Devils Rising:
A Shin Megami Tensei Saga
Prolong:
Dreams from Long Ago
“There! There they go!! Stop them before they reach the border!”
The two beings, ponies, ran as fast as their legs could carry them. One was clearly an adult stallion, from his size and built. His traveling partner was a child, given the relative small size compared to the other one. And from the younger’s build, it was clear the child was a filly.
“Daddy, what are we going to do?” the filly asked through rigged breath.
“Don’t worry, Little C. We’re almost there,” the stallion said in obvious false confidence.
The stallion looked behind him, and saw his pursers hot on their hooves. He narrowed his eyes and he studied his pursers. There were three ponies that much was certain, but there was something off about them. Pieces of them were flickering off disappearing moment after the pieces came free. It was the creatures behind the ponies that gave the mysterious stallion concern.
They were strange, to least the last; most of these creatures appeared to walk on two legs, and had mismatch body parts. Some of these creatures appeared to be flying without the use of wings. The stallion looked behind him and saw a dome of gold energy. He knew that in that golden glow was his target, his heaven. He looked back at the approaching forces and frown. There would be no way he and his daughter could make it to the dome’s borders before their pursers reached them.
There was really only one choice left him, no matter how much it irks him. He sighs heavily, and knee down so he could look his filly in the eyes. What he was going to do next breaks his heart in so many ways, he doubts he would be able to live with himself, but this is something that has to be done.
“Cadance…Listen, I need you to get to Equrestia,” the stallion said calmly.
Cadance, a light pink filly with wings and a horn, looked up at her daddy, frowning sadly. “But daddy…?”
The stallion sighs as a red light began to glow on the pony’s forehead. There was a soft click, and two items floated in front of the stallion. One was a letter, which he put into his filly’s bags. The other item was a belt with a strange device on it. The stallion brought the belt to his neck and snapped it shut.
“I know what I say, my little crystal, but we just don’t have time to reach the borders together,” the stallion said in a soft voice. “But you have an important mission. You need to get to your aunt, and warn her about the coming storm. Can you do that for me?”
The little filly looked like she could cry at any moment. Still, she looked behind her father and saw these creepy creatures coming toward them, and become slightly scared. She looked at her father and with weak determination, nodded. She then turned around, and ran as fast as her little legs could go.
The stallion allowed a small smile to grace his lips as he watched his daughter entered into the boarders of Equrestia. He then turned to his pursers, his smile fading into a cold and lifeless expression. His pursers had nearly reached him, and he decided to make his move. The stallion simply thrust his left front hoof onto the device and it opened with a soft click, the entire device suddenly lighting up brightly.
“Izanagi! I call you!” the stallion screamed into the glowing device.
A small red ball of energy shoot from the device a second after the stallion spoke, and came down behind him. A second later, a massive biped appeared behind the stallion, wielding a strange spear-like weapon. By time the newcomer was out, the strange ponies and their misshapen friends had reached the stallion.
“You have no way to run now, Red Sun! So just give it up, and meet your end with peace,” one of these strange ponies hissed venomously.
The pony called Red Sun looked at the pony he believed talked for about a minute, and then let out a dry chuckle, which irritated one of his pursers.
“What’s so funny?!” one of the ponies bark viciously.
“You shadow ponies don’t get it!” Red Sun shouted confidently. “I already won! My daughter’s safe in Equrestia! So I don’t care if you kill me, because to me, I already won!”
The shadow ponies growled angrily at the pony front of them, clearly irritated by their foe’s claim, and the one in the center order,” Demons! Tear this Alicorn to pieces!”
The demons responded to this command with vicious growls and roars, as they charged. Red Sun held his ground, his wings flaring out in determination, as his own demon joined his side.
“You ready to tear them apart, Izanangi?” Red Sun asked calmly.
The demon simple nodded, and together the pony and demon charged at their foes, showing no fear about the odd they were up against. The filly, despite her father’s orders, had taken to a hiding spot after she felt a tingle go through her and believe she was safe, had been watching as her father began to fight the monsters before him.
At first, Red Sun was doing well; he and his demon summon were handling the shadow ponies’ demons with little trouble, and it was looking like he was about emerge victorious. That hope was dashed quickly, when a shadow-like appendage came from a shadow Pony and grabbed Red Sun. Izanangi was distracted by master’s troubles, and the shadow ponies’ demons took that time to attack the other demon mercilessly. Izanangi tried to shake off his attackers but they were proving to be too much for him to handle. He soon collapsed to the ground, his form flickering slightly in the pale light of the moon.
Red Sun had fair no better then his demon friend. After the shadow ponies had captured their prey, they proceed to beat him mercilessly. The supposed Alicorn tried to fight, to break free of his captors and help his friend, but the shadow ponies’ hold on him was just too great to break. He soon was beaten within an inch of his life, and that’s when the shadow ponies let up. The leader of the group, the one who’s been holding Red Sun, turned the Alicorn so he was looking at him.
Red Sun then did something quite unexpectedly; he began to laugh loudly. This angered the shadow ponies’ leader, and slaps him across the face. But Red Sun didn’t stop laughing, which only made the leader that much more enraged.
