//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 - Star 
// Story: We Are All Just Puppets 
// by Zachurra 
//------------------------------//

	Horrus felt the presence of two approaching long before those who were distracted by battle. Even he had to admit that his eyes had a hard time keeping up with just whoever or whatever it was as they rocketed forward and threw Desolate into the air. 

When he saw Desolate thrown off his feet, he immediately took the one chance the Demon figured he would get to move. Quickly and quietly he made his way down to the battlefield. He slid down into the scar that had been created by Twilight until he reached the bottom, and it was there that he was met by a sight that made him far more uncomfortable than he would have originally assumed it would.

There lay the Guardian, somewhere between it's old form and it's newer, more angry looking form. It's eyes stared wide into the sky and the sword that it had used was halfway buried into It's neck. Oddly, there was no blood. Horrus cautiously stepped forward and knelt down beside the body. He first put his hand against it's chest, and felt nothing. He then put his fingers against it's neck and surely felt nothing. No heartbeat.

The Guardian of the planet was dead. It was only when the young Demon returned to his feet and turned to walk away when he suddenly felt something grab his ankle that he found himself to be gravely mistaken. 

Horrus quickly spun around and was met by the still wide eyes of the Guardian, but now they were staring directly at him. It opened it's mouth, but instead of words there were only gasps and coughs. Horrus's eyes looked back and forth between the Guardian and the blade and he understood what was attempting to be said. Grabbing the hilt with both hands, the Demon pulled as hard as he could. Despite the painful sounds made by the Guardian as it slid upwards, Horrus continued. If it wasn't dead now, then this surely wouldn't kill it either. Not that Horrus cared too much at this point... Nearly being killed tended to leave one with a few distasteful feelings towards their would-be killer.

As soon as the blade left the Guardian, it put it's hand over the wound. It's hand began to glow and it started cringing and writhing about, it's body twitching in a seemingly uncontrollable way. After a few moments of this, it began to calm down and it's hand slipped away to reveal a far less grevious looking wound.

Horrus knelt down beside the Guardian and grabbed it's wrist, taking a look at the palm just in time to see the image of a seal disappearing.

"A regeneration seal," He curiously stated, "You've been able to heal yourself this whole time?"

"One," the Guardian was taken by a sudden coughing fit, "can find it difficult... to heal a would when the blade is still in their neck..."

Horrus looked down at the sword, noticing that it continued to confirm his theory that the Guardian didn't have blood in it's body, tossed it aside. "Fair enough,"

"One," The Guardian continued quietly as it placed it's hand back over it's throat, "tends to have a bit of time to think while pinned under their own sword..."

"Well, certainly take your time in doing so." Horrus said as he returned to his feet for the second time. "While you do that, the rest of us will continue trying to put down the dog you sicced on the land-"

"I... have made so many mistakes in my time as Guardian of this planet." It slowly closed it's eyes as it recalled time in it's memory. "Nary lifting a finger to aid the land while it was under Madora's first siege, absent for one thousand years while Discord reigned and played... and when the land was threatened again, I suddenly felt... afraid, for it's future. I tore open a hole in space and brought outsiders into the world without even thinking of the consequences."

As the glow from it's hand began to cease, it pulled away to reveal that the wound was now completely healed. However, the Guardian did not move from it's spot on the ground. "And then, when the land finally achieved the peace it needed, I became afraid once more... If there were no threats, there was no need to be stronger. And if a threat ever came, would the land be able to handle it? And so I created a threat, but it failed to develop into what it was intended to be... and so I tried again, and it failed..."

"Everyone makes mistakes-"

The Guardian sat up quickly and grabbed the shirt that Horrus wore and pulled him down so they could meet eye to eye. "I can't make mistakes!" It breathed heavily and it visibly shook before it slowly, if only slightly, relaxed and fell back to the ground. "If I make mistakes... things die... And if things die, then... I have failed..."

"Then help me make things right!"

Horrus grabbed the Guardian by the collar and pulled it back up so they could look each other in the eye again. The Guardian almost looked surprised. "I honestly have no idea what compelled you to think that releasing arguably the biggest catastrophe from my world into this one was a good idea, but I would certainly hope that you've realized just how bad of an idea that really was. You were crafted by the very Aspects themselves, surely there is something you can do against him!"

"Were you not watching, young one? Even in anger, I was unable to defeat him. And now, here I lay... Beaten, stabbed, and broken by not only him but also the ones I was tasked with protecting."

