A Timeless Hellby EternalShadow54ChaptersThe Beginning...The Dreams...The Chancellor...The Friend...The Beginning...A Timeless Hell... Chapter 1- The Beginning... "Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." -Sydney J. Harris "Pain... pain is all I feel... it's all I know... ponies think they know pain, the true conception of agony and torment... but they know nothing of my hell... my timeless hell that repeats itself over and over in my mind..." He took a deep breath before he continued. "How I wish for death... to embrace its gentle call and rid myself of this world into the next... to once more feel the soft touch of my mother's love... the wonderful safe feeling of being in my father's arms... and the heartfelt companionship of my dear siblings..." Everypony in the bar turned ear to this strange stallion as he took a sip of his drink. "I'm chosen... cursed with the duty of destroying the ponynomicon... the only thing keeping my miserable life going... Ironic, isen't it...?" The room was in dead silence while he finished the drink up. "I can't die... not until that accursed book has been burned by the fires of oblivion itself... it won't let me..." The stallion removed his Solar Empire armour from around his chest, revieling a large hole punctured through where his heart would be, surrounded by the numerous other scars that seemed almost patternized around his body. "This... was when my demons were able to take over... to break free of their cage and torture my soul as they saw fit..." He sat back down, glaring at the bar tender as he held out his glass for a refill. "I'm guessing you would like to know my story too, huh? About how this all came about?" The stallion he was talking to first simply stared in awe, slowly nodding his head to the green eyed pony who gleamed with a dark air around him, scratching his dark brown mane. "Where do I begin..." "I was born in a quaint town, my mother and father owning one of Equestria's prestige farms in the south... My sister, Sally Shine, was the family's prime example of our great history of artist... while my four brothers... Rocko, Night Quick, Light Stick, and Grady Don... were the usual batch of farm lackies that we also had a reputation for... I was born a stallion, so they didn't think me any different than my brothers..." "I grew up working the farm... every day toiling the fields... and every night tending to the flocks... I hardly had time for myself... but one day, I found my sister's sketch book... calling my name as I passed it by... I knew I could be in huge trouble for taking what's not mine... but I didn't care... I started to draw in my spare time... what little bit I had... and my artistic talents came to life... the paper before me becoming a whole new gateway... a gateway to a world that I could create with my own two hooves..." "As you can plainly see... I'm a unicorn... and unicorn's horn acts a strange way at times... drawing you to your destiny at the most unexpected of times... but lets just say... I wish mine hadn't..." "If you'll look, you can see that my cutie mark is a pencil... a simple artistic tool... used to create the worlds within my mind that I mentioned earlier... you would think that this means that I'm an artist... a pony with the ability to draw or write anthing that my heart would desire... but this is only another part of my curse..." "My horn drew... or should I say "wrote" my destiny alright... You looking for the pony for this wretched worldly state... an answer to the hell you now live in as well... you should look no further... In my sleep, my magic took over without my control... my dreams upon those of undead creatures and monsters alike... let me put it simply for you... I'm the author of the ponynomicon... my artistic abilities combined with those of my nightmares... all put into making that damn book..." "I had a love back then... or should I say, I will have a love soon... a special somepony to care for... She was beautiful... a gem brighter than the clearest of diamonds... how I loved her... or will love her... I forget sometimes what time it is..." "After that night... that horrible night when she read the book... opened those evil pages and recited those damned incantations... the night I lost my family... my friends... my town... my soul... how was she to know... how was Treanie Trot to know what she was doing... how was my love to know..." "I knew I should have destroyed that monstrosity upon ponies... that wretched book of the damned... but I was scared... my destiny was intertwined with those binded pages... my life literally connected to the accursed thing... so I hid the book... sealed it away in a locked box... and buried it beneath the family tree... just outside the house... why she watched me... waited until I was gone to emerge from the bushes... and to dig up what I had created..." "That night dragged on... I don't believe the sun ever rose again after that night... the screams of horror and pain from within your own town... your friends flesh torn apart by undead monsters that could only be concived in dreams... you family slaughtered by your own bastardizations... your one true love... swallowed up by the darkness as she screams your name... I can still remember how after the bloodshed... they bowed to me... I was their master after all... the one who had made them..." "I don't know if my destiny was to become the next ponymancer... the next dark ruler of Equestria... but I did know that what had happened... happened... I never can forgive myself... not for what I done... I took the book... the very fiber of my being peeling away as I started to rip the bindings apart... but the book has a mind of its own... a sense of humor so to say..." "I only reached halfway through the damned thing before I suddenly blacked out... my senses all failing me at once... I opened my eyes... the world a different place than I remembered it as I arose... All the chaos... the blood... gone before my very eyes..." "What do you suppose is worse... to see a loved one die... or to know it's going to happen... I'm sure just thinking about it is pretty sad in itself... but I have no choice in the matter... all three happen to me every day... in my dreams... and my life..." "Like I said... I'm cursed... cursed with the blessing of immortality... and the power of time travel... you would think I would be ecstatic... overjoyed to never worry about death... but that's a stupid conception... I would welcome death... only if it would accept me... but the damn book won't allow it... won't grant me the privalige... the pleasure..." "It taunts me... casting me through different time periods... laughing at me as I always have to start anew... make a living for myself once more... like I said, I forget what time it is... whether I appear a century in the past... or a mellinuim in the future... I can't remember... It always happens when I sleep... the book mocking me with his control of my night time slumber... revaging my mind for more sadistic creations to add to its collection... importing that night into my head with every blink... and sending me through to another time..." "I was lucky once... the damn thing forgetting the day I created him... placing me in the same hour that my beloved town was destroyed... It was too late to try and help them... help my family and friends... but I could change it all... finish what I started... I had the chance to right what I had wronged..." "I found the book... the evil binded pages half torn as I held it once more in my hooves... anger flowing through my veins as I began to conclude what was begun... when it happened..." "I felt it... the sweet sting of death as my inner demon came forth... appearing from behind... and impaling its blade through my chest... tearing through my already weak heart... I released my grip upon the book... my breath escaping my lips as if fell to my knees... my inner rage consuming me as the flames of hell swarmed around... engulfing my every attempt at another life giving breath... while I watched my darker side stich the bindings... and read an incantation from my accursed scourge against Equestria..." "I can't really say that I tried too hard... deaths embrace closing arounds me... my journey through this hell called life finally coming to an end... I began to let go... to just give way and let the flames take me... but my demons had other plans for me... calling me forth from the grave I was entering... and stealing my only chance at true happiness... closing the door I had sought for tirelessly... and laughing in my face while I sat there... watching as I could do nothing to stop it..." "Eventually, sleep did come to me... though it was quite some time before it did... I had enough time to give my town a proper burial... and burned the remains of the ruins... My demon had run off with the ponynomicon... his sinister grin as he vanished still haunting my thoughts... the hole within my chest burning with the pain of a thousand suns..." "I figured I would need protection... armour for the next time I faced my demons... so, when I arrived at the time of Celestia's rule... which, depending what time it is... you know about this or not... I decided to join her royal guard... swearing my loyalty to her and becoming one of