He was staggering across the cobblestones, his mind a haze and his limbs barely functioning. His eyes showed him ashes, rubble, and tragedy, all through what looked like a watery pane of muddled glass. He couldn’t remember the time, the day, the week, the month, or the year. He couldn’t keep a thought or a sensation as his body floundered through the streets on new legs with the new arms. He didn’t know how long he had been wandering, or how long he had spent vomiting once he realized the dark stains on his appendages were blood, and not his own. What he did know was that when he looked ahead and saw a figure glinting in the light, bearing a white flag in one hand and a clear flask of water in the other, he felt relief spread through his body and a smile grace his face, before his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the cold stone.

He awoke much later, in a makeshift bed of cloth and straw, staring at a dark ceiling of stone. A faintly flickering light was to his left, of a magical candle ever so gently pulsing, not strong but providing just enough light to see. He slowly sat up, taking a minute as he remembered he had new arms, with a hand on each end. As he finally sat up straight he looked down at his hands again, taking in the sight. His golden coat was far darker, and missing in several places with simply dark wrinkled skin underneath. He gently ran his fingers along it, shuddering at the sick leathery feel. He looked up, and saw a mirror across from him. As he came to recognize the sight within he let out a scream, but the only thing that came out was a hoarse gurgle. He bent over as the force sent a racking cough through his throat, and he covered up his mouth as he spent the next minute hacking. Once he recovered he looked up again, gazing at the ragged and deformed sight in front of him. He looked at the bones showing through, his coat rugged in places, the bandages covering spots on his arms and legs. That’s when he realized. He looked down at his hands, clean and blood free. He looked at the small room around him, at the makeshift bed and the candlelight. He looked at his body and the cloths covering his form, the signs of care and hospitality. He sniffed and his eyes darted as he recognized the scent of bread, finally noticing the platter of food on the floor next to him. He dove at it and began shoving the scraps into his mouth, finally realising how ravenous he was. It didn’t matter that the bread was stale, and the wheat old. He couldn’t remember how long ago he had eaten. He swallowed and grabbed the water, and began chugging it down. He didn’t care that he coughed and spluttered, his body was in control. Only after both had been finished did he finally breathe deeply, taking in great gasping breaths into his weakened lungs.

He spent some time cleaning himself up and making his bed, partly to get used to his new body, partly to try and retain some sense of normalcy in this demented version of life he had awoken too. Once he had finished putting everything together, he looked around and began taking everything in again, this time more calmly. He realized that he was much bigger now than before, based off the fact the room and furniture was too small. He spent some time looking at his wrinkled, pitiful form, and the cloths around his body. He kept them on, figuring they were on for a reason. Eventually he ran out of distractions, and he sat there, looking into space. As the unwelcome thoughts began to return, his attention diverted to the last thing in the room he had left to examine: the door out. He swallowed a little painfully and made his way over to it, having to bend down slightly to be at the proper level to access it. It was a simple wooden door, the wood a little aged but still tended to kindly. He slowly pressed his ear to it, and nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard muffled voices on the other side. He backed away a little, then breathed deeply and grasped the handle. The voices paused as the door slowly creaked open.

The streets were barren and empty, with rubble and wreckage pushed to the sides in heaping piles. The tall buildings that rose on the sidelines were all blank and empty, with shattered glass windows and burn marks at the entrances. All was quiet this afternoon as the knight walked down the street, his makeshift armor the only sound as it clanked noisily with each step. It was a mixture of battered golden and blue plates as well as scraps of cloth and chainmail. Certainly not a pretty sight, but the amount of scrapes and nicks that had peeled away the paint showed that it had more than once proved its usefulness. On the knight’s back was a large sword of gleaming metal, nestling between two white wings. It came to a slender yet sharp point, the pommel decorated with small flower-like designs. His destination in front of him was a bigger stone building, the roof coming to a curved point. Atop the front was a large cross, and the sides were decorated with stained glass windows. Most of them were shattered, and covered with large bits of cloth a to keep the winds out. The knight headed for the large doors, hefting a filled sack he had with him. He climbed up the steps and paused by the doors, lifting his glove. He pounded on the door loudly in specific pattern, then waited patiently as he huffed and lifted the bag. There was the sound of a bolt being unlatched, before the doors swung inward and the sound of voices broke out.

