Chapter Two: Ruin

He stood outside the cottage with an air of confusion, the Elders of the Forbidden Secrets had directed him here three times already and every time he arrived he had turned around and gone back to make sure. "Yes!" They had said. "For the last time, that is where she lives!!!" They had gotten quite snide about it.

Still he supposed that even the most cruel of tyrants had to start out somewhere... if somewhere was a happy little cottage in the middle of nowhere then he supposed that was just fate. He shook his massive head, the flames of his wild mane flickering. He took a deep breath, tasting for the tenth time the overwhelming smell of wild animals and their waste. It was perhaps a bit much but even the worst dictators in history had come from worse.

He was here for a reason, the reason being his nature, his nature demanding his presence and yadda yadda yadda... he hated his job, it had been so long since he had taken part in a decent war. Those two Alicorn hussies were to blame, Celestia and... um... at the top of my tongue... That One Girl, yes that was it, bringing their filthy peace to the ponies they governed. Who the hell did they think they were? Everything had been just fine till they arrived, there had been war, pain, death, misery, shame, hate, rage... all the good things in life, all the wonderful things that made life worth living...

Now it was all gone... replaced by... "Erugh, 'Friendship'!" He spoke the word with venom.

He shuddered, he hated that word, DESPISED it, it made him feel ill to even consider the emotions needed to qualify for such a thing. He gave a massive sigh and slumped his shoulder. The flames that flowed through the cracks in his obsidian body spluttering despondently. It had been far too long since he had been able to beat something to death with a massive stick.

Though he preferred his sword, the massive blade that came when summoned.

He wore his armour, he had even taken the time to put a shine on it, though all that needed was some form flammable liquid of some kind to ignite the solid flames it had been forged from. He was a near pillar of fire, the ground would echo with his thunderous steps and all would know Ruin was coming, the grass at his hooves shriveling to ash, the air becoming a furnace of heat.

Yet none of that made a difference since nopony would know who he even was!

History had attempted to wipe all terrible things from itself, the youth these days knew nothing of the past actions their glorious ancestors had partaken in. During the events of the old world till now things had changed greatly... in fact great is too good a word. Lets say, Terrible!

No... Horrific!

The changes had been horrific, nobody hated anything enough to attempt to wipe it out, now all he could hope for were a few border skirmishes and a random bout of fisticuffs in Canterlot. Life sucked and it got worse everyday.

Perhaps he could change that, as now the Warlord was waiting to be crowned!

Destiny called the Warlord the Child of Ruin, which Ruin did have a complaint about, he was sure the child wasn't his, in fact he was sure he had never had any foals! maybe a few... but he was definitely sure this one wasn't his... nineteen percent sure at least.

He pulled a sour face, it was true he liked mares... couldn't keep his hooves off them... but was that really his fault? No! It wasn't! It was their fault! They seduced HIM! They were the ones that always instigated it! They were the ones that always made an issue about it afterwards! And now apparently he had this new thing to worry about, something called Foal Support!? What the hell was Foal Support and why did it make him feel so uneasy!?

Perhaps it was just his natural male instincts but whatever, he was sure as hell not going to tell this pony that he may or may not be her father, not after the last seventy two hundred disasters! Thus he would do this the right way, with all the bells and whistles. He gave the three coughs to clear his throat, making ready for his War Voice which would cause thunder to charge in the sky above.

Already his flaming mane and tail began to blaze a deeper shade of blood red, his perfect black hide reflecting the light of the fire like oil. His massive spiky flame armour only made his appearance more threatening, he wanted to make sure he had the mare's full attention.

He reached into the black flame retardant leather saddle bags built into his armour and removed the small piece of fire proof fabric with her name on it again...

Yes, the new Warlord would bring his Element to the world again, and the world would burn for it, all would know fear and none would be safe from the almighty power and rage of...

"Fluttershy?"

Alright not the best name for the new Warlord but then again he had heard worse... his Sister for instance had the worse name in history yet she was still a bad ass! In fact he was quite sure he had lost a few fights to her... though that was probably due to the mass quantities of rum and vodka he would swill before said beatings. He shook his head once more and watched the ink on the fabric burn away, well this was it, he had been waiting for this moment for many years now, so many he felt terribly desperate to see this happen.

