The Sound of Madness

Chapters

The Return
That Was Cliché
That Went Fairly Well...
No Time Like the Present
Great Questions
Planning, Not My Strong Suit

The Return

“Yes, I understand, but I can’t just-” The noble stopped Celestia, and continued rambling on about how she should arrest some poor fillies who accidentally made him trip into a mud puddle, ruining his new suit. Sighing, she looked outside, noticing that the sun was nearing sunset.

“Look,” she cut off the noble pony, “the day is almost over, you can come in tomorrow, okay?” The noble looked angry, but just angrily sighed and walked towards the massive doors of Celestia’s palace. Standing up, she stretched, yawning. Stepping down from her throne, she rubbed her eyes with her hoof, and heard clopping coming from down from Luna’s hallway. Looking up, she noticed Luna, looking tired and had a serious case of bedhead.

“Evening Luna, how was your sleep?” All she got was mumble about wanting coffee. Snickering, Celestia made a cup of coffee, levitating it in front of Luna. Luna snatched it from her grasp with speed she has never seen, and chugged it down. Afterwards, she seemed ready, magically fixing her hair.

“Evening Sister, sorry about ignoring thee, it’s just we didn’t get much sleep last night… well, day, I suppose.” Celestia laughed softly.

“No need to worry, but why didn’t you get much sleep last night?” Celestia asked, her horn glowing as she started lowering the sun. Luna was about to answer when she stopped, rubbing her chin.

“We… we cannot remember. Strange, it was right there and now I can’t remember. No matter, how was day court?” She asked, raising the moon.

“Boring, as always. Nobles complaining, ponies asking for bits, I was about to fall asleep right there,” Celestia yawned again, holding a hoof over her mouth, “pardon me. I think I should get to bed, see you in the morning sister.” She nuzzled Luna, and departed to her bedroom.

“Sleep well sister!” Luna yelled a bit too loud down the hallway, making a nearby guard jump from his sleepy state.

“Who, what? Are we under attack!?” Readying his spear, he noticed Luna’s angry stare. “Oh… hehe… whoops?”

Closing her chamber door behind her, Celestia sighed. Craning her neck, she heard it pop a few times, and twisted it the other way, hearing it crack more. Yawning, she took off her royal regalia, putting it on the dresser next to her bed. Walking over to her bathroom, she turned on the bath water, and looked at herself in the mirror. Noticing bags under her eyes, she realized she was more tired than she thought. Yawning again, she slipped into the bathtub, feeling the warm water caress her body.

“It’s been too long since I’ve relaxed. Maybe I should I take a day off and ask if Luna could handle it… or maybe not even worry about it, just say I’m out for the day.” She mulled it over before remembering what her sister said, and how she wasn’t able to remember why she couldn’t get sleep. “She seem really confused on why she couldn’t remember, almost, worried. Maybe a bad dream, but she hasn’t had any of those since she returned from being Nightmare Moon. Strange… I’ll have to ask her to see if she can remember anything, maybe she just lost it then.”

Finishing her bath, she dried herself with a towel and walked out. Seeing a scroll drop in front of her, she opened it, seeing another friendship report from Twilight. Smiling, she opened a nearby chest, and dropped it into, along with the others Twilight had sent her. Taking off the towel, she slid into bed, and blew out the candle on the nightstand next to her.

Celestia opened her eyes, and noticed it was incredibly dark outside. She then noticed she was standing up, and was in wet grass, which smelled of mildew and broken stone. Lighting up her horn, she shot a flare into the sky and gasped. She was standing in front of her old castle. Walking slowly towards it, she stopped in front of the door. She looked at the black doors and… wait, black? Celestia looked again, the doors were far larger then she remember, and pitch black. Putting a hoof to them, it was smooth and incredibly cold. Stepping back, she saw that the castle had transformed into a nightmarish fortress, spikes adorning the rooftops. Suddenly, a massive booming was behind her, and she saw the face of someone who shouldn’t be here. He smiled, his grin sending shivers down her spine.

Then, he started singing. His voice slammed into her, sending her crashing through the doors. Tumbling, she used her magic to teleport herself up. He threw a red stick through the door, and it had a burning fuse, she looked at it, before rolling out of the way, the explosion making a small crater, and causing her to go slightly deaf for a few moments. Shaking her head, she noticed him stepping through the broken rubble of the door, eyes glazed with rage. She noticed the room get brighter when he did, almost like his music was capable of creating light. He walked towards her, and she flew up, but a hand sprouted from the ground, grabbing her and slamming her into the ground. The hand dissipated, letting her shakily stand up. Looking up, she stared into those methodical, blue eyes. Teleporting behind him, she tried using her hind legs to buck him, but they seems to faze through him. Eyes widening, she sprinted forward, leaping through the broken doors and noticed a massive wall surrounding the edge of the castle. Flying up, the walls just kept growing taller and taller, before she realized there was no way to escape. Flying down, she noticed him waiting for her.

Deciding to fight, she summoned a massive sword, using her magic to hold it. Shooting the sword forward, it went straight through him, but he did seem to wince slightly. Stomping her hoof down, hundreds of swords appeared, possibly a thousand. They all shot forward, slicing right through, but he did seem to stop walking. But he wasn't wincing anymore, instead, he was smiling. He then jumped, before slamming his fist into the hard ground. Nothing seemed to happened, then a massive shockwave appeared, the power of it visible through the air. All the swords slammed against the shockwave, falling to the ground, inert. Creating a shield, Celestia felt the power of it meet her shield, shocking her how much power was there. The shock wave passed, and she lowered her shield, and was suddenly kicked in her back, crashing into the ground. Wincing, she stood up, before hearing a rush of air behind her, and she met his blow with a hoof. Except, there was no blow. Turning around, a fist slammed into her muzzle, causing her to stumble backwards. He stepped forward, before a beam of magic slammed into him.