Inside was a collection of beds, utilities, scavenged furniture, and groups of ponies. Of course, each pony was transformed like the others, each one with bare spots on their coats and wrinkled skin. It mattered not if they were a pegasus, a unicorn, or one of the earth variety. They all had clothes of different varieties, but each one covered the lower areas, and the chest areas of the females to a certain degree. They all turned to look at the door, and smiles broke out among the crowd, some relieved and some slightly forced. The knight walked in and shut the doors, before handing the sack to one of the earth ponies who walked up. He gratefully took the sack and beckoned to several others, who walked up and helped him carry the sack to one of the sides of the chapel, where a large amount of cooking equipment of varying types had been gathered. They began sorting different fruits, vegetables, and grains into different piles as they began lighting fires on portable stoves and hand washing in buckets of water. The knight walked through the middle, waving and idly chatting with a couple of the groups who spoke up. His destination was apparent at the end, a flickering bonfire with a sword embed in the ashes.

Next to it sat a unicorn in handmade brown robes, who was sitting on a large stone and flipping through a book in his hands. A hood covered his face, so just his snout was properly visible. The knight reached the fire and knelt down, exhaling a sigh of relief as the strangely comforting warmth washed over him, renewing his vigor and energy. He sat down properly and unfastened his helm, letting it slide off as his bright white coat shone out, his body perfectly fine. His brown hair fell loosely, hanging past his ears to his shoulders. He took a small glass of water that was offered by one of the other ponies and drank deeply, before sighing and looking at the pony in front of him.

“So, how is everyone and everything?” He asked bluntly, his blue and red eyes looking up at the other pony with an air of normalcy to his words. The other chuckled and slid a bookmark onto his current page before meeting the knight’s eyes with his own brown ones. When he spoke, his voice was soothing but firm, conveying a feeling of trust with it. It had a slight gravely undertone, as one has when their throat is sore from speaking constantly.

“All is well here Equinox. There have been no new messages, or any messages for that matter. We still don’t know about what has happened to the rest of Equestria outside of Manehattan.” He stretched briefly as he set his book aside, then grabbed a nearby pipe and focused for a bit. Equinox watched as the pony seemed to struggle, before a small fire sparked momentarily and lit the pipe. The pony breathed deeply and smiled before taking the pipe and giving it a good puff.

“I see. I suppose that was a little too much to hope for. How about the newest Conscious, Reverend?” Equinox said, hiding the disappointment in his voice. He began undoing the different parts of his armor, letting them hit the carpeted floor ungracefully.

“Still resting, last we checked. There is food in the room for him when he wakes, and he has been clothed.” The Reverend looked to the room to his right, then sighed and took another puff. “It’s good that more and more of us are awakening, but soon we will not have enough space in the Chapel for all of us.” He looked to Equinox with a hint of desperation in his eyes as he set the pipe to the side. “We need a new location to move to. As you know, the-”

“Yes, yes, I know. The way out of the city being blocked. The old bell tower nearby could be used as a sign of help. However, none of you have seen what I have out there. It’s not-”

“It matters not what you think isn’t possible, we need to get out of the city. No one here besides you has any strength left to them. You must go, and soon.”

Equinox sighed and nodded as he looked down at his chest, and the ring burned to his flesh. At that moment the door near them began to creak open hesitantly, and they both looked as the golden coated pony peaked out a little fearfully. The Reverend smiled and exclaimed, quickly getting up and rushing over. The pony jumped and began to close the door, but the Reverend stopped him before he could. Equinox smiled and watched as he took the pony and began explaining everything to him. The transformations. The fact that most ponies weren’t in control of their actions, and walked around as hungry aggressive mindless husks. How he who had just come to his senses was referred to his a Conscious. And finally how the city entrances were blocked off by rubble, so no one could properly enter or exit. The golden pony asked about pegasi, and the Reverend explained how the new bodies of theirs were weighted differently, so proper flight couldn’t be achieved currently. The golden pony nodded slowly and sighed, resting down in a corner with his head in his hands. Equinox watched as he was comforted, before asking how long it had been. The Reverend responded, saying that based on the season and the shift of the stars, several months had passed since they all changed. Several months, if not more, since the appearance of the the circle in the sky.