the Solar Empire... It wasn't one day after swearing in that I disappeared again... flung through time and winding up somewhere else on account of "my own" sadistic humor... and I can never forget the pain..." "I have spent the rest of my life since then... searching through time itself... and even battling my own creations with my bare hooves... looking for the oppritunity to rid this world of that damn thing... to right my wrongs... to make a monument to all my sins... but let me tell you something... time... does not heal all wounds... remember that..." "That's my story... my life in a nutshell... I will continue to walk through my life... walk through my own hell to correct my doings... to defy my destiny... and save this world from my own evil..." He stood up from his stool, chugging the last bit of his drink before laying some bits on the counter. "I believe this should cover it..." He turned for the door, walking a slow pace before somepony called from the silent crowd that had listened to him. "Who are you?" the pony asked. He stopped, holding the door open as the storm outside pelted him with rain. "The name's Downpour... Davy Downpour..." The Dreams...A Timeless Hell... Chapter 2- The dreams... "For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.' -John Greenleaf Whittier The stallion stepped out the door, rain beating upon his armour with a slightly mezmerizing rythmic pattern as he looked out upon the fields of grey and brown. A fog had fallen upon the tavern since Davy had arrived, hazing the outside world from his eyes while he looked to the sky. Everything seemed to blend to him now, the lines of the horizon and the earth fusing together during his life, his sight failing ever sense he had broken his glasses that night running from the monstrosities he created. Most of the world was a blur, his other senses keen from his lack of sight, but those images were clear as crystal, the images that dared to tred through his mind with every batter of his eyes. He often times wondered if he deserved this, deserved the eternal punishment he was forced to bear. "I could have prevented this..." Davy always told himself. "I could have saved everypony their misery and suffering... It's all my fault..." The clouds above began to break way, the sparkling beam of sunlight casting down upon Davy Downpour's face as he stared. Light bothered the stallion, the feeling of warmth and happiness sickening him, taunting his feelings of how he felt when he was with her, with Treanie. Turning side, the scared unicorn tred down a dirt path, thoughts consumed by his old life, his days as a foal. How he wanted to go back, to stop himself from ever taking that book, to fix the unfixable, but he knew all to well he couldn't. He couldn't save his family, his friends, his love... not without the death of his younger self in the process. Tears were seldom shed, most of his emotions drained by time. The journey ahead was so unclear to Davy, the quest to destroy the ponynomicon inconceptable with the given circumstances, but he knew there was no other way, no other choice for him. He chose to bury the book, bury his dark creation and hope that it would never arise rather than abolish it, rip apart his life with his own hooves to keep safe his family's. It was his choice, and regret is a powerful thing. The path came to an end, Davy just outside of a small cottage to the left. A sign stood tall outside the the picket fence reading as followed, "Room for Rent". Expression unchanged, the white stallion slowly tred to the door, and knocked. He was welcomed by a happy face, a mare with the most golden of manes, and the perfect light hue of green. Her smile and appearence resembled that of his love's, even she was a pegasus like his beloved Treanie, causing Davy to jerk his head at first glance. She showed her southern hospitality, bidding him to come in and offering him a drink before even exchanging names. Her voice even gave resemblence. Downpour just coldly glared, the mare slightly unsettled by his grim and rough appearence. "The sign says you have a room for rent... Is this correct?" Davy asked, his emerald green eyes setting softly upon those of the pegasus. The mare nodded, telling him the slightly overpriced amount of rent. Davy pulled out his pouch from the armour around him, and gave the pony the twenty bits she had asked for the night, never making eye contact with her again. She told him the room was up the stairs, first door to the right and that she would cook him breakfast in the morning. The unicorn bowed his head and walked towards the stairs. He was stooped only by the mare as she asked for his name. "It won't matter, I'll be gone by tomorrow... don't even bother with breakfast..." The room was small, only ten by twenty hooves at most as Davy laid upon the only object within his accomedations, a tiny bed with only a quilt and no pillow. A window allowed the sunlight to creep into the room, shining down from the bedside and mocking the stallion once more. The wooden ceiling above gave him something to help occupy him, counting planks and making out figures in the wooden seams while his dreams slowly began to take over, gently caressing his eyes as he drifted to sleep, mind ready to withstand what was to be sure another horrible nightmare, and another failed attempt. Davy's eyes opened, the world around complete crimson as he stood. He knew it was a dream, another terrible nightmare plauged upon him by that wretched book. Below him was black, pure darkness, and above was red, glistening with the resemblence of blood. The dark void undernieth grew, consuming the only color around him until it was pitch black. All was silent, only his breath heard while he felt the space around him begin to close in, Davy's body instinctively setting into a crouching state. The stallions chest lay nearly on the ground before the feeling ceased to encase him, his veins frozen as a he turned his head to a low growl at his side. He couldn't make out a feature, make out a form as the growl slowly raised volume, suddenly coming from above and below as well. A ice cold feeling wrapped around the stallion's legs, now immoble as he struggled against the iron grip for freedom. It continued to slowly travel up his body, his breathing becoming a chore as every cold touch nearly left him breathless. He pulled and tugged, fletching his head in several directions with his body slowly becoming engulfed by the chill. All struggle ended when he gazed into the rose red eyes of a serpent, teeth sharp as the edge of a cut diamond, and scales darker than the void of night. Another pair come forth from the darkness, beaming down at the pony who was paralized, if not by being bound, then by sheer fear and terror as it showed off its sinister grin of razor sharp teeth with glee. He was hlafway encased in the freezing darkness that swarmed him, ever more slowly creeping and crawling its way to the top. Growls came from all directions, another head stepping from the void to reveal another set of those terrifying eyes from behind, and another from above. The serpents warped around him, laughing as he was unable to move from his bound position. One ventured right beside the increasingly frantic stallion, the scared unicorn bitting into the creatures neck, causing it to thrash its head upwards as the rest of the heads shieked in accord. The grasp held upon the white stallion was released, his body falling down into the abyss as he closed his eyes, ready for this nightmare to be over. He crashed with a thud, the pain almost too real to be from a dream, but he knew better, knew he had at least one last thing to go through before he could awake. There was a flash around him, a quick flash of white as the screams he knew all too well were heard by his ears. This was the night, the night that haunted every waking moment of his exsistence in this life of his. The world came to form around the unicorn, the bloodstained walls of his home, his very living room becoming visible as the screaming continued, piercing his eardrums. Davy walked over to the front door, slowly turning the knob as he prepared to see what he is cursed with seeing. The house behind him began to crumble into the blackness as he walked forward, his mother begging for mercy to his left as the monster from his dreams ripped he apart limb from limb, and his father crying in anguish as one tore through his midsection with its arms. Their screams faded as he continued through his city, emotion never changing while he approached the center of town. He could hear them, hear his siblings calling his name to help them as they reached for their brother, who only gave a glare as they were dragged away before him, shrieks cut short by the handywork of his creations. The world faded behind him with every step, his journey through this dream almost over as he walked down the path. His house came into vision, the small body of an ignorant foal digging a hole by the family tree outside his yard. Davy watched as the foal patted the dirt and ran into his house, completely unaware of the mare within the bushes who spied on him. Her curiosity was the only thing that still enraged the stallion, watching as she foolishly unearthed the book he had sought, and read the contents within