given that it would likely be dark soon, and that wandering through Everfree at night was a sure fire way to get lost, it was generally decided that it would be best to cease any further travel for the day. The noises of the forest, the light wind blowing through the trees, was a relaxing, despite the fact that the forest in question was Everfree. Lux informed the others that there was no more than two hours left walking, so they would make it to their destination before midday in the morning, but for now, they rested.

... but of course the only problem is that we don't know what we'll exactly find in the sanctuary, apart from the blessing. Ah, and on the subject of the blessing... what we're looking for is a stone tablet. A tablet with ancient Alicornian inscriptions that will most likely be found in the main chamber, if there is such a thing. Although he knew more about the subject than either of the other two ponies, it was clear that even Lux wasn't fully sure what it was they would find there as he explained the situation to Hasta. Either the sanctuary’s contents were known by very few, or Lux was told them.

Hasta didn't like flying blind like that, she preferred to actually know what she was going up against. Still, it couldn't be anything too bad. Maybe a few traps and such that had been left there when it was built, but, from what she had heard, it had been there for while, so most obstacles in there would likely be inactive by now. Besides, it was a sanctuary, what sort of sanctuary has traps? It did beg the question as to why nopony had taken the table before now, though.

While Hasta and Lux discussed what was known about tomorrow's tasks, Dread sat on his own. Hasta found it hard to understand why he had little interest in the sanctuary and its contents. Looking at him, she couldn't help but smile. She wasn't sure why, it was odd, but it was hardly the strangest thing that had happened.

Sitting alone, as he was, Dread felt a slight chill wash over him. Not from lack of warmth, and not from emotion, but from something else, something unnatural. The trees shook with a sudden gust of wind, and the Earth-pony felt sure there was a ghostly mist in the air. His ears twitched as a noise, almost like a whisper, ran through them. It was like somepony was talking to him, was right there, and yet was nowhere.

You come to place you've never seen, seeking a sanctuary you've never known. What do you hope to receive from this blessing? Do you even know for what you search?

[CableZ]

Dread wrote down notes on everything that had happened so far that day, he found it good to get things down on paper so he could easily recall things in future. He also wrote down certain feelings he felt at the time, trying as best he could to describe them. He was currently stuck trying to describe how he felt having Hasta here as a companion, he'd been trying to to figure it out for around 20 minutes now. He had a determined look on his face and was staring intently at the paper before him. He looked up every so often to make sure he had missed nothing, one time he looked up and caught Hasta smiling at him. What was odd was this caused her to look away and blush slightly, He didn't think much of it in all honesty. He had learned from a particularly talkative stallion from Ponyville that mares are hard to understand, although Dread didn't entirely trust the stallion. Still he was having a hard time understand how he felt about Hasta and what a lot of she did actually meant.

He would have kept on thinking about it but then he got a funny feeling, he felt a cold chill go up his spine which caused him to shiver slightly. Looking around, he saw nothing that might have caused this chill. The fire was still roaring and there had been no breeze in the air up until now. He then heard a voice, looking toward Hasta and Lux he saw them sat around the fire not looking in his direction, they certainly weren't talking. Dread raised an eyebrow and continued to look around. Dread didn't move or even seem alarmed, he just looked around. The voice then formed coherent words that sounded like they were said right next to him but very far away at the same time.


You come to place you've never seen, seeking a sanctuary you've never known. What do you hope to receive from this blessing? Do you even know for what you search?

"Um...well I don't really know, I kind of just want to go home I suppose...Do you know what I'm searching for?" Dread spoke to this voice nonchalantly, he sat there speaking while still looking around. He caught Hasta and Lux staring at him like he was mad "um...what?..Do I have something on my face?"

[Xelliea]

The sound of whispers continued to whistle through Dread's ears as the whole forest seemed to be talking to him. The voice, if it could be called a voice, was, despite being a whisper, imperious and imposing in tone, similarly to Caelum's voice, but even more so. The combination of the ominous whispers and the tone was enough to make most ponies nervous to a certain extent, but at the same time, there was something warm about the voice. It was impossible to put your hoof on exactly what it was, but it was there. A welcoming and relaxing factor of the voice that made you inclined to trust it.

Dread felt the world almost shift and warp around him. It was a similar feeling to being teleported or the feeling that he had felt when using the relic in the first place, but had a very distinct difference... it made him feel drowsy. So drowsy, in fact, that he had to struggle to keep his eyes open. The voice had been replaced by a warm humming that only added to the drowsy feeling, like a lullaby. It wasn't long before the world spun for a final time, then everything faded to black.

_____________________________________________

It was dark, sure, but a long way from the darkness of the void that the pony had experienced when using the relic. Around the edges, Dread could see what resembled walls, but appeared to consist of pure force that radiated a faint azure light. The relaxing glow of faint orange flames flickered, magically suspended above his head. Past the flames and into the heavens, a distant moon could be seen, in its fully rounded glory.

