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.