He threw the fabric away and marched to the door, he would give the standard Rider Greeting today.

***

She was in her own world of happiness and joy, blissfully unaware of the massive creature outside her door slowly burning away her porch and front garden with his presence. Though she would later blame the Spa for that, it always left her in an odd blissful mood. She swaned about her home without much of a goal in mind other than cleaning the last finishing touches of her home, her feather duster in her mouth as she hummed her way through her work hovering above the ground with gentle flaps of her wings.

It had been a good day, though Rarity had not been present she had managed to at least relax from all the tension that had built up around the group since the lack of two friend's being present. Though Rainbow Dash and Applejack had almost come to blows recently Twilight had managed to save things. But now Twilight had gone and with her Rarity. Fluttershy didn't feel bad that she had been left out, in fact she was glad for it, the idea of dealing with heated negotiations between two nations made her tremble.

But soon it would be over and the gang would reunite.

Such things she looked forward to more than anything else. She didn't like it when her friends weren't around and recently everypony had been distant. Dash was in a bad mood and Applejack was in her righteous state of mind, which made the two difficult to be around, she didn't like it when her friend's complained about each other to her.

Pinkie Pie was being Pinkie Pie and had not been seen since last night, which was strange because the pink earth pony always made sure to at least make an appearance every morning to make sure everypony was alright. It worried Fluttershy who had gotten used to her pink friend's morning burst of greetings.

She hovered over to her table in the centre of her living room, considering the thought that perhaps the peace and quiet would do her well...

The front door exploded inward, fiery chunks of wood showering her living room in a cascade of madness. In the centre where the front entrance to her house had stood now a large shadow loomed, blazing with blood red flame with eyes like dark red orbs of molten lava. A body darker than any black she had seen reflected the blazing nova that was it's mane and tail.

A deep voice boomed at her, sending her flying into a seat, it thundered with the sky and tore at her senses like a hammer piercing the lightest of paper armour.

"Fluttershy!" It quaked the world around it. "I Have Come For Thee!"

"Eeep!" She responded.

It took a while for the dust to settle, for her senses to realign but even so she was still in shock, many reasons as to why but the main being the sensory overload that had blown her thoughts away like a bag full of frail kittens against the shotgun of harsh reality, all the while the massive creature struggled to get its shoulders through the door frame.

"Gah... Damn it! Can't...Fit...Through...Bloody...There!" It declared victoriously, tearing its way through some of her wall. It shook itself off then looked down to her, its wide nostrils releasing a jet of hot steam. "Fluttershy! Your Destiny Has Arrived!"

...

...

...

The silence was deafening, all that could be heard was the flickering of his flames and the slow progression of fire that was beginning to char her home. It took him a moment to realise that the tiny pony below him had frozen with shock, her pale yellow coat turned near white with fear. She was paralysed and unable to move, nor could she even if she had the ability for her mind had been wiped clear of anything resembling an active brain.

He stared at her in confusion, this shouldn't have happened.

She sat bolt upright in a chair, her eyes wide and locked on his, her mouth agape and her mane and tail standing on end. The colour had indeed drained from her face because she felt numb there, in fact she felt numb all over. It took a few moments for one of them to gather enough to be able to cut through the conflicted air of chaos.

"Erm... you are Fluttershy right?" He asked in a voice more normal though still deep.

Somehow she managed a slow nod, her mouth still open with shock.

He smiled to himself, at least he had gotten the right pony. "Yes well..." Resetting the voice to War he continued. "Fluttershy, I Have Come To Take Thee Away, To Train Thee In The Arts Of War, To Give To Thee The Flames Of My Rage And To Aid Thee In Thine Bid For World Domination!"

"Sorry?" She asked unable to keep up with it all.

"Once I Am Done With Thee, None Will Stand In Your Way! All Shall Fear The Name..." He paused and frowned but struggled through it anyway. "...Fluttershy... Warlord And Child Of Ruin."