"BEGONE FOUL CUR," Celestia winced at the Royal Canterlot Voice, but she saw Luna, using her magic to stop the assault. "YOU WILL NOT DEFILE HER DREAMS ANY LONGER, OR MINE!" Her magic flared greater, the beam glowing into an intense white, before he exploded. Celestia was preparing for a shockwave , but it never happened. Looking back, she noticed she was in the Canterlot Gardens, with Luna beside her, breathing heavily. But the music didn't stop. Looking forward, he was still there, in front of a statue... his statue. Laughing, he stepped into the same pose as the statue. Closing his eyes, he was smiling as he continued the song. He then opened his eyes.

Celestia awoke, the massive explosion rocking Canterlot Palace. Teleporting, she appeared in front of his statue, to see he was there, alive. He looked at her, before jumping on top of the palace. He ripped down a flag from a nearby flagpole, before burning it with his magic. Teleporting into her room, she grabbed a nearby scroll and hastily wrote for Twilight to get the Elements and get to Canterlot. Hearing a guard yelp in pain, she looked at her door, before it exploded inwards, and he was there, holding Shining Armor by the throat.

"Thank you Shining, to leading me to my prize. So, Celestia... missed me?"

That Was Cliché

Celestia stared him down, his grip on Shining tightening. He struggled to escape, his horn had a ring around it. 'How did he get a magic dampening ring? Only the guards have... oh. He must'be went to the barracks when I teleported back inside, but how did he know where it was?' A thud knocked her out of her trance, and looked back, Shining Armor was sitting on the floor, confused as well, as the beast was rolling on the floor, laughing.

"Oh my god, that was fucking cliché! 'Missed me?' HAHAHAHA! What's next? 'No, Mister Bond, I expect you to die!' Jesus..." He went on one knee, wiping his eyes with his coat jacket, which was slightly tattered. "God, that was so stupid." He vanished when Shining tried tackling him, and reappeared behind him. "Bro, wait your turn, attacking when someone's back his turned, have you no honor? Celestia, where'd you get this guy, from the street?" Shining snorted, and tried tackling him again, but he slammed his foot into his muzzle, Celestia hearing a crack.

"Ugh, Your Majesty, what is this creature? And why does he know my name, along with every other guard?"

"Creature!?! Ugh, I've never been on such a low pedestal, you wound me, truly. Also, how do you now know about me? Celestia, have you not told them all about me? You know, with that Statue, no one ever wondered who I was? Oh, also, 'Sound of Madness'? Nice name for the statue pedestal, I like it, might ju-HURK!" Something slammed into him, sending them crashing towards Celestia, who hastily avoided it. Looking back, Luna was slamming her forehoof into his torso.

"Luna, ask me to DINNER FIRST!" He slammed his legs into her barrel, knocking her off of him. Luna, flipping in the air, landed on her feet. "God, again, no honor."

"You speak of honor, yet you showed no sign of that a thousand years ago!" Luna blasted him with her magic, blowing the wall of Celestia tower. The cold breeze filtered into the room, mixing with the smell of charred stone and wood.

"LUNA! You just blew up my dresser!" Before Luna could say anything, he jumped out of the hole, falling towards the ground, before flipping and landing on his hands. Celestia heard Luna mutter something about being a showoff, before flying down after him. "Shining, here," using her magic, she took the ring off of Shining's horn, "go gather the guards, I want the city in full lockdown. Twilight and the Elements should be getting here by train."

"My sister is coming? With, that-" he shoved a hoof to the hole, "in the city? I don't want my sister being hurt." Celestia was about to answer, when an explosion rocked the street. Dashing towards the window, she saw that Luna was battling him, and she was winning.

"Shining, there isn't a time to argue, now! That's an order!" Shining flinched, never seeing that tone come from Celestia. He saluted, before teleporting in a bright light, most likely to the barracks. She turned back, and saw Luna summon a sword and tried slicing him in two, but he rolled backwards, the sword nicking lower back. Wincing, he touched his back, feeling the warm blood fall over his hand.

"Ah, been too long since I've felt pain." He brought his red palm in front of him, before flicking it into Luna's eyes. She stumbled back in surprise. "Well, I've gotta go fix this wound. Hope you have fun fixing the castle. Nice shot Luna, blowing up Celestia's tower, almost like you're on my side." He vanished, leaving Luna to stab her sword into the ground out of rage. Celestia teleported next to her.

"How could he avoid all of my strikes so well? I've practiced those moves since I could lift a sword. The only way I could hit him was out of rage. He wasn't expecting it." Luna looked at the crimson liquid on the floor, it seeping through the cracks of the road. "Sister," she turned to Celestia, a slight tinge of fear in her eyes, "how could've he returned?" Celestia draped a wing over her sister's back.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter now. He's escaped, and we have to trust that the elements get here soon. They are the only way we can stop him." Luna snorted, twirling her sword in the air. "Luna, we have banned killing unless it is absolu-"

"THIS IS NECESSARY! Think back to before, he used cheap tactics, and never gave us a moment to rest." Celestia sighed, before hearing a sharp whistle. Both turned to the sound, and noticed a plume of smoke.

"Twilight is here... I suppose we should get ready, and greet the Elements."

"Fuck, that sword hurt." A distinct ripping sound was heard throughout the hospital. A nearby doctor heard it and went over to an empty storage closet. Opening it, he saw a tall beast wrapping his torso in a bandage. The beast looked at him. "Hope you don't mind me borrowing your medical supplies." Was the last thing the doctor heard before falling asleep. "Well, at least no one noticed it... now then, to find a way out of the ci-" A sharp whistle was heard down the street. Teleporting, he reappeared on the roof, and saw a train coming in from the distance. "Maybe that has to wait, gotta make a good first impression after all.... that also sounded cliché, but I don't exactly care anymore."

That Went Fairly Well...