aloud. Shame... regret... guilt... were all things that Davy felt as the ground from benieth the mare gave way, and consumed her body while she let out a muffled yell. This dream played through his head many time, but even though he wasn't there, he can still hear her yell, her call for him as she was swallowed up. The house faded into black as he laid his head to the ground, closing his eyes and ready to embrace the day. There was confusion in the cell as a white unicorn just appeared from nowhere and laid upon the stone floor, the prisoners all backed into the corner with fear as the stallion before them slowly awoke, letting out a yawn as he stretched. Davy took short notice of his surroundings as he turned his attention to the frightened ponies beside him. The stallion cleared his throat before asking the small bunch what time it was. A young mare was pushed from the group in from of him, her sapphire eyes wide as she studdered the date. Davy simply bowed his head in thanks and caught the attention of a guard, explaining to him the situation of why he was there and asking for release. The guard knew he wasn't a prisoner, and did as he was requested, sketchy about his story of how he wound up there, but clearly not that intrested in whether it was true or not. The white unicorn drew in the crisp, fresh air as he stepped outside the jail, gazing happily upon the castle walls that surrounded the quaint, medieval village below... The Chancellor...A Timeless Hell... Chapter 3- The chancellor... "Have you ever felt so alone and nothing makes sense? Well that’s how I feel right now…I feel like I’m facing everything myself, with nothing but tears and a fake smile…" -Anonymous The wind flowed through the stands of his mane, the field around covered in the whitest of snow as he stepped towards the city below, giving a slight shiver while he tred the dirt path. Davy kept his head angled, kept his lush green eyes from the contact of others while he walked through the town, only earth ponies as far as his vision would allow to see. Everypony seemed to give the unicorn a harsh glare, a stern look of distaste and disapproval as the armoured stallion passed them by, his eyes never contacting that of another pony. Downpour knew the time period he was in, the age of the tribe seperation being a dangerous time indeed. The unicorn was stepping through forbidden territory, the air around him growing ever colder as the ponies within the village all started to take notice of his arrival. It wasn't long before he had a small following shortly behind, watching his every move with hopes to find a single reason to confront him. Davy entered the center of town, his body shaking as the air grew even colder than before. He knew the legend, the story of why the temperatures continued to drop during this age. He could literally feel their hatred for him, his coat frozen by their cold hearts. Davy felt a hoof on his shoulder, his body tensed for he knew not what awaited upon his turning. He circled around to confront the pony who had touched him, tapped upon his ligament with unknown intentions. A mare, eyes blue as the sky and her body a dark pink with the mane and tail to match, stood before Davy, a pudding hat upon her head with an outfit to sync in color. The mare furrowed her brow as she peered deep into his eyes, her efforts to pierce his soul in vain as he simply returned the look, only that with him, it gained results. She spoke, her voice a brutish tone while she let the words flow from her lips to his ears. "Sir, your kind is not welcome here. I would suggest that you leave." The mare was backed by a miniture mob behind her, the whole city seemingly against him as he continued to gaze deeply into her eyes. Davy opened his mouth, his words an unpleasant tone as he spoke. "And what if I decide not to..." Davy remarked, the group letting out a gasp as the words were said, the pony looking back at him taking back a step as his green eyes flared, a sense of anger around the stallion who stood firm and undetered. The mare turned to the crowd, another official looking pony coming from the side and whispering something within her ear. She stood and listened carefully to the orange mare who softly spoke to her, taking in every bit of information with very delicate consideration. After a while, the oddly dressed pony came forward and addressed the stallion in a much more formal manner. "I am only going to ask you once, this time with the authority of chancellor. Leave, before I call my guards to arrest you." The wind howled as the temperature continued to drop to dangerous levels, his blood flowing stiff from the weather around him. The ponies had seemed to have grown accustomed to such conditions, but he hadn't. With unchanging emotion within his expression, but a strange tone of sympathy within his voice, he asked her a simple question. "May I at least shelter myself from the weather... I'm not from around these parts..." The chancellor turned head, only giving it a half thought before answering with the disheartining, yet obvious answer of no. Davy didn't want trouble, but he had full comprehension of the living conditions outside and had no intentions of staying within the ice capped forrest for the night. The wind raged a bit louder as the snow pelted him, the earth pony group unrelenting in their leader's statement. He figured it no problem to ask the chancellor her name, to know who to give the pleasure of sending him into the frozen tundra known in this time as Equestria. She didn't take to kindly to the joke as she answered, slightly annoied with the stallion's manner. "My name's Puddinghead. Chancellor Puddinghead to you." The mare firmly placed her hooves in the snow, a bit of a snooty attitude showing through while she turned her nose up at the chilled unicorn in front of her. Davy bit his lip, feeling within his body now faint and numb as he thought very hard upon that name, it familiarity bugging him from the very back of his mind. He knew the mare who stood before him, knew her backstory from somewhere when it suddenly hit him. He drew out his questions like he always did as he spoke to the pink official. "You're Chancellor Puddinghead... the leader of the entire earth pony tribe...? I've heard a great deal about you... your argumentive meeting with the other tribes unsuccessful... and your later fellowship with them that saved your pathetic race..." The mare before him drew anger from out of nowhere as she inexplicably exploded with fury at the unicorn, yelling that his words were just lies and conspiracies as she called for her guards to come and take him away. Davy didn't even struggle as two of her guards took him by the hooves, Puddinghead chuckling as she lowered her head to eye level, an insane, unnerving grin becoming plastered upon her face. "Send him to the dungeon. He wants a place to stay for the night, how about we give him a home for life?" Davy just smiled as he gazed back into her icey blue eyes, her attempt at humor void of its feeling when he responded. "Much appreciated..." The guards jerked him for his smart remark to their leader as she shooed them away, dragging the white stallion through the snow and back towards the very place he had come from earlier. He landed with a loud thud as the ponies within the cell drew back into their corner like last time, still afraid of what sorcery this stallion before them could preform. Downpour looked up from the ground to the familiar set, the tone of his voice switching to that of a normal pony. "I suppose... nopony is going to welcome me back, huh...?" He gave a snicker as he laid his head to the ground. "I'm tired of this place anyway... see you guys later... or maybe even before... but regardless... I'm sure we will see each other again... somewhere in time..." Davy shut the lids of his eyes, the world around going black as it did when he prepared for a dream. Whatever he had coming to him, he was ready... as always. Silence... complete and utter silence. Davy's vision became useless as he peered into the always recurring darkness around him. The evil and horrible creations that would be brought forth to him this dream could only be concived within the mind of his own, the thought still making him cringe, even after all this time. The silence lay unbroken as a small kindle burned as his side, suddenly a full flame before he could even flinch. The flame spread around, concealing all routes of escape while the temperature withing the trap grew, the stallion sweating within mere seconds of opening his eyes. It was all happening so fast, the heat growing more intense with every passing tick of time. Then, just as fast as it had happened, the flames diminished, vanished before him without trace, but still leaving behind its heat. A bloodroar cried from behind Davy as he turned, eyes stretched to the limit where before him stood a creature with the likeness of Cerberus, a mythological monster with the appearence of a giant canine beast with three heads. Anguish pulsated through his body as the monstrosity lunged head towards the stallion, who was able to dodge one head, but not the other. Davy looked to his severed limb, the pain tearing at him while he drew hoove to where his right foreleg used to be. The beast attacked once more, all