Fallen Stars

Chapters

Prologue - The Grand Queen
Chapter 1 - The Stars
Chapter 2 - The First of the Four*
Chapter 3 - Great, More Horses*
Chapter 4 - War*
Chapter 5 - Relocated*
Chapter 6 - Preparations*
Chapter 7 - Invasion*
Chapter 8 - Explanations*
Chapter 9 - Memoriae Desuetae*
Chapter 11 - FlutterWar*
Chapter 12 - Who Are You?*
Chapter 15 - End Times "Prepare For War"*
Chapter 16 - End Times "Unshackled Destroyer"
Chapter 17 - End Times "Symphony of the Sick"
Redux
Chapter 18 - Where Did It All Go Wrong?
Chapter 19 - They Live
Chapter 20 - Never Wanted This
Chapter 21 - Judge and Jury
Chapter 22 - Going Home
Chapter 23 - Nightmares
Chapter 24 - Tough Mornings
Chapter 25 - Tougher Ponies
Chapter 26 - Equestria's Finest
Chapter 27
Chapter 10 - A (Not So) Serene Dream*
Chapter 13 - Who Am I?*
Chapter 14 - Death Hides in the Darkness*
Split

Prologue - The Grand Queen

Chrysalis groaned as she attempted to open her eyes. What happened? What had gone wrong? All she could remember was those two stupid unicorns touching their horns together and then a bright light.

The changeling queen strained to open her eyes. Her eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. Lifting her head proved to be even more useless. Nevertheless, she commanded her body to respond. She rolled onto her stomach and made another attempt to crane her neck up. Satisfied that she could, and that she was beginning to get some feeling back, she made an effort to stand on all fours.

She smirked to herself, Those foolish ponies. They think they have seen the last of me? When I return, I shall… wait, where am I exactly?

Her eyes darted all around. For miles, all she could see was snow. Being able to say she was able to see for miles was a generous term as well, as there was a heavy blizzard swirling around her. That explained the numbness in her body at least.

Chrysalis began to move forward. She knew she would not survive long in a blizzard like this, and who knows how long she had been unconscious. Amongst the snow and ice were many black clusters. Upon closer inspection, Chrysalis saw that these were her changelings.

Most were no longer breathing.

The ones that she could sense still had life in them were a lost cause. There was no way they could survive much longer, whether she helped them or not. She felt a flurry of emotions. Anger, fury, frustration… guilt. This was the last chance for the Changelings to survive. And now, most either dead or dying, and in some unknown barren wasteland, Chrysalis faced two options: lie down and face extinction, or try and find a way home. Putting on a face of determination, Chrysalis knew that the former was unacceptable. She forced her hooves forward, beginning her journey into this land that the sun has never seen.

The cold beat against her like daggers. The blizzard had intensified in its magnitude in the hour she had been walking alone. She felt like she had been walking in a straight line, but the wind twisted her movements around so much that she often found herself back to the mass grave site of her people. This only continued to fuel her frustration, but exhaustion refused to let her be angry. She moved to make another step, only to find herself slumped over in the snow. Her eyelids began to feel heavy once more, but willpower alone kept them open. It did not last long, however, as they slowly began to close.

“Stay… open…” she ordered herself, but it was no use. She put one hoof down and made another effort to stand. Her leg shook weakly as the Changeling queen tried to straighten herself up. “I… will not…”

Her legs gave out. She tried to move them again, but they would not budge. Soon she lost feeling in most of her body. Her eyes began to drift shut. Amongst the flurry and commotion that swirled around her dying body, she could just barely make out what looked like a black silhouette rummaging amongst her fallen people. She tried to speak out, to demand they leave them alone, but almost no sound came out. One of them heard her soft cries and came for closer inspection. She heard the muffled sound of hoofsteps before finally falling back into unconsciousness.

Chrysalis found herself back in Canterlot, in the hall where it had all ended. “You will never succeed.” Shining Armor said. Princess Cadence stood beside him, smiling fiendishly, “You will be but a memory.”

“No! I will not allow such to happen!” Chrysalis charged at them, but they only smiled and touched their horns together. A familiar bright light shined, and Chrysalis soon found herself soaring through the air once more. She straightened herself out and flapped her wings to stabilize herself. She turned back towards Canterlot, but was met by the glare of Celestia, who floated not far from her. “Out of my way!” she ordered.

Celestia’s glare only intensified. Chrysalis began to feel weak before her, as if the sun goddesses eyes were looking into her very soul. “No. You have brought harm to my subjects, and for that, you will never see the light of the sun again.”

Everything then fell into darkness.

Chrysalis’ eyes shot open. She was breathing heavy and her heart felt like it was beating so hard it would soon burst. She looked around, expecting to see herself in a never ending void of darkness, or banished to the moon, or something. Instead, she found herself in a large room. Vines spread out and covered the stone walls and ceilings. A small but invitingly warm fire crackled by her side. She inched herself closer, wanting to get as warm as possible. She was too distracted by the fire to realize that she was being watched.

“So, this is what you have become.”

Chrysalis’ body tensed all at once. Her eyes opened completely and she was soon filled with fear. That dark, commanding voice. That voice that has criticized every decision she has ever made. That voice that had haunted her for years innumerable. She turned towards where the voice had come from to see a large changeling laying upon a bed, its head tilted high and piercing eyes glaring down at her.

“M-mother?”

Chrysalis’ mother, Madora, was a being of legend. The mere sound of her name put more fear into most ponies than even that of Nightmare Moon. Although most had forgotten her, those who studied the past, or were old enough to remember it, knew the name of Madora all too well. She was the grand queen of the Changelings. Madora raised to her hooves and walked towards Chrysalis until they were within a foot of one another. Madora’s glare never faltered, and Chrysalis, despite her resolve, found herself looking around for a way to escape as she shrank down.

Madora stood in silence before her daughter. A small, unnoticeable smile flickered on her face. She was glad to know she could still invoke fear into her. The smile quickly disappeared, “I trusted you with overseeing the Everfree hive… and yet you are here, in the northern arctic mountains.”

“A minor set back, mother, I assure you—“

Madora’s eyes narrowed, “What happened.”

She wasn’t asking, she was demanding an answer. Chrysalis sighed and began telling her mother of what had happened. A few times, she almost seemed to see a glimmer of respect when she mentioned her plan for taking over Canterlot and when she had overpowered Celestia. But it all faded away when she started telling of her failure. Chrysalis almost couldn’t finish her tale because of the gravity of her mother’s stare.

“And then I woke up here, before you.” Chrysalis sighed, “I fear that the Everfree hive is now gone, except for me…” She flinched, expecting her mother to begin shouting. But nothing came. She opened one eye and saw Madora silently walking away. She gestured for her daughter to follow. She did so reluctantly, and watched as Madora used her magic to spread some of the vines open to reveal a doorway to a balcony. The mother and daughter came to the edge to behold the sight it overlooked. Chrysalis’ jaw dropped at the sight of a massive hive. It must have been ten times over the size of Canterlot. Madora smiled at her daughter’s reaction, “As you can see, my daughter, the Changelings are far from extinct.”

She turned and came back to her bed. Lying down, she said with a sinister smile, “I believe it is time that the Scourge of the North returns, don’t you agree? And you will see that up here, we do things much differently.”

Author's Note

Thank you for reading the first installment of this story. I'm new to making published works, so i hope this all turns out well! i appreciate the feedback and hope you'll enjoy it

Chapter 1 - The Stars

The sky was black from the smoke that rose into the sky. The village, known as Ponyburg, was alight in flames. The citizens ran in fear. Some had stayed their ground, determined to protect their homes. They were the first to fall before the horde. The Changelings had seemingly come out of nowhere. Most had heard stories of the Changelings and their addiction to love, but they never dreamed that they were so monstrous.

A Changeling tackled a stallion to the ground. It opened its mouth and the love could visibly be seen as it was sucked out. After the love was gone, it continued its feasting until all the life in the stallion was gone. The stallion fell limp, nothing but a hollow shell.

Nearby, a filly was hidden behind some wooden planks. A small thing with a light yellow coat and a rosy red mane, Spring Rose watched in horror as the life was sucked out of the stallion who was once her neighbor. She held back the tears that threatened to overflow from her eyes in fear that she might be heard. When she saw the cold lifeless stare of the stallion, she let out a small whimper.

The Changeling perked up, distracted by the sound it believed it had heard and ignoring the battle and cries of terror around it. It glanced in Spring Rose’s direction. She curled up behind the planks, trying to make herself as small as possible. The young filly was frightened out of her mind. She feared for herself. She feared for her parents, whom she had been separated from during the frenzy of panicking ponies when the Changelings first attacked. She feared for her friends who she just saw earlier that day after school was over.

Spring Rose closed her eyes, hearing the heavy, coarse breathing of the Changeling as it came closer. She tried to curl up tighter, but could not. A tear ran down her face as she thought about what was about to happen.
But nothing came.

She risked opening her eyes and saw that the planks were still providing what little cover they did. It had also become very quiet, except for the crackling of the fires that were devouring homes. She relaxed slightly and inched her head forward to peak outside of her hiding spot.

Before she had a chance, the planks were torn away and the Changeling let out an angry roar. Spring Rose screamed in terror, backing up until her back was against the wall. The Changelings lips curled into a sinister smile as it closed the space between itself and its prey. It opened its mouth, ready to suck away her life.

As her color began to sap out of her, Spring Rose began to feel nothing but cold. Her body became numb, and she could hardly hold herself up. As the swirl was about to enter the Changeling’s body, it was tackled to the ground, halting the process. The swirl reversed back into Spring Rose, who felt a wave of relief. She looked to where her savior had gone to see the Changeling and an older white stallion duking it out. The stallion was Bound Honor, a retired royal guard for the Princesses themselves. He had clenched in his teeth his sword that he had kept from his days as a guard.

They took turns trading blows, but Bound Honor was not as young as he used to be. His strikes were not as forceful as the Changelings, and it was much faster than he. If anything, it was only keeping him alive as to have something to play with. He looked towards Spring Rose and shouted, “Run!”

She didn’t want to leave him. Bound Honor was a friend to everypony in the town. But she knew that she would do more harm than good by staying. Without looking back, she sprinted off in the opposite direction. She ran and ran and ran, not knowing where she was going. All she knew was that she had to leave. Nothing else mattered except escaping the horrors behind her. Up ahead she could see a cart with a few ponies around it. They were loading things into the back quickly. One of the stallions that were loading things into the back noticed her, “Little girl! Quick, get in!”

At first, she thought of her mother. She had always said to never trust strangers, especially when they were asking to take her places. But, thinking of her options, she had no other choice. As the cart began rolling along, she hopped into the back.

She collapsed as her adrenaline faded. She tried to catch her breath before turning to thank the stallion who rescued her. It wasn’t until now that she recognized him as Cuisine, a chef at one of the more high-end restaurants in town. He gave her a smile and put a hoof on her shoulder, trying to help her relax. It worked, until she looked back at her burning home. She hugged Cuisine and began to cry again. He held her, unsure of what to say. Looking around, he noticed a shooting star passing through the sky. He gestured for her to look, hoping it was enough to distract her, even if just for a moment. She wiped away the tears in her eyes before looking to where his hoof pointed.

“Make a wish.” He said.

Spring Rose nodded and closed her eyes. Princess Celestia… Princess Luna… anyone… please, save us from these monsters…

At that moment, the sky lit up. A shockwave of light exploded in the sky. From the epicenter of the explosion was a bright light, brighter than any of the stars that were in the night sky. The light then burst into four, each going in an opposite direction. One of the lights was heading towards them and landed in near the village from which they had just fled from.

The Changelings threw their hooves about in an attempt to wipe away the smoke. They had seen the explosion and the star that had split into four. They approached the crash site of one of the lights. They stepped slowly closer, half out of caution, half out of curiosity. Suddenly they heard a thud come from inside the hole the light had created. Each one perked up and a few began to growl.

A figure began to arise from the smoldering dirt. It was very large, larger than the queen. It stepped out of its hole slowly and stood before the Changelings. It stood upon two legs and was clad in black armor. Strapped to its back was a massive sword almost as long as the creature that wielded it. It had long, silvery white hair that when almost halfway down its massive body and partially covered its face.

The Changelings waited for it to move, to know if it was friend or foe. But it did nothing. It simply stood before them and stared at them. Its cold grey eyes flickered from one Changeling to the next, scanning them. One of the Changelings grew restless and charged at the creature. It leapt up to tackle it, but was stopped effortlessly. The creature lifted its hand and grabbed the Changeling by its head the moment it was within range. Although the creature was large, its reflexes were astounding. The Changeling squirmed and kicked in an effort to escape its grasp, but it was to no avail.

The creature’s eyes returned to the other Changelings. A few more began growling and poised themselves to strike. Without a hint of remorse, the creature crushed the skull of the Changeling it held in its hand. Its body became limp and fell with a thud as it was released. A few of the Changelings began to back away, frightened of this new creature. One, however, would not simply give in. It pulled out a sword with its jagged teeth and charged at the monstrosity. Once again, it proved its dominance by grabbing the blade with ease. It tried to pull away, but the creature would not budge. It simply continued to glare down at them. Slowly it twisted its wrist, bending the metal as if it were made of plastic.

The Changeling officer lost all the determination it had mustered and quickly flew away. The others followed suit. The creature, however, made no attempt to follow. It simply watched at the insect-like ponies buzzed away.

Elsewhere, around the same time

A Changeling tried to escape by flying away, but was shot out of the sky when one of its comrades slammed into it, sending them both plummeting to the ground. The one who had thrown the small beast smirked. He examined his surroundings. A cluster of buildings, most of which had been on fire. Other than its not-so-gracious welcoming party, there was nothing else in sight. The creature looked back into the hole it had landed in and jumped inside. He picked up a wide-brimmed hat and dusted it off before placing it on his head.

The Creature pried its sword out of the neck of the last Changeling. It knew not of where it was or why it was here, only that those who had found him obviously meant ill towards him. In the distance he could see more, but this time there was a larger one amongst them. He began moving towards them, determined to get answers.

The Changelings scoured the hole for what had fallen, but found nothing. Little did they know, its inhabitant had already moved away and was now watching them from the wreckage of a burned down house. It unsheathed one of its many daggers and began silently moving closer.

Author's Note

Here we go, the first chapter. I hope you enjoy it. If i'm lucky, i can get myself into a weekly update schedule. Or i might just stick to popping them out as i write them. Anyways, thanks for reading!

P.S. this part of the story takes place some time after Season 3's beginning. Twilight is not an alicorn yet, however.

Chapter 2 - The First of the Four*

The sun rose silently over the horizon.

The man opened his eyes slowly as the bright rays glided up his body. He had had the oddest dream. He remembered being with his brothers, talking about something or another. He tended to tune out the conversations that related to petty politics. Then there had been a blinding light, and the next thing he knew he was soaring through the air and landed in a hole in the ground.

Then some creepy looking bug horse things tried to attack him while some village was on fire. It certainly wasn’t the strangest dream he had ever had, but still.

He let out a yawn and tried to stand, only to hit his head on something hard above him. Cursing under his breath, and now fully awake, he looked at his surroundings.

Rubble. There really wasn’t much else to describe it. Being more careful this time, he eased his way out of the hole he had hidden himself in and saw nothing but the burnt remains of the village from his dream.

Alright, so maybe it wasn’t a dream.

He grabbed his wide brimmed hat and placed it comfortably on his head. He slowly made his way out of the wreckage he had called home for the night and scanned the area. It looked like a bomb had gone off. Destroyed homes and knocked down trees littered the area. He sighed softly as he noticed more than just a few bodies lying on the ground.

He quietly made his way towards the center of town, hoping to find anyone who may be able to tell him what had happened. Figuring there was no better way to start, he decided to start checking the bodies. It wasn’t until he could see them in the light of day that he realized there were no human bodies. Only those of horses.

“Now why would those things kill only horses…” he muttered to himself. He rolled the limp body onto its side and cocked an eyebrow. The horse’s coat was a lime green and had a snowy white mane. On its flank was the image of a hammer and nails. He had certainly seen his fair share of weird creatures in his lifetime, but never a green horse with an odd picture for a brand.

Giving up on getting any answers from the body, he moved on. He continued to see more and more of the strangely colored horses, each with a different image printed on their flanks. He noticed a few of those bug-like horses too, which made him smirk. At least they could put up a fight… whoever “they” was.

"Perhaps the villagers were taken away, and the animals were left to rot?" He said to no one in particular. He continued on until he found one area that was surprisingly more intact. It was a small but long, relatively open building. He passed by a few booths and benches before already reaching the end. Looking down, he saw tracks that stretched in both directions.

They have working trains, but live in small, rather secluded villages? A little behind on the times. He glanced over at the long claymore sword that was strapped to his back and chucked lightly to himself. Well, I guess I can’t say much.

He hopped down onto the tracks and began walking in the direction that looked like it might actually lead somewhere.

The man whistled a tune as he walked. It had been several hours and he hadn’t seen any sign of civilization. He had already come this far, though, so turning back was not an option. He looked up and saw that the sun had already passed its high point and was beginning to set once again. He lifted his hat off his head and slid a hand through his black hair. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his mind. There was nothing but silence and the soft blow of the wind to accompany him.

“So,” he said to no one in particular, “what do you think of this, Carnage?”

Well, considering we just flew through the air and slammed into the ground—I still have a headache—and there doesn’t seem to be anything for miles, and the only locals we’ve met tried to kill us… I’d say we’re royally fu—

“Ah, language.”

He called almost feel the being in his mind sighing and rolling its eyes. I’d say we have an issue.

“Just a slight one.”

So what do you plan to do? Just look around you: the colors, those horses' odd figures, those strange creatures that attacked us... This obviously isn't our home.

"Well, these tracks have gotta lead somewhere, right? I figure we'll just find someone and then ask where the hell we are."

And if they don't speak our language?

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

The man opened his eyes halfway, disconnecting with the being in his head. No, he was not insane. He was just simply a man who had two souls. He and his brothers had been blessed (he’d rather think of it as more of a curse) with the sharing a body with a soul that had lived long before them. These souls had trained them to be what they were today. When the time called for it, he could temporarily release control of his body, unshackling the other being within him. The other being, who’s name was Carnage, could display its power, which was legendary during the time it was alive. Whenever he or his brothers released their “other side” it often led to a room with a lot of dead bodies. Or, in the case of his oldest brother, an entire city being leveled.

The sun had fallen lower during his talk with Carnage. From its position, he could make out what looked like smoke in the distance. His mind automatically coming to the worst possible scenario, he put his hat back on and raced towards what lied ahead.

He reached the town to find it being attacked by the same things that had attacked him at the previous town. Large, black horses with insect-like features swarmed the area. To his surprise, he still saw no other humans. Instead, he only saw more of those strange horses. However, these horses were not what he had expected.

They were running, screaming, and shouting. They seemed too frightened by the horde to notice him. The same could not be said of the creatures, as several turned towards him and began charging.

He wished he didn't have to fight, but since when did life play fair? He pulled back his arm and connecting his fist with the creature in front. It flew back, face bleeding. The others circled him, growling and hissing as they tried to intimidate him.

He heard a voice in the back of his mind speak, As expected, they have rather simple animal instincts.

He reached behind his back and grabbed the short staff that sat adjacent to his sword. It was black with golden tips. One end was sharp while the other was rounded and molded to look like a little skull. He planted it firmly in the ground before taking off his hat and placing it on the ball end. He then reached back for the sword and put a finger on either side of the guard. Slowly he raised it up before flicking it upwards, causing it to unsheathe completely. It planted in the ground a few inches behind him. He pried it out and rested the blade on his shoulder. He smiled his familiar small smile, “So tell me, who’s first?”

Author's Note

Here we go, the first of the strangers makes himself known. Sorry if this one turned out a bit boring. The next chapter will hopefully be more interesting as things will start being explained. As always, thanks for reading! Might have 2 chapters up tomorrow, depending on whether or not my proof-reader is feeling alright to read them over.

Chapter 3 - Great, More Horses*

The last of the creatures fell before him. He nudged one of the more recently fallen. Satisfied at getting no reaction, he slid his large sword back into its sheathe. Casually, he walked back to the short staff that held his hat up. Placing the staff back next to his sword and his hat snuggly on his head, he turned around only to be rear back before getting his nose poked by a spear.

About a dozen white stallions covered in golden armor were glaring at him. Looking them over, there were some who appeared normal, while a few others had wings and at least two or three had horns sticking out from their heads.

Again, seen weirder.

One of their horns began to glow. Before he could react, his arms became tethered to the ground by a blue light. It pulled and pulled until he fell to his knees. He tugged at them, but his arms would not move.

He knew that if he released Carnage, he could probably break free and be on his merry way once again. But these were the first things he’d seen all day that weren’t already dead or trying to kill him. He wanted answers, and this was his only way of getting some.

“You are coming with us. The Princess has sensed your presence and demands audience.” One of the horses with wings said.

He smiled smugly at the horse. “Sounds like a charming lady. All she had to do was ask.”

The horse turned away from him to speak with another Pegasus. This revealed the image of a golden shield on his flank. “Send word to her Highness. One of the creatures she spoke of has been captured and we are bringing it back to the castle.”

The other Pegasus nodded and shot off into the air. The Pegasus with the golden shield on its flank nodded towards one of the unicorns. Its horn began to glow and the man felt weight being lifted off him. He looked over to see his sword and staff enveloped in a blue aura as they drifted toward the group in front of him. His hat also became surrounded in the glow and floated off. “Hey!” he shouted.

They ignored him. “Iron Clad, Shining Sword, Undying Strength. You will stay here and help out anyone in need of assistance. Iron Clad, if anything is to go wrong, you are to return immediately and at all costs.” The three ponies nodded before trotting away. The one giving the orders turned back to the man. “Alright soldiers. We’ve got a long journey ahead of us, let’s get moving.”

Judging by the position of the sun, the man guessed it was probably slightly after noon before their destination came into view. A large castle connected to the side of a mountain was approaching. He was still tethered down, however this time it was to the chariot that he was being escorted on. The unicorn that was using its magic to hold him down sat beside him, watching him intently.

“So…” he said.

The unicorn gave no response.

A slight flicker in his facial expression showed his frustration. “Seen anyone else like me ‘round here?”

Again, no response. He gave up trying to make small talk and just watched the scenery pass by. It certainly was beautiful when everything wasn’t up in flames. In the distance he could see another village near the edge of a large forest.

He noticed the chariot beginning to descend and his attention returned to the matter at hand. They landed in a garden full of beautiful hedge-work and statues. A flattened piece of grass revealed that one statue had been recently removed. His gaze then turned to the magic bindings that held him in place. They disconnected from the chariot and reconnected between his forearms. They pulled together until his hands were close enough to touch. The Pegasus with the shield mark pushed him forward, “Move, the Princess doesn’t like to be kept waiting!”

“So impatient…” he muttered, just loud enough for the pony to hear. He responded with a harder shove to the back. The man grumbled and rose to his feet, which were asleep by now. Stumbling as he stepped off, he followed the guards through a gateway into the castle and a series of hallways. The interior design was beautiful and flawless. Along many of the walls were stained glass windows, each telling a story with their characters and colors.

They came to a halt before a set of solid gold doors. On one door was an engraving of a sun while its twin had an engraving of a moon. Two guards stood at its sides. The guard officer gave each a nod, and they responded with their own. They then opened the doors to reveal a grand hall. On the opposite side stood a throne in which sat a large white horse. This one was different from the ones around him, for it had both a set of wings and a unicorn horn.

Don’t forget its crazy looking hair. Carnage muttered.

He was right. Its mane was long and a beautiful rainbow of colors. It waved magically from an invisible wind. Next to it sat a pony that seemed to be its inverse. Its coat was a cool, night blue and had a mane like the night sky. Little twinkles resembling stars glittered all around it as it flowed. The larger one had an image of a sun printed on its flank, while the smaller one had that of a moon.

The guards led him to the base of the stairs that led up to the throne itself. The two in front of him bowed down. The man simply looked at the large white pony, an unimpressed expression. “So, you must be this Princess that these pleasant fellows have been telling me all about.”

The guard behind him bucked him, knocking him to his knees. “Speak only when spoken to!”

The Princess held her head high as she looked down at them. “That will not be necessary, corporal.”

He bowed, “Yes, your Highness.”

“Thanks.” The man said. “Also, could you tell that guy over there to give me my hat back? I tried asking nicely, but they said no.”

She looked over to the unicorn that held all his gear in its magic and gave a small nod. He returned the gesture and placed the hat back on the man’s head. He twisted it gently until it was in a comfortable position and smiled before sitting on the ground and crossing his legs. “So, what’s up?”

The smaller of the two Princesses made a glance towards the other and raised her eyebrow. It shared the expression before making a quiet sigh and returning its rather piercing eyes to him. “My name is Princess Celestia.” She raised a hoof in the direction of the darker pony, “and this is my younger sister, Princess Luna. Together we rule over this land of Equestria.”

“Equestria? Now its starting to make sense…” he intertwined his fingers and used them to hold his head up.

The younger sister raised an eyebrow in curiosity, “Thee has been to our land before?”

He lifted his head up, “Hm? Oh, no. I was just thinking that a name like that certainly explains all the horses.”

Luna sighed and brought her hoof to her face, rubbing it in frustration.

“May we ask your name?” Celestia said before her sister could get a migraine.

Smiling at the sign of friendliness, albeit forced, he replied, “People call me Pesti—“ he stopped himself short. “…Dante. My name is Dante.”

She nodded in appreciation. “Greetings Dante.” She wore a small smile, but it quickly faded. “Now, for my next question: Why are you here?”

Although her smile wavered, his did not. “Getting straight to the point? I like that in a woman.” He chuckled, but he was the only one. “Well, I think I’d like to have an answer to that question just as much as you.” He glanced over at Luna, “And judging by the way your sister is eyeballing me, I’d say that my kind dropping into your world is something that isn’t a regular occurrence.”

The two Princesses looked at each other then turned back to him. “You’d be surprised.” They said in unison.

Although curious, he decided to ignore that remark. “My turn. Those things that attacked me when I first got here. Those weird, creepy lookin’ bug things… hold on a sec.” Casually, he pulled on the magical chain that held his hands together and broke it with ease. He then proceeded to reach behind his back and scratch, “Ah… that’s been bugging me all day.”

The unicorn that had been casting the spell looked shocked to see that his magic was so easily broken. The sisters shared another uneasy glance. “First of all, stop doing that.” He said, harsher than he meant to. “And as I was saying, what were those creatures that attacked me?

“Those creatures you speak of are what are known as Changelings. They have the ability to change their appearance and live off of the love of us ponies.”

“Didn’t look like love was the only thing they feasted on to me.”

Celestia nodded grimly, “Yes, that certainly seemed correct. The Changelings have never been this violent in over a thousand years. The last time that they acted this way was when Queen Madora was commanding their hive. But she has been relatively quiet since my sister and I banished her to the northern mountains.”

Dante nodded, “Sounds to me like she don’t wanna be quiet anymore.”

“It would seem so.”

"It is now our turn." Luna said. "What exactly are thee? We have certainly never seen your kind in our land before."

"I come from a race called humans. Think of us as a bunch of hairless monkeys."

"Hairless monkeys?" she said, puzzled by the thought. "Hmm. We would certainly like to examine more of these 'humans', as you call them."

"Trust me, they aren't that great all around." Dante said quite nonchalantly. "Next question: What are you?" he pointed towards the two of them, "Where I come from, colors are certainly much less vibrant... and horses don't talk."

Celestia spoke this time. "We are ponies. We come in a variety of sizes and colors. There are three types of ponies: the Pegasi, who use their wings to alter the weather; the Unicorns, who have the ability to use magic to accomplish feats that prove difficult to do due to our hooves; and the simple earth ponies, who use their above-average strength and stamina to grow crops for the land. My sister and I fall under a fourth type, the Alicorns. We have the traits of all three types and have become known as a symbol of royalty. Together, my sister and I use our power to raise and lower the sun and moon each and every day."

What did she just say?

Dante inwardly shushed Carnage, although he was thinking the same thing. "You said you control the sun and moon? Well, that's certainly interesting."

"Dost thou not have 'humans' who do the same in your land?" Luna said.

"Certainly not. In my world, the sun remains stationary while the planet rotates around it on an axis. We have the same effect here, but it is only an illusion to the eye to say the sun actually moves. As for the moon, it does the same thing except it revolves around the planet itself. It's certainly an interesting power that you both have... in my world, you'd most likely be seen as gods."

"While we were seen as such when we first came to Equestria, we made sure to put such praise to an end." Celestia said with a wave of her hoof. "Although we appear ageless compared to our subjects, we are by no means immortal."

This thing is naive. How does it know we won't use the information and usurp her?

"Because we won't." Dante said near inaudibly. He lowered his head to think. The two Princesses sat in silence, waiting to hear what was on his mind. Without a word, he stood and walked over to one of the stained glass windows. It was a beautifully done image of six ponies surrounding six orbs. After a moment, he said, “Where I come from, just about everything happens for a reason.” He turned back to the Princesses, “And I’m willing to bet money that me winding up stranded here is for a good reason too.”

Celestia nodded, “Long ago, after we had defeated Madora, a blind seer came to the castle. She prophesized of her return, and spoke of how three stars would ultimately halt her advance. I believe that you and the others of your kind that landed here have come to fulfill that prophecy.”

Dante crossed his arms. “So my brothers really are here as well…” he started, but closed his eyes and fell back into thought. “Wait,” he said, opening his eyes again, “she spoke of three stars stopping this Madora? But there are four of us.”

“Before disappearing, she also spoke of one of the stars falling away from the others, joining Madora in her conquest.”

“That’s impossible, my brothers would never betray each other! Let alone join in an onslaught.”

Luna turned to her sister, “Could the seer have been wrong, dear sister? He seems rather certain that his kind would not betray one another.”

“I’m not sure. Whatever may happen, though, we must push through.” She turned her eyes back to Dante. “As for you, I have received word of your skill in battle. One of my guards told me of your battle against the Changelings, and how without your assistance, the village may have been lost—“

“Please,” Dante said, pulling the front of his hat down a little to hide his face, “You’re going to make me blush.”

“—As such, I wish to make a bargain with you. We will give you a place to eat and rest your head, as well as help you find your comrades. In return, we ask that you assist us in this desperate time.”

Dante held his hand to his chin, pretending to look like he was thinking it over. In reality, he was speaking to Carnage.

How do we know they will not simply destroy us once we have fulfilled their request?

“I have a feeling we can trust them. For now, at least.” Dante muttered, loud enough for only him to hear. “Do you remember that village we landed in? All the dead horses? At least a third of them were in the same armor as these guys. I don’t think they’d be so quick to stab us in the back.”

Carnage remained silent. Dante lifted his head back to the embodiments of the sun and moon, “Deal.”

Celestia smiled. Luna spoke next, “Of course, there is one other thing that needs to be attended to.” Celestia closed her eyes and her horn began to glow with a golden aura. Before Dante could speak up, he found himself surrounded in a thick mist. After a few moments, the mist disappeared to reveal a brown Alicorn with a black mane and a wide-brimmed hat exactly where Dante stood before.

He stood for a moment, a dumb look on his face as he looked down at his body. “Why am I a horse?”

“We think it rather suits thee.” Luna teased.

“I apologize, but we will also require you to remain in that form for a time. With the Changelings growing ever closer, a being like yourself being spotted all around Canterlot may make some ponies panic over nothing. It is just a simple illusion, of course. It is strange though… That spell was meant to turn you into a simple earth pony. Yet you are in the form of an Alicorn.”

“Curious…” Luna muttered.

Dante turned his head to look at his wings and tried to get a glimpse of his horn. “Well, I guess it makes sense.” He said with a smile, “After all, I could already fly. And, in a way, I had access to magic too.”

Celestia looked at him with a face on confusion. Dante chuckled slightly. “Remind me to tell you more about where I’m from later on.”

Celestia opened her mouth to respond, but was stopped short by the golden doors at the end of the hall bursting open. A stallion, another guard by the way he was dressed, came galloping in. “Your Highness! The city gates have been breached!”

Author's Note

The Princesses saying "You'd be surprised." is a joke about the number of human-in-equestria stories. After the joke is made, disregard it.

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 4 - War*

“The city gates? Who would attack us so openly?”

“Could it be those Changeling guys?” Dante asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“No, the Changelings would never risk a full on assault unless necessary. They take great pride in their cunning.”

“If that thing is a Changeling, it’s certainly one I’ve never seen before.” The guard said, still panting slightly. “It was very large and stood on its hind legs! Its mane was as your Highnesses’ coat, but it wore armor that was as black as night.”

Dante immediately perked up, “Wait, I know him! That’s War! But he wouldn’t just attack without being provoked, unless—“ His eyes grew wide with horror. His mouth hung open for a few seconds before asking quietly, “What color were his eyes?”

The guard looked at him stupidly. Of all the strange things about this creature, his eyes were the thing he was most curious about? “I didn’t get a good glimpse, I had to return to the castle and—“

Dante quickly trotted over to him and got in his face, the horror in his eyes replaced by anger, “What. Color. Were. His. Eyes.”

The guard began to look scared of this strangely dressed pony in front of him. “I-I think they were red… They looked like the eyes of a demon…”

Dante’s jaw began to slowly drop as he shifted away from the nervous guard. “Oh no…” He turned back to the twin Princesses, “We need to get out there now! Whatever spell you used, reverse it and change me back! If I don’t stop him, people might die!”

“Do not doubt our power, Dante.” Luna said. “We shall try not to harm your brother more than absolutely necessary.”

Celestia’s horn began to glow in its familiar golden aura.

“Its not him getting hurt that I’m afraid of…” Dante whispered to himself.

As Dante finished his sentence, he found himself and the Princesses outside the castle, near the gates of Canterlot. The houses and shops in the surrounding area were full of large holes. A few guards lay motionless on the ground, while others were attempting to neutralize the strange new threat.

The strange new threat being a creature standing a little over seven feet tall and covered in cold night-blue and black armor. He had long silvery white hair that partially covered his face and had grown to almost the length of his back. Upon his back rested a massive sword only slightly smaller than he. One of the guards that was able to remain consciousness charged at the monster before them in a blind attempt at doing some kind of damage. Being a Pegasus, he was fast, but the intruder was faster. In the blink of an eye, he had swung his arm out and connected his fist with the Pegasus guard, sending him into one of the nearby stores and creating yet another hole.

He turned slowly to face Dante and the Princesses as he lowered his arm. He gave them a cold, tired stare. The Princesses seemed unmoved by what they believed to be nothing more than attempted intimidation, but Dante seemed to almost be shaking. The thing that scared him most about the behemoth were the color of his eyes.

A very deep, bloody red.

Realizing that these were not mere infantry before him, he slowly reached behind him and took hold of his monstrous sword.

“War!” Dante said, galloping forward to keep himself between the Princesses and the intruder. “Its me, Pestilence!” He stepped closer, his voice falling to a normal level “It’s Dante, don’t you remember?”

War said nothing. He only lifted his sword and brought it smashing into the ground. The ground exploded forward towards Dante, taking him by surprise. He had no time to escape, and braced for impact. He felt nothing, however. He opened his eyes to see the rocks had been stopped by a barrier created by Celestia’s golden magic. She stepped in front of him, eyes burning with determination to protect her people.

War did nothing but watch as the Alicorn moved forward. He showed no sign of expression or real feeling. The only feeling Celestia could see from his face was that of exhaustion. He showed no sign of sleep deprivation, but something in his eyes made him look as if he had been battling for days on end, with not a moments rest.

War slowly twisted his body and sword around, preparing for a heavier strike. Before he could do so, Celestia picked him up with her magic and slammed him into a wall. She released him upon impact, and he fell to his knees. He looked back up to her, showing no sign of pain or fatigue. He began to rise again, but Celestia lifted him into the air once more and threw him into another wall. "I will not allow you to hurt my little ponies. Be you friend or enemy, I would sooner die than allow such an atrocity."

Despite Celestia’s overpowering him, Dante still looked afraid. He turned to Luna, who had moved to stand by his side, “You have to change me back! I’m the only one here who can stop him while he’s like this. Once I do that, I can stay a horse forever for all I care. But if you don’t change me right now, Celestia will die!”

Luna looked down at him in disbelief. "Do not doubt our sister's power. Thou are but a stranger to our land, and shall learn that just because we are princesses, we are not helpless." War raised to his feet once more after Celestia’s flurry was finished. Nothing had changed about him. He even seemed to repel the dust from the walls he had been thrown into. Celestia blinked once in surprise only to find War suddenly to be within arms reach of her. Before she could react, War swung the back of his hand into her face. Her body smacked into the wall nearby, cracking it.

“Change me, now!” Dante said in anger to the younger princess. Luna looked torn between doing as he said and stepping in herself. What if Dante failed, or worse yet he was using this as an opportunity to change back so that he may join his brother. She made a decision, hoping with all her heart that it was the right one. Her horn began to glow.

Celestia lifted her head just to see him standing just where he had been when he hit her. In an instant, he vanished and reappeared in front of her again. She gasped and her eyes widen and watched as he raised his blade high and swung it down to deal the final blow. Celestia flinched, but her end never came. Looking up, she saw Dante returned to his human form. He held his claymore in hand, holding War’s sword back. He turned his head just enough to see his brown eyes, “As much as I’d like a kiss for saving your life, I suggest you let me handle him.” he said in his usually sarcastic and teasing tone.

Celestia reluctantly nodded before teleporting back to Luna’s side. The Lunar princesses began tending to her sister's wounds.

Dante swung his blade forward with a grunt, causing War to recoil back. He attempted another swing, but War vanished and reappeared a further distance away.

Dante held out his arms and spoke mockingly, “Miss me big guy?”

War said nothing and only stared with his cold, emotionless eyes.

The humor in Dante’s voice left quickly, “I know you’re in there Desolate. Get out of him!”

Dante noticed a slight twitch around his eyes and knew he was right. Desolate was War’s second soul just as Carnage was Dante's. Normally, War was rather peaceful. One could almost go as far to say he was timid. Sure, he could crush every bone in your body without even having to try, but War would never even hurt an insect without good reason. Desolate, however, was ruthless. If allowed to run free, Desolate would do exactly as his name implies: leave nothing left alive. He didn’t need a reason; he just simply did it for fun. Dante remembered searching for a way to split apart War and Desolate’s souls long ago, but such a thing was impossible.

War raised his hand up with a finger pointed towards Dante. Slowly, he moved his index finger in a small circle. The tip of his finger glowed brightly and left a trail of blue light where his finger had been. After completing the circle, his finger darted back and forth until a five pointed star was drawn within it.

“I know you’re in there War! Fight him!”

He drew his finger away from the circle and it remained in the air. He placed his palm against the symbol and it began to grow brighter.

“War, please wake up…”

The light swelled up, ready to explode forward. Before it was able to, War removed his hand from the symbol and brought both his hands to his face. He dropped his sword and it fell with a thud as he held his head and writhed about silently. He fell to his knees, but made no audible sound of pain. Dante, still clutching his sword tight, made his way closer. War sat still, pulling his hands away slowly and looking down at them.

Dante was now close enough to touch War. He pulled off his hat and lowered himself slightly to be eye-to-eye with his friend. War looked up at him, the same blank, tired look on his face. But this time, his eyes were no longer a bloody red, but were instead just a cold grey.

Dante put his hand on War’s shoulder and gave him a small smile. War rose to his feet. He gave no visible response to Dante’s gesture, but Dante could tell from the softened look in War’s eyes that he appreciated it. His eyes slowly made their way around the scene, taking in the damage he had caused. He turned to Celestia and Luna and slowly made his way towards them. Dante followed by his side. Seeing the glare from Luna, who took a step forward to intercept them if War had not truly reverted to his real self, they stopped short. War dropped onto one knee closed his eyes before giving a slow nod of his head towards Celestia. He shifted his weight to get a better look at her.

“He trying to say he’s sorry and wants to know if he hurt you.” Dante said, interpreting War’s slight movements into words.

Celestia looked at him cautiously, but gently shook her head no. “I am alright.” She slowly raised to her haunches and turned to Dante, “Are you sure he has returned to his former self? He can be trusted?”

Dante patted War’s armor, “He may be intimidating, but he’s no scarier than a puppy once you get to know him.”

Luna let out a small sigh of relief, but kept a few spells in mind, just in case. Regaining her posture, she stepped forward and brought her glare to Dante, “Now that this dispute is over with, We believe we made a deal.” Dante looked away and rubbed the back of his head before putting his hat back on. “I trust that the same should be done with… War, was it?”

War nodded, then turned to Dante and looked at him. It was clear to him that he was asking what she meant. Dante chuckled nervously, “So War, uh... have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a horse?”

Author's Note

I didn't write the chapter with the intention for Celly and Luna to look weak, but instead for War to look strong. Put away your "gary stu" flags, he has just as many flaws as anyone, or anypony, else.

Chapter 5 - Relocated*

War glared down at Dante, who wore a silly smile on his face. Luna had been gracious enough to have changed them both into their pony forms, obviously before War could give any consent. Much like he was as a human, War was still very large, though not quite as big as Celestia. He had a black coat and his mane remained long and silver. His body armor and sword had transformed as well to fit his new body. He, like Dante, resembled an Alicorn. However his wings were missing, replaced by awkward growths.

The group of Alicorns returned to the throne room. Celestia had ordered the captain of the royal guard, captain Shining Armor, to tend to the citizens, the wounded, and the shops that had been torn apart. After some quick explanations of what was going on and of the war between the ponies and the Changelings, War agreed to provide assistance.

Celestia was content with his answer, "I must say, I am rather surprised that beings as... interesting as yourselves are willing to help us. Is there perhaps something you seek in return?"

War gave no answer, but Dante gave a smile with his words, "Our old lives were all about this stuff, in case you haven't been able to notice. We don't need any reward. All we ask of you is allow us to do what is just... and assist us in our return home, should it come to that."

Celestia nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could she was interrupted, “Ah, so this is the one who was causing such a ruckus!”

A long, serpent-like being phased into reality on top of War. It was very unlike anything either of them had seen. It was a large bundle of mismatched pieces of different creatures put together into one.

Celestia spoke up, “Discord, you have come to meet our new guests.”

“How could I not? I could hear this one causing havoc all the way from my room.” Discord bent himself backwards to be face to face with War without leaving his spot on his back. “Mostly I just came to see if he was here to do any more interior decorating.”

