//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Just a legend // Story: The Anciridian: ACU Involved // by Twisted Studios Inc //------------------------------// Princess Luna had just lowered the moon. Everypony was heading to sleep. Luna didn’t mind that most ponies didn’t enjoy her moon more than her sister’s sun. But for now, Luna had another duty to do. Quickly, Luna had entered the Dream Realm, where she could check in on her subject’s dreams and protect them from nightmares. Princess Luna gracefully traversed the ethereal landscape of the Dream Realm, her luminous mane flowing like a river of stars as she glided through the dreams of her subjects. It was a duty she cherished, ensuring that everypony could rest peacefully and be protected from the nightmarish terrors that lurked in the realm of dreams. As she wandered through the dreams, she found herself drawn to an unusual sight. In the distance, she spotted an old, wooden door with cracked paint, standing amidst the ever-changing dreamscape. Curiosity piqued, Luna floated closer to inspect the door. On its weathered surface were several crudely drawn symbols, unfamiliar to her. Princess Luna was well-versed in many forms of magic, but these symbols seemed to elude her understanding. Before she could ponder further, a cacophony of shouts and screams erupted from within the door, followed by the sounds of explosions. Concerned for the dream's well-being, Luna immediately recognized that something was amiss. This was no ordinary dream; it was more like a distorted realm of chaos and danger. Realizing that somepony was in distress, Luna hesitated for only a moment before deciding to enter the door. With a gentle touch, she pushed it open, stepping into a world of vivid colors and swirling emotions. As Luna ventured deeper, she found herself in an ever-shifting landscape that seemed to defy logic and reason. Explosions of light and sound surrounded her, creating a chaotic and disorienting atmosphere. She called out, her voice echoing through the dream, hoping to find the one who was experiencing this turmoil. "Is th're anypony h're? I am princess luna, the guardian of dreams. I seeketh to bringeth peace and protection to all within the realm of dreams. If 't be true thee can heareth me, bewray yourself," Luna called out, her voice steady despite the chaos around her. The door slammed shut, startling her and making the Princess of the Night turn. That’s when the voices kicked in. “Fool! You really think I came unprepared?” “Now’s not the time!” “Prepare a counterattack.” “Get down!” “Many would be delighted in your death.” “Stand up, creetin! Give me a proper fight!” “Not even the Anci can save your wretched ‘ACU’ now!” Luna listened as the voices increased, following many screams. Flashes flew past, showing images. Luna instantly knew that this wasn’t a dream: this was somepony’s memories. Most of the memories seemed to be from one angle. Others, showed a hairless, Minotaur like creature in-front of a mirror. “Who is’t art thee?” Luna asked out, as the surroundings went dark. There, in the middle of it all, was a mostly hairless Minotaur. It had pale skin, a bunch of long, brown hair on top of its head. It wore black clothes and a blue coat. The creature appeared to be injured and bruised. The creature froze, spinning around as it was trying to spot something: locate her. Luna stepped out of the darkness, and the creature spun to face her. Luna now saw that this thing had one cyan eye, and one eye that had both a white pupil and white iris. It was blind in one eye. “We apologise for startling thou. We are Princess Luna.” She said, extending a hoof to the creature. It merely just watched her, as it opened its mouth. “Deku kya ret ká Locan.” It replied, it’s language unknown to Luna. Now, Luna looked at it confused, as it swallowed and tried to speak again. “Deku…. H-hello. Kya….. My… Name is…. Logan.” It said, in a male voice. Luna tilted her head slightly, trying to read the thing’s eyes. “Thou have not answered our question.” Luna reminded the creature, who was now a him. The male… thing tilted his head downwards slightly, as his eyes flickered back and forth, as if reading a book page. “Ajarnt…. Agent Jaxsion- Jackson. I work máe- for mó ACU.” Luna looked puzzled. The male seemed to struggle while speaking English. “Eákû sy rega?” The male asked, and Luna was more confused than before. There has to be a language barrier… Luna thought, sighing. The area shifted, as the male now clutched at his head, groaning in pain. Luna watched as dark fog rolled in. Memories played in the background, constantly shifting and showing the male suffer. A house fire, with a child screaming. From what Luna could tell, she could only presume that the voice was the male, and that the burning house was his family’s. Another memory shifted, this time with the male being dragged down a hallway. He was wearing some sort of uniform, red with black details. Luna watched