//------------------------------// // The Anger of a Pheonix // Story: Celestia's Oldest Friend // by midashguy //------------------------------// Princess Celestia was having a rather nice day. Things were not as hectic as usual, and Will was away, meaning she was able to keep her sanity intact. Still she missed and worried about him. Imagine her surprise when he kicked in the door to the throne room, stumbling in. The Guards immediately jumped into defensive positions to protect the princess. "Will?" Celestia asked. "Chill." Will told a guard as he walked towards the throne. "I'm not here to hurt her, and You couldn't stop me if I tried." The guard looked to the Princess for confirmation. She nodded, and the guard ponies relaxed slightly. They took a few steps back, but kept their eyes on Will. "That's a bit better." Will grunted. "Can somepony please get me a drink? Something strong preferably." "We cannot do that, even if you are a guest, there are rules and regulations that say-" A guard began to say. "Just get him a drink lieutenant." Celestia commanded. "Y-yes ma'am." "You can leave us alone for a while." She said. "Of course, just call for us if you need anything." "Will? You look like you crawled through Tartarus to get here." Celestia commented. "Yea...something like that." Will whispered. Princess Celestia was startled when rather abruptly, a blue phoenix perched on Will's shoulder. "Is that what I think it is?" She asked. "Yea." Will responded. "Why would you retrieve it?" She wondered. "Arigos is dead. It's my fault." Will explained. "Oh... Will I'm sorry." She said, obviously concerned. "I...I tried....but....nothing." Will said, hanging his head. "You did all you could." She tried comforting him. "No...I could have stopped it from happening. I dragged him into this doomed plan in the first place." He muttered. At last, a servant arrived with Will's drink. "Thanks." He whispered, gulping it down. "Whiskey river take my mind." "You can't just drink your sorrows away!" Celestia shouted. "The Order of the Spectral Hoof are still out there. No one knows what they are planning!" "As a matter of fact I can drink my troubles away! You can't tell me what to do and how to live my life. You have done it for a thousand years! I quit. I'm leaving." Will yelled, turning for the door. "Wait...Will...." Celestia trailed off. "Screw you." "Will......" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There were few places Will could go. Few safe places where he wouldn't be attacked at least. Not that being attacked would bother him. So he sat on a hill over looking Ponyville watching the sun go down, His back on a tree's trunk. He often found himself alone through out the thousand years of his existence, and grew to enjoy the peace and the quiet. "Lovely night, huh?" A voice behind him asked. "Screw you." Will muttered. "What's wrong? Bad day?" Berry Punch mocked. "I'm not in the mood. You can't kill me. I'm being overly nice, leave so I can just enjoy this moment to myself." Will said, not even turning to look at her. "Hmf. They say your a demon, but you don't seem to act like one." She commented, sitting down next to him. "Well. Now you listen. After innocent ponies were hurt and killed." Will hissed. "I do as I am told. Nothing more." She admitted. "Regret....." Will whispered. "How do you know that name?" Berry questioned, surprised. "What, your leader didn't tell you he helped me? I walked in and they gave me my Blue Phoenix." Will laughed. "What? No! Impossible..." She denied. "Hmf." Will grunted. "But that means...." She began, putting two and two together. "Yep, he is betting on both sides...but why? Have Arigos killed, gave me the bird so I could try to resurrect him... What is he planning?" Will wondered. "I don't know." Berry admitted. "Fat lot of good you are." Will commented. "Why don't you ask me yourself?" A new voice said. "Master? What are you doing here?" Berry Punch asked. "Getting rid of anything that can stop me." Regret cackled, stepping to the side to reveal a pony behind him. "Arigos?" Will rejoiced. "Not the fool you once knew. Not anymore." Regret informed. Will noticed it immediately. Arigos's eyes were orange instead of their usual blue, and the natural holes and dents in his carapace were gone. The biggest difference though was his horn, which was normal a bit curved, was now almost a half circle and razor sharp. It wasn't Arigos. Not anymore. "What did you do to him?" Will shouted. All Regret did was laugh. "Nothing, that is the beautiful thing about it. You did this. You revived him. All we did was...highjack the process. Too easy." "You monster." Will accused. "You call me a demon? Look at the unmoral things you do and tell me I'm the monster." "Ha. Let me finish what I was saying. The best part is that it still retains your friends memories. All your dark secrets and knowledge. It is faster, stronger, and smarter that you in everyway human. Do not beg for mercy because there will be none." Regret exclaimed, and turned to the thing that was once Will's best friend. "Kill them." "Master! Wait! Why kill me? What have I done?" Berry Punch begged. "You know too much. He is no demon. No monster. Just something that could stop us. What the Great Ones plan." Regret answered. "Great ones? Who are they and what are they planning?" Will questioned. "The Four of the Apocalypse. What they plan? The ruin of everything. Beware human. Your world as well as this one will come to an end soon." Regret turned to Arigos, "No more talk, Kill them." Will barely had time to duck before a blast of magic struck the oak tree he had been resting on earlier. The tree splintered into toothpick sized pieces. Will had to put his hands in front of his face to shield himself from the wooden shrapnel. Arigos let out a long hiss. "Arigos! Listen to me. I am your friend! Please!" Will begged. "Your friend is gone!" Berry shouted. "Thanks for the optimism!" Will yelled back, dodging another blow. Berry attempted to lunge, her blade in hoof, only to be knocked back by a kick from the seemingly possessed Arigos. She landed a few feet away, and struggled to get up. "Arigos! Listen to me. I am not your enemy! I saved you when you were little. You were abandon and I held you and told you that everything would be ok!" Will told him. "You looked at me and asked who I was, and I told you that I was like you. Scared and alone. Please..." Will trailed off. "W-will?" Arigos hesitated. Will jumped and tackled him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his feather. He forcibly placed it on Arigos's chest, and watched as his eyes turned from orange to their normal blue. Strangely the other changes stayed. "How do you feel?" Will asked. "Like you just tackled me." Arigos muttered. "Nice to see your sense of humor survived intact." Will laughed. "Weird..." Arigos said. "What?" Will asked. "I feel tingly." He said. "Damm it Arigos, I'm an Immortal, not a doctor!" Will said rubbing his forehead. "I think your alright, but let's get you to somepony with medical experience first." "Are you sure that is wise? This Apocalypse my master spoke of sounds rather eminent." Berry Punch cut in. "Isn't that the mare who stabbed me?" Arigos asked. "We should get my friend to a doctor first, make sure there isn't anything else they did to him." Will argued. "Really though, didn't she try to kill us? The crazy pony who has been trying to murder us?" Arigos tried to get Will's attention. "Fine, at least we are near Ponyville, though I doubt an assassin, a changeling and an unknown being walking into town will be welcomed with a party." Berry pointed out. "Well, they kind of know me. Arigos can disguise himself, and I think it will be ok if we explain what happened with you." Will said. "Fine." She said. So the trio walked down the hill and into town. They still got a few surprised and suspicious looks, but no one stopped them until- "Oh! Oh! Will! There you are!" Pinkie shouted. "Oh jeez." Will said. "Here we go again." Arigos sighed.