"And yet you are still alive," Horrus continued to argue, "You still breathe and can still hold a weapon, so I fail to see just what's holding the oh-so great and powerful Guardian of the planet from still trying his damndest to do his job!"

The Guardian was quiet for a moment as it merely looked up at the young Demon. "You, who stand even less of a chance against the Horseman of Desolation than I, still remain so confident that you can win so long as there is even a sliver of a chance for victory..." It quietly began to laugh. "Perhaps you would make a better guardian than I."

"As much as I'd love to agree with you right now, I doubt we have very much time left before Desolate decides that he's had enough. Now, if you'd kindly get off your..." Horrus stopped himself as he began to notice the way the Guardian's eyes were no longer looking at him, but rather looking off into the distance and occasionally looking back and forth the same way they unconsciously do when a person is mentally imagining something. "What are you thinking?" He asked.

The Guardian did not answer right away but it's eyes did eventually return to the Demon. "I am not worthy of protecting these lands any longer... And you, by all rights, should be dead..." 

Suddenly the Guardian grabbed Horrus's face and held to it firmly. Horrus, surprised by this, tried to pry the hand away but it was no use.

"Calm yourself, Horseman of Death. Perhaps there is a way we can assist one another with both of our problems..."

The Guardian's body began to glow a bright blue. Before Horrus had a chance to question this new light, his body began to feel like it was preparing to tear itself apart. He tried to scream in pain, but the hand of the Guardian muffled the cry. A blinding light enveloped them both, so bright that it was all the Demon could see when he tried to keep his eyes open. Like thunder, a deafening boom rolled throughout the land.

When the light faded and his ears stopped ringing, Horrus reached up with one hand to cover his eyes and with the other to rub his ear in hopes of relaxing his senses. Not a moment later, he noticed that the Guardian was no longer holding his face. Opening his eyes and blinking a few times to do away with the spots in his vision, he realized he was alone. The Guardian was nowhere to be seen. He pulled himself to his feet and noticed how he suddenly seemed much... taller?

Horrus looked down at his body and was shocked to see that he was no longer in the form of a child, but instead back in the form of an adult. No longer was he covered by simple animal skin, but instead he found himself in the Guardian's attire. Wanting to confirm his suspicions, Horrus curled his hands into fists and released some of the energy that was swelling up within his soul. The air around him was forced back, and to this Horrus could only sigh and then smile.

"That bastard... Going to make me clean up your mess, will you?"

He turned and stepped out from the crater where he was met by the sight of Desolate staring him down with an open palm towards War and Celestia, who were for some reason lying on the ground. 

Horrus held out his hands, and just as they had for the Guardian, weapons formed in his hands first in the form of smoke before becoming physical. Two swords, swift and precise just as he prefered. With a smile, he spoke, "The Pale Horseman... rides again!"

Horrus launched forward and attacked Desolate with both blades. Going on the defensive, the Demon attempted to dodge every swing of the swords, inevitably being forced to back up from the torrent of steel. The old Horseman of Death was certainly moving far faster than Desolate had remembered him moving the last time the two of them fought, but it was clear that he was not dealing with the same man anymore. 

Desolate dodged and dodged before deciding that he had had enough. When Horrus swung with both swords, the Demon used the armor on his forearm to to block the attack. Both blades dug into the armor, and it appeared that they were actually stuck. Not wanting to give him a chance to realize what had happened, Desolate used his free hand to charge the seal and prepared to release it straight into his opponent. 

However, Horrus would be the first to take pride in his own observation skills. He noticed the moment the seal engraved in the Demon's hand began to glow and immediately moved his hands to try and catch the attack and succeeded in doing so. That's not to say he was not pushed back, of course. Horrus's feet slid across the ground as he was shoved back by the force. 

Horrus dug his heels in and pushed his fingers inward towards the center of the attack. He threw his arms in opposite directions, effectively tearing the flow of energy apart. Horrus looked forward, daring his opponent to try such an attempt again. Desolate, on the other hand, merely had a curious look in his eyes.

"You can see how my energy flows now, can't you?"

"Not only that," Horrus replied, holding his hands out as the swords planted in Desolate's armor evaporated, only to reappear in the other Demon's hands. "I can feel it. Like the water in a stream, I can see and feel where the current is slowest... and tear it apart."

Desolate laughed, "Ha! So be it!" He proceeded to audibly crack his knuckles, "To be honest, I always prefered a fist fight anyways."

