Perpetual Torment

Placing your palm on the glowing orb surrounded on stone, yellow sparks begin to flutter out and run throughout your arm. You watch as your right gauntlet pulses and glows with this new energy source, the yellow glow and tingling sensation travel further up your arm with every passing moment. The feeling started out painless, and it almost tickles, but its growing in intensity. You watch your fingers twitch and spasm uncontrollably as more and more energy is pumped through your armor and into your body. Your HUD isn't showing any recognition of this new energy, which is slightly concerning.

It tickled a second ago when it was only in your arm, but now the energy is passing through your entire body. You begin to shake, muscles contracting and throbbing violently. You try to pull yourself free from the stone, but your body isn't responding to your own commands.

A sudden jolt of energy hits your body.

You see the vast nothingness of space, empty of all life.

A bright flash, millions upon millions of universes and galaxies are created in the blink of an eye.

You watch the sun rise and fall on planets never seen by your own eyes.

You bare witness to secrets and truths no mortal being was ever supposed to know.

You are everything and nothing at once. You're the creator of life, the dandelion swaying in the wind, the insect feasting on fecal matter.

Nanoseconds feel like hours, as you rocket through space and time. You watch billions of historical events unfold, planets being populated and killed in endless planes of time.

So much information could never be stored in a single mind. The largest libraries on Earth would be too inferior in size to accommodate. Like a cup being filled to it's brim, this forbidden knowledge leaks out of the receptacle your mind has become.

You grunt and groan, the pain and intensity escalate faster and to levels never felt before. It's as if you're in an electric chair, and someone is turning a dial which has no limit. Unable to control yourself, you open your mouth and let out a howl of pain. Yellow light engulfs your eyes, blinding you from inside your own body as you feel energy pouring out of your mouth. As you scream and cry underneath your helmet, your lungs are constantly filled with oxygen, enabling your body to scream for eternity.

You swear you can hear Celestia screaming for you to pull away, but at this point that might as well be your ears playing tricks on you.

You can only watch in absolute horror as Slayer's body is overwhelmed with the power of the Godstone. His howling screams of agony are giving you flashbacks to Anonymous' final moments with you. His entire body is glowing, lighting up the massive chamber in the heavenly, yellow glow.

"Slayer! Pull away!" You cry out, fighting back tears as you watch him. Unconsciously you begin galloping towards him.

"Sister! Do not interfere! He'll never find his home world if you stop the process!" Luna yells back, Slayer's scream reaching deafening levels of intensity.

"It's killing him from the inside, Luna! I refuse to lose him so soon!" Tears fall down your face, as you engulf Slayer in your magic. With all of your might, you pull him away from the stone.

Slayer collapses onto his knees instantly. His hands reach up to his helmet as he rips it off, vomiting onto the stone floor underneath him. His head hangs low, face being obscured by his massive gauntlets. His body wretches as he dry heaves for breath between waves of vomit.

Blinking away the tears, you walk up behind him and place a hoof on his back, rubbing up and down in a supporting manner. "Breathe, Slayer... Just breathe." You coo out gently, putting aside your own worries to tend to his needs.

"Nrraggh... G-god... Augh..." He moans and groans in agony, voice hoarse and scratchy. Slayer is in an absolute state of despair. His body shakes and shudders violently, his exposed biceps are blotchy and purple from veins and blood vessels bursting.

His hair... It's a deep shade of mocha, just like Anonymous. At the sound of your voice, Slayer leaned in your direction, putting some of his weight against your legs. The contact makes your heart flutter, and you lean in to nuzzle against his neck.

"You're safe, Slayer. I promise." You speak softly, taking this opportunity to inhale his scent. A hint of sweat and earthy tones, the musk of a champion. "Did you find what you sought after?"

As you expected, Slayer does not respond to your question. His chest rises and falls, and it seems his soul focus is regulating his breath and heart rate. Looking down at his gauntlets, you notice they begin to shake and tremble.

Slayer scoots away from you, and with his head still hung low enough to hide his face, he scoops up his helmet and places it back on his head. Shakily he rises to his feet, gaze locked on the Godstone which gave off it's normal pulsing glow.

"...Slayer?" You manage to pipe up, nervous at his stance. You glance over to Luna, who is staring back with a look of disappointment in your actions.

