Chronicles of Deckard Cain: Equestria

by ThePartyCannon

Chapter Three - Demons in Equestria

Tiny screeches filled the library. Twilight’s hooves scraped across the wooden floor as she fought off the unknown creature. It was powerful; far more powerful than Twilight would have judged from its size. She could feel its sharp talons slashing at her coat, working their way through the soft purple hair. Sharp pain ensued, followed by the warm sensation of blood leaking out of the open wounds.

The source of the pain was nothing more than a black blur swooping and diving around the room, moving so fast that Twilight never had more than a few seconds at a time to look at it. She flung magic into the darkness of the library, aiming for shadows and dark crevices in an attempt to hit the vanishing beast. Scorch marks littered the room from where Twilight’s haywire attacks hit, but revealed no monster.

Harsh, uneven breathing rapidly approached Twilight from behind. She turned, revealing an unguarded opening on her side. The heavy weight of the little creature impacted Twilight hard in the side of the belly, sending her flying to the floor in a heap. Shadows engulfed her as a thick black smoke blanketed the floor, covering everything in darkness. She strained her eyes to see the movement past the black fog, and finally saw her target.

It moved unimaginably fast, seeming to fly across the floor on invisible wings. Calculating the monster’s speed and distance across the floor, and factoring in the force and speed of her magic, she figured out the precise trajectory at which to shoot, taking only milliseconds to solve the problem. Leading the target by nearly four feet, Twilight let off a massive bolt of magic, which soared through the air with a loud humming sound. She couldn’t see the impact, but could hear the injured shrieks of the beast as it hit the wooden floor.

Quickly rising out of the black fog, Twilight ran towards the location of the body. It would only be stunned momentarily, and she had to act fast in order to restrain the monster before it could do any more damage. But as she arrived at the body’s location, she found nothing. It had already recovered at an alarming rate, and was now-

Twilight was grappled from behind as the creature landed atop her back. It wrapped its sharp talons around her neck and squeezed, attempting to choke the life out of the unicorn. It gnawed on Twilight’s ear with its razor sharp teeth, drawing a small amount of blood, which helped fuel its carnage. It let out another shriek, and was about to bury its teeth into Twilight once more when a new noise drew its attention away from his prey.

Light rushed into the dark room, illuminating the entire scene. The black smoke had dissipated and no longer obscured the beast. The monster could sense the figure in the doorway, even before her high pitched shrieks bombarded its ears. The presence of the intruder broke its concentration just long enough for Twilight to reach around. She grabbed the tiny demon by the forearm with her teeth and flung him to the ground. Pointing her horn at the grounded monster, she created a barrier of pure magical energy, which completely enclosed the little creature.

Trapped inside its magical prison, the demon began to howl in misery. The barrier muffled its cries, making them sound tired and weak. From behind Twilight, the shrieking started again. She turned to see the alabaster unicorn cowering in the doorway, stamping her hooves in repulsion of the little demon. Her mane was waving back and forth as she shook her head harshly from side to side, as if the repetitive motion would somehow cleanse her mind of what she had just witnessed. Her speech was fragmented and disarrayed, and she seemed to be rambling out random noises. The saddlebags she was wearing had fallen to the floor in an uneven pile, spewing forth miscellaneous fashion supplies.

After noticing the monster had been dealt with, it took her close to five minutes to calm down and catch her breath. Her purple mane was askew atop her head, causing a few loose strands of her carefully managed hair to hang down in her face. Breathing harshly, Rarity managed to point a hoof at the creature and stammer out,

“What… is that…?”

Twilight shook her head and sat down next to the white unicorn, “I… have no clue.”

Rarity shakily reached into her saddlebags and procured a long strand of blue ribbon.

“Do you think it’s a dragon? I’ve never heard of dragons looking like that before.” She asked, her voice laden with panic, as she hastily wrapped the ribbon around Twilight’s bleeding ear. She stopped, tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at the blue fabric, and withdrew it from Twilight’s head. Setting it neatly on the floor, she reached back into her bags and pulled out a red ribbon, before carefully continuing the treatment of Twilight’s wounds.

