Ocelot's Epic Journey

Chapter 3: The Nightmare Begins

It was a horrid sight. Bodies and parts of such things laying everywhere. Blood and gore at every turn. Nothing was the way it used to be. This was war, a war between me and him. The man behind it all. Jack Of Blades. He had claimed to be helping me when Celestia was kidnapped, but the truth is, he was behind that too. This is my war now. All my friends are dead.  Twilight and Rainbow dash are the only two left of the six and my lust for revenge has carried me to this.

"GO, GO, GO!! WE'VE GOTTA GET THEM OUTTA-" The man shouted but was cut off by the loss of his head. I carried Death's Scythe in my hands, now bloodied from this war.

"Whats wrong? Afraid of DEATH?!" I howled before charging the other soldiers. Then my world flashed and i was standing atop Canterlot Tower looking over all of Equestria. The entire country lay in ruins. Buildings burning, People dieing, War ravaging this once peaceful land. And its all my fault. I stand over the defeated bodies of my closest friends holding Celestia in my arms.

"Dante........ Goodbye...." She whispered to me and died in my arms. I stood there crying onto her dead body before i spoke.

"No................ NO!!!!!!!!!!!!" I said and fired myself into the air. I flew so high into the air i could see all of Equestria as if they were ants. "HEAD MY WORDS OH GREAT POWERS OF DARKNESS!!!! I SACRIFICE MY POWER TO SAVE THIS ONCE PEACEFUL WORLD!!!! HEAR MY CALL AND TAKE MY LIFE FORCE, AND SPREAD IT ALL ACROSS THESE LANDS!!!! TAKE MY LIFE AND GIVE THEM THEIRS!!!!!!!!!!!" I howled into the sky before a blinding light appeared and i was gone, but everything else was returned to normal.

"NO!!!!" I shot up in bed and howled through Canterlot so loud it shook the city with its force. I also woke Celestia from her slumber as well.

"Ocelot, whats wrong?" She asked me and rubbed her eyes. I grabbed my chest and gasped repeatedly.

"Oh....... Thank the heavens it was only a dream........ Oh thank Celestia it was only that." I said and fell back and kept gasping.

"Ocelot, what is the matter?" She asked again.

"I had a horrifying nightmare. Everything was...... Everyone was....... I cant say it....." I said and shook my head.

"Ocelot, please tell me." She said and i looked at her.

"Watch." I said and placed my hands on the sides of her head. I showed her everything i saw in my dream and she pulled away from me in horror. She had terror in her eyes as she looked at me.

"What did i just witness?!" She half shouted.

"It was all my fault. I was unable to save you from him and he took you away from me. I went into a rage that destroyed the entire country and i wanted nothing less than to kill him. But in the end, i became what i wanted to destroy the most. I became Jack Of Blades......"I said and looked down. I sat there and thought to myself what i had just showed her and realized i had to stop it all before it happened.

"What do you mean?" She asked me and i returned to attention.

"I have to stop it all. I need to find him and stop him before he can take you away." I said and stood up and walked out of the room. I walked down the hallway and reached a set of stairs and began walking down them. It was four in the morning and i walked into the throne room and saw a group of guards at the door.

"Sir please!" One guard shouted.

"What is going on here?" I asked and walked over. I pushed them apart and saw who they were detaining.

"Ocelot! Oh thank Celestia your here!" The form of Cole said and tried to pull away from the guards once more. I grabbed the guards and pushed them back and walked into the throne room with him.

"Sir you two cant be in here!" A guard shouted and grabbed my arm. I pulled away from him and equipped my sword.

"Whos going to make us leave?" I asked and raised it.

"Sir please do not make us use force." A guard said and they all drew their weapons.

"Cole, get behind me. Things are about to get ugly." I said and he was already there. I changed into my demon form and my blade followed. It shifted shape and turned into a scythe. I held it up at them and grinned. "Come on, try and stop me!" I shouted at them. They backed away slowly but kept their weapons raised.

"What are you?!" A few guards asked me.

"Death, a demon, Celestia's boyfriend. Lots of things. Call me what you may." I said and lowered the scythe. They all sheathed their weapons and bowed.