Discord glided around War, looking him over with a magnifying glass that he pulled from the ether. “You really got beat by this chump Celly? Why, he doesn’t look much scarier than Luna does after waking up on the wrong side of the—“

Before Discord could continue, War had grabbed him out of the air and now had him pinned under his hoof. Discord squirmed and flailed comically in effort to get free, but War held his hoof in place on Discord’s neck.

Dante simply watched as the aspect of chaos flailed about. Trying to repress a giggle, he turned to the Princesses, “Are you sure you want us staying up here? A certain someone might end up with more than just a few bruises.”

“Hmm, we may consider it. We are thinking we may enjoy having him around.” Luna said with a smile as she watched the show.

“I believe he’s learned his lesson, War” Celestia said. War complied and released Discord without a word. Discord slithered away and hid behind the sun goddess. He glared at War and stuck his tongue out at him. War did nothing in retaliation, staying perfectly calm.

“Anyways,” Dante continued, “my question still stands. I don’t believe we would be of much use to the war if we remained here. We should be closer to the front of the assault.”

Celestia nodded. “A brave notion. Indeed. I was about to suggest such before Discord came to introduce himself.”

Discord turned away from the group, pouting. “The farther away that one is from me, the better. I hate those who lack a good sense of humor.”

Again, War said nothing. He simply stood still, as if there were no one else in the room.

“Less than a day’s travel from here, to the north west, is a village known as Ponyville. Because of the Changeling’s ceaseless advance from the North, It is the last major town between the central hive and Canterlot. If it falls, Canterlot will likely be overwhelmed. “

Dante nodded, “Sounds like a plan. You okay with that War?”

War gave a slight nod in response.

“When can we leave?” the brown Alicorn continued.

“Within the hour.” Celestia responded. “I will have a chariot prepared and word sent to my student who resides in the town. She will watch over you during your stay.”

“Thank you kindly.” Dante turned and began walking towards the door. War gave a quiet nod to the Princesses before following his friend.

“Please wait just a moment, there are a few other things I must tend to.” Celestia said before the two ponies could leave. “Firstly, I ask that you hide your presence as an Alicorn. As I have said, Alicorns are considered royalty amongst the ponies, and I fear that showing your horn may cause unwanted attention." Dante looked up at his horn before pulling his hat down to cover his horn. "Secondly, the spell I placed on the two of you is an altered version of the one I gave to Dante originally. This one not only transforms the two of you, but also any else who reside in this world who are connected to you. If it works as it should, the other two you seek to find shall also be in pony form. This should halt any possibility of panic and allow them more ease when getting answers. Are there any particular traits my sister and I should be on the lookout for?”

“One of them will have white hair and probably have a lot of knives on hand. Odds are, he’ll be staying away from crowds and keeping more to the shadows. The other will be wearing a blindfold. Trust me, you’ll know it’s him the second you see him.”

With that, Dante and War made their way out of the throne room and were escorted by another of Celestia’s personal guard as they made their way to the chariots.

Luna turned to her sister, “Sister, art thou sure they can be trusted out on their own like that? Pray tell what may happen if that War character loses control again?”

“I have confidence in Twilight Sparkle’s ability to keep the situation under control. If worst comes to worst, she will gather the Elements of Harmony together and put a stop to any kind of danger that may arise around those two. As well, I could sense their power before they were transformed. Their power is remarkable, but they are quite limited in their current forms.”

“You aren’t one to make a gamble like that Celestia,” Discord chimed in, tossing a pair of dice around in his paw, “especially when it comes to your precious student.”

“These are desperate times, Discord. The Elements of Harmony will not be able to stop the oncoming horde all on their own. The Changelings are simply too powerful. Now if you will excuse me, I have a letter to write.

The golden gates closed shut behind the two ponies as they left the hall. As they did, a guard approached them. He removed his helmet to reveal a unicorn horn and a blue mane. On his chest was a polished badge. “My name is Shining Armor, and I am the captain of the Royal Guard. I don't believe we had the full pleasure of meeting earlier." His eyes shifted towards War, who looked down at him in quiet contempt. She shifted nervously, "The Princess has requested that I escort you to Ponyville.”

Dante tipped his hat in greeting while War remained silent. Shining Armor looked the two of them over once more before turning and gesturing to follow. After a moment, Dante spoke up, “So, I’ve been wondering… Do all the guards here have to have names dealing with the military?”

Shining Armor stopped and put his hoof to his chin as he thought about Dante’s question. “You know, I’ve never thought about that until now. Pretty weird coincidence, huh?” he said with a light chuckle, “But no, having a military name isn’t a requirement to join the guard.”

It did not take long for the trio to reach the courtyard where a chariot was already being prepared. “This is as far as I go.” Shining Armor said.

“You’re not coming with us?”

“No, I have duties to attend to here with the protection of Canterlot. When you arrive, seek out my sister, Twilight Sparkle. She’s the librarian at Ponyville. She’ll help you get adjusted.”

The two nodded and boarded the chariot, which soon took off towards the village that Dante had seen the last time he was on a chariot. When they were out of range from the captain, Dante began laughing to himself. "The hell kinda name is 'twilight sparkle'?"

Twilight Sparkle paced around anxiously in the small field just outside Ponyville.

“Calm down Twilight, it’s not like we haven’t received a few extra guards lately.” Rainbow Dash said, her arms behind her head as she relaxed on a cloud not too high above the field.

“These aren’t just any old guards Rainbow, Celestia sent me a letter herself about these guys! She said to keep special eye on them, as they were potentially dangerous!”

“Now ah’m not one to go against bein’ all cautious and such, but ah think you’re frettin’ just a little too much over this sugarcube. Ah doubt two new stallions could be too much trouble ‘round here.”

As Applejack finished her sentence, Spike pointed towards the sky from Twilight's back. “Look! Here they come!”

The six ponies looked up in the direction he was pointing and saw the golden chariot descend from the sky. As it came to a halt along the grassy plain, the two Pegasi that were leading it straightened themselves up out of habit to look more professional. The girls watched as a brown Pegasus stepped down from the chariot and casually made his way towards them. They could only see about half his face as his wide-brimmed hat partially obstructed view. They watched even more intently as a very large unicorn with a black coat stepped down behind him. A few of the girls locked eyes with this large stranger and tried hard to resist shaking because of his intimidating stare.

The two new ponies stopped in front of the small welcome party and waited. All of them seemed to be staring at War, who was simply staring back. Dante looked back and forth between them before smiling, “Sup?”

The sudden noise broke the six mares out of their trance. Twilight shook her head a little before clearing her throat, “My name is Twilight Sparkle. The Princess sent a letter mentioning your arrival.”

Dante held out his hoof, which Twilight happily shook. “Pleasure’s all mine. My name is Dante, and this is my brother, War. I’m sure the Princess put in a good word for us?”

“Well she did say you two were certainly one of a kind.”

Dante chuckled lightly, “She is just such a sweetheart. If she wasn’t twice my size, I’d ask her to get a drink with me.”

The ones in the group who didn’t pick up on his sarcasm gave him a weird look. He rolled his eyes playfully and turned to War, “Don’t be shy War, say hello.”

War gave the girls a light nod, in which Twilight responded in the same. He showed no indifference.

“So, may you be so kind as to give us your names?” Dante said.

“Oh, right, silly me!” Twilight turned to the behind her and began pointing them out individually. “These are my friends: Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and up there on the cloud is Rainbow Dash. Also, this is my number one assistant Spike.” Each of the girls, and one dragon, gave a smile or a wave as they were named. Pinkie Pie flailed about when she was called.

Dante tilted his hat slightly in greeting. Rainbow Dash began hovering around the two ponies, taking particular interest in War. Dante halted her circling with a look of worry in his eyes, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Anyways, could you show us around?”

And so they did. War and Dante were given a full tour of Ponyville. It took slightly longer than it should have because of War’s slow movement. Each pony left the group whenever they came near their homes, as the sun was already going down.

“Since this was on such short notice, you’ll have to spend the first few nights in my library with me and Spike. Is that okay?”

“No problem at all.” Dante said. He turned to War, “You know your way around?” War nodded. “Alright, you know where to find me if you need me.”

With that, War turned and began walking off in no particular direction.

“Where’s he going?” Spike said.

“Don’t worry about him, War just likes to take a walk before bedtime.”

Author's Note

I hope the end didn't seem to sudden. I'm just too tired to continue it right now
As always, thanks for reading!

Chapter 6 - Preparations*

Twilight awoke in a splendid mood the following morning. Leaving the comforting warmth of her bed, she used her magic to fix the sheets until they were neatly tucked around the mattress. She walked to the nearby mirror and began brushing her hair thoroughly until it returned to its normal shape. As she opened the door to leave her room, she could hear Spike yawning as he awoke from his deep slumber only to groan before trying to fall back asleep. On the bed opposite of hers, she could see Dante sprawled out across Twilight’s extra bed. His hair was even more of a mess, his mouth was half open and his leg was kicking lightly as if he were a dog dreaming of running. She tried to repress laughing, but a quiet giggle escaped her lips.

She closed the door quietly behind her as not to wake the two of them and walked down the steps that lead to the main room. It was quiet and empty just like any other morning. She remembered watching War leave the day before, but she assumed he would be back soon. He never returned. She had suggested gathering a search party to find him, but Dante assured her that he would be fine, and would return when he needed to.

Twilight entered the kitchen and began brewing herself some tea. As she placed the kettle down, she could hear the sound of hoofsteps coming from the stairway. She looked over to see Dante, donning the same hat from yesterday with his mane a complete mess. He sat down at the table and slumped over onto it. When the tea was finished, Twilight placed a cup in front of him.

“Thanks mom.” He said with a big yawn.

“You’re very welcome. So, Dante, what brings a pony like you into the military life?”

"Oh, you know, this and that..." He straightened himself up and saluted, an action that felt weird with a hoof, "Serving for the greater good and justice for all." His body completely relaxed once more as he slumped forward onto the table once more and his drowsiness returned.

Twilight tried to repress a giggle. "You don't say?"

He raised a skeptical eyebrow in her direction, "What, you think I'm not cut out?"

"Hm? Who said that? It certainly wasn't me." she said with a smile on her face.

Before Dante could say anything more, there was a knock on the door. Twilight used her magic to open it. “Hey, there you are!” Dante said as War ducked down slightly to fit through the door.

“Hello War. You never came back last night, is everything okay?” Twilight said with a hint of worry in her voice. War gave her a quiet nod before sitting by Dante’s side. Twilight poured another cup of tea and levitated it to the spot where War sat. He showed his appreciation with another nod before using his own magic to raise it to his lips. Even his sips were silent.

“One other thing.” Twilight said after a brief silence. Dante looked up, but War kept sipping his tea with closed eyes. Twilight could tell from the way his ears were slightly perked up that he was still listening regardless of whether or not he showed it. “I’ve been wondering, why don’t either of you two have your cutie marks?”

War opened his eyes and Dante cocked his eyebrow. Twilight stood up, turned, and pointed to the star on her flank.

“Ohhh, so that’s what that is. Weird name.” Dante said before draining the last of his tea. “We don’t have those where we come from”

“And where exactly do you come from, anyway?”

“Remind me to tell you about that some time. Anyways, I suppose we should get to work around here. Do the guards here have a barracks or something?”

Twilight nodded reluctantly and the group made their way out of the tree house after forcing Dante to at least fix himself up to look halfway decent. Even though most ponies had already seen War during their first tour, he was still getting weird looks. The villagers would usually greet Twilight and Dante with a hearty hello, and then quickly move out of the way as soon as they made eye contact with War. She apologized to him constantly, but he didn’t seem to mind much. Then again, he never showed expression about anything.

The guard barracks had been constructed in Sweet Apple Acres. Although it looked very similar to a barn, as the Apple family was used to raising, it was larger than usual and had a third floor. Those who weren’t on patrol around the village were either helping out the Apple family or just lying about.

“They certainly don’t seem much like the guards back in Canterlot…” Dante said.

Twilight looked away, embarrassed, “Well, with the sudden strikes from the Changelings, they haven’t had any time to properly train. We never know when they plan on attacking, so we try our best with what we have.” Twilight took a few steps towards the barracks and cleared her throat, “Attention, everypony! May I have your attention please?”

They gave her no response. Most were napping, while the rest were chatting about random things. Twilight looked back to the two behind her and smiled sheepishly before clearing her throat louder this time. Before she could speak, Dante put his hoof forward to silence her. “Here, let me try.”

He stepped off on his own and closed his eyes for a moment. Opening them finally, Twilight could see a burning determination in his eyes. He pulled the small staff from his back and stuck it in the ground. He then took off his hat and rested it on the ball-end. He cleared his throat loudly and shouted “Line up, ladies!!!”

Immediately, every pony in the vicinity lined up in front of him and stood at attention. Most weren’t wearing their gear and were looking very nervous as Dante walked before them, looking each of them over. Twilight looked dumbfounded as she saw that they had all sprung into action without even thinking. She clapped her hoofs in respect.

“My name is Dante.” He said, glaring sideways towards the nervous ponies. He turned around and began walking down their ranks again, “I came to this town by order of the Princesses to make sure this town doesn’t end up an ashy graveyard like the last one I was in!” He stopped in front of a larger stallion and looked him dead in the eyes. Twilight and War could see from where they were sitting that the stallion’s legs were shaking. “Have you ever seen a Changeling up close, soldier?”

The stallion paused a moment, unsure of whether to answer or not. Finally, he found his voice, “N-No sir!”

Dante moved on, “Well, let me first tell you that I can’t tell the difference between their face and their ass! Secondly, they will surely not wait for you to finish your naptime before holding you down and sucking the life right out of you!”

As he began his third journey in front of them, he noticed one trainee who was slightly more out of place from the others. This guard was smaller and had a more slender body. Dante looked back to the ponies he had just passed and noticed that they were all stallions. It made sense when he thought about it, but he was still intrigued. He came to the guard in question and got in their face, “What’s your name?”

“U-uh… Twink!”

“Twink?”

“I mean… Ling?”

“Twinkling?”

“Yes sir, that’s my name!”

Dante looked the pony over before punching them lightly in the chest, “I’ll make a stallion out of you.”

He felt silly thinking about what he had just said, and slightly nostalgic for some reason. Dante moved from the line and over to a barrel that had wooden practice swords sticking out of it. He grabbed one in his mouth and looked at the group. “Come at me!”

The trainees each looked at each other for a moment before moving to grab their own sword and began charging blindly at their instructor. Each soon found themselves face-down on the ground.

“Anyways,” Twilight said as she looked up at War, “Shall we move on?”

War nodded and the two left Dante to his fun. The two made their way back to Ponyville. The journey was a very quiet one, as Twilight had given up efforts to get War to speak. They soon arrived at house that had a large, smoking chimney. Inside they found a pony that was using tongs to put a piece of red hot metal into a pool of water.

“Hello Black Smith.”

“Why, hello there Ms. Sparkle!” the old earth pony chuckled. He turned to War, but to Twilight’s surprise his lighthearted smile didn’t fade. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is War. He and his brother Dante were sent from Canterlot to oversee preparations.”

“Well, as you can see Mr. War, I’ve made a fine selection for the guards to use.” He pointed his hoof towards the far wall where a wide assortment of swords and spears rested. War moved towards the wall and glanced each once over, taking in the craftsman ship and design.

“He sure is a quiet one, eh?” Black Smith said with another chuckle.

“Just wait ‘till you see his brother.” The two laughed until they looked back up only to see that War had disappeared. The two looked around until they saw him over by the fire. In his magical grasp was a long piece of carbon steel which he was heating up until it was soft. He held it in front of his eyes and began using his magic to apply pressure in certain areas, shaping it out. War turned and began looking through Black Smith’s material shelves. After a moment of searching, he found what he was looking for. He picked up a jar of clay and began applying it to the metal. The precise pressure that War was using left one side of the metal to have a thinner layer of clay, while the opposite side had a much thicker coating.

He then slipped the object into the water tub. The two other ponies watched with awe and curiosity as steam arose from the tub. He then began applying more pressure in specific areas. Finally he lifted it out and began de-scaling the blade until it was clean. He grabbed a cloth with his magic and began polishing the blade before giving it to Black Smith. The earth pony adjusted his glasses and looked over the blade, “Why, this is just like those blades the fellers from Japony use! I’ve never seen one up close, but I hear they be one of the swiftest blades you ever done seen!”

He looked up to War with admiration, “Say, could ya show me how to make one o’ these things again?” War nodded and took another piece of carbon steel. Twilight smiled and left the two to their work.

The clock rang loudly, pulling Twilight out of her trance. She looked up and saw that it was about nine o’clock. She closed her book and carefully reshelved it.

I guess it’s time to pick up the boys from their play-dates, she thought with a giggle. Twilight decided to take the long way back to Sweet Apple Acres so she could stretch her legs and enjoy the delightful weather. She passed under the Sweet Apple Acres archway and could see what looked like a pile of bodies together. Becoming worried, she quickly began galloping towards the barracks. All the guards from earlier that day were all groaning and bruised as they lay in a pile. Dante sat atop the makeshift mountain with a quirky smile and not a scratch on him. “Hey down there!” he shouted and waved.

Twilight returned the gesture and watched as Dante leaped down and slowed his descent with a light flap of his wings. He put his hat back on and slipped the staff onto his back. He turned to face her and saw her jaw was practically on the floor. He raised his eyebrow, something that he felt he'd be doing a lot more if he spent more than just a few days in this strange world. He traced her line of sight to his hat.

"I know it's pretty snazzy, but--" Before he could finish, she pulled it off his head.

"You're an Alicorn!?" she shouted in shock.

"Shhhh," he whispered as he rushed to her and stuffed his hoof in her mouth. He used his own magic to put his hat back on his head, covering his horn. He continued, not taking his hoof away, "Alright alright, you caught me. The princesses asked me to keep it on the down-low as to not draw any unnecessary attention to us."

She pulled his hoof away, wiping her tongue with her own hooves, figuring his were dirty. "But does that mean--"

"That means," he cut her off, "that no one can know. If you really want, I'll answer your questions later. But definitely not right now." She let out a sigh and nodded, to which he smiled. "Lovely. Now let's get going."

The two began to leave the Acresm but Dante stopped and looked back to the pile of worn-out ponies. “Trust me guys, keep on working instead of napping and maybe I’ll stop treating y’all like little girls.”

They replied with another groan, but were interrupted by a distant ringing and a familiar voice, “Soup’s on, everypony!”

They all quickly recovered and began galloping towards Applejack’s promise of food. Twilight looked to Dante, who had a smile on his face like a school teacher watching his children run off to their lunch hour. “So, do you think they’re ready?”

“No way in hell.” He said bluntly, his smile remaining. He put his hoof to his cheek and rubbed what looked like a very small cut, “That Twinkling one almost got me though. So, where’s War?”

Twilight told him of War’s helping in making weapons as they approached Black Smith’s house. Along the way, Twilight just couldn't help but think about the fact that there was yet another Alicorn -- right here, nonetheless -- that was completely unknown to her. "So... you said War was your brother, right? Is he a secret Alicorn too or something?"

Dante looked at her for a moment before shrugging, "We aren't real brothers. We're more like... war-buddies, or something. No pun intended. There's two more of us, but i don't know where they are right now. And to answer your other question: does he look like one?"

"Well, i was able to detect some kind of illusion magic around him... And from those growths on his sides, i figured that maybe he was hiding them, or maybe got in some sick accident..." She moved her hoof to cover her mouth as she thought about what could have possibly happened to tear the wings right off such a large pony. For the first time, she was happy not to learn any more about their discussion as they neared Black Smith's house. Twilight opened the door and was shocked to see that there was a different set of weapons covering just about every open space available. War was showing the old pony how to put the finishing touches on a curved blade before looking up to greet Twilight and Dante.

“I wish they’d a sent this big guy here sooner! He knows more about swords and armor than I’ve ever known, and I’ve been in this business nearly forty years!”

“I’m sorry to break up your date, but War needs his beauty sleep.” Dante said with a smile. War nodded and set the blade down before giving Black Smith a nod. He returned the gesture and waved the group off.

“Well,” Twilight said, “looks like you two are fitting in just fine.”

Author's Note

Extended the scene that comes after the training session, hope it sounds better!

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 7 - Invasion*

The next day was a peaceful one, just like the last. With an invasion on Ponyville possible at any given time, the Pegasus ponies tried to keep anything other than peaceful weather to a minimum. Dante was away working with the recruits more while War was off doing Celestia-knows-what. Meanwhile, six ponies sat around a table in Twilight’s library.

“Ah swear, every since that Dante fella came ‘round, those recruits have been workin’ harder than a one-legged pony at butt-kicking contest!” Applejack said with a chuckle.

“Honestly Applejack, those soldiers need more than a brute to put them into shape if they ever want to really make it as guards.” Rarity retorted.

“Don’t those guys seem just a tad bit strange to anypony?” Rainbow said, “One is an Alicorn who doesn’t act a bit like any royalty I’ve ever seen, and the other is a giant who doesn’t even know how to talk! Not to mention neither of them have their cutie marks.”

“I still wanna know when I can throw them a welcome party.” Pinkie said somewhat glumly.

“Don’t worry Pinkie.” Twilight said, “As soon as the immediate threat of being attacked is gone, you can throw a huge party for them.”

Pinkie Pie perked up immediately and threw her hooves in the air, “Yay!”

“I’m not the only one who thinks that big one is scary… right?” Fluttershy said in a near-whisper.

“I ain’t scared of nothin’!” Rainbow said proudly, “Especially some freak in black armor.”

“It’s certainly unlike any kind of armor I’ve ever seen.” Rarity said. “Its design is very complicated and magnificently well crafted, but before its beauty it brings only intimidation. It is large, though very maneuverable. It may very well be tough enough to block a direct blast from Celestia herself, but upon closer inspection it is held to his body in such a simple fashion that it could be easily removed if needed. It really is quite—“

“Don’t tell me yer gunna start a new fashion line in body armor ‘cause o’ this guy.”

“Of course not! I am simply saying that it is beautifully crafted.”

“Uh-huh. Anyways, have you been able to find out anything on them Twilight?” Rainbow Dash said in an effort to break up Applejack and Rarity’s quarrel.

Twilight shook her head, “Other then Dante secretly being an Alicorn, no, not yet. I planned on asking Dante more about where they came from later on tonight. By the way, you guys haven’t seen War walking around late at night, have you?”

Each of the ponies shook their heads. “Ain’t he supposed to be stayin’ with you?”

“Well, yes. But every night, around sunset, he just leaves. Dante says he likes to go for a walk before he sleeps, but I never hear him come back at night and he usually doesn’t come back until the rest of us are awake.

“Maybe he’s off preparing a surprise party for all of us!” Pinkie said with glee.

“Or maybe,” Rainbow said, “he’s got some secrets that we need to know about. What if he’s a spy?”

“A spy? Come now, Rainbow, you mustn’t be so quick to judge. Just because somepony goes off in the middle of the night and never comes back until morning, while admittedly is strange behavior, doesn’t mean they are a spy”

“I’m just saying that I think we should keep an eye on him the next time he decides to go for another midnight stroll through Ponyville.”

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt too much.” Twilight agreed and tapped a hoof to her chin. “Besides, I’m more than just a little curious as to where he goes as well.”

“Then it’s agreed. So, who’s gunna follow him?” Applejack asked. The girls looked around at each other, looking for a volunteer. Eventually, all eyes fell upon Fluttershy, who began sinking lower in her seat to avoid all the sudden attention.

“Thanks for volunteering Fluttershy!” Rainbow said, giving her a hard slap on the back which caused her to squeak.

“Uhm, I don’t know… maybe somepony else should—“

Fluttershy was interrupted by screams coming from outside the door. The girls rushed outside to see what all the commotion was about. All around them were ponies running in every direction. They ran into houses and locked the doors behind them. All the guards that were positioned around town began running in one direction. As the girls looked into the sky, each one of them gasped. A portion of the sky was an inky black as a legion of Changelings buzzed through the sky towards Ponyville. Twilight ran back into the library and lifted a glass casing that housed the Elements of Harmony. Lifting each with her magic, she sprinted back outside and distributed each of the Elements to their bearers. The six mares lined up together, looking towards the coming invasion.

“Alright girls, we’ve been preparing for this! We have to stop the Changelings here and now, we have to—“

Her speech was cut short as they were split down the middle by a large stallion that walked slowly forward. War paid them no mind; his tired eyes only looked forward towards the Changelings. The girls looked at him, waiting for him to do something. He simply stood there, as still as a statue.

“War? What are you doing?” Twilight asked.

He remained silent. He only watched at the Changelings grew closer and closer. Finally he moved, but only by closing his eyes and lifting his head slightly. As Twilight was about to ask again, a bright beam of light shot straight up into the air from War’s horn. It went high above Ponyville until it seemed to hit an invisible surface and exploded outward. The light began slowly moving down around the village until it was encompassed in a large dome of magic. The Changelings had arrived by now, only to smack effortlessly into the barrier. They swarmed around it like insects to a light. Their efforts proved useless, as the shield showed no signs of breaking.

War opened his eyes and looked up and around at the Changelings as they continued throwing themselves at the shield he had created. With what the girls could only describe as a look of sadness in his eyes, his horn began to grow brighter. The shield began opening up around the edges. It unfolded around Ponyville and began folding back around the Changelings, forcing them together as the shield continued into a fishbowl formation. The opening at the top was closing rapidly, and only one Changeling was able to escape before the exit closed behind them. War stared up at the ball of Changelings as they zipped about within it like angry bees.

A few of the girls heard War give a quiet sigh before noticing that the ball that was their prison began shrinking. The Changelings all gathered around each other until they simply had no room left to move. But still the ball grew smaller and smaller. The shield muffled and sound that the Changelings may have been making as they were crushed together. Soon the ball was small enough to fit on their hooves and War lowered it down before him. Within the wavy ball of magic was only the black remains of the Changelings, now nothing more than mush. The girls looked at War in fear, but he only stared at the ball.

A few of them could have sworn that a tear was forming in one of his eyes.

He lowered his eyes to the ground, where he dug a small hole with his hoof. He lowered the marble-sized ball into it and refilled it. His horn stopped glowing and he patted down the dirt.

“You monsters!”

Everypony except War looked up to see that the one Changeling that had escaped was in fact Chrysalis. “You will pay for what you have done to my children!” Before any of them could respond, she spun about and few quickly back towards the north.

They sat in silence, unsure of what to say or do. Their eyes moved back and forth between the sky and the patted down dirt that the Changelings had been buried in.

Rainbow was the first to speak up. “Um, what just happened?”

The other girls fell out of their trance and looked at the cyan pony. Each of them were shaking slightly.

“I’ve never seen magic used in such a gruesome way before…” Twilight said, her shakiness showing in her voice as well.

“Ah almost feel sorry for ‘em…” Applejack said, taking off her hat as she stared at the dirt.

“As much as I agree, we shouldn’t… they’d have done the same to us if they had the opportunity…” Rarity said as she tried to regain her posture.

“I guess it’s a good thing they didn’t…”

A few more moments of silence passed before Twilight came to a realization, “Wait, where’d War go?” They all looked around, but none of them could find the large black Unicorn. After a short search of the immediate vicinity, they decided they should split up to search for him.

Fluttershy walked nervously through the gardens around her home. She would have much rather went home than had to search for somepony so ruthless and decisive. The sound of birds singing their songs lightened Fluttershy’s mood enough to make her smile and momentarily forget about the tragic fate that had become of the Changelings. She noticed that a few of them were flying off towards a small group of trees. Wishing to forget about all that had happened earlier, she followed them intently. When she walked around the tree, she had to put her hoof to her mouth in an effort not to make any noise.

There was War. He was sitting quietly against the tree that was but a few inches from the yellow pony. He held out his hoof for a bird to perch on. It gladly took its place on him and continued singing its song. Looking into his eyes, she could see that most of the sadness that was there earlier was now gone, replaced by its normal coldness. However, Fluttershy had never seen him look upon something with such interest. A few more animals, such as rabbits and deer, began circling around him. He gave no sign of wanting them to leave but instead nodded towards them, as were his custom when greeting someone. Fluttershy had only ever seen the animals want to be around a pony so much when she was having a small picnic around her home whenever the mood struck her.

She decided to get closer, but was startled when she accidentally stepped on a twig which snapped rather loudly. All the animals perked up and stared at the embarrassed pony. The bird that rested on War’s hoof flew away. His eyes followed it, a hint of sadness returning.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare away your friend, it’s just that the girls were just looking for you and…”

War was now staring at her, not out of anger or annoyance, but something else that Fluttershy just couldn’t pick on. Ten seconds passed, then a minute. All they did was stare at each other. By now, most of the birds had come back and began to continue their songs.

“Um… may I sit with you? I mean, as long as it’s okay with you…” Fluttershy trailed off. War waited quietly for her to finish her thought, but when she never did he glanced down at the patch of grass next to him before looking back towards the animals.

Figuring that that was the closest thing to a “yes” she would get, Fluttershy sat down next to War. The two sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying the songs of the birds and the gentle breeze that blew through their manes. Although most ponies were afraid of War, especially after what he did earlier in the day, the animals seemed to be attracted to him. They seemed to like him just as much as they did Fluttershy.

“Do... do you like animals?” Fluttershy said quietly, breaking the silence.

War nodded. Their time continued with more silence. Every now and then a bunny or bird would approach her and she would greet them kindly. War watched curiously as she spoke to them. He wondered at how she was able to communicate with them so flawlessly. She even referred to them by name.

Fluttershy noticed him watching her and looked away, hiding behind her mane lest he see the color that had arisen in her cheeks.

“You… can speak to them…”

Fluttershy perked up in surprise. She slowly turned her head to War, who was still watching her intently. She looked around to see if anypony else had joined them while she was distracted, but they were still alone. War was still watching her patiently.

“Well…” she said, “I’ve always known how to speak to animals. It’s my special talent.”

War looked towards the three butterflies that were on her flank. “Special… talent…” he muttered. His voice was deep but soothing, and proved to be just as slow as his movements.

Fluttershy smiled before looking to his flank. It was blank. “Do you have a special talent?”

War said nothing for a little while. Finally, he shook his head in response.

“Come now, you must be good at something. Everypony has something that makes them truly special.”

War closed his eyes and began to think. Fluttershy waited patiently for him and closed her eyes as well, thinking only of the wind that moved her lightly colored mane back and forth gently. War opened his eyes halfway and looked down at his hooves. “I… can only destroy… It is… all I have ever known…”

Fluttershy looked at him with a frown. She wanted to help him somehow, even if just slightly. She put her hoof to her chin and began to think. Her thoughts were interrupted by the quiet rumbling of her stomach. She smiled lightly and looked to War, “Are you hungry? My cottage isn’t far from here, and I could make you something.”

War pondered the suggestion for a short time before nodding gently. Fluttershy’s smile grew and she raised herself up. War did the same, albeit slower.

“I’m sure the animals will enjoy having some company around.”

With that, War and Fluttershy made their way to her cottage on the edge of the forest. Fluttershy had to move at a slower pace than usual, but she didn’t mind. Even though they resided in silence the whole way there, she enjoyed spending time with her new friend.

Author's Note

Just added some words here and there to help the flow.
Thanks for reading!

Chapter 8 - Explanations*

The moon was already beginning to rise by the time Dante returned to the library. The main room was dark, the only source of light coming from a candle stand that Twilight had placed nearby as she read from a stack of books. She looked up at him and he gave her a quick smile. “Your eyes will go bad if you keep reading in the dark like this.”

“Actually, I’ve been waiting for you.” Twilight used her magic to shut the door behind him.

“Oh? What for?” he said, taking a seat across from her. She turned the book in front of her around and pushed it forward. Upon inspection he noticed that it was a map of Equestria. “You’re going to show me where you and War came from.”

Dante stared down at the map in silence. Finally he looked up, most of the good humor in his eyes being lost, “And if I refuse?”

“Then we won’t hesitate to rough you up a bit until you’re willing to talk.”

Dante turned to see Rainbow Dash and Applejack on either side of him. Rainbow put her hoof on Dante’s shoulder. Almost immediately his eyes turned from their regular brown to a deep black. Dante’s voice became deeper, almost demonic, “If you wish to keep your leg attached to your body, I expect you to remove it from me.”

Startled by his reaction, the rainbow pony took a few steps back. Dante closed his eyes and coughed into his hoof. When they reopened, they were back to normal. “I apologize, something was in my throat.”

Rainbow and AJ eyed him warily, despite his excuse. Dante ignored them, “Where I come from is of no importance. I’m here now, and so is War. When this town is safe, we’ll be on our way and you’ll never have to hear from us again.” He dropped out of his seat and began walking towards the door. “End of story.”

Twilight spoke up, “What do you have to hide Dante? Why won’t you tell us?”

Dante punched the door hard enough for the wood to break slightly before turning around and shouting, “Because it’s none of your damn business!”

“Calm down Dante, we’re all your friends here.” Applejack said calmly, risking a few steps towards the angry Alicorn.

Dante’s anger left just as quickly as it had arrived, and was replaced by sadness. “My friends left me long ago…” He closed his eyes halfway and stared at the floor for a few moments as memories flashed before his eyes. With a sigh he finally walked forward and sat back down in the seat across from Twilight. “You wanna know where I’m from? Fine. But remember that you asked to hear it.”

The girls nodded and took their seats around the table, watching Dante with interest. He sighed and waited a moment, and then said: “My brothers and I are Demons.”

The three mares looked at him stupidly. Rainbow soon fell out of her seat, laughing. “You? A Demon?" She took a few deep breaths to collect herself, "You’re joking, right?”

“Does it look like I’m joking?”

He was right. Dante’s normal good-humor attitude was nowhere to be found. His tone of voice was straightforward and serious. Rainbow still didn’t want to believe him, “But Demons are supposed to be scary looking and all that. You’re more goofy looking than scary.”

“Would you say the same if you were speaking to War? He’s a Demon too.” Dante left his seat and began pacing around the room, stopping every few moments to watch the moon as it made its slow journey across the night sky. “Demons aren’t the snarling, scary creatures with tentacles that everyone makes us out to be. In all reality, they look just like the rest of you.” He soon remembered that he was speaking to ponies, not humans. “Well, mostly, anyways.

“We Demons look, act, think, feel, just as everyone else does; two differences excluded. The first being the fact that we are capable of growing wings at will.” Dante raised his wings to help emphasize his point, “The other being that we are able to tap into the energies in our bodies and release them in specific ways. This is similar to the magic that the Unicorns here can use. By using our hands to draw what are known as Seals in the air, we are able to release the energy of our souls into a physical form. Under normal circumstances, War would have had to draw a Seal to create the shield that saved Ponyville from the Changelings. However, as we now have horns, the Seals are unneeded.”

“Wait,” Twilight said, interrupting his explanation. “What do you mean, ‘under normal circumstances’? Do you mean that you he wasn't a Unicorn before?”

Dante shook his head, “No. War and I were something very different when we first arrived here. He and I are what are a part of a race known as Humans.”

“Ain’t no race ah ever heard of.”

“Trust me, we aren’t that great all around.” he replied with a deadpan.

“Also, you said War was a Demon as well? And that Demons have wings?” Rainbow asked.

Dante nodded, “Yes, such is why I am an Alicorn.”

“Then why is War just a Unicorn?”

Dante became silent. His eyes turned grave as he turned back to look at the moon.

War watched the moon through the window in Fluttershy’s cottage. She laid asleep on the couch nearby, slightly curled up with a small white bunny that she had referred to as Angel. Noticing her give a slight shiver, he used his magic and grabbed a blanket from her bedroom and wrapped it around her, gently as to not awaken her. She made a small noise as she curled up more within the comforting warmth of the blanket.

War cared not for the chilly weather as it blew passed him. He was used to the feeling by now. He closed his eyes and tried to remember a time when he could actually feel warmth within his body. After what felt like an hour of waiting and wishing and straining, he failed to unlock such distant memories.

He closed the window quietly and moved to sit by Fluttershy’s side. He closed his eyes and waited for her to wake up, wishing to be in her company once more.

“War and I are no normal Demons…” Dante continued. “We are very special ones. My brothers and I are the strongest of all the Demons in the realm. As such, we were given a title. We are known as the Four Horsemen.”

“Four Horse Men?” Rainbow asked, puzzled at the odd name.

Dante nodded, “Pestilence. War. Famine. Death. We were given these titles many many years ago. I hold the title of Pestilence, while War’s title is a given. The title of Death was given to a man named Horrus, while Famine was given to one named Vice. When we joined the Horsemen, we were also “blessed” with having to share our bodies with another soul.”

“Share your bodies? What do you mean?” Twilight asked curiously. She was obviously very interested in his explanation.

“Part of the reason we were chosen is because we come from a bloodline of powerful warriors. Because of this, the souls of every one of my ancestors are dormant within me. My people eventually discovered the power to awaken these souls. This was done so that we may become even stronger under the guidance of our forefathers. On top of that, our already-longer-than-normal lifespans were greatly increased. Normally, we Demons live to be about five or six hundred years old before our body simply gives up. I have been alive for a little over two thousand years now. Horrus is slightly younger than I, while Vice is nearly nine hundred." Each of the girl's jaws were close to the floor as he named their ages. His story didn't seem likely, but the way he spoke made it sound so legitimate. They could only conclude that he was either a very good speaker or he was actually telling the truth. "And War has been alive for nearly six thousand years."

“Seven thousand?!” they all exclaimed in unison.

“Doesn’t look very old though, huh? When our lifespans were extended, we were able to retain our youth based on our age at the time. Six thousand years is certainly far longer than any other Demon has lived, but he barely looks a day over forty.”

Dante paused to let the girls take in all the information. Twilight seemed to be absorbing it like a sponge while Rainbow and Applejack seemed to struggle taking it all in. After a moment, he continued, “I’ve seen a lot of good friends pass on while I simply stood there, stuck in time. My friends, my family… everyone I loved. All I had left were my brothers and the soul of my ancestor to keep my sane. The soul that resides within me is that of a man who was also a Horseman, a man that held the title of Carnage. In War is one known as Desolate. In Death there is Destruction. In Famine there is Anger. As our souls are the more dominant of the pair, we would gradually overtake these “guest souls”. Vice and I overtook the other souls, but left them enough to retain consciousness, as the two of you saw earlier. Horrus, however, refused the idea of being “lesser” in comparison to Destruction. He overtook the soul completely, leaving Destruction as nothing more than a memory in his own head. Destruction was a very powerful magister and excelled in the power of unleashing our energy through Seals. He now holds the power that Destruction once had when she was alive: the ability to look into the future.”

“There’s no way that’s possible!”

“Yeah, this is soundin’ a little far-fetched to me.”

“I assure you that it is true. Horrus is able to look up to twelve point three seconds into the future, granted he exerts himself. War, however… he was not lucky like the rest of us. War’s second soul, Desolate, was the embodiment of what his name represents. He lived long before Carnage or Anger or even Destruction. But they all knew the horrors that came with Desolate wherever he went. Carnage once told me that some people didn’t believe that Desolate was truly human, but rather a force. A force that overtook the minds of men and drove them to do the unspeakable. War has struggled with Desolate for control for as long as I’ve known him. Every now and then, Desolate will take control and…”

Dante sighed and looked away from the group. His voice was shaking slightly, “I remember being sent on a mission with War once… back when I first became a part of the Horsemen. We were to establish negotiations with a rebelling faction and ensure that things came to a peaceful conclusion. Although our king was often ruthless in his decisions, we were told to only use force if absolutely necessary. After all, what is the purpose in being a king if all your people have been slaughtered because of insubordination? Anyways, things were going relatively well… until Desolate decided to wake up. War’s body began to change, and soon Desolate had full control… he destroyed every last one of them even though they had agreed to the terms we gave them. By the time War was able to regain control, the secluded village that the faction was active in was nothing more than wasteland and dust…

“To stop such a thing from ever happening again, War cut off his own wings… He secluded himself only to the three of us. We were the only friends -- the only family -- he had. Well, Vice and I were, at least. I always had the feeling that Horrus never did like us very much… Vice looked up to War as if he were an older brother. I was pretty happy with our “distant cousin” kind of relationship. Over time, War simply stopped talking. Every now and then, when he’s alone with one of us, he’ll speak a few words. It was like he was afraid of himself… he is afraid of himself. Afraid of what he might become with that monster locked up inside him. After a while, Vice and I were able to understand what he wanted or was trying to say just by being able to look into his eyes."

He waited another moment before speaking again, this time more directly towards Twilight, “The reason that War does not stay here during the night is so that he can be by himself. He doesn’t spend nights sleeping, he spends it mediating, trying to keep control of his body. That’s why he moves so slow, and why he always seems to be tired. In all honesty, I don’t know if he’ll ever be able to sleep again… Hell, I’m still not entirely sure how the man is still sane when he’s got a monster eating away at his heart.

“And as for how we got here… all I remember is the four of us being together, and then there some kind of blinding light… next thing I know, I’m in a hole in the ground surrounded by a bunch of freaky looking things that wanted to kill me. I made my way around for about a day before being found by the royal guards. They brought me to Canterlot, where I explained my situation to Princess Celestia and Luna. I agreed to help them in their war with the Changelings on the condition that they help me and the others get back home. It was she that turned me into what I am now. Soon after we found War, and then were relocated here.”

Dante left the room to go to the kitchen and get himself some water. Half because he was thirsty from all the talking and half because he was unsure of whether or not the girls would truly believe him or not and just think he was psychotic. He could hear whispers from the other room followed by the door opening and closing. Dante decided to pour himself another glass. After downing it quickly, he returned to the dimly lit room. Twilight was alone in the room, using her magic to replace all the books she had gotten out.

“You don’t have to believe me.” Dante said. “Just remember that you asked to know about who we are… and well, now you know.”

The vines in Madora’s bed chamber opened up as Chrysalis walked through. She bowed before her mother.

“I assume the assault on Ponyville was a success?”

Chrysalis did not raise her head, afraid to meet her mother’s eyes. She said nothing, much to Madora’s irritation. “Do not tell me you failed.”

“It appears,” she said, a hint of fear legible through her words, “that the ponies were more prepared than our scouts had let on... The Changelings you had placed under my command became trapped within a magical sphere and were… crushed to death.” She had a hard time uttering the last few words.

Expecting nothing more than Madora’s wrath, Chrysalis kept her head low. Strangely, nothing ever came. Reluctantly, the formerly powerful queen opened her eyes and saw that Madora had no signs of anger on her face. In fact, she almost looked pleased. She looked up past her daughter, “It appears you were correct in your assumptions. Your former friends appear to be just as powerful as you said.”