"Twilight," Rainbow asked, stifling a yawn, "why'd you wake us all up? It's like, two in the morning? Well, probably three with how long it took Rarity to get ready." Applejack stifled a laugh, while Rarity just turned her head.

"Well excuse me for wanting to get ready. Although, I have top agree with Rainbow. Why'd you wake us all up? A girl needs her beauty sleep." Twilight was just pacing back in forth trying to think what could be so urgent. Applejack laid a hoof on her, making her jump slightly.

"Twi', I think ya'll need to calm down. I'm sure the princess doesn't want you to worry. I'm sure she'll give us a few days to prepare." Twilight still looked worry. She was about to talk when a loud snore interrupted her. Looking over, she saw Spike sleeping, his claw across his belly.

"Spike, wake up!" Spike just groaned, turning over and covering his head with a pillow. Twilight was about to yell again, when Fluttershy shook her head.

"He's just a baby boy, he needs his rest, you should've just left him to sleep in and leave a note." Fluttershy draped a blanket over him and he snuggled into it. Twilight nodded, before standing on top of a small crate, before coughing into her hoof.

"We're all right here sugarcube." Applejack said, causing Twilight to blush lightly, but continued on.

"Earlier, Spike woke up coughing, and then coughed up a scroll. I've never received one so late into the night, so I was slightly worried. What I thought was weird, was that the scroll wasn't sealed with the Royal Canterlot Seal, and it was barely curled up. Opening it, the words hastily written and sloppy, and said she needed the Elements as soon as possible. So, I can only assume something has been unleashed, and we need to use the Elements-"

"To kick its monster butt?" Rainbow interjected, bopping her hooves together. "Like we did with Discord?" Twilight nodded, but she heard a distant rumble, a the train started shaking for a few moments, knocking her off the crate. Standing up, she noticed that everyone else was on the floor, and along with Spike, who was somehow still sleeping. Running to the window, she lifted it up and looked around. Looking towards Canterlot, she saw that Celestia's tower had a massive whole in it and was smoking slightly. Eyes widening, she backed away from the window, before running through all of the train cars toward the engine room. The others were confused before running after her.

"Twilight, dear, what's wrong."

"Celestia's tower exploded!" They all stopped, tripping over each other in shock. Twilight didn't seem to notice or care, and continued to the engine car. Opening the door, the operator turned around. His voice was gruff, and he towered over Twilight.

"You can't be in here."

"I'm Princess Celestia's personal student," that got his eyes wide, "now, get us to Canterlot as fast as you can!" All he did was nod, before turning around and pulling levers. The train started going faster, bumping slightly on the tracks. He pulled down a chain, a loud whistle blowing out from the top of the train. The others caught up, breathing hard except for Rainbow and Applejack, who only had a light sweat.

"I don't understand why you didn't just fly Flutters, you were born with wings, why not use them?" Fluttershy blushed slightly, before looking at Twilight.

"Um, Twilight, what do you mean by... exploded?" Fluttershy looked nervous, hiding behind her mane when the operator looked at her.

"Exploded? What exploded? Did somepony hurt ma train?" He turned around to face Twilight, who was almost hanging out of the window. Walking over to her, the rest looked out the window, crowding their faces. They all looked towards Canterlot, which they realized was closer then they thought. Looking up, they saw Celestia's tower, a small pillar of smoke coming from a hole in one side of the tower, but the rest was fine.

"I hope Celestia is okay..." The door to the operating car opened, and Spike was there, rubbing his eye.

"Hey, what'd I miss?"

Celestia was pacing in front of her throne, bags under her eyes. Luna was sitting on hers, watching intently as her sister kept pacing, mumbling under her breath. Luna sighed, blowing a piece of her mane out of her face. Looking outside one of the massive windows, guards were scouring the garden, horns lit. She shouldn't be here, waiting for others to find him, she should be out there, finding him, and put an end all of this before it even started. The massive doors opened slightly, and Luna raised her head, along with Celestia, who stopped pacing, her hoof in the air. A guard peeked his head in.

"Excuse me, your Highnesses, but the Elements have arrived. They are down by the train station, getting off of it soon." Celestia felt a wave of relief over her.

"Bring them, but I want them protected. At least ten of the best guards." The guard nodded, closing the door. Celestia sighed, before feeling a wing drape over her. Looking back, she saw Luna, who had a slight smile.

"I'm sure that thy are safe. How can that... monster," she practically hissed it out, "know that your student exists? Or even the Elements? Last time he saw them, they were with us. If anything, he has ran away, like the scared-" The door got knocked on, heavily. Another guard appeared, breathing heavily. He stumbled, fumbling to bow before them.

"Your Highnesses, something has happened at the train station. The Elements were getting off, and we were walking to greet them, when two of the guards fell over, and whatever was unleashed attacked us, and knocked out another. The rest are protecting the Elements, but th-they sent me to go g-get you." Celestia calmly listened, and when he finished, she walked towards the, walking past the guard, and opened the door, before furiously yelling.

"DEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-!!!!"

"-REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!" Derek looked to the sky, noticing a dark shape plunging for him.

"Oh, she remember my name, how romantic. So," he turned around to face the Elements, "how's your day been going?" Behind him were six unconscious guards, tied up to a street post. The Elements stared him down, wondering what to do, Rainbow and Applejack looked like they wanted a fight, Fluttershy hid behind Twilight, Rarity had a look of disgust on her face, and Pinkie was, well, she was barely paying attention. Spike was on Twilight's back, and was slightly shaking, his eyes turning into slits. Derek noticed this, and smiled, showing off his canines, and then Spike did the same, sliding his tongue over his teeth. "Seems that one of you knows who I am." Spike hissed, drawing all of their attention.

"Spike, what's wrong?" He twisted and squirmed, before his eyes going back to normal. He was staring into Twilight's eyes, looking at him curiously?