three heads directly aimed for the pained unicorn. He dashed to his side, only just missing another horrible injury as he recited the only incantation he could remember, knowing and seeing no other way to defeat the creature. It quickly gained a rebound as it charged once more at him, the unicorn just finishing his recitation as it jumped forward. The scars around Downpour's body glowed a bright crimson, his body slowly levitating into the air as a dark force took hold of him, consumed his sense of control while his body was engulfed by black. The monster had no chance against the outpour ofravenous beast and bastardizations that nopony could lay eyes upon with instant death of terror. After the monster was swallowed by the power of his words, the stallionslowly floated back to the ground, energy spent as he prepared himself to once more face the last trial of every haunting nightmare as his severed ligament attached itself back. There was a flash of white as the world came back into view around Davy, the walls of his house becoming crystal as he once more observed the blood stained upon them, and heard those damned screams... The Friend...A Timeless Hell... Chapter 4- The Friend... "Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for..." -Dag Hammarskjold "Put everything you've got into it you lazy welps! If we can't hold this barricade, Canterlot will fall!" Davy opened his eyes, the establishments around him in complete ruins. A dark shadow seemed to cast over the stallion as he shook away his dream, the thoughts still fresh in his mind. He stood, smoke rising in the air and soot from blazes falling as result. Stepping out into the street, Downpour found himself in the middle of the once magnificent and glorious city of Canterlot, now nearly reduced to mere rubble. "Seems like I woke a bit late for the party..." he joked, giving a smug grin. Distant explosions could be heard and the faint screams were barely audible to his ears. He glanced to his left, seeing an official looking guard urging his bretheren to keep their hold upon a door, obviously trying to keep out what was on the other side. The stallion stepped towards the guard with disregard to the burning buildings crumbling around him, his full attention focused upon the oddly familiar figure. He reached the foothold of the scaffolding the official pony was standing on before he called, the guard facing away. "Excuse me..." Davy stated with monotone. "What is today..." The pegasus barking orders was taken aback by the voice that spoke from behind, the pony's voice unrecongnized. He quickly withdrew his blade, and with blinding speed was at Davy's throat with his sword, obviously his talent being a master swordsman as they stood under the scaffolding.. "Who are you!" The guard asked, never looking up at Davy's face. "Reveal your name!" "You've become faster... Shadow..." The official pegasus tensed. "Tell me, can you still use your dark magiks like back at home, or did Celestia strip those powers from you?" The one Downpour called "Shadow" trembled, dropping the blade and looking up at his childhood friend, disbelief in his eyes. "D... Davy... is... that you?" the greyish stallion asked, taking off his helmet slowly to reveal a white and black mane, his eyes of the same silver as his coat, the color drained since his days as a colt. Davy glared at his lifelong friend, their adventures numerous through-out his travels in time, his mood going from a single toned jerk to that of a playful school filly. "The one and only. I'm glad to see that you haven't changed much. If that was anypony else, we both know what COULD have happened." Downpour replied. Shadow looked at his friend with glee. "I see your attitude hasn't changed much. I guess that's good." He sarcastically stated. "Oh, There's something I need to give you." Davy's ears perked, his face lighting up. "What is it." he asked, a smile starting to form across his face. That smile was quickly wiped away when his jaw met contact with Shadow's hoof, knocking Davy back into the ground. Confusion and anger washed over him. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!" Davy roared, standing up and looking ready to fight. Shadow giggled before his face became serious as he answered. "That, was for leaving me to fend for myself in Hell. The necropony that sent us there was waiting for us at the gates, and you had to go off and get knocked unconscious by falling stones." Shadow retorted. "You know how hard it is to contain yourself when a necropony has his bone hooves around your neck?" "That wasn't my fault! You know that I'm not the most agile pony around!" The unicorn argued. "No, but I would figure you had enough common sense to move when there's a whole underground cavern falling apart around you." Shadow smuggly replied. "I had a clear shot!" Davy yelled. "Whatever..." The black and white maned pegasus turned his attention back to his comrades, the door starting to give way. "Hey, don't guess you could help us out a bit? I really don't want to owe my "freinds" another favor and these guys aren't exactly the best soldiers." Davy looked as though he was giving it consideration. "Depends, what are we fighting?" At that moment, an undead dragon skeleton broke through the gates, a ponymancer riding his back and laughing while he watched his victims run in terror. Shadow turned to Downpour. "This bucker again..." "Care to tell me what's going on as we both take him?" Shadow smirked at the question. "Gladly." The silver eyed stallion twirled his blade, the curved edge and ingravings a symbol of placement in rank. "This sword is good and all, but it's nothing to what your father could make." He stood on his hind legs in a very traditional fighting pose, weapon pointing towards his enemy and his other hoof behind him. "You haven't changed a bit, but for my sake, lets not talk about the past." Davy barely changed his stance as the undead pony turned its attention towards the two. "You know what..." Shadow sheathed his blade. "Since I had to fight him last time, how about you take it." Davy's brow hightened at this. "Besides, I have to explain everything to you, so it'll be easier on me if I wasn't constantly fearing a dragon claw stabbing into my back." The unicorn hung his head. "You're one lazy prick, you know that?" Shadow smiled. "Would you have me any other way? Besides, I wouldn't want to get in your way." Davy sighed, but knew there was no reasoning with this pony. He stepped forward and started reciting incantations. "klaatu ampatour!" Lighting struck all around, the ground from undernieth breaking apart. Davy's body rose into the air, his body cracking as the electricity around him became a bright red, his eyes turning whiter than snow. Shadow took a step back as he watched. "This old move? Whatever Davy... I was expecting something new." The airborn stallion let out a bloodroar as he connected his hooves together, the lightning around starting to swirl like a vortex. The undead pony turned his minion around to the pony conjuring his dark magic. He thrust his bone hoof outward, his dragon charging straight at the convulsing unicorn. Suddenly, the convulsing ceased, his body going limp. Shadow took notice of this and became a bit frantic. "Heh, hey Davy. You don't think you could hurry up I suppose?" The dragon grew almost mere hooves away. "Davy? DAVY!?" There was a bright flash of red, the air thickend with clouds, rose red thunder shooting down from all directions. The armored unicorn slowly lifted his hoof, pointed towards his opponent. He only muttered one word as the flying beast contacted with his hoof. "Die..." Lightning struck Davy from the heavens above and shot from his foreleg into the body of the undead skeleton, the bones of which instantly turning to dust. The necropony on top let out his own screech as the shock traveled throughout his body as well, falling apart as another bolt shot from the sky, knocking the head of the bastardisation off, ending its "life". Downpour quickly grasped the body of his enemy and ripped it in half, tossing one half to the ground and oblitherating the other with a mere glance. Shadow watched as the clouds retracted above, the floating unicorn settleing back down on the torched terrain below. "You didn't have to take it easy on that spawn of Hell, it can't feel anyway." Davy turned to his friend as his hind legs set upon the dirt. "I wouldn't want to destroy the city. Besides, I don't think you could contain me if I did try, you know, your magik only coming from that of Hell anyway." He replied. "Funny... Don't you think that you might be a little too over-powered sometimes?" "Would you have me any other way?" Davy smiled. Shadow chuckled. "I guess not..." "So, about what's going on around here..." Shadow looked at his comrades, scared out of their minds as they were cowering in a building about 10 yards away from where Davy had destroyed the "mighty" foe. "How about I explain everything to you after we settle these ponies down. If I lose one more squad, physically or mentally, Celestia might not forgive me again." Davy brushed a scruff on his armor. "Can't they tell I'm on their side by my uniform?" The official pegasus put on his helmet. "Luna's sent too many spies for us to trust anypony anymore..." Davy looked perplexed. "Luna?" Shadow sighed. "Follow me..."