A ghostly form of a pony flickered in and out of existence, one second being all there, the next being nothing but an outline. However, a few moments later, it had actually taken form. The most curious thing about the pony that Dread could see in front of him was that lit was like looking into a mirror: the pony... was him. But, there was something off about the form, it had a look in its eye, a look that Dread would never show.

We... we... we have seen your truths, the answers you desire. And you... you must know that what you seek in within your grasp. Look deep within yourself, is returning to your dull life all you desire... or is it something m-more?

[CableZ]

Dread was rather confused now, he was fairly sure that hearing voices that weren't actually there was not entirely normal. The whispers made Dread rather nevous and he shifted in place slightly. He could feel the whispers seeping into his head and he started feeling rather tired. A flood of sensations hit Dread, he tried to resist this drowsy feeling that hit him but he was struggling. As the voice melded into a lullaby like him Dread fell asleep.

To the outside obsever it looked as if Dread may have eaten some mushrooms that he ought not have, he wearily struggled to keep his head up and was still looking all around. As he finally fell asleep, Hasta and Lux would see Dread simply fall forward and slam his head into the ground beneath them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dread looked around his new surroundings, He found himself in a strange darkened room that felt very out of this world. This was certainly a new experience, the fact he could see a moon while clearly indoors was a bit disorientating. However the sight of the moon actually gave him some comfort. He turned his entire body round in his observing of the room, until he was facing back where he had started. He nodded to himself that it was indeed somewhere he had not been before, although he probably didn't need that level of confirmation.

He turned around just in time to see the odd form that was appearing in front of him, he could faintly make out the outline of a pony. He wondered what exactly was going on, who was this pony...like entity that was in front of him. He didn't need to wonder any longer as the pony took a real form, his form in fact! Dread was a little shocked to be seeing himself, it made him realize that he didn't own any mirrors. He shook that thought out of his head and instead put the thought in his head of why was he looking himself in the eye. The look in his own eye was one Dread wasn't sure about, it was a look he'd never seen nor did he think he could ever know what was behind the look. He listened to his own slightly distorted voice speak to him, asking him questions that truly made him think.

"My...Dull life?" He thought it over, was his life dull? "Um...well I don't know if my life is dull but...if it is I don't need help making...lively" Dread spoke with a sure tone in his voice

[Xelliea]

The other Dread tilted his head to the side for a moment, almost seeming confused at his original counterpart's response. What was so odd about the other Dread was that as he talked, while most of his words sounded just like normal, there would be slight moments of what felt like the interference during magical communications. The voice would every so often change to sound more like the whisper Dread had heard while still in the waking world, only much stronger now. This wasn't the only odd thing, as the appearance of the other Dread would periodically fuzz slightly, making it seem as if he wasn't quite there.

No, you don't need h-help, for all you need is yourself. You have the possibility to do extraordinary t-things. Legions of lesser races and Ali-Alicorns alike will bow at your feet. With a clap of his front hooves, the other Dread disappeared for a second, then reappeared sitting upon what was easily recognisable as the Equestria throne. All around him, ponies bowed to him, all the same in appearance and action, all, without exception, monochrome. The scene only became more confusing as each of the bowing ponies began to vanish, until only one remained.

The black and white pony stared into the original Dread's eyes while the other Dread looked on, still seated on the throne. Do not be a s-slave to an Alicorn to whom you owe n-n-nothing, who pretends to own a throne that never belonged to him. Take what you deserve. The pony's voice, like the other Dread's, would periodically break from a monotone to a much more imposing, yet subtle voice.

The blessing is for the one deemed worthy, for the one deemed true. It is your reward, and n-nopony else's. The other Dread trotted down from his throne, looking his mirror counterpart in the eye, never even stopping to blink.

[CableZ]

Dread knew that whoever or whatever he was talking to, it was nothing of him. He knew this because if he was talking to himself then he would understand himself, that made sense in his head. Dread found the voice changing rather odd, it confirmed his thoughts that this was merely a visual mimic. Dread looked himself in the eye and wondered if that is truly how he came across to other ponies, it made him think he should get the dreads out of his face when he was talking to other ponies. He smirked at the fact that he was getting tips on how to interact with ponies by interacting with himself, the irony wasn't lost upon Dread. It was during his study of his own appearance that the periodic fuzz of the other Dread's very being became apparent, more and more evidence was compiling in Dread's mind that magic was somehow involved in this.

As the other Dread began speaking, the real Dread listened rather intently, figuring that opportunities to listen to oneself came very few in life. Dread had to take a step back when the scene changed to one of himself sat on a throne. Dread had never seen himself lording over anything, the aspiration to do anything but fit in had never crossed Dread's mind. It gave him cause to think about it now, would Dread want to rule over anything? The ideal that he was better than others or others were better than him was one that Dread did not understand. What made anypony better than any other pony? Was it others thinking that pony better than them or was it that pony thinking them better than the others? Both raised questions in Dread's mind that both could be answered with the fact that nopony was better than anyother pony, it just didn't make sense that they were.

