It was too late. He had been too slow, too blind to stop her. So focused on vengence, so fixated on Celestia's downfall, that he had never even stopped to take inventory of the few he could still call friends.
So there he now stood, several dozen feet away from Samhane in an open field just outside the Dragon Alliance's encampment, looking down at the ground solemnly. The wind was blowing gently, rustling the few loose plates of his armor slightly as they clanked dimly against one another.
"Whhyy hhave yyouu callled me heere, Providennce?"
Her voice came out, cracked and far more distorted than was like her, her normally more feminine tone resounding with a sort of bass grumble deep in her throat. Providence simply stared at the ground in front of him, his right arm outstretched to hold his massive warhammer, Shattering Justice upright at his side, its haft's heavy butt digging into the snowy ground.
Still facing the ground, Providence spoke calmly.
"You know whyy, dear friend ..." Providence said gravely, motioning to the scabbard at his side with his free hand.
There was silence for several seconds, the wind the only thing audible.
Then it came, starting with a deep, low rumble that sent vibrations through the ground. This was it. This was the day Asterion had warned him about. Knowing it was coming did very little to lighten the burden on Providence's heart, and in fact worsened it.
With a resounding roar that shook the landscape for miles around, Samhane screeched to the high heavens like a banshee, the metallic twang to the otherwise guttural, feral roar the only thing distinguishing it from that of a beast's.
He could avoid it no longer, forcing himself to look up and face Samhane. Even in life, Providence had never been one for showing emotion, but now, as he stood there, looking upon the distorted, warped form of his last friend, he couldn't hep but feel his emotionless, calm facade crack a little. Knowing what he had to do, made the emerging emotional distress all the worse.
So there they were, Providence staring down Samhane who had exploded in a fiery burst of red energy, igniting the brown shawl she had "borrowed" from a freezing wyvern. Bits and pieces of the tattered cloak still clung to her metallic form here and there, burning up into smoke as she leaned forward menacingly, her once blue eye pulsating a deep, blood red. Her gauntlets' fingers had elongated and sharpened into brutal , silvery claws that glinted in the early morning light. Her whole form radiated a lighter red aura, as the grooves and runes snaking across her armor glowed the same blood red as her eyes. Cracks had formed all across her chest, the rents in her armor literally flaming with corrupting power.
It was a sad sight for Providence to behold, to see how far his last connection to Minosm to the past had fallen. For the longest time, he and Samhane were the last ones among the Requiem Guard who had any semblance of a mind. They had swore to each other that they would never let themselves fall into the same mental degredation as the others. But even when Providence had watched Samhane's sanity slip, piece by piece during their time in Tartarus, never had he imagined it would lead her down this path. He had always hoped, deep down, that damaged as she may have been after their imprisonment, she would hold onto herself, if not for her own sake, then for him and the oath they had sworn to one another.
He was a fool to be so optimistic. Even Asterion himself had told him that this would happen. The King's voice echoed inside Providence's mind so very clearly, as Samhane took a heavy step towards him.
She is not well, Kunrakkar. Her soul is ... unstable, damaged during the binding process. Its falling apart, ripping itself into nothingness at its very core. There was nothing we could do to fix it. Even now, we're seeing the signs of our failures in her as she is unable to adequately absorb the life force she needs to sustain her soul's stability.
Another step forward.
All my artificers were able to come up with was this ring, this blasted, unholy thing she enchanted herself. In life, it granted her supernaturally enhanced vigor and stamina, but it has been modified with a hyperium shard to allow her to better manipulate the life force of others, to stabilize her degrading soul by absorbing the souls, the power and the traits of others every few years. Their intact essences will stall her degradation temporarily, but make no mistake, there is no fixing the problem entirely.
She was picking up the pace now, the metallic thud of her hooves pounding into the ground now, as she reached behind her back, drawing her two axes.
Be warned, never allow her to use it more than once every year. It's not perfect, and it will damage her mind every time she is forced to absorb the very essence of another being. She can persist without it, but we don't know for how long. She must use it. Eventually ...
