Smoke from a thousand burning carcasses filled the blood-red sky, flooding the nostrils and stinging the eyes of The Hero of Justice as the warrior and his companions strode atop the hill.
“Watch out!” The Shield-Maiden cried, leaping into a defensive posture.
She expertly positioned her aegis to deflect the arrows and bolts of magic. Dozens of slimy demons with limbs beyond number clambered up the other side of the hill, surrounded by their army of the undead.
“Stand ready!” The Hero of Justice roared as he brandished his halberd. “We shall strike them all down!”
“We are with you!” The Divine Thaumaturge shouted, lifting his oaken staff.
The Shield-Maiden let out a battle-cry as she raised her blade against the oncoming foe. They rushed to meet each other without hesitation. The halberd came down like an avalanche, slicing through grotesque limbs and separating them from the putrid forms.
The demons closed in with their minions, encompassing the band of warriors round about. The champions formed small circle, backs to each other, hacking and slashing, their weapons ripping through each foe that came against them. Their numbers didn’t thin.
The Hero of Justice let out a shout that stole the hearts of the demons. With a single swipe, he lopped off heads and limbs as he came around.
The Shield-Maiden’s blade worked quickly like a needle pierces cloth, again and again until black blood and rotten flesh flowed, covering the ground in a thick sludge.
The Divine Thaumaturge protected the third side, expertly deflecting incoming blows with his staff and smashing the enemy foot soldiers that drew too close.
The trio worked their way, tightening their circle, staying close, their flanks nearly touching each other as they continued their assault against the endless horde that continued pressing closer, clawing their way over the bodies of the fallen to get at the warriors.
Pain ripped through the stallion’s flank as The Hero of Justice cried out, thrusting the sharpened back of his halberd through the demonic limb that had dared sink a claw into his flesh, nearly severing the leg.
“All-Seeing Aegis, protect us now!” The Shield-Maiden cried out.
As the words left her lips, a magical shield flashed around them, pushing back the enemies and deflecting blows from the monstrous minions of tartarus that continued the assault.
The Divine Thaumaturge did not waste the moment, spinning about to see the wound that crippled his comrade. He raised his staff, touching it to the torn limb as he shouted.
“Branch of Angelic Fire, mend this broken flesh!”
A flash of light escaped the staff. The spilled blood returned into the wound, which sealed up, knit together as though it had never been torn.
The healed stallion let out a warriors cry and unleashed his halberd with reckless abandon. It ripped through flesh and bone as though it were tissue paper. The warriors did not let up their assault, beating the vile creatures back.
The demons themselves closed ranks with their minions, nearly piled atop each other. They clamored up onto the aegis’ construct, slamming into it in their rage. The Hero of Justice grinned fearlessly as the opportunity presented itself.
“Burn them!” he shouted.
The Divine Thaumaturge held aloft his staff and cried out, “Branch of Angelic Fire, let loose your wrath!”
Golden flames erupted from the staff as fire rained down from on high, conflagration blasting through the minions of the undead and singeing their demonic masters.
The Hero of Justice cut through them again and again, his muscles growing weary, burning from the effort he exerted. In the rage of battle, he ripped through a flaming demon, and feeling a presence behind him, he spun around, his weapon ready to strike. He stopped short, face to face with The Shield-Maiden and The Divine Thaumaturge.
The three of them panting from the effort, they smiled at each other. An ear-splitting shattering sent the warriors diving in opposite directions as massive saber-like claws rent through their barrier and hammered into the ground.
Regaining his hooves, The Hero of Justice took a few steps backward defensively, The Shield-Maiden echoing his movements a short distance away. A great beast stood before them, the king of the demons. It let out a low growl as it strode forward, unafraid.
A deep rumble, like an earthquake, came from the belly of the Archfiend as it spoke, “You puny beings dare to defy me?”
The stallion gripped his halberd tightly as he beheld the foe. It had four legs that ended in long spikes. Above, it had two massive arms with clawed hands. His dark leathery skin bore many old scars. Just above his fiery eyes, a single needle-like horn protruded from the beast’s forehead.