The Beginning...A Timeless Hell... Chapter 1- The Beginning... "Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." -Sydney J. Harris "Pain... pain is all I feel... it's all I know... ponies think they know pain, the true conception of agony and torment... but they know nothing of my hell... my timeless hell that repeats itself over and over in my mind..." He took a deep breath before he continued. "How I wish for death... to embrace its gentle call and rid myself of this world into the next... to once more feel the soft touch of my mother's love... the wonderful safe feeling of being in my father's arms... and the heartfelt companionship of my dear siblings..." Everypony in the bar turned ear to this strange stallion as he took a sip of his drink. "I'm chosen... cursed with the duty of destroying the ponynomicon... the only thing keeping my miserable life going... Ironic, isen't it...?" The room was in dead silence while he finished the drink up. "I can't die... not until that accursed book has been burned by the fires of oblivion itself... it won't let me..." The stallion removed his Solar Empire armour from around his chest, revieling a large hole punctured through where his heart would be, surrounded by the numerous other scars that seemed almost patternized around his body. "This... was when my demons were able to take over... to break free of their cage and torture my soul as they saw fit..." He sat back down, glaring at the bar tender as he held out his glass for a refill. "I'm guessing you would like to know my story too, huh? About how this all came about?" The stallion he was talking to first simply stared in awe, slowly nodding his head to the green eyed pony who gleamed with a dark air around him, scratching his dark brown mane. "Where do I begin..." "I was born in a quaint town, my mother and father owning one of Equestria's prestige farms in the south... My sister, Sally Shine, was the family's prime example of our great history of artist... while my four brothers... Rocko, Night Quick, Light Stick, and Grady Don... were the usual batch of farm lackies that we also had a reputation for... I was born a stallion, so they didn't think me any different than my brothers..." "I grew up working the farm... every day toiling the fields... and every night tending to the flocks... I hardly had time for myself... but one day, I found my sister's sketch book... calling my name as I passed it by... I knew I could be in huge trouble for taking what's not mine... but I didn't care... I started to draw in my spare time... what little bit I had... and my artistic talents came to life... the paper before me becoming a whole new gateway... a gateway to a world that I could create with my own two hooves..." "As you can plainly see... I'm a unicorn... and unicorn's horn acts a strange way at times... drawing you to your destiny at the most unexpected of times... but lets just say... I wish mine hadn't..." "If you'll look, you can see that my cutie mark is a pencil... a simple artistic tool... used to create the worlds within my mind that I mentioned earlier... you would think that this means that I'm an artist... a pony with the ability to draw or write anthing that my heart would desire... but this is only another part of my curse..." "My horn drew... or should I say "wrote" my destiny alright... You looking for the pony for this wretched worldly state... an answer to the hell you now live in as well... you should look no further... In my sleep, my magic took over without my control... my dreams upon those of undead creatures and monsters alike... let me put it simply for you... I'm the author of the ponynomicon... my artistic abilities combined with those of my nightmares... all put into making that damn book..." "I had a love back then... or should I say, I will have a love soon... a special somepony to care for... She was beautiful... a gem brighter than the clearest of diamonds... how I loved her... or will love her... I forget sometimes what time it is..." "After that night... that horrible night when she read the book... opened those evil pages and recited those damned incantations... the night I lost my family... my friends... my town... my soul... how was she to know... how was Treanie Trot to know what she was doing... how was my love to know..." "I knew I should have destroyed that monstrosity upon ponies... that wretched book of the damned... but I was scared... my destiny was intertwined with those binded pages... my life literally connected to the accursed thing... so I hid the book... sealed it away in a locked box... and buried it beneath the family tree... just outside the house... why she watched me... waited until I was gone to emerge from the bushes... and to dig up what I had created..." "That night dragged on... I don't believe the sun ever rose again after that night... the screams of horror and pain from within your own town... your friends flesh torn apart by undead monsters that could only be concived in dreams... you family slaughtered by your own bastardizations... your one true love... swallowed up by the darkness as she screams your name... I can still remember how after the bloodshed... they bowed to me... I was their master after all... the one who had made them..." "I don't know if my destiny was to become the next ponymancer... the next dark ruler of Equestria... but I did know that what had happened... happened... I never can forgive myself... not for what I done... I took the book... the very fiber of my being peeling away as I started to rip the bindings apart... but the book has a mind of its own... a sense of humor so to say..." "I only reached halfway through the damned thing before I suddenly blacked out... my senses all failing me at once... I opened my eyes... the world a different place than I remembered it as I arose... All the chaos... the blood... gone before my very eyes..." "What do you suppose is worse... to see a loved one die... or to know it's going to happen... I'm sure just thinking about it is pretty sad in itself... but I have no choice in the matter... all three happen to me every day... in my dreams... and my life..." "Like I said... I'm cursed... cursed with the blessing of immortality... and the power of time travel... you would think I would be ecstatic... overjoyed to never worry about death... but that's a stupid conception... I would welcome death... only if it would accept me... but the damn book won't allow it... won't grant me the privalige... the pleasure..." "It taunts me... casting me through different time periods... laughing at me as I always have to start anew... make a living for myself once more... like I said, I forget what time it is... whether I appear a century in the past... or a mellinuim in the future... I can't remember... It always happens when I sleep... the book mocking me with his control of my night time slumber... revaging my mind for more sadistic creations to add to its collection... importing that night into my head with every blink... and sending me through to another time..." "I was lucky once... the damn thing forgetting the day I created him... placing me in the same hour that my beloved town was destroyed... It was too late to try and help them... help my family and friends... but I could change it all... finish what I started... I had the chance to right what I had wronged..." "I found the book... the evil binded pages half torn as I held it once more in my hooves... anger flowing through my veins as I began to conclude what was begun... when it happened..." "I felt it... the sweet sting of death as my inner demon came forth... appearing from behind... and impaling its blade through my chest... tearing through my already weak heart... I released my grip upon the book... my breath escaping my lips as if fell to my knees... my inner rage consuming me as the flames of hell swarmed around... engulfing my every attempt at another life giving breath... while I watched my darker side stich the bindings... and read an incantation from my accursed scourge against Equestria..." "I can't really say that I tried too hard... deaths embrace closing arounds me... my journey through this hell called life finally coming to an end... I began to let go... to just give way and let the flames take me... but my demons had other plans for me... calling me forth from the grave I was entering... and stealing my only chance at true happiness... closing the door I had sought for tirelessly... and laughing in my face while I sat there... watching as I could do nothing to stop it..." "Eventually, sleep did come to me... though it was quite some time before it did... I had enough time to give my town a proper burial... and burned the remains of the ruins... My demon had run off with the ponynomicon... his sinister grin as he vanished still haunting my thoughts... the hole within my chest burning with the pain of a thousand suns..." "I figured I would need protection... armour for the next time I faced my demons... so, when I arrived at the time of Celestia's rule... which, depending what time it is... you know about this or not... I decided to join her royal guard... swearing my loyalty to her and becoming one of the Solar Empire... It wasn't one day after swearing in that I disappeared again... flung through time and winding up somewhere else on account of "my own" sadistic humor... and I can never forget the pain..." "I have spent the rest of my life since then... searching through time itself... and even battling my own creations with my bare hooves... looking for the oppritunity to rid this world of that damn thing... to right my wrongs... to make a monument to all my sins... but let me tell you something... time... does not heal all wounds... remember that..." "That's my story... my life in a nutshell... I will continue to walk through my life... walk through my own hell to correct my doings... to defy my destiny... and save this world from my own evil..." He stood up from his stool, chugging the last bit of his drink before laying some bits on the counter. "I believe this should cover it..." He turned for the door, walking a slow pace before somepony called from the silent crowd that had listened to him. "Who are you?" the pony asked. He stopped, holding the door open as the storm outside pelted him with rain. "The name's Downpour... Davy Downpour..."