"Scan complete." VEGA's voice crackled out from Slayer's chestplate. "If my data is correct, Slayer bared witness to over 16 trillion universes and galaxies. Out of these, 376 million galaxies were identical to the solar system Earth resides in, yet none were under demonic invasion. Judging by the placement of Equis' solar system to the solar systems containing Earth like planets, it would take an entire planet's worth of energy to form a portal with enough power to travel even half that distance."

VEGA's words hang in the air, as everyone in the chamber remains dead silent. Slayer's fists stop shaking, as he freezes in place. The sight pulls at your heart, as the reality of his situation reveals itself.

"We are by all means stranded here." VEGA concludes his hypothesis.

Luna glares at you from your right side, and you flash a glare back to her. Didn't she just hear VEGA? Even if he did find his universe, there would be almost no way to gather enough power to return. Not even the power of the strongest unicorns and alicorns combined could muster that much energy.

Your mind is screaming at you to go comfort him. Begging and pleading with your body to move right up to him and embrace him. Despite this, your legs refuse to acknowledge your mind's command, and you stay put. The glow from the Godstone engulfs his front in it's heavenly glow, casting his back in a dark shadow. He looks so vulnerable from this angle, it pains your very being.

"I'm so sorry, Slayer..." Your voice is as soft as a newborn foal's fur, finally mustering the strength to take a step towards him.

Just as you place a single hoof down, Slayer's fists clench, causing you to halt once again.

He strides back over to the Godstone, rubbing his palm over the orb back and forth. Just as the energy begins to spark back up, he pulls his hand away and balls it into a fist. With all of his might, he brings his fist down to the Godstone. yellow sparks shoot out as the face of the orb cracks. This only seems to enrage Slayer more as he brings his fist down again, this time even harder than before. Punch after punch, chunks of the orb begin to fly across the room as he wails on it.

"Slayer! Cease this at once! That is the only one of it's kind!" Luna uses her Canterlot voice, stomping over to Slayer.

He doesn't listen, using both fists as he crushes the slag-like pillar the orb rested in. Placing his left hand on the side of the pillar, he grabs the orb and pulls it towards himself. His body trembles and shakes, the ground underneath rumbles as the orb is finally ripped out of it's socket.

"Slayer!" Luna stomps her hoof, as he holds the orb up high. Luna puts a hoof on his shoulder and spins him around to face her.

Slayer's eyes are filled with the rage of a million tortured souls, locking eyes with Luna. Your younger sister's ears fold instantly, as she immediately begins backing up. The blade on his left forearm extends, causing you and your sister to gasp.

Preparing a magical bolt to stun Slayer, you watch him toss the orb into the air and slice it in twain. The Godstone dulls to a dark bronze color, both of it's halves crash onto the floor and shatter like glass. All three of you stare at the remains of the stone, you and Luna are in a state of absolute shock.

"Have you no comprehension for what you have just done...?" Luna shakily asks, her voice caught between fear and anger, her eyes glance up and down Slayer's body.

His blade retracts, stance returning to normal as his eyes scan over the broken orb.

Taking a chance, you walk over to Slayer, and place a hoof on his shoulder. You gaze into his visor, barely able to make out his eyes underneath the tinted glass. They're green, just like Anon's. His eyebrows were furrowed, pupils shrunken in rage. Despite this, when he meets your gaze, his demeanor softens in an instant, as if your very presence alone calms him. His shoulders slump as you curl your neck around his own, wrapping a wing around his back.

"I cannot begin to imagine the stress you must be under, Slayer... You have my word that you will always have a home here in Equestria." Your wing rubs up and down his back as he stands there. He doesn't hug you back, but he doesn't pull away either. Ever so slightly, he leans his helmet against your head.

"I am detecting multiple life signatures inside our base of operations." VEGA's voice interrupts your moment of intimacy with Slayer.

Both of you pull away, looking into each other's eyes.

"DNA scans suggest they are demonic in nature, their place of origin somewhere in Dodge Junction. The Slipgate will take 13 hours to cool off-" VEGA's voice fizzles out, having been cut off prematurely by some sort of interruption.

