//-------------------------------------------------------// Protector -by Pixel brony- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue: Failure //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue: Failure The Apocalypse. The day Lucifer walks the earth, setting it ablaze with every step. The day Demons roam free, killing all that stand in their way. The day Angels descend from on high, to rid the Earth of evil. The day prophesied in many different ways, feared by all. The day that good triumphed overall. It was a lie. The day Hells gates opened, we descended. We fought the many children of Eve. Lucifer did die, but not by the hands of Michael. I remember it vividly... The air was thick with ash. The bodies of Angels and Demons alike littered the ground, while their kin still fought in the air. I had just broken through the Demons front line, in pursuit of Michael. I wished to aid my brother in his fight. When I arrived where the two were fighting, I came across a grim sight. The pair were covered in blood, as much their own as each others. The armor they wore was beaten, and dented. Beyond all that, the scene I had arrived to see, was very different than what I had pictured. Instead of Lucifer who was the one run through with a sword, it was Michael. My mind froze, my body along with it. I couldn't move... I couldn't think... for the shock of what lay before me was too great... I watched, as Lucifer forcefully tore his sword from Michael, spilling more of his precious blood. I watched as Michael fell... I watched as he impacted the ground, stirring up a great cloud of ash. I. Just. Watched. Snapping out of my shock, I looked back up at Lucifer, a look of anger on my face. He was regarding me with a grin. Not a grin full of malice, or hate... but one of sadness. "You see what our Father makes us do, Zacharia? He makes us fight over a small speck of rock, of which he has created many... all because I refused to put my love for him, below that of one of his creations." Although he spoke with a strong, even voice, I still picked up the sadness within. "I am tired Zacharia. Michael was too... That is why he allowed me to kill him... So he no longer has to follow the orders of an all powerful fool." His face changed into a grimace at the mentioning of our Father. With a sigh, his face fell into an expression of neutrality. He twitched his arm, letting the sword within his grasp fall to the ground. Confusion, for the first time, spread across my face. The sad grin returned to his face. "Finish it, Zacharia. Put me to rest." He spread his arms out to his sides. "Please..." My heart wrenched, seeing my brother beg for death. Without a second thought, I raised my sword into a thrust, and charged with a mighty war cry. What a fool I was... As soon as my sword punchered my brothers chest, the world went white. I do not know how long it was... but when I awoke, I found myself floating in the void of space. Large chunks of rock surrounded me. I knew naught what had happened. All that I did know, and all that mattered, was that I had failed in my mission. The Earth was destroyed, the Apocalypse had succeeded. Resigned to my fate, I let myself fall into a deep slumber. For millennia on end, I allowed myself to drift, and dream. The sound of void being my lullaby. After an immeasurable amount of time, I heard a sound. It was faint. Fighting against the ice that had formed on my body, I opened my eyes. Looking around, I saw nothing but the emptiness of the void. But the sound remained. Focusing on it, I made out the sound of crying. Then a small voice made its way through the crying. "P-please... if anypony can hear m-me... please... h-help me!" The child cried. A... child...? But why am I- It was then, that a thought occurred to me. F-father? Are you... There is no other way I could hear her cries out here... I am a protector, and this child needs protection. With a twitch of my limbs, the ice exploded off of my body. Gripping the sword still in my hand, I raised my wings high. With a single downbeat, I was on my way. ~~~~ Ponyville park. A place where ponies come to enjoy the outdoors, without going too far from Ponyville itself. On most days, musicians would set up with their instruments, and give small performances, with a small hat, or box, for bits to be placed. The park was especially a place for fillies and colts of the town to play carelessly all hours of the day, except during school hours, of course. But today was going to be different. Fro you see, the fillies and colts were being watched. Not with ill intent, mind you, but with nervous anticipation. "O-okay, you can do this Eris." The small draconicus reassured her self, wringing her white lion paw and golden eagle talon together, "Just walk over there, and..." she gulped, "talk to them." With an unsure step forward, she slithered out of the bush, and made her way over to where the other children were playing. As she got closer, a few eyes looked her way, making the ower do a double take. A few of the children, and a few adults, stopped what they were doing to ogle the small draconicus. Using her white lion paw to push a few locks of her pink mane out of her eyes, she walked up to the nearest pony, a young filly. Stopping a few hoof lengths from the filly, Eris stood nervously still. The filly eyed her cautiously. From her pink mane, to her light blue belly scales, to her mismatched limbs, to her dark green reptilian tail, back up to her red and yellow eyes. The frozen ponies all around the small draconicus stared at her with blank expressions. "H-hi...?" Eris muttered weakly. With that one word, the entire crowd, as one, broke out in panic. The children shrieked and ran in random directions, as the grown ups did much the same. A few 'Monster!'s, 'its gonna destroy us all!', and a lon 'The horror! The horror!' were yelled out. It took a few scant seconds for the entire park to be empty, and silent. Silent, except, for a lone series of sniffles. Now sitting on her haunches, with tears streaming down her face, Eris sat and cried. After a few seconds, she bolted upright, and ran in a seemingly random direction. A direction... that happened to head for the Everfree. ~~~