The Dreams...A Timeless Hell... Chapter 2- The dreams... "For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.' -John Greenleaf Whittier The stallion stepped out the door, rain beating upon his armour with a slightly mezmerizing rythmic pattern as he looked out upon the fields of grey and brown. A fog had fallen upon the tavern since Davy had arrived, hazing the outside world from his eyes while he looked to the sky. Everything seemed to blend to him now, the lines of the horizon and the earth fusing together during his life, his sight failing ever sense he had broken his glasses that night running from the monstrosities he created. Most of the world was a blur, his other senses keen from his lack of sight, but those images were clear as crystal, the images that dared to tred through his mind with every batter of his eyes. He often times wondered if he deserved this, deserved the eternal punishment he was forced to bear. "I could have prevented this..." Davy always told himself. "I could have saved everypony their misery and suffering... It's all my fault..." The clouds above began to break way, the sparkling beam of sunlight casting down upon Davy Downpour's face as he stared. Light bothered the stallion, the feeling of warmth and happiness sickening him, taunting his feelings of how he felt when he was with her, with Treanie. Turning side, the scared unicorn tred down a dirt path, thoughts consumed by his old life, his days as a foal. How he wanted to go back, to stop himself from ever taking that book, to fix the unfixable, but he knew all to well he couldn't. He couldn't save his family, his friends, his love... not without the death of his younger self in the process. Tears were seldom shed, most of his emotions drained by time. The journey ahead was so unclear to Davy, the quest to destroy the ponynomicon inconceptable with the given circumstances, but he knew there was no other way, no other choice for him. He chose to bury the book, bury his dark creation and hope that it would never arise rather than abolish it, rip apart his life with his own hooves to keep safe his family's. It was his choice, and regret is a powerful thing. The path came to an end, Davy just outside of a small cottage to the left. A sign stood tall outside the the picket fence reading as followed, "Room for Rent". Expression unchanged, the white stallion slowly tred to the door, and knocked. He was welcomed by a happy face, a mare with the most golden of manes, and the perfect light hue of green. Her smile and appearence resembled that of his love's, even she was a pegasus like his beloved Treanie, causing Davy to jerk his head at first glance. She showed her southern hospitality, bidding him to come in and offering him a drink before even exchanging names. Her voice even gave resemblence. Downpour just coldly glared, the mare slightly unsettled by his grim and rough appearence. "The sign says you have a room for rent... Is this correct?" Davy asked, his emerald green eyes setting softly upon those of the pegasus. The mare nodded, telling him the slightly overpriced amount of rent. Davy pulled out his pouch from the armour around him, and gave the pony the twenty bits she had asked for the night, never making eye contact with her again. She told him the room was up the stairs, first door to the right and that she would cook him breakfast in the morning. The unicorn bowed his head and walked towards the stairs. He was stooped only by the mare as she asked for his name. "It won't matter, I'll be gone by tomorrow... don't even bother with breakfast..." The room was small, only ten by twenty hooves at most as Davy laid upon the only object within his accomedations, a tiny bed with only a quilt and no pillow. A window allowed the sunlight to creep into the room, shining down from the bedside and mocking the stallion once more. The wooden ceiling above gave him something to help occupy him, counting planks and making out figures in the wooden seams while his dreams slowly began to take over, gently caressing his eyes as he drifted to sleep, mind ready to withstand what was to be sure another horrible nightmare, and another failed attempt. Davy's eyes opened, the world around complete crimson as he stood. He knew it was a dream, another terrible nightmare plauged upon him by that wretched book. Below him was black, pure darkness, and above was red, glistening with the resemblence of blood. The dark void undernieth grew, consuming the only color around him until it was pitch black. All was silent, only his breath heard while he felt the space around him begin to close in, Davy's body instinctively setting into a crouching state. The stallions chest lay nearly on the ground before the feeling ceased to encase him, his veins frozen as a he turned his head to a low growl at his side. He couldn't make out a feature, make out a form as the growl slowly raised volume, suddenly coming from above and below as well. A ice cold feeling wrapped around the stallion's legs, now immoble as he struggled against the iron grip for freedom. It continued to slowly travel up his body, his breathing becoming a chore as every cold touch nearly left him breathless. He pulled and tugged, fletching his head in several directions with his body slowly becoming engulfed by the chill. All struggle ended when he gazed into the rose red eyes of a serpent, teeth sharp as the edge of a cut diamond, and scales darker than the void of night. Another pair come forth from the darkness, beaming down at the pony who was paralized, if not by being bound, then by sheer fear and terror as it showed off its sinister grin of razor sharp teeth with glee. He was hlafway encased in the freezing darkness that swarmed him, ever more slowly creeping and crawling its way to the top. Growls came from all directions, another head stepping from the void to reveal another set of those terrifying eyes from behind, and another from above. The serpents warped around him, laughing as he was unable to move from his bound position. One ventured right beside the increasingly frantic stallion, the scared unicorn bitting into the creatures neck, causing it to thrash its head upwards as the rest of the heads shieked in accord. The grasp held upon the white stallion was released, his body falling down into the abyss as he closed his eyes, ready for this nightmare to be over. He crashed with a thud, the pain almost too real to be from a dream, but he knew better, knew he had at least one last thing to go through before he could awake. There was a flash around him, a quick flash of white as the screams he knew all too well were heard by his ears. This was the night, the night that haunted every waking moment of his exsistence in this life of his. The world came to form around the unicorn, the bloodstained walls of his home, his very living room becoming visible as the screaming continued, piercing his eardrums. Davy walked over to the front door, slowly turning the knob as he prepared to see what he is cursed with seeing. The house behind him began to crumble into the blackness as he walked forward, his mother begging for mercy to his left as the monster from his dreams ripped he apart limb from limb, and his father crying in anguish as one tore through his midsection with its arms. Their screams faded as he continued through his city, emotion never changing while he approached the center of town. He could hear them, hear his siblings calling his name to help them as they reached for their brother, who only gave a glare as they were dragged away before him, shrieks cut short by the handywork of his creations. The world faded behind him with every step, his journey through this dream almost over as he walked down the path. His house came into vision, the small body of an ignorant foal digging a hole by the family tree outside his yard. Davy watched as the foal patted the dirt and ran into his house, completely unaware of the mare within the bushes who spied on him. Her curiosity was the only thing that still enraged the stallion, watching as she foolishly unearthed the book he had sought, and read the contents within aloud. Shame... regret... guilt... were all things that Davy felt as the ground from benieth the mare gave way, and consumed her body while she let out a muffled yell. This dream played through his head many time, but even though he wasn't there, he can still hear her yell, her call for him as she was swallowed up. The house faded into black as he laid his head to the ground, closing his eyes and ready to embrace the day. There was confusion in the cell as a white unicorn just appeared from nowhere and laid upon the stone floor, the prisoners all backed into the corner with fear as the stallion before them slowly awoke, letting out a yawn as he stretched. Davy took short notice of his surroundings as he turned his attention to the frightened ponies beside him. The stallion cleared his throat before asking the small bunch what time it was. A young mare was pushed from the group in from of him, her sapphire eyes wide as she studdered the date. Davy simply bowed his head in thanks and caught the attention of a guard, explaining to him the situation of why he was there and asking for release. The guard knew he wasn't a prisoner, and did as he was requested, sketchy about his story of how he wound up there, but clearly not that intrested in whether it was true or not. The white unicorn drew in the crisp, fresh air as he stepped outside the jail, gazing happily upon the castle walls that surrounded the quaint, medieval village below...