Horrus steeled himself for whatever flurry was to come and held his swords tightly in his hands. "I've beaten you once before, I can do it again!"

"You only stood a chance because the boy wouldn't allow me to take full control. You merely fought my arms!" Desolate threw his arms out to emphasise his words. "But now you fight everything."

"He will not fight alone." The voice of War spoke as the Demon took his place to Horrus's left. 

"Never alone." A less familair voice stated. He turned to his right and saw as Celestia took her position on his other side. The three stood together like an immovable wall that dared to defy the unstoppable force that was Desolate.

"Then come!" Desolate threw his arms wide, "If fate demands that the fallen be avenged, then let it's will be done! Kill me!"

Celestia took to the air while Horrus and War rushed forward. Horrus shoved both blades forward but were deflected by Desolate's armor, allowing him to lift his leg up and plant a kick into the Horseman's chest, sending him back once more. War was quick to take his place, coming in from the right and throwing his fist forward only for it to be caught by the Demon. Desolate responded in kind, only for his fist to be grabbed as well. As the two struggled for dominance, a ball of magical energy was growing larger just above Celestia's horn. She fired her spell and it rocketed towards their position, where the two dodged back just in time to avoid the blast. 

For a moment, all Desolate could see was the dust and debris swept up by the blast. As it began to fade, he noticed a figure quickly moving towards him. He braced himself for War's coming strike, but it was too late before he realized that it was not War before him. 

The beat of Horrus's wings sent the dust flying in every direction as he flew towards his foe. Desolate managed to catch the first blade aimed for his chest in his hand, and he growled in pain as he felt it cut through his glove and his skin, and dodged his head back to watch as the second blade's tip scratched his mouth piece. 

Before he could retaliate, Horrus leapt up and planted both feet square into the center of Desolate's chest, sending him backwards as he released his grip on the sword. He did not move far back, as War was behind him and ready to deal the blow straight into the small of his back. The strike caused  the Demon to recoil in pain, and he barely had a chance to look behind him before he found himself surrounded by a pale glow. Celestia threw the Demon high into the sky with her magic.

War followed closely in pursuit as the Demon was tossed higher and higher. When he came within reach, War grabbed Desolate's wrist and quickly spun around, using the momentum to hurl Desolate back towards the ground. The former Horseman spun about uncontrollably as he raced towards the ground, eventually falling onto his back hard enough to crack the stone beneath him.

He landed not far from a balcony area where one could look out over all of Equestria. War landed closer to the edge with Horrus soon joining him, while Celestia covered any chance of escape by taking a position behind him. 

Somehow, even after all that, Desolate slowly made his way back onto his feet. The three could hardly believe their eyes. Just what did it take to kill this Demon?

"Stay down, Desolate!" Horrus shouted in the Demon's direction, "You can't win! This is over!"

"Over?" Desolate repeated as he stood with a small but noticable limp. "Are you kidding?" Unexpectedly, he reached up and put his hands on either side of his helmet. The helmet slid off and his hand's fell lazily back to the side, one still holding the piece of armor. Underneath the helmet was a man almost identical to War, save for his crimson eyes. His face was covered in scars, each one telling the story of a different battle. His messy, snowy white hair barely reached his shoulders. His lips turned to a wide grin, "I'm having the time of my life!"

He suddenly tossed the helmet aside and fell to one knee, slamming his palm into the ground. The ground beneath them lit up to reveal a massive seal that had been premptively carved into the ground. The area around them shook violently enough to throw the two other Demons off balance before the entire balcony began to fall, with only Celestia being the one to remain on stable ground.

The large chunk of stone fell freely until connecting with the mountain, where it began to slide down the steep incline. Desolate quickly closed the distance between Horrus and himself, slamming his fist into the Demon's stomach. He smiled as blood from Horrus's mouth splattered on the ground, with only a small amount adding to the crimson on his armor. He grabbed Horrus by the neck and tossed him to the ground before turning his gaze towards the oncoming threat that was War. 

Desolate dodged the first blow with ease before grabbing War's shoulder and slamming their foreheads together. War winced in pain and tried to keep his eyes open but all he could see was flashing lights and the wild grin that Desolate wore that they tried to hide. That grin quickly vanished, however, as he felt a massive gathering of energy far above him. His eyes shot upwards to see in the distance Celestia using her magic to form another small sun. Shoving War back, he spread his wings and fired into the air, leaving the two Demons and the balcony to their fates. 

Seeing this, Celestia threw her head down, sending the sun plummeting downward upon Desolate once more. She would have prefered to wait longer and let it charge further, but she simply had no more time. 

