The daemon, Protector of Equestria.

Chapter: 6 My duty to you

The sky was filled with stars, but they were not stars they were memories.

Long ago, nearly ten life times to a mortal, Patholis to protect his mind from insanity encased himself in his own mind.

Every thought, memory and idea in his mind was represented by a star in the sky. He could visit anyone of them in a second but he didn’t he had long ago looked over everyone twice.

He knew that daemons lived forever yet immortality wasn’t a birth right of his people, it was a gift which had to be earned.

He had earned his immortality by thanklessly saving to lives of billions but he had to kill a close friend to do so. That memory would be up there somewhere as a star he could visit.

He often went to the memories he had of the two alicorns which he was still in service to. he never got a chance to tell them how he felt about a certain princess of the night.

They must be doing well not needing my help but I am a bit lonely. Patholis could only think for he had no mouth, he was a cloud of energy flying inside his own mind.

Sometimes a star would falter just for a second and then nothing it would simply go. Patholis knew that he was losing memories, that when all the stars go out he would lose his mind.

Patholis had to be ready to return to the ‘real’ world in such short notice that he wasn’t sure if he could.  Placing himself inside his own mind was risky at first but he wasn’t sure how to get out.

The lights started to go out quicker, and then only a handful remained left. One by one they died.

‘No! This is too quick! I should have more time!’ he screamed in his mind.

Now only one light remained, shining ten times greater than that of the other lights, now dead. The light from the star enveloped him. It overcame him and pulled him. Towards the light.

Being pulled out of your own mind wasn’t as weird as an experience as he had assumed. Pulled by the light then black cloud to some place familiar the throne room of Canterlot castle.

He emerged from the black mist, struggling to keep his balance; he walked down the steps and quickly assessed the situation.

Princess Celestia wounded nothing serious.

Five unknown ponies stuck to floor with magic.

Another unknown pony plus a pink alicorn. ‘Princess have you been busy while I was away?’ Patholis thought to himself.

There it was towering over Celestia. A changeling, Patholis’ rage boiled at the sight of it. He hated their kind, feeding of love they are enemies of the daemons.

He suppressed his rage and kept it formal.

‘Princess, am I to understand that you summoned me willingly?’ knowing that she could have been forced to.

Celestia lowered her head in shame for having to give the following answer.

‘Yes Patholis.’

‘Then the walls are breached, the kingdom is threatened now I am here to help.’

It was time to strike, within a second Patholis had willed shadow blade out of its invisible scabbard. It attached itself to his hoof with magic.

He jumped at the changeling its face filled with horror. Patholis planed his attack; he was not going to show mercy, it didn’t deserve it.

With a reversed grip of shadow blade he plunged his sword at the changeling. In the half second it had to react it chose to move to his left.

‘Bad move.’ Thought Patholis as he shifted his sword to his stronger right hoof.

Thrusting it into side of the changeling.  It let out a deafening scream as black ichor bled from the horrific wound. All the ponies in the room let out a gasp which echoed through the room.

Without emotion he pulled his sword from the changeling, now cowering on the floor in the foetal position, and walked towards the wounded Celestia. Her face that of shame, horror and disgust.

‘Are you all right princess?’ said Patholis while offering Celestia a hoof. She took it and Patholis pulled her to her hoofs.

‘Yes I’m fine. Sorry it’s been so long I just didn’t need help. For a second I thought you weren’t going to arrive.’

‘Why wouldn’t I, protecting you is my duty to...you.’ At this Celestia smiled she looked into Patholis’ eyes and a small blush appeared on her face.

Patholis then walked over to the changeling, bringing shadow blade up into a fatal thrust.

‘No! She must stand trial!’ Shouted Celestia running in between Patholis and the changeling.

‘That is if it lasts that long.’ Patholis said bluntly.

Patholis ducked narrowly avoiding a bolt of magic fired at him by one of a group of six changelings. Their faces in horror at the attack on their queen. They were going to fight to the death for vengeance.

They charged running head on at the grey alicorn, his face unchanged as he charges up his daemonic powers. With a simple thrust of shadow blade a wave of energy lashed out at the changeling. None of them moved out of the way in time. Their bodies evaporated with the sudden influx of energy. Only black ash and dust remained of them.

An unfamiliar voice was next to speak.

‘What kind of magic was that? Your horn didn’t light up or anything?’ it was the purple unicorn next to the pink alicorn.

‘It is daemonic; it can’t use an organic outlet so it needs one artificial.’ Said Patholis while holding up shadow blade with pride.  He liked this pony; it is the only one who has taken interest in him.

‘I have never heard of that kind of magic.’

‘I wouldn't think so ponies can’t use it.’ Patholis walked over to the pony a small smile on his face.

‘Oh, so what are you a changeling?’

‘Not in the slightest.’ Said Patholis while with a wave of his sword the magic keeping the pony to the floor was undone. Changeling magic is the easiest to undo.

‘Thanks, my name is twilight sparkle. You are Patholis I presume.’

‘Yes, let me say twilight sparkle it is an honour to be in your presence.’ Patholis said while in a bow to the unicorn. Whose cheeks were bright red.

With another wave of his sword the rest of the changeling magic in the room dissipated. Patholis then turned back to Celestia his face serious.

‘Princess, changelings are hive animals, where there are few there is an army.’

‘What do you say we do? Canterlot is protected by a shield produced by our captain of the royal guard.’ Celestia said proudly turning to look at shining armour still stood at the top of the steps.

‘Oh no, if he is under a spell then the shield is weakened.’

A gasp echoed the room except Patholis who ran to the side of the hypnotized colt. He waved his sword in front of the face of shining armour.

‘Wake up you love dazed colt!’

Shining armour collapsed in a heap of exhaustion.

‘W-what happened?’

Twilight ran next to shining armour, knocking Patholis out of the way, and pulled him up with her hoof.

‘Brother? Are you ok?’ she said while looking into her brothers eyes.

‘Yeah, I’m fine Twily. Where’s cadence?’  As he said this cadence ran to shining armour.

‘Shiny I’m here its ok.’ Cadence and ‘shiny’ shared a sweet embrace neither one wanting to lets go until Patholis spoke.

‘I apologise for the interruption but the current situation is far from fine.’ Patholis said this while standing on the balcony outside of the throne room, pointing to an army of changelings swarming through a crack in the shield which is supposedly protecting Canterlot.

The room filled with fear, Celestia was the next to speak.

‘Shining armour.’ at this shining armour stood at attention his hoof in salute.

‘Yes, princess?’

‘Assemble the guard, Canterlot needs its protectors.’  At this shining armour immediately started to run out of the throne room to the barracks.

‘And so does Equestria.’ Announced Patholis. ‘But I alone cannot fight an army.’

‘I don’t expect you to, girls?’ Celestia then turned to the five ponies, still stood by the side of the steppes.

‘Go get the elements of harmony!’

Then twilight sparkle, rainbow dash, Fluttershy, pinkie pie, applejack and rarity ran out the throne room to the vault where the elements are kept.

‘Patholis, go with them. The elements are a powerful weapon, even match for your dear shadow blade there.’ Said Celestia, while pointing a hoof a shadow blade now floating in its invisible scabbard.

‘This I have to see.’ Said Patholis who followed the mane six out of the throne room.