The Hero of Justice taunted the demon, “Your end has arrived.”
“That is an appropriate epitaph for your tombstone. This is the moment when you die,” the Archfiend rumbled.
The Hero of Justice vaulted forward, striking quickly. His halberd sang as it rebounded off of the leg of the beast, and the stallion quickly rolled to his right, narrowly avoiding being crushed by a massive hand. The razor-sharp legs pounded down, making it impossible for the stallion to stand, as he continued evading the counterattack.
The Shield-Maiden roared and struck the Archfiend from behind. She danced to the side, anticipating the first blow, but she was unable to avoid the massive hand that slapped her away.
The Divine Thaumaturge struck at the beast, who recoiled but then vaulted forward, easily outpacing the pony and grabbing his head, lifting him from the earth. It was mere moments before he no longer struggled and the body was cast aside. The staff fell to the ground.
The king of demons rounded on The Shield-Maiden as The Hero of Justice regained his attack posture and launched another assault, this time aiming deeper for the leg joints. The Archfiend parried, and the two crossed several deflected blows.
The beast had hide like iron armor. The Hero of Justice considered his options as the combatants backed away, circling each other for a moment. If they could distract him for a moment, that would be all they needed recover the staff and resurrect The Divine Thaumaturge. The Halberd of Steadfast Destruction could likely cut the Archfiend asunder, but magic of that high power came at a gave cost. At worst, everyone in the area might be killed.
He glanced at The Shield-Maiden, and then to the body of The Divine Thaumaturge. She nodded, brandishing her aegis. She understood the plan, taking note of where the staff lay beneath the great monster.
The Archfiend’s sickening laughter boomed across the countryside, “There were three, but now there are two. Is that all you can bring, little ponies? Your tough words are as hollow as your fortitude.”
“And you? King of Demons? Unable to kill those two little ponies? We are still alive, Archfiend!”
A mighty growl shook the very ground just before the Archfiend sprang forward with surprising agility. The Hero of Justice was prepared, darting left to dodge the coming blow.
Iron rang against bone once again. The warriors worked opposite sides, each distracting while the other attacked. They kept him off-balance, but he didn’t stray from his position directly over Branch of Angelic Restoration. Sweat poured from the ponies as their strength began to wane, and they had yet to wound the mighty beast.
As The Shield-Maiden came into view, her blue eyes locked with his for a moment. The Hero of Justice nodded to her. Without awaiting a reply, the stallion thrusted forward, his halberd deflected, he danced to the right instead of retreating, spinning to strike again.
At that same moment, The Shield-Maiden darted forward, underneath the Archfiend and driving her blade upward into his belly. A deafening cry split the air as the demon king staggered backward. He swiped downward with his mighty clawed hand. The mare dropped low, reaching for the staff and thrusting her blade forward, impaling the palm as fingers closed around her.
The stallion charged ahead, as the beast assumed a defensive stance. The halberd again bounced off of claw and hide. The world spun and the Hero of Justice saw stars, his vision going dark. He rolled to the side, grabbing his weapon and scrambling backward.
As his sight returned, he realized that the Archfiend had thrown The Shield-Maiden at him. She was dazed, and now the stallion was too far away to do anything but watch as the giant-razored claw came down, piercing the mare’s armor from behind, punching through her body and pinning her to the ground.
Rage kindled within The Hero of Justice as The Shield-Maiden looked up to him, pain contorting her face and tears falling from her blue eyes. The Divine Thaumaturge lay dead, and The Shield-Maiden was in terrible danger. The Hero of Justice needed the staff. A snarl escaped the Archfiend.
“Where are your threats now, little pony?” his voice boomed.
The stallion said nothing, catching his breath. He knew that the wound was fatal. He wouldn’t be able to take down his foe with his strength alone. There was only one thing left to do. The Shield-Maiden nodded at him, apparently having come to the same conclusion.
The Hero of Justice raised his weapon toward the enemy before shouting, “Halberd of Steadfast Destruction, strike down everything in your path!”
A blinding flash of magical light escaped as the stallion shot forward like lightning, driving his weapon at the heart of the beast.
