Fires raged across the open plateau. He could smell the forests burning into charcoal and the bubbling Lava. It all felt different as It connected with the cold breeze, something he used to take for granted.
His balance somewhat unruly, he stood up. Breaking those chains that held him in that hell had been difficult and had taken lots of energy out of him. That combined with the aftershock that came with the spell, and he could barely walk. Pain seeped into his legs.
"Dammit.", he whispered as he clenched his teeth. He took a few steps forward and fell over in the grass, gasping for air. He felt a burning sensation in his chest. He must have cracked his ribs under the strain of the spell. He pulled himself up, seeing nothing but an open expanse of steppe around him. Nothing was here, but he couldn't risk someone finding him, not in this state.
He stumbled more and more. He made some progress until he collapsed again. He couldn't continue on like this. He racked his brain for a spell that wouldn't kill him, but to no avail, he couldn't even manage a simple healing spell.
Azure looked up again. He saw a small town far off in the distance, a few bellows of smoke, and some trees. Hopefully they weren't explorers.
He almost laughed, wondering what Shining Armor would say about his predicament. He would probably jostle him and call him a wimp, snickering. He began to see spots.
Not yet.
He pulled himself back up, and looked at the town again. He would need nourishment sooner or later. No matter how powerful he was, he was still mortal. He would need to eat. And towns had food.
He cursed himself, not thinking this far. In tartarus, the realm would sustain you, but at the brink of starvation. He had to resort to hunting the wild beasts of the Netherrealm to train and progress. Here, in the real world, he could starve and nobody would care.
This continued on for the next hour. He stumbled closer and closer to the town, collapsing occasionally, and gasping for air as his chest felt like a molten rock under pressure. He saw the town up ahead, and the sound of a river flowing. He couldn't stay awake for long.
He got back up, legs painfully cramped. He dragged himself to the clean river and dunked his head under, rinsing the sweat and grime off of his head and drank from the river to soothe his parched throat. Sitting on the edge of the shore, he took off his clothes, he jumped into the i
Warm desert water and relaxed his muscles. He didn't care if someone found him. He needed to heal and restore his energy.
Just then, he noticed the red shade of blood in the water, and he looked down. Severe burns adorned his body from the aftershock. Skin had been burnt away, revealing flesh. He couldn't leave them open, or he would bleed out.
Azure groaned, channeling his energy into his left hand. A warm, blue glow appeared as he held his hand over the burns. They slowly faded, but his headache grew. He became dizzy. He felt nauseous. He collapsed into the water, the cool feel the only thing keeping him conscious.
He should have been more prepared. He should have been ready. Bit now was the best time. His vision of the outside world in Tartarus was fading day by day. He needed to take advantage of Celestia's weakness. It wouldn't last long.
Stop griping, he told himself, it will get you nowhere.
Not yet. He wouldn't fail yet.
He gripped the ledge of the shore and yanked his weak body out of the warm water into the intense heat. The sun beat down on him like a swarm of bees. Hissing with pain, he balanced on his legs with sheer determination alone fueling him. He didn't have time to complain. He never did. Sloth meant death. He dragged his feet to the edge of the town, his strength slowly regaining with every step.
He couldn't let go. Not after what Celestia had done. What she would do. He had to keep moving. He had to work towards something. That was what kept him sane all those years, what kept him sane in Tartarus, in the castle, with and without Cadence.
When he was all alone. He was always alone.
He needed sleep. His determination had held her m steadfast this far. It needed to replenish, just like his mortality. He spotted an old barn nearby, abandoned. It had loose hay and an old crabapple tree lazily hanging near the entrance, a ant compared to the large apple trees in the flat field farther West.
He crouched near the entrance, peering inside. An old hay bale sat in the corner, along with some ratty blankets and a sandbag. A few jars of preserves sat on a rickety shelf that creaked in the wind. No termites, surprisingly, but he doubted they could survive in this heat. Nonetheless, the red paint was peeling and there were holes in the ceiling, but it would do for now.
In a flash, Azure picked up the blankets and spread them out. He used the sandbag as a pillow and left the hay bale as tinder for later. The sun was setting and he needed shelter. The desert could be frigid at night.
He was exhausted after his endeavour, ready to collapse. He felt like he had been trampled by an elephant and left out to rot. He curled up in the ratty blanket and closed his eyes.
His dreams were never comprehensible. They were always in constant motion, like an engine, an engine of mind.
Sometimes he had spoken with ancient demons, others he explored age old ruins. He never appeared in the same place twice. Ever.
He opened his eyes to a large cavern, at least fifty feet high and over a hundred wide. It was round and a large waterfall fell from the ceiling through a large gap. The whole room seemed abandoned.
He knew it wasn't. At least not now.
He sensed a powerful being behind him, it radiated darkness, but not the pitch black kind he was used to. More like a shroud of smoke. Heavy, beastly breathing echoed behind him.
He turned to face a massive black wolf.
It's fur was a charcoal color, the only real feature being a pair of sharp, yellow eyes that bore into him, as if thinking of all the ways it could gut him like a fresh kill. A black aura surrounded it.
So we finally meet, face to face, mind to mind. I have watched. Waited. Prepared for this moment. Yet not the most momentous occasion.
Azure stared into its eyes, unfaltered. "Speak, beast. I have little time for riddles. Why have you summoned my subconscious to your realm."
Tsk tsk. So impatient. Just like your bloodline. Your kind were always ready to rid them a foe in a moment's notice. As for why I have summoned you, that should be apparent. I am no mere beast.
"What is it you seek? I am genuinely curious. I want this finished."
The massive wolf stared up at the waterfall, its eyes gleaming at the white light of the entrance. I come to warn you. The road ahead will not be easy. I come to offer you my service.
"As if I didn't know. My entire existence is a challenge. It always has been.", Azures face began to redden with anger. "Everything about me is an affront to this realm."
In some ways, yes, but you also belong here. This is your realm. The real that was entitled to you. My service is another entitlement.
"I am just a demon with the will to live. I'm not special."
You are. You just don't acknowledge it. That was what Celestia has hoped for this whole time. The hope that you would stay naive and malleable. She got half her wish.
"What do you know of Celestia that I don't? I know everything about her."
The massive wolf snorted, sending a small whirlwind rushing past him. It's eyes glimmered with amusement.
Again, naive. You will know most in time. But now, you must have goals to accomplish. Good. Those goals will further your destiny.
"What destiny? I have no destiny. I forge my own path. And my plans are none of your damn business!"
Anyone who schemes crosses my path. My bloodline has done it for millennia. With our support comes swift victory. With our opposition comes painful, crushing defeat. Do not forget that.
Azure looked at him skeptically. This was just a dream. A fiction, a phantasm of the mind. It was not to be trusted.
The world you live in, and you yourself wield magic beyond compare. It is quite bold to state a dream as phantasmal and not a vision. No matter. You will see soon. For now we must part, but we will meet again, I assure you.
The massive wolf released an ear splitting howl, and the entire room shook. Boulders tore off from the ceiling and crashed to the ground. He could feel the magical aura of this place fading.
The the dream collapsed into itself.