Providence could feel his grip on Shattering justice tightening as she neared.
... there'll be nothing left of her mind to destroy. One day, it will be you Kunrakkar, who will have to fell Samhane, when she falls completely to the power of the ring.
She was running now, and as she came within a few feet of Providence, she leapt into the air letting her momentum carry her, releasing another feral cry of rage and anger, her axes poised to strike as she whipped them up over her head ferociously.
But do not despair. Just remember, it's not really her anymore.
Providence snapped into action, his right arm lifting his warhammer from the ground and holding it in front of his face as his other hand shot up to secure the hammer into place, just as Samhane came down on him. Her twin axes Dark Frost and Heaven Cracker, smashed into the haft of Providence's own weapon, the huge blades sending up sparks as metal clashed against metal, neither refusing to give.
With a mighty burst of strength, Providence jerked his warhammer to the left, Samhane's long curved axe blades still lodged behind the haft of it as she was forced aside, her metal hooves digging into the ground. They were face to face now, each staring one another down, trying to push the other back.
"Samhane ..." Providence spoke in almost a whisper, but she was more than close enough to hear. She redoubled her efforts, forcing Providence back slightly as her axes pushed hard against his hammer. Her eye was beginning to flare up now, red energies swirling and roiling malevolently within her helmet. Providence braced himself, and with another surge of strength, forced Samhane backwards, causing her to stumble uneasily for a moment.
She had lost her grip on Dark Frost, its curved blade having been dug into too deep behind Providence's warhammer. Her now empty hand flared out as soon as she had been forced out of the clash of weapons, her elongated claws now beginning to crackle and arc with the same red energy that permeated her very being.
Providence took a step back, loosing the axe from his warhammer and casting it aside with a sharp throw, the wretched weapon's blade lodging itself in the snowy ground a few paces away. He straightened his stance, readying his hammer for another clash. The two locked eyes once more as Samhane let out another guttural roar, the flames in her chest flaring up as she did so.
In an instant, she was charging forwards, pounding the earth beneath her metal hooves into submission with every stride. Providence stood firm as she smashed into him, her claws raking across his left arm as her axe was about to come down on the haft of his hammer again, but at the last moment, she feinted the blow, instead rearing back in one fluid motion, and savagely digging her axe into Providence's rightside as she tore a rent in his armor without any trouble. Such was the power of Heaven Cracker.
Not wasting any time, she continued to ravage his arm with her clawed gauntlet, each frenzied stroke tearing deeper and deeper into his incredibly thick armor plating, the terrible screech of metal filling the air while sparks flew and red energy clashed against blue. Providence reared back with his head, before smashing it forward, the savage headbutt leaving a noticeable dent in Samhane's helmet as she was momentarily forced backwards, both of their metal horns connecting with a terrible din. She made sure to drag her claws through his arm as she went, but even so, Providence jerked to the right as he knocked her back, forcing her to release her grasp from her weapon, despite her clutching it tightly and attempting to drag it through him.
Having been bested in two shows of strength now, Samhane was positively seething with impotent rage as her entire form practically burst into flames, the red energy flowing through her entire suit beginning to spark and flare up with unnatural fire. She splayed her other hand out, claws gleaming in the dim light , red energy dancing across the impossibly sharp, tapered ends of her gauntlets.
Providence once again stood firm, refusing to flinch at the terrible sight, as Samhane hunched forwards menacingly like a savage beast, fire pouring out of her mouth and eye slots. He shook his head ever so slightly, tightening his grip on his warhammer, not even bothering to remove the axe from himself. This ended now.
She rampaged forwards, each punishing step cracking the ground beneath her and leaving a smoldering hoofprint behind.
"I'm sorry ..." Providence whispered, his metallic words blending into the wind as they were whisked away.