With wide eyes, you stare into Slayer's visor, watching his eyebrows furrow once again. "We must leave, now." You say.

Slayer shuffles away from you, braking into a full on sprint as he slams the giant doors open. You and Luna take wing, catching up to him.

Wind soars past the double themed chariot, as your royal guards rocket towards Dodge Junction as fast as their wings can take them. Various towns and cities fly by in the horizon as you near the small junction village. You and your sister are sitting in your proper seats, Slayer is standing in the middle, one foot on the edge of the chariot as he scans the surroundings. Off in the distance, you can see smoke billowing out into the clear sky, trailing for miles.

"Faster! My little ponies are in trouble!" You command your guards, who accelerate even faster.

The chariot finally closes in on the small town, and the sight terrifies you. Massive tentacles curl up the various buildings in town, pieces of earth have separated and parted from each other. The entire town is on fire, as ghoulish beings roam the streets.

You watch Slayer place a hand behind his back, pressing it to a circular device on his waist. The device lights up, as something materializes into his grip. It's some sort of a handheld weapon, strikingly similar to the handcannon Anonymous had his blacksmiths make for him all those years ago. This one has a wooden handle, and two steel barrels, along with some jagged spike attached to the bottom.

Slayer brings the weapon in front of his visor, his left hand reaches into a pouch as two red cartridges are pulled out. He breaks open the weapon, loading both cartridges before flicking the weapon closed.

You're about to call out and instruct him what to do, but it's far too late. The chariot rocks from the left to the right, as Slayer jumps out mid-flight into the town below.

"Slayer!" You call out, leaning off the side to watch him fall.

In the middle of the street, a group of pony-like ghouls are surrounding a large, superficial pile of guts and gore. Their horns are glowing dark red, as they pump energy into the heap of meat. The ghoul in the middle screeches in agony as Slayer's boots collide into it's back, breaking it's spine. The fiend looks up, only to have it's head stomped in by his right boot.

((Scene Music))

Blood and brains splatter over the other five demons, who all let out howls of rage. You can only watch in astonishment from your eagle's eye view in the sky, as Slayer expertly and efficiently ends the lives of the crowd. He blasts one in the chest with his weapon, before ramming another one into the ground. A demon leaps in front of him, horn pointed right at Slayer's throat.

Just before contact, the blade on his forearm extends as Slayer chops the demon's head clean off it's body mid-flight. The ghoul on the ground is finally getting up onto it's hooves, just in time for Slayer to grab it's front right leg. Slayer jams his gauntlet into it's knee joint, causing the leg bone to pierce through it's skin. Wasting no time, Slayer jams the bone into the ghoul's temple.

"D-do you want us to go down, Princess?" One of your guards calls out from his position in front of you.

You snap yourself out of your trance and look over to him. "No. Set myself and Luna down on top of that hill. I want you to return to Canterlot and bring as many large chariots as you can. We need to evacuate the town as soon as possible."

"Yes, Your Highness!" He salutes, as the team lands on the hill half a mile away from the town.

You and Luna demount, as sounds of death and destruction echo from the town below. The chariot flies off, leaving you two to witness Slayer's wrath from a far. In the time it took you to coordinate and land here, a path of dead hell-spawn has been made straight into town hall. An explosion causes the ground to rumble, as you watch viscera and gibs fly up several feet in the air.

"We need to move, Sister. Slayer is distracting the demons, we should look for survivors." Luna's wings spread.

You don't respond, and simply nod in agreement, taking wing and flying into town with her.

As you and Luna fly into town, you spot a massive group of ponies sprinting out of town. You can see Mayor Buckington herding the townsponies in the safest direction possible. Mares, foals, colts and stallions are running for their lives, dodging falling debris and hostile projectiles being tossed from hell-spawn. Shining Armor is in the pack as well, casting magic missiles in the direction of the horde. It seems to be a last ditch effort, as his projectiles fly all over the place, aim being messed up by his backwards galloping.

Three bright yellow projectiles impact the ground surrounding the crowd, forcing them to funnel down a small alleyway. Curiously, you turn to face where these projectiles came from.

Standing on a rooftop, Slayer has a new weapon braced underneath his right armpit. It's light grey, and a lot longer than the previous weapon. You watch him fire another one of these projectiles. The flashing yellow ball arcs it's way down the road and lands yards away from Mayor Buckington.