Equinox sighed and looked back at the fire, watching the embers gently drift upwards. The Reverend was right of course. Someone had to do something, and he was the only proper choice. He was the only one that hadn’t been reduced to wrinkled flesh and weakened. His sister was gone, disappeared when he first awoke. He had looked for several hours, but there was no sign of her. Now he was the last hope for all the ponies who had gathered here. He took a moment to look around at all of them, to see their disheartened faces, their weak bodies. Some looked away, some had their heads in their hands. A rare few offered pitiful smiles towards him before quickly looking away. With that, his resolve hardened. He quickly got to his feet and began assembling his makeshift armor, outfitting himself. Several looked over, as he usually only went out once per day. The Reverend walked over quickly as Equinox slid his sword into the holder strap on his back, and grabbed his helmet.

“Where are you going? It’s almost sunset.” Said the Reverend, who picked up Equinox’s helmet and handed it to him. Equinox took it and smiled at the Reverend before sliding it on, then stretching his wings a little.

“I’m going to ring a bell.” The Reverend stepped back a bit, then nodded and offered him a quick prayer as Equinox turned and walked out, his fist balled in determination.

The sun was slowly turning in the sky, making its way to slip beneath the western horizon. Several of the mindless were shuffling about the street, eyes blank and devoid of life. Quietly as possible Equinox was making his way across the side of the road, his eyes facing forward towards the edge of town. A massive explosion must have occurred on one of the first days, because the entrance to town was a massive pile of rubble from two large buildings that had been the border into the town. They had completely crumbled, resulting in the massive and dangerous hill of brick and mortar that blocked their way out. Not to mention the walls that bordered the city of Manehattan, which were too tall to climb without aid. There was the entrance on the other side of town, but the mindless were hungrier over their, and rubble led to a long and difficult road that most of the Conscious couldn’t handle. So, it was up to Equinox to complete this task.

He quickly turned left and began heading down one of the side roads, slipping into the shadows of the buildings. Several mindless turned their heads toward him, but he quickly made his way past, his hooves thudding on the dusty stones as he hopped over rubble and ducked past bodies. His destination was a church a bit further along the way, one that rested on the edge of town. He had seen it one day and mentioned it to the Reverend. Atop its roof was a bell tower, with a large bronze bell hanging at the peak. They had theorized that if he could ring the bell, the sound might resonate to other survivors and could be used as an S.O.S. However, what he had seen above the roof that day had sent all thoughts of success and hope Equinox had down a deep dark pit, and they had stayed there. He was moving now towards his goal with naught but pure determination of will. He didn’t know if he could or would succeed, but he knew he had to give it his all. Not for himself, but for the others who couldn’t. It was his duty as a Royal guard. If there even was a guard left.

He shook the thoughts from his head, then quickly stopped and ducked aside as he regained focus. He had seen the church a little ways down the road, but he had missed what was new. There were several mindless walking the streets, yet they were different than the normal ones. They had scraps of clothes on their bodies and links of chain, their own makeshift armor. Several of them had broken beams or pieces of metal in their hands, and they stood facing down the street away from the church, as if watching the road as guards. ‘How strange… I’ve never seen this behavior from them…’ He gently picked up a pebble from the street and threw it into the middle of the road. One of them began shambling towards the noise, making its way towards him. He slipped just a little bit out of his cover to show himself to it, his hand gripping his blade. It came to a stop by the pebble, then began looking around, its empty eyes slowly scanning the surroundings. It eventually reached the alley where Equinox was hiding, seeing his form moving in the shadows. A low growl began resounding out of its throat as it turned towards him and began stumbling towards him in a clumsy run. He moved deeper into the alley as it got closer, and began to raise its arm. The mindless let out a scratchy yell as it jumped at him, moving surprisingly fast as it swung towards him. He gasped faintly as he dodged out of the way, unsheathing his blade. As it began to stand he swung firmly, slashing through the wrinkled flesh and cloths like a knife through butter. Blood spurted outwards as the body fell to the ground, Equinox wiping off his blade before sheathing it.