"Hm, what? What did you say?" Twilight was about to answer when something slammed down behind the bipedal creature, who didn't seem to notice. Celestia was behind him, a massive bow held in her magic, and she drew the string back, an arrow appearing.

"Back away from them, or you'll be locked back in stone!" He didn't seem to care, making Twilight slightly angry by itself. "I said-"

"I know what you said, do you have to be so dramatic?" He rolled the R in dramatic, making Pinkie giggle. "See? Someone's having fun, oh, sorry, somepony." He used what appeared to look like Spike's claw, but slightly longer, and rounded at the end, and moved the first two up and down. "Also, none of you have answered my question? How are all of you? Me? I'm doing fine, so, Celestia, put down the bow, you don't murder no more." Celestia twitched, an ever so slight one. Somehow, he seemed to notice it, without looking at her. "Oh, right sorry. Forgot about that, did that sting a little? Here, let me give it a kiss." He spun around, his jacket lightly twirling, before grabbing Celestia's hoof and kissed it. She reeled back from the sudden motion, furious.

That was all the time he needed. Running forward, he slid past the Elements, the arrow whizzing past him, only to fly upwards, and rocket back towards him. He didn't expect it, honestly. The arrow only got closer, and then time seemed to slow down. He analyzed everything around him, from the smell of the nearby flowers, to what color a nearby house's roof was. His brain churned, trying to find an answer that wouldn't get anyone hurt. Grabbing on of the elements was a risk, and if the arrow didn't stop, it would slam into one of them, or it would just curve around them, shredding his shoulder or some other bit he deemed important. Celestia would know he would try to use his magic, and would cast a spell while he was getting his ready. Instead, he took the most logical answer; and did nothing. The arrow slammed into his shoulder, spending him spinning. Thing is, Celestia wasn't prepared for it, he spun to the floor, before rolling and slamming his fist into her jaw. She stumbled backwards, trying to get the lights out of her eyes, before a hard kick knocked her to her side. Derek winced in pain, and felt his blood practically pour from his shoulder, but the arrow was gone. Turning around he saw the Elements, who eyes were wide as saucers, except for Twilight's who looked like she popped a blood vessel in her eye. Derek smirked, only to see Twilight lift five amulets and a crown, putting the crown on herself and the amulets on the others.

"And why, dear Twilight, would you use the Elements on me?" Derek just guessed that they were the Elements, they had the same coloring, somewhat, or that he could remember. Twilight looked in confusion.

"Y...YOU JUST HIT MY TEACHER! Not to mention, she said she needed the Elements, and I'm guessing you're why we were called her."

"Wow, she called the Elements, just for me? Man, she must truly care about me." He fluttered his eyes in fake romance, before softly laughing to himself. "Heh, I'm going insane... well, I suppose that left me years ago." He muttered under his breath, before hissing, putting his hand back to the wound. 'Pressure, must keep pressure on the wound, can't fight, wounded, surrounded by the Elements and... wait, the hell's Luna?' Dropping to the floor, his head slammed against the concrete, and he dug his fingers into his shoulder, making the pain flare up. However, his instincts were right. Luna missed her mark, sliding across the ground until she faced Derek and Celestia, who was starting to get up. 'Bad, very bad, options... what are the options... Run, Hide, Fight, those are the options. Running only lasts for a while, so does hiding, unless your very good at hiding... fighting isn't an option, wound too great, Luna too strong. Grab one of the elements and then run? Worthwhile, gives me time, and they can't use it against me til they get it back which probably wont be long. Always could go out in a blaze of glory, I like that idea... I mean, it'll be the coolest things I've done.' Opening his eyes, he felt something slam into him, sending him crashing to the cobblestone, hard. 'Or, I could always just die, that's technically an option.' Whatever slammed into him was grinding a hoof into his shoulder, causing searing pain to shoot up his arm.

"We've waited so long to do that beast, now then, prepare yourself for a lifetime in stone." He squinted at Luna, who had a slightly mad glint in her eye.

"Not even a parole? I'll do community service, promise." Luna looked confused, then furious. She grinded into his shoulder harder.

"WHY DO THY JOKE? THEE THINK THIS IS A GAME!?!" Luna yelled into his face, causing him to wince. Suddenly, the weight of his shoulder was lifted, and Luna moved away, and Celestia appeared in front of his face. Derek grinned like a madman.

"Hey, how's it going? So, how's life been around the castle." All he got was a punch in the face, the hoof breaking his nose, and then again, and again. Celestia stopped after the third, before spitting in Derek's face. She walked away, and he could hear magic being gathered. Tilting his head, he saw the elements floating a bit off the ground, with Twilight at the center. Grabbing a rock, he got to one knee before hearing Luna laugh.

"Any last words, beast?"

"Yeah," he lifted the rock up, "go to hell." And then he chucked the rock right to Twilight's crown, and just before all of the beams could come together into it, it fell off her head.

"NO!" Was all Derek heard before everything went white.

No Time Like the Present

Celestia watched as the small rock was thrown from Derek's hand, time seeming to slow down as it flew across. She tried using her magic, but for some reason, she couldn't do it, maybe out of shock, or some other force, but she was helpless. All she could was yell out.

"NO!" The rock slammed into Twilight's crown, sending it flying off her head. Twilight's eyes widened, and the other elements flew backwards, the power becoming unstable. Then, Celestia was blasted back, crashing into a nearby house. Luna was able to get a shield up, but she still flew backwards, the shield doing nothing. The elements all fell to the ground, not injured but had massive headaches, and Twilight was clutching her head.

"Yes! Suck it! Derek one, ponies zero!" Twilight looked up, opening her eyes slightly. Derek had an arm to the sky, fist clutched, before he winced, clutching his shoulder. He said something under his breath, before Twilight blacked out. The others went to her side, trying to wake her up, except for Rainbow, who looked extremely pissed.