She lunged at him ferociously, claws bared and ready to rip him to shreds, but all she got instead was a handful of dirt as Providence sidestepped, her outstretched gauntlets raking the ground while she frantically scrambled to redirect herself. But by then, it was too late, as Providence used the momentum of his side step to bring a powerful underhand swing crashing into her stomach. The terrible din of collapsing metal filled the air as Samhane's abdomen was smashed inwards, the force behind the tremendous blow sending her reeling as she was thrown into the air.
With a horrendous clatter, Samhane slammed into the ground as her crumpled and broken armor smashed and clanked against itself, as she rolled uncontrollably for a few more feet before finally coming to a stop on her side, her back facing Providence. She lay there, motionless for a moment, before forcing herself up slightly with one arm, beginning to stand back up somewhat unsteadily. The anti-magic field infused within Providence's hammer had taken its toll.
As Providence stood there, looking on at Samhane shakily getting to her hooves, he felt something deep inside him begin to break free, something he hadn't felt since his first few days as a Requiem Guard.
Remorse. He looked down at the ground sadly for a second, before returning his view to Samhane, who was now facing him, the fire that filled every crack and groove in her armor flaring up as another wave of anger washed over her.
"Please ..." Providence half pleaded, half ordered her to stand down, a twinge of sadness permeating his metallic voice. She simply lurched forward uneasily, her claws bared once more as her midsection began to regenerate slowly.
"You know how this ends Samhane!" Providence yelled abruptly, something strange about his tone. In fact, it even stopped Samhane dead in her tracks for but a split second as she stared back at him, before responding.
"No! Itt was Assterion annd Cellesttiaa , who made mee whatt I am! I hadd noo otther choicce!" her guttural, feral words came out more slurred and distorted than usual, with that same rumbling bass behind them. Just as she finished her reply, she raced forwards once more, hurtling towards Providence with unnatural speed as a strange field of energy he recognized encased her.
Wyrm enhancement magic.
He attempted to sidestep her, but there was no dodging her this time, as she slammed into him, tackling him and forcing him to the ground with an overpowering surge of strength. They both tumbled backwards in a jumbled mess of frenzied metal as she dug her clawed gauntlets into his back and sides, raking apart layer after layer of nigh indestructible armor with every pass.
Providence smashed his horns into the side of her head as he braced his warhammer against her chest firmly, before jerking to the left viciously, throwing her off.
"You chose your own destiny," he said as he quickly picked himself back up, realizing that her axe was still in his side. He took firm hold of it with one hand, and yanked it out, before tossing it in front of where he was standing. He took his hammer in both hands, rearing back over his head just as Samhane was recovering herself, and in one powerful motion, he brought his weapon down on her axe.
A shockwave of kinetic energy rippled outwards, cracking the ground beneath the axe as it was shattered into innumerable pieces. Providence took a step back immediately after, looking upon the remains of such a finely minotaur-crafted weapon with more than just pity for its loss. He knew there was no going back now, this had to end here, and yet, he couldn't fight down the emotions, swirling through his mind.
Samhane stared on at the broken weapon for a moment, her eye slot still alight, before hunching forward menacingly as the fire in her mouth slot began pouring out in plumes, almost as if she was attempting to bare her teeth.
"I wass goinng to be ttornn intoo oblivionn eventtually, therre wass noo pointt in dellayying the innevvitable!" she growled at him from a few feet away, beginning to move cautiously toward him, stepping carefully as she attempted to encircle him, like a predator stalking its prey.
Providence was not intimidated by her movements and replied, that same strange tone ringing in his voice again.
"Nothing lasts forever, not even us. You were a fool to thinkk otherwise! If you had just used the ring as Asterion had told you to, you could've-" he spoke, poking his head forward emphatically, before being cut off sharply.
"Coulldd've whatt? Sat idly byy aasss myy minnd crummbledd to dusst likke the resst of themm? Neverr!" she screamed her final word defiantly, letting loose another ear destroying, piercing cry of feral bloodlust that could be felt in the very ground as she surged forwards from where she was circling Providence. An massively unstable burst of strange red light exploded into existence around Providence's leg, yanking him slightly off balance for just a moment as it scorched his armor, allowing Samhane to rip into his chest with her claws.