It explodes, kicking up dust and dirt in his face, blocking off yet another path from him. Anger wells inside you at the display. Is he tormenting your little ponies? He agreed to help, not to make things worse!

As the dust from the explosion settles, the corpse of a demon twitches and spasms in the crater, most of it's limbs blown to chunks.

He is helping. Like a shepherd guiding his flock, Slayer is not only protecting your little ponies from immediate threats, but he is helping to funnel them in a safe direction, correcting any errors in judgement Buckington makes.

Turning back to Slayer, you find that he is now back on the road with a new weapon in his hands. It's large and boxy, mainly black and silver with a tan heat-shroud near the front. A horde of demons cast fireballs and plasma toward Slayer, who returns fire with this new weapon.

Bright blue balls of concentrated energy launch from the front of the weapon, melting the skin of the hell-spawn horde and sending static electricity through their bodies. One demon is pumped with so much energy, his body explodes in an arc of electricity, flying up and crashing into a window.

"Luna!" You point to a clearing in the distance. "I want them to rendezvous there, go down and help Shining Armor protect the group!"

Luna nods, and ducks down, landing next to Shining as she begins casting projectiles of her own into the hordes of demons.

Your own attention is on Slayer at the moment. You watch him lay waste to demon after demon. When he's not executing them from a distance, he is ripping flesh from bone, tearing muscle fibers apart like tissue paper. He's not just killing them to protect the innocent, he's killing with the intent of inflicting pain and suffering.

You can see it in the eyes of his prey, They are terrified of his very existence, yet throw themselves at his feet. The device on his shoulder erects from it's resting position, pointing at a large, minotaur-like demon which was dashing towards Slayer. As the demon grabs Slayer and attempts to attack, a small flame ignites from the device, before an onslaught of fire belches out in the demon's face. White hot, pressurized fire spews out, melting flesh and muscle from the beast's head. As the fire subsides, the beast falls to the ground, bare skull charred.

Another pony-like demon cowers away, galloping past Slayer in a desperate attempt to flee. Slayer grabs the base of it's tail with his right hand, the blade on his left arm extends. Your heart sinks at what you bare witness to, as Slayer repeatedly stabs and spears the flank of the demon. The pony screams and cries in terror, smashing it's front hooves against the dirt like a child getting spanked.

Slayer chops it's tail off, swinging his arm around as he dismembers it's hind legs from it's body. The demon looks up at him, pupils the size of pinpricks as it is decapitated.

He's protecting your little ponies, but his ways are disgusting. He's the definition of a cold blooded killer. You've never witnessed such raw hatred in all of your life, and it's stomach churning to spectate.

What made him this way? What could drive one man to cause so much death and destruction?

What happens if he feels betrayed by you or your ponies?

Is... this what has become of Anonymous?

Your attention is drawn away from Slayer, as a dark purple flash appears in front of the crowd. A tall, bipedal demon stands before the townsponies. The crowd screams in terror as it makes a mad dash towards Shining Armor. Shining reacts by charging up a missile spell, but he's too slow. The demon raises a clawed hand and slashes his face.

Shining Armor cries out in pain, one of the razor sharp claws having clipped a chunk off the tip of his horn, and gouging his right eye. Blinded in one eye, and magically crippled for a moment, Shining flips around and bucks his hind legs into the beast.

The purple demon ducks to the side, slashing open Shining's left flank. Blood oozes down his lame hind quarters, as he struggles to stand. The demon grabs Shining Armor by his mane, lifting him into the air and preparing to decapitate or disembowel the captain.

KER-CHUNK

An explosion, followed by the sound of chain rattling around echoes out as a bronze hook impaled the beast in it's chest. A ratcheting sound is heard immediately after as the beast instinctively drops Shining to the ground, gripping the hook attached to it's chest. Seconds later, a massive green blur smashes into the demon. An ear shattering explosion booms out as the demon's entire upper body is blown to bits.

Standing in the remains of the once alive creature, the Slayer breaks open his double barreled weapon, quickly reloading it.