In a flash, the Archfiend raised up The Branch of Angelic Restoration, using it to parry. The halberd drove into the heavenly artifact, shattering in the magical explosion. A shard of the oak ripped through the stallion’s throat.
A powerful swipe of the demon king’s claw struck The Hero Justice, swatting him from the air. His body smashed to the ground, and the world began fading. Sickening laughter echoed across the land.
The warriors had failed.
All The Hero of Justice felt was sorrow, not for the town that would be lost, but for his steadfast companions who lay before him. The Divine Thaumaturge was dead. The only means to restore him had just been destroyed. The Shield-Maiden was crippled and helpless. They watched each other, even as the life faded from her blue eyes.
“Now, you die!” The Archfiend roared as his massive hand came down upon The Hero of Justice.
The stallion was suffocating, being smothered beneath the weight of the creature. He struggled futilely against it, flailing with his ebbing strength.
His sight returned, but the Archfiend had gone. Shadowy figures surrounded him, though he could not make out their form. Only the black voids, hollows where their eyes should have been that seemed to draw in the world around them.
The stallion looked to The Shield-Maiden. Her armor and power were stripped away. She transformed and was no longer the heroic figure that she had been, but all that remained was a frightened mare. The same was true of The Divine Thaumaturge. He was awake, bleeding from his neck, terror in his crystal blue eyes.
They were now clearly seen.
“Duster, help me…” Beigh implored.
“Please… save us…” Sissy pleaded.
The shadowy figures closed in, surrounding the other two as if to devour the three. Duster lost sight of the others and felt stabbing throughout his body as they tore at him. The stallion tried to fight back, throwing any attack he was able against the ethereal figures. He charged through them, running to find the others. He ran and ran; he could hear them calling, begging to be saved.
“Where are you?” he shouted into the darkness.
“Here!” Beigh yelled back.
“Help us!” Sissy screamed.
Duster’s heart broke at the sound of her cries, and he became disoriented as he kicked shout back. Something was grabbing him, trying to restrain him. He struggled. It was then that he noticed another voice.
“Easy, Duster, easy… It’s okay,” a mare spoke soothingly to him.
As thoughts cleared, Duster realized that he was in a bedroom. There were no monsters or demons, no struggle or death. Both Beigh and Sissy had died long ago.
“That’s my boy,” his mother said as he relaxed into her grip. “You’re okay now.”
The stallion melted into her embrace, tears falling freely from his eyes. She held him until the emotions were all spent. Though greatly comforted by her, Duster’s heart still felt heavy, as if a lead weight was in his chest that seemed to grow heavier every day.
At night, the dreams would come. Dark nightmares of struggle and death. They had taken him to doctors, the finest specialists. They had even spent several weeks in Canterlot where Princess Luna tried, but found herself unable to make them stop. Most nights, she would come and intervene in the nightmares. But sometimes, they simply had to play themselves out.
Soaked with sweat, the stallion didn’t attempt to move as his mother laid him down, turned on the light, and returned with a wash cloth to cool him down. It felt soothing against his forehead.
“Luna wasn’t able to come tonight?”
“No,” the stallion’s voice still had a rough, gravelly quality.
“I’m sorry, dear. Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.”
She spoke sweetly, “I understand. If you change your mind, I’m here.”
His mother turned off the light but sat up for a while longer, just holding the stallion close and stroking his mane until she fell asleep. He had initially been embarrassed for her to stay with him every night, though it was comforting to not be alone. He no longer seemed to feel anything one way or another.
Sleep did not come for Duster again that night. He simply laid awake, staring at the wall until Twinklestar stirred again before sunrise. She went through her morning rituals and walked him through his, eventually leading him down to the kitchen and seating him at the table as she prepared biscuits and gravy.
There was a time when having his favorite breakfast would have been the source of great joy. The stallion didn’t seem to care for food. He ate to humor his mother.
He took little notice of the others that came down for breakfast and went their ways, some to work, some to play, some to enjoy the morning.
He simply sat in his chair at the table as the day wore on, thinking about nothing in particular, feeling as though he were in a daze.