“Neither have I.” Twilight responded, “A better question is; where did it come from?”

Rarity shrugged as she finished tying the cloth around Twilight’s wound, treating it better than most doctors would have. She blinked hard as she stared at the demon, which was beating against the magical barrier with its tiny fists. It certainly was a repulsive creature.

“It’s certainly a repulsive creature.” Rarity said flatly, going over the monster’s foreign features.

“No kidding… Rarity, do you know where Spike is?” Twilight asked, noticing the distinct lack of dragon throughout the library.

“No, dear, I don’t. I’m sure he’ll turn up.” Rarity comforted, never taking her eyes off the monster. It seemed to mock her from behind the barrier.

“Oh.” Twilight sighed, “I hope he does.”

---

Spike reached the edge of the Everfree Forest just as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. The strange feeling in his stomach had intensified to extreme levels. He started to sway back and forth with blurred vision, but somehow knew exactly where to go. With no err to his path, the little dragon descended a low hill. Through his blurred vision he could see a light laying on the ground in front of him, and he tapped it gently with his foot.

As he came into contact with the light source, his insides surged with a powerful feeling of dread. He whipped his head around, cowering under his chubby arms, and looked to the skies. Shadows danced across the fields, displaying horrific shapes of monsters and demons, all unknown to Spike. Strange bestial noises arose from every direction, drawing closer and closer to Spike. He looked around for something to use to defend himself; a stick, a rock, anything! He grabbed the first thing in reach, which happened to be a long, thick stick.

It was heavier and longer than he anticipated, and he almost dropped it as he brought it to his miniscule height. On the end of his new weapon was the glowing light, and before he could even realize what he had grabbed, the feeling in his stomach had dissipated. New life flowed through the dragon’s body as he pointed the long staff towards the writhing shadows. They faded away from the soft blue light that emanated from the staff, and Spike felt renewed confidence. As he tightened his clawed hands around the stick, he felt a fire rise up inside of him. Feelings of confidence and bravery seemed to surge through every pore in his body, and Spike’s eyes faintly glowed blue with arcane energy.

From his side, Spike could hear something coming out of the Everfree Forest. He peered into the darkness, trying to use the staff’s light to illuminate the dark trees. The cries came from deep in the forest, and sounded incredibly distraught. Overcome by the new feeling of power, Spike ran into the dreaded forest with unusual confidence, staff held forward. It was nearly four times his height, and would have weighed a ton, but the magic that it radiated engulfed Spike in a strange sort of power. He wasn’t stronger, just… better.

As he progressed towards the sound, he could begin to make out what it was. It was a pony of some sort, that much was certain. It cried in a high-pitched voice, too high to belong to a stallion. Fearing for the mare’s life, Spike increased his pace, his tiny legs moving vigorously through the dense underbrush. Twigs and branches whipped his face, and creepers and vines wrapped around his heels, attempting to slow him down. But he violently tore through them, not allowing anything to hold him back.

The screams were growing louder as he progressed into the darkness. He could see a tiny light ahead, and assumed that that was where the cries were originated from. Sprinting to his destination, Spike soon emerged in an opening of the trees. The light he had previously seen came from blazing trees, which cracked and burned with intense heat. He turned around, staff held forward, looking for the source of the screams. But nothing could be seen in any direction; just a path of felled trees nearly twelve feet wide.

“Huh…” Spike mumbled to himself, loosening his grip on the staff. It pulsed as the screams tore across the horizon again. They were closer than ever, and sounded as if they were coming from right next to him, but nopony was anywhere in sight.