As he made to look out of the alley, a white wisp of whispers and energy made its way out of the body and flew into him. He gasped and stumbled as a euphoric sense of glee rushed into him, filling him with a surge of energy and pleasure. However, it left as quick as it came. Equinox stumbled and put a hand against the wall, breathing hard from the experience. ‘What in the name of the Sun WAS that?’ He slowly got to his feet, shaking. He quickly shrugged it off and set his focus to the objective in front of him, the church at the end of the road. The two mindless in the street were the same as before, standing and watching the road. Equinox looked around, his eyes darting around and searching for signs of reinforcements. With none clearly visible, he stepped out of the alley and drew his blade. The two mindless began making their way towards him, their hands gripping their weapons firmly. The one on the left ran forward first, running up to him and swinging clumsily. He ducked to the side and unsheathed his blade, slashing at its chest. Blood spurted onto the ground as the body fell limp. The other ran forward and swung as well. Equinox easily stepped past, taking the pommel of his blade and slamming it into the back of its neck. The body fell like the other, resting in a heap on the ground.

He sheathed his blade once more and began making his way to the front door, but came to a sudden stop and clutched his chest as two more white wisps flew into him. He gasped and steadied himself as the same sensations as before rushed into him. He could feel them gathering, condensing inside him in a well, one that had been empty for oh so long. He swallowed and straightened himself, trying to shake off the emotions that had so rudely overtaken his senses yet again. Yet part of his mind couldn’t shrug off a want, a need for more. A desire to kill, to obtain.

He made his way to the front doors of the church, large hunks of wood with steel bracings. He placed his hand on the handle and pushed, but instantly met resistance. He furrowed his eyebrows and kicked at the door, and it barely budged before swinging back into place. He backed away from the door and began scanning around, looking for an alternative entrance to the church. There were several stained glass windows, but they were mostly unbroken, and also a tad too high to properly reach. As he made his way to the left side of the building, he saw a piece of rubble from a neighboring structure had collapsed through one of the back windows, leading to the interior via a ramp of rubble. However, the ramp was originating out of the roof of the building, so he’d have to make his way to the top to gain access.

He quickly began jogging to the destroyed building, then grunting in frustration as he noticed the old pony sized door was too small for him. He would have to leave most of his gear behind to even be able to squeeze in. He stepped back, then looked back at his wings. He gave them a few experimental flaps, then sighed and shook his head. He couldn’t fly up there either. He might be able to get a better jump however. He looked up at one of the sides, at the fire escape leading to the roof. He nodded and made his way away from it, facing the opposite building. ‘Blaze is usually the one doing stuff like this...here goes!’ He took off running, making for the wall opposite the metal stairs. He jumped, flapping his wings as he aimed for the wall. He turned in the air partially as the surge in speed sent him hard into it, his boots pushing into the stones. He turned fully and jumped off, flapping his wings again as he outstretched a hand. He soared through the sky, getting far more air then he had wagered. He overshot and slammed his gut into the railing, coughing as pain coursed through him. He quickly grabbed hold and rolled over the side, falling onto his back and breathing hard.

He got up and gently rubbed his stomach to soothe the pain, making his way up the staircase, but not before kicking down the metal ladder. The metal clanked loudly with each step as he made his way up, quickly reaching the top of the building. As he was about to step on top he quickly stopped and crouched down, looking at the figure on the roof. It stood about the same height as him, clad in shining silver armor. It had green adornment around its shoulders, with a bright red feather sticking out of its square helm. It had a longsword at its side and a shield in its left hand, a picture of a shining sun emblazoned upon it. It was gazing at the soon to be setting sun, its chest rising and falling slowly as it breathed deeply. Its head turned slightly towards him, and he heard what sounded like noises coming from under the metal, but they were too muffled to make out clearly. He slowly stood to his feet and stepped onto the roof, keeping a hand on his blade as he made his way towards the strange figure. It had turned its head back towards the sun, watching it intently. Equinox couldn’t sense any hostility from it as he eventually stood by its side.