Chrysalis turned towards the dark corner that her mother was speaking to. From it, a dark coated Alicorn with a black mane approached her slowly. On his back were two sheathed katanas and his eyes were covered by a black blindfold. “Indeed. My brothers appear to be well accustomed to their new bodies.”

Author's Note

Changed some words to make it flow better, as well as a small extension to a few paragraphs in Dante's explanation.
Thanks for reading!

Note: Changed War's age from seven thousand to nearly six thousand

Chapter 9 - Memoriae Desuetae*

Despite the Changeling threat, Canterlot remained in ignorant bliss. The residents had all been warned by the Princesses themselves of the possibility of attack, and were asked to take great caution around anypony acting strangely. Some ponies took the announcement seriously and began preparing for any such attack. Most, however, retained their normal procedures and went about business as if it were any other day.

One such pony, a Unicorn who had heard of the threat but decided against precaution, walked casually down the road. It was rather early in the day, leaving Canterlot in a relatively quiet state of tranquility. She greeted the few ponies she came across as if they were close friends, but in reality she knew very little about them. Her coat and mane matched almost perfectly in their snowy white color. Her eyes were a beautiful turquoise, falling in serenity with the morning sky. She was alone on the street, save for about half a dozen other residents.

Three ponies, each from the different races, followed not far behind her. Even further behind them was a pony who was draped in a cloak and hood, the only distinctions left visible were the locks of his own mane, as white as hers, and a red stained scarf with white blotches that hung around his neck.

He had been watching both the pale Unicorn that lead them unknowingly, and the three that had been stalking her through the streets for some time now. He watched intently as they looked back and forth at each other, speaking in hushed whispers and snickering. He noticed the way that they would occasionally look towards the pony they followed, and saw that their devilish smiles only widened.

The cloaked pony stood far enough away that the three believed themselves to be alone, but remained close enough to watch their every movements. Finally, they put their secret plan into action. As they neared an alley way between two buildings, still closed at this early hour, they quickened their pace and forcefully led her into it. The silent pony peered around the corner and watched momentarily as they tried to hold her against the wall. When she failed to comply, one, a Unicorn, used his magic to hold her down on the ground. They watched and laughed as she struggled and began to make their way towards their prey.

The Pegasus, being furthest back in the group, suddenly found himself nearly on his back with a leg wrapped tightly around his neck. He tried to call for his friends, but all that came out were quiet whimpers. Nonetheless, they heard their accomplice’s cries and turned to see him fade from consciousness. The hooded pony let go of him and he slumped over.

The two remaining assailants looked back and forth between their friend and the newcomer who stood before them. The white pony watched with her mouth agape, surprised to see such a mysterious pony come to her rescue. The Unicorn gestured to his remaining friend, and the earth pony moved between them and lowered his head, raising dust as he pawed at the ground, signaling a charge. The hooded pony was surprised at such a stupid and desperate attempt to stop him. He lowered his hood, revealing a horn on his forehead and a dark grey coat. His blue eyes glared at his opponent, daring him to strike first.

The attacker complied and charged full speed towards his enemy. The grey Unicorn waited, unafraid. At the last moment he dodged away, spinning his body around as the pony charged past and grabbed his tail in his mouth. He snapped his neck to the right, causing the earth pony to come to a sudden halt and soon found himself dazed from being thrown into a group of trash cans.

The earth pony shook the feeling from his head and looked towards the cloaked pony. He remained unphased, despite seeing the anger emanating out of his opponents eyes from such an embarrassing failure. He charged blindly again, this time much faster. The Unicorn made no attempts at dodging this time, only rearing his hoof back and connecting it to the bull-headed earth pony. The force knocked him onto his back, where he writhed around, holding tightly to his muzzle. He moved his hooves after a moment only to see the hooded one standing above him. He pulled his hoof back once more and brought it down, this time knocking out the earth pony.

Now only the other Unicorn remained. The hooded pony turned around and stopped as soon as he tried to advance. The Unicorn had had a dagger hidden somewhere on his body, and now held it to the white pony’s neck.

“Let me go, or she dies!” he shouted.

He made no signs retreating, despite such threats. His horn began to glow and from under his cloak glided six daggers, each enveloped in a grey magical aura. They raised up and each of the blades turned to face the final attacker.

“How much do you want to bet that I’m faster than you?” the grey pony asked quietly and casually.

The Unicorn’s eyes darted around at each of the floating blades, his fear beginning to show. He quickly pulled his own dagger away, dropping it as he ran away as quickly as his legs could take him. He skidded to a halt as each of the six blades fell from the sky like rain around him, making a small circle.

He tried to turn around and make another attempt at running, but the grey Unicorn was now mere inches from him. The attacker looked like he was about to cry.

“I’d break each of your legs if it didn’t mean I’d be a murderer.” He said quietly. “Now get out of this city, or I won’t be so merciful.”

Without giving an answer, the Unicorn dashed past him and ran out of the alleyway, leaving behind his two unconscious friends.

When he had run away from him the first time, he lost all focus on the girl and the spell was easily broken. She rose to her hooves and brushed the dust off her radiant body. She turned to thank her savior, but he was already walking further down the alley.

“Wait!” she shouted, following after him. Despite her running, she seemed to be covering no ground between the two of them. She turned around a corner he had disappeared around just moments ago, “I wanted to—“

Empty. The alley came to an abrupt stop, and he was nowhere to be found. “—thank you…”

“Ladies and gentlecolts, I give you… Serene Dream!”

The lights began to dim and the crowd of noble ponies lightly tapped their hooves on the ground in response to the announcement. An ensemble of musicians stood upon the stage, each holding to their instruments. A spotlight shined upon a beautiful white Unicorn that stood center stage. The room was completely silent and all eyes rested upon her. Her eyes were closed, and her lips gently parted.

Mirror… Tell me something… Tell me who’s the loneliest of all…

The sound of her voice echoed throughout the room, wrapping itself around every pony in the room. It penetrated their very minds, filling them with a feeling of ecstasy that only made them want to listen even more intently. When her song finished, it took them all a few moments to fall out of their trance before they stamped their hooves with vigor. Even the musicians were clapping their hooves. Serene smiled at the applause and bowed gracefully. When she raised her head her eyes glided across the crowd before her. Her eyes came to a sudden halt when one pony in particular caught her eyes. He stood far in the back, amongst the shadows. Her eyes stuck to him, even as he turned and began slowly walking away.
When her ovation finally ceased and she was able to leave the stage, she quickly ignored the many congratulations from her peers and moved past the crowd. Opening the door to the balcony, she found herself alone with him. He was fully aware that she had entered the secluded balcony, but made no acknowledgement. He simply stared up at the newly arisen moon. Quietly, she came to his side and looked up with him. The two sat in silence for a few moments.

“They are probably wanting an encore.” He said.

“If they want it badly enough, they can wait.” He cocked his eyebrow at her, and she gave him a playful smile. “Besides, I’m more interested in talking to the stallion that saved my life right now.”

His eyes returned to the moon. “It was nothing.”

“Nothing? You risked your life to save me. Me, a mare you don’t even know.”

He said nothing for a time. Finally, he let out a quiet sigh and closed his eyes, “Memento mori.”

When he heard no response, he opened his eyes and looked at her, only to be met with a puzzled expression. “It means that death is inevitable. I’m going to die sooner or later. I’d rather it be sooner, and die by trying to help someone, than later, and watch it all happen.”

They both turned and eyed the moon as it shone brightly in the night sky, illuminating the stage they stoop upon. Serene was smiling. “Memento mori…” she muttered a few times. “Strange words to live by… but I like it. It sounds kind of pretty.” She gave him another smile. Her smiles were beautiful and whenever he saw them, the stallion felt a thump in his chest. He returned a small smile of his own.

“So, does my mysterious savior have a name? I’m sure you already know mine. After all, you’ve been to every show I’ve done within the past week.”

He looked at her with surprise in his eyes. She gave him a playful shove, “Oh, don’t think you’re so sneaky. Just because you sit in the darkest corner doesn’t mean I can’t see you.”

If she didn’t know any better, she could have sworn she saw some blush come into the Unicorn’s cheeks. “So,” she tried again, “what’s your name?”

He looked at her for a moment, the color in his face returning to normal. His eyes turned back to the moon, “I… don’t know.”

“You don’t know your own name..?”

He shook his head gently. “I don’t know anything about myself… All I remember is waking up about a week and a half ago with a huge bruise on my head. The family that found me said I’m probably lucky to be alive.”

“I’m so sorry…” she said as she placed a hoof on his shoulder. He normally didn’t like ever being touched by anypony, even the family that had found him. But for some reason he didn’t seem to mind when she did it.

“There’s no need for you to be sorry. It’s not like it’s your fault.”

“Still…”

“But… there is something I know. When I first saw you, something in my head just clicked. I was drawn to you… I feel like I’ve seen you before.”

“Well, I do like to think I’m pretty famous.” She said with a smirk.

They laughed quietly together. Before long, Serene’s entourage found her and told her that it was time to leave. “It seems I must take my leave of you. I’m sure I will see you again soon.” She smiled and kissed his cheek, causing color to arise. She walked towards the door slowly, “So long, Speicher.”

His eyes followed her, “Speicher?”

She turned back to him, her smile still gleaming, “Where I come from, it means ‘memory’.”

Author's Note

Nothing big this time, just small fixes
As always, thanks for reading!

Chapter 11 - FlutterWar*

Fluttershy awoke with a quiet yawn. She stretched out, making a little squeak as she did so. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking the sleep away from her eyes. She lifted her head up and was surprised to have seen she had fallen asleep on the couch. Angel still lay asleep next to Fluttershy, curled up halfway beneath the blanket. She smiled softly before wondering where the blanket had come from.

Careful not to wake Angel, Fluttershy stepped off the couch and left Angel to wrap himself in the blanket. She made her way to the window and opened it and welcomed the sweet morning air, as was her usual morning custom. She closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze that made its way through the opening. As she opened her eyes, she saw War sitting by a tree a short distance away. He held his hoof out for a small bird to perch upon. However, about a dozen other birds were perched all over the rest of his body. She giggled softly and walked outside to join him.

War watched her as she left the cottage and gave her a quiet nod when she sat beside him.

“Good morning War. Did you sleep well?”

He didn’t want to lie to her, but he gave her a nod anyways. It was best she didn’t know about why he could not sleep, lest she be afraid of him like all the others. The shy yellow pony beside him was the first to actually have interest in him, outside of the other Horsemen. The last thing he wanted was for her to see him as a monster.

The two sat in silence for a little under an hour. Neither minded the silence; they were just simply enjoying the company of one another. From the inside of the cottage, Fluttershy’s grandfather clock began announcing the new hour. The pair heard the bass of its chime. With some reluctance, Fluttershy rose to her hooves and turned to War. “Um, I have a few errands to run around town… Would you like to come with me? I mean, unless you’d rather stay here with the birds, because that’s—“

War rose up as well, causing all the birds that were resting upon him to fly away, and Fluttershy could tell from the look in his eyes that he did not mind coming along. She smiled softly and made a stop in the house to put on a saddle bag before leading the way to the marketplace.

As usual, ponies began steering clear of War, paving a pathway through the crowd as Fluttershy moved from stand to stand, picking up various ingredients. War, realizing the stares he was getting, often stayed back when she went to retrieve the items on her list.

“Alright,” she said, returning to him, “I just need some apples now and we’ll be all set. I’m pretty sure Applejack has a stand around here somewhere—“

“Well well well, what do we have here?”

The two turned to the source of the voice. Dante came next to the pair, a sly smile on his face. “So, what brings you two out on a fine day like—“ he stopped and took note of how close Fluttershy and War stood together. His grin grew even more. “Oooooh, I see what’s goin’ on here.” Dante cooed, giving War a soft punch on the shoulder, “You sly dog, you!”

Fluttershy cocked her head slightly, unsure of what he meant. Rolling his eyes playfully, Dante sat down, “Anyways, do you mind if I have a few words with War here? I promise I’ll let you two be on your merry way once we’re done.”

Fluttershy looked to War, who gave her a nod. Smiling and returning the nod, Fluttershy began walking off on her own towards the Apple family’s stand. Dante smiled as he watched the Pegasus pony make her way towards her friend. Once he was sure she was distracted, his smile disappeared. “Last night, Twilight and a few of the other girls got me corned, said a few things that kinda pushed me over the edge and, well… I told them about us, and where we’re from.”

War simply looked down at him, a look of indifference in his eyes.

“Yeah yeah, I know… I shouldn’t have let their words get to me so easy.” He said, almost as if he were reading War’s thoughts. “I guess I’m still just a little touchy about certain subjects…”

Dante’s eyes turned to where Fluttershy had gone. She was still talking to Applejack, and seemed to be panicking about something. Applejack, however, was chuckling.

“So, what’s up with you two?”

War’s eyes held to the two ponies in the distance a while longer before slowly rolling back to Dante. “She is… different…”

Dante’s smile began to return softly as he heard War speak, but then faded back into a frown. “You know we can’t stay here…”

Dante noticed a small twitch around War’s eyes, showing that he knew that was the truth, but he didn’t like it. “I like this place too,” Dante continued, “but this isn’t our home, War. We don’t belong here.”

Dante looked over and saw Fluttershy returning. He bit his lip softly before sighing. “We’ll talk about this later. Maybe we can figure all this out once we’ve found Horrus and Vice.”

“Well howdy there Fluttershy, how ya doin’ today?”

“Hello Applejack. I’m just fine, thank you. If it’s not too much trouble, could you get me what’s on this list?”

Applejack took the small note that was held out to her with a smile. “Alrighty, looks like ah can set ya up with what’s on here.” Fluttershy waited patiently with a small smile on her face as she waited for her friend.

“So, I see you and War seem to be gettin’ close.” AJ said, a sly smile appearing across her face.

Fluttershy’s cheeks almost instantly flushed a deep red, “Oh no no no no, it’s not like that at all, we’re just friends, and—“

“Ah’m just playin’ with ya sugarcube.” She said, chuckling at the yellow Pegasus, “But, uh, make sure to stop by the library sometime tonight. We got somethin’ to tell you and the rest of the girls about our guests.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she meant. However, she simply shrugged it off, assuming that all would be made clear later that night. She returned and gave the two stallions a smile, “Alright, we’re all done here. We can drop all this off back at the cottage. After that, I think Pinkie Pie said she needed us for something later today.”

War nodded. Fluttershy didn’t seem to notice, but Dante could easily see the way War’s eyes flickered ever-so slightly when she returned. He still wasn’t sure if he should be happy or not for his friend. “Well, I’ll leave you two to your business. You know where to find me.” Dante trotted off, gradually disappearing from sight as other ponies went about their business.

War and Fluttershy made their way back to her cottage. Halfway back, War had used his magic to lift the saddle off of her and burden himself with it in her stead. Despite her protests, she was happy to have the weight off her shoulders – literally speaking. After ducking down to enter the door, War dropped the saddle down on a nearby table.

Fluttershy laid on the couch, “Ahh, isn’t it nice to come home after a long walk and just relax?”

As usual, War responded with a quiet nod. A moment of silence passed before Fluttershy spoke up again, “So, we have some time before Pinkie needs us. I was wondering, maybe, if you didn’t mind… you could tell me a little about yourself?”

War looked down at the ground and thought. What was there to say? How much had Dante already told them?

Wondering if the subject was too broad, Fluttershy attempted to narrow his thoughts, “Well, do you have any family?”

Family? He considered the other Horsemen to be brothers, but more as brothers in arms than actual family. Vice had always looked up to him as an older brother, but that was because he had no one else. Finally, War shook his head gently.

“I… have always been alone…”

At that moment, a sharp pain came into War’s head. He knew what it was, and refused to show any sign of being troubled. Desolate grew more and more restless with each passing day. He knew that one day, his power over him would break and Desolate would be free for a time. War hoped that he would be far away from Fluttershy when that day came.

“But what about Dante? You two seem pretty close, almost like you’ve been friends all your life.”

“He…” War’s voice faded away. Dante had been there a lot. Although Vice was often with him the most, Dante was always trying to help him with Desolate. He once spent several years trying to find a way to split apart their souls, but such a thing was impossible.

Fluttershy looked into War’s eyes as he thought. They seemed very distant and deep in thought. And, to her dismay, there was sadness. It was small and distant, but there nonetheless. She climbed off the couch and came up to him, “Well, you don’t have to be alone anymore… I’ll be with you. That is, if that’s okay with you…” She turned her head and hid behind her mane, afraid to show her face after saying such a thing, especially to a stallion.

Feeling something large wrap around her, she squeaked softly as she found herself pressed up against War’s chest. She looked up to see his grey eyes looked back down at her. The sadness was gone, replaced by something that she just couldn’t place a name for. “Thank you…” he whispered, almost inaudible enough for her to miss. With a smile, she returned the embrace.

Author's Note

Fixed a typo and extended a sentence or two.
As always, thanks for reading!

Chapter 12 - Who Are You?*

Fluttershy and War made their way through Ponyville to reach Sugarcube Corner. Still embarrassed from the sudden embrace War had given her earlier, she remained partially hidden behind her mane. War looked curiously at her at first but then decided it would be better not to ask.

Fluttershy knocked gently on the wooden door of the sweets shop. There was no response. She tapped slightly louder this time, but still received no answer. War stepped forward and made a loud thump as he put his hoof against the door just once. Almost immediately, a vibrant pink pony opened the door and nearly burst forward. “There you guys are! You’re just in time!”

Pinkie ushered the two of them into her sweet home and threw her arms up in a “ta-da!” fashion. The room was completely redecorated with streamers, balloons, and a wide assortment of other things that would most likely be found at a six-year-old’s birthday party. The other girls, along with Dante and a few other miscellaneous ponies, were gathered around and enjoying themselves as they often could at one of Pinkie’s signature parties.

“Oh my, what’s the occasion?” Fluttershy said quietly, looking around the room.

“Well, when War and Dante first arrived I was so excited and I went all—“ She paused to gasp dramatically, “and I knew that I just had to throw them a party like I do for everypony else that’s new to town so I started preparing but Twilight said that I shouldn’t because they would have work to do and the bad guys could strike at any moment so I asked again and again and again and finally she said that once the immediate threat was gone that I would be able to throw them as big of a party as I want!” she took a deep breath, having used all the air in her lungs to continue rambling, “And so I did!”

War and Fluttershy shared a glance before looking back to the bubbly pony. She had spoken so quickly that they almost didn’t catch all that she was saying. Wanting to get away from the odd pony, War moved by Dante’s side by the table where all the food was. Dante was chowing down on a cake that Pinkie has presumably baked herself.

“War, ‘ou go’a ‘ry ‘is!” he said, gesturing to the cake he held in his hooves. War shrugged softly before turning to the table. His eyes widened in slight surprise as he found a small, toothless alligator staring up at him. The two stood silently, looking into each others eyes. War looked deeply into the pink empty void that seemed to look into his very soul. Gummy was unphased as he looked into the cold deepness of War’s eyes that had intimidated the hearts of so many.

Dante watched as the two glared at each other, blinking only every so often. He rolled his eyes before continuing with his cake. On the opposite side of the room, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were explaining what they had learned from Dante to their other three friends.

“Demons?” Rarity scoffed, “Twilight, please. They look no different from any other pony around here. Well, for the most part.”

“The animals really like War…” Fluttershy said quietly, “And he’s actually really nice, once you get to know him. He’s quiet, but he always listens to everything I say. A few times I’ve actually gotten him to—“

“Well, I guess it is possible that he was referring to himself more in the figurative sense… but he seemed pretty set on convincing us.” Twilight said, hanging her head down a little.

“I think you’re just overreacting,” Pinkie said, beginning to trot away. She caught her hoof on a loose floorboard, hitting her head on a table which caused it to flip forward. The cake that sat on the other end flew across the room, drawing the eyes of every pony in the room. The cake made a large splat when it finally hit its target: War.

War slowly came out of his trance with Gummy before looking around at his body. He was absolutely covered in pink sweetness. The girls gasped, and Dante raised his eyebrows in surprise. Most held their breath, afraid of what kind of wrath such a large pony could invoke. Slowly, he raised his hoof and wiped some off of his face. He looked down at the mush he held, then turned his eyes to the group; Fluttershy, to be more precise. She held her hoof to her mouth, concerned with how he might feel. After another moment, she was able to read what he was thinking. She smiled softly and gave him a gentle nod. War turned his gaze back down to his hoof and gently licked it off.

“It tastes… good…”

Every pony in the room stared wide eyed at War. Fluttershy and Dante, being the only to ever hear him talk, shared a smile. Pinkie, who was sitting on the floor, began to shake violently. Eventually, she almost seemed to explode as she shot straight up into the air, causing a hole in the roof to appear. The group waited for something to happen, but when almost a full minute passed, War gave Twilight a concerned look.

“Don’t worry, just give her a bit.” She said.

Almost on cue, a slight whistling noise could be heard. Her grew louder and louder until Pinkie crashed back through the ceiling. She seemed to be stuck, as only half of her body made it through. “I got him to talk!” she shouted.

Fluttershy and War were making their way through the marketplace as they headed back to her cottage. Fluttershy wore a smile on her face, happy to know that War was not upset by that had happened at the party. It seemed the most ponies were no longer afraid of War now, as he no longer getting any weird stares. That didn’t stop them from keeping their distance from the towering Unicorn however.

Upon leaving the marketplace, War came to a sudden stop. Fluttershy looked up at him, looking for an explanation to his sudden halt. He was staring at a pony not too far away that was draped in a grey cloak. He was looking around, as if searching for something.

“Famine…”

Before Fluttershy could ask what he meant, War began walking to intercept the pony. He put a hoof down in front of the pony, halting him. The pony looked up at War with a pair of greyish-blue eyes. War looked back down with his own cold grey eyes. “Famine…” he said once again.

The pony turned his head to Fluttershy, “Uh… is your friend alright?”

Fluttershy shrugged softly, turning to War, “Is something wrong War?”

War said nothing, only looking deeper into the pony’s eyes. He began to retreat back slightly, giving War a strange look. War stepped closer, still keeping his eyes locked with the pony. “Famine…” he said once more, more sternly.

“Listen big guy, my name is Speicher. And I’d appreciate it if you stepped off, because I’m a little busy looking for—“

The pony known as Speicher soon found himself soaring through the air. He groaned as he picked himself up from the remnants of a stand he had collided with. “Ugh, what…?” He looked up and saw War glaring at him from the other side of the street. He picked himself up, and rubbed the side of his head. “I don’t know what your deal is, but I’m more than happy to set you straight.”

He waited for War to make the first move but the black stallion stood perfectly still. With a huff, Speicher rushed War. He was fast, but War showed no sign of being intimidated. Just as the two were about to make contact, Speicher disappeared from sight. He reappeared behind War and, thinking he had the jump on him, he threw himself at his opponent. However, War simply vanished into thin air.

“What? Where did he—“

War reappeared instantaneously by Speicher’s side, slamming his elbow into the back of his head. Speicher hit the ground hard, but recovered quickly and swung his legs out, hoping to catch War off guard. His legs hit the hard metal of War’s armor, and Speicher recoiled back in pain. War swept his leg under Speicher’s body, lifting him off the ground and high enough for them to be at eye-level for a short moment. Time seemed to stop at that moment, and Speicher could see no sign of emotion in his opponent’s eyes.

No, there was something. Was it concern? Why would he be concerned?

Time resumed, and War brought his hoof to Speicher’s face, sending him flying back once again. He raised back up, rubbing his muzzle and spitting a bit of blood on the ground.

“Serena is gone…”

…What?

War stared coldly at him, “You could not save her…”

“Listen here you overgrown freak, you shut the hell up right now!” Speicher wondered how this strange stallion knew about this “Serena” girl, but right now he didn’t care much. He felt his legs shaking slightly. Even when he told them to stop, screamed at the to stop, they continued.

“Tell me… do you remember the look in her eyes?”

Speicher opened his mouth to shout at War, but his voice had left him. All he could think about was his dream. And the cold, dead stare that the girl wore upon her death. Speicher’s heart began racing and his eyes narrowed. “Shut…up…”

“She died… because you could not save her…”

Speicher charged blindly at War this time, not knowing what he’d do when he got to him. War caught him by his neck.

“Forgive me…” he whispered before shoving him against the wall. War’s horn began to glow as shear energy transferred from one body to another. Speicher cried out in pain and shut his eyes. When he tried to open them again, War and the rest of Ponyville were gone. They were replaced by a wall of glass and a girl with a knife in the back of her head.

In reality, War held Speicher against the wall. His body had stopped flailing, and he was now reasonably still. His pupils faded to white and his body suddenly began to shake violently. War’s glare tightened and he tossed Speicher out into the open. His body writhed about, but he made no sound. He tried to stabilize himself by planting his hooves in the ground, but it did not stop the shaking. He arched his back out and his body almost seemed to split open as several black tendrils slithered out. He screamed out in pain as the tendrils came one after another.

Other ponies in the area had long since cleared out. Fluttershy watched from the sidelines, afraid to even move. His screams finally came to a halt. Speicher twisted his head to the left, making a few audible pops. His glare turned to War, who stood before this beast, unafraid. His composure only made Speicher angrier.

“Anger… are you lost as well…”

The tendrils flailed about violently, occasionally slashing at the ground around him. A sinister smile wrapped itself around Speicher’s face, “War, it has been far too long. How long has it been? One week, two weeks?”

“Thirty-nine days…”

“Really? Time sure does fly…”

“Enough… What has happened to Famine…”

“You mean the sad little emo kid?” Anger chuckled, and tapped his head a few times with his hoof, “Hit his head when we landed. Doesn’t remember a single thing. Well, he does remember a thing or two.” Anger smiled devilishly, “I made sure of that.”

War glared down at the beast that controlled Speicher’s body. “Oh, don’t give me that look.” Anger shot at War. “You knew I was still awake somewhere in this body, that’s why you coaxed him into remembering that girl. If not for me, he wouldn’t remember her at all and you’d be shit out of luck.”

Anger came closer and War allowed it. “You’re welcome for that, by the way.”

War turned and nodded for Anger to follow, “Come… We must find Pestilence… Perhaps he can help us with Famine’s situation…”

Anger trotted along War’s side in a mockingly-happy fashion. “Oh good, it had been far too long since Carnage and I have had a good talk. Oh, and how is Desolate by the way?”

War gave no answer.

“Still psychotic, huh? Goody.”

Author's Note

Stopped Anger from literally bursting into flames because i felt it didn't fit well. Other then that, regular fixes.
As always, thanks for reading!

Chapter 15 - End Times "Prepare For War"*

Dante let out a heavy sigh as he kicked a rock down the road. “I’m tired of all this waiting around! Why are we so heavily on the defensive side? If we keep sitting on our asses and doing nothing, the Changelings will just continue growing in number as they prepare for a mass assault.”

Twilight followed right behind him, watching the small rock tumble and make small hops into the air. “I’m sorry Dante, but Celestia gave everyone orders to hold their ground. I’m sure she has a plan to deal with the Changelings, but just needs a little more time.”

“If she waits any longer, we’ll find ourselves surrounded by those things. They can change form, right? Who’s to say they haven’t already infiltrated the town, or even Canterlot for that matter?”

“Since my brother’s wedding, a permanent shield has been placed around Canterlot, so I don’t think we need to worry about anything like that happening.”

“It didn’t keep War out.”

Twilight looked up towards the towering black Unicorn that walked alongside them. He said nothing and just kept his eyes forward. “Well,” Twilight continued, “The shield wasn’t meant to keep out somepony of your… race.”

“You can call us Demons, Twilight.” Dante turned to face the lavender pony. “Trust me, there’s a lot of worse things you could call us.” Twilight shrugged. She knew that they didn’t mind the terminology, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. When she thought of Demons, she thought of something, well… more.

The trio continued on their journey to nowhere in particular. Dante was simply making his rounds around town, while War and Twilight simply tagged along. “All I’m saying is that we should have gone on the offensive as soon as War killed off that first strike. We would have had them on the run and might have even ended all of the fighting right then and there. We certainly have the weaponry, and those ponies at Sweet Apple Acres can actually fight off more than just the urge to eat thanks to me.”

At that moment, one of the soldiers he had been training came galloping down the street. He held a scroll in his mouth which he quickly handed over to Dante upon reaching them. Dante used his magic to hold the scroll before him and unravel it. His eyes darted back and forth. As he finished, a smile grew across his face and he rolled the scroll back up, slipping it under his coat.

“What was that about?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Well,” he began, smirking, “since everyone’s favorite Princess decided to put me in command of our humble little militia, I felt I was at liberty to send them on patrols further outside of the town itself. Particularly towards the north.”

“Wait wait, you mean you ordered some of them to go off on their own? Towards the Changelings??”

“Well, when you say it that way, it makes it sound like I’m the bad guy.”

“You are a bad guy.”

Dante responded to Twilight’s serious glare with a pair of big, innocent looking eyes. He chuckled softly, regardless of the fact that he was the only one. “If it’s any consolation, they volunteered. And besides, if I hadn’t given the suggestion, we wouldn’t have this.” He slipped the scroll back out and handed it over to Twilight. Snatching it from him, she began to read. Her eyes grew wider with each new line she read.

“The Changelings are going to attack…” she said, weakly.

“They are advancing. They will probably be here by midday tomorrow.” The playfulness in Dante’s voice had disappeared mostly, and he was now in his serious mode. “I’m also going to ask for your services in this fight, as well as that of your friends.”

Twilight looked surprised at first to be included in his plans, “What do you need? Me and the girls have battled against the Changelings before, so I’m sure we can—“

“I need you and the girls to stay here.”

Twilight looked liked Dante had just slapped her. “Wait, your kidding right?” she said, thinking he must have been pulling her leg. However, the normally childish pony showed no sign of humor in what he said.

“You and the others aren’t trained to fight. I heard about your efforts back in Canterlot when the Changelings first attacked some months ago—“

“Then you know what we can do!”

“—and of how you ended up being captured.” Twilight looked away and rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed. Dante continued, “These Changelings aren’t the same ones that you met back in Canterlot. I’ve fought them before, and they aimed to kill. No, you won’t be fighting. Instead, I want you and the others to use your Elements to erect a barrier around the village.”

Twilight tried to argue again, but Dante cut her off. “You haven’t seen the other villages Twilight. I have. And there were a lot more dead bodies than I’d like to mention. Now, if you don’t mind, I want you find your friends and practice getting a stable barrier up. If you need any help, I’m sure War can give you a tip or two.”

With that, he walked away before she could say another word. Twilight was more hurt than she’d like to admit about being shot down like that, but a soft touch on her shoulder gave her some comfort. She turned to see War looking down at her, who gave her a reassuring nod. Twilight was used to his silence by now, and could usually understand what he was trying to say just as well as Dante could. “Thanks War.” She said with a soft smile.

Dante headed back towards Sweet Apple Acres. He figured that a battle with the Changelings would be a tough one, and the soldiers would need to be ready for the encounter. He had never really liked giving pep talks, especially to people he’d known for just a short time. But somehow, and for some ungodly reason, he was very good at it. As he walked along the road, deep in thought, he bumped into a small filly, knocking her over.

“Woops, sorry kid.” He held out his hoof and helped her back onto hers. She was a small thing, with a yellowish coat and a rosy mane. She almost reminded him of Applejack's little sister. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here little one. What’s your name?”

The little filly looked up at the oddly dressed Alicorn. She seemed reluctant to talk to him at first, but lightened up a little after he gave her a warm smile. “My name is… Spring Rose.”

“Spring Rose, huh? Pretty name for a pretty filly.”

He chuckled warmly as she looked away and blushed. He could tell she was used to such compliments, but it was still embarrassing to hear. He put his hoof on her head and scruffed it up a bit, “Oh, don’t give me that look. Trust me, be happy you don’t have my name.”

“What’s your name?” she asked, the blush disappearing.

“Pestilence.”

“Pestilence… like, sickness?”

“Yup, that’s me.”

She muttered the word a few more times. He could tell it was making her feel sick just by saying it. “Don’t hurt yourself kid. So, if you’re not from around here, where are you from?”

Her smile faded and her eyes went back to the ground. “My village was attacked by Changelings…”

Dante simply stood quietly in front of the small filly as her eyes began to water. What should he say? What could he say? Without thinking, Dante pulled Spring Rose into a tight hug. “Don’t you worry… I’m here to make sure that these Changeling guys are put in their place.”

Fluttershy and the rest of the girls were exhausted from their training. They had spent the last few hours trying to perfect a barrier that would keep out anything that attempted to break through. Their efforts were more or less successful, but it was still hard work. The group had split ways, agreeing to wake up early so they could be prepared for the oncoming attack.

Fluttershy opened the door to cottage and walked in slowly. She yawned heavily, as she was normally asleep by this hour. Trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes, she used her tail to gently flick the door closed.

Angel hopped to her leg and hugged her. She smiled softly and returned the light embrace. Giving her bunny a smile, she jumped slightly when a thump was made on the door behind her.

Who could be here at this hour? She wondered. Upon opening the door, she was met by the shadow of a familiar black stallion. Her smile almost immediately returned as she welcomed War inside. She didn’t mind his late night visits. In fact, she enjoyed the company far more often than not.

“Hello War, is there something you need?” she asked, trying her best to erase any sense of sleepiness in her voice. War looked at her for a moment before continuing to walk past her, towards the window that he usually sat by. She followed him closely. She was always patient with him, knowing he would speak when he found the right words.

He watched the moon as it began its new journey across the sky. Normally, the eye makes very rapid movements as it searches for something to focus on. War, as with everything else, was slow in these movements. Because of this, Fluttershy could almost always tell whatever he was looking at, no matter what it was.

She began rubbing her eyes again, trying to force herself awake. War had still said nothing, and Fluttershy was beginning to worry. “War?” she said, trying to get his attention.

“I fear…” he said after a moment longer, “that the Changelings with not survive this encounter…”

She looked at him curiously. Wasn’t that how he was supposed to feel? Then why did he look so sad? Fluttershy didn’t like violence either, but she still knew that there was just no other option at this point.

“They are lost… But that does not mean they deserve destruction…” His eyes smoothly moved from the bright moon to the shy mare beside him. “Only I deserve destruction…”

“You don’t want to hurt them, do you War?”

After a moment, War nodded. His eyes moved away from her and looked towards the floor, at nothing in particular, “I… am tired… Tired of battle… Tired of War… Tired of Anger, Carnage, Destruction… Desolation…”

“Then why don’t you just stop?”

War’s eyes shot back to her. The look he gave her made it seem like the idea was absurd, unthinkable. She looked away nervously, but tapped in to her inner assertiveness and decided to press on. “No one is making you fight… Why do you feel like you have to?”

“It is expected of me…” he said, simply. “I am a sword… forged for a purpose… My wielder determines who I strike and who I defend…”

He opened his mouth to continue, but no words came. He simply looked down at Fluttershy as she tried to embrace his large body. She looked up at him and smiled. “No one is going to make you fight War. It is your decision. Not the Princesses, not Dante, nor I are going to ever tell you what you must do.” She placed her hoof gently against his chest plate. His eyes followed it as it pressed against his cold armor. “You have a soul… and it belongs to you and only you.”

There, in his eyes, was that emotion again. That one emotion that she just couldn’t find a name for. Whatever it was, it grew bright. It outshined the tiredness and sadness that normally occupied his eyes. Before she could find a name for this emotion, War put his hoof under her chin and brought his face closer to hers. She began to blush uncontrollably as he locked eyes with her. His normally cold, intimidating stare now seemed softened and tender. He looked deeply into her eyes, as if searching for something. She felt his eyes penetrating her mind, looking deep within and gazing at her very soul.

She could feel her face burning, but his hoof held her still. After the seconds had seemingly passed like hours, he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. She was speechless. She opened her mouth, but her voice had abandoned her. When he moved his head away, only be an inch or two, he opened his eyes again. From the way he looked at her, he seemed to be content with what he had found.

As if she could not become any redder, she whimpered softly as he kissed her nose softly. His skin was normally cold to the touch, but Fluttershy felt as if she would start steaming at any second when his surprisingly soft lips touched her skin.

The night felt as though it could last forever, and Fluttershy became one of the only living beings to see War shed his armor.

Chapter 16 - End Times "Unshackled Destroyer"

The moon was beginning to set along the horizon and the sun was rising up to begin its daily journey across the sky just as it did every day. War had arrived at the northern border of Ponyville just under an hour ago after making sure the barrier created by the combined powers of the Elements of Harmony was stable. Most every soldier that was under Dante’s command was positioned along the outer border; a large field by the edge of the forest. While a select few seemed tired, most seemed anxious for what was to come. War had long forgotten the feeling of going into his first battle. Being alive for several thousand years and living only to fight tended to numb away certain parts of his memory. He cared not for those memories that were lost, however. The only ones worth remembering were far too important to ever be forgotten.

Each of the soldiers gave him a nod as greeting as War passed through the ranks. Despite their obvious dislike for being up so early, they remained vigilant and watched the forest with searching eyes. War stopped by a tree near the front of the line. He sat down and eyed the sleeping pony that rested against it.

Dante sat against the tree, his face mostly covered by his hat which was tipped forward. Between his legs and held loosely against his chest was his claymore. War watched the way his chest moved inward and out and could easily tell he was not truly sleeping. This was confirmed when a loud whistle, much like a bird call, came echoing from the forest. A barely visible smile slivered across his face from under his hat. “Well well, looks like someone got impatient…”

At that moment, several Pegasi rushed out of the forest at incredible speeds. War caught only a glimpse of them as they shot passed the line of troops, but he could still recognize the armor they wore.

“A little precaution never heard nobody.” Dante picked himself up and straightened out his hat. Both their ears flickered as they heard a soft noise come from the forest. Dante’s smile only grew as his horn began to glow. His blade became enveloped in a magical aura and slid out of its sheath. It glistened slightly from the morning light. It hovered silently in front of him for a moment. Suddenly, a black object shot out like a bullet from a bush in the forest, heading straight towards him. His blade quickly spun about and struck the object, pinning it to the ground.

It was a Changeling. The sword had pierced straight through its skull, pinning it against the dirt and grass. Dante got down to be face to face with the dead creature. “I’m sorry, were you expecting sleeping beauty?”

Seeing their comrade fail, more Changelings shot out from the shadows of the forest to attack them. War and Dante had no trouble fending the fodder off, but others were not so quick with their reflexes. Here and there a soldier would be taken off guard and be tackled to the ground by the black horde. Luckily, Dante had put them into specific groups of twos and threes so that they could work together and defend each other. Because of this, not a single soldier fell during the first strike.

The second attack did not prove so merciful. After the third, only about a dozen of the soldiers were still standing, and half were tending to the wounded. Dante and War stood before the horde, holding their swords with their magic and stopping any and all who tried to pass them.

As they awaited the next wave, Dante ordered the rest of the soldiers inside the protective barrier. Despite their protests, they did as they were told after he barked the order once more.

“At least now we don’t have to hold back.” Dante said, cracking his neck loudly.

War took a deep breath and bowed his head in the direction that the Changeling horde was coming from. In the distance, they could make out the next wave coming. Amongst them was what looked like a few larger beings. Before Dante could get a chance to make out what they were, War’s horn began to glow brightly. A ball of light began forming around the tip. It quickly expanded before exploding forward into the trees. A green glow shone from the forest, and the blast soon found itself being broken apart, with pieces of light deflecting in several directions.

War cut off his blast and opened his eyes, curious to see what was strong enough to hold back his power. His eyes trailed the scar his blast had left on the land up until its abrupt end. At the end of the scorched earth was a Changeling that was much larger in size. It had long, silvery hair that was swept back. Beside her stood a Changeling that was only slightly smaller whose hair was styled similarly to War’s. War recognized her as the one the girls had referred to as Queen Chrysalis. The larger one glared towards War and continued her path forward through the scar.

“Stand aside, vermin.” She spoke with a very demanding voice. Nevertheless, War made no signs of moving. “Do you not hear me?” she said, growing irritated.

Just then, the shadows from the trees swerved and waved, forming together and growing out of the ground. They took shape to form a stallion. “Don’t bother Madora, he won’t move.”

War's eyes twitched slightly. “Death…”

Dante's reaction was much more vocal, “Horrus? What are you doing here? Where have you been?”

Horrus glared towards the two ponies from behind his blindfold. “Just out and about. Made some new friends,” he swept his hoof up towards Madora and Chrysalis, “as you can no doubt tell.”

“They are the enemy Horrus! They want to kill everyone here—“

“No, they want to live!” Horrus snapped back at them. “What right do you have to come into this alien world and determine who lives and who dies? This isn’t Hellion, our positions as the Horsemen mean nothing here!”

“Excuse me for calling you a hypocrite, but aren’t you helping these things?” Dante argued.

“Horrus has done nothing to aid in our cause other than strategic advice.” Madora chimed in as-a-matter-of-factly.

“Besides,” Horrus continued, “if these xenophobic ponies cannot survive in the world, then they deserve nothing less than destruction. Survival of the fittest, and all that.”

“That’s your reason for helping them?”

“More or less. As a Horseman, I am nothing more than a tool. However, here, in this world, I am not bound by tradition. I am not stuck permanently upon the ladder of power. Now, I can climb as high as I wish. Don’t you see, brothers? In this world, we can achieve true dominance! We can obtain what is rightfully ours!”

“The Changelings will succeed. Do you truly wish to be amongst the bodies we leave behind when we do?” Madora’s lips curved to a smile. “Why not join us? After all, we’ve already brought another towards our cause.”

Before Dante could ask what she meant, Horrus tapped his hoof on the ground and another portal of shadows opened nearby. From it crawled out a pony whose eyes were of anger and pulsated with darkness.

Dante opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He just simply watched, dumbstruck, as Vice moved to join the ranks among Horrus and the Queens. His eyes were full of worry for his friend, and then burned into anger. “Horrus… what did you do to him!?!”

“I simply showed him the way. He too seeks power, although not as I do. He wants the power to protect his beloved. 'Tis a shame Serena is not the same in this world as she is in ours. The poor boy doesn’t even realize…”

“Let him go!”

“And stop him from obtaining the strength to protect what he loves most?” He turned and circled around Vice, a smile across his lips. “Do you hear that, Famine? He wants to keep you from her. How does that make you feel?”

The darkness coming from Vice’s eyes flared. Horrus chuckled lightly. “It seems to me that he doesn’t want to go with you.”

Dante bit his lip. Horrus had done something to Vice and changed him. It certainly did seem like his style to do so. “War, keep those things away. I’ll deal with Horrus on my own.”

