Disclaimer! …. Once more, I have to put one of these up bleh… Anyways! Yes, Gamer Workshop owns their stuff and Hasbro owns theirs, blah blah blah. You know everyone :D I hope you enjoy the story! Something I wanted to do!
Chapter Ten: A Promise
Just outside the doors, Twilight and her guard watched the Changelings slowly starting to approach them, the sounds of thunder stopping. "This… Is not a good sign." Rarity said, preparing her magic.
"Zu'hal couldn't have been beaten, could he?" Pinkie Pie said, looking around at the group.
Twilight, and her Dragon Guard, were preparing for the fight, when a wide look appeared on the faces of the Changelings. "I… Don't think he did…" Twilight said, before the Changelings started to explode! Their remains going everywhere, the Dragon Guard quickly covering Twilight, so that she isn't touched by the foul blood of the mutated creatures. "He did it!" She cheered, smiling.
The group started to cheer as well, knowing their champion had defeated the sorcerer, the Changelings no longer being kept live by his dark magic. "He did it!" They all cheered, before they faintly heard Nyx…. The next time, they barely heard her again, but Twilight could hear her daughter clearly.
N-No…. She thought, before rushing from her guards, using her magic to force the doors to open. H-He can't be. Twilight rushed into the chambers, and turned to see the very sight the Princess was hoping never to see…. Zu'hal just lying, on the ground, with Nyx crying in his arm. "Z-Zu'hal…" She muttered, slowly walking up to the fallen warrior, as Nyx saw her mother walking over.
"M-Mommy! H-He… It's my fault, he was protecting me! T-The man was coming for me… A-And… Zu Zu just… He just." Nyx rushed over to her mother, crying in the Princess's chest, as she crossed one foreleg over her daughter.
"C-Calm down, dear… I-I…" Twilight didn't know what to say, she was nearly in a state of shock, herself.
She was suddenly brought back, when her friends rushed into the chamber. "Twi, everythin' alrigh-.." Apple Jack said, before seeing the sight of Twilight holding a crying Nyx, and Zu'hal laying on the ground. Her friends just stared at what they couldn't believe.
"I-Is he…" Rainbow Dash said, unable to speak any further.
"I-I cannot believe it…" Rarity said, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"B-But…. He was a Salamanders… They are unbeatable." Spike said, thinking of all the things Zu'hal told him, and reading all the impossible feats the Terminator, alone, had done in his life.
"M-Maybe he's just faking! Yeah, he'll get back up and start laughing!" Pinkie Pie said, trying to keep a smile on her face, but her puffed up mane started to fall, every second the Terminator remained on the ground.
Fluttershy just remained quiet, tears falling from her eyes. The yellow Pegasus didn't know what to say, she also thought the Terminator was undefeatable. The only sounds in the chamber, were of Nyx crying and the Dragon Guard rushing inside to see their founder on the ground… Some going over to the dead Apostle, making sure he was truly dead, before they surrounded the Princesses and the fallen Terminator.
"G-Girls… C-Could you take… Nyx home…" Twilight asked, the filly looking up at her mother.
"B-But mom… I-I want to." Nyx was suddenly cut off by her mother.
"Not now, Nyx!" Twilight yelled, the filly now seeing the tears falling from her mother's eyes. It was taking everything she had just to not break down right now.
Rarity slowly made her way over to the two, "Come on, sweetie… You don't need to see what is coming next." She said, taking Nyx away from the scene. The group looking back at Twilight, only to keep going out.
Twilight waited until it was only her, the Dragon Guard, and the motionless Zu'hal left in the chamber, before she slowly made her way over to him. She slowly sat down, and quickly hugged Zu'hal's neck in her hooves… No longer able to hold it back any longer. The Dragon Guard slowly lowered their heads, their own tears starting to fall behind their helmets at the crying screams of their Princess.
"Y-You… Made good on your promise, Zu'hal…" Twilight cried, her tears falling on the Terminator's face. "Nyx is safe now…. But… Why did you have to go?" She said, rubbing her muzzle against his charcoal face. "You said… You said you'll stay here, with us. That you wanted… That you wanted to protect Equestria's peace."
A light slowly appeared on the other side of Twilight, making the Dragon Guard suddenly look up in pure shock. "P-Princess….?" Big Mac said, his own eyes wide with the sight.
Twilight looked up at him. "W-What?" She said, tears still in her eyes, before seeing them looking at something. The Princess looked to the other side of Zu'hal, to get a shock of her own. "W-Who are you?" She asked.