The Chancellor...A Timeless Hell... Chapter 3- The chancellor... "Have you ever felt so alone and nothing makes sense? Well that’s how I feel right now…I feel like I’m facing everything myself, with nothing but tears and a fake smile…" -Anonymous The wind flowed through the stands of his mane, the field around covered in the whitest of snow as he stepped towards the city below, giving a slight shiver while he tred the dirt path. Davy kept his head angled, kept his lush green eyes from the contact of others while he walked through the town, only earth ponies as far as his vision would allow to see. Everypony seemed to give the unicorn a harsh glare, a stern look of distaste and disapproval as the armoured stallion passed them by, his eyes never contacting that of another pony. Downpour knew the time period he was in, the age of the tribe seperation being a dangerous time indeed. The unicorn was stepping through forbidden territory, the air around him growing ever colder as the ponies within the village all started to take notice of his arrival. It wasn't long before he had a small following shortly behind, watching his every move with hopes to find a single reason to confront him. Davy entered the center of town, his body shaking as the air grew even colder than before. He knew the legend, the story of why the temperatures continued to drop during this age. He could literally feel their hatred for him, his coat frozen by their cold hearts. Davy felt a hoof on his shoulder, his body tensed for he knew not what awaited upon his turning. He circled around to confront the pony who had touched him, tapped upon his ligament with unknown intentions. A mare, eyes blue as the sky and her body a dark pink with the mane and tail to match, stood before Davy, a pudding hat upon her head with an outfit to sync in color. The mare furrowed her brow as she peered deep into his eyes, her efforts to pierce his soul in vain as he simply returned the look, only that with him, it gained results. She spoke, her voice a brutish tone while she let the words flow from her lips to his ears. "Sir, your kind is not welcome here. I would suggest that you leave." The mare was backed by a miniture mob behind her, the whole city seemingly against him as he continued to gaze deeply into her eyes. Davy opened his mouth, his words an unpleasant tone as he spoke. "And what if I decide not to..." Davy remarked, the group letting out a gasp as the words were said, the pony looking back at him taking back a step as his green eyes flared, a sense of anger around the stallion who stood firm and undetered. The mare turned to the crowd, another official looking pony coming from the side and whispering something within her ear. She stood and listened carefully to the orange mare who softly spoke to her, taking in every bit of information with very delicate consideration. After a while, the oddly dressed pony came forward and addressed the stallion in a much more formal manner. "I am only going to ask you once, this time with the authority of chancellor. Leave, before I call my guards to arrest you." The wind howled as the temperature continued to drop to dangerous levels, his blood flowing stiff from the weather around him. The ponies had seemed to have grown accustomed to such conditions, but he hadn't. With unchanging emotion within his expression, but a strange tone of sympathy within his voice, he asked her a simple question. "May I at least shelter myself from the weather... I'm not from around these parts..." The chancellor turned head, only giving it a half thought before answering with the disheartining, yet obvious answer of no. Davy didn't want trouble, but he had full comprehension of the living conditions outside and had no intentions of staying within the ice capped forrest for the night. The wind raged a bit louder as the snow pelted him, the earth pony group unrelenting in their leader's statement. He figured it no problem to ask the chancellor her name, to know who to give the pleasure of sending him into the frozen tundra known in this time as Equestria. She didn't take to kindly to the joke as she answered, slightly annoied with the stallion's manner. "My name's Puddinghead. Chancellor Puddinghead to you." The mare firmly placed her hooves in the snow, a bit of a snooty attitude showing through while she turned her nose up at the chilled unicorn in front of her. Davy bit his lip, feeling within his body now faint and numb as he thought very hard upon that name, it familiarity bugging him from the very back of his mind. He knew the mare who stood before him, knew her backstory from somewhere when it suddenly hit him. He drew out his questions like he always did as he spoke to the pink official. "You're Chancellor Puddinghead... the leader of the entire earth pony tribe...? I've heard a great deal about you... your argumentive meeting with the other tribes unsuccessful... and your later fellowship with them that saved your pathetic race..." The mare before him drew anger from out of nowhere as she inexplicably exploded with fury at the unicorn, yelling that his words were just lies and conspiracies as she called for her guards to come and take him away. Davy didn't even struggle as two of her guards took him by the hooves, Puddinghead chuckling as she lowered her head to eye level, an insane, unnerving grin becoming plastered upon her face. "Send him to the dungeon. He wants a place to stay for the night, how about we give him a home for life?" Davy just smiled as he gazed back into her icey blue eyes, her attempt at humor void of its feeling when he responded. "Much appreciated..." The guards jerked him for his smart remark to their leader as she shooed them away, dragging the white stallion through the snow and back towards the very place he had come from earlier. He landed with a loud thud as the ponies within the cell drew back into their corner like last time, still afraid of what sorcery this stallion before them could preform. Downpour looked up from the ground to the familiar set, the tone of his voice switching to that of a normal pony. "I suppose... nopony is going to welcome me back, huh...?" He gave a snicker as he laid his head to the ground. "I'm tired of this place anyway... see you guys later... or maybe even before... but regardless... I'm sure we will see each other again... somewhere in time..." Davy shut the lids of his eyes, the world around going black as it did when he prepared for a dream. Whatever he had coming to him, he was ready... as always. Silence... complete and utter silence. Davy's vision became useless as he peered into the always recurring darkness around him. The evil and horrible creations that would be brought forth to him this dream could only be concived within the mind of his own, the thought still making him cringe, even after all this time. The silence lay unbroken as a small kindle burned as his side, suddenly a full flame before he could even flinch. The flame spread around, concealing all routes of escape while the temperature withing the trap grew, the stallion sweating within mere seconds of opening his eyes. It was all happening so fast, the heat growing more intense with every passing tick of time. Then, just as fast as it had happened, the flames diminished, vanished before him without trace, but still leaving behind its heat. A bloodroar cried from behind Davy as he turned, eyes stretched to the limit where before him stood a creature with the likeness of Cerberus, a mythological monster with the appearence of a giant canine beast with three heads. Anguish pulsated through his body as the monstrosity lunged head towards the stallion, who was able to dodge one head, but not the other. Davy looked to his severed limb, the pain tearing at him while he drew hoove to where his right foreleg used to be. The beast attacked once more, all three heads directly aimed for the pained unicorn. He dashed to his side, only just missing another horrible injury as he recited the only incantation he could remember, knowing and seeing no other way to defeat the creature. It quickly gained a rebound as it charged once more at him, the unicorn just finishing his recitation as it jumped forward. The scars around Downpour's body glowed a bright crimson, his body slowly levitating into the air as a dark force took hold of him, consumed his sense of control while his body was engulfed by black. The monster had no chance against the outpour ofravenous beast and bastardizations that nopony could lay eyes upon with instant death of terror. After the monster was swallowed by the power of his words, the stallionslowly floated back to the ground, energy spent as he prepared himself to once more face the last trial of every haunting nightmare as his severed ligament attached itself back. There was a flash of white as the world came back into view around Davy, the walls of his house becoming crystal as he once more observed the blood stained upon them, and heard those damned screams...