The black stallion ignored his friend’s directions and began walking towards Horrus and Vice at his own slow pace. Dante saw the way War glared at Horrus and the way his eyes would occasionally flicker towards Vice. “Are you sure..? If you say so… He’s all yours.”

War closed his eyes and his horn began glowing brightly. Everyone in the area, excluding Horrus, shielded their eyes. From behind their hooves they could see what looked like magical rings circling around the hooves of the Horsemen. The rings began spinning out of control before shattering completely. Their bodies began to glow brightly as they changed shape, reverting them back to their original forms.

Dante looked at his body and began clenching and unclenching his fingers. “Well, it’s nice to have these back… Hey, how long have you been able to do that?”

War turned his head slightly to see Dante behind him. “I saw no need to break the Princess’s spell… Until now…”

“You know I hated being a horse…” Dante grumbled.

War ignored him and kept looking on towards Horrus and Vice, who were had also been transformed. Without warning, Vice rushed forward. His legs moved like a blur, and a human with normal reflexes would never be able to defend themselves. He shot passed War, who made no sign of movement and went straight for Dante.

War grabbed the hand of his massive sword and slowly pulled it off his back. He held it out at arm’s length, pointing the tip towards Horrus. “So be it.” Horrus said as he reached behind himself and grabbed the two slim blades that were sheathed behind his back and pulled them out, twirling them around in his hands so they faced forward. “Madora, continue with the plan. We will buy you the time you need.” The Changelings zipped past the group and made their way towards the barrier.

War’s eyes held to Horrus. “You have made your decision…” he said, raising his sword above his head, “Now, come, Pale Rider… and show me your resolve…” With great force he brought his sword crashing to the ground, shattering it like glass. Rock and earth exploded forward towards Horrus, who dodged to the side as if it were nothing. He took the opportunity to rush him, moving his legs almost as quickly as Vice did. He swung his blades as one, but War blocked the attack with little effort by dragging his sword back. War swung his sword hard at Horrus, who ducked right lest he be cut in two. Horrus swung again, but War caught both swords in his free hand. Reeling his head back, War slammed his forehead into Horrus’. Horrus grit his teeth as he looked into War’s cold and merciless eyes.

“Show me those eyes…” War swung his blade down again, but Horrus dodged by leaping back. “Show me those eyes… so I may cut them out… and give them to one more worthy…”

“You’re not the only one holding back.”

“This… is true…” Suddenly, War planted his blade into the ground next to him and let go. Slowly, he reached up and started unfastening the ties that held his armor together. One by one, they came undone until finally his chest plate fell to the ground with a heavy crash. He then lifted his arm and began undoing the ties that held armor to his arms.

All the while, Horrus stood watching. “What are doing, War?” War did not respond; he only continued until his upper body was entirely bare of armor. He looked down at his hands as if it were the first time in a long time he had actually gotten a good look at them. “You want my full power… So be it…”

Every single muscle in War’s body suddenly tensed. He fell to his knees and held his face in his hands. He writhed, but still made no noise. One of his hands left his face and punched the ground. It was now that Horrus could see his body was changing. His arms began turning red and became smooth like armor. It slid up his arms, plating itself similar to that of an armadillo. When it reached his shoulders, it crept up off his body and formed a blunt point. From between his fingers grew large growths that were hard like bone. The horns became as red as his arms, but the tips became black and appeared cracked as if by heat.

Slowly, he slid his hand down and lifting his head up. His eyes glared at Horrus from behind his silver hair. They were a deep, bloody red. He rose to his feet, staring Horrus down. Towards the forest, more Changelings were rushing in to assist in breaking through the barrier. He lazily turned his head towards them. A smile that would be forever burned into Horrus’ mind stretched across his face as he raised his arm up and began drawing a five-pointed star within a circle in the air. He placed his palm against it and it began glowing brightly. At first, the blast made no sound. Then a deafening explosion burst forward, swaying the trees all on its own. The blast was massive, at least twice the size of War’s first attack. It eradicated nature and Changelings alike, leaving nothing alive in its wake. It stretched so far that a distant rumble was heard as it connected with a mountain some miles off. Horrus could do nothing but watch in awe as he looked at the eyes of the beast before him whose eyes burned with bloodlust.

As the beam of light died away, all that was left before him was dead. All that was left in its wake was Desolation. His eyes rolled gently back towards Horrus. His smile was still there. “Hello Death. I believe this is the first time we’ve met. Oh, I’ve heard so very much about you.”

“Desolate…” Horrus’ mind was filled with a hundred thoughts at once. He stood before the most powerful Demon his world has ever known. And he was most definitely not an ally.

He lifted his arms slightly, as if presenting himself. “In the flesh. I must say, I am surprised anyone still remembers me.”

“You certainly made a reputation for yourself… Why are you here? I thought War had a hold on you?”

Desolate laughed. “I was going to break free sooner or later. No, no… He freed me of his own will.”

“What? Why?”

“It seems to me that he is rather upset about the betrayal of one of his closest friends.” Desolate’s smile remained, but his eyes were now glaring at him. “I think he also wanted your last battle to be one worth remembering. I, of course, felt no reason to disagree. After all...” His smile faded for just a moment. "I'm not too fond of betrayers myself."

“What does he know?” Horrus dared take a few steps closer. “He doesn’t even know his own name! I’m fighting for what you believe in, Desolate: the powerful living over the weak! You should be joining me!”

Desolate's smile returned just as quickly as it had disappeared and he laughed again. It was not the kind of laugh that made you want to join in. No, it was the kind of laugh that sent shivers down your spine. “That does sound like a fun time.”

Horrus tried to smile at the answer, but he was still afraid for his life. “But,” The smile faded. “I will have to deny your request. For, you see, War and I have made an… arrangement. He lets me free to deal with you as I please, on the condition that it is only you that I deal with.” Desolate began cracking his knuckles as he grinned. “Now… let the fun begin!”

In an instant Desolate vanished, only to reappear directly in front of Horrus. Before he could react, Desolate brought his fist into Horrus’ gut, causing blood to fly from his mouth as flew a dozen feet back. He held his stomach, trying desperately to breathe as the pain from the force of impact pulsated. Having taught himself to ignore most pain, he quickly recovered and got back to his feet. In a flash, he drew his own Seal in the air and slammed his palm into it. The blast burst forward, but Desolate showed no signs of moving. He simply put his hand forward, blocking the attack entirely.

Frustrated, Horrus put his other palm on top of the first, effectively doubling the power of the attack. Desolate’s arm was thrown back as the light enveloped him. Horrus smirked, thinking he had overpowered the beast. His victory was short lived, as Desolate sprung out from the base of the blast, completely unscathed. He slammed his fist into Horrus’ face, sending him flying back once more. Desolate brushed off the imaginary dust on his body and smiled fiendishly towards his prey.

“I should know better than to underestimate you…” Horrus muttered as he held to the side of his throbbing head.

“You really should.” Desolate smirked.

Horrus rolled back and pushed himself off the ground. He quickly planted both swords into the ground before making an arc of several circles in the air. His arms darted around, drawing symbols in the Seals. After completing each in a matter of seconds, he placed both palms on the highest one. From each Seal came several missile-like shots that went high into the air before shooting down like mortars. Desolate watched as they arced high and came down like a hailstorm.

His image both disappeared and reappeared as shots began cratering the ground. He remained in no spot longer than an instant, as the ground he stood upon just mere milliseconds before exploded into dirt and dust. With each teleportation, Desolate grew closer and closer to where Horrus stood, until he was finally within range to strike. He swung his leg, aiming for Horrus’ head. However, Horrus ducked down and used to momentum to leap off the ground and swing his leg around and connect it with Desolate’s face. Desolate stumbled back, taken by the sudden attack. As he rubbed his jaw, he now noticed that Horrus’ blindfold now lay undone on the ground.

Horrus’ eyes were not a single color, but an abundance of all colors. They swirled around in a rainbow sea, no single color holding dominance for long. Desolate smiled, “The eyes of Destruction. Truly a sight—“

“—to behold.” Horrus finished. Without waiting, Horrus pried his swords from the earth and rushed for Desolate. The Demon swung his arm down, but Horrus dodged with ease. He swung his swords, but the blows were deflected by the armor plating that covered Desolate’s arms. Hoping to get him before he recovered, Desolate spun about and smashed his left heel into the ground where Horrus stood. Horrus swung his blades again, only to be deflected by the armor once more. With a grunt, Desolate through his arm out, sending Horrus skidding back.

“So, the rumors about those eyes are true then. Interesting.”

Horrus straightened himself, but remained poise should Desolate try anything. “Yes. With Destruction’s eyes, I can see into the future and know every move you make before you even make it.”

Desolate only grinned at Horrus’ words. “Very interesting! Destruction was always more into the magic of Seals than anything else. Always delving into the knowledge of things I cared little for.”

Desolate disappeared and reappeared in in front of Horrus with his arm raised high before slamming it into the ground. Horrus vanished and appeared behind him, swing his blade left. Desolate quickly spun about and blocked the attack with his forearm before sideswiping him with his leg. The blow connected, sending Horrus back out of range. His eyes could see his attacks, but that didn’t mean anything if he wasn’t fast enough to dodge.

Before he could get a chance to recover, Desolate appeared by Horrus’ side, his foot raised high to crush his head. Horrus rolled, narrowly dodging the crushing force that threatened him. He jumped back a few times to put some distance between them before swinging his arms around, drawing yet another arc above him. He did so far more rapidly this time, as the shots fired before Desolate had time to stop the completion of the seals. The light began showering around him in a flurry of fire and explosions. This time, however, Horrus rushed Desolate as he dodged about.

Desolate both dodged blasts and parried strikes while dealing out his own attacks. As Horrus’ blades made another connection with Desolate’s arms, he suddenly dodged backwards just as a light missile destroyed the ground between them. Desolate put his arm up to cover his face from the blast. Horrus foresaw this and quickly rushed back through the smoke and rubble, catching Desolate off guard. He plunged his sword through his stomach. Horrus grinned when he looked up and saw Desolate, wide-eyed. Before he could react, Horrus jumped up and flipped around Desolate’s large body and shoved his second sword through his back, right next to the first. When he hit the ground he rolled forward to catch his footing. He spun around and quickly drew another Seal in the air. The blast was intense, but Desolate held it back with his hands. Horrus scowled and tried to increase the power, and Desolate began sinking back.

As Horrus pulled back his hands, the Seal dissipated and the light vanished. Desolate stood at the opposite end of the new scar on the ground. His body was scorched and a small trickle of blood was running from the side of his lip. But still he stood. He grabbed the blades that were stuck in his body and pried each of them out.

He tossed them aside and raised his hand towards the sky. “I will not be put down so easily!!”

A Seal instantly formed around his hand. A single bright light shot up into the sky, punching through clouds and continued until the end was no longer in sight. Clouds seemingly formed from nowhere, circling high above their heads. It thundered vigorously like a hurricane as the wind began to pick up. Desolate let his hand fall back to his side. He smiled as Horrus looked up in shock, foreseeing what was to come. The clouds broke apart to make way for a massive meteor that was now plummeting directly above them. Fire flared all around it as it broke through the atmosphere. It was massive, and shards that were falling along side it that had broken off were the size of Canterlot itself, if not larger.

“Are you insane!? You’ll kill everyone!” Horrus shouted. Desolate only smiled.

“How do you think I died the first time?”

Horrus shuddered as he could already feel the heat from the monstrosity above him.

“I’d say you have about eight minutes to kill me.” Desolate said, now looking up at his creation. He brought his head back down and cocked it to the side with a menacing grin. “Oh, don’t give me that look. Did you truly believe that someone else was capable of killing me on their own?”

Horrus could not see it, but Desolate was now undergoing brutal combat in his own mind. Although War’s soul was now the recessive of the two, he could still hear and see everything that was going on, and he never expected things to become so… drastic.

Horrus held his arms out, calling for his weapons. The twin blades shot towards their master, who grabbed them out of the air. They still had Desolate’s blood on them.

Seven minutes.

Their battling ensued just as it had before. Horrus attacked with flurries and powerful Seals, while Desolate fought them off despite his wound.

Five minutes.

The two combatants were starting to slow down drastically compared to their speeds at the beginning of the battle. Desolate often held his stomach, and Horrus was growing tired with his excessive use of his eyes.

Three minutes.

The meteor was now much closer, covering almost all of the sky. Craters dotted the battlefield as Desolate ignored every blow in an effort to crush Horrus. Dante had long since brought Vice back to his senses, and both watched in a mixture of awe as the meteor came ever closer. Neither dared interfering with the battle, as they would likely only end up dead.

“Are you ready to die?” Desolate shouted as wiped away some blood and glanced towards everyone’s doom. If it hit, then everything beneath its shadow would become nothing more than a hole in the ground.

“Not by your hand!” Horrus was about to rush forward for another attack, but he stopped upon seeing Desolate suddenly begin writhing about. He roared in fury and held his arm. It felt like it was being torn off. As he looked down at it, he watched as the red armor began retracting back down his body. His eyes grew wide as he turned and saw the same occurring on his other arm. “No… not yet!”

He held his face his horns began pulling themselves back into his body. His cries died away slowly, and his body came still. When he pulled his arms away, Horrus could see that his eyes were no longer blood red; but were instead a cold grey.

War looked up and watched as the meteor was now within a minute’s reach. He threw his arms up together, quickly drawing a Seal. Placing both palms against it, a bright blast shot up towards the meteor. It collided with a thunderous sound that echoed all across the land. A shockwave burst out, following after the sound.

War’s blast increasingly intensified, causing the ground beneath him to crumble and sink down. The light grew ever brighter and larger. From a distance, one could see that the meteor had now, in fact, stopped in its descent. War clenched his eyes shut as he put everything he had into destroying what was above him. From the ground, a green aura began rising from all that was still living on the battlefield. Grass, trees, insects and plants; War used his power to call upon their aid in defeating Desolate’s final attack.

The light became so blinding to the point that no one could look towards War any longer. When the light died away, the only thing blinding in the sky was that of the sun’s own light. The storm had disappeared, and the meteor was eradicated. War still stood, sunken into the ground. His arms slowly dropped down to his sides.

War breathed deeply. It took every essence of his being to pull Desolate away from control, and then to destroy what threatened to annihilate everything he had come to hold dear. In the distance, he could hear a cheering of voices. He recognized Dante’s voice amongst them. Slowly, he closed his eyes. He was exhausted to the point where any kind of movement was unacceptable.

His eyes suddenly shot wide. He looked down and saw a blade sticking out from the center of his chest. Weakly, his eyes looked back up and saw Horrus, who was straightening himself out. Then all he could see was the cloudless sky above him as he fell onto his back.

Author's Note

My longest chapter yet. I really had no idea it was going to be this long, and i thought about splitting it into two.
Anyways, thanks for reading, and look forward to the last chapter!

Chapter 17 - End Times "Symphony of the Sick"

As the meteor fell to crater the earth, Vice flew at Dante in a flurry of anger and knives. Vice was known for his speed, but the fact that he was lashing out in anger made his moves predictable. He thrust his arm out with knife in hand. Dante slipped around it the attack, grabbing Vice’s arm and nearly breaking it. Quickly, Dante swung his leg, sweeping Vice’s legs out from under him. In one motion, he continued sliding his leg forward and raised it high before slamming it down into Vice’s gut.

He hit the ground with a hard thud. As his head cracked against the ground, his eyes shot wide as what looked like a million thoughts and memories flashed before him. He lay still on the ground for a few seconds, his eyes darting around as if trying to catch them all. His breathing was quick and heavy.

Dante swayed his weight to the side gently. The movement immediately caught Vice’s eyes as he reached out and grabbed Dante’s ankle. “Where are we… Why do I have a headache… and what the hell is that?”

Dante held out his hand and Vice grabbed his forearm. He was pulled back to his feet and opened his mouth as he saw Desolate and Horrus fighting to the death. As Dante gave Vice the short version of what was going on, both turned and watched as Desolate began writhing as he transformed back into War.

“War!” Vice began running towards his comrade, but Dante held him back.

“You’ll just get in the way!”

Vice tugged himself away from Dante, but did not try to run again. They both shielded their eyes as War shot a blast up towards the meteor. The light grew in intensity to the point where it was like looking directly into the sun itself. As the light began to fade, Dante and Vice slowly looked back towards their friend, who stood alone and looked towards the empty sky. The two Horsemen shared a double-take before laughing and cheering.

Their celebrating did not last long, as both their eyes tracked the sword that flew into War’s chest, sending him onto his back.

“War!!” Vice ran with what strength he still had in his legs towards his fallen friend. Dante was about to rush forward as well before something yellow shot out from behind him. Fluttershy and Vice arrived at War’s side together.

War’s eyes slowly slid between the two that hovered over him. “Famine…” he said with a gentle turn of his head. Vice instinctively grabbed War’s hand, “I’m here War… I have my memories back, and I’m here…” He closed his eyes tightly, “I should have seen through Horrus’ plan… if I had, this wouldn’t have happened…”

War looked at Vice with his same hollow glare. His words, however, seemed soft and rather comforting. “Famine… never regret your actions… you stood to protect what you loved… just as we all do…”

He slowly turned his head towards the weeping yellow Pegasus beside him. Vice had only just realized her presence. “And you…” Fluttershy raised her head and opened her eyes, unintentionally releasing a flow of tears. She inched closer to better hear his quiet words. “Do not shed a tear for me… I have avoided the cold hand of death for far too long…” He raised a hand and wiped away a fresh stream that had appeared on her face. “I have achieved what I have longed for centuries…”

He pulled her face closer, barely touching their noses together, “My War has come to an end… and I can finally sleep…”

Vice almost seemed to stop breathing completely as the light in War’s eyes slowly began to dim, until there was nothing there at all.

“No… No no no no NO!!” His chest shot in and out as his heart shot like a bullet. His eyes began burning with hatred as he got to his feet and looked towards Horrus. Horrus held his hand out and his blade pried itself from War’s body and returned to him.

“Tragic.” He said monotonously.

Vice had had enough. He tried to start sprinting towards Horrus with full intent to kill, but something snagged the collar of his shirt. He turned around, ready to end whatever held him back. His anger was almost completely washed away from the look he got from Dante’s eyes.

Dante’s posture remained static and for the most part seemed perfectly unaffected. Vice felt like yelling at him at first, but his voice forsook him when he took one look into his eyes. They were cold and black. Vice had never seen such menacing eyes before in his life.

Dante pulled on the collar, throwing him onto his rear. “Go. Take care Fluttershy back to the girls and stop Madora.” Vice’s eyes opened wider as Dante’s shadow seemed to be coiling around and moving of its own free will. “I’ll be the one to kill him.”

Kill? Dante had killed before, but he never before in his life was he so blunt about it. Vice got to his feet and started arguing, but his voice fell to barely a whisper when Dante’s eyes turned to glare at him.

“R-right…” he said after a sigh. He pried the weeping Pegasus away from War’s body and, with a finale look at the two Horsemen, ran off towards Ponyville.

Dante grabbed his hand by the top and tossed it carelessly into the air.

The grip on Horrus’ blades tightened. “So, what do you plan to do Pestilence? Are you going to capture me and take me back to our world?”

“I’m going to kill you.”

Horrus chuckled lightly even though it hurt after his grueling battle with Desolate. “Killing isn’t your style Dante. Or are you going to have Carnage do it for you like War did with Desolate?”

“I won’t need Carnage for this.” Dante’s shadow began rising out of the ground and began absorbing itself into Dante’s coat. Soon his coat was entirely black. The shadow burned like fire, rising off his body only to evaporate into the air. He twisted his arm around and pulled his sword, sheath and all, off of his back. He grabbed the hilt and slid it out, tossing the sheath away like he did his hat.

“You can’t be serious.” Horrus said, already knowing what Dante was about to do.

“You know,” Dante said, “I have a saying I like to live by.” He turned his sword towards the ground and planted the blade into the dirt, only deep enough for the sword to remain upright on its own. “Do unto others as they would do unto you if they had half a chance.” He smirked.

Horrus sighed and twirled his blades around in his hands before poising to strike, “Let’s get this over with.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Dante put his two index fingers to the tip of the hilt and slid them down the body of the blade. Following his fingers were four thin strings that went down and planted themselves in the dirt. Dante pulled the small staff from his back next. He looked over it closely, “You know, most people never notice this is a rosin bow.”

He lowered the rosin bow down to the strings and played a single note. He closed his eyes as the sound reaches his ears. He smiled softly. “It’s tuned perfectly…” He raised his eyes back to Horrus, “I’m not going to fight you Horrus. I’m just going to play you a song, and then I’ll kill you.”

Horrus tried to look into the near future and see what he planned, but all he saw was darkness. “What are you planning, you little—“

“Ah,” Dante interrupted, “language.” Dante began playing several more notes. The sky began darkening as he played. Horrus looked up, but there were still not a single cloud in the sky. His eyes searched for what was causing the darkness before opening them wide in shock.

The sun had turned black.

It was not entirely black, but more of what it would look like if it were covered by an eclipse. While he was distracted, he didn’t notice the walls of shadow rising all around him. He looked around for a way out, but every exit was soon blocked off. A small window opened to reveal Dante exactly where he stood. He pulled his bow away from his instrument slowly to cease the sound. He held his forearm out and a large bird, like a vulture, flew out of the shadows around him and roosted on his arm. It was black like the shadows, but seemed to be rotting away and barely holding together.

Dante smiled and pet the creature’s head as if it were a simple house cat. “You were foolish to think War was the only one who was an actual threat to you, Horrus. For you see, before they reach the domain of Death… they often rot with Pestilence.”

The vulture cried loudly before taking flight. The window closed and Horrus found himself surrounded by darkness once more. He could hardly see his own swords in his hands. Out of the corner of his eye he could see two lights glaring at him. They bound for him, getting closer and closer until revealing to be the eyes of a wolf. It, too, was rotting and showed flesh and muscle on random spots across its body. It dove for Horrus, aiming for his neck. He quickly disposed of the sickening creature with his sword. Upon impact, it exploded into black smoke. Horrus could hear more growling coming from behind him, and soon found himself surrounded by glowing eyes.

On the outside, Dante returned the bow to the strings. “I’ve been practicing so hard, day and night… I do hope you enjoy my lullaby.”

He slowly pulled it back and forth, gradually quickening in pace as he found a rhythm he enjoyed. His voice was quiet at first, but soon began to grow with each word he spoke.

Life is still spinning… Your end, my beginning… everything I hoped for has been strangely set aside…

Reason for living… My mind is forgiving… Destiny is proving to be absent from my life…

From the inside of the tunnel, Dante could hear Horrus battling with the creatures of pestilence. Horrus slaughtered rats, wolves, birds and other decaying animals as they attacked him. Dante could feel each one of them dying as if a little bit of himself was being severed every time. He continued his song regardless of the feeling.

I know when you’re sleeping…

I know the things you’re dreaming…

Dante opened his eyes halfway and watched the swirling tower of darkness before him.

And I know you will never give up and die…

His tune was haunting in nature. The rosin bow slid across the strings flawlessly. He pricked and held down strings near the hilt with his free hand. From his back grew two massive black wings that stretched out wide. They, too, seemed to be made of the shadows themselves.

Conscious fulfilling… The darkness revealing…

All thoughts and insecurities are shinning like the sun…

He couldn’t help but smirk at the irony in the lyrics.

Eyes are deceiving…

Your mind will stop breathing…

All that you are made of will now rightly become mine…

Horrus swung his leg out, catching bird and bringing it forcefully into the ground. He was growing tired and his breaths were growing heavy. His eyes were beginning to be more of a nuisance rather than an advantage. He cried out as a dog came from behind and bit hard into his left arm. He swung his blade, severing its head. The body fell with a thump before joining the walls of shadow that imprisoned him. He grit his teeth, the pain being far more than he expected.

“Oooo, that’s a nasty bite.” Dante’s voice filled the entirety of the small chamber. “You might want to get that patched up. You wouldn’t want to get an infection, would you?”

His voice was clearly sarcastic and mocking, but as soon as he spoke Horrus lost all feeling in his left arm.

“What? What did you—“ Horrus wasn’t able to yell in frustration, as the attacks from the shadow beasts continued relentlessly.

I know when you’re sleeping…

I know the things you’re dreaming…

I love it when you’re weeping… Even Death can’t stop this feeling…

And I wish you would just give up and die…

Dante continued plucking away at the strings of his instrument. His eyes watered softly as more and more of himself were destroyed with each one of Horrus’ strikes. He ignored it all, knowing that it was a necessary sacrifice if it meant that vengeance would be his.

He slowly slid the bow away from the strings. The sound ceased but almost seemed to remain, as if it had burrowed into the minds of all who heard it. The shadows died away, seeping back into the ground. Horrus was once again allowed to see the dim light of day. A dog held to each of his limbs, sinking their teeth deep into his skin. He looked about ready to collapse, only his will for power keeping him standing. The strings on Dante’s sword slowly plucked themselves off the hilt, falling onto the ground.

Dante slowly lifted his sword from the dirt and moved to a side stance, holding the tip of the blade towards Horrus with the blade near Dante’s face. He put his left hand to the base of the blade, just barely keeping it off the sharp edge. He slowly pushed his hand along to edge. A blue flame followed alongside his hand, eventually encompassing the entirety of the blade itself. The claymore burned but gave no heat.

And I know you will just give up and die…

He charged towards Horrus, who could only watch as they blade pierced straight through his chest. He made no sound and almost didn’t move at all as it cut through him like paper. The colors in his eyes came to a sudden halt in their movements and paled.

Dante closed his eyes and breathed slowly. “A very taboo art… ‘Nemod Los’. The Soul Crusher.”

The dogs let go of the body and slid into darkness. Horrus’ body fell to its knees. His eyes were cold and lifeless. No, it was more than that. There was absolutely nothing in them now. Dante had destroyed Horrus’ soul. There was nothing left of who he was.

The shadows covering the sun slowly slid back away, causing the scene to light up brightly. Dante looked down at the fallen Horsemen for a few moments longer before putting his hand out and closing Horrus’ eyes. He began walking away as the wings on his back folded back into his coat. The shadows around his coat dissipated into nothingness, completing his return to normalcy. Well, as normal as a Horsemen could get.

Dante sighed softly and turned his attention towards Ponyville. “Sorry Vice. I’ve killed enough people today.” Dante grabbed his sheath and slid the blade inside, slipping both it and the rosin bow onto his their parallel positions on his back. He picked up his hat and placed it on his head gingerly, straightening it slightly.

Since Fluttershy had broken formation with the rest of the Elements of Harmony, the barrier was easily broken and the Changelings swarmed the city like a horde of bees attacking those who dared disturb their hive. Madora laughed at the feeble attempts of the remaining Elements.

She was concerned at first about the sudden eclipse of the sun, but was confident in Horrus’ ability and continued in her onslaught. “You truly believe you can best me? Ha! It took the combined power of King Cosmos and Queen Galactia to defeat me, and all they accomplished was locking me away in the mountains!”

“What are we gonna do Twi?” a tired Applejack said to her lavender friend, “We can’t win against her, she’s just too strong.”

“Come on girls, we can win this!” a scarred Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Madora laughed at their pitiful displays of courage. Her smile did not fade in the slightest as Fluttershy returned to the group with her head held low. “I must thank you for leaving the rest of these vermin so that I would be able to break through the shield. Remind me to kill you last.”

“Fluttershy, where were you? Why did you run off like that?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy said nothing. She raised her head, allowing her mane to fall back and reveal her eyes. Her angry, glaring eyes. Twilight and the other girls tried to talk to her, but she heard none of their words. “You hurt him.” She said. “You hurt him! It’s because of you that he got hurt!”

Her wings shot out in an aggressive stance. She looked ready to charge the Changeling queen.

“You’re kidding.” Madora said in a condescending fashion, “You’re kidding, right?”

Fluttershy hooved at the ground, kicking up small amounts of dirt. Before she had a chance to attack, her view of Madora was obscured. Vice raised his hand towards Fluttershy and flicked her forehead. The Pegasus squeaked and fell back on her haunches to hold her forehead. Her eyes watered as her resolve was so easily broken.

Vice put his hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. His eyes weren’t piercing or even aggressive in the slightest. In fact, he looked rather calm. “Your name is Fluttershy, right? Listen, I need you to do me a favor. I’ve known War for a very long time… you could say he was something of an older brother to me, since I had no other family. I know that what he would want most is for the ponies of this town to be safe, above all else. I need you to take your friends and save the ponies from the Changelings. I’ll take care of miss high-and-mighty over there. Can you do that for me?”

Fluttershy was reluctant. She wanted to avenge War. She wanted to destroy Madora for what she had caused. But deep down, she knew she’d fail if she even tried. She forced a nod, which Vice returned with a small smile. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ll fight for the both of us.”

Fluttershy and the other Elements galloped away, leaving Vice alone with the Changeling Queen. Vice began stretching his limbs and cracking various parts of his body, “Thanks for being patient. As such, I’ll give you one chance to back off before I paint the town red with you as my brush.”

Madora responded with more laughter, “What a ridiculous sentiment! I’m not sure what is more unbelievable: the idea that you and these worthless ponies can actually defeat me, or that my daughter was so easily done away by such a defense.”

While Madora had been talking, Vice had slipped out one of his knives and was now tossing it in the air, making it do flips before he caught it by its hilt, only do it so again. He tossed it higher and this time he held out his index finger. The tip of the blade landed perfectly on the finger. A small trickle of blood slid down as the knife remained perfectly upright. “I’m really not in the mood to kill you.” He said, “I’d much rather be skinning Horrus alive for what he did to War. Hell, if not for him, you’d have been obliterated along with the rest of us.”

“Ah, yes. Remind me to thank him for that.” Madora replied with a sly smile.

Vice glared and tossed the knife up just high enough to grab the blade end and throw it at the Changeling. It shot through the air at surprising speeds, coming within inches of Madora’s face before she caught it in her magic. Her smile grew as the tip of her horn began glowing in its eerie green and a ball of magic began forming. A magical beam shot forward towards Vice. The attack was intense and surprisingly similar to the kind unleashed from the Seals.

Vice dashed left and began running towards Madora, dagger in hand and full intent to kill. Madora halted the blast and repositioned to fire again. It was too late, Vice was too close for the blast to fully charge. Before he could sink his blade into her neck, A green aura wrapped itself around Vice’s body. He started lifting off the ground before being thrown backwards into a large tree in the middle of town.

“People need to stop hitting me in the head…” he said as he rubbed the back of his head. Vice looked back up and saw Madora charging another blast. He quickly got back onto his feet and in the blink of an eye drew a Seal to match the attack. The blasts collided at the halfway point, each side struggling for dominance.

Madora was far more powerful than Vice had anticipated. Her attack began inching its way towards him, closing in with each passing second. Vice clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes, “I won’t go down like a dog… not this time!”

A massive burst erupted from Vice’s side, ending the duel and sending Madora back. She recovered and glared daggers towards the Horseman, angry at such willpower. She was not in the least startled when Vice’s back began opening and several black tentacles slithered out, flailing in random directions, occasionally lashing out at the ground and leaving a gash in the dirt.

Madora did not look impressed. “Am I supposed to be intimidated by your transformation into some kind of freak of nature?”

Two of the tendrils pressed against the ground and Vice was lifted several feet into the air. He held out each hand and a ball of pure energy formed in his palms. “Allow me to show you the real power of a Horseman!” He chucked both balls at her. Each vanished in a heavy explosion the moment they touched the ground. Madora had dodged them with ease, but was off-balance when one of the tendrils slammed into her side, sending her into a nearby house. The Changeling queen crashed through a few support pillars as she soared through the house, causing it to collapse on top of her.

She’s still alive…

Vice squinted his eyes, disgusted with the voice that plagued the inside of his head, “I’d be disappointed if she wasn’t.”

On cue, several wooden boards exploded out as Madora rose to her hooves, looking just as angry as ever. His wings flared up as her horn began glowing brightly. A magical blast shot out towards Vice. The tendrils that weren’t keeping him wrapped themselves around him, creating a shield. Madora fired blast after blast, but nothing managed to penetrate his defense.

As soon as Madora had finished her salvo, Vice’s barrier opened up and he threw himself at the Changeling before she could have a chance to recover. She was tackled to the ground, Vice pinning her beneath him by holding her by her throat. He slipped out yet another knife and raised it high, ready to end this.

Right as he was about to end the grand queen’s life, Vice was thrown off of her and sent flying a dozen feet away. Madora quickly rose back to her hooves, but found herself wrapped in a green glow and was soon off the ground. She spun her head around to see none other than Chrysalis standing off to the side, her jagged horn glowing.

“What is the meaning of—“ Before she could finish her sentence, Chrysalis threw Madora through the air and face first into the dirt. She was quickly picked up again and tossed amongst the rubble.

“I have had enough of this, mother!” Chrysalis growled, “I wanted vengeance, yes. But this is nothing more than murder!”
Without properly getting back on her hooves, Madora spun around and shot a magical blast at her daughter. Chrysalis shot into the air and retaliated with a blast of her own. A barrier formed around Madora, shielding her from the blast. As the dust cleared, Madora’s eyes burned with fury.

“I knew I should have left you to die out in that blizzard!” she said through gritted teeth.

“You are the reason the Changelings have been oppressed! You sent them on massacres and allowed our name to be slandered by countless murders!”

“Enough!” Madora hissed, “If you are so adamant about defending the lives of these poor wretches, than you can die alongside them!”

As Madora began charging another attack, two black tendrils slammed into the ground on either side of her. Vice had woken back up and was now being raised by the tendrils again. His pupils were gone from his eyes.

A tendril drove itself into the ground where Madora stood, but she dodged backwards. Another swept around and slammed into Chrysalis from the side. The Changeling hit the ground hard and slid a few feet. Madora fired a blast into Vice’s back, causing him to stumble forward. He turned and tried to crush her beneath one of the tendrils, but she dodged. She leapt up off the ground to avoid a second attack.

Chrysalis opened her eyes, dazed after such a strike. As her vision began to clear, her eyes opened wide behind her cerulean hair to see the relentless flurry that threatened her mother. She tried to stand and assist, and hopefully get in a hit for the way Vice had hit her, but she quickly dropped back to the ground. She whined softly. Had such a strike so easily broken bones?

After a dozen attempts, one of the attacks caught Madora off guard. It wrapped itself around her body, holding her still. As she struggled, another, smaller, tendril wrapped itself around her horn and in one quick movement snapped it off. Her shriek filled the town, causing every single Changeling that wasn’t already beaten into unconsciousness by Twilight and her friends to stop whatever they were doing and freeze. It seemed to affect them most as they soon began shaking and looked frightened.

Vice tossed the jagged horn aside and lowered himself to his feet. The tendril that held Madora pressed her forcefully against a wall of a house. He grabbed her by her hair and pulled back. He grabbed one of the daggers off his person and shoved it through Madora’s throat. Her eyes shot wide as she tried to scream, but only disgusting gurgles and chokes were able to make it through.

“Horrus is dead by now, so I’ll have to settle for you.” He pushed the dagger deeper until none of the blade was showing anymore. She struggled lightly in defiance before her eyes rolled back and she fell limp. The tendril that held her against the wall slithered back into his body along with the rest. His pupils returned and his breathing returned to normal.
Looking up, he saw that every Changeling in the town was now flying away in random directions. None remained behind to avenge their queen.

“Let them go.”

“I’m not angry anymore.”

Dante walked up beside his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at the Madora who was still pinned to the wall. He grabbed the knife and pulled it out, letting the body drop to the ground. He swung the blade swiftly, letting the blood fly off before sliding it into one of Vice’s sheaths.

Hearing a few gasps off in the distance caused Vice and Dante to look up and see the girls not too far from them. A few held their hooves to the mouths after seeing Madora. Dante began walking towards them, feeling it would be better if the girls kept some distance from the dead Changeling.

Dante whistled softly to get their attention and pointed towards his face, “Hey, my eyes are up here.”

None of them could understand how he could still make jokes at a time like this. “So, it’s done then...?” Twilight said, still looking past them at the black body.

“The Changelings have no one left to lead them.” Vice said. “Without their queen, they will likely focus on survival rather than a counterattack.”

Vice leaned in closer to Dante, a spark of his anger reappearing in his eyes, “There is no one left to lead them, right?”
“Horrus has been dealt with.” Dante replied.

“So he got what he deserved?”

“If he was getting what he deserved, I’d still be dealing with him right now. No, but eternity will never behold his atrocities again.”

Before Vice could ask what he meant, Applejack walked up and began inspecting them both. She gently nudged them a few times, as if making sure they were real. “So, y’all are still you… right?”

“Well,” Dante tipped his hat up and put on a thick but bad southern accent, “I reckon so. The question is: are y’all still y’all, or are y’all some o’ dem scary bug-lookin’ things?”

Applejack couldn’t have brought her hoof to her face faster.

Just then, a bright light shone from behind them and a large boom echoed throughout the town. The two Horsemen spun around, ready to deal with whatever new threat had revealed itself. Their hands slowly fell away from the weapons as Dante took a few steps closer.

“I…” he began, turning back towards Vice, “I think it’s a way back!”

“Just like that?”

“I guess so… I guess whatever we were brought here to do, we did; and now we can go back.”

“You’re leaving?” Twilight stepped forward.

“We have to.” Dante said with a shrug. “We don’t belong in this world.”

“Why can’t we?” Vice said. “Why can’t we belong in this world? Why do we have to go back, just to be tools again?”

“We don’t belong here, Vice.” He said sternly. “We are Horsemen for a reason. We are the generals of the military and advisers to the king. We hold everything together. Without us, our way of life would have ended long ago.”

Vice wanted to retaliate, but Dante cut him off before he could say a word. “I know why you want to stay. And I wish I could say that I know how you feel. But that’s not the same Serena that you fell in love with.”

Dante turned and began walking towards the portal, “This is probably the only way back. If you want to stay, then that’s your decision. But I—“

Dante felt a hand grab his shoulder. He looked around and was eye to eye with Vice. Dante could see the water that threatened to break through, only held back by willpower. Vice turned and took one last look at the ponies behind him before walking forward through the gateway.

“Will he be okay?” Twilight said, concerned.

“Yeah, he’ll be okay.” Dante said, smiling softly. “He’s just finally getting over his pain.”

Shortly after Dante and Vice’s departure, the town was cleaned up and buildings were rebuilt with the assistance of the royal guard. Twilight ventured off to Canterlot to explain what had occurred in Ponyville.

Chrysalis recovered from her wounds and was brought before Celestia. The two made a bargain: all Changeling raids would come to a full halt on the condition that a group of volunteers be brought together to supply enough love for the dying breed to survive extinction, and that Chrysalis get any say in political affairs that may affect her people.

The body of Horrus was never truly found. All that remained on the battlefield was War and a pile of ashes. Upon special request, War was buried by the tree that he and Fluttershy used to sit by and listen to the birds. She visited his grave every day and would sit quietly for an hour, only listening to the songs of the birds and the gentle breeze. A popular perch was War’s sword, which was put into the ground as a tombstone.

The gates to the throne room opened, revealing a rather large and open room with a map of the world in the center and a doorway to a balcony on the right wall. Compared to the one in Canterlot, it was far from what would be depicted as “royal.” It was plain and simple, and that was just how the owner of the castle preferred.

King Damien sat on his throne, elbows on the armrests and fingers intertwined. To describe him as a pleasant looking man would be insulting. He was tall with very pale skin. His hair was long and black, with a single strip of silver contrasting and slightly off center. His eyes were blood red and piercing. He glared down at the two men who stood before him.

“So,” he said, “you are saying that you were transported to a different dimension?”

“Something like that, yes.” Dante had taken off his hat out of habit. Despite his laid back attitude, he still held respect for his king.

Vice had remained silent since entering the throne room.

Damien cared little for Vice’s silence and surprisingly showed no signs of disbelief when Dante had given him the gist of their little adventure.

“And what of War and Death?”

“They, uh—“

“—are missing.”

Both sets of eyes shot towards Vice. He opened his eyes and looked up with rather defiant eyes. “They stayed behind during the final battle. We don’t know what happened to them after that.”

Damien rose to his feet and walked down the steps that led to his throne and was soon face to face with Vice. His eyes seemed to pierce Vice’s very essence as he looked into his eyes. Damien’s eyes searched for any existence of a lie, but Vice remained calm and contained.

Satisfied, or at least he seemed to be because of the little expression he showed, with Vice’s response, he turned and returned up the stairs, stopping just below the last step. “A ceremony will be held for them."

“Sir?” Dante said, surprised by the suggestion.

“Do not think I am growing soft. I will hold this world together under an iron fist, that I promise. But if one keeps too tight of a grip on their people, they will soon find them slipping out from between their very fingers. As well, Death was an excellent adviser and military strategist. War was disobedient and never bowed down, but he was strong and loyal.” Damien sat back down upon his throne and dismissed the two men. Both bowed and left, the doors closing behind them.

The funerals were held later that night. Two podiums were set ablaze to commemorate the two Horsemen who did not return. The Four Horsemen were not friends to many, so the precession was rather quick and quiet. Dante stood before the two podiums with his hands behind his back. The only ones who were truly there because they wanted to be were he and Vice; the rest were only their for reputation’s sake.

Dante and Vice watched the fire crackle and burn. “Do you think he was happy?” Vice said quietly. Dante looked over and could see the reflected fire dancing across his eyes. After a brief moment and a sigh, Dante replied.

“War was never one for smiling, but I could tell when I looked in his eyes that there was something there that just wasn’t there before. That yellow mare that we left behind… I don’t know what it was about her, but she did something to our boy that no one in our world would ever be able to do. If he had survived the encounter, I don’t think I would have had the guts to tell him to come with us. What he would be leaving behind… I would have had no right to tell him to come with us.

“He found a world that didn’t see him as a weapon or a tool for destruction. He found a town that wanted to know who he was, not what he was capable of. He found a girl that saw him as more than a soldier and as more than a man. I think that for the first time in thousands of years, he actually felt something more than exhaustion or the need for survival. He found something that I just can’t find a name for. Love and happiness are only pieces to the treasure he discovered.”

“He found peace.”

Dante nodded softly, “His endless war came to a finish, and he found peace.”