"Minnoss iss gonne, ourr onlly purposse swepptt awaayy byy ttimme. Wee, faiilleeed!" she roared into his face as he regained his balance and smacked her in the chest with the butt of his warhammer, forcing her back just far enough to allow him to land a sweeping horizontal strike on her, the head of the hammer colliding into her side with an explosion of force that crushed her armor in and sent her tumbling into the dirt several feet away. She attempted to right herself as soon as she was able to dig her hooves in enough to stop herself, but was forced to one knee as the anti-magic laced strike sapped at her rapidly depleting reserves of life force.
"Minos may be gone, but that doesn't mean we are without purpose. There are still those who need protection, still those who deserve ours, minotaur or not."
Samhane fought back her weakness, forcing herself to stand tall once more, refusing to yield even as the deep red flames inhabiting her armor began to flicker ever so slightly. Even her eye began to dim, the fire pouring out of it ceasing entirely. She looked at Providence, shaking her head back and forth, before chuckling ever so softly, the resulting sound echoing across the field as more of a deep , interspersed rumbling.
"Biigg wordds frromm the buulll thatt only agrreedd to helpp these patthetic draggonss becaausse tthey offerrredd himm a chance att revvengge," she spat at him mockingly in her rumbling, slurred speech. She eyed him up and down, feeling another wave of weakness beginning to sap at her last reserves of energy. She had to finish this soon.
He looked down at the ground for a good, long time, not fearing another attack from Samhane, but rather dreading it. He knew that her time was almost up, she wouldn't last much longer. A mixture of shame and remorse flooded his mind as he returned his gaze to Samhane, who had limped forward a few steps, now only a good lunge away from him. Her arms hung at her side, almost like she was dragging them now, but he still noticed her claws outstretched, ready for one final, foolish attempt. He could only look on sadly as he spoke, his grip tightening on his warhammer, bracing himself both physically and emotionally for what was about to happen.
"It ... it was wrong, I know that now, but I also know that these dragons still need us," he paused for a moment as Samhane inched ever closer, her arms beginning to tense up, " they need heroes Samhane, now, more than ever."
There was silence for a moment, as Samhane's advance came to a halt, before that same disturbing, rumbling laughter resounded through the air once more, this time much louder.
"Herrooess? Youu, poorr delussionall ffool, wwe arre noo hheroess," her arms sprang to attention as her claws readied themselves, their tips glinting in the light, "wwe'rre monnssterss!" she bellowed angrily, a spark of flame glowing in her eye once more.
Providence could do nothing to stop what was coming, as she lunged at him savagely.
"As you wish ..." was all he said under his breath grimly as he swung his warhammer with incredible force at her incoming form. But something both strange and terrifying happened just as it was about to make contact with her. The entire head of the hammer was encased within a shimmering blue aura of light blue energy, as it seemed to phase out of focus, out of reality for a split second, yet still attached and in sync with the rest of the warhammer.
It rematerialized inside of Samhane's armor, ripping a massive hole in her side that nearly tore her in half, throwing her way off balance as she sputtered to the ground, her broken form desperately trying to repair itself. But there was nothing left for her to give, no life force to mend her injuries, no energy left to lift herself back up.
Providence strode over to her slowly as she attempted to crane her head up, her ruined and savaged armor shaking unsteadily for a moment, before her head fell backwards limply, her dimming red eye staring up at the sky blankly. He stood over her, his shadow cast across her broken form, as he planted his warhammer's head firmly on one of her gauntlets, pressing down on the butt of his weapon, crushing her hand into the ground and breaking its tapered claws to pieces, and he let it rest there. He was sure he could hear the gemstone within her ring cracking before shatterring beneath the pressure. He knew she wouldn't be going anywhere now, but just in case.
He released his grasp on his hammer, gazing down at Samhane in the early morning light, and couldn't help but shake his head as he turned to grasp the scabbard at his side, drawing the simple, cleaver like blade from its sheath. It was adorned with only an odd, small, blue gemstone in its hilt.