in horror as the male’s voice was screaming in the memory: as something white and glowing was pressed into the knuckles of his blunt claws. Another image showed another creature, also male, impaled by a metal rod. This male wasn’t the one she was looking at, however. But this one wore a black uniform with a dark blue coat. More memories flashed, as Luna saw atrocities after atrocities. Monster after monster. The metal being, the dark figure with a green mask, so much death. Luna felt her heart plummet from how much this male had suffered throughout his life. “Who are you?” Came a voice, crystal clear. Luna panicked, turning around and searching for the source. The voice obviously wasn’t the male’s, since it was deeper and more serious. Luna kept searching, calling out to it. “We are Princess Luna of the Night. Who are thou, and why do you plague this mind?” The voice laughed, before images flashed before the alicorn. The fog condensed, and a male with pale blue hair emerged. Now, another figure was not normal, but it was the eyes that concerned Luna. The second male had red eyes with black sclera. Two crimson horns extruded from his forehead, and dark, fiery wings erupted from its back. “I am the Angel of Darkness. I apologise for my host’s behaviour, but it seems he cannot control his thoughts in his current condition.” He said, and Luna glanced over at the first male, who was now settling down. She then returned her gaze to the being. “Angel of Darkness? Thou shares a name with a creature of myth. Why do thou use that name?” Luna asked, curious if this entity was the one she had heard legends about. (POV Switch) The Angel brought a smile to his facial features. It appears that even now, several trillion years old, he still had some stories about himself scattered throughout the Omniverse. And this midnight blue horse Pony, actually must’ve caught the rumours. The Angel of Darkness observed Princess Luna with an enigmatic gaze. It was not often that beings from different realms interacted, but here he stood before the Alicorn of the Night, witnessing her power firsthand. The legends surrounding him were true, and the fact that Luna knew of his name intrigued him. "Indeed, the name 'Angel of Darkness' is a title I have earned over countless eons," the Angel replied, his voice carrying an ancient wisdom. "Throughout the Omniverse, I have been both feared and revered. My existence spans worlds and dimensions, and I have witnessed the rise and fall of civilisations." Luna listened intently, her celestial eyes locked onto the enigmatic being before her. There was an air of authority and mystery about him that commanded respect. The memories she had seen in the male's mind now made sense; he was an ancient entity linked to the one who bore his name. "Thy host, Logan, appears to be in great turmoil. What afflicts him?" Luna inquired, her concern for the male evident. She knew that the mind was a delicate thing, and she couldn't ignore the suffering she had witnessed in his memories. The Angel's expression softened, and he cast a compassionate gaze at Logan, who seemed to have calmed down from his earlier distress. "Logan is a complex soul, one who has experienced immense hardship throughout his existence. He has served as an agent of the ACU, tasked with defending the multiverse from unimaginable threats." "Yet, his mind carries the weight of his past, a burden that grows heavier with each memory," the Angel added. As Princess Luna and the Angel of Darkness conversed, the enigmatic being revealed a crucial aspect of his presence in Logan's mind. "Logan allowed me access to his thoughts and memories," the Angel explained, "and in doing so, he granted me a unique existence, keeping me alive within the vast depths of his consciousness." “However,” the Angel began, scratching his head in nervousness. “I can kind of… control his body whenever he is killed. I use Dark Magic while in-control to… repair and heal him.” He finished, leaving Luna confused. With a sense of reverence, the Angel delved into Logan's memories, revealing the harsh reality of his life. He recounted how Logan had lived a life of constant war, fighting through numerous Multiversal conflicts, losing loved ones and witnessing the devastation caused by the battles. Logan's family had tragically perished in a devastating house fire, leaving him with the burden of grief and responsibility. The Angel continued to share the heartbreaking revelation of Logan's sister survived the fire, being brainwashed and sent to the future, where she became a pawn in a plot to kill him. Such betrayal from someone he held dear only added to the weight of Logan's past, leaving emotional scars that refused to heal. As the Angel narrated, Luna listened with a heavy heart, her compassion for Logan growing with every tragic detail. She could now understand the turmoil that plagued his dreams and the nightmares that haunted him. "And then came the day when Logan, in an