"You think you can mess with my friends!?! Think again!" Rainbow spread her wings, and started flying towards Derek. Derek looked around, before slapping his head.

"Right, I have magic." Derek raised an arm, pointing it at Rainbow, who wasn't deterred. In fact, she seemed to be going faster. Small sparks started coming from Derek's hand, falling to the ground. Derek gasped, his body becoming racked with pain. His vision went blurry, only seeing a cyan blur rush towards him. Falling backwards, a raised his hand up, fist clenched except for his middle finger, before a portal opened up under him. Rainbow Dash slowed down, looking at where the portal had just been, now just white cobblestone. Rainbow snorted, before flying back to Twilight, who was now on her feet, swaying slightly.

"Ugh... what happened? Did we get him?" Celestia walked over to them, draping a wing over Twilight.

"No, he threw a rock at your element, causing the power to become unstable. He blasted us all away, and he was able to escape through a portal. I'm surprised he could do magic so quickly, my arrow should've nullified his magic for a few hours at least." Celestia winced, finally noticing all the bruises she had on her. "But first, we should get you to the hospital. All that magic could have affected you somehow." Twilight was about to object when she noticed her teacher's eyes. They were angry, protective, and sad. Twilight nodded, leaning on Rarity for support.

"Princess? What will you do when you find him... and what exactly was he anyway? It looked like a hairless diamond dog that knew how to speak probably." Celestia sighed, before lighting up her horn.

"I'll tell you after we get you to the hospital... and let me worry about where to find him, I have an idea where he went." There was a flash of golden light, and they appeared in front of the hospital. Twilight staggered, almost falling before Celestia hoisted her up with her magic. "Sorry, I forgot that teleporting might have hurt you, or put more strain on you. Can you walk?" Twilight nodded, leaning on her former teacher for support. Luna went in before them, and when they entered a doctor was already waiting for them, before bringing Twilight to the nearest room. Luna stayed outside the door with Celestia, her eyes not moving from the floor.

"Sister," Celestia looked down, and noticed Luna eyes were misty, "I failed. I could've stopped him earlier, and Twilight wouldn't have gotten hurt... I... I cou-" Celestia draped a wing over her sister, wincing slightly.

"It wasn't your fault Luna, and you know it. Nopony would have guessed he would've returned, especially not so soon after Discord." Luna's eyes widened, before Celestia's did as well. "Discord... could he have?"

"Possibly. Derek would be able to create chaos, meaning Discord could return soon... we should move Discord's statue somewhere else. Where it can be monitored." Celestia nodded, her eyes growing heavy. "Sister, get some rest. I'll wake you when Twilight has awoken." Celestia smiled, before falling asleep in the chair.

"Ah, fuck!" The manticore looked up, noticing a lump fall to the floor. "Of all the goddamn places, I chose the Everfree." The manticore licked his muzzle, his stomach rumbling. Raising his tail, he watched as the creature stood up, patting itself off, dirt falling to the ground. "Well, at least there- nope, not going to say it. If I say it, something bad will attack me, and I'll die." The creature looked up, before kicking some dirt. "Damn treeline, can't figure out the time." The manticore walked closer, the heavy padded paws not making a sound. The creature just stayed still, so the manticore lunged at him. The creature fell onto it's back, the manticore crashing into a tree, snapping it. Roaring, it bit the tree and threw it, before looking at Derek, hunger in it's eyes.

"I didn't even say it, and something is already trying to kill me. Maybe cliches don't work in this world. Now then, manticore, around 1 ton, solitary hunters, venomous tail, paralyzes before eating prey alive. Canines the size of a hand, wings that don't work, but this one is desperate. Haven't eaten in a week, mane slightly manged. Desperate means dangerous. Hungry and desperate means-" the manticore roared, sending birds flying off from nearby trees. "-RUN!" Turning around, Derek sprinted, hearing the massive paws crunching over small bushes and trees. He had to fight the urge to turn his head, knowing that he would just trip and break his neck. He focused on the roots, avoiding them, not trying to trip. Turning, he avoided the tail trying to impale him, it slamming into a tree. Ripping the tail from the tree, it continued after Derek. Derek heard rushing water, possibly rapids. Turning, he bolted to the sound, his legs feeling like they were on fire.

“Fuck… I’m outta shape.” Derek gasped out to himself, before jumping over a fallen log and landing on a river bed. A river was in front of him, rushing wildly. “Can’t cross this, fuck, fuckfuckfuck… okay. calm down. I can do this. I c-” the manticore crashed through the treeline, tail whipping above Derek’s head. “-...Well, I’m dead.” The manticore rushed forward, its fangs glistening with saliva. Derek looked over his shoulder, deciding which was a worse way too die. The manticore stopped a few feet in front of him, before running away. Derek stopped, before his eyes widened when he noticed the massive shadow over him.

“I guess cliches do exist here, there is always something bigger.” Turning around, his eyes kept going up, before he saw an orange mustache. A purple serpent has risen from the water, its scales glistening in the sunlight. It looked down, eyes as big as Derek’s body. Falling backwards, Derek scrambled to get away from the serpent.

“Just because I’m a river serpent doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings.” Derek paused, looking up the serpent. It had just spoke, in a rather flamboyant voice too. Derek stood up, cautiously, before dusting himself off, ignoring the pain in his shoulder.

“Um… hi? Sorry, it’s just that massive serpents are kinda terrifying to anything smaller than it. Thanks for saving me from that manticore, by the way.” The serpent smiled, Derek slightly nervous of his massive teeth.

“It was my pleasure! Those nasties always torment the weak, and I try to stop them.” Derek was about to argue that he wasn’t weak, but he decided against arguing against a massive water serpent.

“So, um, do you have a name or… what?” He nodded, lowering his face til he was eye level with Derek.

“I’m Steven Magnet!” Derek tilted his head slightly, before nodding.