"Our apologies sir." A few of them said and backed out of the room. I grinned and changed back to normal and turned to see Celestia walk down the stairs.

"What was that all about Ocelot?" She asked and sat down.

"The guards were holding my friend and i let him in. They tried to get me to leave so i pulled rank on them. They apologized and left before i had to get violent." I said and shrugged. Celestia shook her head.

"Please, try and contain your anger. Please?" She asked.

"You know i try Celestia. Now then, Cole, what is it?" I asked him and he looked at me.

"I came to get you for the arena. It starts in half an hour." He said and my eyes shrank back.

"Well then lets go! Celestia, Cole, head to the arena. Im going to go check on Nightmare." I said and sprinted up the stairs. I spun a corner and knocked on Luna's bedroom door.

"Come in." I heard her say and opened the door. I saw her sitting in front of a mirror looking at herself.

"Whats wrong?" I asked and stood next to her. She gasped and looked at my reflection then looked at me.

"What is that?" She asked and pointed at it.

"Oh...... Damn it, i thought the spell i used for that wouldn't wear off." I said and snapped.

"What spell?" She asked and looked at my reflection again. I was wearing a long black robe the swirled around my feet and my face was un-seeable. I had a slight black mist coming off of my body and had a very large black and red scythe on my back and i was apparently in my demon form as well.

"Well now that you know i guess i should tell you. When my father died he passed down this weapon to me and gave me a title. He said to me that i had to take his place in the world. He told me that i had to end the lives of the dead. He told me i had to become death. He also gave me his weapon as a sign of my authority over the demon army, therefor, crowning me king of the demon army." I said and pulled out my katana. I changed into my true demon form and looked exactly like the reflection. I pulled back my hood and showed her my face and sighed.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" She asked me.

"Really Nightmare? Im DEATH. No one wants to be friends with someone who can kill them in seconds without even trying." I said and changed back. "Now come on, the arena competition starts in a half hour." I said and walked to the balcony and flew off. She was soon to follow behind me as we landed at the main gate along with my four friends, Twilight and her friends and Celestia.

"Good morning princess's. Are these people with you?" A guard at the door asked.

"Yes they are. These four are competitors though." Celestia said and pointed to me, Cole, Ash and Jack. The guard nodded and opened the door on the right for Celestia and the others while he opened the left door for me and the other three with me. We walked into the arena and the door shut behind us as another guard gave us a sheet to sign.

"Are you each fighting separately or as a group?" He asked and we each signed in.

"As a group." I told him and he nodded before pointing us to a door at the end of a hallway. We walked down and through it and into the barracks. There were about four other people training with weapons on dummies and targets. There was a ring shaped stall in the center of the room with a man standing there. I approached him and tapped the counter.

"How can i help you sir?" He asked me.

"What is this thing?" I asked him and motioned to the stand.

"The before battle shop. You can buy weapons, armor, shields and all sorts of other things before you head in." He said and smiled.

"Hey guys come here." I said and my friends walked over. "You guys should get a weapon or two for the battles. Buy anything, i'll pay." I said and stepped back. Cole found a large two-handed sword with an engraving on it and showed it to me.

"Check this out!" He said and handed it to me. I held it with one hand and read it.

"Never give up, without a fight." I said and nodded before handing it back to him. "Go ahead and get it. Take this." I said and handed him a bag with about four hundred bits in it. Ash came to me next with a long sword that had the edges coated in obsidian. It also had an engraving on it.

"How about this?" He asked and gave it to me.

"Always remain true to the cause." I said and handed it back to him with a bag of about three hundred and fifty bits. Jack came to me with a seemingly simple sword on a sheath that had a gold trim and a ruby attached to the base of it. I unsheathed the weapon to reveal a twin set of short swords with an engraving for each. "Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted." They said and they were edged with what appeared to be some sort of gem. It looked to be amethyst, one of the strongest gemstone types. I handed it back to him as well as a bag of money filled with about seven hundred and fifty bits. I smiled and nodded as the payed for the weapons. They came back to me with them unsheathed and smiled.