The dragon’s heart rate increased to dangerous levels as the ground beneath him began to rumble and quake. Out of a space between a patch of trees loomed a massive bulky shape. Its four hooves were familiar to Spike, but they were like nothing he had ever seen. They were more of something out of a nightmare. Covered in thick, shaggy brown hair, the hooves stamped on the ground, creating small explosions of flames. Sprouting from the front of the oxen-like body was a tall column of pure muscle. Between its broad shoulders was a tusked skull, bathed in flame. From its decrepit jawbone it screeched out a noise so eerily similar to a pony’s shrieks that it chilled Spike’s heart.

The gargantuan figure slowly walked to the tiny dragon that lay before it. Its empty eye sockets stared at the weapon the dragon held feebly in its claws, and rage boiled inside the demon. The fiery hooves placed themselves just a few feet from Spike, who remained bravely stalwart in his position, not even flinching at the sight of the monstrous demon. Kneeling down to Spike’s tiny level, the demon let out a guttural growl from the depths of its throat. It slammed a fist down next to Spike, who merely blinked at the near-attack.

“What is this?” the demon bellowed, cracking thunder across the sky. Black smoke billowed from its boney jaw as it spoke in a deep, growling voice.

“My name is Spike!” the dragon boldly exclaimed before pointing the mighty staff in the face of the demon; an action that was made more on an instinctual assumption than on any legitimate basis.

“And where is the man who first wielded that staff?” The demon asked again. Its voice was so powerful that the ventricles in Spike’s heart vibrated with such intensity that they began to ache.

“M-man?” Spike stammered, beginning to feel the slightest tendrils of fear working their way into him.

The demon said nothing, but began to chuckle deeply. It straightened its posture, towering over Spike at its full height of sixteen feet. It raised a red, clawed hand towards the sky. Lightning swarmed and arced around it, and in a blazing flash of radiance, joined together to make an instrument of pure light. In a swooshing release of energy, the instrument was set ablaze in orange fire, revealing a twisted ball and chain weapon, covered in jagged edges of some Hellish material.

Rearing the weapon behind its head, the demon swung it down towards the tiny foe.

---

“And when I got back to the cemetery, the skeletons were missing, and the Necromancer was never heard from again!” Deckard Cain exclaimed happily before bursting out in ecstatic laughter.

Breaburn forced a chuckle. He had no clue what a ‘necromancer’ was, but he didn’t care. Just seeing the old man happy made Braeburn feel accomplished. The pony had begun to gain affection for the stranger, and was nearly skipping with excitement of showing Deckard Cain the sights of Appleloosa.

Tiny black shapes formed on the horizon as the sun set to the side of the two travelers. Lights were flickering on from the shapes in the distance as ponies settled down for the night. Unbeknownst to them, this night would far from settling.

“Ya know, Cain, ya’ll are pretty nice. When ah first saw ya, ah figured you were some kinda monster.” Braeburn chimed, skipping happily across the flat expanse of dirt.

“I’m not that threatening, am I?” Deckard asked joyfully.

“Ha! Not at all. Well… maybe a little. It’s jus’ that ah ain’t never seen somethin’ like ya’ll before.” The stallion explained, oblivious to the lack of understanding on either side of the conversation.

“I’m not sure that I’m following.” Deckard said as he tugged at his beard, “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, ah mean, it ain’t like-“ Braeburn stopped and sniffed the air as a gust of wind bombarded them. It carried a sweet scent of fruit and sugar on its breeze, instantly making Braeburn’s mouth water and Deckard’s stomach growl. Licking his lips eagerly, Braeburn said, “Smells like there’re some fresh pies in town! C’mon, let’s hurry!”

Before Deckard could understand what he meant, he started galloping towards the black shapes on the horizon, which were slowly growing larger as he closed the distance between him and Appleloosa. Deckard didn’t feel like running; he was old and he was tired. Instead he maintained his pace and withdrew his tome.

“The denizens of this region are particularly lighthearted,” Deckard mumbled to himself as he wrote in his book, “It’s almost as if they are completely unaware of the impending evils that lurk just beyond their borders. Still, it warms me to see such innocence in a soul, despite his polymorphic drawbacks and short-term attention span. I just hope the rest of the populace boasts similar attitude.”