Standing there, in a more ancient looking Terminator armor than Zu'hal, was a massive Salamander who made Zu'hal seem like a regular sized Space Marine. His armor was adorned with the skull and skin of what looked like a massive Salamander creature, that Zu'hal decorated his own armor with. The Salamander was holding a forged Warhammer that had salamander scales all around it, the hammer even reached the ground and looked like a staff. His body was physical, yet they could see through it… The light around him was nearly blinding.
The Salamander slowly knelt down next to the fallen Terminator, making Twilight get up and slowly back away. He slowly slid his hand under Zu'hal, and lifted the body on to his knee like he barely weighed anything. He just looked at the peaceful look on Zu'hal's face, and smiled. "I hope that one day I can put down my sword. Until then I'll keep my sword edge sharp… Those were my words, so long ago." The Salamander's voice was powerful, yet ever so gentle. The group just watched him, as if he was speaking to Zu'hal like he was still alive. "You found the very thing I was searching for, what I was achieving for…. And then you defended it with every ounce of strength you had." He looked at Twilight, his gaze that of a gentle being. "Tell me… What was my son protecting?"
Those words suddenly made Twilight go wide eyed, but she shook off the surprise before answering his question. "M-My daughter… From something he called a Word Bearer Chaos Sorcerer… I-I am Princess Twilight." She said, slowly moving forward but quickly stopping just at Zu'hal's arm. "Nyx said… The Sorcerer was coming for her, but Zu'hal got in the way and took the attack himself, my lord."
The Salamander nodded, looking towards the dead Sorcerer, whose skull was crushed. "I see… It seems my son has done me proud." He looked back at Twilight, tilting his head. "Is there something you wish to ask?"
Twilight nodded, a look of surprise on her face still. "A-Are you…. Vulkan? Primarch of the… Salamanders?" She asked, the features on the giant Salamander obvious, and almost god-like. The Dragon Guard looked at one another, wondering if they were in the presence of a being like that.
"You are correct, Princess… I am Vulkan." He looked back down at Zu'hal. "It seems… I have appeared for a reason." Vulkan slowly looked up towards the ceiling, a hurt look on his face. He slowly lifted his Warhammer up into the sky, a burst of energy destroying the very stone above them to nothing but dust! The group watched, in surprise, as a beam of sunlight was at the very center of the storm! "Father! Hear the prayers of your son! This Angel of yours, a son of mine, has fallen! His body is broken, bleeding, yet his soul still endures!" The light started to glow brightly above them. "He has fought for many years, as your loyal warrior… This I know, and he has found a peaceful land that requires your protection! Grant him a way to continue to protect this world!"
The light suddenly shined and sent a blast of energy down from the very heavens, those outside could see the beam flying down into the castle like a heavenly spear. The blast hit Vulkan's hammer, allowing him to place it over Zu'hal's heart.
The group watched, as the light bathed around Zu'hal's body, the sounds of his armor cracking and bones shaping. Vulkan smiled, watching as his prayer had been heard. "W-What did you… Do?" Twilight asked, once the light disappeared, seeing Zu'hal's breathing starting again.
Vulkan slowly stood up, still smiling. "Gave him even more reason to stay." He said, his body slowly starting to turn into small sparkles. "He'll need rest... When he is ready, allow all to see, that the Emperor truly watches over his finest."
Vulkan then disappeared, in a mist of light flying up into the sky. Twilight slowly looked down, noticing that Zu'hal's armor changed and his face… Was different! Her jaw went slack at what he now looked like. "Quickly! Get him back to the castle!" She ordered, the Dragon Guard responding without need of being told twice.
Three weeks had gone by, since the defeat of the Dark Apostle and the fall of Zu'hal, Nyx barely leaving the castle and Twilight strangely been keeping to her room. When Nyx walked around, she noticed an eleventh Dragon Guard, whose armor covered most of his body and helmet actually looked like that of a Dragon. She could tell it was a unicorn, due to the armored horn in the helmet…. She even noticed that he was the one who took up Zu'hal's old charge within the armory. Mother must have had to pick a new Honor Guard… Auntie Celestia probably told her to, since… Nyx stopped herself, remembering who held that honor, before walking back towards her room.
"Nyx?" A voice suddenly said, making the filly look to see her mother walking over to her, with the new Dragon Guard. "Princess Celestia is having a memorial built in Ponyville for Zu'hal… She asked that we be present for it's unveiling." She said, smiling at the filly.
