Ponysiders - Demise Lives

Part Two: Who He Is

Note: Sorry for the short chapter, I've been busy lately (lazy) and I wanted to just get this out there. I'll make sure the next ones at least 2,200 words before releasing to make up for the short addition to the storyline here. I'd also like the extend thanks to Urdreth, who gave me some concepts when I had a colossal mindfart and so couldn't figure out what to write in this chapter. Bravo :3

"What?" This is not good... I've been recognised twice already, by people who shouldn't know anything about the other kingdoms...

"You're... You're the Reaper..." Twilight said, walking the thin line between mildly scared and worried.

"Yes, I am, but I am not here for that. Keep your composure, I am not here for souls." It was the truth, but not the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He was, figuratively, here for his brother's soul, but they didn't need to know that.

"Wh-what are you here for then?" Twilight asked, still untrusting towards Demise.

"I'm here to learn about something which I never thought I would need to learn about... But that is besides the point, how do you know of me?" He asked, his voice turning into a slight growl towards the end, angry that he was somehow known to these Third Kingdom ponies. He was also surprised that Pinkie Pie had been quiet for so long, but quickly decided that her motor mouth was probably recharging as they spoke.

"Wait a second," She said, walking over to a nearby bookshelf and quickly producing one of the books from the Mythology section. She then walked back over to where Demise, despite his current shortage on patience, was waiting calmly and then handed him the book.

Demise looked at her questioningly, not knowing which page to turn to. Twilight took the hint and told him. "Page 40, I think."

He turned to page 40 and began reading.

The Grim Reaper (In Mistism)

The Grim Reaper has many names, Death, Demise, Kinslayer, Pale One.

No matter what the name, the same pony always appears throughout many seperate cultures. Not only does he always looks similar and wear the same dark hooded robes, he is always pictured using a large scythe, with a skeletal figure hidden beneath.

There was, back some hundreds of years, a religion believed by some of the Zebras which was very notable in this instance. This religion doesn't have a recorded name, so we refer to it as Mistism. Mistismists believed in many unorthodox things, including some very horrendous ones. We will focus on one particular subject they believed in, called the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It was believed that there were two races known as the Angels and the Demons. When Angels and Demons were *mixed, a new race spawned: the Nephilim. A few hundred years after they were believed to have been formed, the Nephilim went on a rampage, demanding 'The Creator' to create a realm for them, or else they would destroy everything. They were told to have come very close to destroying 'The Third Kingdom', which is our 'Realm'.*

Unfortunately for the Nephilim, there was a group of beings known as the 'Blackened Council', who, when the creator left the universe, were charged with keeping the balance between good and evil, dark and light. The Blackened Council were none too happy about this rampage, and so called forth four of the Nephilim's own, who did not agree with their race's choices. These four ponies were granted unimaginable powers and fame, in return for one thing: They had to restore the balance.

Restoring the balance required the Nephilim to be stopped, imprisoned or killed. Unfortunately, the Nephilim refused to relent, and therefore, the Four Horsemen were forced to call upon their last resort: killing them. The Horsemen Battle, Demise, Furiee and Confliction obeyed their orders, and executed the Nephilim in one single, bloody battle. Demise, after this battle, was charged by the Council to destroy the Nephilim souls, which he had stored in an amulet. He refused, but still earned the title of Reaper.

When they were called upon, when the seven stones were broken, the Horsemen would bring about the apocalypse to our planet.

---

40

It took Demise but ten seconds to read all of this, before closing the book and, finally deciding that he had lost it, lost it.

"How?" He shouted, "There is no way that anypony, any zebra for that matter, can, or could have known all of this!"

Twilight looked startled for a few seconds, before deciding that it would be best not to say anything yet.

"Furthermore, even if anypony did know, how has such important knowledge ended up in a common mythology book?" Demise was furious, if this religion were still active, which thankfully he knew it wasn't, it could have severely disrupted the balance and broken many sworn oaths, not to mention undoing a lot of his keeping the balance work. Only one third kingdm pony was entrusted such knowledge, which was Princess Celestia. He would have to speak to the Council about it at some point, he thought. At least, he did until he remembered that the Third Kingdom was currently a wasteland in his time.

"Moving on, -" Demise was just about to change topic, being angry at the current one when something light blue slammed into him at a high speed.

"Spill the beans, you!" Yelled the voice of the pony who currently had Demise pinned to the floor. "Who are you working for? Trixie?"

Demise had had enough. He violently pushed the pegasus off himself, and then grabbed her, flipping her so that she was held upright and then pinned her to the wall. "Who do you think you are, pegasus?" he was furious that she had the nerve to pin a horseman down, knowing what he was or not. "What gives you the right to pin me down? Answer me!"

Rainbow Dash, the pegasus with the rainbow mane, started to panic. "I-I.."

"Put her down right now you big mean meanie pants!" shouted the voice of Pinkie Pie, who was still present.

Demise obeyed, not daring to challenge the pink party pony who was now officially starting to scare him. He was not scared of anything, and yet, she still worried him. She was too inconceivable, too unpredictable. 'I'm scared of a third kingdom pony... I'm disappointed with myself.'

Dropping to the floor, Dash caught her breath, generally shaken by the experience. "What... The... Hay..." She said, each word after a gasp of air. She then realised that everyone was looking at her. Upon seeing this, she instantly got up and dusted herself off. "I'm fine. See ya!" She flew off, trying to keep her pride intact.

"What was that about?" Pinkie and Twilight yelled in unison. "You can't just do that!" continued Twilight.

"I will not allow anypony to treat me with such a manner of disrespect." He replied gruffly. "I am not a mere pony. It does not matter to me whether ponies know that or not, I will not tolerate disrespect."

"You're not going to do well here until you learn to behave normally, and I think I know just who to send you to who will gladly teach you proper behaviour."

Demise exited the library through the front door, before proceeding to follow the directions that Twilight had given him to this 'Rarity's' home. As he wandered through town he earned no end of sideway glances, stares and funny looks. No doubt thanks to his mask and double scythes. One pony even had the nerve to tell him "It's not Nightmare Night yet, dummy.", to which he restrained himself from reacting to.

When he arrived, he knocked on the door, and then inspected the outside of the house. 'Carousel Boutique? Is this some kind of tailors?'

His mental question was quickly answered as a pure white pony with a royal purple delicately styled mane answered the door, he could see mannequins and fabrics inside the building behind her. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, -" she stopped talking as she looked at him. "What... What are you wearing? Your mane looks so... Horrible... Oh this simply won't do." the pony then tried the push him through the door and into the building, but met resistance.

"Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie sent me here. They said that I needed to learn how to behave around ponies here." he said in a cold tone. "My name is Demise."

An hour later and Demise had finally gotten over the 'no violence' policy, still deciding that he would act if necessary and learned how to politely (as much as he could anyway, which wasn't that great) introduce himself to ponies.

"You see, Demise, ponies are equals here, no getting angry if ponies come across slightly rude, as they are probably just joking with you. Now that you know how to talk to ponies nicely, I think you should go to meet Applejack. She's a very honest and polite pony, and I have a feeling that you are going to meet her soon anyway if what little you told me about why you are here is true."

"Where does she live?" asked Demise. "Nearby?"

"Oh darling, she lives at Sweet Apple Acres, the orchard run by the Apple family. Just go to -" She proceeded to give him the location of Sweet Apple Acres, before he bid her farewell and left.

'Why am I doing this?' he asked himself. Dust then cawed and landed on his right shoulder, above the glowing green nephilim amulet shards. 'Right. Learn about friendship. I have a bad feeling about this...'