Deckard’s head snapped up as Braeburn called back to him, “Ya’ll comin’? We’re almost there!”

The sun was almost completely under the horizon, and the dark blue of dusk engulfed the sky. The buildings on the horizon were close enough to see minute details. They were wooden buildings, much to Deckard’s surprise. Being in the desert it would be practical to make buildings out of adobe or some other form of brick. But it seemed that every one of the numerous buildings, including a large clock tower, was made out of almost exclusively wood.

Windows were dimly light from the inside, revealing no more than dark shapes moving to and fro. In the streets, Deckard noticed a few blobs of darkness moving about, but couldn’t distinguish any features. He was just happy to see a town that wasn’t overcome by demons or undead. Deckard trudged on as Braeburn galloped into town ahead of him.

---

Dirt and splinters of wood exploded from the ground as the heavy ball-and-chain weapon impacted the ground just feet away from Spike. Deep demonic laughter echoed through the forest, sending scores of birds retreating to the sky. Spike held his ground against the giant foe, which seemed apprehensive of attacking the staff. It would lunge forward at Spike, but if Spike moved with the staff it would quickly move back to a safer distance.

“You resist the inevitable, tiny mortal! Your actions are for naught against my Lord!” the demon bellowed, igniting several trees in the area. Spike’s arms flexed as he brought the staff upwards, bathing the demon in a harmless bright blue light. He could say nothing, and settled for shouting as threateningly as he could, which wasn’t much.

The demon didn’t fall for Spike’s bluff, and countered with a shout of its own. Sparks flew from its skeletal mouth as it bellowed a shout directly at Spike. The dragon could smell the scent of death and decay on the beast’s breath, and hot flames licked at his face. The demon’s skull was no more than four feet from Spike when he thrust the staff forward. A wave of energy left him suddenly, sapping his constitution. White light nearly blinded him as he fell to his knees without a shadow of his former bravery.

Whatever he had done, it worked. The demon was flailing around on its back hooves, swinging wildly at the air with its weapon as it shouted foreign obscenities into the night sky. Dark thunder, accompanied by an eerie green light, rolled through the night, vibrating everything with its intensity. But Spike felt none of it. His head nodded and his vision faded as he watched the demon gallop away, swearing. Still clenching the staff in his claws, Spike slumped forward resting his head on the hot ground.

Before slipping into unconsciousness, the last thing Spike could recall was hearing the snapping of twigs and the rustling of leaves. Four smaller hooves approached Spike from behind and stopped. Carefully, the newcomer shifted Spike’s weight onto her back, carrying the tiny dragon through the forest. He kept the staff clasped in his grasp throughout the entire night.

---

The bare streets of Appleloosa gave a strange feeling of comfort to Deckard Cain as he walked towards a small brown building, which Braeburn was patiently waiting outside of. As he walked he could hear the muffled murmurs and whispers of the townsfolk. It was too dark out to see clearly, but he could tell that they were there, lurking in windows and in the shadows.

“Heya Deckard, Sheriff Silverstar is ‘bout ready ta meet ya. He’ll be out in jus’ a minute.” Braeburn cheerily explained, ignorant of the calamity he had just brought into town.

Thunder boomed in the distance, and Deckard turned his gaze towards the sound. A tiny green glow loomed on the horizon to the south for a moment before engulfing the sky in a similar haze, only to disappear within seconds. Deckard sniffed the air with his aged nose,

“Demons…” he grunted.

“What now?” Braeburn asked, captivated by the light in the sky.

“Demons! That was a discharge of a powerful magic. The demon that caused it must have been strong. Tell me, what towns are in that direction?” Deckard asked, pointing a shaky hand towards the south.

“Uh… Canterlot. Oh, and Ponyville.” Braeburn answered, snapping his head away from the sky.