"Erm... may I ask a question?" She whispered, so quietly only his heightened senses could hear.

He looked down at her, with more confusion. She hadn't moved but her jaw was working now... in fact she was moving... she appeared to be... cringing!? "Ask Thine Question Fluttershy!"

"If you don't mind... I mean... if its alright..."

He frowned and rolled his eyes, repeating tiredly in his normal voice. "Just ask the question."

She gave a frightful squeak, shivering all the more in fear of his awesome... well he was very large and scary, all the fiery stuff made it obvious that she should be scared of him, plus the booming voice and thunder rumbling in the sky still. The fact that her door and half the front of her house had been blown in made it easier she had to admit... and the way he loomed over her as if he were about to set her ablaze with some kind of laser eye vision... she should stop going to see those movies with Rainbow Dash at the Cinema, they were giving her quite an imagination.

In a rush she spoke, though so quietly she was sure he would not hear. "What was that... about war?"

He seemed to freeze, perhaps he did not understand, perhaps he had not heard... then again. "War?" He seemed horrified. "You do not know what War is?"

She made a small noise of fear as he squinted at her. "I know what war is!" She answered quickly panicking afterwards in fear she might offend him. "I mean! I know about war... I just... if you don't mind me asking..."

"Just come out with it." He growled with irritation.

"What... does it have to do with... me?"

He nodded, this he could answer. "You are the new Warlord, Child of Ruin, Bringer of Destruction and Misery."

"I'm what!?" She squeaked audibly that time.

"I will not repeat myself!" He answered shortly with a groan. "You will come with me, you will learn what I have to teach you, and when we are done you are going to take over the World! Do you hear me!?"

He was getting angry again, she decided to run.

She leapt into action, flying with all the speed she had, attempting to fly by him and out the large hole in her house, it was perhaps not the best option she had but it was one made of panic, yet when he caught her tail in his teeth she realised that panic had definitely not been the answer to her problem.

"Where are you going!?" He demanded through clenched teeth. "I respect your hunger to be away but I did not say you could leave yet, I still have things to explain!"

She released an animal cry for help as he moved further into the house, she tried to break free of his grip but it was made difficult by the fact she now hung upside from the ground, held up by her tail trapped in his teeth. She was but a bare inch from the floor and she looked to it longingly. He took her to the centre of the room and with a flick of his head she sailed up and down into the seat she had first been thrown into when he had entered her home.

He moved to take the seat opposite the small table next to where she sat. As he lowered himself the structure of the empty seat beneath collapsed under his weight, falling to bits and beginning to burn away quite rapidly. He watched as it did so with an air of embarrassment, he gave another cough and moved on.

"Right... lets start from the beginning shall we." He spoke in his normal voice now, all pretense dropped. "You are Fluttershy, chosen by destiny to be the next Warlord, Mistress of War, Bringer of Destruction, Child of Ruin."

"Child of who...?" She whispered in a state of shock.

"Ruin..." He sighed, taking a deep breath he decided to just get it over and done with. "I am Ruin, Element of War and Rider of the Apocalypse."

"I'm your daughter!?" She burst suddenly, her shock which had at first thought to be at an all new high suddenly racing upwards as if shot by a cannon.

"Well hang on now!" He argued, panic settling in. "That may or may not be true, there is a chance, a slight chance but lets not jump to any conclusions alright?"

She nodded, she had similar feelings of doubt on that score, though she had never met her father she was sure flaming manes and rude behavior was not a part of her gene pool! He gave a brisk nod of satisfaction in return, at least that had been settled quickly.

"Now, as to my offer." He continued with an impassive expression. "If you accept it you will become one of the most powerful mortals in the world, you will become my chosen warrior, you will bring devastation to entire nations..."

"Sorry... what kind of job is this?" She asked, then blushed. "If you don't mind me asking."

He frowned, she was beginning to annoy him. "As Warlord it is your duty to bring war to Equestria, to murder and slaughter any and all in your path..."

