Part 4: Hope
“As much as it pains some, occasionally a monster is the best thing that can happen for a world. Your world has the potential for happiness because of the death of a single soldier. The other path created a being so depressed about the state of the universe that she considered destroying it a mercy. So. Do you appreciate your world a bit more now? Good. Thankfully, that was merely what your universe could have been, a song of pain, despair and death. Instead of that nightmare, a light emerged from the void left by the shattered gods, a hope for a better future, and a desperate plea to end to an endless war. Behold now the birth of both a great hero, and a great hope.”
Where had Chaos gone? Had he abandoned us? The questions ran through my mind as I soared over the burning town. Times were hard. Chaos’ armies had held together only because they knew what Chaos did to defectors. Without our leader, we were little more than small bands of raiders, fighting only for our next meal. Today was no different. Swooping down, I seized one of the peasants. Understand, it was nothing personal. The peasants had food, and we did not. We intended to conquer the territory and repurpose it as our own settlement. The earth pony beneath me struggled, but couldn’t quite reach me. After reaching a nearby cloud, I let go and raced him to the ground, pulling up when I heard the crunch.
“Captain!” Shouted one of my soldiers, a unicorn, “Look at what I found!”
Intrigued, I landed next to her. On the ground, a battered and bruised earth pony gasped for breath. “Look at her! I broke her with my bare hooves! I didn’t even use magic once!”
“You monsters!” shrieked the broken filly, “We don’t even have weapons! We’ve done nothing to deserve this!”
Although a bit sickened, I laughed. It was rather humorous. Earth ponies were usually personified by their magically enhanced strength. However, he needed to be chastised, we had a town to conquer, and little time to enjoy ourselves. “Just kill her already and get back to work!” I shouted, then leapt back into the air. Behind me, the soldier slit the earth pony’s throat and pressed onward through the burning buildings.
By that time, a contingent of Order’s remaining soldiers had arrived at the edge of the town. I allowed myself a grin as I noticed the already immense number of casualties on the opposing side. Joining the fray, I assisted my partner, another unicorn. Taking a dagger from a pouch on my back, I positioned it above the enemy forces and dropped it. He then seized it with magic, and guided it to its target. Then, the enchanted dagger returned to the pouch for me to release once again.. I won’t bore you with the details of the battle. Suffice it to say that they never stood a chance. I gave the signal for no quarter, and we killed any wounded we happened across. However, something felt wrong. It was too easy. The enemy reaction speed was slower, their strength lessened, and their movements far less fluid. As I knocked over the last enemy still standing, I called to the rest of the group, and attempted to gather them together.
However, an unearthly wail suddenly burst from the center of the village. My curiousity piqued, I turned and shot toward the source of the sound, before freezing in shock. The filly from before stood next to one of the fallen, loosing her anger at the sky. Blood dribbled down her front from her slashed throat, but it had adopted a rich golden hue and glowed gently where it fell. Before my stunned eyes, her body grew longer and taller, hiding the fatal injury beneath her newly formed skin. A horn burst forth from her forehead and newly formed wings flexed with enough power to level nearby buildings.
My nearest squad, a group of lightly armored earth ponies leapt forward, brandishing their edged weapons. The first pair were deflected by the wings of their target, but the third lodged his blade deep into her side and twisted it loose. She didn’t even bleed. Roiling golden magic embraced him and forced him to the ground, effortlessly tearing his sword free and bending it into a makeshift collar to hold him. Although he squirmed and struggled, he only managed to cut himself on the edge. As she stared at us, her new wound closed and she spoke for the first time, “I understand now. I have seen Harmony. The fighting must end. It is time to move on.”
This pony reminded me of Commander Arcturus, the madpony who dared to defy both Order and Chaos and died for it. “Kill this mad creature,” I ordered, disgusted by the entire notion, “We don’t need what she is offering.”
My entire force launched themselves forward, tearing into their target. However, one by one, they were forced to the ground and bound there with their own equipment, writhing in protest. Eventually, the few remaining attempted flight, but they too were seized. I had only seen such a display once before on the battlefield, when Order had slain the 42nd battalion.
“This day,” announced the terror, “Marks the foundation of a new order. And with this new order comes a new code of laws. One designed to protect my new subjects. I will be called Celestia, Princess of Equestria.”
I realized something, then. None of my soldiers had died. Suddenly, my saddle pouches came to life, twisting themselves into straps and binding my legs to the ground.
“You will be given a choice. To embrace a set of laws designed to protect and serve everyone, or to leave here and never return.”
“And what are these laws?” I queried in dread.
Instead of answering, her horn glowed once more and golden light washed over the pony nearest to the alicorn.
He screamed and clutched his head. Tears poured down from his face as he moaned then shrieked a mantra that could only be madness, “What have I done?”
“What did you do to him?” I demanded, trying to be brave.
“I gave him a conscience. An understanding of good and evil.”
The screaming pony suddenly burst from his bonds and threw himself down before the shining being, begging, “Please! Help me!”
She drew him into a gentle embrace, pity in her eyes. “There is nothing I can do to help you. The only way forward now is to apply the virtues you now understand, and to do your best to atone for your sins. I opened your eyes. Now make sure that it wasn’t in vain.”
The light spread further, and so did the weeping. Finally, it brushed up against me. It was like a thousand needles stabbing me, not in my body or mind, but my very soul. A hundred dead ponies screaming. And worst of all, I understood that it was entirely my own fault.
Unlike the other though, I reasoned that the pain would die with its origin.
Glancing around, I realized that my soldiers were staring at her with hope. Blast her, she was turning into Arcturus reborn. Her obsession with a new order would get us all killed. Tearing loose from my bonds, I stabbed a dagger into her chest before she could react. Jerking it free, I shoved it into her eye and twisted it as violently as I could. Although she spasmed for a moment, the dagger clattered to the ground, completely clean of blood, and a whole, unblemished eye stared down at me. Refusing to let her have the last laugh, I threw myself onto the dagger, lodging it deep in my left lung.
She glanced at me as I lay there dying, “You ordered the destruction of my village, the death of my family, and eventually my death, but I want you to know that I do forgive you. I only wish I could have saved you.”
“(Censored by your friendly reaper) you!” I coughed through the blood as the world faded to white.