He stood there and looked out towards the sun, his eyes widening as they took in the beautiful sight of the sun starting its descent over the western plains. The sky was alight with oranges, yellows, purples and blues, the ground shimmering as if in a dance. He was broken out of his reverie by the muffled sound of the male voice next to him. He couldn’t make out the language the words being spoken to him were from, but he could pick up the rhythm that dictated they were words as he listened. He shook his head as he spoke, “I can’t understand you.”

The figure paused and looked at him, then simply nodded and held out a hand. Equinox flinched back on reflex, then breathed out and gently extended his hand out as well. The figure reached out and grasped it in his, shaking it firmly. It took him a second before Nox began shaking back, and the sound of a laugh could be heard coming from within the stranger’s helmet. Eventually they broke the handshake, and the creature took a moment to reach into his pocket. Equinox watched as he withdrew a brilliantly white crystal wrapped with a string. He held it out to Nox, who took it hesitantly. The stranger patted his Nox’s shoulder, then returned to looking at the sunset. Equinox pocketed the crystal, looking back at the sunset as well. He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but when he snapped back to reality, the stranger was gone.

The feeling of the white crystal at his side gave him comfort as he began to make his way towards the ramp. It was a sign, a symbol that he wasn’t the only struggling soul. He reached the ramp, and tested it with a couple pieces of rubble, tossing them onto different spots. After being assured it wouldn’t break, he began making his way down, scattering the occasional pebble. He reached the broken window and cautiously stepped through, looking at the interior of the church. The lectern has been crushed by the stone, just splinters along the floor. The light barely made its way inside, and he saw the dust covering the floor and the glass from the broken window as well, indicating that the window had broken a long time ago. He looked towards the front door and saw a large wooden brace slid through the handles. He quickly made his way over, his footsteps the only sounds as the echoed around him. He reached down and huffed as he began pulling the brace out of the handles. It scratched against the metal before slipping out and landing on the ground with a giant THUD, booming throughout the church and kicking up dust. He was going to turn away when he saw it. Several large claw marks along the inside of the door, and the brace itself. He looked to the ground and saw dark splatter marks, which he quickly realized was blood. He spun around and scanned through the church, but there were no signs of anything else there but him.

He swallowed and shook his head, his boots leaving prints in the dust as he quickly made his way to the staircase in the back leading up. As he began to climb the wooden and musty steps, his eyes began to notice more scratchs and claw marks decorating the walls. He reached the top floor and continued past to the ladder leading up towards the roof. He swallowed as he looked to his left and noticed a giant hole in the ceiling, as if some large beast had smashed through the simple and old rafters. He shook his mind free of the images and quickly climbed up the ladder, his gloved gauntlets gripping each rectangle of wood tightly. He reached the top attic-esq room, and the door leading out to the roof. He swallowed and made his way over to the small door, slowly pushing it open. He squeezed himself out onto the roof, staggering a little and landing on the shingles with a knee. He stood up and looked around at the sunset sky, and out to the other side of the wall. For some reason, he couldn’t make out much. He quickly refocused and looked to the large bell in the tower, his goal almost at hand. With a lump in his throat he cautiously stepped out onto the roof, a hand on his greatsword as his armor creaked and rattled a little with each step. His eyes were frantically scanning from left to right, watching the skies around him as his memory recalled the beast he saw before. He heard a small sound and snapped his head down, his boot crushing a fragile shingle. He sighed and swallowed, before his mind went blank. Time seemed to slow as he watched a sharp metal tip finish stabbing through his chest, flesh hanging off alongside blood which began to pour from the wound. It slid out his back and he fell to his knees as the pain slowly started to creep in. He coughed up some blood as he slowly turned around, his eyes widening in shock as a large winged shadow raised a massive axe. He couldn’t even blink as he watched it swing down towards his neck.