Author's Note

There it is, the story has finally come to a close.
I do wish to apologize, i really wanted to make the battles a lot more epic (especially War/Desolate vs. Horrus), but if my readers are anything like me, they'd tend to shy away from 10,000+ word chapters...
Anyways, will i possibly make a sequel to this in the future?
Maybe.
For now, i'm going to be taking a break to catch up on school work. I will be posting the prologue to my next chapter in the next week or so, so be on the lookout for that!
Also, i would like to confirm that the songs in the story are NOT my own. The links to the songs themselves are below:

Lullaby for a Deadman (Dante's Symphony)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDtDKuOGE40

Mirror Mirror (Serene Dream's song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmAsD8aRHBA

Those songs are phenomenal and i do hope you enjoy them

Redux

Author's Note

Considering it's been one year since I joined FimFic I thought it might be fun to revisit my first story. I hope you enjoy the "What If" scenario of the characters swapping places. Quick note: the slower pace and attention to detail is simply due to the fact that this is how Horrus thinks. He's a strategist and not nearly as laid back as Dante was about certain situations.

Redux

The sun slowly began to rise over the horizon, flooding the small, burnt up town in its warm light. From the shadows of a ravaged home, a figure shifted. From beyond its jet black hair came a pale skinned face. His expression was silent and his eyes were covered by a piece of black cloth. He was by no means blind, mind you, for he could see just as well as – if not better than – everyone else. From his spot on what could have once been the second floor to a house that practically looked sloppily cleaved in half he crept forward, his covered eyes scanning every bit of new scenery that came into view and his ears listening for any sound that should not be there.

Putting a hand on the ledge, he hopped down off of the second floor. His boots hit the wooden flooring a little louder than he would have preferred so he immediately crouched down and put a hand on one of the blades that was sheathed behind his waist. He waited a minute… and then two… and slowly returned to a standing position. He decided to keep his hand on the hilt of his weapon, just in case.

He wasn’t quite sure what had compelled him to sleep through what was left of the night. He, like any other being with common sense, would sacrifice such a need for sleep in an effort to explore their new surroundings. However he felt nothing but exhaustion after his sudden crash landing. How he even came to a crash landing in the first place was still beyond him. Regardless of how improbable such a thing was, it still happened and it is folly to think that one can always make sense of the past.

He stepped out of the building that once knew itself as a home and into the sunlight. It was certainly a bright and clear day, and that was the first thing to strike him as unusual. Clear days were rather uncommon in Hellion, and yet here was the kind of day that an artist would construe on a sheet of paper.

He lowered his gaze to the rest of the town around him. Ruination was the only word to describe it all. Homes and nature alike were devastated and some of the larger fires were still alive and well. Scattered about where he stood – a large cul-de-sac area – were numerous bodies. Removing his hand from his weapon, he walked forward and knelt down next to the body of one of the many creatures that lay limp and cold across the dirt. There was no doubt in his mind that it was an equine of some sort; or, at least, related to one. He gently brushed his hand over its body, trying to feel the texture of its fur. A very soft, pale blue coat… a mane white with a slight tint of said blue. Using his fingers he spread its eyelids open. There was no reaction from the pupils, confirming his suspicion of the creature being deceased. What rather surprised him was just how big the eyes were… it was almost cartoonish. Had these beasts always been this way, or had something happened to them to distort their bodies?

He continued to further examine the body. It wasn’t small, but definitely not as big as some of the equines from Hellion. Standing up, it would probably be roughly half his height; likely reaching his full height if it were rearing back. The hind legs seemed normal – by his standards – while the forelegs were double jointed. Moving from the legs back to the head, he opened the dead animal’s mouth. The tongue slipped out, as expected, and he was thankful to see that it didn’t have fangs or canines or something else that could be deemed out of the ordinary. The fewer questions he had, the better.

Finally, his gaze fell to the beast’s flank. There was an image of a feather quill printed on its fur. Upon closer inspection, the same image could be seen underneath the hair and on the skin. Was it a sort of branding? If so, then it would mean that these were mere beasts of burden and there was a higher intelligence somewhere. If not, then that would be another question to add to the list.

He was tempted to cut the beast open and see if any organs had been tampered with or misplaced, but that would have to wait. Besides, he knew not where he was and he’d rather not start angering the locals by cutting up the dead. He lifted himself back to his feet and continued wandering in a direction he deemed fruitful. On his way he saw more of the deceased. This time, however, they were different in debatably minute ways. One was orange with a black mane and the brand of a chocolate bar being unwrapped, while another was slightly dark shade of pink with an equally darkened blue mane and the image of three stars in a triangular formation branded on its flank. Perhaps these were not brands, but rather symbols for these creatures to be designated by? A sort of nametag, maybe? It seemed unlikely but still probable due to the fact that he had yet to see duplicates.

As he ventured further he began to grow used to the bright colors of… wherever it was that he was located. The colors seemed to jump out at him. Even his own attire, despite being mostly black, seemed more vibrant. He put this off as a trick of his eyes. His attention was soon taken away from the colors and brought to something new; something simple yet unmistakably foreign. Some of these equines had horns and wings.

He stopped first at the horned one. It seemed completely normal compared to the others, save for the growth on its forehead. He ran his fingers along it, feeling the small spiral as it went up. He touched the tip… not sharp, but not exactly blunt either. That took away the chance of it being a sort of defense in which it could be used in a charge. Perhaps it could be sharpened?

Seeing little knowledge to be gained, he left the horned equine where it lay and moved towards the more peculiar of the two: the one with wings. He vaguely recalled some tale of old from the human’s culture in which such a creature existed, but the name of which continued to elude him. Shrugging to himself, he knelt down and began his examination. The body itself was average, save for the wings. As expected, they were indeed designed for flight, but it seemed rather unlikely that such would be enough to get such a creature off the ground… Needless to say he was rather surprised when he found himself able to lift the beast off the ground with moderate effort. He was expecting at least three hundred pounds from the mare, granted its size. Yes it weighed significantly less… could it be possible that these creatures were genetically engineered? It would certainly explain their colors and anatomy.

For his final test, he took one of the equine’s – Pegasus! That was their name! – hind legs in his hands and in one swift motion, snapped the bone. He listened intently to the sound and remained stoic in expression as his suspicions had become confirmed. Their bones weren’t totally hollow, but close. Another sign of possible tampering, leaving these creatures with lighter weights to increase the possibility of flight. Who was doing this, and why?

There were no answers to be found amongst these bodies, that much was quickly becoming clear. To satisfy his questions he would need to find something living that he could communicate with. One could only learn so much from a corpse.

“Dead men tell no tales, I suppose,” He mumbled to no one in particular. Taking one last glance at the Pegasus, he rose to his feet. “Well, perhaps not dead men.”

He continued silently on his way towards the outskirts of town. Intriguingly, the farther out of town he came the more and more he came to find the corpses of the insectoid creatures that had attacked him prior. His inspection was quick, having already seen them. A solid carapace, small insect-like wings (Certainly these couldn’t be used for flight as well?), compound eyes that were the same color as the wings, obvious fangs that led to the assumption of a carnivorous diet, horns similar to those of the equine’s except far sharper… and then there were the legs. They looked torn apart, shredded, and natural all at the same time. With quite literally only half their legs and wings that under no circumstances should allow them flight, how did these things even move?

He dropped the corpse and took one last look around. What exactly had happened here? These insectoids, the equines, how were they connected? Were the insectoids a kind of guard dog for the others? Or perhaps were they the ones who had attacked in the first place? There was simply too much unknown. He had to learn more about them, and more importantly he had to learn where he was.

Rising back to his feet, two great leathery wings spread from his back. With a strong leap he was soon high above the wreckage that had once been known as a town. His covered eyes scanned the surrounding area, but there was nothing. Looking down once more, his eyes caught sight of a line of train tracks… If the houses themselves weren’t enough to prove signs of a higher intelligence, then that certainly was. And if this place was anything like Hellion – part of him hoped it wasn’t – then those tracks would likely lead to civilization.

He had no other choice at this point.

Chaos. That was all that could be used to describe what he had found at the end of those tracks. He had arrived hoping to find answers, but only received cries for help. He could hear the screams even from his position in the air as he saw a black mass beginning to make its way through the town. Well, at least he knew one thing: the insectoids were certainly not guard dogs.

He let himself drop, his legs bracing for the hard landing against the dirt. He happened to land right in front of one of those who were trying to escape. A yellow one, presumably a mare by the shape of the skull, with an orange mane slid to a stop before she collided with him. She looked up at him with absolute fear in her eyes before falling down and covering her head with her forelegs. Flexible things, weren’t they?

“Please don’t hurt me!”

…Wait, did it just–

Before having a moment to even finish his thought, a sharp hiss could be heard from behind the mare. One of the insectoids was charging straight at them, shooting through the air at quite the speed with the use of its wings. With a quick swing, he hit the threat with the back of his hand, easily throwing it off course and sliding across the dirt.

Taking the opportunity, the mare quickly got up and sprinted away. He made no effort to chase after her, only focusing on the task at hand. And that task seemed to be survival. It quickly pulled itself to its feet – hooves? – and charged him once more. It went for his throat, but he expected this. It may be fast, but his reach was far longer. He grabbed it by its neck, stopping it dead in the air. Not wanting to give it a moment to surprise him with a possible defense mechanism, he quickly pulled out one of his swords and slid it straight through the head, right beneath the horn.

He pushed it forward, letting it slide right off the blade and limply onto the ground. He swung his sword swiftly, hoping to get off any cranial fluids from his sword… was that the proper term? Cranial fluids? Just more questions to add to the growing list.

But that list would have to wait. For now, his attention had been brought to the growing number of the insectoids that were quickly gathering around him. Their presence was the least bit subtle due to their growling and hissing, and he had little to suspect from their actions due to their animalistic behavior. He spun around, swinging out his right wing, catching each of them in a row as they tried to rush him. They each stumbled over themselves as they tried to get up, ultimately putting some of the others down in the process. As planned, this led them to only come at him one at a time.

He dealt with the first by kicking his leg high only to bring his heel down on of their skulls. It was easily crushed between the force of his kick and the dirt beneath him. The next two were still far enough away to react. Making the observation that they were going at a speed they likely could not stop very easily at, he thrust his sword forward. The first became impaled upon his blade while the second, as he had predicted, was unable to stop in time before sliding onto the blade all on its own. The next was too close to deal with by sword, but their attacks were obvious and straightforward. He simply held out his arm and grabbed it by the neck, only for an audible crack to be heard as the beast fell limp.

And then there was light.

It wasn’t exactly blinding, but it certainly had some force to it. Physical force. Why did things have to stop making sense? Upon feeling the force of the light, he immediately tried to brace himself but his body was still forced back several feet. It appeared that other inanimate objects, as well as whatever equines were still in the area, were totally unaffected by this sudden force. Even his body was merely mildly disturbed, but it was rather the creatures under his foot and in his grasp and stuck on his sword that were being forced back. He nearly lost his footing as the one beneath was thrown away. He spun on his heels to watch the wave of light to continue outward towards the edge of town. He watched as more of those things were blown away, going as far to send them flying through the air.

He wasn’t sure how to react to something so sudden and supposedly harmless. He wasn’t sure how to react to the sounds of metal clanging against more metal as some of the equines gathered around him. When he turned around, the tips of spears were but inches from him. He looked past the weapons to meet the glares of a counted six of them, presumably stallions by their physical features.

“Don’t move!” One of them shouted at him. He did not understand why, considering he was not moving to begin with. His gazed fell from one armored beast to another, and found little difference between them. They all wore the same styled golden armor, likely standard issue, and were equipped with both spears and swords. Judging by their condition, these weapons had been in use uncomfortably recently.

“By order of her Royal Highness, you are to be taken into custody immediately! Lay down your weapons!”

He cocked an eyebrow. Her Royal Highness? Signs of monarchy, indeed. Judging by their variances in anatomy, none held precedence over the others. Each were equally armored and equipped, however it was one with a horn that spoke before the others. Logic would suggest one of higher ranking. Did the horn signify something? If there was a monarchy, surely there was nobility. Perhaps the horn symbolized a birthright. This seemed likely, as he doubted they lived the lives of warriors due to the way one of the other horned ones cowered behind the rest.

“Under what charges?” He said, his mind returning to the situation at hand. He brushed away the spear tip only for it to be quickly returned to its original position.

“I will say again,” the stallion continued slowly, ignoring his remark, “lay down your weapons!”

Must things be made difficult?

In a few swift motions, he grabbed the spear of the one who was questioning him and, thankful to the stallion for his strong grip and made a note to question one afterwards on how they even held weapons such as spears, pulled back. He swept his leg right to twist the stallion around and let go of the spear to grab the horn on its head. The others began to react until he put the edge of his sword against the soldier’s neck. The stallion struggled against him, but his grip on the horn was too tight. He began taking a few steps back, the stallion’s hind legs gently dragging through the dirt.

“You will let me go.” He began. A sudden shock surged through his left hand and arm, but he ignored it. Curiously, the stallion seemed to be in more pain than one would assume. Was the horn perhaps more sensitive than he had anticipated? “You will make no attempt to follow. Is this understood?”

The others glared at him. The stallion that was his captive had given up struggling. A moment later, the clatter of spears could be heard as they dropped to the ground. Perhaps this would not be as difficult as expected.

With a solid kick to the back, the stallion fell forward. Without waiting to confirm if his suspicions about the sensitivity of the horn were correct, he spun around and crouched down before quickly taking to the sky. He must have been about thirty feet in the air before a ball of light suddenly shot into the air and struck him in the back. He let out a cry of pain before plummeting back to the ground. He made no efforts to brace himself, simply falling limply to the ground with a thud.

Each of the soldiers turned around to see the smaller Unicorn that had been behind all the others breathing rather heavily and a small bit of smoke emanating from his horn.

Darkness. That’s all there was, all that could be seen… At least until he opened his eyes. Once that had happened he was once again met with all the bright colors this strange world had to offer. However, this time the white of clouds had become a much larger factor on the color pallet. He tried to turn his head but found it restricted. He could just barely see what looked like lightening tethering his wrists to the floor of the piece of metal he was currently flying around in, as well as four separate tethers that came up to wrap around his neck. Curiosity was certainly something that never let itself go in this land.

In his peripheral vision he could see that one of the soldiers – the one he had taken captive, he could tell by the slight differences in facial features – had removed both of his swords and kept them close. Up ahead, two of the ones with wings were confirming the possibility of flight and raising further questions by proving capable of pulling their load plus himself and the other stallion. They did not appear to be straining from the weight of it all. He wondered just how much weight one could carry at a time.

Looking beyond them, it appeared that their destination was about to come into view: a lone mountain surrounded by forestry and plains. Jutting from its side appeared to be a city, and a rather grand one at that. He’d certainly seen larger in his lifetime, but he’d also seen smaller. Their descent began before he was given an opportunity to look further across the land and the carriage rumbled as it bounced once on the ground before coming to a full stop in one of the gardens of the large castle that resided towards the back of the city. The garden was certainly one that was well-tended to, but his shackles left a majority to his imagination.

“Follow me.” The soldier said as he raised to his feet… hooves? He crossed in front of him to step off of the carriage. A strange glow enveloped his horn as well as the two swords that levitated by his side. As he moved, so did they. Perhaps the horn was not a natural occurrence for a matter of defense, but instead a catalyst for a form of telekinesis? How much could it carry? Could it be used to perform other tasks? Could it be made to perform other tasks? There may be a time for study in the near future…

“I said move!”

The outburst was enough to snap him out of his trance. From the slight twitches in his demeanor, staring at his horn seemed to make him… uncomfortable. Could it possibly be similar to the antlers of a buck or stag? If so, he would feel inclined to apologize. After apologizing he would feel inclined to ask how he knew he was observing the stallion’s horn from behind his blindfold in the first place.

A sudden sensation could be felt around his wrists and neck. He found himself to be less restricted and was able to look down and watch as the lightening that kept him bound morphed and contorted, pulling his arms together and fusing them together at his wrists. The four that kept him restrained all rose up only to fuse his collar and wrist restraints together. An understandable precaution, albeit an uncomfortable one. Finally able to stand, he nearly stumbled due to his legs having fallen asleep. How long had he been out? A better question might be what knocked him out in the first place, but what is life without mysteries?

…One that drives you insane with curiosity and the agonizing unknown, that is what.

In an effort to help relax his cramped muscles he attempted to flex his wings, only to find that they too had been bound by the same force that kept him prisoner. Quite precautious indeed.

The bonds themselves were strong, and due to their changeable nature it was likely that it was not a natural resource such as metal… could it be living? Or perhaps a much more interesting possibility may be that the bonds were created by these equines themselves in the same manner this soldier was using telekinesis. The bonds were strong, but certainly not unbreakable. But who’s to say he wouldn’t simply get shot down once more should he to escape? It could be in his best interest to simply follow along with wherever they may be taking him to and determine whether or not it would be in his best interest to stay after he learns of whatever they may be planning to do with him. Possible imprisonment and or execution were certainly not on his bucket list.

He followed the orders he was given and remained silent. His long strides easily kept up with the quick steps of the soldier. Now that he was unrestrained – or rather, less restrained – he allowed himself a quick look of his surroundings. They walked through a grand, beautiful garden that seemed to span the entire outer area of the castle, filled with many various and quite lively fauna and flora. A short distance away a large white wall could be seen, and beyond it only sky could be seen. Someone certainly enjoyed their privacy.

The outdoor air and greenery was soon replaced by the cleanliness and décor of the inside of the castle. Clones of those who had brought him in stood at attention at every door way, waiting for the moment when they would be called upon to fulfill their duties. They gave no forms of greeting to their fellow soldier, but he could see the way they would take glances at him. If this was not a clear indication that his kind, Demon or otherwise, was a rarity, then he did not know what was.

It was not long before the soldier’s and his conversation filled journey was brought to an end. A pair of guards stood before them, and before them was a pair of large decorated doors. One half, the door on the left, was decorated with the image of a slightly clouded sky and the image of half of a brightly burning sun. Its mirrored half depicted what appeared to be the night sky, with this side’s half of the sun being shown as a crescent moon. Interesting.

The sun and moon parted to reveal a grand hall. It was bright and clean, a red carpet led straight from the door to the side-by-side thrones at the opposite end. On the walls to his left and right were quite a few large stained glass windows decorated to depict events. But what events were they depicting? Actual history, or was it perhaps a retelling of a story that held great meaning to these beasts? Perhaps both? Questions for later.

For now, his attention was brought to something far more interesting than mere windows. Upon the dual thrones sat two contrasting figures. One was physically larger with a coat the color of snow. Its mane flowed in an ethereal fashion and was a wide array of colors. Its familiarity to his own eyes was ironic. The second was physically smaller and wore a coat that was as dark as night and wore a mane of darkness and twinkling light. It, like the other’s, blew in a mysterious and nonexistent wind. Most curiously of all these features was the fact that, unlike every other creature he had seen so far save the black ones, these two had both wings and horns. Perhaps this is what made them superior.

The soldier led him forward before the touching his face to the floor, “Your Highnesses,”

The white one spoke first. “Arise, lieutenant,” Her eyes wandered in his direction, “And do tell of our new guest.”

The soldier rose back up but remained at attention. “You Highness! During a raid on the town of Everglade, this creature arrived. From both eyewitness reports and my own personal experience, it has proven hostile to both the armies of Equestria and the Changelings. These,” The swords levitated forward before being placed on the ground at the base of the steps that led to the two regents, “Were found on its possession. From what has been reported, it is skilled in their use and has therefore been treated as a threat. As per your request, my soldiers and I brought the creature into custody and have now been brought it before you.”

The white one nodded to the soldier before rising up and descending from the steps. Becoming ever closer, it became more and more apparent that this one was quite larger. While the others would have had to rear back in order to reach his full height, this one easily stood at his height all on her own. She stood taller, even, if you counted the length of her horn. Was this also because of racial superiority, or was this simply due to her being female? Questions and questions.

She stopped just before him. He made no effort to avert her gaze as she tried to look beyond his blindfold; to look beyond his eyes and into who he was. She would find nothing. If he could look into the eyes of both the former and current Gods of Hellion and keep a straight face, then surely this crime against all he had ever known wouldn’t be able to break him.

“Lieutenant,” She spoke after several minutes of silence, “I thank you for your service and request that you leave us for the time being.”

The soldier looked surprised to hear such a thing, “B-but, Your Highness, I–”

“And please release his bonds as well. I assure you that there is nothing to worry about.” She added with a small smile, “If my sister and I could take on the likes of Discord in his prime, then I am sure that whatever force our new guest may bring with him will be welcomed in comparison.”

The soldier gave a small sigh before nodding and making his way towards the doors, which closed behind him.

As the sound of the doors closing echoed throughout the hall, the bonds that held his wrists and wings and neck together vanished suddenly. There was a slight tingling sensation where it had been, but no physical harm appeared to have been left by their presence. His gaze returned to that of the white one, who remained silent.

He never did like silence.

The sound of metal soaring through air could be heard as the swords flew from their position on the ground and shot by the white one’s sides. He grabbed them both and swiftly brought one below her neck while the other was in position to be driven through her forehead. During the action which occurred in but a second, she remained stoic and unphased. The smile she wore still remained.

Confidence because she knew he wouldn’t harm her, or arrogance because she believed he wouldn’t be able to? Time would tell. Curiously he found himself unable to move his hands from their positions, for they appeared to be enveloped in a dark blue glow. His hands were stuck in air and his fingers were unable to release the grip around the swords. It felt as though his hands were encased in blocks of ice.

“We hope that this is some manner of greeting from wherever it is you call home?” The blue one spoke for the first time, having not moved from her seated position on the throne. Her horn glowed in the same fashion as his hands.

Unable to break free from these new bonds, he decided to humor them. “It depends on who you are greeting.”

The blue one did not respond, only choosing to look down at him from her chair. After a moment his hands fell under his control once more. Instead of choosing to test these supposed rulers once more, he straightened himself and slid the blades back into their individual sheaths. From there, his hands cupped together behind his back and he took his usual stance when dealing with those who called for professionalism.

“I’m sure you have many questions about this place,” the white one spoke calmly despite the feigned attack not a moment earlier, “And we have many questions for you too. Would you like anything to drink?”

She wants him to relax, that much is obvious. However, landing in a new plane of existence only to be attacked, attacked again, and then taken into custody… a drink wouldn’t be enough to help him relax in his current situation.

“No, thank you.” He replied simply.

“Then perhaps thou would prefer to get straight to the point.” The blue one spoke loudly with subtle uses of archaic words. No, he was getting ahead of himself. Just because they were archaic in his world does not mean they are archaic in this one.

“That would be preferable.”

A cushion from the white one’s throne began to glow and descended down beside her. She promptly sat down upon it before turning to face the blue one. “Come down from there, Luna. I am sure our guest would prefer to have a conversation without having to look up at us.”

A practitioner of humility? Odd.

The blue one, who had been referred to as Luna, seemed reluctant at first before finally giving in to the wishes of the white one and descending from her position. She too carried a cushion in her telekinetic grasp to take a seat upon. He chose to stand.

“So,” the white one began upon seeing the other take a seat, “Perhaps you would wish to begin by telling us your name?”

It is common courtesy to tell one’s own name before asking–

“Oh, but where are my manners?” She smiled as she corrected herself. “My name is Princess Celestia. And this,” She gestured towards the blue one, who had yet to take her eyes off him, “Is my younger sister, Princess Luna.”

Princesses? Were there no king or queen? If not, then why would they choose to take such titles that were not as prestigious? Surely it was not to give the illusion that they were not as superior to the others as they truly were.

Nevertheless, he bent down slightly in a bow. “Horrus Rabe. I am afraid that my title is not one of such prestige. I trust your words are truthful when you say you have as many questions as I. As such, I suggest we tradeoff between one another. You will provide a question, and I will answer. I will provide a question, and you will answer. Does this sound appropriate?”

The two sisters looked at each other before nodded to him. The blue one – Princess Luna – spoke next, “About your title–”

Horrus held up a hand, halting her. “I was the last to present an answer. The question is mine.” It was needless to say that the younger ruler looked annoyed by being cut off in such a manner, but she kept her words to herself. For now.

“I would like to address to you both that I am not often one for idle chat.” Horrus began, “As such, I would like my first question to be my most important one: I am sure it is obvious to us all that I do not belong here, so I must ask why am I here?”

“If you are referring as to why you are here in Equestria, then I am afraid that I cannot offer you a definite answer. If you are referring as to why you are here in the castle, then it is because my sister and I received a vision three days ago. In this vision, we were told that four stars would descend from the heavens to aid us in our war against the Changelings.”

Luna continued after her sister had finished. “During my watch of the night, I was able to observe your descent. I immediately came to my sister to inform her, and it was but an hour later when messengers were sent to every regiment informing them to keep an eye out for anything… unnatural.”

A vision? Four who fell? At least he knew he wasn’t alone. Perhaps it was the other Horsemen? If that was the case, he could at least find comfort in knowing it was someone he was familiar worth. If not, then he supposed he would just have to make do.

“I believe it is our turn,” Celestia said, “You mentioned a title of some sort.” Luna revealed a small smile. She took pleasure in knowing she was not alone in our curiosity. “Are you of nobility?”

Horrus took a moment to think. He was technically in the top five most influential people in Hellion, but it was not something he was necessarily born into… But would he have even been given the job if not for his past lives?

“One may see it that way. My people are ruled by a monarchy, and I am the royal war strategist. I, and three others, each hold the title of Horseman.” He paused for a moment, mostly out of curiosity of how they would react to such a name. He did not have to wait long.

“Horse… man?” Luna said, almost seeming to have trouble with the words.

“Horseman. One who rides upon the back of a horse. Many years ago, it was considered easier and simpler to travel by horseback, but my kind has since developed new ways of transportation.”

“But what of your wings?” Celestia asked. “Are they not strong enough to keep you in the air?”

“No, my wings are indeed strong enough.” Horrus spread his wings as he spoke before folding them back up. “I speak in reference to those of my race who are not gifted in such a way. On the subject of such comes my next question: Since my arrival I have seen various differences between members of your kind. Some are adorned with wings and horns while others have neither at all; and then there are the two of you who have both. What is the reasoning behind this?”

“Ah, a far simpler question.” Luna said. “Let us begin with their individual traits–”

“Your Highnesses!”

Their conversation was brought to an abrupt end as the soldier from before burst into the room. He looked panicked and appeared to even be sweating.

“What’s the matter lieutenant?” Celestia rose to her hooves, as did Luna.

“There’s something attacking the castle! It-It’s some kind of–”

He did not get a chance to tell of what it was that was attacking, as a large hand made of darkness and shadows reached out from the doorway only to snatch him and disappear down the hall. There was silence… and then a voice spoke through as shadow began to seep into the room like mist. Just beyond the darkness was a faint glow which soon became like a shining beacon surrounded by black. It was all that was visible… that, and what appeared to be the faint outline of a wide brimmed hat.

“Horrus… help.. me.”

Chapter 18 - Where Did It All Go Wrong?

Where did it all go wrong?

That was all Horrus could think as he swung his blades to defend himself from the onslaught of creatures, if you could call them that, which surrounded him. A stab through the throat here, and beheading there; but despite his efforts the rotting beasts of shadow continued to try their damndest to tear his throat out. Of course, with the eyes of Destruction on his side he would be able to see every decaying hound or carrion bird or whatever else there was that dared erupt from the vortex of shadow he currently found himself surrounded by before they even formed, but he was still only human. Even he had his limits.

I know when you're sleeping...

"Damn you..." He cursed as he kicked up his leg and brought it down with great force upon the head of another beast as it leaped forward with teeth bared.

Where in the world had Dante achieved such a power? This was no seal, it just couldn't be possible. There could be no way that he could have developed a seal all on his own that allowed him to not only create so much without great strain to his body but also have it all remain so stable for so many minutes. And if this was not all being caused by a seal, then just what was it? Perhaps there was some native somewhere close by, aiding him with their “magic?” No, there was no living being nearby. From what he had observed during his relatively short time on this planet, none of the inhabitants were aware of how to conceal the outward pressure of their souls, or even how to sense that pressure to begin with.

I know the things you're dreaming...

What if... no, it couldn't be. It simply couldn’t. There was simply no way that this was the sheer essence of his soul bleeding freely from his body. And yet, what else could it be? Using a seal was like putting a different kind of faucet to a hose; you can change how it sprays but the water is still just being thrown forward. This... was something else entirely.

I love it when you're weeping...

Horrus let out a cry of pain as a hound managed to evade his steel and sunk its teeth into his left arm. He quickly put the tip of his right sword against its forehead and easily slid the blade in through the skull and back out again.

Even Death can't stop this feeling...

He growled at Dante's mocking words and swung at whatever beast was next in line from their endless wave, but instead of a single killing blow the attack missed the head and only swiped across its chest. It then only took the Demon a moment to fully realize just what had happened. These beasts must have injected him with some sort of poison, an anesthetic of some sort.

But even with him losing all feeling in his left arm...

And I wish you would just give up and die...

Even as more sunk their fangs into his limbs, forcing him to drop to his knees just to maintain some sort of balance... Even as the torrent of thick shadow fell away to once again reveal the battlefield and the one who was forcing him to endure through his current situation...

Even as Dante pulled his sword from the ground and held it close to his face with the tip pointed in Horrus's direction, seeming to caress the blade while blue flames sparked to life around the cold steel, Horrus could feel only one thing.

Now Horrus's eyes could see the indefinite future. Whatever was going to happen, he could see it coming, allowing him the opportunity to act and change it. Such an act was often taxing on his body and could even leave him completely out of breath and lightheaded if he tried to look too far. But at that moment all his eyes could see was darkness. Silent, permanent darkness.

And it filled him with fear.

And I know you will just give up and die...

Horrus watched in horror as the flaming blade cut through the air to pierce his chest and was utterly shocked when he felt... absolutely nothing. He had expected dying in combat to hurt and it honestly felt a little... underwhelming. The darkness that he foresaw was there and surrounding him, but it was nothing compared to the infinite void he had anticipated. No, this wasn't death, this was...

Horrus opened his eyes and once again found himself on his knees in the open field. There, just a stone's throw away, was Dante. Once again he pulled his sword from the ground and lit it. Hadn't this already happened? What was going on?

For a second time, Dante rushed forward to plunge his blade through his former comrade, and for a second time Horrus felt... nothing. All he saw was darkness until he opened his eyes again.

"What's going on?" He questioned, not so much to Dante, but to whatever sadistic force there was that thought it amusing to see him face his demise time and time again.

Perhaps this truly was death? Being forced to suffer through the moment you were beaten again and again and again for all eternity. If this was the truth, then he was going to get real tired of that constant numb feeling real fast.

Again the sword slid through his chest, and again he found himself still kneeling before his better. After all, what could he do? Twisted animals had their teeth in his flesh and all he could do was watch as the one who had once called him brother was to be his executioner.

Perhaps...

"Stop!" He shouted, but it was too late. Again the sword found its way through him and again he opened his eyes. Well, it was worth a shot.

How many times had he been killed so far? Ten, twenty, a hundred times? He had given up counting. A blink, a look, a stab, reset. A blink, a look, a stab, reset. A blink, a look, a stab, reset. How long could this go on before he lost his sanity?

He was a man of level mind of course. However, despite the fact that his entire body felt completely numb, whether it was due to the beasts gnawing on his arms and legs or the fact the he truly was dead, it was all beginning to get just a little bit tedious at this point.

Blink, look, stab, reset.

He was beginning to not even bother opening his eyes to see his new demise coming. A small amount of pressure against his chest every twenty or thirty seconds apart was enough to remind him that he was still trapped.

He was actually finding himself sighing between deaths now. After all, what could he do? He was beaten, forced to his knees. If he dared stand, the blade would still find its way to his chest one way or another. That was how he found himself in this situation to begin with; he dared stand against the status quo and look where that got him.

Blink, look, stab, reset.

No.

Blink, look, stab, reset.

"No!"

Blink, look, stab, reset.

"NO!"

Horrus's eyes snapped open and he grit his teeth as he watched the steel burn. If he was to die, then there was no changing it... But he'd be damned if he didn't die on his own terms!

The sword cut through the air once again, but this time Horrus wanted it. He needed it to come forward. This time, things would be different. This time, change would exist not because the world desired it, but because he demanded it.

The sword came closer and closer. Horrus had been cut down enough times to know just where it would pierce and when it would do so.

"I refuse a future of your making!"

Horrus threw himself forward and watched as the blade slid right between his eyes. Once again his eyes fell shut and what he saw shocked him to his very core. Dante stood just as he had a moment ago. The sword was still plunged halfway through Horrus's skull, and for a moment it felt like the entire world just... stopped.

But none of that mattered. He had finally broken the cycle of repetitious death, but even that almost fell unnoticed to the Demon. To him, something far more important had just happened.

Despite the hollow and numb feeling in his limbs, Horrus forced his arm forward. With sheer will keeping his blades in his hand, he used the momentary shock of Dante’s plan failing to pierce one through the Horseman’s stomach.

Dante stumbled back, his grip on his sword failing and leaving it embedded in Horrus’s skull as he reached down to grab the one in his own body. As his concentration was broken, the shadows that made up his wings, the sickening animals, and even seemed to consume the sun all dissipated slowly.

Horrus struggled to get back onto his feet. His limbs felt like they were on fire as feeling made its way back into them little by little, but Horrus ignored it all. His legs visibly shook under his weight, threatening to collapse but he kept them straight. He forced them straight. He reached up and grabbed Dante’s sword by the blade and pulled it out, tossing it to the ground. An icy sensation filled his skull, but still he made his body move forward, step by step to the one who dared think he could put down Death himself.

Horrus smiled and chuckled quietly, “It’s a miracle, ‘brother…’” Gripping the sword tightly, he plunged it further through Dante’s body, forcing a choked gasp from him. “I can see again!”

The rainbow of colors in Horrus’s eyes danced and spun about, never ceasing in their moment for even a moment as the Horseman of Death flexed his vision to its limit and only ceasing to do so when his senses begged him to stop as the strain became too great

Horrus shoved Dante back, letting him fall off of the sword and onto his back. Dante reached to cover his wound but went still when he felt the cold steel of his former brother’s blade just below his chin

Horrus yanked the blade from Dante's body before shoving him onto his back. He swung his sword through the air to throw off any blood. His smile soon faded and his eyes turned back down to Dante.

"I'd tell you to save your breath, but I know you won't listen."

Dante covered his mouth as he began violently coughing. He looked at his hand and scowled at the blood that was now there before letting his head fall back. "Won't even let a dying man have his last words..."

"Like you'd really listen if I told you to shut your mouth." The burning sensation coursing through Horrus's limbs as he regained feeling in them was painful, but he feigned a calm appearance as he stood above the dying man and slid the sword in his left hand back into its sheath. His eyes fell from Dante’s face to the wound before flicking back up.

“Heal it.”

Dante struggled to lift his head back up and look at the other Horseman, unsure if he had heard him correctly. The look on Horrus’s face seemed to assure him that his mind truly wasn’t playing tricks on him at the moment.

“Go ahead, I’ll wait.” Horrus crossed his arms and admired his weapon a little. “I suppose allowing you a few more moments to speak your last is the very least I can do, considering we worked together for so long.”

Dante glared at Horrus for a few moments, trying to figure out just what the Demon had planned. But the excruciating pain in his gut was telling him to worry about that later, and so Dante took the opportunity to draw a complicated array of lines across his midsection. For years and years, healing Seals were required knowledge amongst the elite of Hellion’s military. It would be common knowledge to every soldier if not for just how taxing it was on the soul and just how long it took to actually learn. Even so, one thing that most teachers would neglect to mention right away was that the healing process would force you to endure the same amount of rushing pain through your body as the moment you were wounded before it would begin to heal. For years it has simply been an unavoidable side effect with no signs of being resolved any time soon.

Dante cried out in pain as the wound slowly began to close. He bit his lip and strained to keep his body still as the burning grew in intensity before slowly subsiding again. He gasped for air as the Seal finished its job, closing his eyes in an effort to relax.

“Now, that first one was for trying to kill me.”

Dante screamed out as Horrus pierced his sword right back through his body in an almost casual fashion. “This one is for all the other times you tried.”

Horrus rested his arm on the underside of the hilt and shifted his weight towards it, leaning on it as if it were a wall or post. Dante had no idea what Horrus was referring to when he said “all the other times” he tried to kill him, but right now he wasn’t much concerned about that as much as he was the fact that there was a sword going through his body once again.

“Go ahead and speak your piece. Tell you what, I’ll close my eyes so that I can pretend to react to whatever it is you have to say.” True to his word, Horrus closed his eyes and awaited whatever insults or such that the Demon had coming to him.

“I hope it was worth it,” Dante spat, harsher than he meant to due to his wound, “Slaughtering us all just… just so your chair’s back could be a little higher…”

Horrus frowned, “You didn’t have to stand in my way.”

“You’re prepared to wipe a species off the map and let a parasite thrive just so you could have your dick stroked by whoever you want!” Dante’s voice was trembling now and his hands tightly gripped the sword that was going through his body to try and pull himself up. “Who’s next? Is Vice to die too?”

“Famine will live so long as he doesn’t-“

“He has a name, god dammit! Vice… Virtus! And you know damn well that he will never stand by and watch… not after what you did to the man he looked up to!” Dante let his head fall back and grit his teeth, trying to fight through the pain. “People don’t like us, Horrus… not even our own! And you chose to kill all the ones who still gave a damn about you… None of us are safe from your pride… Not me, not War, not Vice… not even yourself…”

Horrus’s eyes opened just enough to glare down at the dying Demon. He knew full well who he was referring to.

“Go ahead and finish me off already…” Dante released his grip on the blade and closed his eyes. “I can’t stand looking at you anymore…”

Horrus was silent as he grabbed the sword by the hilt and yanked it out of Dante’s body, forcing a hushed cry from the Demon. He stood over Dante, arm pulled back and sword poised for a quick slash across the throat. At that moment, however, he felt something grab his wrist. An immediate sense of fear rushed through him for a multitude of reasons. The first was simple: the fact that something had managed to sneak up on him.

The second was that he knew, despite his relatively short amount of time in this new world, that none of this land’s inhabitants had discovered how to hide the presence of their souls, let alone even detect them, and yet he could detect no one there save for himself and Dante.

The third clarified his suspicions that it was indeed not a natural inhabitant of the land – at least, to his knowledge – as the grip on his wrist was enough to tell him that it was a human hand.

The fourth thing that concerned him was that the town had gone silent, which likely meant that that the battle was over and, if the hand gripping his wrist was any indication, Madora had not come out on top.

The fifth thing was that, despite all of these things being considered within just a second and the likelihood of Vice being this close to him, he was still alive to be concerned.

Horrus spun around, too taken by the moment to consider using his sight, and what he saw standing there behind him made him wish with all his heart that it really had been Vice with his daggers. There, holding firmly to Horrus’s arm, was a woman just shorter than he. Her hair was jet black like his and came just past her shoulders and but that was where the similarities came to an end. She wore a white coat that was tightly buttoned up to her neck and a pair of similarly colored dress pants. But her attire was a mere afterthought when he saw the empty sockets that were this woman’s eyes. A black void surrounded by red and pink flesh. When he tried to avert his eyes, she grabbed his face and pulled it inches from her own, forcing him to look into the darkness.

And in that darkness he found himself consumed. Horrific imaged burned throughout his vision, throughout his very mind. No matter how he tried, his eyes rejected his demands to close. Visions of corpses, some human and most native, littered the streets he walked. An inferno devoured the crumbling city all around him. Nothing was spared from the hell that followed him as his legs moved him forward despite his furious protests against such. Ahead of him was one soul who dared live in his presence. Large with an ethereal mane, her once pristine white coat was now covered in dust, ash, and blood. At her feet was another like her, only smaller and blue. This one remained still on the ground, a bloody wound covering her chest. The white one trembled with uncontrollable fury and her eyes began to glow until they shined brighter than the sun. The city flames died down as a greater fire sparked to life around her horn, taking away the oxygen that they fed upon. The conflagration surged forward towards him, consuming him just as it had consumed everything he had walked upon. The fire burned away his skin and melted his weapons to boiling puddles. His bones cracked and fractured, but despite it all he still lived. Something kept him alive so that he could endure through the pain and agony of being incinerated. He wasn’t even allowed to scream as he watched flesh, muscle, and bone disintegrate before his very eyes.

And just as quickly as it had all come, he was back. Standing above a bleeding Dante in the open field just outside Ponyville, his body was shaking. He could still feel the fury of the fires that hungered for him and craved to leave not even ashes in their wake. His sword fell to the ground as his shaking hands came before his eyes so that he could be sure they were still there and in one piece. His quickened breaths very slowly began to make their way back to a normal pace but still the feeling of being torched alive filled his senses. He could smell the searing flesh and the cracks and pops of hungry flames echoed in his ears.

Was… Was this the future that he had seen? A fiery, raging hell that would only lead to his end? All this time, had he only been stepping closer and closer to his demise? One could suppose that is simply life; no great general ever took his forces to war thinking he would fail. But still the images haunted him. It all felt so real…

At that moment, he sensed multiple souls slowly moving in all around him. Had he been focusing on his vision more, he probably would have seen it coming much sooner. However, so long as the inhabitants of the world let their souls flare out like they did, even attempting to sneak would be like doing so with a large neon sign above their heads.

One of the souls began rushing towards him at a faster speed than one would move at without good reason. Horrus quickly spun himself around and threw out his leg, catching none other than one of Madora’s changelings right across the face. The sudden change in trajectory sent the changeling straight into the ground. Not dead, but alive enough to remember it should know better.

However, it began to seem like much less of an accident when another came rushing towards him with teeth bore not even a moment later. Of course, it was going to have to try harder than that to catch the Horseman of Death off guard. Horrus threw his fist forward, letting the second changeling collide with it and flip numerous times as momentum sent it further on its new course.

“What is the meaning of this!?” He shouted, not one to take kindly to what appeared to be an ambush from friendly forces.

A large changeling clad in armor – far more than simple fodder like the first two wore – stepped forward from the tree line. “Apologies, commander,” It spoke with a deep, off sync pair of voices. “But our queen left us with very specific orders on what should be done if we were to fail in this battle. For it was your strategies that brought us to this climax,” As it spoke, the numerous amounts of Changelings that were hiding stepped into view, something that likely would have intimidated the Horseman had he not already sensed their presence, “And if we are to fail, then so shall you.”

Horrus glared daggers at the Changeling, not so much because of the race’s betrayal but more so because they actually thought they could win. The elite surged forward at speeds faster than the previous two Changelings had achieved despite being weighed down by more armor. Horrus flexed his vision and feigned a counterattack. Just as the elite came within range of Horrus’s sword it kicked the ground hard and shot into the air while two more flanked from either side. While this tactic may have been enough to best a lesser opponent, Horrus was anything but and knew their plan without even needing to use his eyes much. His left hand grabbed the sheathed weapon behind his back and held the blade at its length just as the Changeling neared, allowing it to simply shishkabob itself on the weapon while the right hand spun the blade around so it was held backwards in his hand and brought it downward to pierce the other Changeling’s skull and pin it to the ground. Horrus’s eyes shot upward to the elite just in time to see it diving down on him. It wasn’t quite fast enough, though, and he swung his left sword like a bat and sent the elite tumbling across the ground before it regained its composure mid-roll.