“Stop laughing!” the leader barked angrily.
The leader began to repeatedly hit Red Sun, and the Alicorn continue to laugh despite the pain he was in. This made the leader that much madder, and he use his strange magic to make a small dagger and thrust it into Red Sun’s side. The Alicorn wince slightly from the wound, and continue to laugh, the sound turning a little mocking.
“You don’t get it!” Red Sun suddenly screamed. “I told you, I won! I don’t care if you kill me, so just it over and save me from your bad breath!”
This statement made the shadow ponies’ leader exploded with rage, and with a mighty roar of anger, he thrust his dagger into the Alicorn’s chest. Red sun cried out and then went silent as he body was release from the shadow ponies’ hold. The other shadow ponies began to laugh cruelly at the fallen pony‘s body hit the ground with a faint thud.
Suddenly, someone grabbed the corpse of the fallen pony, and flew away before anything else could happen. The shadow ponies’ leader gasp when he realized that it was the fallen Alicorn’s demon, weak but still able to fight. He growled angrily as he looked over to where the demons where, and was shocked to find them all defeated and dissolving into masses of energy. He snapped his head around and saw the weakened demon flying off with the corpse.
“Go! Run away! It doesn’t matter! He’s already gone!” The leader shouted in gusto.
From her hiding spot, Cadance had watched the entire thing unfold. Her face has begun bunched up at some time, and she was fighting to hold back tears, which finally came when she saw her father fall.
“DAAAADDDYYY!”
(…)
Cadance, princess of the land of Equestria and newly wed wife, awoke with a short gasp. She lay there for the next few minutes, letting her mind catch up with her racing heart, as she looked at the ceiling. She inhaled deeply once her she caught her second wind, and sat up.
“Hasn’t had that dream in a long time…” the pink pony muttered dryly to herself.
She looked to her right and saw it was empty. She smiled to herself, knowing that her husband, Shining Armor, was getting ready for his daily duties as Captain of the Royal Guard. She sighs with a bit of contentment, and got out of bed. She shakes her wings a bit, to get the stiffness out of them, and made her way to her balcony entrance. She opened the entrance with her magic, and was meant with the coolness of the autumn air. She let out another sigh of contentment, and looked towards the sky.
It was close to winter, about a month before the first snow fall was schedule to fall, and she was looking forward to it. She always love the first snowfall of the season, it was just something magical about watching it all. And this year was going be special; she get’s to spend Hearth’s warming Eve with her husband.
Her good mood went down somewhat as her thoughts turned to her wedding. It’s been barely three months since the wedding and the events of that time are still cooling. Ponies are still coming up to her and offering their encouragement. Some, however, looked at her wearily, clearly thinking that the youngest princess of their land was still just a monster in pony skin, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Cadance shook her head to clear it, and closed her eyes. Her horn became charge a second later with magic, as she began to cast a spell her father had taught her many moons ago. Her magic invisibly spread out across the land, allowing her to see far and wide. She smiled softly when she noticed the early morning gardeners tending to the maze garden. She next directed her magic towards the sky and saw a bird flying over head. Her smile grew ever so slightly as she focused her magic farther up.
The young princess suddenly gasps, and opened her eyes, alarm shining deeply in them. She kept her spell going as she extends it as far as it could go. Panic began to appear on her face as she scan the skies ferociously, clearing looking for something. Her heart began to beat against her chest violently when she couldn’t find what she was seeking.
“No, no, no, no!” Cadence exclaimed as she hurried into her room and to her door. The door opened with a wild flare of her magic, and she flew out, alarming some stiff members that were passing by. “I have to warn my aunts! The spell is gone! Equestria is blind!”
(Outside of Ponyville)
Ponyville, a small rural town nestled in the heart of Equestria; a place where those whose seeks to live a small, semi-peaceful life could gather.
“Blah, I see this dump hasn’t changed since I was last here!” a gruff and low male voice said in disgust.
There, standing near the edge of the place called the everfree forest, where two ponies. Both where wearing full-body cloaks, thereby masking their true appearance from the naked eye. One pony was close to an Alicorn height, just about a few inches shorter. The other pony, which stands on the taller pony’s back, was about as tall as a standard mare, just a few inches taller.
“What’s the matter, Beary?” the shorter pony asked erratically, in a high feminine voice. “Don’t like the fresh air or something?”
“Get off me, runt!” “Beary” screamed angrily.
The larger pony began to shake his body violently to get the smaller pony off of him. “Runt” giggled heartedly, as she jumped onto the larger pony’s and use it as a spring board to launch herself into the air. She landed in front of her partner and looked at him, a smile hidden before her cloak. Beary ignored his companion, and looked back at Ponyville.
“I just don’t like “still” places like this,” Beary deadpanned. “It remains me to much of a painting and I hate paintings. They to darn colorful for my likes,” he then looked behind him, and though his cloak hid his face, an erratic grin had appeared on his face, “But we’re going to change all of that, right boys?”
From within the depth of the everfree, red glowing eyes began to appear, accompany by various hisses, growls and moans. Beary’s hidden grin grew wild and turned slightly sadistically, as he turned and began matching into Ponyville, his mysterious companions following close.