The chapel was quiet with ponies getting ready to force themselves to sleep for the night as the sun set. As they all gathered their belongings and began making space, a brief moment of haze occured for everyone, where their minds went blank. They all shook themselves clear and continued, until a large scream of pain rang out. Every head snapped to the bonfire as The Reverend came rushing out of the side room where the most recent Conscious was still resting. There by the fire was Equinox, kneeling with his arms around his neck, breathing heavily. As The Reverend went to rush over to help he paused with a gasp as he looked at Equinox. His beautiful white wings were now rotten and tattered, his skin frail like all the rest. The Reverend cautiously walked over, gently resting a hand on his shoulder before kneeling down. “Are you alright? What happened?” Equinox slowly got his breathing under control, gently releasing his hands from his neck and grasping his arms tightly.

“...I died.” The Reverend paused as he watched him, the proud guard’s form still bent over and shaking.

“You...died? But you’re right here.” He said hesitantly, as Equinox shook his head slowly.

“I don’t know why I’m here right now, but it cut my damn head off before I even got a good look at it.” He swallowed and slowly rose to knees, still shaking in shock. The Reverend rose as well with a worried look on his face.

“Well if what you say is true then maybe you should rest. The shock must be-”

“NO!” Everyone watching flinched as Equinox step back. He breathed deeply before looking the other pony in the eyes, a fierce fire burning within them. He turned and began walking towards the doors, clenching his fist tightly. “If death no longer has a hold, then I have nothing to fear.” He pushed open the giant doors, before letting them slam shut behind him. The Reverend watched him leave quietly, swallowing as a shudder of fear swept through him.

Equinox quickly made his way down the cobbled streets in the coming dark, slipping around more of the husks. As he approached the church again he slowed down for several reasons, looking ahead in bizarre frustration. One was that he was running out of energy faster, moving slower, as if his body was weaker. The second was that the husks he had slain before were standing in the same spots they were earlier, slowly turning their heads to look at him. He groaned and unsheathed his blade as all three of them began to stumble and lurch towards him. The first one lunged at him quickly, thrusting its sharp piece of metal. He sidestepped to the left and quickly span his blade around, slamming it in the chest with his blade. He tugged hard and yanked it out as the husk fell to the ground. The others were right behind, the first of them slashing at him awkwardly. He quickly rolled out of the way, then yelled in pain as the other managed to stab him in the back. He stood up again and cut it down with his blade, then stabbed forward and pierced the chest of the last one. They both fell down onto the ground slowly and he bent over, panting. He reached behind him and yanked the metal rod out of his back, feeling his blood sliding down his back. As he went to stand he gasped in euphoria as white wisps flew into him, satisfaction coursing through his entire body as the empty void inside began to fill once again. He shook his head to shake off the feeling, looking down to realize that he had made several extra stab marks in the body of the pony below him. He swallowed, baffled, as he tugged his blade free, wiping it clean with some spare cloth from the bodies before sheathing it again.

The moon had risen and the sun had set by the time Equinox had made his way to the roof again. His breathing was hard as he saw the bloodstain from where he had died. He drew his blade ahead of time as he stepped out onto the roof, slowly moving forward. He cautiously turned around, each step hesitant as his eyes began scanning around him faster and faster, looking for the shape that still resided in the corner of his eyes and in the shadows. He froze as he heard the sound of something clattering on the roof behind him. He looked up at the bell tower, watching as one of the gargoyle statues that was curled up was slowly shaking. He understood why he hadn’t seen the beast before, watching as it slowly uncurled and jumped down. He took a few steps back, grasping his blade in his hands tightly and trying to steady his breathing. It was a terrifying creature of flesh and metal armor easily larger than him. A bulky and muscular body, with a drooling jaw full stone fangs. Its head had a cerulean helmet with two wings fanning outward, glinting in the moonlight and on the back a curved tail ending in a sharp metal axe blade. And in its claws it wielded a long sharp and cerulean halberd with a sharp spike at the end, one he recognized by the bloodstain. It took a couple steps forward, stretching its body out before roaring loudly, a deep cry of anger and ferocity.