Horrus looked it in the eyes as he grabbed the impaled Changeling and unceremoniously yanked it off and let it drop to the ground. “Disgusting,” he muttered just loud enough as he glanced down at the blood covering the folded steel. “You’re going to have to try better than that if you want to kill me.”

The Changeling growled, “You insolent little-”

He didn’t get a chance to finish his taunt before a claymore flew through the air like a javelin and went straight through the elite and knocked it right off its cratered hooves. The Changelings, and even Horrus, all went a bit wide eyed as they turned their heads towards where the sword had been thrown from. There, hunched over and clutching his stomach with a hand surrounded by a glow only a Seal could provide, was a still very pissed off looking Dante.

As casually as a person could walk while enduring a searing pain in their midsection, the Horseman of Pestilence stepped forward and pried the sword from the now deceased Changeling elite and moved back to where he previously stood. He shot Horrus a dirty look as he passed by and grumbled, “You bastards talk too much…”

Horrus simply raised an eyebrow at the normally kind spirited man. Sure he had seen the Demon when he was upset by something before, but it usually never lasted quite this long. He shrugged, ‘Perhaps that’s what a near death experience can do to a man.’

“So, Judas, it seems like you’re running out of friends by the minute. Still have some master strategy to secure victory?” Dante straightened himself up, eyeing the Changelings as they shifted uncomfortably after watching their leader fall.

“Of course!” Horrus confidently claimed, “A leader who can’t adapt and plan for every new situation isn’t a leader worth following.”

“Oh yeah? And what might that plan be?” Dante raised his sword towards the horde that surrounded him. They were growing closer and more confidant as the remnants from the assault on the city joined their numbers.

“What do you need my plan for? Can’t you do your scary shadow thing and eat them all or something?”

Dante turned towards Horrus with face looking like the other Demon had just asked dance their way out of the coming battle in some spectacular musical number. “No, I can’t ‘eat them.’ Excuse me for not feeling one hundred percent after being stabbed twice!”

Horrus sighed and shook his head, “And I’m starting to wish I had done it a third time…”

Dante spun about and began taking strides towards the other Demon, “Alright, fuck the Changelings, I’m gonna kill you first!”

Horrus grabbed the sword that had he had used to pin the unfortunate Changeling to the ground earlier and began walking to meet Dante, “Is this really the time to be arguing about this?”

“I honestly don’t care much if I live, just so long as I see your head separated from your body first!”

“Oh please, like you’re really in any condition to be fighting with me right n-” Horrus raised both swords to block Dante’s angry swing. For nearly dying, he certainly wasn’t running short on his reserves of strength.”

“I wouldn’t be in this condition if someone hadn’t decided he was better than the rest of us!” Dante growled as he pushed to break the lock in his favor.

“Well at least you aren’t dead, that must count for something!” Horrus pushed right back, his blades gaining more ground on the other Demon than Dante would have preferred.

“Try telling that to War!”

Meanwhile, the remnants of the Changeling horde had given the two Demons only a tight circle for themselves. Their heads moved from one side to the other as the two went back and forth with each other, both confused by their actions in such a situation as well as none of them wanting to be the first to strike after seeing what these foreign creatures were capable of, even while wounded.

“Well if you would stop throwing a goddamn fit and let me execute my plan, then maybe I can fix that!”

“Already trying to play god, are we?”

“Ugh! This is why we don’t talk! You have no concept of imagination and you think that simply because no one can do a certain thing, then that certain thing is impossible!”

“I’m pretty sure that’s the definition of impossible, you idiot! Besides, not even Destruction was able to achieve bringing back the dead and she was ten times the Seal user that you are!”

“Times change, Pestilence! And with it, so does our potential!” The two were practically just shouting at each other at this point, but this time Horrus pulled away from their interlocking blades and began taking long strides towards the spot where War’s lifeless body lied. He ignored just how close the Changelings had gotten, instead shouting at them to move once he got close enough. The drones, fearing the wrath of these raging Demons, quickly obeyed his demands and gave Horrus a wide berth. Dante followed a short distance before planting his sword in the ground and crossing his arms to await the Horseman’s grand achievement of bringing the dead back to life.

Horrus sheathed one of his swords and pushed the blade of the other into the dirt. Dante watched with skepticism as he began drawing a large circle in the dirt. The shape was about twenty feet in diameter around War’s corpse. Once it was finished and as close to perfect as the Horseman could get it, he stopped for a moment and put his hand to his chin.

“Let’s see… A star is necessary of course, but how many? More than one, that’s for sure… Three might be too many and it wouldn’t do anyone any good if I only killed myself in the process like that. Two should do.” Immediately he began running across the diameter of the circle, pulling his sword with him and drawing the lines that made the five-pointed stars. The nearby crowd simply watched as he ran back and forth, drawing symbols of varying shapes and sizes in the dirt around the body. The entire time Horrus seemed to be muttering to himself, likely debating on which symbols to be used, how large they should be in the grand scheme of the Seal and thus their importance, and of how he should probably be taking more pride in knowing he’ll be the first man to actually break the laws of nature.

“How do you know this will even work?”

Horrus stopped for a moment to look at the other Demon. “You mean you haven’t noticed?” He quickly got back to work, “This world isn’t at all like ours.”

Dante’s eyebrow rose, “Clearly. What’s your point?”

“My point,” Horrus cursed as he had to fix one of the lines, “Is that there have been hundreds of theories on whether or not life exists outside of our world. Now, not only do we know that there is indeed life, but not human life. From what I’ve seen, humans aren’t even some form of myth in their cultures. We simply didn’t exist. Thus, one might be lead to believe that this world doesn’t work the same way ours does. Where we our own form of an ‘afterlife’ where our souls enter a dormant state for an unspecified amount of time, this world must have something different. As such, our souls would presumably be, for a lack of a better term, stupefied by this unfamiliar ‘afterlife’ and be unsure of where to go. From this information, I believe that we still have time to return War’s soul back to his body before it realizes where it needs to go to properly ‘pass on.’”

“That seems like a whole lot of speculation to be risking your soul’s stability over.”

Horrus shrugged, “Great discoveries have been made on less reliable information.

Shortly after, the Seal was finally completed.

Horrus took a breath, feeling slightly winded from the constant running and having to fix any lines that were scuffed or weren’t straight. Sliding his sword back into its sheath, he cracked his knuckles and stood over War’s still frame.

“Well,” he said, “here’s hoping my soul doesn’t get crushed under the pressure.”

“I plan on seeing you dead either way.”

Horrus rolled his eyes and glanced towards Dante, who had not moved at all during the entire drawing of the Seal. “It’s a good thing I’m not doing this for you then.”

Expecting no reply, Horrus tensed his body and pushed his arms downward with his palms flat. The Seal began to glow a bright electric blue and a strong wind began blowing from it, kicking up small amounts of dust. Many of the Changelings became startled by this and quickly took to the air and rushed away, eager to escape the growing source of power. Even Dante found his skeptic attitude beginning to subside from the display.

The Demon threw his arms out, palms now facing inward and slowly raising until they faced outward. His fingertips began to glow the same electric color as the Seal and as they spread apart sparks of what looked like lightening began lashing out chaotically but strangely never going further than the Seal’s border. Horrus’s eyes closed and he spoke softly to himself, “Now where are you…” The lightening soon began surging towards a single spot, converging to one blank space of air. When the bolts collided they exploded into a bright flash. Whatever Changelings that had chosen to remain behind were now stepping back in fear and shielding their eyes before retreating just as the others had, scattering into the nearby forest.

Horrus flinched as the light seemed to be sucked out of him into the growing ball of light in front of him. The light grew brighter and brighter until it was as if Horrus had created some miniature sun before it all suddenly faded away. Dante had pulled his forearm up to cover his eyes, and when he lowered it to see the results he didn’t notice his jaw drop.

There, floating above War’s corpse was his soul. Almost like a twinkling star, it’s rays intensifying and diminishing randomly. Towards the center of the soul was a white hot light that dulled the farther it got from the core. Horrus held his arms out to the soul and it immediately began falling towards his hands as if attracted to him simply because he was the closest living thing. It hovered just above his open palms and remained there as he slipped his hands around it until they were above it. As if handling a balloon that might pop at any moment, he delicately pushed it downward.

The soul came to a halt at War’s chest. Horrus kept one palm against it as the other pulled back. With an open palm, he slammed his hand down and once again there was a bright flash. A shockwave slammed Dante like a truck, forcing him to brace as heavy winds began to pour out from where the other Demon stood and threatened to shove him back. Horrus was effected by it all even from within the Seal, his hair and coat being blown backwards and looking as if he was trying to weather a storm.

Seconds felt like minutes as the soul slowly sunk into the fallen Demon’s body. Finally, after what felt like three hours but was truly only three minutes, the light from the soul faded away as it disappeared behind War’s skin. The glow from the Seal faded and the winds died down. It became eerily silent in the open field as the two simply stood there looking at War’s body.

Suddenly, Horrus’s legs seemed to just give out as the man collapsed. Dante rushed to his side and, as much as he would hate to admit it later, was a bit relieved to see that his heart was still indeed beating. However while he felt relief knowing that Horrus, as questionable as his intentions may have been, had not destroyed himself trying to do the impossible, he didn’t know what to think when he heard War suddenly gasp for air.

Author's Note

I had planned on continuing the Redux but I figured that seeing the same events but with different characters would be boring. Anyways, please point out any incosistancies you find as it had been quite a while since I've really even looked at Fallen Stars; spelling and grammar issues too.

P.S. sorry for my shitty MS paint drawing of the Seal Horrus drew... I'm no good at the fancy arts

Chapter 19 - They Live

Princess Celestia dismounted her carriage the moment it touched the ground in Ponyville. Her sister’s protests to her actions fell upon deaf ears as she too stepped off the golden chariot to join her sibling, but not after a quick “at ease” to the two at-attention Pegasus guards that had towed them to the front lines.

“My goodness…” Was all Celestia could bring herself to say as she looked to the broken bodies that resided in the streets and the broken homes that made up the once humble town. At first she felt relieved in seeing that many, if none at all, of the ponies that were outside of shelter were more or less unscathed and tending to those truly were wounded. Casualties, it seemed, were kept to a bare minimum. However, a terrible feeling in her gut washed away the relief as her eyes trailed over the dead or dying bodies that made up the Changeling horde.

Despite her conflicting emotions, the regal Alicorn couldn’t help but feel guilty for the events that had occurred. She knew that so long as Madora led the Changelings than there would never be a hope for anything other than a bloody conflict, but perhaps if she had only tried…

“Sister, are you alright?” Celestia almost jumped at her sister’s words despite their calm flow. She took a deep breath to ease her nerves before giving the younger Alicorn a short nod.

“Yes, Lulu, I am just… taking in my surroundings.”

Luna extended her wing to wrap around her older sister’s frame. “As am I, dear sister. I am sure we both wish this was simply a bad dream we could wake up from. And speaking of things that belong in dreams…”

Celestia, having closed her eyes to savor her sister’s affection, opened them once more to see a figure approaching them. Like Dante and the one he called War, this one walked on two legs. As well, its choice in attire was just as questionable. Mostly brown and black in color, leather straps that served to hold small sheaths in place covered its arms, legs, and torso. A majority of the sheaths were filled with knives or daggers, though half a dozen or so appeared to be empty. Wrapped around its neck was what seemed to be a scarf that once matched his snowy white hair but was now stained red.

“Your highnesses,” he put his forearm against his chest and bowed before the two princesses. “My name is Vice Virtus, Horseman of Famine. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” His eyes shifted towards Luna and the two shared a nod.

“Likewise.” Celestia replied, “My student has told me much about you and your kind.” The two Alicorns began to bow, now knowing that being a “Horseman” was a prestigious position in their world but Vice held out his hand in a gesture to stop them.

“Please, save your bows for someone more deserving. Now,” He cupped his hands behind his back and stood straight, “I assume you are here to inspect the aftermath?” Upon seeing the two nod, he stepped out of their path and held out his arm in the direction of the battlefield. “Please, right this way. While I’m sure your subjects will delight in seeing you here during such a traumatizing time, there are other important matters to be tended to.”

Again, Celestia nodded. What surprised her at that moment was that she had stolen a quick glance towards a house whose owners seemed to have hastily boarded up and were now peeking out through whatever gaps there were to catch a sight of her. How had he noticed such a minute movement of her eyes of her eyes and slight relaxation of her posture and immediately deduced the cause? She knew there was much about these “Demons” that she did not yet know about, but it appeared even the information her student had written about it in her letter was still barely scratching the surface when it came to not only what Demons were, but these special individuals as well.

“I agree,” Luna spoke, a slight hint of reluctance in her tone that confirmed that she was just as worried about the inhabitants of Ponyville as much as her sister. “I suppose we should, oh what as it that they say now… ‘Cut to the chase?’” A frown crossed over her face as the next question came. “Tell us of the… casualties.”

Vice, in the same formal tone that he had used during the entire discussion thus far, replied swiftly as the three walked together. “By our reports, civilian casualties include three dead, seven wounded. Military casualties include one dead and roughly ninety percent are wounded but will likely live to see another day. Of course, the battle has only just ended and a proper head count has not yet been made.”

Despite the tragedy that was the passing of at least four of their subjects, the two regal sisters couldn’t help but be rendered speechless by this report. So few of their forces knocked out when the enemy was a force as great as it was? Eye witnesses reported seeing the Changeling horde’s attack all the way from Canterlot, their numbers were so many.

“W-when we had received word from Dante that he was taking the role of training the enlisted, I had no idea that he would be able to turn every day ponies into such an army…” Celestia said, more speaking out loud rather than directly to the Horseman.

“It took time, but all the forces we could muster were awaiting the order to reinforce the town.” Luna added, recovering from the news faster than her older sister. “And then the great calamity began to fall from the sky. When we saw it, we thought we were far more outmatched than we had previously predicted… We began to fear that perhaps all hope was lost if the Changelings had such a power as to pull objects from the very sky and use them against us. And yet, it was destroyed before it could even touch the ground.” The lunar princess stopped in her tracks, causing the other two to stop as well.

“Was it you who stopped it?”

If one was perceptive enough, they may have seen the slight frown that proved to be the first real emotion to be shown to the Alicorns since their arrival. “No, I did not stop it. Nor was it brought by the Changelings as you has assumed.”

Vice turned his head to either side, ensuring that no eavesdroppers or potential interruptions were nearby. “I presume that you have been informed of our ‘past lives’ as well from your student?”

The nodded, “Vaguely, it proved to be a difficult concept to comprehend. Whether that is from Dante’s information or my student’s way with words has yet to be seen to.”

“The way it works is simple, really. Two souls, one body.” Vice held up two fingers on one hand and a single finger on the other to emphasize. “When our kind dies, our soul leaves our body for an indeterminable amount of time before being reborn into the world. The amount of time a soul can take can be anywhere between ten minutes and several thousand years. It is speculated that there are souls who have lived only once and have yet to be reborn. But I digress; our souls retain the ‘memory’, or consciousness, of our past lives. War’s former life, as many Horsemen’s tend to be, was a former Horseman: the Horseman of Desolation.

“The Horseman of Desolation, or Desolate, as he is often called, was a very dangerous and powerful man. He was known throughout all of our kind as an unkillable destroyer that refused to follow any order that wouldn’t lead to some form of conflict. It was said that he joined the Horsemen by destroying an entire criminal organization with his bare hands as a child. Eventually he went rogue, daring the very mightiest to come and claim his head but none succeeded. The story goes that even while surrounded by an army, he knew that they would fail to kill him just as everyone else had. And so he used his power to bring down the same force you had seen before and proved that the only one capable of killing him was himself.

“Now, to the point of this story: while our past lives are conscious within us, our souls are constantly fighting for dominance. With our soul being the dominant vs their recessive, the chances of losing ourselves to our past lives are slim to none. However, Desolate, as previously mentioned, is far from just a normal soul and simply being recessive wouldn’t be enough to hold him in check. For years he has been trying to break War and it would appear that today was finally the day. However, shortly after being released, Desolate was wounded and again tried to end everything around him. War regained control and used everything he had to try and stop it. He saved us all, but some were less… grateful than others and-”

“Princess Celestia!”

A certain lavender Unicorn sprinted forward after unintentionally cutting the Demon off. Princess Celestia smiled and turned to embrace her student once she was close enough. “Oh Twilight, thank goodness you’re okay.” The Alicorn’s smile turned from her student to the rest of the Elements. “And it warms my heart to see that all of you are unharmed.

“More or less…” Rarity added as she fussed over a part of her mane that had been ruined during a scuffle.

While Twilight may have been contend to be held by her teacher until this awful day was over, the curiosity growing within her friends was becoming too much.

“So who’re you supposed to be?” Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves and cocked an eyebrow as she hovered over to Vice.

“Ain’t you the fella who took on Madora all by himself?” Applejack spoke up as she too approached the Demon.

“Now that I think about it,” Twilight said as she pulled away, albeit reluctantly, from her teacher’s comforting touch to take a closer look at the black sheep of the group. “You look kind of familiar.”

Vice gave a gentle bow, “Vice Virtus, Horseman of Famine. I believe we met briefly in your home after I was recognized. Sadly, I was still suffering from amnesia at the time.”

“Amnesia? That sounds absolutely dreadful!”

“Do you remember what caused it?” Celestia asked.

Vice took note of the way that, even though Twilight had already pulled away from the embrace, Celestia still kept a protective hoof on the Unicorn. Perhaps teacher-student relationships ran deeper here than they did in his world, or perhaps there was simply something more. Regardless of which is the true reason, it was something to think about some other time.

“Vaguely. I recall landing in this world and being attacked by the Changelings shortly after. The next morning, I took to the sky in an attempt to better understand just where I was. It is here that my memory is a little fuzzy but I remember feeling some sort of… sensation. I began to fall and must have fallen unconscious. When I awoke, I found myself in the care of a small family and in the same form as the two of you.”

Celestia hummed as she brought her hoof to her chin in thought, “Hm, perhaps it was…” A sudden blush arose in her cheeks and her eyes widened a bit in realization. She coughed into her hoof upon noticing the awkward pause she had taken, “Erm, it truly is a mystery…”

“As thou were saying,” Luna said, stepping forward and eyeing her sister for a moment before looking back to Vice, “Something about your friend?”

A pregnant pause filled the air. Vice, as well as many of the girls, shifted uncomfortably. Fluttershy began to lose her composure and buried herself into Pinkie’s fur as the other mare pulled her into a tight embrace. The two princesses looked confused at first but soon enough put two and two together.

“Oh my…”

Vice nodded gently. “War has… passed. One of our own betrayed us and joined with the Changelings and managed to defeat him.”

Celestia brought her hoof to her lips and her ears drooped back slightly at the news while Luna’s stance stiffened. “A traitor!? Where is this whelp? We shall invoke the full extent of our power to see to it that-“

Vice held out his hand in a gesture for her to stop, “Please, your highness, while your enthusiasm is appreciated, Dante has taken care of the matter. By now it’s likely that our former comrade is… is…” A few of the ponies cocked their heads in confusion as the Demon’s eyes slowly shifted from the group in front of him to someplace down the road. The mare’s turned and their jaws dropped at the sight they saw.

“…is being carried by the man he killed.”

Chapter 20 - Never Wanted This

At speeds fast enough to make even Rainbow Dash do a double-take, Fluttershy shot forward down the road and didn’t bother to slow down at all. What would have likely knocked a normal pony off their hooves and sent into a tumbling roll merely nudged the admittedly surprised War back a few inches. The sobbing yellow Pegasus cared not for the limp man that he carried in his arms or for his non-pony form. All that mattered to her was that he was alive and that the dreadful, empty feeling she had felt when she saw the light fade from his eyes was not going to last until the end of her own days.

War said nothing and simply turned his head to lean it against hers. While one may have seen this as hardly the proper reaction, his familiar slow and gentle touch only helped further convince her that he truly was alive and standing before her once again. She buried further into his neck, her wings flapping quickly to keep herself afloat.

“For one who has supposedly passed on, you are certainly looking quite… lively.”

War’s attention turned towards the group now approaching him, specifically Princess Luna as she had been the one to make the comment. The other mares looked at the two Demons in their true forms with mouths open and eyes wide in amazement and curiosity. Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle at the way Twilight quickly began examining the foreign race from every angle she could and mumbling to herself about the similarities they shared with Minotaurs and questioned their fine balance without the use of tails.

The gentle giant seemed content to let the small group stare as much as they want, but the second Demon seemed far less keen on the idea for the moment. Dante strode past the six mares without so much as a passing glance and made straight for Vice, “Where is Madora?”
Vice seemed taken by his blunt question. “Erm, back there, somewhere…” He lazily pointed his thumb over his shoulder before gesturing towards War and an either dead or unconscious Horrus, “But would you kindly explain a few things first?”
“Later,” Dante turned to Celestia, “I assume your kingdom has prisons?”

Celestia furrowed her brow, “Yes, but if you won’t explain why your one friend is still alive then would you at least inform us of who this fourth member is?”

“Public enemy number one,” He replied simply before spinning on his heel and heading off in the direction that Vice had pointed him in, dragging the still confused Demon along for the trip.

Dante glared at the once so powerful “Grand Queen” of the Changelings that now hung against the wall of somepony’s home. She stood just barely taller than he while pinned by a single blade from Vice’s arsenal as if some kind of example to be made. Behind him stood the owner of the blade, arms crossed and growing more annoyed with his partner’s attitude and neglecting to explain important matters.

“Twinkiling,”

Vice cocked an eyebrow at the word.

“Twinkling!” Dante shouted the word this time, fists tightly clenched but keeping his eyes locked onto the corpse. Behind the two of them was a small crowd of ponies mostly consisting of the militia he had whipped into shape not so long ago that gawked at the appearance of such strange looking creatures. One of them, a tall mare that Vice had almost mistaken for a stallion under all the armor, jumped in surprise at the sound of her name being shouted by one of them. She hopped forward and stood as straight as she could. While the appearance of the two before her was odd and admittedly a little intimidating, she could recognize that wide brimmed hat anywhere.

“S-Sir!”

“What is the status of the town?”

She quickly swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking, “A p-proper head count has nearly been finished, sir! By our reports, what was once three confirmed dead has become five confirmed. Two mares that lived with together with one other that we were only just able to save in time, as well as a stallion and his eldest son who reportedly fought back those that broke into their home to defend their family.” Her tone saddened and slowed with every word and her head dropped in shame as she continued, “We couldn’t save Lightning either… His wounds were too great…”

Vice could feel the raw emotion flowing from Dante and took a step back. If what he felt wasn’t enough of an indicator then the sight of his friend beginning to shake in fury was enough to tip him off.

“Is it so difficult to live in a world where people aren’t slaughtering each other over power!?” Dante pulled his fist back and threw it forward, filling the air with the sickening sound of the dead Changeling’s skull being crushed to pieces from his punch. “None of this had to happen!”

All was silent for a few moments save for the sound of Dante’s heavy breathing. He pulled his fist from what was once Madora’s face but was given little time to admire his work as Vice stepped forward and pried his weapon out, causing the body to fall to the ground in a slump.
As Vice began wiping the blood off his blade before slipping it back into its proper sheath, Dante began storming off in the opposite direction.
“And where do you think you’re going?”

“Away from here,” Dante growled in response.

“Oh no you aren’t!” A blank tendril burst from Vice’s back and shot forward, wrapping around Dante’s arm and yanking him back violently. The Demon was in no mood however, and threw his bloodied fist forward towards his comrade. While it may have taken a lesser soul by surprise, Vice was quick to grab the punch and head-butted Dante. “I don’t give a damn how moody you are right now and I refuse to just let you walk away from this!”

Dante bared his teeth in anger and tried to pull his fist out of Vice’s clutch but his comrade had a surprisingly strong grip. His breathing began to steady and his body slowly relaxed. The tentacle coming from Vice’s back released Dante’s arm and slithered back into his skin, disappearing as if it was never even there.

“I’m your friend, Dante. But more than that,” Vice released Dante’s fist before grabbing it again with his other hand and holding it perfectly between the two of them, all the while looking each other in the eye, “I’m your equal. And I have a right to know not only why our friend is still alive, but why the man that I watched kill him is still alive.”

Dante sighed. He wanted to be angry, and it would be quite a while before he felt bad for trying to hit him, but deep down he knew Vice was right. Curse those tranquil emerald eyes of his and the effect they had on a person.

Dante unrolled his fist and held Vice’s hand in his, squeezing it firmly. “More than friends… Brothers.”

Vice smiled and nodded, “Being brothers is the only way we could be closer.”

Dante couldn’t help but chuckle quietly, “Perhaps…”

“S-Sir!”

Both Demons turned to the source of the noise and found another member of the militia. A brown coated Pegasus that, much as Twinkling had been, seemed a little uncomfortable seeing his leader in such an odd form.

“What is it-“ Dante began as he started making his way towards the armored pony but stopped for a moment when the reason for the interruption became apparent: lying on the ground just behind him and guarded on both sides by more soldiers was a large Changeling with features distinctive from the rest. Tall and slim with greasy looking cerulean hair, this one, like Madora, seemed to actually have an obvious gender rather than all of the neutral “male-ish” ones from before.

“Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings wishes to surrender to you.”

“To us?” Vice wondered aloud, confused as to what the soldier’s words insinuated.

“We’re the only ones she sees as a true threat.” Dante pulled his sword, sheath and all, from his back. Holding the hilt, he grabbed the sheath and slid it straight off and let it fall to the ground. With his long strides he was soon within striking distance and firmly planted the sword into the dirt just inches to the right of Chrysalis’s head.

The Changeling flinched and shied away from the steel. In it she could see her own reflection and what she saw displeased her greatly. Beaten, broken, and an absolute mess. The only difference between herself now and how she had been after being tossed into the frozen north was that she could still feel her legs.

“Rude,” she muttered, turning her eyes away from the blade and to its owner.

Dante crouched down on the balls of his feet and casually looked to both his left and right. He looked at the destruction and bodies and nodded, “’Rude’ is a good start.”

“I have no desire to challenge your kind any further. I know when I’ve been beaten… I wish to parlay with Celestia and discuss the terms of my surrender.”

“We may be new to your world but we are not new to your tactics.” Dante replied dryly. “You’ll try to get free the first chance you get.”

“Do I look like I’m in any condition to pull some kind of escape?” Chrysalis hissed, inching closer to the Demon and glaring daggers, “My Changelings have abandoned the battlefield, I’m exhausted from the constant advance that my mother demanded, and I’m fairly certain your friend there broke a few of my ribs!”

Dante rested his head in one of his hands, “I’ve watched lesser men do more.”

Chrysalis growled and bared her teeth before whining softly from the pain she was only inflicting on herself. She sighed and her gaze dropped towards the ground, “I never meant for things to go so far… I didn’t want a slaughter.”

“You didn’t mean to kill, or you didn’t mean to lose and have to pay for it?”

“Her words may hold some weight,” Vice stated as he stepped closer, crossing his arms and looking down at the Changeling. “During my battle with Madora, she joined the fight against her. Granted she attacked me as well, but it would take far more than a single magical blast to create any lasting harm.”

“Is that so?” Dante said, turning his eyes back to the Changeling. Chrysalis had no reply and simply looked him in the eyes. He could kill her right here and now and they both knew it. She could be passed on as just another casualty of war and no one would bother to ask questions. This was war and she was the loser. For a moment she truly believed she was to be executed when she noticed the way the Demon’s grip on his sword tightened out of the corner of her eye. However, he instead simply rose to his feet, spun on his heel and retrieved the sheath he had tossed aside before sliding his sword back into its proper place and slinging it over his shoulder.

“Tie her up,” He said, barely turning towards his soldiers. “And put something on her horn. I don’t want there to be any chances.” Once his weapon was properly secured he turned to Vice, “Go with them and keep an eye on her, please. I promise I’ll explain everything that happened as soon as everything has been taken care of here.”

Vice sighed quietly before nodding. Dante let a small smile spread across his lips and put his hand on his comrade’s shoulder briefly before making his way back to where he had left War and the others.

Author's Note

So sorry this one took so long. I actually finished it a few days ago, but forgot to put it up... woops.

Chapter 21 - Judge and Jury

Despite what some may say, Canterlot Castle is more a symbol of Equestria’s capabilities - a tall and shining beacon of hope holding to the mountain side - rather than a construction made simply in hopes of being worthy of the nation’s benevolent rulers. However with the building’s massive size came an issue: unused space. Between the two regal sisters, the servant’s quarters, and even the barracks for the Royal Guard only about two-thirds of the castle was truly used. One such area of the castle, and arguably the least used during the buildings long history, was the castle dungeon. Sparsely used for its intended purpose and just as rarely visited by the cleaning staff, the cold and lonely sector of the fourth floor was finally given use.

All was silent within the darkened halls save for the occasional sound of hooves against stone as two ponies, both highly skilled medical practitioners, moved back and forth from their positions inside the single cell without vacancy. Normally decorated by only a single barred window and a bed, this one was occupied two ponies straight from Canterlot General Hospital and a series of medical equipment that they had had delivered ahead of time. However they had not accounted on one thing: Dullen stone.

Dullen stone was rock with very special properties. It was a dark blue, extremely heavy and extremely rare stone that absorbed magic from any source that neared it. As to how it does this exactly is beyond the knowledge of even Equestria’s highest level researchers. Because of the stone’s unique abilities, any attempt at using magic near it, let alone on it, was simply useless.

With this in mind, it was decided that the best use of this stone was to use it against imprisoned criminals; namely Unicorns. The amount of successful escapes from custody was drastically reduced the day the stone was introduced and crime rate actually began to descend due to the lightheaded feeling that the incarcerated experienced due to prolonged exposure to the stone their cells were made of. Even earth ponies, Pegasi, and other races such as the griffons reported feeling lightheaded or dazed when surrounded by Dullen stone.

“Are you sure this is really necessary?” Celestia stood outside the cell, her brow slightly furrowed and her posture stiff. Even she was not beyond the effects of the stone though it only left her feeling uncomfortable.

Dante crossed his arms and nodded once as he and the Princess watched the two ponies inside the cell inspect the body on the bed. Ever since Horrus had collapsed on the outskirts of Ponyville, he had not so much as moved an inch or even awoken. He had an idea of what had happened to the other Horseman but he wanted to make sure his assumption was correct, and that was where the two doctors came in. “I don’t want him dead. Not yet, at least. There are still a few questions I have that need answers.”

Celestia turned her head and gave the Demon beside her a dark look, “I feel I should remind you that capital punishment is illegal here in Equestria.”

Dante turned his head to meet her gaze, “And I feel I should remind you that this man was nearly responsible for the destruction of your entire kingdom.”

“You clearly doubt my ability to keep my ponies safe,”

“With all due respect, Your Highness,” He turned to face her fully, arms still tightly crossed against his chest, “With all your confidence, the talents of War and I are what saved Ponyville.”

A normal pony may have missed the way the princess tensed at his words and the slight twitch in her features that signaled a growing agitation, but Dante saw it clear as day. “Do not underestimate me-“

“And do not underestimate him!” Dante threw his arm out and pointed towards the bed in which Horrus was occupying. Celestia opened her mouth to argue further but the sound of somepony clearing their throat during their brief silence caught both of their attention and made them snap their heads towards the source of the sound.

“Excuse me,” One of the doctors, a Unicorn mare by the name of Grace, spoke up from her spot near the foot of the bed. She was happening to be standing right where Dante was pointing. “I would appreciate it if you at least got my gender right.” She smiled seeing the both of them look away and even got a small blush out of the princess. The doctor pulled her stethoscope down around her neck and took a small clipboard and held it against her chest as she approached the bars that separated them. She cleared her throat again and looked down at her notes, “From what our tall friend here has told us,” She gestured towards Dante, “And despite our lack of equipment,” She gestured towards the medical equipment that sat in the corner of the room, useless because of the Dullen, “Our patient seems to be in perfect health. No irregularities in the heart or lungs, however his body had no reaction to pain and his pupils were unresponsive to light. From what I can see, given the limited information on the species, he’s either a heck of a deep sleeper or in a coma.”

Celestia frowned and nodded, “Thank you, doctor Grace. And thank you as well, doctor Ambience.”

The second doctor, a grey Unicorn stallion, nodded to the princess before continuing to return what equipment he could back into his bag. Dante took the key to the cell from one of the nearby guards and unlocked it, pulling the gate open to let the two medical proficients exit and be on their way.

“So,” Dante slammed the gate shut and locked it once more before tossing the key back to the royal guard he had taken it from, the guard catching it in his teeth. “Your war is finally over.”

Celestia turned and began making her way towards the exit, leaving the two royal guards at attention on either side of the cell. “And I could not be more thankful. War is horrendous and I long for a day where ill will is forever replaced with peace.” She let out a long sigh of relief as she and her companion left the dungeon and the presence of the nauseating stone.

“And for your next move?” Dante asked, even he sounding relieved to be out of the area.

Celestia brought her hoof to her chin, “A very good question… I believe my sister and your friend are deciding that for us.”

As the doors opened in front of her, Chrysalis had to squint her eyes just to make out anything in the dimly lit room she was being led into, a stark contrast of the hall she stood in now that was well illuminated with natural light. Her instincts were telling her not to enter and wait for her eyes to adjust but her royal guard escort had no intentions of letting her stop.

“Keep it moving!” A guard shouted, shoving the Changeling forward and earning a sharp hiss in response. Chrysalis, despite her desire to defy the pushy soldier, nevertheless knew her place while she was in the heart of a nation that hated her and did as ordered.

The doors slammed shut behind her, leaving her to simply stand there as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting provided by the few candles scattered about the room.

“Ah, you’ve arrived. Please take a seat, Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis was surprised by the presence of another being at first and more so by the fact it was able to recognize anything in the dark like this, but quickly recovered upon seeing who it was that was addressing her. In the middle of the room was a large, round marble table. On the far side, only now becoming recognizable in the darkness was none other than Princess Luna.

“Strange,” the Changeling commented, “I had assumed Celestia would be the one eager to grind my species to dust with politics.”

“My sister is preoccupied by other important matters.” Luna replied as she straightened out a few pieces of paper laid out in front of her on the table. “And as much as I’m sure my sister would enjoy the ‘grinding,’” She looked up from her papers and rested her gaze on the Changeling, “You will simply have to settle for me.”

Chrysalis sat down across from Luna and cocked an eyebrow at the princess. From the shadows came a gentle sigh that broke the silence between the two leaders and their eyes turned together to find the Demon Vice pulling back a chair from the table and taking a seat on Luna’s side.

“I’m sure that could have been worded better,” He said, resting his arms on the table and intertwining his fingers, “But the point stands; we are the ones who are going to determine how you live the rest of your days.”

“Excellent,” Chrysalis commented, the sarcasm in her tone more than evident, “The fate of my entire species lies in the hooves of the prodigal sister and the lovesick demon who gets flustered over an innuendo.”

“You’d best be happy you still have a species to care for, ‘your highness,’” Vice glared, “Ponyville will be cleaning their streets for a week because of your kind.”

“My kind did what we had to in order to survive!”

“If the slaughter of innocents is what your kind requires to survive extermination is our only option!”

“From what your friend has told me, slaughter is your forte!”

“ENOUGH!”

Both sides flinched from Princess Luna’s royal shout and the bang that came from her slamming her hooves down on the marble, and Vice was forced to cover his left ear. “Thou shall both remain silent lest I ensure more heads roll this day!”

“While both parties were slightly confused with her sudden use of more archaic words, the two resigned their arguments by relaxing back into their seats.

“Thank thee- erm, you.” Luna brought her hoof to her lips and cleared her throat quietly. “Now, back to the subject at hoof. Chrysalis, you and your Changelings have brought war to our land, destroyed our way of life, and, for many ponies, took everything they had – lives included. This is all true, yes?”

Chrysalis took a deep, slightly shaken breath. “If one were to ask us if nature had given the Changelings the short end of the deal, we would agree wholeheartedly…”

“I don’t recall asking…”

“As a species,” she continued, ignoring the Demon’s comment, “Our only source of sustenance is through feeding off an emotion; specifically, a certain emotion that many in this world cherish above all else. As much as I wish every day that it was not true, myself, as well as every other Changeling, are nothing more than parasites. We may live only through feeding off a host. Without love, our one and only source of nourishment, we will all slowly and painfully die from starvation.”

Chrysalis closed her eyes and became silent for a moment. When they opened again they shimmered slightly even in the dim lighting from the candles. “Believe what you wish, but I speak only the truth when I say I never intended for things to go so far. When my mother found me, I was a wreck, huddled against a fire in fear that the harsh cold of the north might extinguish me just as it had for the few of my kind that survived long enough to regain consciousness with me after we were expelled from Canterlot. She showed me what she had been building and what we could be become… If she had told me we would be flying into space to colonize new worlds and come back with an invasion fleet, I would have believed her and supported her; I was simply that desperate to live… It wasn’t until we took our first town that I began to realize the horror I was helping ensue. Her Changelings not only absorbed the ponies’ love, they sucked the very life from them. This twisted them, took away what little individuality they still had… they became animals, monsters even. Some would even go as far as to kill other Changelings over food.” Chrysalis blinked away any traces of water from her eyes and finally brought her gaze back to the two who held her fate. “Even if my mother had succeeded in taking over Equestria, I would give her less than a year before it all fell apart as food began to dwindle and other nations got involved.”

Luna looked at the Changeling in confusion, “As tragic as that all sounds… I fail to see how it properly answers the question given.”

“I plead guilty.” Chrysalis stated simply, looking the lunar princess dead in the eyes with sudden newfound adamance. “I plead guilty to leading my forces from town to town. I plead guilty to destroying homes and lives. I plead guilty to crushing your very way of life and intending to take the crown for the second time.”

The Changeling’s eyes traded between her judge and jury. Luna leaned forward in her seat, propping her head up with her hooves and waiting to see where the former queen was going this time. Vice remained stoic, leaning back in his slightly-too-small chair and unconsciously fingering the end of one of the weapons strapped to the outside of his arm.

“As well,” she continued, “I plead guilty to putting everything I could towards the survival of my people. Everything I did, I did for my children…”

“Murder in the name of a cause is still murder-“ Vice began but was swiftly cut off.

“I am no murderer!” Chrysalis shouted at the Demon, “nor are my Changelings! I had forbidden it and without my prohibitation then I feel certain I can say that not a single pony would have survived our raids!”

“Your Changelings?” Luna asked calmly despite the former queen’s outburst.

“Indeed,” Chrysalis’s voice was still a tad louder than needed and she glared daggers at the Demon for his insinuation. “While some of your kind may think me otherwise, I am no fool. With my initial invasion of Canterlot on its way, I ordered no less than two hundred Changelings to remain behind. A failsafe in case things were to go horribly wrong… which they did. I left behind enough that, should the very worst happen and casualties be extreme, our population could slowly but comfortably return after some years. But then I was reunited with my mother and learned of her plan and, like an idiot, agreed to help her in hopes of getting some kind of revenge… Instead, I lost the only close family I still had and lost about a hundred more Changelings from my own hive. But as I had said, of the Changelings that were under my direct command, I forbade them from going any further than necessary.”

“Out of fear?” Vice asked, “Or in hopes of keeping a clear conscience?”

“As much as I would love to protest the claim, my kind are indeed parasites. We live only through our hosts. No hosts means no survival. It is my firm belief that it would have been easier to coexist with our hosts rather than usurp and enslave-“

“I may not have been a part of the resistance you met when you tried to destroy my niece’s wedding, but I certainly saw the aftermath.”

“That was different!” The Changeling shouted, “My people were starving, on the brink of death! I had no other option! If I had not acted then, I would not be sitting here before you!”

“But you did act, and now you still sit here as queen of a dying race. Leader of half the numbers you had before.” Vice’s voice rose to match the Changeling’s and, to his slight surprise, she backed down. Her posture fell and she bit her lip.

“…Such is why I am no longer fit of that title.” Her eyes turned to the princess across from her. She swallowed and got up from her seat and made her way around the table, stopping once in full view and nearly dropped to the floor as she bowed before the Alicorn. “If my mother were still alive then she would have me beheaded for what I am about to say, but… You are my kind’s last hope for survival. Our fate is in your hooves, princess. I care not for what happens to me any longer, but as for my children… I have failed them as a ruler, I cannot fail them as a mother. Please… Spare their lives. I would gladly have my blood spilled upon the floor or splattered on the wall if it means they might live. Parade my corpse through the streets, but allow them another chance at life… This I beg of you…”

Luna furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to speak but she found no words. Her expression slowly relaxed as she saw streaks running down the once so arrogant queen’s cheeks and small droplets falling upon the cold floor despite the soft glow of the candles being the only source of light. Part of the perks of being princess of the night was a better sense of vision in the dark and such was the reason for the faint lighting in the first place. She believed others would be more expressive and honest with their reactions if they believed they couldn’t be seen. She wasn’t expecting it to work so well on the first try though…

“If you will excuse me,” Princess Luna said plainly, pretending to have not noticed the queen at her weakest with her face practically against the floor. Luna got up from her seat and began towards the door, opening it only just enough to slip through as not to blind the others with the more prominent light. She turned her head and gestured for Vice to follow as she exited, to which the Demon obeyed. Chrysalis did not appear to move as the two exited the room and once the door shut, Luna dropped to her haunches and let out an exasperated sigh.

“I knew I should have done as my sister had asked and waited for her…”

“Do not sell yourself short,” Vice said, crossing his arms and leaning so his shoulder was against the wall. “You are just as much a ruler of this land as your sister is.”

“Yes, but still… I suppose I had not realized I was deciding whether an entire race lives or dies today when I suggested I be the one to discuss the surrender with Chrysalis.”

Vice simply nodded and waited for the princess to continue. He already knew where he stood on what to do with Chrysalis and the Changelings, but this was not his decision to make.

“What do you think we should do?”

Vice sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your Highness, I don’t believe it’s my place to-“

“Yes, yes, I understand it is not your responsibility, nor your decision to make… but I do not believe this is a decision to make all on my own and certainly not without at least a second opinion.”