The Friend...A Timeless Hell... Chapter 4- The Friend... "Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for..." -Dag Hammarskjold "Put everything you've got into it you lazy welps! If we can't hold this barricade, Canterlot will fall!" Davy opened his eyes, the establishments around him in complete ruins. A dark shadow seemed to cast over the stallion as he shook away his dream, the thoughts still fresh in his mind. He stood, smoke rising in the air and soot from blazes falling as result. Stepping out into the street, Downpour found himself in the middle of the once magnificent and glorious city of Canterlot, now nearly reduced to mere rubble. "Seems like I woke a bit late for the party..." he joked, giving a smug grin. Distant explosions could be heard and the faint screams were barely audible to his ears. He glanced to his left, seeing an official looking guard urging his bretheren to keep their hold upon a door, obviously trying to keep out what was on the other side. The stallion stepped towards the guard with disregard to the burning buildings crumbling around him, his full attention focused upon the oddly familiar figure. He reached the foothold of the scaffolding the official pony was standing on before he called, the guard facing away. "Excuse me..." Davy stated with monotone. "What is today..." The pegasus barking orders was taken aback by the voice that spoke from behind, the pony's voice unrecongnized. He quickly withdrew his blade, and with blinding speed was at Davy's throat with his sword, obviously his talent being a master swordsman as they stood under the scaffolding.. "Who are you!" The guard asked, never looking up at Davy's face. "Reveal your name!" "You've become faster... Shadow..." The official pegasus tensed. "Tell me, can you still use your dark magiks like back at home, or did Celestia strip those powers from you?" The one Downpour called "Shadow" trembled, dropping the blade and looking up at his childhood friend, disbelief in his eyes. "D... Davy... is... that you?" the greyish stallion asked, taking off his helmet slowly to reveal a white and black mane, his eyes of the same silver as his coat, the color drained since his days as a colt. Davy glared at his lifelong friend, their adventures numerous through-out his travels in time, his mood going from a single toned jerk to that of a playful school filly. "The one and only. I'm glad to see that you haven't changed much. If that was anypony else, we both know what COULD have happened." Downpour replied. Shadow looked at his friend with glee. "I see your attitude hasn't changed much. I guess that's good." He sarcastically stated. "Oh, There's something I need to give you." Davy's ears perked, his face lighting up. "What is it." he asked, a smile starting to form across his face. That smile was quickly wiped away when his jaw met contact with Shadow's hoof, knocking Davy back into the ground. Confusion and anger washed over him. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!" Davy roared, standing up and looking ready to fight. Shadow giggled before his face became serious as he answered. "That, was for leaving me to fend for myself in Hell. The necropony that sent us there was waiting for us at the gates, and you had to go off and get knocked unconscious by falling stones." Shadow retorted. "You know how hard it is to contain yourself when a necropony has his bone hooves around your neck?" "That wasn't my fault! You know that I'm not the most agile pony around!" The unicorn argued. "No, but I would figure you had enough common sense to move when there's a whole underground cavern falling apart around you." Shadow smuggly replied. "I had a clear shot!" Davy yelled. "Whatever..." The black and white maned pegasus turned his attention back to his comrades, the door starting to give way. "Hey, don't guess you could help us out a bit? I really don't want to owe my "freinds" another favor and these guys aren't exactly the best soldiers." Davy looked as though he was giving it consideration. "Depends, what are we fighting?" At that moment, an undead dragon skeleton broke through the gates, a ponymancer riding his back and laughing while he watched his victims run in terror. Shadow turned to Downpour. "This bucker again..." "Care to tell me what's going on as we both take him?" Shadow smirked at the question. "Gladly." The silver eyed stallion twirled his blade, the curved edge and ingravings a symbol of placement in rank. "This sword is good and all, but it's nothing to what your father could make." He stood on his hind legs in a very traditional fighting pose, weapon pointing towards his enemy and his other hoof behind him. "You haven't changed a bit, but for my sake, lets not talk about the past." Davy barely changed his stance as the undead pony turned its attention towards the two. "You know what..." Shadow sheathed his blade. "Since I had to fight him last time, how about you take it." Davy's brow hightened at this. "Besides, I have to explain everything to you, so it'll be easier on me if I wasn't constantly fearing a dragon claw stabbing into my back." The unicorn hung his head. "You're one lazy prick, you know that?" Shadow smiled. "Would you have me any other way? Besides, I wouldn't want to get in your way." Davy sighed, but knew there was no reasoning with this pony. He stepped forward and started reciting incantations. "klaatu ampatour!" Lighting struck all around, the ground from undernieth breaking apart. Davy's body rose into the air, his body cracking as the electricity around him became a bright red, his eyes turning whiter than snow. Shadow took a step back as he watched. "This old move? Whatever Davy... I was expecting something new." The airborn stallion let out a bloodroar as he connected his hooves together, the lightning around starting to swirl like a vortex. The undead pony turned his minion around to the pony conjuring his dark magic. He thrust his bone hoof outward, his dragon charging straight at the convulsing unicorn. Suddenly, the convulsing ceased, his body going limp. Shadow took notice of this and became a bit frantic. "Heh, hey Davy. You don't think you could hurry up I suppose?" The dragon grew almost mere hooves away. "Davy? DAVY!?" There was a bright flash of red, the air thickend with clouds, rose red thunder shooting down from all directions. The armored unicorn slowly lifted his hoof, pointed towards his opponent. He only muttered one word as the flying beast contacted with his hoof. "Die..." Lightning struck Davy from the heavens above and shot from his foreleg into the body of the undead skeleton, the bones of which instantly turning to dust. The necropony on top let out his own screech as the shock traveled throughout his body as well, falling apart as another bolt shot from the sky, knocking the head of the bastardisation off, ending its "life". Downpour quickly grasped the body of his enemy and ripped it in half, tossing one half to the ground and oblitherating the other with a mere glance. Shadow watched as the clouds retracted above, the floating unicorn settleing back down on the torched terrain below. "You didn't have to take it easy on that spawn of Hell, it can't feel anyway." Davy turned to his friend as his hind legs set upon the dirt. "I wouldn't want to destroy the city. Besides, I don't think you could contain me if I did try, you know, your magik only coming from that of Hell anyway." He replied. "Funny... Don't you think that you might be a little too over-powered sometimes?" "Would you have me any other way?" Davy smiled. Shadow chuckled. "I guess not..." "So, about what's going on around here..." Shadow looked at his comrades, scared out of their minds as they were cowering in a building about 10 yards away from where Davy had destroyed the "mighty" foe. "How about I explain everything to you after we settle these ponies down. If I lose one more squad, physically or mentally, Celestia might not forgive me again." Davy brushed a scruff on his armor. "Can't they tell I'm on their side by my uniform?" The official pegasus put on his helmet. "Luna's sent too many spies for us to trust anypony anymore..." Davy looked perplexed. "Luna?" Shadow sighed. "Follow me..."