As he continued she fazed out, his words had hit her heavily, one word in particular, murder, anything else after that had become a hollow echo that seemed distant and unrelated to anything involving her whatsoever. In fact right then her brain was beginning to explode with sheer terror.

How could she murder anypony!? It wasn't in her to do such a thing, in fact she was more likely to faint even thinking about it let alone...

She felt herself dizzy and begin to black out, once more she had allowed her imagination to take control of her, she would have to have words with Dash about that, it couldn't be healthy.

While he continued away with his speech she began to search for options, a way out of this mess, she wasn't any Warlord that was a certainty, nor would she want anything to do with that! However she suddenly realised that with all her panic she had overlooked some critical piece of information.

"You said this was an... offer?" She asked.

"... Rending the Flesh of Children, Spilling the Blood of the Innocent... sorry what?" He paused with a blink of hesitation, his tirade halted before its end. Once more confusion flooded him, it was really beginning to annoy him.

She flinched once again in the face of his frown, this close up he appeared more a pony than a monster, his irises now visible amongst the rage of red, his face though heavily muscled was softer and younger than she had at first thought, even so he was still very frightening.

"Erm... you said this was an offer?" She released in a quiet breath, hiding her face behind her fore hooves.

"Yes." He nodded. "Yes I did."

"So I can say no?"

His frown deepened. "Well... yes you can..."

She felt elation, finally a way to remedy this lunacy without making trouble for herself, she felt a sudden rush of confidence and declared in the way Applejack and Rarity had taught her when dealing with persistent salesponies outside her door. "No thank you, we don't need any war here!"

She watched as the room grew suddenly darker, the creaking throughout her home caused by his weight seemed to grow louder and deeper, his mane and tail dimmed slightly and the air took a chill turn. She couldn't look him in the eyes. His voice was as sharp as talons scraping against a chalk board.

"You, what?"

His quiet demand made her jump in her seat, she began to stutter. "No... no... war today... thank you anyway..."

"You..." He breathed with outrage. "You... you are turning ME down?"

"Um... yes... sorry..."

"I, the Rider of War, Master of Tyranny..." He was in shock and when in shock he was often very, very angry. "Ruin, Lord of Rage and the Fires of War... you are saying NO to ME!?"

"...yes..." She squeaked, shrinking into a ball in the hopes she would just be swallowed by the universe and disappear.

The sudden dark evacuated, the air returned to normal and so did too Ruin's flickering mane... though in truth that was far from normal, his expression had a despondent look to it and it was obvious that he was growing depressed.

"Blast." He muttered.

"I'm sorry/" She apologised though not really knowing why, his mournful expression had filled her somewhat with empathy...

"Are you sure I cannot tempt you?" He attempted.

"No thank you." She answered emphatically, shaking her head from side to side.

He lowered his head and gave the deepest sigh she had ever heard, it rumbled through the floor to her seat and up her body. They waited in silence for a while and Fluttershy began to take note of her cottage slowly charring under his flames. Somehow it had not caught alight yet, which was a miracle to say the least... she had to get him out of the house if she was going to salvage what was left.

He was nodding without much emotion, he supposed he should just accept it, usually even the most resistant of Warlords had a touch of desire to them but this one did not. Yes... It was a simple nod, his flames began to calm, shrinking down to little more than a soft flicker that seemed subdued.

Ruin was far away now, that terrible well of hopelessness drowning his mental processes to little more than idiotic nodding. In the background he could hear the panicked cries of the animals as finally they came to their senses... and those senses detected both fire and a dangerous predator.

It was entirely his fault though he would never admit it...

He should have expected it really, even he knew the Elders of the Forbidden Secrets were a bunch of douchebag griefers.

Fluttershy struggled with an inner turmoil as her motherly nature battled against its homeowner nemesis, (as it had when Discord had stayed for a time...) yet finally her more gentle nature took control. With a look of sympathy and an encouraging though awkward smile she asked:

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

He sighed once more.

Author's Note

Soon we will be done with the next two chapters... then the REAL fun begins!

Mwa ha ha... Mwa Ha Ha Ha... MWA HA HA HA HA!!!

Yes...I don't want to give too much away too soon, this could go places!