Desolate made no effort to avoid her attack, only rushing toward it and gathering speed with every passing second. Feeling it's heat, he smiled and all three of the seals engraved into his body began to glow simultaneously just before he and the ball collided. He vanished within it with a thump, and suddenly all became quiet. The sun froze in midair for a few moments before violently exploding. Desolate, untouched by the sun's flames, rocketed upward at an even greater speed. Celestia, shocked and dumbfounded by what she had just seen, was unable to react in time as Desolate's fist hit her with an uppercut. 

Taken by the surprise and pain, her wings fell limp and she began to plummet towards the ground. Some distance away, Dark Star watched as the ruler of his land began falling downward. Without thinking, he grabbed Pareidolia and tossed her onto his back. He immediately felt the immense magic that his sister held flow back through his body and returned to his flaming form. The young Unicorn held on for dear life as her brother shot into the air after the solar Alicorn. 

He was successful in catching her in his hooves, but she was far heavier than the colt had anticipated. The three fell to the ground regardless of Dark Star's efforts, but not nearly as hard as Celestia would have if he had not intervened. 

The other ponies quickly rushed to their ruler's side, and she gratefully accepted their aid in order to even make it back onto her hooves before Desolate arrived. The Demon in question landed on the ground not too far away, and without any further crude remarks he held his arm out and fired a powerful blast towards the group. Once again Pareidolia's magic saved their lives with a forcefield, but Desolate did not back down in his attack this time. He strided forward at a quickened pace until his palm nearly touched the magical barrier. Dark Star bit his lip as he looked back towards his younger sister and saw the way she was sweating and straining to hold the Demon back. 

"What of the Elements?" Celestia hastily asked.

"It hasn't been fixed yet, but I think we're almost-" Twilight was cut short as cracks began to visibly form along their protective shell. Some of the girls huddled together while Fluttershy moved to be closer to her foals. Celestia looked around her, frantically trying to figure out some way that they could possibly make it out alive. Her eyes caught side of the broken jewel that was once the Element of Magic. It was almost complete save for a thick crack down its center where it had been fused together once more. 

Her eyes widened as an idea came to her mind. If even one thing failed, if a moment was mistimed, then they may die... but if it were to succeed...

"Twilight," Celestia said as she looked down towards her former student, "When Pareidolia's shield breaks, I need you to form another one almost immediately!"

"Almost!?" The lavender Alicorn questioned, but she quickly reclaimed any arguments she had for this plan when she saw the flames in Celestia's eyes. With a gulp and a nod, her horn began to glow in anticipation for the moment. Meanwhile, Celestia took the Element jewel in her magical grasp and quickly began pouring as much of her power into it as she possibly could. Her form began to shrink and her mane lost it's ethereal movement and array of color with each passing second. 

Pareidolia whimpered as the strain finally became too much and the magical shield shattered. Only for half of a second was the shield down before Twilight's shield formed around them, and in that half of a second the Element of Magic was sent soaring through the air. The star-shaped gem twirled through the air, far past Desolate who only focused on intensifying his attack, and into the hand of a Demon who had only just made his way back up to the city. 

War looked down at the gem for a moment and could easily feel just how much power swelled within it's small form. His fingers wrapped around it tightly and he clenched his eyes shut as the overwhelming energy began flowing into his body at a rate that may have easily destroyed a Demon of lesser strength. When his eyes opened once more, they were only a shining light, a testament to the strength that now flowed through his veins. 

Desolate felt the surge of power the moment it began to flow and spun on his heel and threw his other arm out to fire yet another powerful blast while maintaining the first one that continued to hammer away at the forcefield. He felt himself grin as he felt War be overtaken by the bright light, but... something was wrong. Very wrong. War was not being swept away by his power, but rather-

Before Desolate could put the thoughts together in his head, War burst out from the bright light and delivered a punch into the side of the Demon's head that was enough to break his concentration completely. With eyes wide, Desolate did everything in his power to avoid his younger self's attacks. War's movements were alarmingly quick, even for him. What disturbed the Demon most, however, was the way that his forearm seemed to be taken by a rainbow colored fire. It's flames, despite it's miniscule size compared to the sun that he had devestated just moments before, were all the more intense. 

In his efforts to avoid War's fists, Desolate momentarily lost track of his surroundings. His heart fell when his back suddenly made contact with something solid. A piece of the castle, broken likely from the Guardian's fight with Horrus the other night, proved to be the deciding factor in the battle. 