The Demon turned so his back was against the wall. “Then you should be requesting help from some sort of adviser, or your sister. I’m not exactly the best one to be making world-changing choices.”

“But from what I understand, you are some kind of adviser or other high-ranking member of your world!” Luna argued, “Surely your voice has had some kind of impact…”

“High-ranking member of society…” Vice nearly laughed the words aloud. “I wasn’t chosen to be a Horseman because of my charm or silver tongue. Though I assumed that was obvious enough,” He traced his fingers over some of the daggers tied to his chest. “If you wanted a diplomat, you should have asked Dante. He’s more the talkative type than I.”

Luna sighed again and lowered her head. “Then what am I to do? An entire race’s fate lies in my hooves… If I cannot ask you what the choice should be, may I at least ask what you would do in my place?”

“Your Highness, please understand that I am not some kind of advisor.” Vice pushed himself off the wall and turned toward the princess. “I am a Horseman because of my ability to kill swiftly and efficiently, nothing more. My voice may hold more weight than most, but it is still only a drop compared to the ocean that is – was – my superiors.”

“A single drop is all it takes to disturb the calm ocean, dear Horseman-“

“And in this case, you are the ocean and you are far from calm. Please, breathe, and think. This decision is yours to make, but it does not need to be made right away. Chrysalis isn’t going anywhere.”

Luna nodded and closed her eyes. She counted down from ten, visualizing the numbers in her mind as each one came. Her features and postures relaxed and even the ethereal wind that seemed to possess her mane appeared to slow.

“You’re right. I’m princess of the night, and the night is all if not calm.” She opened her eyes and gave the Demon a small smile in thanks before beginning to pace the hallway, her hoof tapping her chin as she went. “Chrysalis is a criminal; there is no doubt about that. Even without everything that has happened over the last month, she is still guilty of nearly destroying my niece’s wedding, attacking my sister, and taking over Canterlot – if only for a short while. But you say she attacked Madora-“

“And myself,”

“-at the battle of Ponyville to try and stop her? Is she telling the truth about being blinded by revenge and only then realizing all that she had done, or is she quickly trying to remove herself from the losing side in homes of escaping punishment?”

“Whatever her reasoning for changing teams, is it safe to keep her alive?”

Luna ceased her pacing, “There is no death penalty here in Equestria. Unless the nation itself is directly endangered, we try to preserve life wherever we can.”

Vice shrugged. “I’ll rephrase then: is it safe to keep her around? Can she, or her ‘children’ for that matter, be trusted within your nation’s borders?”

Luna sighed quietly and continued her pacing a little slower this time. “We pushed Chrysalis outside Equestria before and it resulted in the death of ponies and Changelings alike. If we do so again, it could spell their extinction…”

“Keep in mind that extinction is what was planned for you as well.”

“By her mother alone, if what Chrysalis claims is to be believed. Besides, if the likes of Discord can be reformed then I am confident the same can be said for Chrysalis.”

“Reformation is not the biggest problem, however,”

Luna nodded and rubbed her temple. The Demon was right; reformation would be the easy part. The hard part would be integration. Changelings destroyed entire towns and took the lives of innocent ponies. To simply tell her citizens that the same Changelings that left their fillies and foals cowering in fear would now be living just next door would leave to outrage and possibly even riots if the subject wasn’t treated delicately.

Perhaps if she simply spoke to the ponies, they might understand. Chrysalis claimed that she refused to allow those under her direct command to kill or take any more love than necessary. If this was true then there could be a chance everything might work out. It wouldn’t happen overnight, but at least it would be something…

“If only we knew whether or not Chrysalis was telling the truth…”

Vice nodded in agreement, “It would certainly make things easier. But who is there that is both trustworthy and can give us the information we need? Madora is dead, and the Changelings themselves wouldn’t admit to slaughter.”

“Hm… What about your former friend? While he may be a traitor, he might be able to shed some light on Chrysalis’s intentions.”

“I’m afraid that will be impossible.”

Both Vice and Luna turned to the sound of the voice to find Dante approaching with his hands tucked inside his coat’s pockets, Celestia following closely behind. “Horrus nearly killed himself trying to bring War back to life. With how weak his soul is, I doubt he’ll be waking up any time soon.”

“I’m honestly surprised you let him live this long.” Vice crossed his arms as he turned to face his fellow Horseman.

“Only because there are some questions I need answers to. Though it would seem I’m not the only one… Speaking of War, where is he? I haven’t seen him since we arrived.”

Luna and Vice shrugged together.

Author's Note

Would you believe me if i said I intended on getting these out once a week? Yeah...

After the next chapter all of this should become easier to write. No more intense moments or fighting for a while as everyone enjoys a well deserved peacetime.

Chapter 22 - Going Home

“And this window depicts Discord’s defeat by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna over one thousand years ago!”

War looked up at the masterfully crafted stained glass window before him. Beautiful colors and shades depicted the two regents rising above the chaotic king and bringing harmony to the earth ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns. He recalled seeing the once so terrifying lord of chaos during his first visit to the castle; though in the window he appeared to be a single color rather than his many. He almost appeared to be depicted as some kind of statue.

“Together, they used the Elements of Harmony against Discord to turn him to stone and free all of Equestria from his reign of terror. He remained in the castle gardens until the fateful day when his prison was broken and he once again turned our world completely upside down – thankfully, I don’t mean that literally – but we were able to defeat him just as the Princesses had. It wasn’t until about a few months ago that Princess Celestia came to us with the idea of reforming him.”

“He’s not so bad once you get to know him.”

War looked down to the little yellow Pegasus that stood by his side, leaning against his leg with a smile on her face. She hadn’t left his side from the moment they were reunited and he certainly did not mind her presence in the slightest. His eyes turned to Twilight, who had paused in her storytelling to give the odd couple a small smile of her own.

“He tried to shatter your world twice… Yet you still offered him freedom… You are more merciful than I…”

She began to laugh nervously and her eyes didn’t meet his after his comment. “Yeah, we all totally had faith in him… Heh, heh…”

He merely raised an eyebrow to the Unicorn’s odd behavior but chose to ignore it.

“A-Anyways,” She muttered, quickly turning and leading the group of six mares and one Demon to the next piece of art. “This window tells the story of the six of us becoming-“

At that moment the doors that lead into the grand hall of windows opened wide. The small group turned to see none other than Princess Celestia herself enter, closely accompanied by Dante.

“Good evening my little ponies,” She said with a warm smile. When the mares began to bow in her presence, she instead shook her head and returned the gesture. “Please, if anypony is deserving of such praise, it is the eight of you. Without you, Ponyville may have been lost as well as many more lives.”

Fluttershy left the comfort of her love and slowly approached the diarch, frowning and eyes watering. “W-when the shield fell, nopony got hurt… right? Please tell me nopony was injured…”

Celestia’s smile faded as her posture returned and she could tell from the looks of the others that they were equally as curious as to the fate of their families and friends. She bit her lip, conflicted and desperately wishing to put their hearts at ease by telling them that everything was alright, but she knew they would find out one way or another and her lie, even if born in an effort to ease their pain, would only result in more of the such.

She closed her eyes and hung her head. “I’m afraid that even in the presence of all of you, casualties were… unavoidable.”

Fluttershy’s heart broke right before her eyes. The mare dropped to the ground and covered her head in an effort to hide her sobbing, though it proved fruitless. In less than a heartbeat, her friends were at her side. They held her tightly, as well as each other. It was Applejack who was the first to pull herself away from the bunch and speak up again.

“H-How many?”

“Five have been counted.” The princess replied sullenly. “The flower mares Daisy and Lily, a stallion by the name of Clover and his son, Lucky, as well as one of the members of the miltia, Lightning Strike.”

A few of the mares felt a small sense of relief upon discovering it was nopony they knew directly but immediately felt a wash of shame afterwards, quietly berating themselves for feeling relieved that one pony died and not another.

“It could have been much worse.” Dante finally spoke up. “If you had not raised that shield in the first place, the Changelings could have bypassed our forces from the very start. We may have beaten them still, but there likely would not have been a town left to defend.”

A few of them nodded and tried to regain their composure, wiping away their tears. Dante got down onto one knee to be on their level, “Listen, if my days as a Horseman have taught me anything, it’s that sometimes you can’t save everyone… But what matters is that you fought, bled, and screamed to save who you could. You may not feel like it right now, but you are all heroes and who knows how many ponies are still able to walk and talk and enjoy life because of you.”

Dante noticeably relaxed when he saw a small smile come to a few of their faces and not a single one of them was crying still. His body then tensed again as they took advantage of his smaller figure and suddenly wrapped him up in their group hug. Even he couldn’t help but smile a bit as he felt their warmth and their hearts.

His eyes turned to War, who had yet to move from his initial position, and held out his arms. “Come on big guy, you’re a hero too.”

War gave no response but the girls and even Celestia couldn’t help but giggle. The feeling of their spirits rising again was comforting but more so was the fact that Dante’s mood was beginning to finally lighten again. Ever since the battle he had barely spoken more than a sentence to any of them, let alone make any silly or sarcastic comment. It was a little jarring to some to see him appear so furious and seething, but now it finally appeared that the old him was returning.

But a thought came to Twilight’s mind that caused her smile to turn to a frown. To see him change from the silly, childlike pony to this fuming “man” made her curious as to which one was the true Dante. Is he simply the kind to enrage more easily than she had thought, or was he hiding behind a façade the entire time? And if that was the case, then why lie?

The Unicorn’s train of thought was interrupted as another pair approached them. Princess Luna and Vice walked side by side, the former smiling at the pile of ponies and the ladder keeping his hands in his pockets and raising an eyebrow gently as he looked down at the Demon in the middle of them all.

Dante stood up on his feet and stood on the tips of his toes to look down the hall past the two newcomers. “I hope I didn’t miss the beheading…”

Princess Luna frowned at his dark joke, “No such act shall be necessary. The fate of Queen Chrysalis and her Changelings will be decided tomorrow after we have all had a moment to rest and think clearly again.”

“A lot has happened in the past twenty four hours.” Vice said as he adjusting his scarf, “I will be returning here tomorrow for her sentencing.”

“There is no need for you to have to travel such distances,” Celestia said, offering the Demon a warm smile, “Our castle has more than enough room to accommodate you.”

“I appreciate your offer, your highness, but that won’t be necessary. Ponyville is in shambles, partly in thanks to my own actions. I would rather aid in the reconstruction whenever I can, as much as I can.”

“I agree,” Dante said, “A war is not truly over until the minds of the people – or ponies – are put at ease.”

The two rulers smiled together at their words. “Such noble souls for ones who call themselves Demons. If that is what you wish, then we insist you use our personal chariot.”

Suddenly Pinkie threw up her hooves in cheer, “Weesa goin’ home!”

The girls all laughed together and even got a short chuckle out of two of the Demons before making their way out of the room towards the castle courtyard. The three Horsemen lagged behind a few paces and took to the rear of the cluster. Vice’s eyes found soon found their way to War’s large frame. Being in a rush, War never took the opportunity to retrieve the upper half of his armor and, as such, the scar that marked where Horrus’s sword had pierced was in plain view.

“What of our other prisoner?” He muttered only just loud enough for the other two to hear.

“Knocked out harder than a kid who finally discovered the wonders of alcohol.” Dante replied, his eyes remaining forward. “The stress on his soul was so great that I’m honestly surprised he’s still alive. It should be weeks before he wakes up and months before he’ll walk again.”

Vice’s fingers curled into a fist as he glared at the wound. “We should have killed him when we had the chance.”

“I agree.” Dante said casually with a small shrug.

Vice looked up towards War’s face and nearly stumbled at the giant’s piercing gaze aimed at him. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said, quickly recovering. “He may have saved your life but that doesn’t excuse everything else he did. He tried to kill the ponies and screwed with my head. Forgive him all you want, but I haven’t.”

Vice stormed forward, bringing an end to the one-sided discussion. A quiet sigh left War’s lips, loud enough only for his own ears. Despite being nearly nine centuries old, he was still young by Demonic standards and had yet to truly harden his heart. Perhaps that was a blessing in disguise, War thought, as he simply wouldn’t be who he is if he didn’t respond with his beliefs.

“Dear sister, aren’t you forgetting something?” Luna said, smiling to her sibling and causing the ears of the ponies behind them to perk up in interest.

“Ah, it would seem I did.” Celestia replied, a similar smile across her lips. She stopped to turn and gave a short bow to the group, “If you will excuse me, I’m afraid there is something that requires my immediate attention. I promise I shall return in time to see you all off.” The princess quickly spun around and began making her way down a separate hallway and soon disappeared around a corner.

“My, my, what could be so important as to send princess Celestia in such a hurry?” Rarity questioned, looking to Luna for an answer.

“Probably some awesome medals for our valiant efforts,” Rainbow Dash said, her head high and chest puffed out.

“In due time, my friends.” Luna replied before any of the mare’s friends could remind her of humility. They deserved a moment to be proud. “For now, let us continue on. The courtyard is just outside that gate.”

The group of ten continued forward and the guards stood at attention as they approached. Together they opened the doors to reveal the beauty that was Canterlot Castle’s gardens, home of more flora and fauna than one could think to count in a day’s time.

“I could get used to people opening doors for me,” Dante thought aloud as he passed the guards, giving a quick tip of his hat to them. Their posture remained statuesque, but the Demon could feel their eyes against his back before they closed the doors. Sure, he was an important figure back in the world of Hellion, but he had certainly never had grown men – stallions? – gaping at him behind his back. He wasn’t sure if he was bothered by it yet.

The soft carpet of the castle turned to cobblestone and strong trees stood evenly spaced apart on either side of the path. Only beyond the initial trees did they appear to grow more wildly. To their left they could just make out what looked to be a beautifully crafted marble fountain while to their right they caught sight of a few critters feeding on the berries of a bush.

Luna stopped before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of the fresh garden air. “No matter how many times I return to this garden, nature still manages to wind me with its majesty.”

The girls nodded in full agreement. Some were even temped to go out and explore the gardens to their fullest and see what lied beyond just what they could see, but their attention was brought back to the here and now when Vice continued forward. Hands still in his pockets, he didn’t give the colorful flowers or curious animals a second glance.

Princess Luna watched him as he continued on, recalling the last time he found himself surrounded by nature in Canterlot. It was not long after that night that more than a few complaints reached her ears that a park had been vandalized. Some took the destruction of a few trees very seriously and sought the princess’s council on the matter, but she, knowing the truth, brought the issue to a close. She promised to look into the matter personally and, for the first time since her return, decided to take the approach that any good politician would: do absolutely nothing about it. After all, the last thing a hero of Equestria needed was to be branded some kind of terrorist against nature.

As the group continued on, the sight of the royal carriage came into view. Made of gold and manned by only the most trusted of Pegasi the Royal Guard had to offer, it was the crown jewel of Equestrian transportation. As they approached, a bright flash appeared nearby and soon gave away to reveal Princess Celestia with a small black box in her magical grip.

“Stop to do a little sight-seeing?” The Alicorn smiled, not expecting to beat them to the carriage.

“You know I cannot resist, dear sister. If I am to regret anything in this life, it is that we did not think to have such a spectacular testament of nature’s capabilities in our old home.”

The older sister nodded in agreement before turned to the others. “While I had intended to reward all of you before your efforts to protect our land during the coming celebration of the war’s end, I cannot help but feel proud of you all for going above and beyond.” Her attention turned to the three Demons and the black box levitated forward, opening to reveal three necklaces with adorned with different gems. The one that bore a ruby levitated into Dante’s hands, the one that bore an emerald fell into Vice’s hands, and the last that bore a sapphire was placed in War’s open palm.

“With these gifts, I hereby name you all official citizens of Equestria and all rights that come with that title.”

“While I’m really flattered,” Dante began, his eyes moving from the ruby in his hand to the princess herself, “And I’m sure the others are too – hell, I’ve never seen anything bring out War’s eyes so well – I really don’t think such a gift is necessary-“

A sudden flash grabbed everyone’s attention as the group turned to see a pony standing where Vice was just a moment ago. Instead of the Demon, there was now a Grey Pegasus with a short, spikey white mane and around his neck was the stained scarf he was never without as well as the emerald necklace. He seemed just as surprised as the rest of them, looking his new body up and down in confusion.

A quiet chuckle came from Luna as Celestia smiled, “The gems are more than just mere jewelry, Dante. They are imbued with my own magic, allowing you to return to your Equine forms whenever you please.”

Each of the Demons took a closer look at their new accessories, only then noticing the faint markings that covered most of the jewel’s surface. Celestia soon continued, “Considering my magic transformed you into Alicorns before, I assumed you would all prefer to draw less attention to yourselves. As such, those jewels will instead give you the forms of three normal ponies.”

“And here I hoped of being a prince.” Vice said as he watched the other two transform before his eyes. War returned to being the unusually tall black Unicorn with the long white mane, this time with no stubs where his wings should have been. Dante now stood as a brown earth pony, his hat and sword changing size to accommodate.

The two princesses smiled and stepped aside, allowing them to take the carriage. “We shall hold you no longer.”

All nine ponies climbed onto the carriage. It was a bit of a tight fit, but none of them felt like they might fall out. As they took to the sky, the mares turned and waved their goodbyes to the princesses, who returned the gesture. Dante and Vice sat near the edge looking out over the landscape.

Equestria was a land of color and love. You could travel in any direction and find someone – or somepony – to meet and never say the journey wasn’t worth it. Yes, there were dragons and monsters and things that would love nothing more than to see them dead, but honestly… Dante didn’t care. Send your abominations, world. He would destroy anything that dared to fu-

Language.

Dante smiled to the voice in his head and rested his forelegs on the railing. Beside him, Vice did the same. “So, what do we do now? How do we find our way back home?”

He didn’t look at Vice, instead keeping his eyes towards the horizon. “We are home.”

Chapter 23 - Nightmares

Dante’s eyes snapped open and he nearly threw himself out of his bed. His body felt disgusting from being drenched in a cold sweat but he ignored it for the time being, instead frantically twisting his body around. His pupils shrank in horror as he saw his wings were no longer there. He cried out and reached his hand back to touch where they should have been, hoping with all his heart that his eyes were lying to him.

He stifled any further screams as his eyes stared down at his limb. His rapidly beating heart slowly began to calm as what he thought was his hand as instead a furry brown hoof. Memories of the events in Equestria soon resurfaced in his mind and he was about to let out a quiet sigh of simultaneous relief and exhaustion when a hushed voice reached his ears.

“D-Dante…?” Spike asked, sitting up in his basket and rubbing his eyes with his fists, disoriented from being awoken and clearly trying to hold back a yawn.

“Everything’s alright, Spike… Go back to bed.” The Demon-turned-pony offered the little dragon a reassuring smile, unsure if he could even see straight enough to notice it. Spike accepted his word with no argument and wasted no time in returning to the comfort of his pillow and blanket.

Dante sighed again and looked over towards Twilight’s bed. Surprisingly – and thankfully – the Unicorn was still fast asleep. Spike may have accepted his explanation easily enough, but he certainly would have cursed himself if Twilight thought something was wrong.

He sat up, knowing that trying to return to sleep would be a useless effort. He lifted up the ruby that hung around his neck. Etched into the surface by Celestia herself, it allowed him to return to his pony form whenever he wished. However, instead of the Alicorn he had been mistakenly turned into at first, he would only take the form of an earth pony. Of course, earth ponies had no wings… So why did his dream feel so real?

He vaguely recalled a group of men coming into the room. He couldn’t recognize them, but they still felt somehow familiar. Either way, their presence was… unsettling. They spoke but no words left their lips and it was soon clear that they had not come to simply chat. He had suddenly been brought to his knees and watched as both of his wings were severed from his body before they finally executed him.

He dropped the necklace, letting it fall back against his chest. He thought that cutting off the wings before killing someone was a practice no one did anymore. To actually hurt someone’s wings during a fight was right around the same level as hitting someone in the groin; you just didn’t do it. But long ago, before Dante’s time, wings would be cut off before executions as a way of saying, “I hope you can’t fly when you’re reborn.”

Of course, there was no scientific proof to show that the severing of the wings actually caused harm when reborn, and any souls that could actually be tracked well enough never showed any convincing signs of having damaged wings. So why did these men do it?

He looked up towards the ceiling, not focusing on anything in particular. “Hey… you there?” He asked quietly. His brow furrowed a bit when no response came.

“Carnage…” He tried again. Dante knew his former self was there. They were one in the same, how could he not? Sure he was a quiet guy but he rarely outright refused to speak like this.

“Sev…”

I-I’m here… I’m just – I’m here…

Dante frowned. “Don’t leave me hanging like that… I’m already unsettled enough as is.”

Unsettled… Right…

Dante looked down at the mess of sheets that was his bed before looking towards the nearby window. It was still dark outside and the sun probably wouldn’t rise for another hour or two.

“…Do you want to talk about it?”

Carnage gave no response but Dante could all but feel him shaking his head. Dante respected his other part’s wishes and pulled himself out of bed. Taking extra effort not to wake up either of his roommates again, he grabbed his hat and snuck downstairs.

Dante closed the front door behind him as quietly as he could before relaxing a little and turning to look at Ponyville as it slept. The streets were thankfully clean of bodies again and all that was left was the debris from some unlucky homes.

It all could have been worse. It all could have been so much worse. But ponies were so young and so inexperienced in war… What he saw as an acceptable and efficient victory, they saw as costly and some may even say devastating.

“Hm… a pony wouldn’t last fifteen minutes in Hellion. Maybe an hour or two in Haevora though.”

Dante briefly pondered just what a pony would do if found themselves in the city of Angels. A pony like Twilight would probably get picked up right away. They’d agree to answer her questions and sate her curiosity but it would only be a matter of time before they realized her potential and militarized her magic. She could cooperate willing by using her sense of duty towards peace and harmony to destroy those she would be convinced have “evil” intentions or they would find some way to force her to be a weapon, but they would get what they want one way or another.

And if she ever proved too much to handle, then she would be killed. Better a “weapon for good” than something independent and able to fight for what she believes, how she believes.

He couldn’t help but start smiling to himself as he imagined a pony more like princess Celestia appearing in that world. Even having never seen her in a real fight, he knew that if there was anypony that could put some of those high and mighty Angels in their place, it would be her. After all, you don’t often win an argument against something that can move a nearby star all on their own. At the risk of being smited for thinking her the lesser sister, Dante would bet that even princess Luna could hold her own.

A cry in the darkness startled him, breaking his chain of thought and causing him to reach for his sword. A few moments later a light began to shine from behind a pair of barely open window shutters. Dante creeped forward and lifted his ear towards the open crack. From what words he managed to catch, he felt relief knowing it was nothing more than a foal’s nightmare.

He then heard the growing sound of hooves against a hardwood floor. Dante stepped back just as the window was opened by a rather tired looking dark blue stallion. He didn’t even notice Dante there at first until he blinked a few times.

“I apologize for eavesdropping,” Dante said quickly lest the stallion start assuming. “I just heard the scream and thought-“

“It’s quite alright,” he said with a wave of his hoof and a soft sigh, resting his hooves on the window sill. “Dante, was it? You trained my brother and the rest of the militia.” When Dante nodded, he began to laugh quietly, “I guess even heroes have sleepless nights, huh?”

Dante shrugged softly, “A hero is just somebody that was in the right place at the right time.”

“That may be,” the stallion replied, “but it takes guts to stand up to a horde that even the royal guard couldn’t stop and still come out on top. And for that, I have to thank you. If not for stepping forward and saving all of our lives, than for keeping the nightmares as nothing more than that: just nightmares.”

Dante gave him a gentle smile and bowed to the praise, to which the stallion returned the smile before closing the two shutters. He turned and continued his way through the town just as the light showing from the cracks in the shutters was snuffed out. He made his way down towards the town hall and approached the quiet river that flowed nearby.

Peering over, he was only just able to make out his own features in the water, He was honestly thankful for the dark clouds overhead that hid most of the moon as he probably looked terrible thanks to that nightmare. He fell onto his haunches and let out a tired sigh.

Call me a hypocrite, but you know I’m here if you need someone to talk to.

“I know, I know, it’s just… Things are catching up with me, I guess. Me, Vice, War, Horrus… We’re all stranded here in this world where we don’t belong and who knows if we ever make it back?”

Odd, you seemed quite content calling this place home earlier.

He shook his head, “It was just one of those spur of the moment things, you know?”

Do you want to go back?

Dante opened his mouth to answer but no words came and his mouth slowly closed and his eyes fell back down to his reflection.

If you had the opportunity to go back to Hellion right now with all the others, would you take it Dante?

He bit his lip softly, “I should say yes.”

Yes, but how often are what you should do and what you want to do the same thing?

“Can you blame me? I mean, look at this place!” Dante swung his hoof out, gesturing towards the peaceful town, the beautiful night sky that anyone could tell was so full of stars despite the clouds, and the quiet river that he currently overlooked. “The silence, the peace… You can’t find something like this back home. We’re raised to watch our backs in Hellion. You can’t often tell the difference between the truth and the lies until it’s too late. But here, with these ponies, it feels like everything is okay here. None of them are ready to stab you in the back to get ahead.”

Dante took his hat in his hooves and held it out in front of him. It was older than any of the ponies here and he had gone to great lengths to ensure it stayed intact but still had a tasteful amount of aged look to it. “The old man would have loved it here,” he said more to himself than the voice in his head, a small smile coming across his lips as he recalled old memories.

“You… should put that back on…”

Dante twisted around and almost couldn’t make out War in his Unicorn form in the darkness. Before Dante could ask what he meant, he felt a drop of water land on his muzzle. He looked up just in time for another drop of rain to fall on his forehead. The remaining stars had been snuffed out by black clouds that now loomed overhead.

As the rain began to fall, War’s horn began to glow and a shield appeared over his head like an umbrella. He turned away without another word, only his white mane and the glow of the shield making him visible.

Dante shook his head and put his hat back on. He wondered just how long the giant had been standing there and he was quite frankly surprised that he had not noticed War sooner. But War’s presence brought up an important question: even if a way home appeared and even if he was willing to put his duty to Hellion above his own wants, would War be willing to do the same now that he had found someone? Would Vice agree to go home after supposedly finding another Serena?

He sighed and pulled himself back onto his feet, making his way back towards Twilight’s library. It didn’t do him any good thinking about what he’d do if a way home appeared if a way home simply didn’t exist. He tossed the thoughts and scenarios from his head and put on a smile, choosing to focus on a morbid little rhyme from his world.

“Rain, rain, here to stay… Come and wash the blood away…”

Chapter 24 - Tough Mornings

Dante gently swirled the black liquid in his cup as he took in the aroma. In all his years of living, he had not once ever tasted coffee before. He had seen people get addicted to the stuff, and even those that only casually drank it always had good things to say about the brew of ground beans, milk, and whatever else.

He inhaled deeply once more, taking in the scent of… Well, he honestly didn’t know how to describe the smell of coffee. It had a very unique and inviting scent that he couldn’t exactly place with anything else. He gently raised the cup to his lips, sipping only a small amount just in case it turned out to be too hot for his tongue. It felt warm and pleasant as it ran down his throat and into his belly, curing him of the chill he still had from the cool night air and the rain. A gentle sigh escaped him before a sound upstairs grabbed his attention.

A very tired and unhappy looking Twilight descended the stairs and made her way towards the table. She sat down and, with all the grace that Unicorns were known for, dropped her head on the table with a thud. Dante eyed her, noting the clear exhaustion in her eyes and uncharacteristically wild and unkempt mane.

“I take it you slept well?” He asked, taking another sip.

She glared in his direction, obviously in no mood to take his sarcasm. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he stood and made his way to pour Twilight a cup of her own. With how much she had in stock, coffee was likely a daily ritual for the mare. When Dante returned with her drink she noticeably perked up. She took the cup in her hooves and, without much caring for the heat on her tongue, took half of the drink in one go. A warm smile was left on her lips as she lowered the cup to the table.

“Did you make this?” She asked, the dreary look in her eyes having all but faded already.

“Not bad for my first time, huh?” He said proudly as he returned to his seat. “I would have worn the apron too just to make it more official but it was a little on the small side.”

“An apron for coffee?” She snickered, trying to smother her giggles with her hoof as she imagined something that called itself a Demon wearing a “kiss the cook” apron.

“You say that now, but you haven’t seen me around an oven. I’m honestly not sure if my ban from the kitchens back home has gone away yet.”

Their laughter quieted as each took drinks from their cups. Before the silence could have a moment to settle in, a loud, drawn out yawn burst from the top of the stairs that led to the bedroom. Spike’s feet thumped against the wood. When he reached the bottom, he put his hands against his hips and stretched his back out. A loud series of pops followed his stretch.

“That’s disgusting, Spike!” Twilight scolded the young dragon. “If you’re going to do that, at least go in the other room!”

“It wasn’t me though!” He argued, hands still on his hips.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow before turning to Dante, who was still in the middle of rolling his neck. He let out a relieved sigh before noticing he was being watched. “What?” He asked innocently.

“Stallions,” she said to herself, rolling her eyes.

“My sincerest apologies for my rather uncouth behavior,” he replied, touching his hoof to his hat.

Her eyes rolled again, this time more playfully. “You’re inside, you know. You don’t have to wear your hat and coat.”

“I’m well aware,” he paused to take another drink while Spike moved to the kitchen to begin making breakfast. “However, I run into the issue of not quite having figured out how to get out of a coat using hooves just yet. Honestly, I’m not sure how you ponies do most anything you do without magic or opposable thumbs.”

“Trust me, it’s not as hard as you think. Anyway, what are your plans for today?”

“Well, besides making coffee good enough to make the girls swoon, I plan to go out and learn to golf, read up on Equestrian history, vandalize Canterlot with beautiful murals, play pirate with the youngsters, and end the day writing some steamy slash fanfictions.”

The Unicorn nodded, bringing her cup back to her lips as he made his silly list of daily activities. When he reached the end, she snorted and fell into a coughing fit. “O-Oh goodness! Who in Equestria would you think to couple together?”

Dante hummed, tapping his hoof to his chin. He didn’t know a great many ponies yet, so his options were fairly limited, all things considered. “I’m thinking… Applejack and Princess Luna. Just think about it: a touching episode between two hearts born on opposite ends of the social ladder. The tagline will read, ‘she’s seen as a ruler, she’s seen as a farmer, love sees them as mares.’”

Spike walked in with a large plate of pancakes, setting it on the table before pulling up a chair for himself. “I can’t tell if he’s being ridiculous or has a legitimately good idea.”

“That’s always the question when it comes to genius, isn’t it?”

Twilight and Spike both shook their heads and began to dig in to their breakfast. The Unicorn commended her assistant for his excellent culinary skills just as she did every morning. Neither of them noticed the stallion across from them pressing his hoof against the fork beside his plate in vain attempts at picking it up until they were halfway through their first pancake.

“Does Spike need to cook your meals and feed you too?” Twilight asked with a smirk.

Dante deadpanned at the mare, already reaching for his gem. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Really dear, you absolutely must let me make a new outfit for you sometime.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Vice replied as he wrapped his crimson stained scarf around his neck, tucking the gem that gave him his new pony form into its folds as he made his way to the door of Rarity’s boutique, prepared to leave for Canterlot. “You let me stay for the night, and that was generous enough of you.”

“Please darling, generosity is my reason for being.” Rarity smiled as she sipped her morning tea, a small piece of toast on her plate. “And no offense dear, but don’t you think all of those straps make you look like a bit of a… masochiste?”

Vice stopped and turned towards the mare, an eyebrow cocked. “You know, if the words are already close enough in spelling and pronunciation, saying it in a different language doesn’t make it less offensive.” He turned to reach for the door knob before realizing his error and twisting back around, “Not that it was offensive, mind you. If anything, I’d be more concerned about your leniency towards the material.”

The Unicorn nodded and sipped her tea once more. “Your concern is understandable. However, what kind of designer would I be if I did not take a look at all walks of fashion – especially the most controversial? While I may not agree with using such material, I know it has its uses and I won’t judge those who choose to take advantages of those uses – assuming, of course, that it was obtained legally.”

“I assure you that it has been.” Vice pulled the door open, causing the bell above him to jingle. “If it makes you feel any better about it, we humans are the only sapient beings.”

“I will take your word for it, darling. Have a safe trip!”

Vice gave the mare a nod before finally stepping out into the open air, letting the door close behind him. His eyes turned out towards the distant mountainside city of Canterlot. It would take time, but he supposed he could simply fly there on his own. If he was going to be staying in the form of a Pegasus, it would prove useful to know his capabilities in flight. On the other hand – hoof? – it would also be beneficial to travel to the city the same way most every other pony did, via the train, if he intended to learn how to properly blend in with the public.

Of course, the first step in blending in was looking the part. Unfortunately for him, ponies were not the kind to openly carry weapons. Clothing also seemed rather uncommon amongst most, meaning he would only be able to carry a few concealable knives at best. He let out a short sigh as he began making his way towards the train station. For some reason only certain articles of clothing remained whenever they changed form, leaving him little room to hide things. Dante got to keep his hat, coat, and sword. War kept his entire suit of armor, though now it was more catered to his equine form. He, however, only kept his scarf – thank god – as well as every single one of his thirty seven knives. Yes, he counted.

Before he knew it, he was at the station. It certainly wasn’t extravagant by any means, but it was simple and served its purpose. He ascended the few steps before him and approached the stallion behind the window. White fur and a short mane hidden by a blue cap with gold lining; the amount of darkness under his eyes meant that he had not gotten much sleep the previous night, but still enough to keep him from failing to do his daily duties. He held a newspaper in his hooves – Vice made a mental note to ask one of the ponies just how they held something in their hooves like that – which bore the date from two days ago. Being a local newspaper, its production was likely brought to a temporary halt due to recent events. Despite this, he seemed quite distracted by what he was reading and did not even notice Vice approach, leaving him vulnerable to any kind of attack, even –

Vice shook his head free of such thoughts. This wasn’t Hellion, he didn’t need to see every passerby as a potential threat. At least, he hoped these ponies would not become potential threats. It almost felt nice to be able to relax from time to time.

“Excuse me,” the Demon said, “I need to board the next train for Canterlot.”

“That’ll be three bits,” the stallion replied, choosing to finish the line he was reading first before looking up and blinking a few times. “Hey, aren’t you one of the fellas that fought against the Changelings”

Vice nodded, hoping this conversation was going where he thought it was going. “Yes, I am. I was the one who took out Madora.”

“Well then!” The stallion said with a hearty chuckle, “I ain’t usually the kind of pony to go and condone killing, but I don’t have much sympathy for that murderous ghoul. Say, go ahead and forget about the ticket fee. It ain’t much but I doubt I’d keep my job long if I gave you the whole train too! Ha!”

Vice simply gave the stallion a small smile to keep friendly before taking the little blue ticket that was slipped forward and slipping it under his scarf. After a quick nod in thanks, he made his way out onto the main platform. Looking around, the Demon it to be rather empty save just two others. The first to grab his attention was a pale yellow mare with crimson mane that stood near the edge of the platform by the tracks. No, not crimson… there was too much of a pink to the color. Raspberry? That was a color, right?

Besides her was an older stallion sitting on a bench adjacent of the entrance to the platform. While most of his body was covered by an old tan coat with a high collar and hat that made him look more like a cliché from a private investigator story, a rather odd getup considering the warm weather. His coat was a deep ocean blue with a black but graying mane. Assuming their bodies worked like that of a human – similarities that were becoming more and more prevalent the longer he observed these ponies – than Vice felt it was safe to say the graying was from stress rather than age. His eyes were closed but his posture gave away that he was still awake.

Vice shrugged it off as simply another oddity of Equestria. Surely enough he looked even more alien to them than they did to him.

Time seemed to travel slowly from that point. Perhaps it was simply because nothing was happening. The mare near the edge of the platform barely moved a muscle and the stallion the coat had done just as little save for checking the pocket watch in his coat. The man-turned-Pegasus was beginning to wish that he had some sort of watch on his person. The sun had noticeably moved in the sky since he had begun waiting for the train and he was considering going back to the ticket desk to get an estimated time of arrival.

As he rose to his hooves to go and get some answers, the sound of a far off whistle filled the air. There in the distance was a train steaming down the tracks, but with his trained eyes, and knowing how things generally looked in this world, it did not seem like what he expected a commuter train to look like. It was large and black with multiple billows of steam coming from its engine and seemed to have no intention of slowing down unless it had some awfully powerful brakes.

“Don’t get your hopes up,”

Vice looked to the stallion that had been sitting on the bench all this time. He was looking towards the coming train, squinting his eyes. “Looks like nothing more than a freight train. Probably just passing through town.”

“I see.” Vice shrugged and returned to his seat with a short sigh. Perhaps it would simply be better to fly out after all? Since he didn’t have to pay for the ticket, he wouldn’t have to seek out a refund or anything-

An even louder whistle broke the Demon’s thoughts. The train was just entering the humble town and it seemed the stallion was correct in his statement. It showed no signs of slowing down and was on its way to some city given the number of freight cars. Vice turned his attention away, adjusting his scarf and flexing his wings. The train ride would have been preferable but he simply did not have the time if planned to be there when the fate of the Changelings was to be decided.

Another whistle as it came to pass through the station. He paid it no mind as he prepared to take to the air. At that moment he blinked and there in front of him he saw the mare at the edge of the platform move. She turned her head towards the coming train and he saw the shimmer in her eyes from the sunlight. Her hoof moved forward and his eyes widened and, without so much as a single thought, he flapped his wings with as much power as he could muster. His Demonic strength revealed itself, shattering the wooden bench with the force of his legs kicking off as he shot forward towards the mare. His body collided with hers and the two flew right over the tracks. To Vice, the world seemed to be moving in slow motion and he felt his tail be brushed by the train as it passed. He twisted his body around just as they neared the ground, gritting his teeth as he put himself against the ground and held her above him.

Time resumed as they slid to a halt. He bit his lip to hold back the pain. As it would seem, his pony body was not nearly as durable as his human one. This was made even more apparent as he felt a sudden and sharp sting against his cheek. He opened his eyes to see the mare above him, her hoof looking ready to strike once more.

“Why?” The mare asked as a tear fell from her eye and onto his cheek, “Why did you have to save me?”

Author's Note

Happy New Year!

P.S. Has anyone actually written a good LunaJack fic? I can't recall ever seeing one

Chapter 25 - Tougher Ponies

Vice growled softly as he rubbed his cheek. He was unsure if he was more annoyed with the mare on top of him that just hit him or the fact that her slap actually hurt. This newer body was certainly going to take some getting used to…

He gave the pale yellow pony a rather unamused glare. Her eyes were filled with anger and he didn’t need to see the hot tears pouring down from those eyes and staining the fur on her cheeks to notice the terrible sadness behind all that anger.

“You ponies have an odd way of thanking someone for saving your life.”

Despite his rather soft tone and the fact that the train was still flying by, her ears still flicked up at his words. The anger sparked and her teeth grit together. “I never asked you to do anything for me!” She raised her hoof to strike him once more, but he refused to be her punching bag any further. He deflected her hoof and pushed his other hoof into her chest. With her being off balance, he shoved her onto her back. Before she had a chance to fight back, he was already on top of her and pinning her hooves against her chest. She struggled desperately but, much to his relief, he still retained some of his strength despite his more fragile form. She screamed in frustration, a fresh flow of tears staining her coat.

“Calm down and I will release you.” He said simply but his words didn’t reach her. Vice shook his head softly as he looked down at the pathetic scene under him. He sighed, figuring she would wear herself out eventually. “Why must women be so violent?” The train passed through the town without a care for their quarrel, leaving on its way and allowing a new member to join the conflict.

Three metallic shinks broke the momentary silence. A dull grey blade stopped mere inches from Vice’s neck at speeds fast enough to astonish even him. His eyes followed the blade to find the same blue stallion from the platform now with the hilt of the sword in his mouth. His eyes were filled with malice and it flowed into his voice when he spoke.

“Get off of her! Now!”

The Demon, still surprised by how quickly the stallion moved, examined the odd sword the stranger wielded. The gray metal didn’t shine much, but it didn’t look like it was meant to. It was crafted for a specific purpose and be more than a simple weapon to swing or show off.

“And if I refuse?” Vice replied, eyes still on the fascinating weapon. “You don’t look like the kind of stallion to murder a pony in the streets.”

“I’m not, but I am the kind of stallion to kill a monster; especially when they’re holding a mare at their mercy.”

A monster? He thought to himself, eyes now on the stallion. Surely some of these ponies saw me during the fight, but there hasn’t been any public declaration of what we are as far as I know.

“For a monster, I look an awful lot like the rest of the ponies in the world.”

“True, but you don’t move like the rest of us. There’s no way a normal Pegasus could hit that level of speed so quickly and leave the innocent bench he was sitting on as nothing more than firewood. Now I’ll say it again: get off of that mare before I cut your horrid little head off!”

Vice’s eyes narrowed, almost daring the stallion to try. But he knew that this was not his world and that, at least for now, he would have to play by their rules. Leaving someone broken in the street likely would only leave himself worse off in the long run. He released her hooves and stepped back, allowing the mare to scramble to her feet to get behind the stallion as he followed Vice to keep him within swinging range.

“You’re safe now,” he said, turning his head just slightly in the mare’s direction. “Go back to your home where it’s safe.”

“Nowhere is safe for her.”

Both sets of eyes returned to the Demon. He brushed the sword away, no longer amused or interested in this new development gave the stallion a glare as he brought it right back, slightly closer this time.

“She’s just going to go home and probably hang herself. Or maybe she’ll drown herself in the river on the way home, or wander into the forest to satisfy the hunger of some creature.”

The tip of the blade touched Vice’s throat. “I didn’t give you permission to-“

“You rush to the defense of this mare, telling her she’s safe from me when the one who truly wishes her harm is herself. There are few things that pass by my eyes that I do not notice but it does not take years of training to see her intentions. What mare stands at the edge of a train platform for over thirty minutes without so much as bothering to sit down, disinterested in the entire world around her until she hears the whistle of the coming train?”

He put his hoof against the sword once more and pushed it away slowly this time before locking eyes with the mare and moving towards her. She backed away, memories of how he handled her still fresh in her mind. “I saw the conflict in your eyes when you turned your head. You must have made up your mind on the way to the station but when you heard that whistle, you thought to yourself, ‘do I want to do this?’ It was not until the very last moment that you threw away all reason and decided to step forward and welcome the sweet embrace of a freight train.”

Her hoof slipped on a rock and she fell onto her haunches. No longer able to back away, he easily closed the distance until she couldn’t escape his eyes no matter where she looked. She raised her hoof to strike him once more.