"Hey Ocelot, wanna train with us?" Cole asked as Jack shook his head.

"No, no dude, first we need armor." He said and i laughed.

"Dont worry, i got you covered. Literally." I said and activated a spell and all four of us were each wearing a full black set of armor with an image of something on the chest plate. Jacks had a man and a sword, Ash's had a wolf with armor, Cole's had a dragon with armor and mine had a large, red, horned man with armor and a scythe.

"Woah..... This is awesome!" They said and looked at me.

"Glad you think so. Now then, lets begin. All three of you against me. Lets go." I said and drew my sword and raised it to them. After about ten minutes of training lightly we had been called up for combat. We approached the gate leading into the arena battleground and opened the door. We waved to everyone in the audience as the gate lowered and we walked into the circle. There had to be at least seven thousand people watching us. I saw Melissa in the booth with Nightmare, who was in Luna's form, and Celestia waving at me. I nodded and drew my sword, as did my friends.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight, we have a very special competitor in the ring. Please help me welcome, the boyfriend of Princess Celestia, Ocelot Striker!!!!" The intercom said and everyone screamed and cheered for me and my friends as we waved. "Now then, let the arena competition begin! Now, round one, please put your hands together for the wolf horde!" The announcer said and we raised our swords as a large horde of wolves came sprinting towards us. A relatively large wolf stayed back and howled into the moon filled sky and then charged me directly. I narrowly dodged it and got bitten in the leg by another.

"Get the hell off me!" I screamed and decapitated it as well as several other wolves that charged me. The large wolf howled again and charged me. I grinned and hit it with a bolt of lightning in the chest and then cut it's head off. I watched as my friends finished off the last of the wolves and walk next to me.

"Alright folks, they made it through round one. Now lets give them more of a challenge! Please welcome, the Lupus army!" The announcer said and my friends eye's shrank back/

"D-Did he just say..... Lupus?!" Jack asked and we turned to face a horde of abnormal wolf-like creatures looking hungrily at us.

"I guess so!" I said and charged them all. "Leave them to me!" I said and shifted forms into my demon form and jumped into the air and drew my sword. I howled to the sky and smashed it to the ground in front of me and blasted them all back. They landed and stood up as my sword changed form and they all whimpered and backed away. Even the Lupus Major's were afraid of me.

"Ocelot what are you doing?!" Cole shouted as i approached them.

"Whatever i must." I said and spun around and swung the blade in a circle at the Lupus' and threw the sword at them. It curved in a circle shape and killed them all before coming back like a boomerang. I caught it and changed back to human and bowed.

"ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! It appears that Ocelot Striker has defeated all of the Lupus minor and major's ALL ON HIS OWN!" The announcer shouted and everyone roared with joy and cheers. I waved and bowed as the next round began. A very large group of small dragons climbed out of the gate that opened and came at us.

"I'll handle this one." Cole said and shifted form into his dragon shape. He approached them and they all stopped to look at them. He said a few things to them in dragon and they all just backed away for a second before charging him. They pinned him to the ground and started attacking him as i charged them with my friends at my side. We brutally ripped the dragons apart in battle before the announcer came on.

"That was AMAZING! But how long can they hold out against the next round? Now, Round four, Lets hear it for..... The Warriors of the Southern Raiders!!!!!" He shouted into the speaker and a gate opened. From behind it emerged a small army of soldiers, armed with swords and shields and armor. They ran towards us and attacked fiercely. We cut them down, one by one, until there was no one left. We were severely wounded from the battle and i healed each one of us with a spell.

"You guys okay?" Cole asked.

"Yeah.... I think were good." Ash said as the announcer came on.

"How much more do you think they can take?! And now, Round five, Give it up for the Ursa MAJOR!" The announcer howled as a large gate opened.

"U-U-Ursa....... major?!" Jack said and he was apparently scared shitless. Not literally of course but we were all terrified as the beast emerged from the gate and howled at us. I smiled as we all shifted forms into half-breed shape and charged it. I attacked its legs and cut them apart, causing it to fall down and stay there shortly. Jack attacked its back while Cole and Ash attacked its face. After about ten minutes of brutal, strategic combat it fell and died. It was surrounded by a magical aura and disappeared as the announcer came on.

"ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING!!! These three have bested an Ursa Major in combat! But now, Round Six, The final battle. Let them fight EACH OTHER!!!!!" He howled and we looked at each other.

"What do they think their doing? They cant do this!" Jack said.

"Calm down Jack, we'll find a way through this." Cole said.

"Any ideas Ocelot?" Ash asked me.

"Just one. We fight until we drop and whoever is left standing is the winner. Alright? NO ONE kills anyone you got that?" I asked and held out my hand. "For the half-breeds?" I said as they placed their hands on mine.

"For the half-breeds." They said in unison and we jumped apart. Jack attacked Cole and they fought mercilessly. Ash watched in horror as the two nearly killed each other before Cole knocked him unconscious. I attacked Ash with a blow to the back of the head and sent him flying as Cole attacked me. I blocked all his attacks and slashed at him with my sword. I cut him a few times, some worse than others, and he finally fell and surrendered. Ash attacked me and knocked my weapon away. I growled and began to pound him brutally with my bare hands. I defeated him and he lay there, bleeding from a wound on his side un the ground. Cole was holding a gash on his shoulder and Jack was unconscious.

"Looks like we have a winner here tonight folks! But, will he do it? WIll he kill them? Or will he throw his victory away?!" The announcer asked.

"O-Ocelot..... D-Dont do this....." Cole asked as a sword landed in front of me and i picked it up.

"I wont." I said and snapped the sword over my knee and dragged the two over to a wall in the circle. "Stay here. I'll deal with this." I said and walked back out into the center.

"I guess he wont be killing them tonight! Well, as you may or may not know, we have a very special guest here today. Please welcome, the one, the only, the Hero of Heroes...... JACK OF BLADES!!!!!" The announcer howled and i spun around to face him standing in the booth opposite to Celestia.

"I have returned..... After an eternity away from you all...... Jack. Of Blades. Is. Back. This arena, is all that is great in the world. And you all, that is great in it. I am honored, to stand before you again. And i have a proposal to mark the occasion. One. Final Round. A fight to the death between The last warrior left standing and the legendary undefeated beast. The Unknown." He said and lifted his hands. "Bring out the creature!" He shouted and a gate in the center of the arena opened and a panel came up with a red, faceless creature chained to it. It had massive claws and huge teeth and struggled for freedom and howled in my direction. I was taken aback by the horror of the creature.

"What the hell is that?" I asked myself as the chains broke from its body. It charged me and i escaped its grasp, but just barely. It charged again and grabbed me and pinned me to the ground. It looked into my eyes without any of its own and raised its right arm and extended its claws.

"Its over." Jack said and it echoed through the, now silent, arena as the sound of ripping flesh and cracking bones filled the building, as well as my agonizing screams. I lay there, motionless, as the creatures claws ripped into my chest and broke bones and attempted to kill me. I coughed up blood several times and the creature did not move. I reached for my sword, which was only a few feet away. But i could not reach it. I lay there, dieing slowly and looked at the creature.

"You...... C-Cant kill a..... D-Demon." I said as my entire arm glowed a bright red and was replaced by a full set of burning claws and i slashed the creatures neck. It looked at me and then its head fell off and it rolled off of my chest and its claws retracted. I stood up, five gaping holes in my chest, and looked at the crowd.

"What?!" Jack shouted.

"You..... Thought you could kill me..... That easily Jack?!" I shouted and laughed hysterically. "Dont make me laugh! I have been around far longer than you and i picked up a few things of my own!" I said with a grin as i fell to my knees and then, a moment later, my face made contact with the ground. I heard the screams of my friends as Celestia, Nightmare and the others sprinted towards me. I saw Celestia's face and then my vision faded and i passed out. I awoke a few hours later in a hospital bed. I saw Twilight and her friends were passed out with Celestia and Nightmare, who was still in Luna's form, in some of the chairs around the room. I tried to sit up but searing pain shot through my whole body. I grunted and looked at my chest and face in the mirror. I had a huge scratch over my blind eye and five massive blood stains on the bandages on my chest. I had several small scars on the visible areas of my chest and face as i looked back at the others. I sighed quietly, but it was loud enough that Nightmare heard it.