Nyx just looked at the Dragon Guard… She noticed that, out of all the stallions she's seen, he was by far the biggest. That's probably why mom picked him… He reminded her of Zu Zu. She thought, before nodding. "S-Sure…." She said, before following her mother and the Dragon Guard out of the castle.
The walk to Ponyville was silent, no one really speaking the entire time. Though, Nyx was able to catch a few whispers between Twilight and the Dragon Guard… Hearing the words "She'll love it" from her mother and "I still feel silly" from the Dragon Guard.
When they arrived in the town, all of Ponyville was in attendance, with Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadence; standing around a pillar that had a cloak over it's top. Twilight made her way over to them, and bowed her head to the elder Princesses, who simply bowed back. "Sorry it took us some time to get here, we had to make sure everything was ready." Twilight said.
"Nonsense, Twilight… This is really for you, Nyx, and Zu'hal." Celestia said, as the three took their places. The elder Princess looked to the crowd, before she started to speak. "Thank you, citizens of Ponyville, for attending this memorial! As you all know, we are here to dedicate this statue for a fallen hero of Equestria… One who came here as a stranger but soon found a place in all of our hearts, and even stopping a villain that could have disrupted everything we created." The crowd remained silent, many who joined the Equestria Aegis bowing their head, in respect for the fallen hero. "Without further delay, I present the Salamander Memorial." Celestia used her magic to pull the cloak from the statue, revealing Zu'hal's image, within his Terminator armor, standing tall with his hammer held high and shield lower… Standing like a true hero, they even had an image of the Sorcerer underneath his boot, to signify his defeat. "To Brother Zu'hal, the Salamander of Equestria."
Many of the crowd was silent, except for a few muttering voices of ponies that didn't really know Zu'hal…
"Why are we even doing that for him? He's not even a pony." One whispered.
"Yes… And did you see how he looked? It still gives me chills." A second said.
"He was also so violent… Could you imagine the image he was giving our children? It is a good thing that monster isn't among us anymore." A third say, becoming the last straw for Nyx.
All voice went silent, as Nyx slammed her hoof on to the stage. "Shut up!" She yelled, glaring into the crowd. "None of you knew who Zu Zu really was! He didn't have to do anything for us, and yet he did so without care for his own life!" The crowd just looked at the young Princess, the ones that spoke ill of the hero suddenly finding themselves blushing, knowing that Nyx could hear them. "He was like the dad I never had! He was kind, he was gentle, he was understanding, he taught me new things, he showed me the meaning of loyalty, self-resilience, self-sacrifice; he did everything no one else would do!" Tears started to appear in her eyes, unable to hold back her emotions any longer. "And you all want to speak ill of him! He doesn't deserve that, and he… And he..." She just kept repeating, until a rough, familiar, voice spoke up from behind Nyx.
"And he kept his promise, Nyx." The Dragon Guard said, who had made his way behind Nyx without her even noticing, due to her outburst.
Nyx turned around, to look up at the massive stallion. "H-Huh? W-What do you mean?" She asked, confused by the Dragon Guard's outburst.
"He promised you that he would not die at the hands of the Sorcerer. He kept that promise." The Dragon Guard said, a magic aura appearing around his horn.
"H-How do you know that? I didn't tell anyone about that promise, and he couldn't have either…." She said, confused, until the helmet slowly came off. Nyx's eyes widen when she saw the rough, charcoal black, coat of the unicorn. His mane was cut rather short, to keep it organized, but what really caught her by surprised… Was the ruby red glowing eyes.
"I didn't have to." He said, leaning down, as Nyx started to smile even wider. "Told you I was too strong to fall." Nyx suddenly jumped up, and wrapped her legs around his neck… Nuzzling into Zu'hal's neck, while he wrapped his hoof around her back. He couldn't help but chuckle at her crying. "And I also told you… A Salamander always keeps his promise."
The Princesses smiled at the scene, the towns ponies all shocked to see what had happened to the Honor Guard, some wondering how it occurred. Twilight slowly made her way up to Zu'hal, and leaned against his side. "It seems our surprise worked, didn't it?" She asked, looking up at the large unicorn stallion.
"Yes… And I bet she's wondering where I was hiding that whole time, before I was strong enough to return to the armory." Zu'hal said, making Twilight suddenly blush a bright red color.
"Um… When she's older, please, Dragon Hammer?" She asked, making the stallion give a hearty chuckle.