“You should send-“ He stopped and collected his thoughts, “Ponyville?” he asked in disarray.

“Yessir! Fine little town, if ah do say so.” He answered proudly, even though he had only visited Ponyville two or three times.

“I must say that I’ve never heard such a ludicrous name for a town in all my years. Nevertheless, I would advise you to send militia toward the towns. If I am correct, the discharge would be powerful enough to stir up any lingering demons in the area.” Deckard explained, searching through his tome for a particular page which would further help explain his worry.

“We ain’t got any-“ Braeburn started before turning to the building.

At the top of the steps was the familiar Sheriff Silverstar. His black hat rest lazily atop his long brown mane. He looked directly at Braeburn and spoke in his usual over-the-top stereotypical western accent.

“Whaddya’ll want, Braeburn? Ah’ll have ya know that-“

He stopped and stared at the biped that, luckily for him, had his back turned to the Sheriff.

Not much frightened the veteran Sheriff. He had fought off waves of buffalo during the defense of Appleloosa. Before his settler years, he had worked with the Canterlot guard in repelling a fierce griffon attack. He had seen dragons, hydras and manticores, sometimes all at once. He had travelled the breadth of the land and seen almost every locale imaginable. But nothing in his life had sent fear into his heart as this new creature did. Flinging his hat from his head, Sheriff Silverstar ran down the dusty streets of Appleloosa, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Deckard spun around and stared wide-eyed into the dark streets of Appleloosa. Lights flicked on and doors swung open. Out of the bright houses, Deckard saw a score of ponies emerge. At first he thought they were merely short humans, judging by their height, but after seeing the four legs and equine shaped heads, he was sure they were small horses. They all stared at the brown stallion, who continued to run and shout and be generally disruptive.

Braeburn turned to Deckard Cain, “Ah wonder what he’s worked up ‘bout. Ah mean, it ain’t like ya’ll are dangerous.”

Deckard’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, but no sounds came out. He watched as the multitude of colorful ponies all turned their gaze to him. If it weren’t for the nearby houses all shining light into the streets, he would have been completely hidden by the dark shadows. But that wasn’t the case, and he was clearly illuminated in the middle of the dirt road. Noticing that the attention had shifted from Silverstar to Deckard, Braeburn stepped up and addressed the crowd, drawing forth the most formal voice he could.

“Howdy ya’ll! Ah’m sure ya’ll’re wonderin’ just who this might be.”

There was no sound, save for the far off, diminished sound of Sheriff Silverstar, and the collective gasp of the crowd.

“This here is Deckard Cain! He’s from a little town called Tristall.” He brought a hoof to his chin, “That’s right, ain’t it, Deckard? Tristall?”

The stallion turned to Deckard Cain, who had since passed out and lay on the dusty road. His foot twitched slightly, but Braeburn hardly noticed as the entirety of the town joined Sheriff Silverstar in utter panic, running about in haphazard directions screaming at the top of their lungs into the night. Braeburn raised an eyebrow at the screaming ponies, wondering just what it was that made Deckard so unappealing. I mean, it's not like he's a completely unrecognizable, wrinkled old man with the ancient magical abilities of a Horadric blood line, who's probably completely able to destroy Appleloosa, given the proper magical preparation and incentive.

Nah, it couldn't be that at all.

Comments

[thefluffyone]

DAT LAST LINE.

[Alex Wadegrove]

And now I wait...

[ThePartyCannon]

693495 Hopefully not for too long; Chapter 4 is practically done already.

[Alex Wadegrove]

693542
Nice.

[Autocharth]

This is an awesome story. I've always had a soft spot for Deckard Cain. I certainly did sit awhile and listen.

To be fair, they can't really know he's got magical powers. They might think he does because he looks so strange (and he told Braeburn he does) but its for the wrong reasons.

Still, pretty freaky for them, yeah. Still, woohoo Twilight and Spike. Can't wait for more.