"Oh good your awake." She whispered and stood up net to me.

"What...... What the hell happened? Where are my friends?" I asked her quietly as to not wake up the others.

"In the next room over. They were injured badly. But nowhere near as mortally wounded as you. Had it not been for your willpower and demon blood you would have died in that arena. Your will to protect Celestia was the only thing keeping you alive until now." She said and sat down in her chair and pulled it next to my bed.

"Wow....... So how are they doing?" I asked her and she sighed.

"They'll live. Jack and Ash were the best off of the three. Cole will live, but he wont live well." She said and looked down.

"Why? What happened to him?" I asked and attempted to sit up again only to feel the same searing pain as before.

"He probably won't be able to use his right arm for at least a few days and his left leg is broken. He'll make a full recovery...... With time of course, but he'll recover." She said and looked at the clock.

"What about me? How was i when you guys got me here?" I asked her and saw some of the others shift around.

"You were mortally injured. You had five gaping holes in your chest from that creature, as well as no intact ribs left. Your heart failed and your lungs stopped for a while but came back up. Your heart recovered shortly after and you remained alive. Your right eye is scared and blinded, your left arm is broken and your right leg is sprained. You'll be lucky if you can ever walk right or hold a weapon correctly again." She said and i laughed.

"Luck? Please, you think its luck thats kept me in perfect physical condition all these hundreds of years? Watch and learn from a master healer." I said and lifted my right arm to my left and made contact with it. The two merged and i moved the bones back into place and repaired them and separated the two and moved my arm around.

"That is astonishing." She said with wide eyes. I did the same to my leg and my other wounds and stood up out of bed. My chest was till wounded and i ripped the bandages off, causing everyone to wake up.

"Ocelot!" Celestia shouted at me. There was anger in her voice when she spoke. "Why aren't you laying down?" She asked me and i stood up. "Your..... Your leg?" She asked and i flexed it.

"Never better. And my arm as well." I said and moved it around. The holes in my chest slowly closed up and recovered as if they were never there other than five scars. I flexed and yawned, then sat down.

"But how? The doctor said that it was broken. How can you walk?" Twilight asked me.

"Twilight, there are many good things demons can do. Not just evil. I, for one, am a master healer among the ranks of my army. I can not only heal wounds with spells i can literally fuse my hands to an injury and fix any internal problems from the outside in mere seconds. That is how i fixed my arm and leg. Watch." I said and snapped my leg bone in half. I grunted in pain and cringed for a minute and then exhaled.

"Dude...... Thats some fucked up shit right there." Dash said and pointed to my leg.

"I know." I said and placed my hand on my leg. It reached in and moved the bone into place and mended it together and stood up. "See? Good as new." I said and sat down.

"Thats incredible. How did you learn to do that?" Twilight asked.

"Im not really sure. I guess it just came to me. Like a cutie mark per say. I guess healing is my special talent since there has never been an injury i could not heal." I said and heard a crash in the next room. I stood up and ran through the wall into the next room and saw Jack standing over my friends.

"Aah, hello Ocelot. Glad you could join us." He said and looked at me from behind his mask.

"Jack.... Leave now, before i have to do something i dont want to." I said through gritted teeth.

"Like what fool? I have lived for over a thousand years. What could you possibly-" He stopped as i shifted to demon mode and equipped my scythe. I saw his eyes shrink back and stepped away from me.

"Whats wrong Jack? Scared of Death?" I asked and approached him.

"S-Stay back! Keep that thing away from me!" He said and dove out the window and disappeared.

"What was that all about?" Nightmare asked.

"Jack is mortal just like anyone else. He died over a thousand years ago but has been using magic to keep his soul locked inside his body. Like a bird in a cage, the only way to free his corrupted spirit is to open the cage. And this shall be the key." I said and my scythe lit up. "Celestia, head back to Canterlot. Jack will want to have a meeting with you soon. I will be close by and do whatever he says. When the time is right, i will end him. But if my plan fails, all hope for this world and me will be lost." I said and vanished into the wind. I reappeared inside the throne room and sprinted up the wall and wedged myself into the ceiling and waited. I sat there for about five minutes before Celestia got there and an hour after before Jack got there.