“You lost someone yesterday, didn’t you?”

Her hoof froze in the air and he heard her gasp. For the first time since he had started moving towards her, she looked into his eyes rather than simply at him. She was expecting to see something cold, something condescending and looking down on her for what she tried to do but was shocked to see the calm and the sincerity. As she pulled herself away from those eyes and back into reality, she slowly nodded.

Vice sat down in front of her, his eyes never leaving hers despite her not doing the same. “Tell me about them.”

She opened her mouth but no words came at first. She took a deep breath, searching for her voice and when she found it, it was shaking. “I-I-I loved my sisters… So very, very much… We laughed together… We cried together… We couldn’t imagine living in a world without each other. Not a day would go by without Lily freaking out over something, be it big or small. If somepony so much as changed the color of their mane, she’d be ready to faint.” Her lips gave the tiniest of curls as she looked down at the ground, memories of her loved ones proving to lift her spirits even if only slightly. “One of us would always come to her rescue and we would laugh about it for the rest of the day. I think the only time she was ever truly calm was when she was tending to the lilies that she was named for.

“Daisy was practically the opposite, never being able to sit still and decide on one thing to do. One day she would be gardening, the next day she would tell us she’s decided to be a saucepan salespony.” A quiet little laugh left her as she shook her head at her sister’s manic behavior. “One day she told us she was going down to Appleloosa and ten minutes later, Lily had a list of fifty things that could go wrong. But she wouldn’t be swayed and off she went the very next day. About a week later she came back and told us that it just wasn’t the same without waking up to the smell of lilies and roses.” She choked back a sob as she knew what was coming next. “A-and then… yesterday happened… and all of it was taken from me… When word got out about what was about to happen, I wasn’t at home with them and had to hide with others… If I had known I would never see my sisters again, I never would have left home…”

They heard the same metallic sounds from before as the stallion’s sword folded in on itself to be a more compact size. He slid it in its sheath underneath his coat. “If you had stayed home, then the town would have only lost another of its citizens.”

“I don’t care!” She cried but it seemed her tears had run dry after everything that had gone on to this point. “Nothing feels right without them here anymore… This aching pain will never go away…”

“And so you decided to join them.” Vice said. He secretly wished he could have seen the sword retract, but he knew there were more important things at the moment. “I know the feeling you’re talking about. The despair, the hate, the pain… it’s all too familiar. Once upon a time, there was a girl that I loved with every bit of my being. She was my entire world and honestly felt like the only place I could be happy. She was killed right in front of my eyes.

“This scarf,” He touched the crimson piece of clothing around his neck with his hoof. “was what she was wearing when they pushed a knife through the back of her neck. Her blood stained the white into red and I wear it every day as a constant reminder that she died because of me. I can never again see her smile when she sees me or hear her laugh at whatever jokes I make or be taken by the sound of her singing in the shower every morning because I wasn’t strong enough to protect her. Like you, I thought about taking my own life. I would throw myself off a cliff just so I could be reunited with her. But, as I stood there at the edge, I realized that if I ever killed myself just to see her again, she would beat the crap out of me the moment I got there for even considering such a thing. I can still imagine the things she would say. ‘What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you want to die? Dying sucks. Trust me, I would know.”

He gave her a sad little smile. “The point I’m trying to make is that sometimes, the best way to honor the memory of someone else is to continue living and never let their memory disappear. Because the moment that their memory disappears, then they no longer exist.” He pulled himself up off the ground and stretched his wings. “Never frown, never mourn. When they look back at you, show them that happiness still exists back home.” He reached into his scarf and pulled out the ticket to Canterlot that he had been given. He held it out to her and she took it and was shocked to see the first class seating that it allowed. He turned to the stallion, glancing towards where the weapon resided, hidden under his coat.

“Cool sword.” He took off into the air and shot off in the direction of the mountainside city in the distance.

Chapter 26 - Equestria's Finest

The Demon landed quietly in the castle courtyard. He had no reason to make a fuss with his arrival and would have preferred that the guards simply let him be. Surely they had more important matters to be attending to than to waste time with him. Of course, this would simply not be the case. He had only just landed and he was already being approached by three ponies in their flashy golden armor. A Unicorn led the way, flanked by another Unicorn and a Pegasus. The leading Unicorn’s armor was somewhat more elaborate than that of her fellow soldiers and, if the badge on her chest was anything to go by, she was likely an officer.

“Vice Virtus?” She asked, halting in her approach once she was within speaking distance. She stood tall before him; taller than any mare he had met so far. If not for hearing her voice, he likely would have assumed her to be nothing more than a slender male. “My name is captain Dawnstrider. I have been tasked with escorting you to the throne room where the princesses will be deciding the fate of the Changelings.”

Vice watched the mare carefully as she spoke, particularly interested her use of how she was ‘tasked’ with his escort. Considering her attitude, stature, and status, she likely saw him as nothing more than some vigilante who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Which was not necessarily far from the truth, to be honest. More concerning to him were her two subordinates: a Pegasus and a Unicorn. Magic was still something he wasn’t used to and didn’t know the full potential of, while a Pegasus would add enough variety to the group to keep their offense inconsistent during a fight.

“I appreciate the gesture,” he replied, “but that will not be necessary. I can find my way-“

“With all due respect, Mr. Virtus, her Highness insists. Now, please, if you will follow me.”

She quickly spun about and began marching back towards the castle entrance. With a small sigh and against his better judgement, Vice followed behind her while the other two guards followed behind him. As they walked through the grand halls of Canterlot Castle, he kept his eyes forward and his ears tracking the guards that flanked him until he memorized the pace of their hoofsteps.

Old paranoid habits simply died hard, he couldn’t help it.

Despite his paranoia, the trip was so far proving itself uneventful. Not a word was spoken and every guard they passed by stepped to the side and saluted, though it was likely more out of respect to the mare than anything else. He was beginning to believe that perhaps there truly was nothing to worry about after all. At least, until he sensed another soul approaching from around the corner.

It was like a pony’s soul but… different, somehow. It naturally had a somewhat cooler sense about it while at the same time being… louder? One would think that after so many years of living, he would be able to find better ways to describe how a soul feels. If he ever found himself back in Hellion, he would have to find someone to help him construct new words for such a purpose.

From around the corner came a ponylike figure. Its coat was a deep and dark blue and its somewhat messy mane was black with a blueish tint under the right light. Unlike other ponies, however, its eyes were a golden amber and more akin to the eyes of a cat than anything he had encountered so far. He wore armor of similar design to the royal guards that escorted Vice though with some slight changes, mainly the blue color and the star on his chest being replaced by a catlike eye. Adorned on his chest was a medal that almost looked like the same one Dawnstrider wore, though it was hard to tell given the angle and distance.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you take another step closer to the throne room.” He said, giving the group a mere sideways glance.

“What is the meaning of this?” Dawnstrider demanded, eyes locked with his.

His winged flared, revealing leather rather than feather. Oddly enough, they looked nearly identical to Vice’s own Demon wings save for the color. The captain gave a sigh so quiet that only Vice caught the brief exhale and gave a gentle roll of the eyes. Without a word, the newcomer launched forward at the mare. She made no effort to move despite his speed. A moment before they would make contact, the strange looking stallion became nothing more than black and blue smoke. The captain could only look on, unamused the smoke brushed by her fur. She blew it out of her face before it dissipated into the air.

At the same time, the stallion reappeared, the same smoke coming together to form his body, practically right on top of Vice. He wrapped his foreleg around the Demon’s neck and flipped himself forward, pulling Vice off the ground before slamming him back down on his back.
The Demon groaned in pain from the pain of being thrown into a marble floor before looking up and seeing the cocky grin of the stallion looking down on him. “He doesn’t look so tough. You sure he’s the one that offed Madora, Sunny?”

Captain Dawnstider didn’t reply. She didn’t even bother turning her head to see the scene behind her. The stallion shrugged before holding his hoof out to Vice, who was glaring daggers up at him. “Hey, no hard feelings buddy. I just figured that a pony who claims to have beat-“

Vice tore the gem from his neck and blinded those looking with the light of his transformation. Before any of them could have a chance to regain their senses, Vice had the stallion by the neck. He pulled the pony over himself and slammed him down on his back just as he had been. He then planted his knee into the stallion’s gut, knocking the wind out of him before pulling one his shorter blades out and pushing it down into his mouth when the pony gasped for breath.

The stallion froze, the fear more than obvious in his bright eyes as he looked into the eyes of the Demon in his true form.

The sound of swords being pulled from their sheaths broke the momentary silence as the two guardsponies realized what had happened and acted to retaliate. However, they stood down as the captain held up her hoof. She turned her head towards the two and looked down at the one with the blade down his throat. “If you ever bothered to read a single report that ever came your way, captain Moon Shield, then you would know that today’s heroes are somewhat less than natural.”

Captain Moon Shield made some kind of noise and gave Vice the best puppy dog eyes he could muster in an attempt to get himself freed. Vice was unpersuaded and Dawnstrider gave a gentle shake of her head before continuing on down the hall. “I respectfully ask that you release him, Mr. Virtus. I have been told numerous times that if he is to ever die then I will be the one stuck with his duties and paperwork.”

Vice glanced at the captain as she spoke before returning his gaze down to his prisoner, who appeared to have his hooves together in some sort of prayer. Somewhat reluctantly, he pulled his blade from the second captain’s mouth and rose to his feet. Moon Shield coughed and rolled onto his side before picking himself up and licking his hoof. “I swear, if my tongue got cut…” He examined his hoof and was relieved to find no red marks and no trace of copper by his taste buds.

Vice shrugged, sliding the blade back into its appropriate sheath and tucking the gemstone into his pocket before following the mare once more. “No hard feelings.”

The rest of the trip was silent. Vice followed behind Dawnstrider, the guards followed behind Vice, and Moon Shield hung behind them, still slightly sore about their earlier scene. The group of five soon reached the grand entrance to the throne room where the princesses would be waiting. Two guards in slightly fancier armor than that of the two that were tasked with escort duty stood on either side of the door, raising a salute. Dawnstrider returned the gesture and the horns of the two guards lit up as the great door was pulled open.

Vice strode past them and entered the grand throne room alone.

The door shut behind him, leaving the two captains alone with their guards. Without a word, Dawnstrider turned and began making her way down the hall. Moon Shield trotted faster to cover the distance. “Well, he was an odd one.”

The mare gave him a look that all but screamed, you’re one to talk. When he didn’t even notice, she turned her eyes back forward. “I agree. If you aren’t careful, he may end up taking your place as captain of the night guard.”

“Pfft, like that’ll ever happen.” He said with a cocky smile. His smile faded over the next few seconds and he turned to his friend in a panic. “Y-You don’t think Princess Luna would actually do that, do you?”

It was entirely unlikely, but she didn’t plan on telling him that. She enjoyed putting a little fear in him to stifle all of that overconfidence. With her acute magical senses, his brash attitude was as uncomfortable as staring into a flashlight. While her senses had their uses in detecting another’s feelings and intentions, she often found herself feeling the same emotion as whatever was strongest in the room. Years of training helped keep that under control, but sometimes he could catch even her off guard with his ego. There were times when a little of his confidence was welcome and even helped her get through a few rougher days, but she would never admit that to him.

That said, her senses alerted her to Mr. Virtus’s anxiety from the moment he caught sight of her and the two corporals in the courtyard. After getting what information she could about these “Demons” after hearing about what they were capable of and knowing there was one currently unconscious beneath the castle, she couldn’t help but be confused as to why he was filled with so much paranoia. Were the lawkeepers in his world considered so untrustworthy that he felt the same way towards her and the rest of the royal guard? And the way his anger sparked after Moon Shield attacked him like an idiot. Had he not been in Canterlot Castle and under the eyes of multiple guards at the time, would Moon Shield still even be alive?

These Demons, whoever they were, were an odd and interesting bunch – and while such a description could be considered common in Equestria, Dawnstrider had no intentions of letting them do as they pleased simply because they were different.

Chapter 27

The two princesses of the land smiled down at the Demon as he approached the stairs that led up to their respective thrones. Vice put his fist to his chest and bowed before them in a show of respect, awaiting their signal to arise, a custom engrained in his mannerisms from his years as a Horseman serving an immortal and extremely powerful ruler.

“It is good to see you again, Vice.” Celestia said in her sweet and motherly tone, “I trust you have had a good morning thus far?”

“It has been… eventful.” He replied as he remained in his bow. While he knew not the strengths and limits of these two princesses compared to his former masters, he knew better than to disrespect them by acting so independently in their presence.

Princess Luna giggled into her hoof, already imagining what kind of trouble the ponies of Equestria could have given him in such a short amount of time. “Such would explain your tardiness.”

“I apologize-” The young Demon began before being cut off by the elder sister’s voice.

“There is simply no need for apologies. I have reigned as princess in this land for over a thousand years and I know there are many things both big and small that will work to stop you from getting things done on time. And please, rise. While we appreciate the respect you present, such formalities are far from necessary when we are alone. You and your brothers are heroes here in Equestria, after all.”

Vice nodded and straightened his posture, widening his stance as he held his hands behind his back. While they claimed such was unnecessary, he was still a professional and should act like it when around his superiors. “I apolo-“

“Really,” Luna began, cutting him off once more, “thou should truly try relaxing more often. One can only hear the same stock replies so many times before it becomes grating on the ears.”

Vice nodded once more, a quiet sigh leaving him. “Answering our Gods in anything other than with the utmost respect is extremely uncommon where I come from.”

“If there art anything We understand more, it is of course old habits.” Luna spoke loudly with her nose up before giving him a wink.

“You… speak to your gods?”

All eyes turned to the third pony near the base of the stairs. Vice had detected him even before he entered the room but he assumed that any questions he had would be answered in due time. A snowy white Unicorn stallion with a mane colored in a few differing shades of blue; he wore armor similar to all the other guards he had seen thus far in the castle minus the helmet and, where their armor was golden or a dark blue in the case of Moon Shield, his was a gentle purple.

“I had almost forgotten that introductions were in order,” Celestia said and turned her head back towards Vice. She held her hoof out to the stallion, “This is Prince Shining Armor. He was once the captain of the guard, but now rules the Crystal Empire in the north together with my niece, Cadence. It was at their wedding that the Changelings first made their attempt at overthrowing Canterlot by using the event to infiltrate the city. When word reached their kingdom that an invasion threatened the land, he simply would not take no for an answer.”

The stallion gave Vice a smile and nod in greeting. “I’ve seen what Changelings can do to a city, and there was no way I could let that happen again.” His smile noticeably weakened, “I only wish I could have arrived sooner.”

Vice returned the greeting quietly. From what little information he had gotten during his time under Horrus’s indoctrination Seal, this stallion and his wife seemed to force every last Changeling, Chrysalis included, out of the city of Canterlot in the span of only a few moments. “I spent a short time with the Changelings, though not completely of my own will. I remember hearing your name come up once or twice. I find it funny to think that if there had only been a solid wall behind the former Queen rather than an open window, then things may have gone very differently.”

He saw the way he flinched at the idea of the Changeling being crushed against a wall rather than forcibly ejected across the country. Like the two Princesses in front of him, he appeared to have a weak stomach when it came to true violence. “To answer your original question, what you and I see as a ‘god’ is likely different given our different cultures. What I refer to is the strongest and first of my race, a man that had existed since the very beginning of Demonkind. Though, he has since been replaced after losing his mind to chaos.”

The three fell silent, their welcoming smiles fading somewhat at that moment. Vice raised an eyebrow at their sudden change in mood but decided against probing into such things for now. If he and the others were going to be spending the rest of their extended lives in this world, then it would only be a matter of time before everything came to light. “Anyway, we can discuss the differences in our worlds another time. Am I right in assuming the fate of the Changelings has yet to be decided?”

“You would be correct, Sir Vice.” Luna replied. “We thought it only proper to wait until all four of us were here before a decision is made.”
He turned his eyes to the lunar princess, “Please, such a title-“

“Is completely deserved.” Celestia smiled down at the Demon and began making her way down the steps. “Your kind is certainly a modest bunch, but Equestria is safe because of you and the others. I tremble to think of what may have happened had you and the others not arrived when you had.” She stopped before him where she stood nearly at eye level, she being only slightly taller than him. Her smile never once fading, she bowed low before him. “Thank you so much… without your aid, this war may have cost us everything.”

Vice opened his mouth to retort the praise of the princesses, a blush of embaressment rising in his cheeks as such a benevolent being and ruler lowered herself so far just for him. “Please, there is no need…” He was caught off guard and out of the corner of his eye he saw Shining Armor chucking to himself.

“Take it from somepony who’s got a wife,” he said, “sometimes you just need to let a mare have their way.”

“It would seem so.” Vice lowered his head in defeat and bit his lip for a quick moment in an effort to repress a coming memory. He knew too well a girl’s tendencies, but now was not the time to be thinking of a past best left as just that. “A-anyway, there are more important matters to attend to than to whether or not I am deserving of such things... Shall we proceed with the official terms of surrender?”

“I believe we shall.” Celestia rose to her full height once more. “The sooner this war is behind us, the better.” She used her magic to levitate a prewritten scroll out from its place on her throne. With a pop, it vanished before their eyes. Celestia gave him a gentle nod before returning up the steps while Vice stepped aside and took a position opposite Shining Armor.

The guardspony nodded to himself as he finished reading the short letter from the princess. Using his magic, he rolled the scroll back up and set it aflame and leave it as nothing more than ash. He spun around towards the door that led to the very rarely used dungeon and reached for the knob. His hoof fell short and he shivered, but made attempts to psych himself up for the coming sinking feeling. He wasn’t sure how he, a Unicorn, got stuck with guard duty so close to a dungeon filled with dullen stone but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. Captain Sunstrider had been in a bad mood for the past few days and he certainly wasn’t going to be the first to tell her “no” when she gave a direct order.

He slapped himself and shook his head. He was only stalling and the longer he waited, the longer he was going to force the princesses to wait, and he cared about their opinions more than his own comfort. Usually. Most of the time. Sometimes-

He slapped himself harder this time. He pushed the door open and shuddered the moment he stepped inside as the effects of the dullen took hold of him. For a Unicorn it was as though one had walked into an already cold room only to have a bucket of ice water dumped on their heads and their horn, as well as most of their forehead, trapped in an ice cube. To put it simply, it was extremely uncomfortable.

He descended the stairs and passed by the numerous empty and seldom used cells. As he approached one of the only other cells in use, he gave a quick salute to the two ponies that watched over the unconscious body of the alien creature. They held their return salute until he passed. He certainly didn’t envy the two of them, even if they were earth ponies and much less bothered by the effects of dullen. They were given the job of watching over a creature that, if the reports were to be believed, belonged to the same race that singlehandedly killed Madora herself, as well as more than half of her army. And who was to say that the dullen even worked on them? For all they knew, it could be accelerating his healing.

The guardspony pushed away such thoughts as he approached the only other occupied cell. Inside was the queen – or former queen, rather – of the race that had caused Equestria so much trouble. She and her kind had brought so much terror and pain in their wake, it was hard to believe that she and every other last Changeling that was still alive were still allowed in the region for even a moment longer. But, the princesses knew best and who was he to say otherwise?

The two ponies guarding the cell saluted him. He returned the gesture, “At ease. I trust our prisoner hasn’t been causing you any trouble?”

“None at all.” One of the guardsponies replied as the other moved to take the key to the cell in his mouth. “She hasn’t said a word since yesterday.”

He looked past the guard and into the cell. The former queen of the Changelings was lying on her side, facing the wall. Her ear didn’t even so much as twitch as the cell door, which was in dire need of a good cleaning, let the entire dungeon know it was being opened with its squeaking. She didn’t move as the three guards entered the cell and she offered no resistance when ordered to get up. She complied as the put an inhibitor ring on her horn and didn’t even give one the guards a second glance when he bound her wings just a little too tightly.
She seemed utterly defeated. Her eyes didn’t seem to focus on anything in particular and her mouth was shut the entire way through the dungeon. It wasn’t until they exited the dark hallway of cells that one of them thought they heard her let out a sigh of relief, but for all they knew it could have just been one of the other guards. The journey to the throne room was one made in silence. The only sound was that of the hooves against the finely polished floors that echoed through the large empty halls with each step.

The group of four turned the corner and it was not until that moment that the former Queen of the Changelings showed any sign of life. Her eyes jumped between the engravings of the sun and moon on each door. Her heart beat so hard that it threatened to burst from her chest. She swallowed the growing pool of spit that was forming in her mouth and took a shaking breath in a vain hope of recovering, but it was no use. Fear had taken hold of her body. Fear for her own life, fear for the lives of her children that had been forced to either kill or starve. As the great doors began to glow by the Unicorn’s magic, she closed her eyes and tried to remember something from her past. Just a single moment to take comfort in and when the life or death of her species did not wait on the other side of a door.

Author's Note

Hey, I'm not dead. And neither is this story.

Between work, school, my novel, and just life in general, finding the time and motivation to continue this story has been hard (Don't even get me started on Fire of Passion..). I honestly gave up on it for a while because of the fact that the last time someone made a comment was 55 weeks ago, I figured no one really cared about my work anymore.

But, that wasn't true. The most important person to care about my work is and always should have been me. I still care about this story and its characters, and so, even if it comes once a month or even few months, I will see to it that this story is complete. I wouldn't be able to call myself an author if I didn't see my projects through.

To those that have gotten this far in my nearly 80k word adventure, I sincerely thank you. Coming to this site all those years ago is the reason I still write today and the reason I still dream of becoming a real published author in the very near future.

Chapter 10 - A (Not So) Serene Dream*

(Warning: Somewhat Dark chapter)

The newly named Speicher walked silently through the gardens that dotted Canterlot. He kept thinking of Serene Dream and of the words she spoke. For some reason he could not forget a single word she had said. Her song echoed in the back of his mind, filling his body with a sensation he had never felt before. It was not erotic in the least, but something far different. It was both soothing and thrilling at the same time. He just couldn’t place the feeling.

The crickets chirped together as they played out their own song. Speicher sat down in front of a tree and put his hoof up to it. What seemed to bother him most of all was that he knew Serene from somewhere… he just couldn’t figure out where. He closed his eyes and tried to access the furthest depths of his mind, but his memories remained locked away. Frustrated, he pushed his body further. He was determined to figure out who he was, and what Serene was to him. Sweat began to slide down his face as he exerted himself. He tried to calm himself down, knowing too well that this was too much.

But something held him back.

A sound began screaming into his ears. It was like a high-pitched ringing that was blasting in his ears. He tried to cover them to make the sound stop, but his attempts proved useless and the sound only seemed to grow louder. His body was growing increasingly warmer. He undid his cloak and let it drop, revealing a set of wings to accompany his horn and several straps wrapped around his body that held daggers in place. He reared back and slammed his forehead into the ground, hoping to find peace within unconsciousness. But even so, something held him back. Something held him awake.

You want to know what happened? You want to know more about your precious Serene? Here… Let me show you…

Speicher pounded with all his might at the glass wall in front of him. He knew not why, but he did so anyways. He pounded until he felt his hand become warm as a red liquid began covering his knuckles.

“Serena!” he shouted. Serena? Who was Serena?

On the opposite side of the glass wall were two men and a woman who had beautiful, snowy white hair. Her arms were held behind her back by one of the men, and dagger was held to her neck. Speicher pounded harder and harder. There was no way that mere glass could hold up to his strikes, but something held him back. Something growing from the inside of his mind. “No, watch!” it shouted.

“This didn’t have to end this way.” The man holding Serena said. "All you had to do, was step aside like a good little boy and let us do what we do. But no. You had to play the hero. And now this,” He slammed Serena’s face into the wall that separated them, “is the price you must pay.”

Speicher felt anger boiling inside his body. His rage was ever-growing, expanding, threatening to take hold. Be he refused to let it. “If you touch her, I swear to god I will fucking—“

“Enough!” the second man shouted. “You knew what could happen if you interfered.”

Serena looked to him, not with fear or sadness, but with love in her eyes. “Vice, this isn’t your fault… I love—“

The first man took the dagger and plunged it through the back of her skull. Serena’s eyes widened, but she made no noise. He let her go and she slumped over onto the ground, motionless.

Speicher fell to his knees to follow her, looking into the eyes of Serena as they stared lifelessly up at him. His vision began to blur. He placed a hand gently against the glass, trying to reach out to her.

“How sweet. But she was lying to you Vice. This was all. Your. Fault.”

Speicher’s fingers curled up into a bloody fist. He slammed his knuckles into the glass, this time causing it to crack greatly. His vision began to turn red as he rose to his feet. He slammed his fists together on one point and the glass shattered, spraying pieces towards the two men. As they tried to cover their faces, Speicher moved the arms of the first man and grabbed him by his face, only to throw him down, a loud cracking sound echoing through the room as the back of his head made contact with the cement floor. Without missing a beat, he spun around and grabbed the second man by his arm and planted his foot onto his chest and drug him to the ground. Taking care to do so slowly, he snapped the man’s arm back. He cried out in pain, but the sound was muffled by the intensity in which Speicher’s heart was beating.

He was about to move and crush the second man's neck under his heel when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The first man lunged out with his dagger, still bloody after leaving Serena's skull. He dodged back, watching as the adrenaline made the attack move in slow motion. He grabbed the man's wrist and struck him hard in his stomach. Still holding to his wrist, he grabbed his neck and shoved him towards the wall where he pried the dagger from his hand and drove it roughly into the man's neck. He twisted it around as blood poured out, some of it spraying onto the white scarf Serena had given him just a year ago.

When he finally stopped moving, Spiecher pried the dagger out and let the man's body fall to the ground. He turned around just in time to catch the second man trying to escape the room only to have the dagger thrown into the back of his own head. He fell to the ground with a thump.

He turned back to where Serena’s body lay. His body suddenly felt heavy, and each step closer felt like a mile. When he finally reached her side, he felt exhausted and dropped to his knees. Gently rolling her onto her back, he looked into her blank eyes. He touched her cheek softly, catching the feeling of the warmth leaving her body. He slowly bent down and pressed his forehead into her chest. He longed to hear the beating of her heart, but found no such sound. Her shirt began to dampen as he lay there, sobbing silently for her. When he finally could cry no more, he took one last look into her eyes before closing them.

Speicher’s eyes burst open. He was breathing heavily and he was drenched in sweat. His entire body felt sore as he tried to lift himself off the ground. He was still in the gardens, but upon looking around he noticed every tree within thirty feet of him was either torn down or just simply a pile of splinters.

Hearing a soft noise behind him, he spun around found himself face to face with a dark blue pony who’s mane that glittered like the night sky. Luna looked down upon him, sadness in her eyes. Speicher looked away, not wanting to see such an emotion anymore. “I’m sorry about your trees.” He muttered. Luna said nothing, only putting her hoof on his shoulder.

“She was very special to thee, wasn’t she?”

Speicher looked up at her, eyes slightly widened. How did she know about his dream? Luna saw this and responded, “As Princess of the night, We am able to enter and spectate upon the dreams of our people. Even so, thou's screaming of the name ‘Serena’ was enough for us to put two and two together.”

Speicher looked down at the grass. I was screaming…?

Luna looked down at him apologetically, “We are sorry. I should not have intruded upon a memory so… personal.”

“No, it’s okay… I don’t even know where that came from… I don’t know those men, or that girl. I don’t know who I am, or who ‘Vice’ is, or why I feel so goddamn angry…”

Several minutes passed in silence. Speicher could feel his eyes beginning to water again, but closed his eyes and bit his lip to keep them from flowing. With a quiet sigh, Luna turned and began walking off. After a few steps, she turned her head around, “Come. If our intuition is correct, and we like to think it often is, then we may know of somepony who can help you.”

Author's Note

Amped up the dream scene and fixed Luna's speech
Anyways, thanks for reading!

Chapter 13 - Who Am I?*

“Wait wait wait, you did what?”

Anger, despite not having any visible pupils, rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll explain it again and I'll speak slowly and even simpler than the last time: Vice fell on his head, lost his memories. Some freaky looking blue chick recognized us and sent us here. War found him, beat the shit out of him, and then started telling him about his dead girlfriend in order to let me take full control.”

“Yeah, that part there." Dante looked towards War, "What the hell, man?”

War shrugged softly as he looked down at the infuriated Dante, “He was no longer himself… I needed to know if Anger was still there…”

Dante sighed and rubbed the temples. “I know you want what’s best for Vice, and you were worried about him” he spoke slowly and tried to calm himself, “But that was a little too much, even for someone like you.”

War shrugged softly again. Dante eyed the tendrils waving around from Anger’s back, not trusting the cold-hearted soul. Anger noticed this and snickered, “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

Dante let out another long sigh. At that moment, the door to the library opened. “Dante, have you seen War? Word around town is that he—what in Celestia’s name is that!?”

“You’re not too bad of a looker yourself.” Anger said with a wink.

Twilight shuddered at the gesture. She looked to Dante for explanation but was met with a flat, annoyed look on his face. “You said you needed some proof about what I said the other night?” he held his hoof out, pointing at Anger, “Ta-da.”

Her eyes flickered back and forth between Dante and the monster he pointed at. “Um… care to elaborate?”

Before Dante could give an answer, Anger began stepping towards Twilight. He grinned when he could see her growing more uncomfortable with each step closer. When she began recoiling back slightly, he bowed in a mockingly-gracious fashion, “My name is Anger.”

Twilight gave a slight nod in return, albeit forced. “Wait a second,” she said, perking up and turning to Dante, “didn’t you say Anger was one of the guest souls? Then why is he here?”

“Yes, Anger is Vice’s guest soul. Apparently, he was going through the air on his own wings when Celestia cast the spell that turned us all like this. Not used to the new body, he hit the ground pretty hard. He now has amnesia and doesn’t recognize any of us.” He nodded towards War, “Not even him, and he’s not exactly someone you can just forget about. Anyways, War found him wandering around town. Vice didn’t recognize him, so War – in all his wisdom – decided to try and force Anger into control to see if he too lost his memories.” He sighed and spoke through clenched teeth, “Sadly enough, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

Anger feigned a hurt look, “If you keep talking like that, people might get the idea that I’m a bad guy!”

“That’s because you are.” Dante moved forward, getting between Twilight and Anger. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you gave Vice control again. I have a few things I’d like to ask him.”

“And what if I do mind? It’s not every day that I actually get to walk around freely. Well, I guess I should say trot around freely now.”

Dante’s eyes suddenly swirled into blackness. “Do as he says Anger.” His voice was now far deeper and more demonic, “This is not the time for such foolishness.”

Anger squinted his eyes in annoyance, “Carnage, always stuck on a leash. Good to see you haven’t changed.”

Carnage bared his teeth at the grey pony. War stepped between them and shot them both a glare before they could be at each other’s throats. He turned to Anger, “You… would do well to learn your place…And you…” He turned his head to Carnage, “must learn control…”

Both ponies let out a sigh. With reluctance, the tendrils slithered back into Anger’s back, closing the holes behind them. His cloud-blue eyes phased back into reality. His eyes weren’t open for long however, as he soon slouched forward and fell over and slipped into unconsciousness.

Speicher grumbled and rubbed his eyes. They stung, and his back felt like it was on fire. Ordering his eyes to open, he saw only hooves. However, these hooves weren't his own. Following the brown trail upwards, he found himself face to face with a pony who wore a large hat. For some reason, he looked annoyed. “Wake up buttercup.”

With the help of the brown pony, he rose to his hooves. His legs shook slightly, but he could still stand. He was about to thank him, but his voice fell silent when a certain black Unicorn came into line of sight.

“You!” Speicher’s horn began to glow as several knives slipped out from underneath his wings. The black stallion’s eyes narrowed as his own horn began to glow. The knives dropped to the ground with little metallic clangs. “Wha..?” Speicher began, dumbstruck.

“He’s already kicked your ass once.” The brown Alicorn said. “I’d really rather him not trash the library too.”

It was not until now that Speicher actually took in his surroundings. They were, in fact, in a library. Oddly enough, it almost looked like they were inside a tree as well. Speicher sighed and sat back down. “Alright, I’ll bite. What do you want with me?”

The brown Alicorn got up and came closer to him. He looked deep into his eyes, as if searching for something.

“Keep doing that and you’ll make me blush.” Speicher said, rather defiantly.

He ignored the comment and kept looking into his eyes. After what felt like an eternity, he closed his eyes and sighed, “It’s him alright, but he’s not all there anymore.”

The black Unicorn gave a nod. “What are you talking about?” Speicher said, beginning to get frustrated.

“Listen, there’s a lot we need to talk to you about. Just know that we’re your friends. My name is Dante. The big guy over there is War.”

“Some friends you are.” He said, glaring towards War.

“Yeah, sometimes I think the same thing… Anyways, I need to step outside for a minute. You kids play nice.” With that, Dante started towards the door.

“Wait, are you serious?”

Dante responded with a simple wave of his hoof before closing the door behind him. Speicher glared at War, and War simply stared at Speicher. The two remained silent the entire time.

“So, is he going to be okay?” Twilight asked

“Probably not, but we’ve been through worse. Me and War just gotta figure out how to get his memories back. From what Anger and War told me, he remembers Serena. That’s a start, albeit a bad one.”

“Serena?” she asked curiously.

Dante sighed and lowered his gaze to the floor. “Serena… was Vice’s soul mate. You’ve never seen a happier couple than those two. I was a bit skeptical at first, considering our positions, but I had no right to tear them apart.”

Twilight was afraid to ask her next question, “What do you mean was his soul mate..?”

A long silence passed as the two sat together. Finally, Dante found his voice again, “A rogue faction that Vice had been ordered to disband got a hold of her… We thought it would be simple enough, as he specialized in tactical insertion and espionage… He never told us they had kidnapped her… By the time we had found out, it was already too late.”

Dante refused to see the look in Twilight’s eyes. He had had enough of that kind of look. “Anger took it as an opportunity to take control of him… he made him watch as they killed her. When we arrived at their base of operations, we found both the leaders propped up against the wall with knives in their throats with Vice was holding her corpse.” He let out a long, drawn out sigh. “Vice had long since put Anger in his place, but I still can’t forgive him for what he did…”

He hopped off his chair and made for the door that led back into the main library, “I should check up on them… make sure they haven’t killed each other.”

When he left Twilight, he found that both War and Speicher were still silently glaring at one another. “Knock it off.” He said, harsher than he intended. He huffed and took a seat by Speicher, “Alright, so first off: tell me what you’re able to remember.”

“And why should I do that?” he replied defensively.

“Fine, don’t. I’m really not in the mood to care if you go back to the old you or not right now.” Dante began to sit up, seriously intent on just walking away.

“Wait… fine. All I remember is waking up in the home of a family that said they didn’t know me. I spent a lot of my time wandering around Canterlot just trying to find something to help me get my memories back. Other than that, all I know is that I still get a massive headache from time to time, and there’s some sick and twisted voice in my head.”

“Yeah, that tends to take some getting used to.”

Speicher cocked his eye brow up at Dante, waiting for him to clarify what he meant by that.

“And what about Serena?” he continued, ignoring the gesture.

Any light that was in his eyes at that moment quickly died away. He seemed to shrink down a little as the whole memory began replaying in his mind.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought…Your name is Vice Virtus. You are also known by another name: Famine.” And so Dante proceeded to tell Vice of his origins. Who he was, what he could do. He told him about the Horsemen and about their second souls; Vice’s in particular. In everything he did, however, he stayed far from the subject of Serena.

“And there you have it. You’re now up to date on our situation. Feel anything click?”

Vice looked at Dante for a moment before closing his eyes. “I feel… like you’re an idiot.”

Before anyone in the room could react, Vice casually got up and walked right out the door. War began to follow, but Dante put his hoof forward. “No, let him be. I doubt he’s going far.”

Author's Note

Regular fixes and revealed Vice's last name.
These update descriptions are starting to feel like they should be in the Iphone app store
Thanks for reading!

Chapter 14 - Death Hides in the Darkness*

The moon had already risen by the time Vice found himself skulking around a secluded back alley. He paced around as his thoughts raced. “A Demon? Me? I’ll admit that my being an Alicorn is a little strange, but that doesn’t make me some kind of—“

“Monster?”

Vice’s ears perked up at the sound of a tranquil and calming voice. His eyes shot towards the where source of the sound came from and locked eyes with a beautiful white mare. Serene gave him a soft smile in response to his confused look. “Serene?” he said, taking a few steps closer, “What are you doing here? Don’t you have a show in—“

Serene Dream suddenly took off further down the alley way, to where Vice lost sight of her. He quickly gave chase. When he turned around the corner, he met not a white mare, but a black Alicorn. Or, at least, he thought he was an Alicorn. His mane was black, his clothing was black; Vice could hardly distinguish him from the shadows that surrounded them. What stood out the most to him, however, was the blindfold that covered his eyes.

His look was grim at first, but then softened into a smile. He embraced Vice tightly, “Vice, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Vice looked at the strange stallion oddly. “Um… do I know you?”

The stallion pulled back, his smile remaining. “You don’t remember me? It’s me, Horrus! I’m sure it’s probably a little hard to recognize me like this, but trust me when I say I am still myself.”

“Horrus? Wait, you mean you’re one of those Horsemen guys too?”

Horrus’ smile brightened slightly, “You remember?”

Vice shook his head, “No… I just remember that guy Dante telling me about you.”

And that smile quickly faded. “I see. So you’ve already spoken to Pestilence and War? What did they tell you?”

“Just about who you guys are and what you do. Not much else beyond that. By the way, is it true you can..?” He began waving his hoof in front of Horrus’ face. He brushed it away and let out what almost sounded like a forced chuckle.

“Yes, I can see just as well as you can. This blindfold is more for my convenience rather than as a sign of handicap.”

“If you say so… so, are you going to try and tell me who I really am too?” He said, quickly becoming a bit more skeptical towards this encounter.

“Tell you who you are? Of course not, you already know who you are.” Horrus began circling around Vice until they stood side-by-side, “I have no right to tell you who you are. But, I can tell you what you can become.” Horrus tapped his hoof on the ground twice. The shadows around them seem to pull back, revealing a white mare being held down by two Changelings.

“Serene!” Vice tried to run towards her, but Horrus held him back.

“You see," Horrus began, "Dante and War and I seem to be at a crossroads.” He began walking towards his hostage, making sure to keep his eyes on Vice in case he tried to move again. “They have sided with these ponies, while I have agreed to aid these misunderstood creatures. They are the Changelings, no doubt you’ve heard of them.”

“Yeah, I know them…" He spoke through gritted teeth, "They kill innocent ponies and suck away their love!”

“Because they have no choice!” Horrus snapped. After a deep breath to calm himself, he continued, “The Changelings are a dying race. They were once a strong people, who only needed little in order to survive. Love is an infinite resource, especially in a world such as this. These ponies, however, see them as nothing more than parasites. They have been starved nearly to extinction!”

Horrus began bee lining straight towards Vice, who still kept his eyes locked with Serene’s. “I’ll be damned again before I sit back and watch as a race is driven into the ground like this.”

The two kept a glare with each other for quite a while. Vice was the first to finally speak. “…and what do you want with me…”

Horrus's sudden anger subsided just as quickly as it had come. Now his tone was softer, even somber. “All I ask of you… All I can ask of you, is for your help. Help me save this race. They deserve better than this. Maybe if there are two of us, we can help convince the Princesses that there is a way for both sides to win out. If things continue as they will... a full-scale war will be inevitable.”

Horrus circled around Vice once more, stopping again by his side. He watched as Vice stared unblinkingly at Serene. The two Changelings that held her down bared their teeth, ready to do what was necessary if he refused. “You already lost her once…” Horrus said into Vice’s ear, loud enough for only him to hear, “Don’t let her slip away again.”

Horrus hid a smile as he saw Vice’s eyes begin to water. He hastily shut his eyes, refusing to show anymore weakness. His quick breathing and the seemingly thunderous beating of his heart betrayed any attempts at showing his strength. He took one last look at Serene before letting out a huff. “I’ll help you…”

Vice felt Horrus put his hoof on his shoulder. The attempt at comfort was futile, although appreciated. “You’ve made the right decision Vice. We’re going to save a lot of lives.”

Horrus was surprised to see Vice turn his head and glare at him. “On one condition.”

Horrus smiled. He knew he had already won, no matter what the request was. “Anything.”

“Serene stays out of this…”

So predictable. “You have my word.”

Horrus’ horn began to glow, and the shadows waved and shivered across the ground, eventually coming together beneath Vice’s hooves. “The location of the Changeling hive is far from here. This spell will transport you directly there.”

“And what about you? Aren’t you coming with me?”

“I’ll be taking miss Serene back home personally. I will arrive shortly after you.”

Vice opened his mouth, but decided against saying anything. He nodded and found himself sinking down into the shadows. It was a strange feeling, like sliding down into wet sand.

Horrus watched with a reassuring smile as he watched his friend sink down into dark oblivion. As soon as he was gone from sight, his smile grew more sinister. “Ah, to be young and in love again… Beautiful, isn’t it Chryssy?”

The Changelings snickered as they straightened themselves up. Serene rose to her hooves, only to begin melding into a new shape. Chrysalis scoffed at his childish nickname for her. “To think you would go so far to deceive one of your own. You may as well already consider yourself a part of the family.”

“All I’m missing are the holes in my legs.”

Chrysalis found no humor in the joke. She didn’t trust the black Alicorn in the slightest, and trusted him even less after he so easily toyed with the emotions of the one he had fought alongside for so long. She felt that Horrus had much larger plans beyond helping the Changelings, and would be quick to throw them away as soon as they were no longer needed. Her mother dismissed such accusations on the spot when she had made her thoughts known, much to her dismay.

Horrus’ horn began to glow and two blades floated out of the shadows and slid onto his back. “Now, shall we return home? It’s rather late, and I’d hate to mess up my sleep schedule.”

Don’t think I don’t watch you. Sleeping is the last thing on your to-do list.

Author's Note

A little worried to see just how many mistakes I made in my finale, but I'll have to look at it sooner or later.
Some slight extensions were added for length.
As always, thanks for reading and thanks for sticking by through my first journey of fan fiction!

Split

Hello readers! I'd like to thank you all again for reaching the end of my first ever fic on this site. If you'd like to continue reading about the Four Horsemen and their adventure in Equestria, then I have good news for you! There is a sequel to this fic that takes place years after the events you just read about, and that story can be found right Here.

As well, there is an extension to this story that changes a major part of the ending and creates an alternate timeline - a "What If" universe. This W.I. universe and the sequel will not be connected. If you'd like to read about what may have been, then please continue on to the next chapter of this story.

And as always, thanks for reading!