“Well, hi Steven Magnet. I’m Derek. I can’t remember my last name, been too long since I’ve heard it. So, can I cross the river, or is it one of those sphinx riddle things? Where if I get it wrong you eat me?” Steven gasped, shaking his head furiously.

“I only eat fish! Besides, you’re too stringy.” Derek snorted slightly. “Yes, I suppose I can let you across the river,” Steven held out and hand, “hop on.” Derek grabbed onto the hand, hoisting himself up. A sudden rush of air, and Derek was moving across the river, then it stopped. Sliding off, he nodded his head.

“Thank you, do you know the way to a ruined castle near here?” Steven scratched his chin, before thinking back. He remember some ponies who were looking for the same thing.

“Yes… I believe it’s… that way?” Derek noted the tone of uncertainty in his voice, before following the massive claw, which was pointing through a pathway surrounded by trees. “Six ponies went that way around… a year ago? I honestly can’t remember, might have been longer or shorter. So, why do you want to go that way?”

“Private matters, being chased and only place I can think of. Steven’s eyes widened.”

“Yo… you’re being chased? By who… or what? Will it hurt me for helping you?” Derek shook his head.

“No, I don’t think they will. Besides, it is a who. I’ll leave that as a surprise though. If they come this way, just point them in the same direction.” Derek started off, waving a hand over his shoulder.

“Toodles! Have a safe trip Mr. Derek!” Derek smiled, he’s never met someone who was so upbeat, so lively. ‘Did sound sort of gay… I won’t judge, just weird.’ Derek walked for what seemed like hours, the constant crunching of the sticks and leaves under every step threatened to make him go insane. Finally, he was met with a massive gorge. Peering over, he picked up a nearby rock and dropped it in. ‘1…. 2…. 3…. 4..’ Clunk. ‘4 and a half seconds? Jesus. Is there a bridge or something?’ Turning to the right, he saw a rickety wood bridge, with wooden planks for footing. ‘Are you serious!?!’ Derek pinched the bridge of his, before walking over to it. Carefully, he put a foot on the first plank, and the bridge rocked slightly. ‘I’m dead, I’m so dead.’ Grabbing onto the rope, he put his other foot on the plank ahead of the last one. He kept at this, carefully moving across. A few yards from the other side, he heard a ripping sound, barely audible in normal standards, but the ravine below made it echo, making it seem like someone was tearing something very loudly next to his ear. ‘Don’t panic, don’t panic, just keep at it, you are-’ Something snapped, and he booked it, jumping to the other side, crashing onto his good shoulder. Looking back, he saw a single plank fall into the gorge. Nothing else happened, and he fell onto his back, cursing. Standing up, he continued the only way he knew, forward.

Brushing a vine out of the way, he was met with the ruins of a castle. “FINALLY!” Walking forward, he pressed a palm against the stone doorway, the coarseness rubbing slightly, and the chill of the stone made him shiver slightly. Pushing against the door, it didn’t budge. Putting his good shoulder too it, he pushed. The door groaned slightly, before tipping slightly. Startled, he stepped back, before the door broke, slamming down into the castle. A mighty thud echoed across the forest, causing him to flinch and jump back.

“Everything would’ve heard that… son of a bitch.” He said under his breath. Stepping onto the stone door, he walked inside. Cold, it was so cold. He shivered, breathing through his mouth, and into his hands, before putting them under his armpits. “Well, time to get to work.”

Great Questions

“Sister,” Celestia grumbled, turning her head from the noise, “sister, wake up. Twilight has awoken.” Celestia’s eyes cracked open, before tilting her head up and yawning. Rubbing her eyes, Celestia looked over to the voice, noting Luna who had bags under her eyes, hidden almost perfectly against her dark coat.

“Luna, what time is it?” Luna was about to answer, but she scratched her chin. Looking around the hallway, she tried finding a clock. She spotted one, but she could barely read it from where she was. “Luna, do you need glasses?” Luna laughed under her breath, before shaking her head. “Luna, get some sleep, we’ll start the search later today. I’ll stay with the Elements and tell them about Derek.” Luna opened her mouth to protest, but the glare she noticed from Celestia was enough to silence her. With a flash of light, Luna disappeared to her bedroom.

“Princess,” turning her head, a stallion who was wearing a white coat, sharp contrast to his dark blue coat, and a pink mane? The doctor noticed the look, and turned away sheepishly. “Sorry, a few weeks ago, my friends and I got drunk one night and we had a bet.” Celestia laughed, before getting out of her seat, stretching. Hearing a few things pop, she stood up fully. Ruffling her wings, she nodded to the doctor, who stepped aside, holding the door open for her. Crouching down slightly, she entered a cozy room, and noticed Twilight reading a book, and the others were talking to each, mostly small talk.

“Princess!” Twilight closed the book she was reading and put it on the table next to her, which had two other stacks of books. “How are you?”

“I think I should be asking you that question,” Twilight’s cheeks turned slightly pink, “but I am fine, thank you. How are you?”

“I’m fine, but I was out for three hours or so?”

“Two hours and forty six minutes actually!” Celestia turned towards Pinkie, who had a stopwatch in her hoof. She tucked it away in her mane, raising an eyebrow from Celestia, but she didn’t say anything.

“Now then, Twilight. Do you know what that thing attacked you is called?” Twilight shook her head. “I didn’t think so. That thing’s name is Derek, and he’s returned for revenge. You see, he’s not from this world, but was pulled into it when the world was born. The gods are cruel in that way, taking whatever they want and watching them for amusement. When he was brought into this world, he was given immortality… well, that’s not correct. He can live forever, until time itself ends, but he can be killed. He was also given the magic of music.” They were all listening intently, but Rainbow Dash laughed when she said that.

“Music? What a lame power! What, does he sing you to sle-OW! Twilight, what was that for?!” Twilight just socked Rainbow in the leg, making Rainbow rub the spot.