act of selflessness, sacrificed himself to save countless lives," the Angel continued, recounting how Logan bravely faced a Ridi mothership and sent it into the void, where it remained for 3000 years. During that time, Logan was frozen, isolated from everything he had ever known. "He lost everything, including the passage of time itself," the Angel expressed, "and it changed him. Logan emerged from the void as a powerful, living legend, a living testament to the relentless force of time and war." Luna nodded in solemn understanding, realizing the weight of Logan's experiences that had shaped him into the individual he was today. The night princess felt a newfound respect and admiration for the resilience of the Anci war hero. "He carries the burden of survival, the weight of immortality, and the memories of a thousand battles," the Angel said, his voice filled with empathy. "In many ways, Logan has become a true living legend, a being forever entwined with the struggles and victories of the Multiverse." As Luna took in the gravity of Logan's life, she felt a sense of kinship with the man who had endured so much. She recognised that he bore a unique responsibility, standing as a symbol of hope and protection for the multiverse, even as he grappled with the scars of his past. "He is a beacon of light and strength, despite the darkness that has shrouded his life," Luna remarked, her heart touched by the resilience of the warrior she had seen in his dreams. The Angel of Darkness nodded as he listened to Luna's words and then turned his attention to Logan. With a profound understanding of the Multiverse and its myriad languages, the Angel began to decipher Logan's speech, translating the ancient tongue known as "Standard English" used across the realms. "Logan speaks in Old Eternal, a language that dates back to the earliest ages of the Multiverse," the Angel explained. "It is a powerful and ancient language, and very few beings can comprehend its intricacies. Fortunately, I possess the knowledge to interpret it into your tongue.” Logan looked back and forth between the two, his face understanding. “Eákû ká mó šintá?” Logan asked, and the Angel took a second to reply. “He says ‘What is this place.’.” The Angel translated, and Luna nodded. “Thou are in Equestria, ruled by my sister and we.” Luna looked in fascination of the Angel's ability to understand and translate the archaic language. It was clear that Logan's connection with the ancient tongue was deeply rooted in his past, further testament to the depths of his experiences. As they continued to observe Logan's dream, the Angel shared more insights about the Anci war hero. "Logan is not just a skilled warrior; he is surrounded by Dark Magic, one of the three foundational Powers that contributed to the creation and assembly of the Multiverse." "In the hierarchy of powers, Light Magic is the most common and accessible to many beings," the Angel explained. "It embodies the essence of purity, goodness, and illumination. Dark Magic, on the other hand, delves into the realm of shadows and the mysteries of the night. It holds immense power and has the capacity to shape dreams and nightmares." "The final and most potent force is Void Magic, a rarity even among the most powerful beings," the Angel continued. "It embodies nothingness and the endless void, capable of both creation and destruction on a cosmic scale." Luna absorbed this knowledge, understanding the profound implications of these three fundamental powers. She had encountered both Light and Dark Magic throughout her existence, but the notion of Void Magic being so rare intrigued her. As the dream began to fade, and Logan stirred in his slumber, Princess Luna turned to the Angel of Darkness with a sense of determination. "Fear not, for I shall find both thee and Logan, and bring you to the safety of out castle." she vowed. The Angel nodded gratefully, his red eyes meeting Luna's compassionate gaze. "Your kindness and willingness to aid us do not go unnoticed, Princess Luna," he acknowledged. "It is rare to find one so caring and understanding of beings from other realms. We are grateful for your assistance." Logan smiled, happy that they could find a place to recovery and hope for the best. “Inár gömdar, Luna.” Logan said, bowing to the royal alicorn of the Night. “That means thank you.” The Angel translated. Luna smiled warmly, her ethereal presence emanating a calming aura. "It is my duty as the guardian of dreams to protect all who traverse the realm of slumber," she replied. "And I do so not only as a princess but also as a being who seeks to bring comfort and solace to those who have endured great struggles." With the dream realm fading, Luna prepared to return to her own realm and continue her watchful guardianship over the dreams of all living beings. But she made a silent promise to herself that she would not rest until she had found the mysterious Angel of Darkness and the Anci war hero, Logan.