"Hello Princess Celestia. I wanted to speak with you." Jack said and bowed in his red half robe. He looked up at her and she smiled.

"Alright then, what do you need?" She asked.

"Uum, is there someplace more private we could talk?" He asked and looked around.

"Of course, this way." She said and stood up. She turned and walked down a hallway followed by Jack. I grinned and faded away and turned invisible before dropping silently to the ground. I stalked them closely but i could not understand what they were saying. I followed them into a room at the end of the hallway and they closed the door. I shook my head and walked through it into the room.

"This is much better." Jack said and looked around.

"So what is it you-" Celestia was cut off by a rope being tied into her mouth and another around her hands.

"Just cooperate Celestia and it will be over quickly." Jack said and pushed her to the ground. She grunted and looked around for me but i was invisible at the time. "Now this wont hurt for long." Jack said and pulled out a knife. I returned to visibility and howled at him.

"JACK OF BLADES I CALL YOUR SPIRIT TO THE AFTERLIFE!!!!" I howled and he dropped the knife and began screaming in agony and i walked in front of him. He looked up at me and i grinned before smashing my fist into his mask. It shattered to pieces and flew all across the room and he flew and hit a wall with a massive thud. I cackled in joy and approached him.

"B-But H-How?!" He shouted through the remaining teeth he had.

"You didn't really think i'd leave Celestia alone with you did you?" I asked and activated a spell. He was pinned to the ground on his back by floor panels as i drew my scythe.

"No..... No! Please No!" He shouted and struggled. I turned into a demon wearing a black robe without wings and approached him as the room turned black all around us. My voice sounded demonic and echoed throughout the city.

"Jack Of Blades. You have committed crimes against humanity, time, existence, life and the entire world. What say you in your defense?!" I howled through the darkness and blowing wind.

"YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT!!!! YOU CAN ALL GO TO HELL!!!!" He screamed.

"Not soon enough im afraid. But thats where your going to be going in a moment." I said and my scythe glowed purple. "Jack Of Blades. You have evaded death for a thousand years and have come to owe the underworld your soul. For you, there is no redemption. No acceptance. No choice. For you..... There is only...... DEATH!!!!!" I howled and laughed maniacally as i ripped the scythe through the air and impaled his side. He howled in pain and i pulled the scythe upward, a bright red trail following it as i went.

"Whats going on in here?!" Nightmare shouted and kicked open the doors and gasped at the sight. I laughed maniacally as the red trail turned into a soul and was absorbed by the scythe. I howled into the darkness and placed the scythe on the ground.

"And for attempting to harm the one i love. I sentence you to EXECUTION!!!!!" I said and grabbed his head. I twisted it two ways and then ripped it from his body, as well as his spine. I held his head in the air and howled with laughter and my robe disappeared and turned into my four wings and expanded to cover the whole room. I laughed maniacally for about two minutes before i said anything. "FATHER! HEAR MY VOICE! I HAVE DONE WHAT YOU COULD NOT! I HAVE KILLED JACK OF BLADES AND TAKEN HIS SOUL FOR THE UNDERWORLD! ARE YOU PROUD OF ME NOW FATHER?!" I howled into the darkness and returned to normal. I fell to my knees and dropped the removed head to the floor as everyone else walked in.

"Ocelot..... What was-" Nightmare started but i cut her off.

"My destiny had been fulfilled. Jack Of Blades is dead and my father has been avenged after a thousand years of searching for him. I have finally done what he could not. I have surpassed even death itself. I have become...... King... Of the demon world. I am King Dante Sparda. Son of King Sparda the first. Ruler of the demon world. Keeper of the souls of the dead and harbinger of death itself. Not even death can save you from me. I. AM. DEATH!!!" I howled into the night as the sun came up and Nightmare changed into Luna. Then i passed out. When i opened my eyes i was looking at a black rock type floor and when i looked around i was inside of a volcano. Or, what appeared to be a volcano at least. I looked around and it looked like an arena or something.