He let out a sigh, the result sounding more like whispers carried on the wind, as he sat down beside Samhane, still clutching the blade in one hand lamely. She managed to turn her head to face him, her eye slot now almost completely dark, only a feint flicker of red energy swirling uneasily within her hollow helmet.
The sun was beginning to rise now, just over the horizon, and they both focused their attention on it as the first rays of true dawn beat down on them, Samhane's silvery armor shimmering brilliantly in the light, as Providence's own armor seemed unaffected at all by the light, sucking the rays in and holding them captive. It was then, that a hoarse whisper floated over to Providence.
"I-it's ttime, issn't itt?"
The solemn golden minotaur turned his head to look down at Samhane, who was still staring at the sunrise. He nodded slowly, almost as if it hurt to do so. He shifted himself ever so slowly, unwilling to move, and yet forcing himself to kneel beside her, taking the blade in both hands and centering it dead center in her ravaged, dented and destroyed chest plate.
In that moment, Providence felt ... tired, oh so very tired. He had been drained of so much energy fighting Samhane without anything to replenish it, but that wasn't why he was tired. No, his mind was exhausted, having seen so much, experienced so much, and yet so little at the same time was enough to warp even the most resilient, stalwart of wills. His mind drifted back thousands of years as he looked down at his last connection to the past, to a time when he had been, alive. When they had been alive, together.
" Do you sstill remember, the dayy we met?" Providence spoke softly, and gently, almost in a hushed whisper.
Samhane's eye remained locked on him, staring back into his own eyes. She weakly nodded ever so slightly, broken metal screeching as she did so.
"Then you remmember that sunrise we wattched togetther, ourr firsst day outsside the maze," he spoke, pausing to glance over at the horizon, " itt was so beautiful, I had neverr seen anything like it beforee. I just ... " he trailed off for a moment, his words blown into the wind, and there was silence for a moment. A raspy, choked voice spoke, its words strained and choppy.
" .... Nnevveer wantted, to lett itt ggo. Bbut, wwe hadd tto. Bbeautty ..."
" ... Fades, and that is why it is beautiful," he finished the sentence as her voice gave out.
Providence looked down at Samhane one last time, looking deep into her rapidly fading eye as they both exchanged a knowing look, as his grip on the blade tightened. His raised it up slightly, preparing to do what had been coming for so long, what Asterion himself had told him would fall to him, and him alone.
That's when a broken, crushed arm reached up weakly. She put the palm of her gauntlet on top of the hilt of the sword, never once looking away from Providence.
No words were needed, for they both knew what the other was thinking, as Providence hesitated slightly, before a weak push downwards reminded him what had to be done. With a single, swift motion, the blade came down, a soft blue glow bursting into existence around it as the very armor of her suit peeled itself away to allow the blade access to her hollow chest cavity.
"Tthankk ..."
There was a burst of blue and red light as lightning of the same colors crackled and arced along the blade, slinking into the gemstone at the hilt, before a massive shockwave of blue energy rocked the area, exploding outwards, unable to be seen, but definitely felt.
" ... yyou ..."
Her hand fell limply from the hilt of the blade where the gemstone had once been, before it had discharged, destroying itself in the process. Her last words echoed in his mind as they were spirited away by the gentle breeze.
Thin wisps of smoke drifted upwards from the shattered remains of the gem that had fallen into the snow. Providence hung his head, releasing his grip on the blade, and letting it sink into her ruined armor, the blue glow around the sword having faded away, its sole purpose accomplished.
He sat back for a moment, before simply falling onto his back, letting himself look up at the brightening northern sky.
So there he lay for several minutes, contemplating what he had just done, thinking about Samhane, and himself, before sitting back up, soft snow clinging to the back of his suit. He dared not look at the broken husk that he had once called friend, so he averted his gaze to the Ice Spire caves, far in the distance, and began to think about all the hatchlings, all the dragons he might have just saved, by destroying the only other minotaur in the world who knew what it was like to be a Requiem Guard.