“Don’t just interrupt the Princess like that. Sorry Princess, Rainbow can sometimes be a little…” Celestia smiled, nodding her head.

“It’s fine. It is actually quite silly, now that I think about it, but, continuing on. He had gain control of his power in a few years, but still tried finding a way home. For centuries he tried everything, but the gods did not budge. They were silent, and left him on this world forever. He became angry, and focused his rage into a song… to this day I can still remember the cries of anguish. The whole world heard it, and the sky knew his rage. A massive thunderstorm hovered over him, lightning striking everywhere. For hours it went on, until he finally stopped, a pillar of light appearing from the darkened clouds. A god had appeared… but he was sinister. He wanted revenge on Faust… on my mother, for vanquishing him in battle. He made Derek a deal, kill Faust’s daughters, and he could return home. Derek accepted it, and the god gave him a weapon… a battle ax, and also… an instrument. An instrument from his world, a… key-tar? No, that’s not right… gu...guitar? Yes, that’s it. A guitar. It was like a massive lyre, strings went down the handle of the ax, and he could summon red lightning from whenever he played those cords. And so he went off on his hunt… his hunt for Luna and I. A few centuries before I banished my sister to the moon he finally found us. My sister and I hadn’t found the Elements of Harmony yet, so we ran and hid. He tore down the walls of our old castle, before the Castle of the Two Sisters, when he was about to kill us, mother appeared. She blasted him across the room, before using her magic to lock him in stone. She couldn’t say goodbye, for this was something that happened in a thousand years at best. A god, interfering with the mortal plane.” She paused, and noticed they were all looking at her, eyes wide with wonder. Twilight raised her hoof, and Celestia nodded at her.

“So, this Derek… why was he brought here? And why did he accept a deal like that? Why would anypony want to… ki-kill you?” Celestia heard the nervousness in her voice.

“I don’t know… loneliness, distraught, anguish. He wanted to return home, to where a place he could be accepted, but deep down I think he knew he couldn’t go back. He needed a way to get his anger out, and he chose us. Apparently his rage hasn’t subsided for all these years. Why he was brought here, like I said, gods are cruel. Now then, time discuss how to stop him before he causes anymore damage. I’ll have to find out where he is… I have a few ideas where he might be.”

Derek awoke with a start, hearing a long scraping noise throughout the halls, it echoing what seemed to be forever. Noticing a pillar of light, he still had daylight before night arrived. Heaving himself off the wall, he very slowly grabbed his shoulder, feeling the bandages in the barracks, which surprisingly hadn’t faded. It stung a little, but the bandages were coated in some sort of ooze which felt like fire when he first put them on, but it had soothed to a small ache. Very carefully, he rotated his shoulder, wincing a bit, but it seemed to hold together. Looking around, he saw a blade hilt with a broken blade, maybe a foot left of blade. Grabbing it, he slid it into his back pocket, and opened the musty wooden door, which had warped and rusted along the iron bolts and hinges. The scrapping stopped, and a thud resounded a few seconds after. He heard a strangled cry, and he started walking towards it, his hand on the hilt. Opening another door, a large lump of rocks was in the middle of the room, and yet it was bleeding.

“Um, are you hurt?” The thing shifted, and it opened a massive set of jaws, and it’s eyes opened, black slits surrounded by greens globes. It tried moving but it whimpered, and more blood splattered to the ground. The smell of it started hanging in the room, and he coughed a few times. Walking behind it, he watched as the eyes followed him, eyes filled with fright and anger. He crouched next to the wound, and saw deep claw marks, and a single puncture wound in its thigh. “Manticore got you… the venom will kill you, if it doesn’t you’ll be paralyzed…” Some blood started seeping through his boot, and he backed away. ‘I don’t want it to suffer, but it still could hurt me… and it could draw something else.’ He looked over at the thing, and noticed that’s jaw was rested and closed, as were its eyes. ‘Real quick,’ he pulled the blade from his pocket, ‘don’t think about it, just do it.’ Stepping over it, he slowly sat down over the middle of its back, and it didn’t acknowledge him. Shaking, he put that blade to the back of it’s neck, he felt it breathing under him, still alive.

“I’m sorry.” Shoving the knife into it, he felt it squirm, before falling limp. Getting off of it, he put his back to it, and looked at the blade, dripping the fresh blood onto his pants. “AAARG!” He threw the blade, it slapping against the wall, before falling to the ground. Standing up, he turned to look at the beast.

It was dark grey, with what looked like rocks attached to its back. Walking over, he realized it was a alligator, or a crocodile. The snout was pointed, and he forgot which one was what. Opening its jaws, they were filled with razor sharp teeth, and serrated. Carefully closing it, he walked to the other side, and a small pool of blood had settled next to it, and the blood was oozing out now. Shaking his head, he found a tattered banner, showing a crescent moon. Curling it up, he brought it over, and then draped it over the beast.

“May thy valkyrie carry your honored soul to Valhalla.” Walking over to the knife, he grabbed it and wiped it on the banner, which was now turning red in some places. “Fuck… how did it even get in h… right, the door buckled in. Probably should fix that… meh, I’ll do it later… if there is a later. Now then… how the fuck do I kill a demi-goddess?”

Planning, Not My Strong Suit

A few hours had past since Derek had killed the crocodile, alligator thing. He hadn’t come up with a good name for it, and he had too many things to deal with than naming a random creature. Derek had found a relatively stable table, and had laid out the guards patrol patterns when he swiped it from the barracks.

“Okay then, guard changes every four hours, with how well they are trained, I’m assuming they all get to their posts in time, leaving no short window. Could always take out both when they are about to switch… how long will they be asleep for. Probably ten minute window there. What else,” rummaging through his pockets, he dumped some more magic-canceling rings, a guard roster, some biscuits, and letter, “okay, letter-” his stomach rumbled, “biscuits first.” Wolfing down the biscuits, his throat started to get dry, but he ignored it.