"Hello Dante....." An incredibly deep voice said and echoed through the area.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" I shouted.

"Oh Dante, always so naive. You truly shouldn't have been able to save her. But then again, you didn't anyway did you?" The voice asked.

"Save who?! Who are you?! Where am i?!" I howled and heard something behind me. I turned and face a massive black dragon with horns and spikes jutting from its back. It roared at me and jumped towards me. It landed in front of me and gazed upon me with neon red eyes.

"Don't you recognize me anymore? Oh, but how could you? You took my soul away from me and disfigured me beyond recognition." The dragon said to me and grinned.

"Jack?" I asked and looked into his eyes.

"YES ITS ME YOU DIMWIT OF A FAILURE!" He howled at me.

"but how? I removed your soul!" I shouted.

"Oh poor naive Dante. I never even HAD a soul. You took the soul of one of the victims of the mask. That mask you broke was my soul mask. When ever the real Jack died the person who killed him would wear the mask against their will and become the next Jack. You see its quite an amazing process." He said with a chuckle.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh well, enough talk Dante. TIME TO DIE!!!" He howled and snapped his jaws around me and i shot up on the floor of the castle screaming.

"Shh, its okay Ocelot. you were passed out. Everythings alright." Celestia cooed. I looked around and gasped for air.

"What happened to you?" Twilight asked.

"I..... I had another vision....." I said and gasped for air.

"A vision? Of what?" Celestia asked.

"Jack...... He's...... He's not dead...... He never will be......." I said and laid down on my back.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked me.

"Jacks mask. The one i broke. Where is it?" I asked and sat up.

"What do you mean broke? Its right here." Dash said and picked it up. I gasped and snatched it away from her.

"NO ONE CAN TOUCH THIS MASK! NO ONE!!!!" I screamed and everyone stepped back.

"Ocelot what is the matter with you?" Celestia asked.

"This is a soul mask. It is worn by all those who kill Jack of Blades. When worn it steals their soul and replaces it with a black hole. And they become Jack of Blades. I must destroy it before he returns. Where is the nearest volcano?" I asked.

"The only volcano left is locked away behind the Bronze Gate. It hasn't been opened for over seven hundred years." Luna said.

"Then i must find a way to open it." I said and stood up.

"Are you CRAZY?!" Twilight yelled.

"What is the matter?" I asked her.

"Legend says that the opening of the Bronze Gate will bring about the end of the world!" Twilight shouted and everyone looked at me.

"I know Twilight. And that is why i must open it." I said and Celestia looked shocked.

"What do you mean?" She asked me.

"It has been my destiny to bring about the end of the world as my place in this world as demon king. But i have... Ahem, you have all changed my destiny with your friendship itself. You have forced me to the path that i must open the Bronze Gate. Not to destroy the world..... But to save it from destruction itself." I said and everyone stepped back.

"What are you talking about?" Rarity asked me.

"Im saying that i am leader of the demon world. I can summon the armies of hell itself into this world to assist me in the final battle. All five of us are the leader of something. Melissa is daughter of the commander of the armies of heaven itself. Cole is king of the dragons. Ash is lord of the wolves and Lupus. Jack is, or rather should be, ruler of the armies of earth. We each command a force great enough to provide peace for the rest of time. And that is exactly what we are going to do." I said and stood tall. Everyone looked at me as if i was some kind of madman.

"Ocelot-" Twilight began but i cut her off.

"Dante. Please, my birth name is Dante." I said and smiled.

"Okay then. Dante, how can you possibly be leader of the demon armies?" Twilight asked and i stepped back.

"You doubt my rank in hell? Then i will show you my power!" I said and warped everyone to an open field ten miles east of Canterlot. "Witness the true purpose of Death's Scythe!" I howled and transformed into a demon and unsheathed it. I spun it around and slammed the ground with the blade and sat there for a moment. After that, the ground shook and ripped open in front of the scythe, creating a stairway surrounded in fire. "BEHOLD! THE ARMIES OF HELL!" I howled and we all looked down the stairway into the depths of hell itself to reveal millions of demons wearing armor and wielding swords and shields as well as many other weapons. "BEHOLD! MY. ARMIES!!!!!" I shouted and fire spouted up from the depths of hell itself and the whole area vanished and sealed shut as we teleported back into Canterlot. A deadly silence fell over us all as we stood there.