He knew he had done the right thing deep down, but he found himself hurting nonetheless. It was about this time, when he noticed a little blur in the corner of his vision, a wyvern. It angled downwards, swooping uneasily through the air and landing beside him. He recognized it as Talon. She stopped just short of him, folding in her wings in the biting cold, standing right beside the destroyed suit. He could hear her muttering as she scanned over the broken husk.
“Providence? What happened?"
For a moment, he considered responding, but resolved to leave things a mystery for now. He continued to sit there, as he locked eyes with her, his swirling orbs of light blue energy dimmer than usual, not as intense or intimidating as usual. Talon could almost sense a sad softness about them as she mustered up the courage to speak, still not entirely comfortable around Providence.
"Are ... are you going to be okay?" she asked, motioning towards the rents and gashes in his armor, and then the crumpled suit before him. She eyed his idle warhammer off to his side, glancing sideways at the broken dagger still lodged in Samhane's chest.
Again, Providence remained silent, as he stood solemnly, taking his warhammer in one hand before striding over to the spot where he had thrown Samhane's other axe into the ground. He looked at it for a moment, lingering for perhaps a bit too long, as he could sense Talon looking at him funny as the wind picked up. He reached down, snatching it from the ground's embrace, as he let the scabbard that once carried his sword fall to the ground, landing softly in the snow. He placed the axe at his side, at the magnetized point on his belt, securing it as he walked back over to Heart, looking at her silently, before turning his attention the mess of metal before him.
He looked up and down the broken suit, before fixating upon the dark eye slot in the helmet.
"Samhane was once among our greatest protectors," he said softly " She used to say that none of her allies were allowed to die without her permission. I know this is what the real Samhane would have wanted, if she could see what she had become."
Talon looked up at him, backing away a few feet so as to be out of range of his leeching aura which had given her a sudden and severe migraine just from lingering a few seconds too long. Providence knelt down, staring at the snowy earth for a few moments, before scooping up the twisted mass of metal, and hefting it over his shoulder, wrapping his arm around its back so as to secure it firmly, its limp head dangling over the back of his shoulder, facing away from him.
Without a word, he looked at Talon with as soft a gaze as he could muster, before beginning to trudge back towards the Ice Spire caves in silence. He had gone no more than a few steps before he heard Talon calling out to him from behind.
"Providence! What ..." she trailed off for a moment, trying to search for a more eloquent way of putting things, but coming up short " ... what did you do?"
He looked at her over his shoulder, and spoke solemnly, a twinge of sadness, and a pinch of happiness battling for control over the tone of his voice.
"I watched the sunrise with an old friend of mine. I will return in a few hours, after the last hero of Minos has been put to rest."
He resumed his march without a word more, leaving Talon standing there in the cold.
"There are still heroes!" Talon called to him suddenly. His lurching form paused for a moment amidst the misty veil of snow, glancing back at her.
“I have to believe that there are still heroes,” Talon said more to herself than to him. “I have to believe that there are dragons, ponies, and minotaurs that will help us build a better future. Otherwise,” a drawn out sigh filled the air “otherwise, what’s the point in getting out of the nest in the morning?”
Such hope, even in the face of everything up to this point. He could tell it was beginning to wane though, twinges of doubt and reprehension in her voice. He wanted to tell her what he really felt - the pain, the grief, the suffering. He had always held a similar sense of conviction and righteous duty, but the sunrise today had changed things. He wanted to tell her that not everyone gets to live the life they wanted. Some die alone, and afraid at the end of their days. Some die having failed those closest to them. Some die without a cause or a purpose.
Even those that were once heroes, can die as monsters. Samhane suddenly felt twice as heavy on his shoulder.
Providence's eyes scanned her, his eyes too far away from Talon for her to read for any sign of emotion, if there was any. "“Cling to that optimism. It is more valuable than you know." He wasn't going to crush her naïve hope; life would teach her in time.
Without another sound, he returned his focus to the Ice Spire caves, resuming his silent march, the sound of clanking metal and that of his footsteps were carried away into the wind.