With nowhere left to run and no time to dodge, War's fiery fist connected with Desolate's chest - right where the Guardian's sword had pierced. The armor shattered and broke apart, and War's fist pushed straight through Desolate's body. With such power and force behind his blow, a small chunk of the stone blew apart on the opposite side from where Desolate stood pinned, despite being a dozen feet back. 

With absolute shock in his eyes, Desolate's gaze turned down towards where he had been hit. War's fist was pushed deep into his body, deep enough that it could no longer been seen. His eyes then turned to meet with War's which were only just becoming visible once more as the intense light faded. In his eyes, he saw not anger or fury or hatred... but a strange calmness. 

Finally, his eyes turned towards the sky. A beautiful shade of blue, there was hardly a single cloud that threated to obscure the color. Because of this, a single star could be seen despite the sun's powerful rays. 

As blood trickled down from his lips, Desolate gave that star a pleading smile. "Eva... even after everything... you still shine... so brightly..."

His voice came in a quiet whisper, so hushed that War almost missed those final words as Desolate fell limp, his head falling onto War's shoulder. War pulled his fist from the Demon's chest and stepped back, holding onto the body's shoulders to keep it from collapsing upon the ground. Strangely, the body began to dissolve in his hands, vanishing before his very eyes until all that remained was a single, glowing light. It hovered in place for a moment before shooting high into the sky. War's eyes tried to keep track of it as it ascended, but it's light was soon overtaken by the light of the sun and seemed to disappear. 

War felt something collide with his back and turned to see a familiar yellow Pegasus gripping his torso tightly. As his mind returned to what was around him, he heard the cheers and shouts of glory that came from the other ponies. He hardly heard a word that they said as each voice was muffled by another. The only one who didn't seem to be cheering or congratulating him was Celestia, who merely smiled at him and gave him a nod. He returned the gesture before his eyes caught sight of something in the distance. 

He gently pulled Fluttershy and his children away from him before quietly making his way towards the one who stood near where the broken balcony once resided. The other ponies soon understood and hushed as War drew nearer.

Horrus stood overlooking the horizon. He did not seem excited or even happy about their success over such a powerful foe. Without turning to see who it was, he knew who stood just behind him. "Power." He said, "It is what I have sought after for all of my life. And now, I have the power to rival even the Gods of our world..." As he felt War's hand fall upon his shoulder, he held out his hand. In his palm was the black cloth that he once wore around his eyes. It swayed gently in the wind. He then smiled and released it, watching as the cloth spun and swayed like a serpent in the wind. "But power was what Horrus Rabe desired... and last time I checked, he died long ago."

Horrus turned toward's War, who too watched the cloth. "What will you do now? Without Desolate, you're life span has been dramatically cut..."

To these words, War's eyes turned to look into the other's, "Whether I should only breathe for another ten years or another one hundred," War smiled, "It will be more than enough time to live."

Horrus looked into War's pale eyes, and then to the ground, and finally stopping when they turned back to the horizon. He smiled calmly, "Perhaps you are right...."

"I believe the better question is... what will you do now?"

Horrus remained quiet as he thought. What would he do? With the power of the Guardian, he could do nearly anything he desired. Space and possibly even time were within his reach... but there was one thing that stood out amongst the rest. One thing that he had to do.

"I... have quite a few apologies to make."

War patted his shoulder as a vortex opened behind them. A doorway that led to another world. "Go to them, dear friend. And when you see them, please... tell them to live as well."

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The birds happily sung their songs into the wind as squirrels scurried in and out of the trees they lived within. Against one of these trees, near a small cottage, was a sword. A sword that had been used to cut down hundreds in the past that now only stood to mark a hollow grave. 

On the opposite side of that tree were a family. A man, once so dreaded and feared, now rested with his back against it. No longer did he wear armor, for he had no need. No longer did he take a weapon in his hands, for he had no desire. By his side, his hand rested upon the back of a Pegasus that had looked beyond the coldness of his eyes and saw a place of warmth. On his other side was a young colt, relaxing in the grass and basking in the sun's warmth to keep him comfortable as he slept. In his lap was a young filly, curled up and in a state of bliss as her father ran his fingers through her mane. 

He smiled. He smiled for the birds and he smiled for the beautiful day. He smiled for his love and he smiled for his children. And despite that he had every right not to, he smiled for the two stars in the sky that shined brightly enough to even be seen in the sky during the day.