Its powerful legs flexed before it jumped in the air, flapping plated wings before slamming down with its blade. His eyes widened and he rolled to the side, feeling the rush of wind as it demolished where he was just standing. He stood and quickly raised his blade vertically in front of him as the axe tail slashed out at him, slamming into his blade and skimming his chest, cutting into the weak flesh. He felt himself fly backwards, rolling back onto his feet as he barely stopped himself from going over the edge. He grimaced and yelled as he ran forward, raising his blade high. The gargoyle screeched and ran forward as well, taking its halberd and slamming down once again. Equinox ducked off to the side, his boots clacking forcefully on the battered shingles as he dodged the blow. He stopped in place before taking his blade and slashing down as hard as he could, gritting his teeth as he felt it carve into the demon’s flesh. It cried and jumped away, flapping its wings as dark blood dripped from its side. Equinox could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he readied his blade once again while the gargoyle landed a few feet away. It stood and began walking towards him, raising the halberd. He moved forward towards it, only to quickly roll away as its halberd swung in from the side at breakneck speeds. He got up only to block again as it came in from the other direction, glancing off his blade and making his arms shake from the force behind the blow. He yelled in frustration and ran forward once again as the gargoyle settled its halberd again. It screeched back once more and barreled at him, flapping its wings for a boost as it stabbed forward. Equinox jumped forward out of the way, wincing in pain as he felt it scrape the back of his leg. He rolled back onto his feet behind the gargoyle and slammed his blade down, digging it into the base of its tail where the flesh and armor met. It cried out in pain before its tail flicked towards him, slashing him across the chest and sending him backwards across the rooftop. He gasped for air and tasted blood in his mouth as he rose up once more, clutching at his chest as he felt blood slide down his fingers. He grimaced and bit his lip hard as he continued moving forward, matching the slow pace with which the gargoyle approached him. They both cried once again, one in frustration and one in blood lust as they moved forward. The gargoyle swung its halberd once again, Equinox ducking the blade. It slashed from the other side and he swung with his blade towards it, using it to carry it over his head. The gargoyle used the momentum to swing the halberd overhead and slam it downwards towards Equinox. He moved forward and tripped, the forward momentum carrying him just out of the blade’s reach as he felt it cut some of the hairs from his head. He regained his footing and used all his strength to stab upwards, burying his claymore a foot or two into the resilient flesh. It howled loudly in pain and span around, shoving him off with a claw as he landed back towards where he came from. He coughed out blood as he struggled to raise himself, the pain telling him his chest wound had opened more. As he struggled to rise he saw a couple of small rocks clatter to his side. He looked up in dread as he saw another gargoyle slowly flap downwards, landing side by side with the other. Although lacking the wings of the helmet and the axe tail, it was still just as menacing, with its own gleaming blade. Perhaps even more so as he watched a glow began to originate from within its throat as it opened its maw, slowly walking towards him as the billowing sound of flames filled the night air. He clenched his blade tightly and watched the flames began to blossom in its mouth, when suddenly a bolt of blue magic shot from behind him and slam into its eyes, causing it to cry out deeply and stagger backwards. The other gargoyle screamed and ran forward, but a golden coated pony dashed past Equinox and slammed into the gargoyle and stopped it in its tracks.

He looked carefully, recognizing the newest Conscious. He was holding a giant wooden door with his hands, his earth pony genes allowing him to hold the gargoyle at bay. He was wearing bits and pieces of wood and metal held together with cloth as makeshift armor, and had several cuts on his body. He felt a pair of hands grasp him from behind and lift him up, steadying him on his feet. Equinox looked to his side, recognizing The Reverend. He rose to his feet and went to open his mouth when the sound of pounding footsteps made them both turn. The second gargoyle slammed down at them with the halberd, the two of them rolling in seperate directions. “Help him!” Cried the Reverend, pointing at the other pony as he channeled magic in his horn to harness several bolts which he shot at the gargoyle. Equinox nodded and ran towards the earth pony, who was struggling to hold his grip against the gargoyle who was clawing and biting at him. Right as his shield fell and the gargoyle screeched and lunged, Equinox ran up, slashing at its mouth with his blade. It cried and staggered back as he slashed at its chest again, the black ichor splattering against the roof. It cried and stabbed at him again, his body not having the energy to dodge. The earth pony ran to his side, his makeshift greatshield taking the blow as a wave of wind and force ruffled their clothes. The earth pony nodded at Equinox before they both moved forward.