“Okay, the rings will probably be useful. I did see a few pegasus guards, but I should be able to cripple them before they can escape. I honestly don’t care about who’s a guard or not, what’s this letter?” Opening it, his eyes widened, before his mouth turned into a small smile, which grew into a manic grin. “Well well well, guard short huh? Oh, young love, how useful you can be. And not even going to tell them you’ll be gone, what a foolish colt. Now then, what’s his post?” Trailing a finger down the list of guards, he spotted the name on the letter, one Zephyr Spark. “Let’s see, his post is, the lake beneath Canterlot? Why would they… oh. OH! The sewers! Haha! Oh Celestia, I get full movement throughout Canterlot, and you don’t even know it. Now then, this guard’s date is in a few days, so what to do before then?” His stomach growled more, and he looked down, amused. “Well, what do you want me to do? We are public enemy number one, want me to just waltz into the nearest town, order a hamburger with extra fries, and walk out?” His stomach went silent. “Heh… I’m going insane.”

Walking out of the room, the scent of dried blood hit his nose. He wrinkled his nose, before looking down at the corpse. The blood on the floor had turn slightly darker, and had traveled through the cracks. The beast still had the banner over it, but there was something under it, moving. Raising an eyebrow, he pulled out the broken blade, and lifted the covers. Underneath was another crocodile alligator thing, yet smaller.

“A baby? Why are you… oh… oh son of a bitch.” Ripping off the banner, Derek grabbed the beast’s tail and looked under it, and sure enough, it was female. “Fuck, she must’ve got hurt protecting it from that manticore… I just killed a mother.” The baby bit his shoe, and he looked down. It was gnawing on the leather boot, it’s teeth not strong enough to bite through it. Bending down, he grabbed it and held it up to his face. “I know you can’t understand me, but I’m sorry.” It closed its jaws, and turned its head, eyes wide with wonder. ‘Thing’s cute, I’ll give it that. But I can’t just kee-’ It yawned, before jumping out of his hand and dropping into his coat pocket, before curling up and falling asleep.

“Well… I guess I don’t have a choice in the matter, do I? Goddamnit, how am I supposed to keep a baby with me, while trying to kill Celestia and Luna.” It squirmed a bit more, before settling back down. Looking down, he sighed, before going towards the entrance of the ruined castle. A cool breeze washed over him and he noticed it was dark outside, with only the moon’s ray to light the grass outside the destroyed door. Sitting down on the cold stone, he brought out the baby crocodile thing, and put it in his lap. Stroking it, he looked out into the forest, before closing his eyes and humming. The baby stirred, looking up at him with one eye, before it heard the singing. It fell asleep instantly, hitting his leg. The whole forest seemed to listen to the song, the trees whistled and swayed with the song. In the distance, howls could be heard, matching the song.

Everything was silent besides his voice, echoing throughout the forest, carried by the winds into Ponyville, helping the townsfolk fall asleep. The whole world could’ve heard him, but Derek didn’t care, he only did what felt natural to him. Eventually, he stopped, before lying on his back and sighing. His eyes fluttered shut, and he fell asleep. The hatchling snuggled into his lap, letting out a small purr that vibrated throughout his body.

Back in Canterlot, Celestia looked like she was preparing for war. Her magical bow was leaning against a small table, the power of it pulsing throughout the room. She had her royal regalia on, as well as magical armor, thicker than dragon scales, and lighter than her own feathers.. Shining Armor had his guard armor on, his helmet sitting on the desk.

“Shining, the guards are prepped for tomorrow?” She noticed a small nod from the corner of her eye. “Good.”

“Um, Princess,” she looked up from the table, noticing his look, “why are we sending the best guards after one creature? He honestly didn’t look very powerful, just, snarky and overconfident.”

“Make no mistake Shining, he has been on this planet since the birth of it. He isn’t honorable, he will use dirty tactics to mess you up, his confidence is just a mask, to mask that he is a brutal fighter and a tactical mastermind. The one thing that he doesn’t have with him is his weapon. He’s weakened without it, for it amplifies his magic tenfold. We must strike before he has any chance to find out where it’s hid.”

“Um, where exactly is his weapon?” Celestia looked at him, before shaking her head.

“I’d rather not say. If anyone besides Luna and I knows about it, there’s a chance it could slip. Sorry Shining.” He shook his head, his armor shaking when he did so.

“It’s fine Your Majes-”

“Shining, you’re dating my niece, and you are the brother to my student. Call me Celestia.” Shining looked almost uncertain to do so, but the gentle smile of Celestia told him it was fine.

“It’s fine Celestia, I understand. When do we move out? Also, you do realize this will be the first time the guards will be in an actual fight, right? We’ve never had to actually fight anything before. Their training is perfect, but they’ve mostly handled drunk ponies or thieves, never something that could kill them.” Celestia looked at the table, nodding.

“I understand, which is why I’ll be fighting him.” Shining’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, but Celestia shook her head. “The guards will set up a defense field around him, so he can’t escape. They’ll lock him up when I defeat him and we’ll bring him to the Elements, so he’ll be locked back up… for good this time. We move out in the morning, where I can use my powers to their fullest.”

“And what about Princess Luna? What will she be doing during all of this?” Celestia pondered about it, before looking past him.

“I’m sure she will be fine… I’ll stop day court for a few hours. I’m sure they will understand. Now then, it’s time for us to get some rest,” Shining saluted and put on his helmet, before walking away. Celestia looked back at the table, before yawning. Levitating her bow, she teleported to her room, before hanging the bow up on a rack above her fireplace. The wall that exploded had been repaired, being replaced with a chimney and fireplace. The workers got right on it, and it still surprised Celestia that they could work so fast. Lifting the covers of her bed, she fell into it, and let the covers fall down over her.