The crowd looks up at Slayer in fear, standing still as they have reached the clearing finally. Slayer's chest rises and falls softly, the two barrels of his gun leak smoke profusely. The smell of sulfur and intestines coat Slayer as he scans the crowd up and down.

Shining Armor hacks and coughs on the ground, looking up at Slayer slowly. The look in his one functional eye is a mix of terror and awe, the hellish blaze of the town behind Slayer casts his body in an ominous orange glow. "You... You saved me."

Slayer gives Shining Armor nothing more than a glance, his eyes still scanning over the crowd. You land by Slayer's side, the crowd of ponies bow to you, still shaken up by all the events of the last hour.

Mayor Buckington takes a headcount, looking over the tens of ponies. "We're missing one!" He yells out, fear palpable in his voice. "Wonderlight! has anypony seen him before this all happened?"

"M-my dad was killed by those things!" A young mare sobs very loudly, holding her head in her hooves. Slayer's eyes look up and down her, flashing her a look of doubt.

Without wasting another moment, Slayer turns around and marches back into town. Curious in his intentions, you opt to follow him.

"Luna, stay with the townsponies. I want them all evacuated to the Canterlot hospital."

"We will see to it, Sister." Luna nods, and stands with Shining Armor, tending to his wounds just as medics rush over.

Your eyes constantly dart across your HUD, scanning for any more signs of demonic life. So far you've wiped out every last one, the only thing that is left is the gore tentacles that are corrupting the land. Horse Lady has decided to tag along by your side, her eyes filled with worry and sorrow at what has become of this once quaint little town.

The only sounds in the once populated town is the crackling of fire in the buildings, save for the foot and hoofsteps of you and Celestia. Out of the corner of your eye you can see her maneuvering around the gore and viscera, impressively keeping her majestic grace all the same. She has a somber look on her face, as if she is contemplating her choices and actions. It pains you to see her in such a state, but you're not ready to speak to her. You've got a lot of contemplating of your own to do.

"I... must thank you, for saving Shining Armor." Celestia breaks the silence, as you two round a corner.

You tilt your head to her direction, waiting for her to continue.

"That beast caught everypony off guard, and if it wasn't for your reaction speed..." She casts her gaze down to the dirt below her, which is covered in debris and guts. "His wife will be very thankful to hear you saved him, Slayer. Thank you."

Celestia looks up to face you, and you give her a simple nod of your head.

Rounding a final corner, you come across Wonderlight's Wizardly Wares. Or at least, what's left of it. The entire building is covered in hellish flesh and tentacles, a surefire sign this is where the invasion started. Glancing over your HUD, you call an area scan. After a few seconds, the request fails. VEGA's systems are completely offline.

That reminds you, you've gotta stop by your cave to go confront the little shits who broke him.

The front door to the shop is completely sealed shut in this fleshy, cyst and boil covered material. While you can't take advantage of VEGA's systems, your own suit has some tricks of it's own. Your equipment launcher extends out, the flame thrower ignites and launches a white hot stream of napalm onto the skin.

Celestia recoils at the action, looking away whilst you burn an entrance. You glance over to her, silently asking if she's going to follow you inside. After a few seconds, she shudders and ducks inside with you.

The shop is an absolute mess, shelves and products have been thrown around and destroyed. A trail of blood on the wooden floor catches your attention, leading into a backroom. You pull out your combat shotgun and rack the pump, following the trail. You and Celestia are lead down a staircase into a damp and murky basement. Celestia lights up her horn, illuminating the dark room.

Engulfed in a bloody, fleshy cocoon, Wonderlight swings back and forth from the ceiling. His horn has been broken off and stabbed into his left eye, sparks fizzling out of the base on his head.

"P-please... Let this end..." He coughs up blood, voice hoarse. Cracking open an eye, he looks you and Celestia up and down. "My... Daughter... Changeling... Tried.. Stopping..." He can barely speak, being weakened by the fleshy prison, as well as his injuries.

"Everything will be okay, Wonderlight. Just relax." Celestia's heavenly voice graces the elder's ears.

You walk up to him and slice the cocoon off of the ceiling, catching him on his decent to the ground. Placing him gently on the ground, you tear the flesh off his body, freeing him. He's actually completely intact, which is more than a pleasant surprise.