The gargoyle screeched once more and swung its blade downward at them. The Shield blocked the metal edge, grimacing as it cut through the wood and slightly into his arm. Equinox quickly dashed forward, yelling as his slammed his blade into the shoulder. The gargoyle cried out and ripped its halberd out, backing up to slash once more. The Shield thrust his body forward once again, blocking once more as Equinox continued to press forward, slashing at the beast in front of him with all his might, carving chunks from its body. It cried out in pain and span around, the axe coming from the side. Equinox took his blade and slammed it downwards, barely managing to redirect it into the ground at his feet. The Shield moved forward and slammed his shield down onto a spot a little further up the tail holding it in place. The gargoyle began to struggle and flap its wings as Equinox moved towards the base. He swung his blade up high before bringing it down hard on his earlier cut, blood splattering him as he cut deeper into the flesh. He ignored the gargoyles cries of pain as he slammed down again and again, cutting deeper and deeper. The Shield was eventually thrown off and the tail yanked itself free, the gargoyle yelling in anger as it swung the axe blade towards Equinox. Its cry quickly became one of intense agony as Equinox made one last swing, his blood soaked sword completely severing the tail and sending bits of bone and flesh flying, while the tail writhed on the roof a bit before coming to a stop. The gargoyle turned towards him and opened its mouth to cry, but it was gargled as Equinox proceeded to shove his blade into its mouth and down its throat, piercing through the back of its neck. It gargled a little more before its body went limp, sliding partially off the blade as it collapsed onto the surface of the roof, sending dust and debris scattering.

Meanwhile, The Reverend had been squaring off against the other gargoyle, facing it anxiously as he clutched the book he had been reading in his right hand. The gargoyle screamed and thrusted at him, making him dodge awkwardly to the side. He concentrated on the sign burned onto his chest, and the empty void. He gathered his emotions of anxiety and dread and forced them to his horn, unleashing them in bolts of blue magic at the beast. They slammed into its hide, making it stumble and cry out. It stepped back and harnessed its flames from within again, its chest swelling a bit before it lurched forward onto three legs, flames bursting outwards. The Reverend gasped and rolled away, before holding his book to his chest. He concentrated and erected a small shield of magic in front of him. It barely kept the searing flames at bay, as they singed his arms and burned the edges of his clothes. He was breathing hard and woozy as he stood back on his feet when they flames died. The gargoyle ran at him and he charged several more bolts, shooting them out towards the beast and watching as they staggered it once more. Yet with each one fired, he felt them draining him of more energy. He watched as it began to inhale once again, his knees buckling as all strength left him. However, before the next burst of flames could come The Shield staggered over and slammed the edge of the door down on its back, interrupting it and making it cry out. Equinox’s blade quickly found its mark as he stabbed it into the top of the gargoyle’s head, silencing it for good as it collapsed onto the roof. They all breathed hard and collapsed out of breath onto the shingles, with scratches, cuts, and burns adorning them. They all watched barely conscious as the two large bodies dissolved into bursts of white energy, which split into several parts, the largest of all of them entering Equinox with the other two smaller ones entering The Reverend and the Earth pony. As euphoria and satisfaction overtook them, they blacked out.

That morning, as the sun slowly rose over the land, the sound of a church bell could be heard ringing out across the land, echoing out across plains and fields to the edges of the continent, where it was barely but a whisper.

Author's Note

Happy New Year!!! 👏 Thank you all for being so patient! (If you're actually there.) Enjoy the new chapter, and expect more in the future! And just to say, I'm really really really sorry for the wait.