"So i guess you were telling the truth....." Twilight said and grinned slightly.

"Twilight, dont worry. I have no intention of using them unless i have every possible need to. I give you my word." I said and smiled.

"Well, at least we know were safe for now. We should be heading home now. See you guys later." Twilight said as her and her friends walked out and teleported home. I chuckled and looked at me friends.

"You should get some rest as well. You'll need it eventually." I said and they all nodded and walked off. I smiled and turned to Celestia and Luna.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Celestia asked.

"Well, i dont know about you, but i have plans for tonight." Luna said with a smile.

"Then please, by all means go ahead. I'll cover for you while your gone." Celestia said as Luna walked out. She nudged me and i looked at her. "Im going to go out and check on her while she's gone." She whispered.

"No, no, no. Let me handle this. You stay here and i'll make sure she's safe." I said with a smile as i faded into the darkness. I followed Luna to the entrance to the castle and then all the way down to Ponyville. I landed on top of the roof across from where she landed and watched her knock on Twilight's door. I scratched my chin in thought as Twilight opened the door and the two walked off somewhere. "Hmm, what's going on here?" I asked myself and leaped silently onto the next roof over. It was about midnight now and it was incredibly difficult to see me in the sky as i followed them through town and out to a field. They sat underneath a tree, which i silently leaped into and sat back against it in one of the branches. They sat together and looked up at the sky.

"Oh look, there's Orion." Twilight said and i looked out into the sky. They were apparently looking for constellations together.

"Yes i see it. Over there, look its the little dipper." Luna said and pointed somewhere else. Then the two sat silently for a few minutes and i sat silently above them.

"I love you Luna." Twilight eventually said and i about fell out of the tree.

"I love you too Twilight." Luna responded and they kissed and looked back up at the stars. I grinned and shook my head in understanding. They sat there for about a half hour looking up at the night sky before they got up to leave. On the walk back i was on a roof above them when they stopped and talked.

"Twilight, don't you think we should tell someone about this? I mean we have been seeing each other for about two weeks now and no one knows yet." Luna said and i looked over the edge of the roof.

"I suppose we should. I mean, whats the worst that could happen?" She said and chuckled.

"Having a good time you two?" I said over the roof and they both shot glances all around them and i slowly floated to the ground behind them. "Over here." I said and they both shot around. Their faces were paralyzed in the same exact position as i looked at them angrily. I sat there and crossed my arms and Luna's face dropped.

"How long have you been listening?" She asked me.

"Since you left Canterlot. I heard and saw everything." I said, keeping the same expression as before.

"Are you..... Mad?" She asked me and my face shifted to a happy smile.

"Mad? Why would i be mad? If you two love each other i couldn't be happier for you." I said and smiled at them. They both looked at each other in disbelief and then looked at me.

"So your not mad?" Twilight asked.

"Well i am a little bit perturbed. Why didn't you tell anyone this sooner?" I asked them.

"We were worried how people would react to it." Luna said and looked down.

"Luna, please, it doesn't matter what other people think of it. If their happy for you, good. If their upset about it, oh fucking well, they can deal with it. Nothing is more important than your happiness. Especially to Celestia." I said and approached her. I placed my hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "And anything that will make Celestia happy makes me happy." I said and hugged her.

"Thank you Dante." She said and hugged me back. "Are you going to tell Celestia about this?" She asked as we separated.

"Well that all depends on what you think. It is your relationship after all. Me, im not one to judge. Im a demon for crying out loud." I said and shrugged.

"Well, i think i'll tell her when i come home then." She said and looked at Twilight.

"I think thats good. Now then, go ahead and run along you two, im heading back home to get some work done." I said and waved as i flew away. I created a drone again and sent it off to watch them. "Thats a good drone." I said and vanished into the night.