As the monochromatic ponies that were bowing to the imitator Dread started disappearing, Dread furrowed his brow at the entire scene. Dread didn't this, yet he theorized that whoever was asking him these questions was not doing so to make Dread realize if he did or did not want it. Dread figured out that whoever was talking to him were trying to make him want what they were showing him. As the black and white pony spoke to him, the final word rung in Dread's mind. 'Deserved'. What did Dread deserve? Dread had never thought about this, anytime he considered anything that belonged to him he got a feeling in his heart that told him that nothing did. Dread didn't know what he deserved, but he knew what he wanted and what they were showing him is something he didn't want. Dread stared this mimic in the eye, his gaze was unrelenting and emotionless.

Dread cleared his throat slightly before beginning to speak.

"Um...well, I don't know if I deserve it or not...but I don't really want it, I just want to go home and figure out what i deserve there, not over a thousand years in the past."

Dread's voice started with an unsure tone but by the end of his sentence he was sure and confident in his speech.

[Xelliea]

The other Dread's stare didn't falter for even a moment. He only stared into his counterparts eyes, waiting for the response he knew was soon to come. As the original Dread seemed unsure of himself, the mimic grinned, still keeping his gaze fixed. Power, wealth, celebrity, all these things were what everypony wanted, didn't they? When presented with all this, and all of it within their reach, well, who could resist. Despite the other Dread's ability to see into his counterpart's thoughts, he clearly didn't look deep enough.

Having heard Dread's response, the mimic's form began to fuzz more than ever before. It frowned at Dread, the glare filled with a mix of anger, rage and disappointment. Oh for goodness sake... you... you... The mimic fuzzed continually, until it completely blinked out of existence. In its place, after it warped and grew to a much larger form, stood an Alicorn. The pony was huge, even for Alicorn standards and dwarfed Dread in its presence. In the seconds following, two more Alicorns arose behind him, though they were slightly smaller.

The largest of the Alicorns, the one that had taken Dread's form, glared down upon the Earth-pony imposingly and with a look of menace in her eyes. Disappointing... utterly disappointing. You could have been a king, on par with the gods, and you turned it all away for what!? The Alicorn's sharp blue coat contrasted with its harsh yellow mane made her presence ever so more intimidating. The other two Alicorns, one green coated and one red coated, took a couple of steps closer.

Look now upon your true leader, your true goddess. You may have defied me, but soon the pretender's spawn will fall from his false throne and all shall chant my name... Electrum is reborn!

The dream room seems to shake a little, then a lot. The look in Electrum's eye would suggest that it was not of her doing. It doesn't matter how far I run, does it? Incendius, Sceleratus... The remaining part of her sentence was in a language that Dread couldn't understand, though he could guess that it was some sort of native Alicornian tongue, as the other Alicorns understood and blinked out in unison.

After glaring at Dread once more, Electrum too was gone.

Dread awoke with a shock that echoed though his whole body. After taking a few deep breaths, he began to feel less shaken. It was morning. By the look of things, he had been moved under the shelter as he slept, and from across the makeshift tent, he saw Lux looking at him with a concerned expression. He got to his feet and trotted over to Dread, slightly less worried now that he saw he wasn't hurt. What did you eat last night?

[CableZ]

Dread smirked all the while the transformation was taking place, he had managed to annoy and anger whoever was impersonating. He liked getting one over those that were making fun of him or trying to toy with him, he'd had practice by returning some of the insults that some disrespectful foals had sent his way in the past. However his smirk dissipated quite soon after the form in front of him began growing quite a bit, he became slightly concerned when it didn't stop growing for some time. The pony, or more precisely the Alicorn was now massive and towered over Dread. The dark pony looked up at this colossal winged and horned pony, he looked behind him slightly as the two other Alicorns approached. His deep gaze returned to eyes of this monolithic form in front of him.

He listened to the angered ravings of this large pony, making sure to note anything important that he heard. At this point Dread may as well not even have been there, whatever this Alicorn hoped to achieve, she had failed in doing so. Dread just glared at the imposing figure in front of him as they vented their anger. Dread's gaze was averted by the fact the room started shaking, it was an uneasy feeling. He looked back to the figure in front of him and concluded that it was not her doing, which worried Dread a bit more as it meant the room was not just under her spell. Soon after the room had shook, Dread found himself fading to black again.

Dread quickly gasped for breath, the shock hit him like a train. Dread could feel the sharp sensation tingling all over his body. He quickly got to his hooves and looked around, he saw he had moved from his original position. He took deep breaths as he tried to make sense of somethings. Dread's thoughts quickly went to the notes he was writing last night, he looked back to his original position that he had fallen asleep in. Seeing they were not there he began to panic slightly, at which point he was interrupted by Lux.

"What did you eat last night?"

Dread was not in the mood the be asked stupid questions, he looked past Lux and saw where Hasta was sleeping. He saw the his satchel bag and notes next to her, she seemed to be keeping them quite close. She must have gathered them up after Dread had passed out, Dread gave a sigh of relief. His gaze then turned to Lux, he glared at him.

"Now is not the time, Lux"[/b] His tone was as cold as always.