Celestia kneels down next to you, her horn lights up. "This may hurt, please bare with me." Wonderlight's broken horn impaled in his eye is engulfed in Celestia's magic, as it is slowly removed.

Wonderlight grunts in pain, before his eye is wrapped in that same magic. His eyelid is pulled shut, as Celestia's magic closes the wound in his eyeball.

You scoop the old pony off the ground and hold him to your chest. "I'm so sorry... I didn't see the signs until it was too late... Hazelblossom kept forcing me to stay out of my own basement, she said she was working on a personal project. We had a little argument, and I went to see what was so important that I didn't see..." He motions to the gore nest in the corner of the room, which has already been half destroyed. "T-they just kept pouring out by the dozens... I managed to close the thing, but not before one of them snapped my horn and hung me there to die..."

"You said your daughter is the cause of this?" Celestia asks, still tending to his eye as you make for the exit.

Wonderlight nods, wincing in pain. "Mhm... I should've known, she didn't act at all like herself these past several weeks..." Wonderlight has a puzzled look on his face, continuing seconds later. "Though, despite revealing herself to me by accident, she actually tried to stop that portal thingy and save me. It's like something didn't go to plan, and she wanted it to stop."

You glance down, giving him a perplexed look.

"Slayer, when we find this changeling, I ask that you do not end it so suddenly." Celestia speaks up, looking towards you. "Now that we know for certain the changelings are the cause of this, I want to bring this one in for questioning."

Questioning. Yeah, like that's gonna make a difference. Let's go question the little runts who fucked up your base and are trying to rip the world apart.

You flash her an 'are you serious?' face, which she responds with a stern look of her own.

"Your violence has been very eye opening to me, Slayer. I thank you for your service, but I will not allow such constant brutality to be the solution to Equestria's problems. I trust that you'll find it in you to abide by that, if you wish to stay in my country..." Celestia seemed hesitant to say that last part, but kept her stern facade up all the same.

You flash her an angry look, before slumping your shoulders. You wouldn't do this for Hayden, or VEGA, or anyone else who wished you to stop. But for her, you'll try it out.

After several minutes, you return to the clearing. Several chariots have arrived, and medics surround the townsponies, checking them for injuries. Tens of royal guards rush into town past you and Celestia, presumably to contain and remove the mess.

Mayor Buckington turns around and notices you walking by Celestia's side, Wonderlight in your hands. He seems fearful of your presence, but gives a sigh of relief seeing the old pony is safe and alive. "Oh thank Celestia, I was worried sick!"

Horse Lady gives the mayor a smile, extending a wing to you. "I am not the one to thank right now, Mister Buckington. Slayer here was the one who found him."

Placing the old pony on his hooves, he hobbles over to the mayor and gives him a hug. Your eyes scan over the various ponies, most of which are boarding large passenger chariots. Celestia is speaking to you, but you have her toned out. The technicolor-ed, pastel ponies blend in with each other like gumballs in a candy dispenser. One of the chariots is hauled out of formation, seconds away from take off. At the very front of the chariot, you spot her.

There you are, you little cunt.

You push past Buckington, who falls onto his haunches at your push.

"Hey! Watch yourself!" He complains.

You push past guards and ponies, increasing your speed to a jog as the chariot begins to accelerate. Just before it takes off, you grab the very back of it. The whole chariot creaks violently, and the pegasi guards trip over themselves, being stopped by your tug. Ponies onboard the chariot gasp in shock, parting ways as you climb aboard.

Hazelblossom looks up at you. Her eyes shrink and her ears fold back, cowering as you stride towards her. "I uh... D-did you find my dad? Gah!" She yelps as you grab her mane, lifting her up and throwing her off the ride.

Hazel hits the ground right in front of Celestia, who squints her eyes down at her. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, changeling." Tia injects loads of venom into that last part, as she speaks up. "Guards! Shackle this one and put her on her own chariot."

A team of guards quickly surround her, pinning her to the ground and restraining her.

You hop off the chariot and take your place by Horse Lady's side, patting her on the back a couple of times.

She sighs and leans her head against your own. "Oh, Slayer... I hope this ends soon. I cannot bare to see what might come of all this."

You scratch under her chin a couple times, as the townsponies are hauled off towards Canterlot.